August 17th 2022 A.D

Gunpla Battle Nation Qualification

Two years ago

"Here they come..."

"I've got a bunch of Zaku's heading this way!"

"Freaking… jackass… just stop moving!"

The radio waves in the area were loud as these and similar reports were heard, it was a standard Battle Royale free-for-all, every man for himself as Zaku's and GiNN's clashed with GM's and Daggers and everything in between. NPC warships working for respective factions fired at opposing enemy Mobile Suits, Mobile Armors and other ships in a massive battle across space.

In one part of the battle, a classic clash between a MS-06F Zaku II and a RGM-79 GM. The GM's beam saber clashed with the Zaku's head hawk before the GM kicked the Zaku away, and then raised its beam spray gun and fired three shots, hitting the Zaku's head and torso, easily destroying the Zeon M.S.

However, before the GM could so much as celebrate its victory, suddenly a beam of energy struck through its cockpit as a pink blade sliced the GM in half, causing it to explode. Fading into existence behind it appeared the infamous MBF-P01-Re2AMATU Gundam Astray Gold Frame, its Trikeros offensive shield disengaging as the machine eyed the battlefield around it.

Operating from the controls of the Gundam, was a young man who was wearing a perfect replica of the Celestial Being normal suit colored black with red trimming. The figure took off his helmet for a moment, revealing him to be a young man in his late teens or early twenties with short brown hair and brown eyes. "That's five," he said with a smirk. "Char Aznable ain't got nothin on me." He glanced around the controls of his Gold Frame, they were a distinct upgrade from the other holographic displays for Gunpla Battles, now appearing to perfectly replicate a Mobile Suit's cockpit for the pilot to enjoy. It delivered an even superior sense of realism than before.

A warning alarm went off, snapping him out of his thoughts as he moved the Amatsu to the side, avoiding a torrent of 90mm bullets. He saw a team of GM Kai's advance against him, firing their machine guns his way, one carrying what appeared to be a missile launcher was hanging back, and fired a salvo of missiles.

Jordan Tackett grunted as he spun the Gold Frame's head, and fired his 75mm CIWS head vulcans, gunning down the missiles without much difficulty. Using the explosion to his advantage as it temporarily blinded the others, he reactivated the Mirage Colloid of his machine, disappearing from their field of vision as the explosion settled.

"Damn, where did he go?" One GM pilot demanded.

"I hate it when they use Stealth!" Another one shouted. "Come out and fight!"

Jordan smirked as he moved the Amatsu behind the first GM. "Well, since you asked me so nicely!" he shouted as he activated his beam saber, and stabbed the GM in the area its cockpit would be, detonating its Minovsky reactor. He was forced to disengage his Mirage Colloid and put the energy to his thrusters as he moved away just as the reactor went critical.

"Get him!" The second GM pilot said, as he and his two remaining allies charged towards him, firing their respective weapons at him. However Jordan raised his left arm, and activated the "Okitsu no Kagami" Offensive/defensive beam shield which absorbed the attacks easily enough. However not wanting to be stuck on the defensive, he raised his right arm and fired his Trikeros-mounted 50mm Beam rifle, getting one lucky shot hitting the cockpit of the GM with the missile launcher, taking it out of business.

He then punched the thrusters forward with a battle cry, activating both his Trikeros beam saber, and switching the Okitsu no Kagami into beam sword mode, charging at the two remaining GM's. They tried to move away, but they could not keep up with the Amatu's speed as it sliced the two GM's in half, and it burst away just in time to avoid their explosions, which detonated behind him.

"Too easy," Jordan said with a sigh as he moved his Gundam through the fray of explosions and beams. "Come on, let's find a challenge..." However just as he said that, warning alarms went off again as he spun around and activated his beam shield just in time to block several beam rounds that were aimed at him. "Shit! Who the?" He looked at the source, and saw what appeared to be a GN-010 Gundam Zabanya, fully loaded with GN bits, and its two GN rifles aimed at him. He saw its sniper head piece move up, revealing its flashing blue eyes that shone in challenge.

Jordan smirked. "Now that's more like it!" he said, as he spread out his Maga no Ikutachi energy absorption claws and charged. The Zabanya responded in kind as it lowered its sniper piece before it deployed some of its GN Holster bits surrounding it, and began firing its GN rifles at Jordan as his mobile suit approached, weaving through the blasts and blocking what ones reach him with his beam shield. Jordan fired a few shots of his own beam rifle, however they were easily blocked by his Holster bits.

The Zabanya responded to this by bringing out all of his GN Rifle/pistol bits as well, deploying them around him before he began firing a wide series of beams his way. "Shit!" Jordan shouted as he was forced to dodge the incoming beams which were being fired non-stop. He tried his best to weave through the blasts of GN energy, however one lucky shot got through his energy shield and blasted his left leg off.

The cockpit shook from the impact. "Damnit!" he cursed. "Okay, now you just got me angry!" He sped forward as he intercepted two of the GN holster bits, and raising his energy absorbers he cleaved into them, and absorbed their energy into the Amatu, and then he tossed them away as they drifted away now powerless. He then opened fire with his beam rifle aiming for the GN rifle/pistol bits that were still firing a torrent of energy in almost all directions. Since the Zabanya was also focusing on the many other pilots surrounding them, its holster bits could not defend them all as Jordan caught several of the rifle bits.

Unfortunately, this did not rub well with the pilot of the Zabanya, apparently, as he focused his attention on Jordan once again… and then it began to glow bright red.

Jordan eyes widened, before he groaned. "Oh shit..." he muttered, before the now TRANS-AMing Zabanya began flying circles around the Amatu, firing its rifle and pistol bits at him as Jordan tried to defend himself, but the Zabanya was moving too fast.

'No, I can't lose here!' He thought, as the Zabanya destroyed his two energy absorbers. 'I'm too close! I have to get into the Nationals!' The Zabanya then blasted off his right arm carrying his Trikeros. And then in a split second, the Zabanya appeared before the Amatu, and directed all of his rifle/pistol bits to surround him, leaving Jordan no chance of escape. "DAMMIT!" He fired...

Jordan woke up with a short shout… and then fell out of bed, hitting his face against the ground… "Fuck…" he muttered. "Stupid… bed… dream… damn…"

Groaning, Jordan stood up on his feet as he shook his head. As he let out a long yawn, his Haro clock began going off, as he looked at it, the clock showing it was 8:00 AM in the morning, at the time he told it to wake him up.

Jordan sighed as he bent his neck a bit. "Well… today's the day," he said, as he walked up to his dresser and began pulling out his fresh set of clothes. "I swear, if I still miss that plane to California, I will be so pissed..."

About an hour later after a quick shower and getting dressed, Jordan was downstairs eating a quick breakfast of Pop-Tarts and milk, all while polishing up several Gunpla figures he had laid out before him. Most of them appearing to be different variants of Striker Packs from the GAT-X105 E, along with other pieces which appeared to be different attachments and parts of other Gunpla. However standing in the middle of it all appeared to be a 1/100 RX-78-2 Gundam, but colored Black and along the chest and around the limbs, but all of the joints of the Gundam were colored gold, along with a golden V head crest. All of this setting next to an open steel briefcase that appeared to have slots for everything he had set out on the table, the case itself looking like an exact replica of an Assault Container from Gundam 00.

'Finally managed to merge the Striker hardpoints on you,' he thought as he finished eating the pop tarts. 'It wasn't too hard once I figured out the design between the Strike and Gundam aren't too different. The Custom Striker packs may need some more work, but they shouldn't be too much of a problem. And I can ask Patriot or the others if we can have a test battle just to be sure.'

Once he finished off his meal, he began taking all of the Gunpla parts and placing them back into the briefcase into their respective sections where they belonged. As he did this, the phone rang in the house, but Jordan was focused on his work so he didn't answer it, and let it go to the answering machine.

"Jordan, I know you're there," A woman's voice said. "Hopefully you didn't forget to set your alarm clock, though, but considering how much you've been preparing for this I doubt it. Anyways, be sure to grab the tickets on the counter for your flight, don't forget that… what did you call it? Normal Suit? Anyways, don't forget that and your extra clothes. It's gonna be a long flight to California and you know it. Just be careful - and please remember to eat before you leave. Last time you completly forgot your lunch."

The answering machine turned off, and Jordan smiled a bit as he finished packing the Gunpla, placing the Gundam itself in the center slot before closing the case. "I will, mom," he said, as he picked up his case and headed to the living room to grab the rest of his luggage.

August 16th, 2022 - North Bay, Ontario, Canada

A tall man in a green flight suit got into the old-style Gunpla Battle cockpit, dusting off his flight suit, which some would recognize, as he settled in. This was an important tourney: his chance to get to represent Canada in the Gunpla Nationals being held in the US. Ronald Pinkerton chuckled.

'And this might be fun, seeing as everyone's submitted custom battle zones.' He thought to himself. It was a completely local thing, but everyone was allowed to send in a custom battlezone of their own for the final battle, as a change of scenery might make things more exciting. Ron, being a fan of Battlestar Galactica, had spent weeks making a perfect copy of the Battle of the Resurrection Ship to be displayed.

"All Gunpla pilots, ready?!" Ron donned his BSG-style flight helmet, then secured it.

"Ready to sortie!"

"Ready!"

Ron simply gave a thumbs-up. The screens lit up, and Ron placed his brother's GAT-X1022 Blu Duel on the scanner. It scanned the model, then images appeared: a massive blue Island-3, with 8 other warships. "Oh, this might be more fun!" He said with a face-splitting grin. While a fan of Battlestar, he knew this VERY well: a battle from Babylon 5's Season 3 episode Severed Dreams. Clearly, someone else was a fan. The screens showed a dozen enemy Mobile Suits near the station (the titular station, Babylon 5, itself) all of which were enemies.

"Bloody free-for-alls," Ron muttered as he charged into the fray, firing the beam pistols at the MSs, which Ron IDed as Overflag Space Types, Enacts, a ZAKU Warrior, and, joy of joys, a GAT-X105 Strike. "Hello, morons," he said on the comm. "This is your WAKE UP CALL!" One of the Enacts was shot down instantly, and Ron drew a beam saber to hack down an unsuspecting Overflag before, unprecedentedly, stealing its' Trident Striker and firing on the ZAKU.

"What the fuck?!" The ZAKU pilot shouted, "You can't do that!"

"SAYS WHO?!" He shouted as he emptied the weapon into the ZAKU, destroying it. "That's... How did he do that?!" The pilot whined, and Ron smirked as his ace in the hole, the Flexible Armaments System, (FlexArms, for short) allowed him to take an Anno Domini weapon and use it on a Cosmic Era MS. It was universal, actually: UC could use AG, AG could use CE, and so on and so forth.

"That's a little something that might be coming into vogue soon," he said as he hid behind Babylon 5's solar panels, darting in and out to snipe at the enemy Mobile Suits (he didn't think of them as models, not while he was piloting) while continuing to plan.

"If I'm right, this guy went balls-to-the-wall," he said to himself. "Meaning-" Green blasts shot past his Blu Duel, and not one came from the enemy MSs. "Props to the guy who made this," he said. "B5 actually shoots at you!"

Starfuries flew past, ignoring the Mobile Suits that charged in behind them to kill Ron. "Oh, you're not getting away with that cheap shot, asshole!" One of the Overflags drew a sonic knife, turning it into a beam sword.

"Mistake, cockbite," Ron said, shaking his head. "Mistake." He fired the Scorpion railgun, taking off the left arm and the defense rod.

"You son of a-" Another shot destroyed it, and Ron fired the beam pistol at the second one, disarming it completely.

"Wait, there was 15 of us." Ron said, "I just took out four." He then looked for the other competitors, until he saw a battle between a group of Enacts, a GNX and a 105 Strike Dagger w/Aile Pack near the Omega-Class destroyers Agrippa and Churchill, the latter of which was getting its' ass handed to it.

Ron groaned. "I HATED seeing that ship die," he muttered. "Too bad I can't do a thing to save her." However, he then blinked before he smirked devilishly. "Maybe I can use this to my advantage." He sped toward the Agrippa, keeping an eye out for that Strike. The Churchill started spewing fire from her hull as the Agrippa pounded her. Ron finally got in range, then shield bashed the GNX into the Churchill's flaming hull. "I win!" He said as he stole the GN SMG before killing the GNX with a railgun shot to the crotch. "Whoops."

"HEY! It's the fucking weapons thief!" One of the pilots shouted, before they all stopped firing at each other, focusing on the Blu Duel.

'That's right, retards,' he thought, smirking. 'Follow me in.' At that moment, the Agrippa fired, the X-ray/plasma beam barely missing the Blu Duel and destroying its' shield, but taking out the MSs following it. "I win!" He said again.

"Like hell!" An Ahead fired at the Blu Duel with its' GN lance, but Ron ducked under it and fired every round in the GN SMG's condenser at the Ahead, then discarded the useless weapon before hacking the Ahead in two with a beam saber the second he came into melee range.

The Aile Dagger charged in, beam rifle blazing. "JUST DIE!" Ron simply ducked behind the Roanoke just as the Churchill charged at her, the Dagger charging at the rotational section. "Wha - NO!" Omega met Omega as the Strike Dagger was CRUSHED between the two ships.

"Whoopsie daisy." Ron said smirking just as a red-orange beam shot past his MS, and Ron groaned as he spotted a GNX-903VW Brave Commander Type rush toward his machine in fighter mode. "Seriously?!" He shouted, "The GN Flag?! What the hell did I do to deserve this?!"

"I don't know, STEALING OUR WEAPONS, MAYBE?!" Came the response from a female voice, as Ron facepalmed as he used the Roanoke's wreckage to protect himself. "Great, a GIRL piloting a GN Flag." He said, "This day CANNOT get worse."

"It's called a Brave, you ass!"

"I know that, but GN Flag is more-"

"SHUT UP AND DIE!" She fired again, hitting the Blu Duel's leg, clipping it off.

"Psy's going to kill me." He muttered before he smirked again, and then sped toward the Agrippa.

"Coward!"

"Not coward!" He shouted back, as Babylon 5 and the Alexander began firing at the Agrippa, and Ron was smart enough to kick on the brakes while the Brave shot past, right into the line of fire. The last of the Babylon Stations and the EAS Alexander destroyed the Brave with a barrage of fire, taking out the Agrippa as well.

"Ok, and now-" He began, before a beam hit the Blu Duel's head, taking it off. "Fuck! The Strike!" It charged at him, its' pilot screaming as it did. Ron managed to grab the Drake Howling, which survived the barrage, and opened fire with the weapon, It took off the Strike's legs and head, and destroyed the beam rifle. "You WILL NOT WIN THIS!"

Ron scoffed. "BULLSHIT," he shouted back as the Strike pulled out a beam saber, and Ron pointed the Drake Howling at the Strike's cockpit. The Strike's saber went into the Blu Duel, but missed anything critical. The GN beam cannon, on the other hand, was aimed at the cockpit. Ron pulled his best Gin Ichimaru imitation. "Bye-Bye!" Ron pulled the trigger, firing and destroying the Strike. And winning the battle.

"Winner: Ronald Pinkerton!"

Ron took off his helmet, taking in a few breaths of air. "My FlexArms system worked," he said. "Can't believe it did."

He got out of the cockpit, where cheering, mostly from three people, was heard. All three were women of varying ages. And all three were Ron's family. "Aunty Karin! Grandma! Mom!" He shouted.

"You won! Well, I barely understood this thing to begin with, but you won and that makes me proud, Ronnie!" Ron allowed his grandmother to hug him. "Grandma, really?" He said with a slight groan. "Just 'Ron', please."

"Mister Pinkerton!" All four looked at the man in charge of the tourney. "Congratulations. You've secured your spot on the Gunpla Nationals list. You're representing Canada, young man. Make your nation proud. And since your Gunpla is damaged, we have a few models for you to work on."

Ron spotted ten boxes: three were machines he defeated in there, two were Gundams he considered the apex of CE engineering, and one was the multirole machine from hell. "Take your pick. You can take four."

Ron walked over and picked up his four: the Strike Freedom, Destiny, Strike E plus Noir Pack and the Perfect Strike. "I've got work to do before I go, don't I?" Ron said to himself as he looked at the Destiny and Strike Freedom. 'Oh, yes.' He thought with a vicious smirk 'I've got a lot work to do before I go anywhere.'

August 17, 2022 - Detroit, Michigan, United States

The battle was getting intense.

All around him, the explosions were getting even fiercer. He gritted his teeth and pushed his machine to the limit, drawing on the full power of the system within. The Dagger's pilot let out a scream over the comm as he pushed his machine's thrusters to their max. The other pilot wasn't giving up, though. Below he could see the bastard men and women who dared to butcher the next generation in their quest to wipe out the Coordinators, and that was the last thing he wanted to have happen.

"Let's see how much you care when you are taken down by one who fights to protect the future!" he shouted. He gunned his machine's Verniers to maximum and punched it. The particles released did the job of jamming enemy sensors and he screamed out his heart and soul as his machine flashed from the normal colors to red. Normally he didn't use this, but in this case it was warranted as the Dagger pilot was an ace.

Steven Krane's brown eyes were hard as he whipped out his GN blades and tore into the nearest squad of tanks and Strike Daggers, wiping them out as the ace pilot flipped his machine and fired on him. Steven gritted his teeth and within seconds was out of the path of the beam. The speed his machine granted him was his biggest edge, he knew.

And there was no way he was allowing this to happen any longer!

His brown eyes flashed with anger and rage as he whipped his head around, his black hair flying a bit loosely in the confines of his machine's cockpit. Unlike a normal pilot, he didn't really wear a pilot suit unless in space combat. Here on Earth, however, things were much different. He wore only a T-shirt that was blue at the top and white at the bottom with green stripes on the sleeves and black cargo shorts with brown combat boots and black fingerless gloves. He was lean and muscular, but that was hidden beneath his skinny frame. He wasn't malnourished; he was just very scrappy.

The alarm was blaring in his cockpit as he darted over to where the ace pilot was lurking, guarding the entrance to the Lodonia lab. The man was clearly preventing him from getting inside. "Not this time!" Steven yelled.

He gripped his controls and shoved them forward, the Gundam just a blur of speed as he dashed in towards the man. Steven's machine wasn't just built for speed. It was speed. And Steven loved that fact. He watched as the man came in, his eyes wide with rage and slashed, but the teen was faster. His reflexes kicked in and he dodged, his machine almost vanishing in the blink of an eye. The Raiser X reappeared behind the guy's Dagger and lashed out in a kick, nailing a blow to his cockpit and sending the Dagger skidding.

Built like the 00 Raiser in body and design, the head was replaced with that of a Murasame and a pair of wings jutted out from the back right where a GN Drive was housed. On the left arm was a shield armed with a GN cannon and a GN machine gun set attached to the hips. On the arms were twin GN swords for CQC and a particle missile launcher was hidden on the back for surprise attacks. The torso was mostly blue and the arms and legs were white. On the wing edges was a green stripe and the bottom of the feet were blue. The hands were black and the optics flared a bright blue-green color as the golden V-crest shimmered in the sun and the light from the particles.

Steven smirked. "Nice try, fool!" he said.

"It's you who is the fool, boy!" the pilot snarled.

"Hardly!" Steven growled. "Not like you who dare to butcher the next generation and have no sign of humanity left!"

"Humanity? Hah! Who needs that when we have to do what we need to in order to win against those abominations called humans up in space?" the man sneered.

"That is not what needs to happen!" Steven shouted. "This time, I'm about to right the wrongs that have taken place once and for all!"

He pressed the buttons and within a flash, his machine shifted from glowing red to glowing bright blue. The particle output from the GN Drive increased tremendously and he literally vanished before the man's eyes.

But he wasn't about to let that boy win. No way!

He gripped his rifle, aimed right for where the boy would appear…

The alarm blared as Steven jerked in his sleep. His hand lashed out and hit the alarm, silencing it before it could shift to that damn opera music his great grandmother had programmed into it. The one good thing he knew was that he had beaten her at that by putting in one of his own favorite songs from a movie he had seen as a youth. That song still stuck out to him and he always listened to it, making it his personal theme song.

"Damn opera…" he muttered. "Well, at least it's not blaring this morning like usual…"

Steven threw back his bed covers and stood up, stretching as he glanced around his room, taking in the pictures of airplanes tacked on the walls and the model fighter jets hanging from his ceiling. But one side was entirely devoted to his own personal Gunpla, the GN-007 Raiser X. He glanced at it and smiled before picking up the model and running his hand down the front, just like he would his cat, Lucky. The Raiser X represented all his hard work and everything he put into it, all his sweat, blood, and tears.

But that was nothing when compared to the pride and joy of his life, the small, die-cast model plane sitting beside his Gunpla. Designed after the AT-802 crop duster, it was much sleeker in design in the cockpit and was slightly slimmer in the body as well. The top of the model was blue and the underbelly was white while on the leading edges of the wings were green stripes; it even had a real working sprayer. That little toy he carried everywhere he went as a good luck charm.

He placed his Gunpla down and threw on his usual outfit for the day. Once that was done, he brushed his hair and teeth and washed his face. He ran back to his room and grabbed the plane model and stuffed it in the pocket of his shorts before grabbing his Gunpla and putting it in the package. He grinned and glanced at himself in the mirror before turning and running downstairs.

His mother was there already. "Steven, you going out?" she called.

"Yeah, mom! Today's the day, remember?" he shouted back into the kitchen.

Bertha Krane peered out. "All right. But don't forget your breakfast and lunch!" she reminded him.

Steven nodded and ran into the kitchen, grabbing the small box of cereal and the lunch bag his mom packed the night before. "Thanks, Mom! I owe ya big time for this!" he said.

She just smiled. "No problem, Steven. Now go kick some butt out there!" She had a serious look on her face. "Or else no dinner!"

Steven's face blanched.

Mrs. Krane broke out into a smile as she looked at him. "Just joking! Good luck!"

"Thanks! See ya! And tell the gang that I'm going!" he called back as he headed for the door.

"You got it," she remarked.

With that settled, Steven threw on his combat boots and headed out, pouring the contents of the cereal box into his mouth before he chewed and swallowed. "All right! Gunpla Tournament, here I come!" he shouted.

August 16, 2022 - Denver, Colorado, United States

A man in a dark-blue Celestial Being Flight Suit got into the Gunpla cockpit. He was 5'11", and had dark brown hair done in a buzzcut, a fairly bushy moustache the same color as his hair, and amethyst eyes. He smiled. It was the final round of qualifiers for the Nationals, and he'd managed to make it to the final free-for-all. 'Time to show just what I can do,' he thought to himself. 'Too bad my trump card isn't ready yet, but I should be able to complete it before the finals of the tournament.'

"All Gunpla Pilots, ready to sortie?"

"Ready when you are!"

"I was born ready!"

Takeshi Yamato grinned. "IKU ZE!" he called out, as the screens lit up and he placed his custom Gunpla in the scanner. It had started out as a GN-001 Gundam Exia, which had carried Takeshi through the qualifiers on his first tournament some 3-4 years ago, but he'd spent the intervening period customizing it. The head was now that of a Gundam X, the shoulder coverings were replaced with those from Sword Strike Gundams, including the Beam Boomerangs, and the Freedom's wings bracketed the central GN Drive. It still had its Shield, GN Blades, and Beam Sabers, though the sabers had been moved to where the Daggers were originally, but the Sword Rifle had actually been replaced by the improved version that had been used by the Exia R2. And the thing's paint scheme was dark blue, with a black torso and black trim, though the V-Fin on the head was still the usual gold.

This was the GN-103 Tempest Gundam, originally designed for his 'Mobile Suit Gundam Xenosaga' crossover fanfic with help from fellow fanfic writer Knightmare Gundam of Ni, recreated in Gunpla form. And it had the same specs as the fanfic version, as well, meaning that its performance was possibly comparable to a base model 00 Quanta.

The catapult came alive around him, and he launched - into a firestorm of missiles, golden beam blasts, and metallic shapes flying every which way.

'The final battle with the ELS from the 00 Movie!' Takeshi realized. This was one of the toughest battles for any Gunpla fighter - not only did they have to worry about fire from the ships and each other, they also had to worry about the ELS - if an ELS touched your craft, it was an immediate loss as they 'assimilated' the Gunpla - and you often didn't get the Gunpla back after the battle had ended. 'Have to be extra careful here,' he thought.

He charged into the fray, doing his best to avoid ELS. The first fight he came across looked to be a 105 Dagger taking on a Zeydra from Gundam AGE. He grinned, switched his sword into blade mode, and blasted past them at full speed, bisecting both of them before their pilots could blink.

He dodged to the right to avoid the beam saber of an onrushing Jegan, then kicked it away from him, wincing when the Jegan's trajectory after the kick lead to it getting speared by an ELS. 'Sorry about that,' he thought as he blitzed on. 'But anything goes in a tournament like this.'

This was what it was like for the next 15 minutes, though Celestial Being's scripted arrival in the fight began to thin the ELS' numbers a bit. In the end, it was down to Takeshi and his Tempest versus a dark red Unicorn Gundam. "You're a very decent pilot," the Unicorn pilot remarked.

"So are you," Takeshi replied. "No hard feelings if you lose, right?"

"Agreed," the pilot replied before charging, the Unicorn switching to Destroy Mode as it drew a beam saber, even as Takeshi charged himself, GN Blades at the ready.

The two clashed in a shower of sparks. "You haven't used many ranged weapons," the other pilot remarked. "A Melee fighter?"

"Yeah, I'm okay at range, but I prefer it up close and personal," Takeshi remarked as he made another strike, gouging the Unicorn's Shield and parrying its Saber, as well. "Nothing beats the rush I get from close combat."

"An adrenaline junkie, at that," the other pilot remarked. "Well, you are a worthy opponent, and I salute your efforts-"

At this point, a stream of ELS charged right at their location. Takeshi, having barely been able to spot them, dodged out of the way in time, but the Unicorn was practically dog-piled.

"Winner: Takeshi Yamato!"

The field faded around them, and Takeshi retrieved his Gunpla - which hadn't suffered much damage aside from nicks and scratches, which could easily be fixed, or even smoothed out and kept as battle scars - and left the cockpit, as the master of this round of qualifiers approached him.

"Congratulations on making it to the Nationals, Takeshi Yamato," the man said as he extended his hand. "I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you, sir," Takeshi replied.

"Also, to help you in the Nationals, we have some additional Gunpla which you can choose from," the man said. "You may choose up to four, but choose whichever ones you like."

Takeshi looked over the packs, and smiled. "I think I'll take these," he said as he grabbed an AGE-1 with all the Wear Units, a Wing Zero Custom, a Strike Freedom, and a 00 Quanta. "I have a few projects in mind that these Gunpla will be handy for."

The man nodded as Takeshi left. 'Well, now it's off to California,' Takeshi thought to himself. 'The Tempest should be fine for that, but if I can finish my Trump Card, I'll practically have that tournament in the bag!'

Fresno, California, USA

Save Mart Center

August 17th, 2022

"FUCK ME!" Shouted a young man dressed in a Brown on black exact replica of a EA pilot suit from Gundam SEED and SEED Destiny, as he maneuvered out of the way of a pair of red GN beam shots. His Gunpla, a Black and Brown GAT-01 Strike Dagger that appeared outfitted just like the RGM-89S Stark Jegan.

The young man's eyes were colored brown, while he appeared to to six feet in height.

Right now he was dodging a pair of GNX-IV's who were relentless in getting him.

"Damn! I picked the wrong assholes to mess with," the pilot, one Drew J. Cobb, aka, Patriot-112 said as he continued to try and evade his pursuers.

"You got that right!" shouted one of the GNX pilots as they continued to chase him through the asteroid field environment.

"Oh shut up will ya!" Drew shouted as he looked for a place to lose his pursuers. His cockpit, unlike others, was reminiscent of the 360 degree panoramic linear seat cockpit of UC. A rarely seen thing on a Cosmic Era Suit. The good thing about this cockpit was that it gave him a better view than a standard cockpit.

His thoughts were interrupted as he spotted something in his peripheral vision and he smirked as he saw it was the ruins of a ship, much like the Peacemillion from Gundam Wing.

"Perfect," he said and maneuvered his GAT-01S Stark Strike Dagger and accelerated toward the derelict, the GNXs right behind him.

'That's right, boys. Keep following me.' he said as he reached the ship and entered through a hole in the hull.

The Dagger moved through the hallways of the Peacemillion, being careful, not to bang against anything that looked like it will collapse on him.

He then spotted a fork in the path, and making a quick decision, choose right and turned sharply.

"Come on move it!" Shouted one of the GNX pilots as they approached the fork, one speeding straight ahead. "He's getting away!"

However the second pilot, who was more experienced, knew the move that Drew made.

"No wait! Hold it!"he shouted, but was too late as the first rounded the corner, only to meet the barrel of a 57mm high energy beam rifle.

"Gotcha..." Drew said casually as he fired the Beam rifle, the shot going straight through the chest of the GNX, blowing it up, he then quickly grabbed the beam lance the ESF MS dropped just as the other was coming up.

'Gotta thank Ron for that FlexArms system,' he thought as he threw the lance like a javelin, and nailed the other GNX in the shoulder.

He then took out a shorty beam pistol on his mobile suits left thigh and approached the stricken GNX.

"Come on! Move, dammit!" shouted the pilot of the second, and Drew realized he crippled it worse than he thought.

"Sorry about this, pal," he said as he raised his beam pistol, "...but I'm taking the spot."

With that he fired one shot and the GNX exploded from the hit.

He breathed a sigh, as the match ended and he removed his helmet, showing his brown military cut hair.

'That was too easy,'he thought as he exited the cockpit, and met one of the Master of Qualifiers, a woman.

"Well done, Mr. Cobb. Brilliant strategies you used out there!" the woman said as she and Drew shook hands.

"Thank you... of course those other pilots fought hard as well," he said as he followed to the main lobby, after getting his Gunpla, which had a scratch on it's head, and a few burns on it's right arm.

"Regardless, Mr. Cobb, congratulations, you are now heading for the Nationals! Of course, since your unit is damaged, you would need a new Gunpla to compete, hence we are allowing you to pick four out of fifteen Gunpla to use," she said and they arrived at a table where fifteen boxes awaited him.

Drew looked at the Gunpla, his eyes focusing more on the GAT-01A1 105 Dagger, the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam, the GAT-04 Windam, and finally the RGM-78NT-1 Gundam Alex.

He smirked as he picked his Gunpla, "These will do, I have a few ideas for them." he said, as he shook the woman's hand and left the Save Mart Center after being told of the nationals being held in Los Angeles, and a plane will be waiting for him at eight AM at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

As he left the lobby of the Center, he breathed out a sigh.

'Guess I'm going to bed early tonight,' he said as his mother picked him up, and they went home.

Edmonton, Aberta, Canada

A man in his mid twenties yawned widely as he stretched, sitting in a rather cramped bedroom occupied by a work table, computer desk with an expensive looking computer and a single mattress bed in the corner, strewn all about on one half of the room was assorted clothing, the other half, which contained the work table and computer desk, was completely bare save for a set of rolling mats for his computer chair that he was currently sitting in, working at the work table that had assorted Gunpla parts strewn about, a half assembled unit in the middle of it.

The man himself sat at a little above average 5'11" when standing with short cropped dark brown hair, a pair of dark brown eyes sat behind a pair of slightly dirty glasses, he was clad in a glue and paint stained black t-shirt and shorts as he worked.

His jaw cracking yawn was interrupted by the noise of his phone ringing making him glower slightly before checking of the two phones that he own, his personal and his work, unfortunately for him it was his 'work' phone.

"Johnston Gunpla, Thomas speaking," Thomas Johnston AKA DragonKnightRyu answered flipping the dated, but durable, phone open. "Yes I can accept an order, but it will be put on hold for about three weeks, I have about three orders ahead of you. Uh-huh. uh-huh. yeah, well with cost and materials, I'd estimate about… $2,500 American, yeah and Gunpla figures aren't cheap, plus I gotta get multiple incase of damage, you're lucky that I do have extra parts for some of the ones you want, cutting the price a bit. Uh-huh, name and number please, right, I'll call you with an estimated time frame when I start, have a good day."

Sighing he pushed the notebook and pen that he he had been writing the information on aside and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Good, lord I should have never started this job." he groaned out as he sighed, checked his watch, and sighed again. "Best get going if I'm going to catch that plane, goddamn airport security."

He groaned as he stood up, grabbing a set of bags and a security case. "I just hope they don't try to strip search me again…"

August 18th 2022 A.D

Los Angeles Airport

After a long and boring flight from the east coast to the west coast, Jordan walked out of the airplane carrying his Gunpla case in hand. He heard the announcer greet them on their arrival, and hoped they enjoyed their stay and all that stuff you always hear at Airports.

'Okay, first things first: Find the rest of my luggage.' He said as he made a bee-line to where the luggage from the plane disembarked. 'I swear to god if they forgot to get my bags on the plane, I'm gonna be so mad.'

Thankfully, this was not the case, as after about a minute of waiting he saw his luggage moving out of the treadmill, and he grabbed it quickly before he lost them. 'Well, that's some good news.' he thought as he moved away. 'Now… to find Patriot and the others… '

He then heard a grunt, turning to see Takeshi, at least from what he'd recognized from Web Chats, dressed in a dark blue short sleeved polo shirt, dark grey vest, black pants, and black shoes, dragging and carrying a fairly large number of suitcases, including not one but two Gunpla cases, one labeled 'Complete', the other labeled 'Projects'. "Damn," he muttered, "this is why I always drive on trips like this - it's always easier to get my luggage from the car to a hotel room."

Jordan blinked. "Takeshi?" he asked in surprise before he grinned before he waved him over. "Dude, hey over here!"

Takeshi looked up and grinned before heading over his way. "Nice to see you in person, Jorn," he remarked. "We've only been able to chat on the internet so far. You ready for the Nationals?"

"Damn straight," Jordan said with a smirk. "I'm not having a repeat of two years ago - I've been spending hours on hours making my new Gunpla to be near perfect. I almost feel sorry 'bout whoever we're gonna fight."

"Me, too - not only is my Tempest about as good as a baseline 00 Quanta, but I just finished putting the finishing touches on my trump card before I got on my plane." He smirked slightly. "I'll probably save it for the later rounds, though." He then patted the case labeled 'projects'. "Not to mention the fact that just because my main units are done doesn't mean I don't have other models in the works!"

"Excuse me!" Both looked to their right, spotting a man that was slightly taller than both of them, wearing grey jeans and what looked like a spring jacket. The insane part was that it was black. BLACK, in one of the hottest parts of the country! He carried a canvas bag that was slung over his right shoulder and a metal case in his left, with a backpack on his back. He wore plain black sunglasses, so they couldn't see his eyes. He took out a pair of earbuds, then approached them. "I'm looking for a Jordan Tackett: he said he would meet me here."

Jordan blinked again. "Ron?" he asked, before he smiled. "Well, looks like trying to track you down isn't gonna be so hard afterall. How was your flight?"

"I wasn't bored, that's for sure." He said as he held up the canvas bag. "Brought a few books to read on my way over." Jordan looked into it, spotting books like The World Encyclopedia of Tanks, Warplanes of the Third Reich, The Story of the Unsinkable Titanic and a few others. "Just because I've read them all a few times doesn't mean that they're not engaging anymore."

Jordan nodded. "I can understand that," he said as he lifted up his Ipad. "I've got tons of stuff in my Ipad and Iphone, mostly music and all of the episodes of most Gundam Series, mostly the U.C stuff, Gundam 00, Wing, SEED and AGE. I also got that Gundam Wiki app a while ago - all current Gundam info is installed in this thing."

"Lucky you," he said as he dropped the bag to the ground with a thud, and adjusted his backpack. "Sorry about that: needed to shift this thing a little." He picked up the (apparently) very heavy bag. "Well, I've got work to do: my backup MS still isn't ready, and I'll need it. I'll see you later."

Both Jordan and Takeshi nodded as Ron moved away. "See ya at the Hotel!" he said as Ron waved his hand goodbye as he disappeared in the crowds. "Now, we gotta find Steven and Patriot… did Patriot say he was coming here by car or was he taking a plane like us? I know he said he lived in California..."

"Not sure," Takeshi remarked. "I do know that he would likely have a plane arranged to fly him out here - I know it was the same with me for winning my qualifiers."

With Ron

The Canadian rep for the Gunpla tournament found what he was looking for: a secluded area so he could work on his backup Gunpla: the GAT-X105E Perfect Noir. He barely had enough time to finish the Hybrid Destiny, and he only built the MS's body before he left for LA. As such, time was of the essence.

He removed the half-finished Perfect Noir (the body was painted, and even had customized decals of the Colonial seal from BSG on the shoulders: Pegasus', to be exact) and got to work on the Striker Pack that would give his MS the name. The Perfect Noir was just that: a mix of the Perfect and Noir Striker Packs. And thanks to a few… borrowed parts from the Destiny set, it now had a hyper-deuterion nuclear reactor, so the judges couldn't slap a battery timer on him.

Of course, he had a limited time before he had to turn it in, and while he trusted Jordan and Takeshi, he couldn't ask them for help, seeing as they were not going to be on the same side: they would know the Perfect Noir's weaknesses before they were supposed to. Still, he took a few pages from the Art of War on that part, mostly the first rule: All warfare is based on deception. Which wasn't exactly true: some wars had NO deception at all. "Well, time to get to work." Mixing the parts would not be the hard part. Making sure it didn't fall apart WAS.

With Patriot

15 minutes later

Drew took in a deep breath, as he got off the airplane.

'Ah, the Los Angeles air,' he thought sarcastically. 'How I missed it...'

He then shook his head as he went to the terminal to pick up his bags and his Gunpla case, which took him no more than 15 minutes.

"Now, Let's see if I can find Jorn or any of the others," he said as he left to go find his Internet buddies, until something bumped into him, almost making him fall down.

"Whoa shit!" he said and looked down as he saw a person, a middle aged man by the looks of it wearing a white lab coat. "Hey man, what's your hurry?"

The man didn't answer as he took out a black Gunpla case and shoved it into his hand.

"Please keep that safe!" he said urgently and took off before Drew could question him.

"Well that was odd," he said as he looked at the case. 'Wonder why he gave this to me?'

He sighed as he opened one of his duffle bags and carefully placed it inside. Then he hefted the duffle bag over his shoulder, before grabbing his traveling case along with his own Gunpla case, and went to get a cab.

'Haven't been here an hour and already weird things are happening,' he thought, until he heard his username being called.

"Patriot? Hey Patriot is that you!?" He blinked as he looked to his right, and saw two people walking towards him with luggage, and he instantly recognized them from video chats as Takeshi Yamato and Jordan '117Jorn' Tackett. "There you are! Been looking all over for you!"

Drew smiled as he set hi travel case upright in order to greet his two friends.

"Hey Jorn, Taka!" he said as he clasped their hands in greeting. "It's good to see you guys in person."

Jordan chuckled at that. "Likewise, when I heard you won with only just a Stark Jegan version of the Strike Dagger, I couldn't believe it!" he said incredulously while Drew chuckled.

"The only reason I won was because I outsmarted the others," he said. "So where's the hotel we're suppose to be staying at?"

"Not too far," Jordan said. "I got the address and everything, we'll meet Steven there. I got a text from him saying his plane got here early and he's already there. We'll just grab a cab and head over there now."

The three nodded at that as they left the terminal and into the parking lot to catch a cab and headed for the hotel they were to be staying at. Before he placed his duffle in the trunk, Drew took out the black Gunpla case and got into the cab, catching his friend's attention.

"What's with that Gunpla case, Patriot?" Takeshi asked, and Drew just shrugged.

"I'm not sure, some guy in a lab coat just ran into me and shoved it into my hands," he said.

"FUCK!" Ron ran into view, rushing like a madman. "Sorry, excuse me!" He nearly fell on the floor, mostly thanks to his book-filled bag.

Jordan sighed "Ok, I've got to ask, Ron: how must does that bag weigh?" He asked.

"I don't know: somewhere around 45 pounds, maybe 50," he said. "When I was in school, it was worse." He looked at Drew, not knowing them by their faces: only by chat while they were working on something. "Uh... who are you?"

"It's me Ron, Patriot-112?" Drew said, knowing it was Ron the True Fan, and knowing he won the Canadian Nationals.

Ron blinked before it clicked into his head. "Oh. Patriot. Nice to meet you in person," he said, nodding. "Why the hell is LAX so goddamn busy? I mean, one of the biggest airports in the US, sure, but-" He stopped himself. "First time out of Canada. Actually, first time leaving my town in... god knows how long."

"Same here," Jordan said, nodding. "My last big move was moving from Cincinnati to Charleston, and that was by car. This is like the second time I've ever traveled by plane - and it's the longest distance I've ever gone."

"I've traveled through LAX a few times," Takeshi remarked. "My grandmother on my Mom's side would take us out to the Hawaiian Islands, and we'd often use LAX as a stopping point… and I have to agree, this is one of the busiest airports I've ever been in, though DIA is quickly catching up, in my opinion."

"Ok, I get it. Let's just get in. I've been up for more than 32 hours and I do not want to start yelling at you guys out of irritability."

Drew nodded at that. "Alright, let's get your stuff in the cab then we'll take off."

After loading Ron's luggage into the back of the cab, the four friends then got into cab, even though it was bit of a snug fit, and went off the hotel. While on one of L.A.'s busy highways, Drew, in the front passenger seat of the cab, couldn't stop looking at the black gunpla case. he was tempted to open the case and see what it was that guy in the lab coat was so keen on protecting.

He wasn't the only curious one as Jordan and the others were curious as well. Ron, meanwhile, was damn near passed out, so he wasn't. Takeshi was the one to finally ask the question. "What's in the case?"

Drew shrugged. "I don't know, the guy in the Terminal was in such a rush he just slapped the thing in my hands and took off," he said. "But whatever it is, I think it's best we take a look at it when we get to the hotel. When Ron's more awake." The aforementioned Canadian's head fell forward, and a snore was heard. "32 hours? What the hell was he doing? Better yet, how the hell did he stay up that long?"

"I'd assume he was working on his Gunpla non-stop," Takeshi remarked. "Still, no clue how he could stay up that long - I've heard of all-nighters before, but that's gotta be a record!"

The cab hit a red light, and Ron's head hit the seat in front of him, and he snapped upright. "Who? Where? What?"

"Well, that solves that," Jordan said. "Might as well ask him before he conks out again."

Ron looked at Jordan. "Ask me what?"

"How you stayed up for 32 hours!" He asked, and Ron smirked. "I have a very big mug," he said, "and you can't sleep if you constantly need to empty your bladder!"

"...On second thought, that's kind of gross." Jordan said.

"You asked," Ron said, and at that he sat back, attempting to sleep for a little while, now having noticed the black case and, while he was curious, he knew he was too sleepy for anyone to give him any information on it. They'd probably tell him when they got there and after he had a short nap.

It wasn't long till they arrived at the hotel they were staying at, which was in Universal City, Hollywood. Their cab then stopped in front of Universal Hilton and Towers.

"Damn. I haven't been here in a long time," Drew said as he looked around. "I remember coming here when I was still in Elementary School."

Jordan nudged Ron awake, and the 6'4" Canadian drowsily got out of the cab, managing to grab his backpack and bookbag, although Jordan had to grab his Gunpla case. "Bit of advice, Ron: don't pull a 32 hour day ever again!"

"You think that's bad?" Ron asked, "Once stayed up a LOT longer than that during a school movie night! Besides, I DID sleep once or twice today on the plane, just not for very long."

Eventually, they all got to the front door.

"You might want to stick with me," said Drew. "Our floor is the 10th, and the room number is 45D."

"Lead the way Patriot," Jordan said gesturing forward. "You know this place better than we do."

"Good thing I'm used to heights," Ron said as he grabbed his case from Jordan, who gladly handed it to him. "So, stairs or elevator?"

"Are you nuts?" Patriot said. "That's ten floors up!"

Ron shrugged. "I could use the workout," he said.

"And have you pass out on the stairs?" Jordan asked with a raised eyebrow. "Not happening. Elevator it is." The tallest one of them all shrugged, clearly not in the mood to argue.

"Let's get going, shall we?" said Drew and the group went into a elevator, and it took ten minutes for them to find their room on the 10th floor.

After they deposited their luggage on the floor, the Gunpla MS pilots then gathered around a table in the room. All of them looking at the Black Gunpla case. "Ok, so, what the fuck's with the case?" Ron asked. "Noticed it back in the car, but was too tired to ask." All glanced at Ron, who didn't seem to care about his cursing.

Considering his writing, that wasn't much of a surprise.

"I don't know," Patriot said. "Someone just shoved it into my hands, said to keep it safe and ran off."

"Considering all the weird shit that's been happening in Japan, I'm not surprised," Ron said. "He might work for the company that made the stuff that allows us to pilot these things."

"Are you sure you're tired?" Jordan asked.

"My mind is fine," Ron said, shrugging. "Open the case: let's see what's inside, ne?"

Drew took a deep breath at that. "What the hell… " he said as he released the latches on it. "It's probably some type of new system for better piloting, a weapons package, or…" he stopped talking as soon as he fully opened the case and his, as well as everyone else's, eyes widened at what they were seeing.

"What the… fuck?" It was a golden Unicorn Gundam with two large 'fins' behind its shoulders. "Isn't that the Unicorn Gundam from that manga?" Ron looked at it closely. "You know, Unit 03?"

Jordan pulled out his iPad, quickly checking. And tired as he was, Ron's ability to identify Mobile Suits was unaffected: it was indeed the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex. "You're right: it's the Phenex," he said. "But why would that guy give Drew a model of that thing?"

Ron shuddered as he looked at it. It scared the living SHIT out of him. And he spotted a flash disk on the base. "Patriot, take a look at this." He picked it up, showing everyone what he found. "What is that?"

"USB stick. It was on the base."

"Hang on a sec," Drew said as he went over to a laptop case and pulled a G60-630US Notebook laptop, and plugged it into the wall, before turning it on. "Let's let the laptop warm up a couple of minutes."

It was a couple of minutes later when Drew placed the USB stick in one of the slots, and then accessed it, showing the Logo of Gunpla on the screen before a text message appeared showing a riddle.

"White and pure, yet stained with blood. I see what cannot be seen. Who am I?"

Takeshi realized what it meant almost immediately. "Amuro Ray," he said. "That's got to be the answer." As the others looked at him, he explained, "'White and pure, yet stained with blood': A reference to his One Year War moniker as the White Devil. 'I see what cannot be seen': His Newtype abilities. It's gotta be Amuro Ray."

"And only truly dedicated Gundam fans would know that answer." Ron gave him a thumbs up. "Good work, Takeshi."

The last thing any of them expected was to hear a voice as another newcomer barely skidded into the room. He was panting heavily as he glanced up. "Is… is this… the room I'm… supposed to be in?" he gasped.

He stood at five foot nine and had short messy black hair, partially hanging over his right eye and was dressed in a T-shirt that was blue on top and white on the bottom with green stripes on the sleeves. He wore a pair of brown cargo shorts and black combat boots with black fingerless gloves. They could faintly see the wing of a model plane sticking out of his pocket and on his left hip was the case for his Gunpla, although it was built more like a small model shipping container, which it actually was. "Sorry… if… I'm a bit late…" he panted.

Ron looked at him. "You're forgiven," he said. "Who are you, by the way?"

"Steven… Steven Krane…" the boy gasped. "I… I'm from Detroit… Won the match there three days ago! Remember?"

They couldn't recall that, but someone in the group did.

Jordan snapped his fingers. "I saw your match!" he said. "Well, the replay, but you get the idea."

"Glad someone did…" Steven said as he regained his breath.

Ron shrugged. "Too busy making my MS and repairing my brother's Blu Duel to do much else besides pack and tell my readers that I wasn't going to be updating for a while," he said. "Hell, I had to work on my backup one when I got here."

"Well that stinks…" Steven muttered. "So, who are you guys?"

"Takeshi Yamato, pleased to meet you," Takeshi replied, while giving a slight bow.

"Ronald Pinkerton. I'll give you my full name later, after I've gotten some sleep."

"Drew J. Cobb, at your service," said Drew as he gave a two fingered salute.

"Jordan D. Tackett, nice to meetcha." said Jordan a short nod.

Steven smiled at the intros. "It's a pleasure to meet you guys as well," he said. Then he turned to face the screen. "What's this?" he asked.

Ron turned back to the laptop. "We don't know," he said. "Patriot, try Takeshi's password."

"You sure?" Takeshi asked.

"We've literally got nothing to lose."

Patriot decided to try it as he typed in the password, and the text changed to a green worded.

'ACCESS GRANTED'

And from the USB came files of data, along with schematics of the Unicorn Phenex. The others were blown away by the amount of data, until a video screen popped up, showing the same man that gave Drew the Gundam. Now that he had a better look, Drew felt like the man looked like an older Amuro Ray, with a beard and greying brown hair

"I-I haven't much time, so I'll try to explain as much as possible," the man said, as he looked around a bit. "This is too powerful to be left in the hands of any organization that seeks military strength to dominate people. I will give this to one who will not abuse its' power."

Ron blinked. "Ok, if you can pause this, pause it," he said. "I need to be awake for this."

"Think we should get you coffee?" Jordan asked.

Ron snorted. "I DESPISE coffee," he said. "I drink tea."

"There are people after me. More specifically, after THIS," the man said as he held up the Phenex. "Whoever you are, please, do not allow them to get their hands on this! If they do, the tragedies of the Universal Century, the Cosmic Era and all the Gundam timelines combined will pale compared to what they will unleash!"

Steven's eyes widened. "Wait… What?" He shook his head. "Are you telling me this guy is trying to tell us… that something's about to happen?" He put his hand to his forehead. "This is… just nuts!"

Takeshi handed Ron a Pepsi, and the Canadian popped it open. "Madness or not, this is too much to ignore." And with that, Ron was in full Adama-mode. "And this guy's got a point: if they made the Phenex real, we'd be fucked."

"Come on guys," Jordan said, pointing at the Phenex Gundam. "It's a piece of Gunpla Plastic. What could it possibly do? Sure, Plavsky Particles are generated through the fusing of antimatter, but they're just used to make Gundams and mobile suit models move in virtually created environments. There's no way that they could actually make mobile suits even today."

"You sure about that?" Patriot asked. "Ever since that earthquake in Japan back in the early 2000's there's been a robotic revolution going on across the world, have you seen the stuff DARPA and those companies in Japan and Korea are making? Remember KURATAS?"

"Not to mention the weird shit that's been happening in Japan over the last few months," Ron pointed out. "Seriously, something fucked up is going on. And I don't like it at all. Without control, we'll end up with a repeat of the fucking Correct Century! And if I, of all people, have to remind you of what happened there, you're out of your fucking minds!" Ron was, of course, referring to the SYSTEM-99 Turn A Gundam and the Moonlight Butterfly, which destroyed human civilization sometime after the Universal Century in an alternate version of it, ushering in the Correct Century.

Jordan sighed and shrugged. "It still seems pretty unlikely," he said. "As much as I love Gundams and Mobile Suits, do you have any idea how much money would have to go into making a genuine 18 foot Mecha in today's times?"

Steven shot a glance down at his pocket for a moment. "I… I don't know, guys," he said softly. He touched it with one hand. "Something seems very wrong about this…"

"Agreed," Takeshi remarked, even as he got himself a Root Beer. "I've got a very bad feeling about this."

Jordan shook his head before gesturing at the screen. "Keep it playing Patriot," he said. "Let's see what else this guy has to say before we try to find him and send him to the funny farm."

Patriot pressed the play button, continuing. "If they get too close to obtaining the Phenex, the automatic failsafe built into it will activate. For your own sake, do NOT let that happen!"

Ron downed the can, now wide awake and focused. "I don't like the sound of that," he said. "Even IF it's ridiculous sounding, some of the greatest things in history sounded that way at first: planes, space vehicles, nuclear energy, just to name a few. We should treat this as a threat and prepare accordingly."

"You realize how stupid that sounds, right?" Jordan said. "This might not BE a threat! It might be-"

"Might be very real, and very much a threat," Takeshi remarked, and if he could sound more serious, how was lost on the others. "My instincts are practically screaming at me that what this guy's telling us is true. And we'll need to be ready for anything."

Ron could not help but agree, but for different reasons: all historical. Einstein was terrified of his research falling into Nazi German hands prior to WWII, so he fled to the US. This COULD be the same thing, but rather than national parties, it could be ultranationalists or war junkies trying to make a profit from death. And EVERY time that happened, people died en masse.

And while Ron could care less about the assholes trying to do just that, he did care about the civilians that would suffer from it. "Still, Jordan's got a point: how can we fight whoever wants this thing?" he asked. "While we've all got our skills as Gunpla pilots and our own unique traits, we're unarmed and quite possibly outmaneuvered and outmatched."

The events he heard about happening in Japan continued to go through his tired brain. 'That's it: I need to sleep,' he thought. 'In fact, we ALL need to sleep.'

"Look, let's get some sleep." He said, "Once we've got some rest, we can come at this with fresh minds. I certainly…" The 260 pound Canadian slumped to the floor soon after saying that, the sugar and caffeine not enough to keep him awake.

"Uh, what's with him?" Steven asked.

"He's been up for almost two days," Jordan said. "I think that Pepsi was barely enough to keep him going until now." Jordan looked at Takeshi. "You know, he's told us that he's kinda heavy, but I don't want him sleeping on the floor."

"What are you suggesting? Lifting him up?" Takeshi asked semi-incredulously.

Ron waved an arm at them. "Leave me: I'm comfy." That was enough to stop them, and all attempted to get ready to sleep. It seemed, though, that the only one getting any would be the Canadian passed out on the floor.

The next day

The first thing everyone heard was singing. And in a foreign language. Later, they would be told that it was an old Red Army marching song: Katyusha. And whoever was doing the singing was doing a passable job. It certainly did something: it woke everyone up. "What the hell?" Jordan muttered, shaking his head as he woke up.

Ron poked his head out of the kitchen. "Morning, fellow pilots!" He said, "I apologize for the wake-up call, but I'm making breakfast for us! Thank God they had the stuff I needed!"

"For what?" Patriot asked, before they smelled it: the scent of pancakes.

"Family pancake recipe!" Ron said with a smirk. "Added chocolate chips and vanilla to it this time, so I hope you'll enjoy it." There were enough pancakes to feed a small army. Then again, they WERE a small army.

"Seriously?" Jordan asked, licking his lips at how good they smelled. "You do this every day?"

"Nope. Haven't had the flour to make it back home. Count yourselves lucky: I'm the pancake GOD."

Steven came into the room at that moment, rubbing his eyes. "What's all the racket?" he murmured.

Jordan took note of the small model plane he was carrying in his left hand. "What's with the plane?" He asked.

Steven chuckled. "My lucky charm." He said.

Ron, pouring another pancake into a hot pan, chuckled ruefully. "Who the hell do you think you are, Riddhe Marcenas?" He asked.

Steven shook his head. "No," He said. "I've had it since I was a kid. I never go anywhere without it."

"Can you reach into my bookbag?" Ron asked, "My own lucky charms are in there." Jordan managed to flip the bag upwards (hard, considering its' weight) and managed to pull out two die-cast metal models. He knew them: the Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus. And they were at 1:1700 scale, too. "Whoa," Patriot said. "Galactica and Pegasus?"

"It was a royal bitch getting my hands on those." Ron said shaking his head

"I have a lucky charm of my own, to be honest," Takeshi remarked, grabbing an item from where he'd left it during the night at his bedside, and bringing it to show the others, revealing it as a miniature of the USS Defiant from 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine', made as part of the 'Micro Machines' toy line from the 90's.

"The fucking Defiant?!" Ron asked incredulously. "Holy shit! I love that little thing! Too bad about what happened to her in the show."

"Agreed," Takeshi remarked, getting his pants on and slipping it into his pocket, along with his cell phone, wallet, and a pen. "She was my favorite ship in the 'Star Trek' series."

Ron smirked. "I preferred the Enterprise-E," he said. "Sexy looking thing. The B and C were pretty good looking, too, and the Norexian-Class from Nemesis was the prettiest Romulan ship, in my opinion."

"Norexian?"

"The Valdore."

Takeshi blinked. "Don't you mean the Mogai?"

"Mogai was used in the books. I'm using the older version. Either way, same ship." He placed plates at the table, then got to work getting the dishes clean. "Enjoy: I'll get these things cleaned up."

Everyone gathered around the table, and they started digging into the pancakes. The general response? "Holy crap, these are good!" Patriot shouted.

Steven finally yawned and joined the others at the table, not letting his plane go for one minute. He grabbed a fork and bit into some pancakes assembled on a plate for him. He perked up. "Wow! These are good!" he remarked.

Ron smiled, his title as Pancake God secure, as he cleaned the bowl and pan he used to make the pancakes with. "Don't touch that last plate," he warned. "That's MINE." As soon as they were clean, Ron planted his ass in a chair in front of his plate. "Ok, guys: we have work to do," he said. "Like what the FUCK that was last night."

Steven nodded. "Yeah. I mean, come on! What was with that?" he asked.

Jordan shrugged. "All we know is that the guy on that video gave Drew that Unicorn Phenex for reasons we don't know."

"And that it's apparently wanted by people who do not have the best of intentions," Takeshi added. "And I have a hunch that whoever is after it is going to be coming after us, eventually, so we'll need to be ready for them."

"But why? I mean, it's not like we're able to fight them. And who are these people, anyway? Why have that thing in our hands?" Steven asked as he tapped his finger on his model plane. "It's just so weird..."

"Weird, yes, but destiny has a path for us all," Ron said. "We just have to choose to walk on it." Everyone blinked at that comment, seeing as he despised the very idea that fate was fixed the second you were born.

"What makes you say that?" Steven asked as he took another bite of pancake. "I don't see myself as having a destiny."

Ron chuckled as he cut into his own stack. "The odds were completely against me during my fight," he said, "yet I won. I can get off the path at any time. I just have to get back on once in a while."

"Yeah…" Jordan said with a sigh, landing back in his chair looking up at the ceiling. "When I lost the last tournament two years ago, I hated myself… lost my first Gunpla in the process… since then, I've just been doing my own thing, make sure the Zero Strike Gundam's the best Anti-SOB machine in North America."

"I thought that was Halo's job!" Ron said, and everyone shared a brief laugh at that. "Still, we've got something just as pressing to think about: the Nationals. And I'm praying we don't end up in battle royales: I don't want to fuck up your MS's. Or the other way round."

"You think that's bad? I nearly lost my own match if it wasn't for my machine's speed and my reaction time!" Steven remarked. "In fact, I guess you could say that I really left him in the dust! The battlefield was none other than the Final Battle of Messiah. It was a madhouse out there!"

"And my qualifying Free-For-All was the last battle of the 00 Movie, so everyone was under threat of losing their Gunpla to ELS assimilation - a few actually did," Takeshi added.

"The battlefield was used to your advantage," Patriot said. "I did the same."

"What was your battle, Ron?" Jordan asked. "Zeta? Double Zeta?"

"Nothing Gundam," Ron said. "Ever watch Babylon 5?"

Jordan shook his head. "No, don't know where to find the episodes," he said. "Certainly heard about it though, seen a few bits and pieces."

"Same here," Takeshi remarked. "One of my favorite clips was Susan Ivanova's 'I am the Right Hand of Vengeance' speech."

"I found a site to watch the whole series online," Ron said. "I'll show you guys later. But the battle was Season 3's Severed Dreams: I had 8 ships, more heavily armed than any Gundam ship, shooting at me! But I used the battlefield to my advantage: I used Babylon 5 and the Alexander to blow up a Brave, for example! And I used the Churchill's suicide run to take out a Strike Dagger. Pissed everyone off with the FlexArms system, too, but I mostly used Babylon 5 to do my work for me."

Steven's eyes widened. "No way!" he breathed.

Ron glanced at him. "Yes?"

"Sorry. It's just… I never knew you had a FlexArms system," he said. "Isn't that supposed to allow you to use other weapons?"

Ron smirked as he crossed his arms. "I don't just use it," he said, "I CREATED it. Gave Patriot the specs to the prototype, so he's got it too."

Steven's eyes widened before he shook his head. "Heh. No wonder you pissed them off!" he remarked with a grin. "Everyone was wondering where in the world I got such a fast Gunpla! You ever see the speed of that thing?"

"I was too busy getting the Blu Duel fixed and getting the Hybrid Destiny ready for combat." Ron said.

"Bummer. Well, during the Tournament you'll be able to see it in action!" Steven chirped.

"Hopefully we all end up on the same team rather than trying to kill one another," Ron said. "Teamwork, not high performance, wins battles."

"True," Jordan said with a nod. "It will also allow us to exchange Gunpla parts and equipment when we need them. I know you guys probably got a few good ones, and I've got a few spare parts from when I made the Zero."

Ron shook his head. "Only enough spare parts for the Hybrid and the Perfect Noir, unfortunately."

"I've been working on a special project for the Nationals, and just barely got it finished before I got here," Takeshi remarked. "You'll see it if we get to the finals. But I do have a few other side projects going… I definitely wouldn't mind seeing some of what you have so I can put the finishing touches on them."

Ron walked over to his case, opening it, revealing two Gunpla, both being Cosmic Era designs. One was a Strike, with a unique Striker Pack. The other was a modified Strike Freedom with what looked like parts from the Destiny. "Looks like you remade the Morgan from THAB," Jordan said.

"It doesn't transform," Ron said. "It's just the Strike Freedom with the Destiny's weapons."

Takeshi looked at the second one. "That's the Noir Striker pack," he said.

"Not… exactly." He said as he took it out, revealing the Perfect weapons.

"You mixed the Perfect and Noir packs!"

"And it's got the Destiny's reactor! No battery timers for this motherfucker!"

"Well, might as well show you what I have," Takeshi remarked as he went over to his cases. The first he opened was the 'Complete' case - inside were two Gunpla. On the right was the Tempest, which Jordan recognized from seeing footage from one of Takeshi's previous tournaments.

On the left, however, was a machine with a similar paint job to the Tempest, but it was a completely different machine - the base was the 00 Quanta, though it looked to have the Shoulder GN-Drive mounts of the original 00 as well, the one on the left replacing the Quanta's normal shoulder GN-Drive and Sword Bits. It also had wings on the back, looking like the Strike Freedom's except that there was an extra section to each wing, adding an additional four remote weapons, which were more like the 00 Quanta's Sword Bits than the Strike Freedom's DRAGOONs. The eyes on the head unit, instead of the standard green of the base Quanta, were instead a similar amethyst to Takeshi's, and the unit seemed to have custom weapons - a rather large sword strapped to its back between the wings and to the right of the central GN Drive, and a pair of short swords similar, but not identical, to the GN Short Blade on the hips.

Taking out this new Gunpla, Takeshi said, "You probably already know the Tempest, but this new one is in a league of its own. I present to you… the Raging Tempest Gundam."

Ron summed up his thoughts in four words. "That looks fucking EVIL," he said.

Jordan let out a low whistle. "Damn nice," he said, grinning. "I was wondering if you were gonna make your ace machine from your fics."

"Thanks," Takeshi remarked, putting the Raging Tempest back in its case and closing the case. "It has all the same features as my conceptual version for the final stages of my Mobile Suit Gundam Xenosaga fic, so I know it's going to kick butt." He then moved over to the 'Projects' case. "And that's not counting all my side projects!"

Opening the 'projects' case revealed several Gunpla in various states of assembly: An AGE-1; a Cherudim Gundam that looked to have its head removed, and had the Shoulder GN Drives of the 00 in addition to the Torso-mounted drive; and a couple different versions of Gundam Nadleeh, which looked to be getting custom parts fitted to them. There were also parts from many other Gunplas, including but not limited to a Burning Gundam, a Gundam X, a Gadessa, a Wing Zero Custom, a Buster Gundam, and a Strike Gundam with parts from all of its Striker Packs.

Jaden let out a low whistle. "Man, you've got a big selection," he said before he grinned as he picked up his Gunpla case "Here's mine." He then pulled out a Mobile Suit which looked like the RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam, only its head V crest was colored gold, and the shoulders, back and legs were obviously from the Strike Noir. He set up around it multiple Striker Packs that looked like they belonged to the Strike E, L2 Daggers, and the original Strike Gundam. Sitting around it were extra parts to the GN-000 0 Gundam, the GF7-013NJ Yamato Gundam, The Astray Gold, Blue and Red frames, an OZ-13MS Epyon Gundam, and what appeared to be an MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom, only with the flight pack of the ZGMF-X2000 GOUF Ignited colored black with Red Trimming.

"Most of these are just spare parts for the Zero," Jordan said, "Though I do have plans on making a new MS for the finals, still in the planning and development stage. However I've still got my new back-up unit, my MS-07B-3H10 Gouf All Regions Type."

Steven perked up and ran back into the bedroom section. He came back out, still carrying his plane, but also with his Gunpla in hand. "I just have this…" he said. He held it up. "GN-007 Raiser, my best unit. And the only one I actually have. But there's a good reason. It's built for speed and agility!" he said, putting it down.

"Most of my gear is for my Stark Strike Dagger," Patriot said, "Though I am working on something with a bit more… bite involving a Windam… but that won't be finished for a while."

"We've got a number of highly deadly MSs," Ron said as he smirked. "Maybe we can make whoever wants the Phenex fight us in Gunpla battles: we'd kick their asses."

"Yeah, let's hope whoever goes after us is about as smart as Yu-Gi-Oh villains," Jordan said with a slight roll of his eyes, but before anyone else could say anything there was a knock at the door, causing them all to look at it.

"Who could that be?" Patriot asked, with slightly narrowed eyes, as Jordan moved to answer the door.

With Tom, Hotel Lobby

A few minutes earlier

Tom yawned as he walked into the hotel, scratching the side of his head lightly, dressed in a pair of beige cargo pants and a white button up t-shirt. Walking up to the front desk he rang the bell to catch the attention of one of the attendants. "Yeah, I have a delivery for a Ronald Pinkerton."

"Of course, he's in room 1045D," the attendant informed after looking up the information. "Do you wish for us to deliver the package."

Tom shook his head. "No need, I need to receive payment and have a receipt signed," Tom informed. "Thank you for your assistance."

With a final smile Tom departed from the front desked and entered into the slightly crowded elevator. In a few short minutes he was on the tenth floor and knocking on the door for room 45D. "Delivery for Mr. Pinkerton!" he called out. "Johnston Gunpla!"

The door opened, and he was met with the tallest occupant of the room. "Hello?"

"This is for a Ronald Pinkerton," Tom said gesturing to his package, and was a bit surprised when he narrowed his eyes, looking at Tom. "That would be me," he said. "And who are you?"

"Ryu?" Another voice said, causing Tom to blink as he looked further inside, and saw four other people inside, three of which looked familiar "Ryu, dude is that you?"

"Jorn?" Tom asked curiously. "Huh, small world, here for the Gunpla Tourney?"

Jordan smiled as he nodded "Yeah, I'm the contestant from the east coast," he said, "Got here with the others - we're hoping to form a team for when we fight in the tournament… but what are you doing here?"

"Delivery," Tom informed, holding up his security case. "And fighting as a special contestant as a former Canadian Champion."

"Really?" Patriot asked in surprise, "I didn't know they were gonna do that."

Jordan shrugged. "The Tournament has a way of throwing those kind of curve balls at us," he said. "Remember that Horde mode challenge where we had to fight off wave after wave of Computer Generated Zeon Mobile Suits? Or the time we fought against the first champion of the Gunpla Fighters Championship?"

"And don't forget the Mega-size challenges," Takeshi added. "Fighting Giant Gunpla is a lot tougher than regular Gunpla, but they still throw those challenges at us at least once a tourney."

"And there was my final match: fighting in a custom battlezone," Ron said. "They might just pull that out of their asses again. We MUST be prepared for anything in this. Plus..." Ron looked at Drew. "We might have a bigger problem then this tourney."

Jordan groaned. "Come on, this again?" he asked. "There is no conspiracy going on Ron, its just a Gunpla! A very rare Gunpla, but Gunpla none the less!"

"And if I have to point out the shit happening in Japan, then you're not as smart as I thought." Ron said, and Jordan glared at him.

"Yeah, a lot of weird shit's been going on in Japan lately," he said. "But that doesn't immediately lead to massive government conspiracy or project! Gunpla are Toys! To make a real mobile suit - let alone a Gundam - would require more money than what most Governments are willing to spend with current technology."

"Nothing's impossible." Ron said with a sigh. "And frankly, I think it's ridiculous as well, but we MUST be prepared for two possibilities: either that message was real or it's someone overreacting. I'm saying we should treat it as though it's real, and if it's not, no loss to us."

"Not to mention I got a bad feeling watching that video," Takeshi remarked. "And whenever I get 'bad feelings', that usually precedes something bad actually happening, often leading to things going to hell in a handbasket."

"Good thing I am here, then," Ryu informed as he placed his case on the counter. "I'm not sure what you guys are talking about, and you will be telling me, but, I think I have some things that can put the odds in your favour." he quickly entered a code into the case and opened it, revealing a large collection of small packages with various names and numbers on it. "Ron, this is your order," he informed, placing a couple in front of him. "Now, everyone, unit types?"

"Destiny and Strike Freedom hybrid and Strike type." Ron said.

"RX-78-2 Gundam, refit with equipment and parts from the 0 Gundam and Strike Noir with all Striker packs," Jordan said nodding.

"Tempest Gundam, the original variant from my Mobile Suit Gundam Xenosaga story, built with an Exia and parts from the Exia R2, Freedom, and Sword Strike," Takeshi informed. "I also just finished up the final upgrade version, the Raging Tempest, using a 00 Quanta and parts from the Strike Freedom and 00 Gundam, with some custom-made weapons, and I also have several side projects."

"Mine's pretty much a GAT-01 Strike Dagger from SEED, but I gave it the weapons and armaments of the Stark Jegan," Patriot said. "Got a plan involving a Windam and the Freedom… but it's far from being done."

"I have the 00 Raiser, but it's modified with the head and wings of the Murasame," Steven said. "Basically designed for speed and agility in combat."

"Good, they'll be compatible," he informed with a sly grin as he popped backing of his case, revealing a secret compartment containing his custom Gunpla, he called it the FXS-X001 'Vidar', along with several small packages. "When I won the Canadian Championships, I declined the offer for free units to limited production rights, what you are looking at is a custom, NAMCO Bandai Approved, power sources, codenamed: Yggdrasil. Similar to the GN Drive in function, although it does have a slight side effect other than RADAR Jamming, any energy weapon connected also has an EMP effect, it'll wreak havoc with electronics on a lot of units, due to the limited production contract I signed, I could only make ten of these."

Ron looked at the little power sources. "Is there a good reason that they're named after the Norse World Tree?" He asked, "Not to mention that the name's been used before: Code Geass' Knightmare Frames use a drive system bearing the same name."

Tom shrugged. "Like I said, it's just a codename, I actually don't have a proper name for it yet," he informed. "Haven't really found anything fitting for it yet, as for using the name Yggdrasil, I like the Norse Legends."

"If I have to point out that Norse mythology ends up with that tree being set on FIRE, I'm not going to be happy." Ron said.

Tom rolled his eyes with a sigh. "I know that," he informed. "And I assure you I have tested these, no problems at all."

"I figured that part out." Ron said, "Still, FIRE. Fire is BAD." And he said that with a smile, so they could tell his was just trying to make them laugh or just smile. "Still, you just missed breakfast."

Tom shrugged. "Not a problem, ate after getting off the plane," he informed. "Now, what is this conspiracy theory you are all talking about?"

Ron gestured to Drew. "Someone shoved a Gunpla, to be specific, the Unicorn Phenex, practically into his hands." He said, "We saw a message about it last night: told us to 'keep it out of the wrong hands'. Whatever the fuck that means. Jordan isn't thinking much of it, but Takeshi's taking it seriously. I'm more of the middle ground: hope for the best, prep for the worst."

"Sounds reasonable, not surprised Jorn isn't really thinking though, he's real good at not thinking," he informed with a shrug as Jordan glared darts at him. "Let me see this Gunpla, I got my tools with me, I'll study it, might be able to find a production marking."

Jordan didn't seem to take that very well, but Ron fixed him with a look that said 'we all have our faults'. Which was true. That kept him from yelling in outrage. Drew pulled out the Phenex, and Tom noticed that Ron backed away slightly.

"There it is," Takeshi remarked. "The Unicorn Phenex. And honestly, I have to say that something about that thing gives me some really bad vibes, which usually doesn't happen with a Gunpla."

Letting out a sigh Tom took out a bag of tools out of the duffel of clothing he was carrying and took the Gunpla from Drew before sitting down at the table and inspected it with his eyes before removing his glasses and took out a jeweler's magnifying glass and looked at the Gunpla more closely. "Hmm," he hummed out as he took out a small pick and lightly scratched at the model. "Odd," he breathed out before pulling the magnifier out of his eye and putting his glasses back on and sitting back rolling the Gunpla in his hand. "Very odd."

Ron, who was pulling out one of his books, (a very worn hardcover version of Warplanes of the Third Reich) glanced at Tom. "Define 'odd'," he said. "Every time someone says odd it's usually very bad." He sat down, placing the book on the table and flipping to page 654.

"First, I can't find any production markings on the outside of it, I might find one if I take it apart," he informed, staring at the Gunpla. "Second, it isn't made of plastic, it's a metal of some kind, not sure what without taking a sample and doing the usual to test it. Studying it close up, it is way too detailed to be a Gunpla or any sort of model that I know if, even the most hardcore of Gunpla Builders don't go this much detail, I mean, circuitry and everything.

Ron glanced at the Gunpla, then gestured that he would like to pick it up. Tom handed it over to him. "Hmm...Too light to be steel, but it's heavier than one made of aluminium." He said, "Iron's out of the question unless it's ludicrously thin. Guys, I think this thing's made of titanium. The same shit that they make deep sea sub hulls and the lunar lander with. And the same shit that most Mobile Suits, in series, are made of. This might be a miniature prototype: testing for something a lot bigger."

"They would never build a Prototype that small," Tom informed, shaking his head. "Man sized, yes, but not Gunpla sized, if they wanted to test with the Gunpla Fighters, they would make it out of the same stuff as normal Gunpla's. It makes no sense…"

"Miniatures for larger things, though: dozens of vehicles were done that way." Ron pointed out, "The XF-108 Rapier, the C-130: hell, in the early days, everything was built in miniature before it was built in full scale."

Jordan hummed in thought as he looked at the Unicorn "Well… now that I think about it, its similar to what I'd expect from a Real Grade Gunpla model," he said. "They started making them back in 2010, they used the same metal used on Jet fighters I heard, with the inner workings of a master grade, and the massive part count of a perfect grade…" But he shook his head. "But they haven't released a Real Grade version of the Phenex yet… or at least I don't think they have."

"This is getting really screwy here," Takeshi remarked. "And my bad feeling is getting worse, too - we're in for something really bad, I can feel it."

Jordan sighed as he looked at the Phenex again, before looking at Patriot. "Well," he said, "why don't we see what the deal is with the Phenex? This hotel has a small Gunpla Arena, right?"

Patriot blinked before he nodded. "Yeah, near the lobby," he said. "You thinking of doing a match?"

"Well, we should see what this bad boy can do first of all," Jordan said, gesturing to the machine, "Plus it will give us all a chance to test our whatever upgrades we've done to our respective Gunpla as well, and try to find out how we can get better for when the Tournament starts in a few days."

"Gives me a chance to test the Hybrid Destiny, as I really haven't time to test it."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Takeshi remarked, grabbing both of his Gunpla cases. "I'll probably start with the Tempest, give it a decent workout, before trying out the Raging Tempest." He had a hunch that he might need his projects with him, as well, which is why he grabbed his 'Projects' case

"Sounds good," Steven said with a nod, picking up his X-Riser "I'd like to make sure my machine can keep up with yours after all."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Patriot said as he put all of his Gunpla away, picking up the Unicorn Phenex and his Stark Strike Dagger. "Let's head down there and give 'em a test drive!"

Ron grabbed his case before shoving the book back in its bag and picking it up. "Uh, so you go with that thing everywhere?" Steven asked.

"I get bored easily," he said as he then grabbed his backpack, pulling out his flight suit, which Jordan recognized. "You actually made a Battlestar Galactica flight suit?" He asked.

"I had a LOT of spare time on my hands before my tourney." Ron said with a smirk "It's just like the ones from the show, meaning it's airtight: can even mount oxygen tanks if I wanted to!"

Takeshi nodded, even as he reached into one of his suitcases and pulled out his own Flight Suit, which they all recognized as Setsuna F. Seiei's Flight Suit from the second season of 00 and the 00 movie, only a darker shade of blue, matching the blue of the Tempest and Raging Tempest.

Jordan was next, as he pulled out his own Flight suit as well, the same black and red Celestial Being normal suit he wore during his first run at the Tournament two years ago, however now on its right shoulder it had a patch which read 'Amatsu Spirit' and an image of the Gold Frame Amatsu right below it.

"Oh, the Astray Gold Frame?" Ron asked as he saw the patch. "Wasn't that your primary MS?"

Jordan let out a sigh. "Yeah… it was," he said. "The match two years ago practically destroyed Amatsu, there were parts broken that I couldn't get repaired, and it was too costly at the time for me to get them replaced… So I scrapped Amatsu, and used her spare parts to make a new mobile suit I'm working on now." He then patted the patch. "But I won't ever forget that the Gold Frame was my first, and almost got me to the Championship. This is my way of honoring her."

"That's a good way of doing it," Takeshi remarked, pulling on his Flight Suit. "And who knows? You might get a chance to make a new Gold Frame to inherit the spirit of the old one, and maybe even customize it."

Jordan shook his head. "No…" he said. "I don't know why, but it just feels… wrong to buy a replacement Gold Frame. It just wouldn't be the same. Besides," he gestured to the Strike Zero "Zero is my machine now, and will be until my second project is done."

Ron pulled the BSG flight suit on, zipping it up and pulling out a steel flight collar. "Well, you know my basic rule: kick as much ass as you can." He said as he clipped it around his neck before picking up the bookbag and case again, then pulled the helmet out of his bag. "Time to show the world just who they're fucking with, ne, guys?"

Tom shrugged as he finished putting on his Black ZAFT Suit. "Meh, let them underestimate me," he informed, rolling his shoulders. "Makes it all the sweeter when they fall."

Ron walked to the door, everyone being surprised by the amount of weight he was carrying. A few of them could barely hold that bag of his. "How can you carry something that heavy?!" Steven asked, "That bag weighs, what, 50 pounds?"

"Somewhere around that." Ron said, "I used to carry a LOT more: 60 to 70 pounds worth. I also used to weigh somewhere around 410 pounds before my brother put me on one hell of a crash diet. You do NOT want to know how cold it was for me during that first winter."

Jordan cocked his head to the side. "You don't look like someone who weighed that much." He said.

"That was four years ago: things change." Ron said, "Although I'm still kind of cold all the time. Hence the jacket." They made their way to the elevator, which was a bit of a tight fit. "Christ, what the hell is the time?"

"I think it's 7:50, or somewhere around there." Patriot said, looking at his watch.

Ron sighed. "Fuck, my brain's still working on EST," he groaned. "Then again, when you've lived in one part of the world your entire life..."

"Ditto," Jordan said, looking at his own watch "Now I gotta reset this thing..."

"I always try to reset my watch while on the plane," Takeshi remarked as they arrived on the ground floor and the doors opened. Makes it a bit… easier…" he trailed off as he took two steps out of the elevator before coming to a stop, staring at a woman who looked very familiar.

Ron looked at Takeshi. "Uh, what are you looking at, Takeshi?"

"No way…" he breathed. "It can't be… Shion?"

Indeed, the woman he was looking at was almost perfectly identical to Shion Uzuki, the main protagonist of the Xenosaga video games and the love interest to Takeshi's character in 'Mobile Suit Gundam Xenosaga'. Same long brown hair, same green eyes, wearing glasses, looking almost identical! She was standing at the front desk of the lobby, talking to the receptionist about something.

Ron had seen and played a little of the game as well, and blinked when he looked at her. Of course, he shrugged it off: everyone looked like someone somewhere. "Takeshi, we've got things to do, my friend," he muttered.

Takeshi shook his head to clear it. He knew that while the woman looked like Shion Uzuki, the odds that she actually was Shion Uzuki were astronomically low. "Yeah, I know," he said. "It's just, the resemblance is uncanny… and I have such a crush on the character she resembles…"

Ron helped steer Takeshi toward their destination. "We have better things to worry about," he said. "And while she DOES look like her, it's not. If I ran into someone who looked like one of my favorite characters, I'd react the same way for a few seconds. But unless you've forgotten last night already..."

Takeshi finally managed to get his shock under control. "I know, I know… we have bigger problems to worry about," he said.

"Yeah," Jordan said, glancing back. "Still kinda freaky..." he then chuckled a bit as he nudged Takeshi's shoulder. "It'd be even crazier if she had a Samurai for a brother 13 years older than her, eh?"

However, before Takeshi could form a reply, they stepped into the Gunpla arena, just as they heard someone shout out, "You're just useless! Alright? You get it now? You're just going to make us lose!"

This caused the others to blink before they decided to investigate, as they saw a small group of seven people, standing near the holographic simulator of the arena. The one who was shouting was a young man who looked to be in his late teens or maybe early twenties with short military crew cut black hair and Hazel colored eyes, standing at 6'1" wearing what looked to be the normal suit that Heero Yui used during the first episode of Gundam Wing.

Next to him was who appeared to be the eldest of the group, a man who looked to be in his thirties with short brown hair, and blue eyes standing at 6'2" wearing the plain white and grey version of a Celestial Being normal suit. The man was currently shaking his head while pinching the bridge of his nose.

After him were two others who appeared to be in their twenties, one was a young man with spiked ginger blond hair, and green eyes, and another who seemed to be about the same age, only with more blond hair and brown eyes, both of whom were wearing the same CB normal suit as the older man.

Next was the only other woman of the group, who looked to be of Mexican Descent with long shoulder length black hair tied up into a low ponytail and brown eyes, wearing a pink ZAFT Normal suit similar to the one Lacus wore when she piloted the Infinite Justice. She was currently glaring at the other man who was glaring at the little girl.

After them was a man who appeared to be about the same age as the other man in his 30's, only with more asian features with long shoulder length black hair and green eyes, standing at 6'0". He appeared to be wearing a black version of the CB Normal Suit, similar to the one Setsuna F. Seiei wore during the first episode of Gundam 00 Season 2. When Takeshi looked at him, he did a double-take as he looked almost exactly like Jin Uzuki from Xenosaga!

And finally, standing before him, and apparently the one being yelled at, was a younger girl who couldn't be any older than 14 standing at 5'4" with short neck length pink hair, and amber colored eyes wearing a pink version of a Celestial Being normal suit, she obviously didn't like being yelled at, and was trembling a bit at the glare that the older man was giving her. And given that the Shion and Jin Uzuki lookalikes had gotten him thinking about characters from Xenosaga, Takeshi realized that the girl was a dead ringer for MOMO Mizrahi.

While Ron hated kids, this was taking it too far. Not even HE yelled at younger pilots, unless he was fighting them. "HEY!" He shouted as he dropped his case and bookbag, then walked over to them. "Unless you've got a DAMN good reason to be yelling, I suggest you shut the hell up!"

The man stopped, then looked at Ron. "Butt out!" he snapped. "This doesn't concern you, so there's no reason-"

"Look, buddy, I am a hair's breath from knocking you on your ass!" Ron snarled. "There is NO reason, none at all, that you should be yelling at her!"

"I have every reason," the man growled. "She's useless, and she's been hampering my progress ever since she joined! She always gets shot down, she always gets in the way, and she always has the most pathetic excuses!"

"That doesn't mean you have the right to yell at her, Leonidas!" the spanish-looking woman shot out. "Miho's still new to Gunpla Battles!"

Steven's eyes hardened and his hand clenched around the plane model in his pocket. "What you said… That's just wrong!" he snarled. "Everyone has a weakness, but just to attack them because of it? You make me sick!"

The man 'Leonidas' just glared at Steven. "I will not let her incompetence cost me my Championship!" he shouted. "I did not just come to America and make this team just for her to ruin all of my work!"

"You think so? Is that all it comes down to?" Steven growled. "You make me wanna slug you!"

"Dude, calm the fuck down!" Patriot said. "Let's just all calm down here, and tell us what happened."

"Miho's only got a few months of experience as a Gunpla Fighter," the older man said with a sigh. "She joined the team about a month ago, and she's had some… problems."

"She's just inexperienced, cut her some slack Achilles!" Said the ginger blond man to Leonidas, "It's not like she's done something ungodly unforgivable!"

"You stay out of this!" Leonidas said. "I'm doing this team a favor! Not only do her piloting skills suck, but her Gunpla is just flat out deplorable!"

"Nya-chan's not that bad…" Miho whispered, as Jordan glanced at her and saw what looked like a rather cat-shaped Gunpla in her hands, causing him to blink.

"Hey… you took an Acguy and remodeled its exterior, didn't you?" He said, causing several of the others to blink, especially Miho, who looked surprised. "Like the Beargguy? That's actually pretty impressive! What ya call it?"

Still surprised, Miho stuttered a bit before answering, "N-Nyagguy…" she said. "I… I made it myself..."

"Then you're a great MS artist, Miho," Jordan said with a smile, "You'd probably win in a Gunpla art competition if you entered it."

Miho seemed to blush slightly at the praise, scratching the back of her head "T-Thank you… uhh?" She said, "W-What was your name again?"

Jordan blinked before he chuckled a bit "Ah, right. Sorry," he said pointing to himself, "Name's Jordan Tackett, though some of my friends call me by my nickname Jorn."

"Drew Cobb," Patriot said with a smile "Though my friends call me D.J, or Patriot."

"Steven Krane," Steven said, nodding with his own smile, while still giving Leonidas a glare. "Nice to meet you, Miho was it?"

"Ronald Peter Albert Pinkerton. Call me Ron, though."

"Tom Johnston," Ryu said with a short two-finger salute. "Pleasure."

"Takeshi Yamato," Takeshi introduced. "I definitely like the work you did on that thing." He paused, wondering if he should comment on how much Miho looked like MOMO.

"Nice to meet you all," The spanish woman said with a small smile. "I'm Sarah Mana, and this is Miho Mizrahl." She then gestured her head over to Leonidas. "That's Achillies Henderson, but he calls himself Leonidas."

"Captain Victor Matthews, at your service," the eldest man said with a nod. "Official leader of Team Absolution. Pleasure to meet you all." He gestured to the two men flanking him. "These here are Tony 'Joker' Rodriguez and Jacob 'Hammer' Sirosky."

The asian man simply smiled a bit and bowed slightly. "I am Urishu Jin," he said. "A pleasure to meet you."

Jordan nodded, before he looked at Jin and his eyes widened in realization. "Ho-ly shit..." he whispered, "Y-You're the Jin Urishu! Winner of the World Gunpla Tournament three times in a row!"

Jin let out a small chuckle as he nodded. "Guilty as charged," he said. "Though please don't spread the word around - I just came out of retirement, I don't want to already be swamped with autograph signers."

"You're coming out of Retirement?" Jordan asked, surprised. "Really? Why? I thought you said you retired from official Gunpla tournaments."

"At first, yes," Jin said. "However my younger sister recently became a Gunpla Fighter, and I thought by helping her out in the Tournament, as well as acting as a bit of a challenge for her in the Tournament would help her become a better pilot."

Ron returned his gaze to Leonidas. "Look, she's inexperienced: you should be covering her, teaching her how to do this, not berating her!" he said. "Doing what you're doing means you're both an idiot AND a complete ass! If I were allowed, I'd deck your ass before breaking a few bones!"

This did NOT please the man. "You want to test me?!" He growled.

"Well, the fact that you're making a scene doesn't help your case." Ron said, as Leonidas punched him in the gut, but Ron still had enough fat around his stomach to cushion the blow.

And Ron DID weigh 260 pounds. "Mistake." Ron growled as he kneed him in the balls, then punched him in the face. "Hope you guys don't mind if I teach him a lesson?"

Victor shrugged "Feel free," he muttered, "He's a little too arrogant for his own good - though I don't think the Hotel staff will like it if we started a fist fight."

"Then perhaps we can settle this in a more orderly way?" A new voice said, and the others turned and saw the woman who looked disturbingly like Shion walked into the Arena. "Leo, what did I tell you about berating Miho-chan like that?"

"She needs to learn a lesson!" Leonidas snapped from his position on the floor. "Either she gets better, or she's out of the damn team!"

Ron, getting tired of the idiot, flipped him onto his back, mimicking a scene from Battlestar Galactica: more specifically, a deleted scene where Tigh and Adama first meet. Mostly the unique chokehold Tigh used on a drunk idiot, as Ron grabbed his left arm and turned his head painfully to the right. "Ever watch Battlestar Galactica?" Ron asked, "Well, this ain't going to end well if you don't SHUT THE FUCK UP in the next 30 seconds!"

"Ron, let him go!" Takeshi warned, as Ron looked at him before he released the idiot. He then looked at the woman who looked so much like his Shion that he had to force himself to not stare. "Sorry about that," he said. "I agree that berating your friend is wrong, but Ron can get a bit too physical for his own good."

"Cockbite was asking for it and you KNOW it! Besides, I hate bullies."

The woman sighed, but nodded. "It's alright, I can understand," she said, watching as Leonidas get back to his feet. "Leo's just… strict and competitive. His last Gunpla Tournament didn't exactly end very well..." She then smiled a bit. "By the way, my name's Shion Urishu, nice to meet you."

"T-Takeshi Yamato," Takeshi replied with a slight stutter. "N-nice to meet you, too." 'Holy cow, not only does she look like Shion Uzuki, she shares her first name, and even sounds like her, too!' He was having more and more trouble keeping from staring with each passing second.

Shion smiled a bit. 'Hmm, he seems pretty nice,' she thought. 'He seems kind and polite… and his eyes look so...' she blinked a bit before mentally shaking her head. 'Whoa Shion, where was that thought going? You just met this guy!'

'She's like a real-life version of my Shion…' Takeshi thought, finally losing the battle to keep from staring at her. 'I know she isn't the same Shion Uzuki I had a crush on… but… who knows where things might lead…'

However, Jordan glanced at Takeshi and Shion, and saw the two were staring at one another, and couldn't help but smirk a bit. 'Someone's got a crush,' he thought. 'This should be interesting…'

Ron walked back over to his bookbag and case, picking both up. "Well, don't expect me to just stand aside and let him continue bullying her." He said, "And next time, I won't be so...nice."

"Define nice, Mr. Pinkerton." Leonidas asked.

"I weigh 260 pounds." He said, "And I can use my weight rather creatively." And that was something none of them wanted to think about. "Still, my team and I have things to do, so unless you would like to join us in a training exercise, we'll be going."

Leonidas was about to retort, before he paused and smirked. "Well, you certainly look tough," he said. "But I bet you're a deplorable pilot of Gunpla."

Ryu snorted. "Yeah, right," he said, "Ron's a contender for the Championship, same as Patriot, Takeshi, Jorn, and Steven here, and so am I. You don't know who you're messing with."

"And neither do you," Leonidas said still smirking. "I am Achillies Leonidas Henderson, winner of the Greek Gunpla Championship, and semi-finalist of the Gunpla Europe Tournament. Like you could beat me."

"Is that a challenge?" Patriot asked with his arms crossed, smirking. "Because if it is, just go out and say it."

"Gladly," Leonidas said as he stepped forward. "How about a challenge - Miho will be on your team, and if you can still win with her on your team… then you might be right about her. But if you lose… not only do we kick her out, you need to be stuck with her during the tournament!"

"Sounds good to me," Jordan said with narrowed eyes. "Though you'd best be ready to eat your own words, buddy."

"We'll see," Leonidas said as he turned and walked towards Matthews. "Get the Absolutionready. We're kicking their asses."

Matthews just sighed, but nodded as he and their team headed to the Gunpla area to set up their respective Gunpla on the sets. Miho glanced back at Jordan and the others with a bowed head "Sorry I got you dragged into this..." she whispered.

"Don't blame yourself, Miho-chan," Jordan said with a smile. "Achilles is just an ass, its not your fault he doesn't see your potential. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do in a fight!" He then looked back at where Takeshi and Shion were still staring at each other, trying to talk to one another. "Yo! Takeshi!" He shouted, snapping both of them out of their staring. "Come on, we've got ourselves a team deathmatch going!"

Takeshi shook his head to clear it, before looking back over at Jordan. "Okay, I'll be right there," he said, before turning back to Shion. "Umm… after we're done with the match…" he began, blushing a bit, "would you… be willing to hang out for a bit?"

"Umm… sure…" she replied, blushing as well, before they both headed to their respective teams, which were gathering on opposite ends of the arena.

Ron chuckled as he looked at Miho. "Don't worry, kid," he said. "I'll keep you covered at all times. Mind if I see that thing after the fight? I might be able to fit it with something that could help." While the FlexArms system could be fit to any MS, it had one drawback: the MS had to be able to hold the weapons. The Acguy (and every MS developed from it) had stub hands. The O from Zeta then came to mind: if he could fit Miho's MS with hidden subarms, then the son of a bitch would regret everything he said about her.

Miho blinked a bit before she nodded. "S-Sure," she said, nodding. "If it helps Nya-chan out for the tournament…"

"That asshole needs to learn that it isn't high performance that wins a fight," Ron said. "It's teamwork. And if you can't work together, you will lose every time. Time to teach the bastard that lesson." Ron looked at Jordan and the others. "Right guys?"

"Hell yeah!" Jordan said with a fist pump. "Let's show that prick who's boss!" The others quickly shouted their own shouts of approval.

A few minutes later, Jordan and the others soon found themselves stepping over to the cockpit control areas over the Gunpla Arena, each standing over the start feature as they activated the arena. "Please set your GP base." The Automated voice said, as Jordan placed down his RGX-78-0 Strike Zero Gundam and all of its Striker Packs and equipment into the GP base that identified them. He waited a few moments for the others to do the same before the voice returned "Beginning Plavsky Particle Dispersal." Moments passed as the blue and white Plavsky Particles dispersed over the arena and around them, as the once flat area below them soon transformed into the scenery and imagery of the interior of an Island 3 type Colony. "Field 6: Colony selected."

Holograms soon surrounded them, as they each found themselves inside the cockpits of their respective Mobile Suits, and in Jordan's case he quickly selected the Noir Striker Pack for his Strike Zero. Jordan sat down as he felt the controls of his Gundam with a smirk, watching the counter go down from 1, to zero. "Battle Start!"

"Jordan Tackett, Zero Strike Gundam, Let's Rock and Roll!"

"Takeshi Yamato, Tempest Gundam, IKU ZE!"

"Tom Johnston, Gundam Vidar, Targeted and Firing!"

"Ronald Pinkerton, Hybrid Destiny, ready to engage."

"DJ Cobb, Gundam Unicorn Phenex, heading out!"

"Steven Krane, Raiser X, Let's do this!"

"M-Miho Mizrahl, Nyagguy, Launching!"

One by one, each of them launched from the catapults set by the Plavsky Particles, and each of them soon found themselves in the center of the massive city within the colony.

Jordan sighed a bit as he smiled, keying the radio. "Jorn here, everyone report in," he said.

"Takeshi here, Tempest is ready to go," Takeshi replied. "Let's teach that Leonidas guy a lesson."

"Ron here." Ron said, "I'll act as cover for Miho and as our EWACS, providing information as we go."

"Patriot here, so far so good in the Unicorn," D.J said. "Nothing seems out of place yet - but let's get ready to kick his ass!"

"Ryu here, all systems are green." Tom said, "Nothing out of the ordinary, so let's kick some ass already!"

"Steven here, Raiser X is good to go," Steven said. "Now let's get going!"

"Umm… M-Miho here," the last team member said. "Everything is Okay so far… I guess."

"You have a confidence problem, kid," Ron said. "Relax: we're covering you."

"R-Right, sorry," Miho said, and Jordan just smiled and shook his head.

"Alright everyone, form up," he said. "We gotta find the others, so we need to find them-" however, before he could finish the sentence, warning alarms went off, and on instinct he flew his Strike Zero to the right just in time to avoid a massive beam of red and white energy. "WHOA SHIT!"

"You alright, Jordan?" Steven asked.

"Yeah," Jordan said as he looked at the destruction caused, the beam destroying the ground and the building around the impact area. "But where the hell did that..." he followed the blast to the source, and his eyes widened as he groaned. "Oh you have GOT to be kidding me!"

At the source of the blast, was none other than a large ship that looked to be about 450 Meters long, with a legged and somewhat boxy design flying up in the air of the colony, and in the center of the ship was what appeared to be a large hole that was cooling down from the last attack.

"Jordan, what is it?" Ryu asked.

"It's the fucking Diva!" Jordan shouted. "Goddamn, they have a scaled version of the Diva for Gunpla!"

"That's not a Diva-Class!" Ron notified, "Someone modified it! There's too many AA emplacements for it to be a standard, and the cannons aren't the same! Looks like someone's been studying warship design!"

"It's… the Absolution." Miho said a bit meekly. "C-Captain Matthews made it… Hammer and Tony help him pilot it. The others pilot some of its Mobile Suits, but Leonidas is in charge of them all."

Jordan blinked. "Wait, what do you mean-" he began before the hangar doors to the massive vessel began to open, and moments later Mobile Suits began to launch out. But they were all the same type colored dark brown…

"Virgo II's!" Patriot shouted, as Jordan looked to the left and saw his Unicorn Gundam show up next to him. "Those are WF-02MD Virgo II's from Gundam Wing! They're Mobile Dolls!"

"And that's not all," Ryu's voice came through. "Virgo II's… Leo's, Serpents… I'm even seeing a pair of Aries launch. They all must be controlled through an MD system."

Then they all heard a familiar sound of laughter on the comm. "Now you see why I am in charge," Leonidas said on the comm. "I have my own army at my command! Not just the others, but machines of my own design!"

"That just means you've got an overinflated ego," Ron said. "And unless you've forgotten, dumbass, Mobile Dolls are easy to destroy."

"We will see about that!" Leonidas said, and moments later another MS, this one looking like a modified version of all three Tallgeese models merged into one colored Brown and Tan, launched from the Absolution, soon followed by a Black and Silver version of the Astray Red Frame, a GM Kai in Blue and White colors, and a ZAKU Warrior with a Gunner pack only colored in the Live Concert Version colors.

Ron started laughing at the Tallgeese, confusing all. "What the hell are you laughing at?!" Leonidas demanded.

"The Tallgeese, asshat!" he said. "Sure, it's fast, but you've got one MAJOR drawback!"

"And what would that be?"

"To be so fast, you've got almost ZERO armor!" That was a universal weakness that nothing could resolve: armor meant weight. Weight meant speed reduction.

"Ha! Shows what you know!" Leonidas shouted as he brought out what appeared to be the Tallgeese III's Mega Beam launcher from Endless Waltz. "Tallgeese Spartan is armored with Gundanium Alloy!"

"Still thin as all fuck, dumbass,"Ron said. "You can't expect me not to point that out."

"Let's just start fighting here, alright?" Jordan asked with a sigh as he brought out one of his unit's Shorty beam rifles, and opened fire at the incoming Mobile Dolls, which quickly began opening fire right back at him.

"Stay close, Miho," Ron launched out his Super DRAGOONs, using them to keep the enemy off balance. It seemed to be working.

Takeshi charged forward at the Mobile Dolls, his GN Sword XI out in blade mode and already in action as it carved through first one Virgo II, then another, and then an Aries, the Quantum Harmonic Oscillators in the blade combined with the GN Condenser material which allowed it to heat up to 7000 degrees Kelvin allowing it to slice through even Gundanium Alloy like butter. All this just proved Ron's comment that Mobile Dolls SUCKED for the most part.

However, the Mobile Dolls still had a few advantages, especially for the Virgo II's that were equipped with Planet Defensors which were used to their full effect to block incoming fire from them, from beams to projectiles. Not to mention that since they did not have the same limitations as human pilots do, they can move a bit faster than most Mass Produced MS. However this was a moot point since most of the machines they were fighting were Highly Customized Mobile Suits and Gundams.

Jordan arced his Strike Zero through the streets of the colony, currently facing a force of two Leo's and a Serpent, firing their respective 105mm Rifles and in the Serpent's case its double Gatling gun. However he weaved through the fire, what shots did make it through simply hit his Trans-PS armor with little to no damage. He brought out both of his Shorty Beam Rifles, and aimed at the first two Leo's, and with perfect accuracy he fired, hitting them in their torso reactors thus resulting in their explosions.

The Serpent however then activated its set of missile launchers as it launched its full payload of missiles at him. Jordan stopped the Strike Zero, and flew up as the missiles followed him, he twisted his mobile suit around, and unleashed his 60mm CIWS upon the missiles, quickly destroying them, and while in a free fall he once again raised his Shorty rifles, and fired at the Serpent, destroying it.

Ron's Super DRAGOONs and his Full Burst attacks also wore down the enemy, making it easier for them to pick off the MDs. "ARGH! THAT'S IT!" Leonidas cursed "NOW I MEAN BUSINESS!" The Tallgeese Spartan charged in, ignoring all but Ron's Hybrid Destiny. The Greek could not understand why Ron named it so, as it looked like a normal Strike Freedom. "Your DRAGOONs won't help you up close!"

"You really ARE an idiot." Ron said shaking his head. "In this case, Sun Tzu was right."

"What-"

"All warfare..." Ron said as he holstered his MK-21Ks and pulled out a surprise for the idiot as he quoted the opening line in the Art of War. "Is based on deception!" Leonidas was certainly shocked when Ron hacked off his Tallgeese's right arm (and the mega launcher) with the Destiny's Arondight anti-ship sword.

"Damn you, Pinkerton!" He shouted as the Hybrid Destiny kicked the Tallgeese back, then took the mega launcher. "You can't do that! Unless-"

"FlexArms, bitch!" Ron shouted with a smirk "And guess who created it?!" The Spartan drew a beam saber, attempting to cut off an arm like Ron, but the Hybrid Destiny fired it's chest mounted beam cannon, forcing Leonidas to back off. "So, Leo, there a reason you chose the King of Sparta for your nickname?" Ron asked. "Or is that a hint that you don't like Greece?"

"WHAT?!"

"Well, historically, Sparta DID join forces with the Persians a century after Thermopylae." Say what you will about Ron, he DID know how to make people angry. "DIE!" And angry people always made mistakes. And GOD, was Leonidas making a hell of a mistake.

Meanwhile, Takeshi had run into the GM Kai, which he learned to his surprise was piloted by Shion! And while he wanted to win the match, he didn't want to completely overwhelm her, which was a very real possibility given how greatly the Tempest outclassed the GM Kai. So, rather than go all-out, Takeshi had stored the GN-Sword XI and drawn a Beam Saber instead, and was doing his best to avoid one-shotting her Gunpla.

Steven on the other hand was dodging fire from multiple MDs, his firepower proving to be quite formidable. He spun around and fired off his GN machine gun at a bunch of them, wiping out a group. "You think you can keep pace with me?!" he shouted. He gunned it and his Verniers lit up, his machine becoming just a blur as he fired repeatedly. "There's a reason why my machine is the fastest of the group!" He clenched his fists on the controls of his machine and he shoved the throttles forward to max. His eyes flashed as he let loose a battle cry with his heart and soul. His machine was just a blur as he cut and slashed with the GN Swords at any MDs that got close to him. The GN particles spilling from the GN Drive danced about, blinding the radar of the machines he was fighting against. The MDs opened fire on him as he dodged and swerved, the speed of his reaction time surprising the rest of the group. Yet that wasn't even half the start of what he could do with his machine. He let loose a barrage of fire from his machine gun a second time, this time gritting his teeth as one of the MDs tried to sneak up with three others. "Nice try!" he shouted.

He spun his machine around and activated TRANS-AM, the Gundam now glowing bright red as he sped away, his machine now barely visible. But he wasn't about to hold back. The sheer numbers would wear down most other fighters, but not them. Not as long as Steven had an edge, and that edge was about to be triggered.

"Time to kick it up a notch!" he roared. "TRANS-AM… PLUS!"

As soon as he said those words, The Raiser X flashed from red to bright blue, vanishing from sight. That alone threw the opposing team off guard.

Meanwhile, as Jordan was still fighting Mobile Doll after Mobile Doll, he was beginning to wonder where the hell they kept coming from. "What the hell is this," he asked no one in particular. "Horde Mode from Gears of War or something? They just never fucking stop!" However suddenly his alarm went off, and so did his instincts as he drew his MR-Q10 "Fragarach 3" beam blade just in time to avoid a strike from a Gebera Straight katana sword, wielded by the black and silver Astray.

"Impressive," Jin's voice came though the comm causing Jordan to blink. "You detected my machine. You have good instincts."

Jordan chuckled a bit sheepishly. "Well, I've had a few years of practice," he said, before he grinned. "I've always wanted to take one a World Champion."

Jin chuckled a bit, himself. "Then, let us see what you can do!" Jin said as the two began their duel.

Ryu grunted slightly as he had activated the Vidar's beam sabers and deflected a downward strike of the pink colored ZAKU Warrior's Beam Tomahawk, their respective blades clashed for a few moments before Ryu broke off, backing up as he whipped out his beam SMG and opened fire on the ZAKU. However the ZAKU quickly raised her shoulder shield which apparently was anti-beam coated as it absorbed the beams easily enough before she darted her MS down another roadway.

Ryu moved to pursue, however he cursed as he was forced to dodge up as a beam of red energy passed through the area where he would of been moments before, as the ZAKU fired off its M1500 "Orthros" beam cannon. She readjusted her aim as she fired another shot, but Tom quickly darted back down to the ground to avoid the shots. "You know, you're actually pretty good," he said.

"Thanks," Sarah's voice said. "Still far from being the best though I guess. I've got a lot to learn still."

"But you have skills," Tom acknowledged with a nod as he prepared his beam bayonet. "And that's something to be proud of." He smirked a bit. "Looking forward to when we fight in the Tournament itself."

"As am I," Sarah said as the two rounded their respective corners and once again engaged into close quarters combat.

Back with Ron, his fight with Leonidas was reaching its' end. The Greek was too angry to focus on anyone BUT Ron. A mistake, as Ron smirked. "Miho, NOW!" He shouted, as Miho's Nyagguy appeared from around a corner, raising up its hand-mounted beam cannons and fired, hitting the Tallgeese in the head, taking the thing off. This was the turning point for one, simple reason. The Tallgeese's head contained the antenna needed to control the Mobile Dolls. No head and they shut down. And they did. "You little bitch!" Leonidas shouted.

"Now, now, don't be a sore loser." Ron said as he pulled out the M2000GX multi-phase cannon, pointing it at the Tallgeese's cockpit. "You got outflanked. Nothing to be ashamed of. Of course, now you owe Miho an apology. I suggest doing so quickly. I don't want to destroy your machine."

Leonidas was silent for a moment, before he started to chuckle, before he started laughing, causing Ron to raise an eyebrow, before he heard Miho scream in surprise causing him to look up as a Leo appeared behind her, and attacked. However Miho fell back, missing its beam saber swipe, and in a panic fired her beam cannons again hitting the Leo, destroying it.

"What the..." Ron muttered.

"I have a back-up control system!" Leonidas said, still laughing, "You think I risk everything on just losing my Tallgeese's head? You're more of an idiot than I give you credit for. And its not even on my Mobile Suits!"

"Easily solved." Ron chuckled as Leonidas realized he made a mistake as Ron figured out the only place that the backup could've been. "Boys, we've got a carrier to take out!"

Steven's machine seemed to appear out of nowhere, GN machine gun held at the ready. "Leave that to me!" he said. He turned and in a flash of GN particles, was gone. Drew was stunned by the sheer speed the GN Raiser X possessed. No machine could have that kind of speed! It just wasn't possible… was it?

"Damn!" was his first immediate response. "That little suit sure is a speed demon."

Steven's voice echoed over the comm. "Told ya so!" he said. The machine appeared in front of the carrier, using its incredible speed to weave and dodge around the blasts that fired from the guns. He fired off his machine gun, taking out a good number before vanishing and reappearing elsewhere. "And some assistance would be appreciated!" he added.

Drew could only grin. "Ask and you shall receive!"

Steven's machine reappeared and aimed its left arm at the ship, firing off the GN particle cannon installed into the shield, only to halt the attack and pulling the shield up in front of the chest. "DAMN!" he swore as the guns fired on him, keeping him on the defensive. As a few more guns fired at his machine's legs, he gritted his teeth and engaged the speed once more, vanishing just before he got hit. He reappeared beside Patriot a moment later. "This guy is good!" he said.

"Yeah, he's like Amuro Ray," he said as his Unicorn Gundam Phenex drew one of the beam sabers from it left arm. "But the original was at least THREE times better than him!" He said and went on the attack towards the carrier, the machine guns firing on him which a few he blocked with his shield.

On the bridge of the Absolution, Victor saw the Gundam Unicorn Phenex as it headed toward them at high speed. "Oh, shit! Power up the main cannon! Not even a Gundam can survive a photon blaster shot!"

This was a mistake, though no one knew it at the time. Inside the Phenex's cockpit, warning alarms went off, and then the one thing Drew didn't expect to happen happened. The Unicorn Phenex activated its' Newtype Destroyer mode. "What the fuck is going on?!"

"Drew, what's going on?!" Ron said, "You're pulling a fucking Nu Gundam there! Damn it, respond!" Drew heard Ron's voice, and the panicking voices of all the pilots, friend and foe. "All units, break off attacks! For the love of Jesus, Izanagi and Thor, BREAK OFF! Pull the plug on the match! I DO NOT LIKE THIS!"

"I've got a really bad feeling about this..." Takeshi remarked over the comms, he and Shion having stopped their fight as soon as the Phenex had started going NT-D.

Jordan and Jin had completely stopped their match, as they looked up at Drew in shock and surprise, as surrounding the Unicorn Phenex was an aura of green and yellow light, similar to GN particles, however it much more reminded them of the infamous Psycho-field from Char's Counterattack. "What the… hell?" Jordan whispered.

However, apparently the Absolution couldn't stop firing, as it sent out a blast of Photon Energy blasted out of the vessel, and hit the Unicorn Phenex dead on. And that was when everything went to hell as sparks flew and the Psycho-field began acting crazy blasting across the field in a series of pulses, a small light emanating from the Gundam, which began to get brighter and brighter.

All of a sudden, Takeshi could feel something, some sort of… presence emanating from the Phenex. 'Is this… a Newtype reaction?' he thought, surprised. 'But… how could that be possible?' And he was not the only one, as one by one the others began to feel the same sensation.

"Everyone hang onto something!" Ron shouted, "I think this is about to get REALLY fucking weird!"

"Really, Pinkerton?!" Leonidas shouted. "Shit like this isn't possible in a match! There are limiters to keep a Psycofield from being formed! It's a goddamn Deux ex Machina!"

"I'm surprised you even know what that means," Ron said, and Leonidas screamed in outrage at the amused Canadian pilot.

"Patriot!" Ryu shouted. "Patriot, Drew if you can hear me shut it off! Turn the NT-D off!"

"I… I can't!" D.J said panicking "Everything's flashing! I-" Suddenly, in a brilliant flash of light, the Gundam Phenex was engulfed in a ball of light which quickly began to expand almost like a nuclear explosion, the others were unable to move from the sight, as one by one their units were absorbed… and suddenly everything went blank for them all.

117Jorn: And BOOM! Finally the first chapter of Gundam Build Fighter: REvolution is finished! And Ho-ly shit this thing is almost 23,000 words long!

Ron the True Fan: And all hell is about to break loose. How? Well, that's for Jorn to tell us and you to find out.

Takeshi Yamato: I will say however that this is definitely going to be an interesting story. And there's going to be quite a bit going on.

Titanic X: Yeah! I can't wait for what happens in the next chapter! :D

DragonknightRyu: Thank god that's done, now, where's my whisky?

Patriot-112: Next time, Ryu. So Jorn, what's in the next chapter?

117Jorn: Well, let's just say when we all come too, we're gonna have one hell of a surprise. But anyways, that's enough for now, before we go, here are some of the Mecha seen here today!

Gunpla Mobile Unit: GAT-01S Stark Strike Dagger

Unit Type: Artillery/Assault type mobile suit model

Builder: Drew J. Cobb

Owner: Drew J. Cobb

Accommodations: Pilot only, in 360 Panoramic cockpit in torso

Real-World Dimensions: overall height, 18.02 meters

Weight: 68.9 metric tons

Armor Materials: Lunar Titanium Alloy

Powerplant: Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor

Propulsion: Back vernier thrust engine;

Equipment and design features: Although a Artillery type Gunpla, it has extra vernier rockets that allow to keep up with Gundam Gunpla; Unlike it's predecessor, the Strike Dagger, it has properEMP shielding; Sensors, range unknown; Flexible Armament System; Modular Component System

Fixed Armaments: 4 x beam saber, two mounted in forearms, 2 mounted in shield, hand carried in use; 2 x 60mm CIWS vulcan gun, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2 x 3-slot hand grenade rack; 2 x M8F-SB2 "Shorty" beam rifles, mounted on thighs, hand carried when in use

Optional Fixed Armaments: 2 x 3-tube missile launcher

Optional Armaments: 1 x 57mm high energy beam rifle, w/ grenade launcher; Shield, mounted on either forearm

Technical and Historical Notes: Patriot's first brainstorm was inspired when he first saw the GAT-01 Strike Dagger, which he was very disappointed of it's original design, calling it a death trap that no sane pilot would ever pilot. Nevertheless, he liked the base frame design, and believed with a few modifications, it could make the Strike Dagger a more competent opponent in battle.

He then went ahead and gave a basic Strike Dagger more additional weapons, and a more, proper, EMP shielding, and from the UC era, an Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor. Most of the additional weaponry came from UC MS, more particularly, the RGM-89S Stark Jegan, with it's two 3-tube missile launchers. Of course he went further and added the Strike Noir's Shorty Beam Rifles, which were mounted on the thighs. The cockpit was also redesigned with the UC panoramic cockpit. Patriot then decided to add the recently released, Flexible Armament System, and Modular Component System, with the former allowing him to scavenged weapons off the battlefield, and the latter to replace damaged parts with any other suit's including his own. When it was finished he named the Mobile Suit: GAT-01S Stark Strike Dagger. His friends gave it the nickname SS Dagger, because of the "Stark Strike" in it's name, which made Patriot infuriated because it made it sound like he was a Nazi. Eventually the Stark Strike Dagger was then regulated as a back up as Patriot took up the GAT-(GF)-04X10 Freedom Windam and the Gundam Unicorn Phenex..

Appearance: Based on the GAT-01 Strike Dagger, fitted with Equipment from the Stark Jegan

Colors: Black torso, feet, and head. Brown limbs and faceplate. Green eye visor.

Gunpla Mobile Unit: GN-007 Raiser X

Unit Type: Long range/flight type Mobile Suit

Builder: Steven Krane

Owner: Steven Krane

Accommodations: Pilot in torso, standard cockpit

Real-World Dimensions: height is 14.2 meters, making it one of the smaller Gundams

Weight: 55.4 metric tons

Armor Materials: Gundanium infused with GN particles

Power Plant: GN Drive

Propulsion: GN Verniers

Equipment and design features: The Raiser X is built for two things: speed and agility, but with the GN Drive, it has an incredible amount of power, but Steven doesn't rely on that too much. Trans Am is one of his last resort moves, using it only if there is no other option. The particle output with his GN Drive is more than enough for him to blind and jam enemy sensors. Also possesses a state of the art AMBAC system, allowing him to use his incredible reaction time without tearing the Gundam apart.

Fixed Armaments: GN Particle cannon mounted in shield on left arm, GN beam machine gun, GN Swords for close quarters, and particle missile launchers

Optional Fixed Armaments: Can be equipped with a secondary set of wings for increased speed, but due to the stress placed on the machine, this is rarely used. The secondary wings are also armed with GN beam vulcan guns, one on each wing

Optional Armaments: GN Beam Rifle hand carried in use

Technical and Historical Notes: The Raiser X was built for two things only: speed and agility. As such, it has weaker hydraulics than a normal Gundam, is lighter in weight, and is lighter in its armor thickness, but the Gundanium/GN particle combo is enough to make it as strong as a normal machine's armor. Also Raiser X is smaller, so it can be hard to spot if the terrain favors Steven's battles. The machine was designed and built by Steven for his first tournament, and he managed to win due to his incredible reflexes. Raiser was built with that in mind, so he could use his reaction time without destroying his own Gunpla.

He can also transform his machine into a fighter jet-like form with the GN Particle cannon secreted in the top, the swords attached to the wings, and the guns attached to the front of the nose while the missile launcher is latched onto the bottom, able to pop open and release its payload.

Another thing that Steven discovered about his Gunpla is that if the GN Particles aren't released, they can trigger Trans Am when the particle output reaches Overmax. Using this, he created a new type of Trans Am he dubbed Trans Am Plus, the successor to regular Trans Am. When this is activated, his machine glows blue and is almost impossible to hit because of the intense speed. This speed makes it seem like his machine can teleport, but in reality it is just an illusion generated by the GN particles. But like Trans Am, he hardly uses it due to the stress it puts on his machine. This is his desperation mode, forced to use it when all other options have run out.

Appearance: Has the body and design of 00 Raiser, but with head of a Murasame and wings of a Murasame.

Colors: White majority, blue torso, green stripes on wings and blue feet bottoms with black hands.

Gunpla Mobile Unit: RGX-78-0 Zero Strike Gundam

Unit Type: General Purpose Heavy Assault Mobile Suit

Builder: Jordan Tackett

Owner: Jordan Tackett

Accommodations: Pilot only, in Panoramic Linear cockpit in torso with Core Block System using FF-X7 Core Fighter;

Real-World Dimensions: 18.5 Meters

Standard Weight: 62.5 Metric Tons

Armor Materials: Trans-Phase Shift armor reinforced with Luna Titanium Alloy;

PowerPlant: Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor, power output 1380 kW

Propulsion:

Equipment and design features: Core Block System; Hardpoint for docking with G-Fighter; "Learning Computer" System; Magnetic Coating; Re-Entry Coolant System; Hard Point for Striker Packs;

Fixed Armaments: 2 x 60mm CIWS Vulcan Gun, fire-linked in head; 2 x Beam Sabers, mounted behind shoulders on backpack, hand-carried when in use; 2 x M8F-SB2 "Shorty" Beam Rifle, mounted on hips, hand-carried when in use;

Optional Fixed Armaments:

(AQM/E-X01 Aile Striker Pack;): Aile Flight Pack

(AQM/E-X02 Sword Striker Pack): 2 x "Panzer Eisen" Rocket Anchors, attached to forearms; 2 x "Midas Messer" Beam Boomerangs, attached on shoulders, hand-carried when in use; 2 x "Schwert Gewehr" 15.78 Meter anti-ship sword, mounted on back, hand-carried when in use;

(AQM/E-X03 Launcher Striker Pack): "Agni" 320mm Hyper Impulse Cannon; Combo Weapon Pod (120mm Anti-Ship Vulcan; 2 x 350mm Gun Launcher) mounted on right shoulder;

(AQM/E-X04 Gunbarrel Striker Pack): 4 x Wire-Guided Gunbarrel Pod (1 x GAU-758S Railgun & 2 x M70AMSAT Missile per pod); M58E4 Gatling Gun;

(AQM/E-X05 Aqua Striker Pack): 2 x 4-Tube Micro-Missile/Torpedo Launcher, mounted on shoulders; 2 x EQS1358 Rocket Anchor, mounted on wrists;

(AQM/E-X06 Sniper Striker Pack): High Density Beam Sniper Rifle, mounted on back, hand-carreid when in use; Mirage Colloid Pack;

(AQM/E-X07 Full Armor Striker Pack) 2 x Dual-Barrel Hand Beam Cannons, mounted on Forearms; 1 x 360mm Beam Bazooka Launcher, mounted over right shoulder;

(AQM/E-X09S Noir Striker Pack): 4 x EQS1358 Rocket Anchor; 2 x MR-Q10 "Fragarash 3" Beam Blade; MAU-M3E32 Twin Linear Gun;

(AQM/E-A4E1 Jet Striker Pack): 4 x Missile Hardpoints for "Drache" Air-to-Surface Missiles, Mk1323 Unguided Rocket Pods, and Mk348 Triple "Wurger" Air-to-Air Missile Pods;

(AQM/E-M11 Doppelhorn Striker Pack): 2 x Recoilless Cannon;

Optional Armaments: RX-M-SH-008/S-01025 Shield; Beam Javelin; BLASH-XHB-L-03/N-STD 380mm Hyper Bazooka; BOWA-XBR-M-79-07G Beam Rifle w/ 175mm Grenade Launcher; Gundam Hammer; XM404 "Grand Slam" Anti-Ship Sword;

Technical and Historical Notes: After Jaden lost his AMATSU Gold Frame during the qualifying match for the national championship, he dedicated much of his time improving and upgrading his only other Gunpla, an RX-78-2 Gundam. He did research on the internet, understanding the limits of Plavsky Particles to allow his Gundam to accomplish other feats. To further improve his Gundam's designs, he used parts and pieces from three other famous Gundams, the GN-000 0 Gundam, and the GAT-X105E Strike E Gundam.

From the 0 Gundam, he borrowed the designs of the 0's Full Armor pack, which gave the RX-78-2 additional armor in E-Carbon which gave him extra protection when the armor is equipped, making a few modifications to the Full Armor as well. And from the Strike E Gundam, he borrowed many of the primary armaments and Striker packs, including the Gunbarrel, Aile, Launcher and Sword Striker packs, along with the infamous Noir Striker pack, and using parts from the RAG-79 Aqua GM and GN-002 Dynames to create two new Striker Packs, a Sniper Type and an Aquatic Warfare type.

With the upgrades he added, along with the new paintjob he gave his new Gundam, he had rechristened the Gundam, into the RGX-78-0 Zero Strike Gundam.

Appearance: Looks like the RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam, with the shoulders, hips and back of the GAT-X105E Strike Gundam E

Colors: Black with Red Trimming and gold joints, golden V Head crest, can equip the same Full Armor Pack as the 0 Gundam with an extra double-barrel Beam cannon;

Gunpla Mobile Unit: ZGMF-X42S/20A Destiny

Unit Type: Prototype hybrid assault Mobile Suit

Builder: Ronald Pinkerton

Owner: Ronald Pinkerton

Accommodations: One pilot, in Late-Universal Century-style panoramic cockpit

Real-World Dimensions: 18.87 meters in height

Weight: 120.4 tons

Armor Materials: Titanium and related composites/Variable Phase Shift Armor

Power Plant: Hyper-Deuterion Nuclear Reactor

Propulsion: same as Strike Freedom

Equipment and design features: 8 x Super DRAGOONs, 'Wings of Light', Voltaire Lumiere system, Flexible Armament System, otherwise same as Strike Freedom and Destiny

Fixed Armaments: 2 x 75mm Igelstellung CIWS cannons, same weapons as Strike Freedom and Destiny

Optional Fixed Armaments: 2 x Balaena plasma beam cannons (from ZGMF-X10A Freedom)

Optional Armaments: 2 x MA-M21K beam rifles, shield from ZGMF-X09A Justice, any MS handheld weapon taken from downed enemy units

Technical and Historical Notes: This is Ron's first real Gunpla, taking advantage of the new modular designs for fan customization. He plans to eventually make a transforming version, like his THAB series creation, the ADF-X01A Morgan, but that will require more models than he can currently afford. That also means he can take his enemy's weapons and use them against their users, thanks to the Flexible Weapons System, which he developed for his brother's Blu Duel that allowed him to win the tournament that got him in the nationals in the first place.

Another modification is the use of a late-UC 360-degree cockpit, which gets rid of the traditional Cosmic Era blind spots. The machine is also modular, allowing him to modify it with any existing parts, should he lose them in combat. (Like swapping out the Destiny's left arm for the Unicorn's, or something similar)

Appearance: ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom with Destiny's weapons pack

Colors: Same as Strike Freedom, but with Battlestar Galactica Colonial seal on left shoulder; seal is colored black, gold and red and reads Battlestar Galactica BSG-75

Gunpla Mobile Unit: GN-103 Tempest

Unit Type: Seven Swords High-Speed Close-Combat Mobile Suit

Builder: Takeshi Yamato

Owner: Takeshi Yamato

Accommodations: One pilot, in Late-Universal Century-style panoramic cockpit

Real-World Dimensions: 18.5 meters

Weight: 60.0 tons

Armor Materials: Silver Silicide/Delta-Titanium w/ Bonded Compressed Hyperdiamond Lattice/Enhanced Variable Phase Shift Armor

Power Plant: GN Drive Mk. IV, mounted on back of torso

Propulsion: 1 x GN Vernier (Drive-Mounted, 3D Thrust-Vectoring Capable); 8 x GN Thrust II (improved magnetic emission fields, 2x greater direct thrust than standard GN Thrust, mounted on Freedom wings in between feathers)

Equipment and design features: Extreme Low-Weight Frame Design; Nano-Fabricated Armor; TRANS-AM System; Omnidirectional GN Field System; 10 x Magnetic Thrust Vectoring Field Emitters (Freedom Wing Feathers); Quantum Psycoframe-Integrated Cockpit Hull

Fixed Armaments: 2x Head-Mounted 10mm GN Beam CIWS Guns

Optional Fixed Armaments: 1x GN Long Blade X (mounted on Right Hip, hand carried in use); 1x GN Short Blade X (mounted on Left Hip, hand carried in use); 2x GN Beam Sabers X (mounted on back of Waist, hand carried in use); 2x GN Beam Boomerangs (mounted in Shoulders, hand carried in use);

Optional Armaments: 1x Shield (mounted on Left Forearm); 1x GN Sword XI (mounted on Right Forearm, hand carried in use);

Technical and Historical Notes: Takeshi's first customized Gunpla, though he had originally designed it with help from a Fanfiction Writer known as Knightmare Gundam of Ni as the first Gundam to appear in his 'Mobile Suit Gundam Xenosaga' series, where it would have come from a universe where all the series except Turn A, Unicorn, AGE, the Gundam 00 Movie, and Victory Gundam had all been combined into a single plot, and two hundred years had passed since the end of the combined war. As such, and combined with the fact that Knightmare Gundam of Ni tended to over-engineer his creations, its performance could possibly be considered on par with a base model 00 Quanta.

The GN Sword was equipped with upgraded materials of the type found in GN Condensers, allowing the blade to heat up to 7000 degrees Kelvin, and had built-in quantum harmonic oscillation mechanisms that cause the edge to vibrate at frequencies escalating into the terahertz range, and also could proceed into imaginary number ranges (allowing it to harm Gnosis, the monsters of the Xenosaga series). The GN Blades, while made of the same materials as the blade, lacked the quantum harmonic oscillators.

The Beam Boomerangs based on the Tempest's shoulders utilize a combination of gravitational lock generators and toroidal magnetic field impellers to travel in an arc to and from the throwing point. Their beam blade densities are actually three times that of the GN Beam Saber Xs' due to the somewhat smaller size of their blades.

The Tempest's cockpit is unique in that its hull is integrated with hundreds of millions of specially designed nanomachines. These nanomachines are designed to detect and analyze the quantum brainwaves generated by the average human, effectively reading the pilots mind. When combined with a pseudo-organic nano-circuitry command and control network, this effectively allows partial mental control over the Gundam, vastly increasing the pilot's reaction time to external stimuli the point of near precognition.

All in all, it is a powerful machine, but its performance will pale in comparison to Takeshi's ultimate machine, the Raging Tempest, which another of his friends said was likely powerful enough to take on a machine from another franchise known as the Ideon.

Appearance: Similar to the Gundam Exia, but with GN Sword/Rifle from the Gundam Exia R2, the Sword Strike Gundam's Beam Boomerang Mounts on BOTH Shoulders, the Gundam X's Head Unit, and the Freedom Gundam's wings (minus the Plasma Cannons) on the back in Full Open Mode (the wings bracket the GN Drive).

Colors: Dark Blue, with a Black Torso, though the V-Fin is the standard Golden color of most Gundam V-Fins

Gunpla Mobile Unit: OZ-00MSSp Tallgeese Spartan

Unit Type: Custom General Purpose Mobile Suit

Builder: Achilles 'Leonidas' Henderson

Owner: Achilles 'Leonidas' Henderson

Accommodations: Pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso;

Real-World Dimensions: 17.4 Meters

Weight: 8.8 Metric Tons

Armor Materials: Lunar Titanium Alloy

Power Plant: Ultracompact Fusion Reactor

Equipment and design features: Sensors, Range Unknown; Mobile Doll Control System

Fixed Armaments: 2 x 60mm Vulcan CIWS, fire-linked in head; Shield, mounted on left forearm; 2 x Beam Sabers, stored in shield, hand-carried when in use;

Optional Fixed Armaments: Dober Gun, mounted on right shoulder;

Optional Armaments: Mega Beam Cannon; GN Lance;

Technical and Historical Notes: A simple yet deadly mobile suit designed by Gunpla Builder Achilles Henderson, better known by his nick-name as Leonidas. He created the Tallgeese in the image of the Spartans in which he got his nickname from, using a mixture of the technologies used in all three variants of the Tallgeese, and drawing some inspiration from a better known custom variant of the Tallgeese, the Tallgeese Valkyrie. The Tallgeese Spartan is a dedicated machine of war, the only weapon it has that is not of the After War era is the GN Lance from a GN-XIII. However what truly makes the Tallgeese Spartan special is its built-in Mobile Doll control system, which gives Achilles the ability to control and manipulate an entire squadron of mobile suits, mostly he controls OZ-06MS Leo's, OZ-07AMS Aries, MMS-01 Serpents, and WF-02MD Virgo II's, usually maintaining a squadron of 12 per battle.

Appearance: Looks like the OZ-00MS2 Tallgeese II, with the OZ-00MS Tallgeese's head and the Tallgeese III's Mega Beam Cannon;

Colors: Bronze torso segment and tan colored limbs;

GunplaMobilee Unit: FXS-X001 'Vidar'
Unit Type: Experimental Long Ranged DRAGOON Use Mobile Suit
Builder: Tom Johnston

Owner: Tom Johnston

Accommodations: Pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso;

Real-World Dimensions: 18.2 Meters

Weight: 59.1 Metric Tons;

Armor Materials: *Classified*

Powerplant: *Classified*
Equipment and Design Features: High Powered Sniper Camera, hidden behind V crest; DRAGOON Control System; Phase Shift Armor; Panoramic Cockpit, Aerial and Space Maneuvering Pack (A.S.M.P)
Fixed Armament: 2 x 60mm Vulcan CIWS, Fire-linked in head; 2 x Beam Sabers, mounted in thigh compartments; 4 x Assault Beam DRAGOON units, mounted in A.S.M.P; 2 x Beam Cannon DRAGOON units, mounted in A.S.M.P; 6 x Heat Fang DRAGOON units; Mounted in A.S.M.P
Optional Armaments: Extreme Long Ranged Particle Beam Rifle (Maximum Range: 1000 km); Beam Sub Machine Gun with mounted beam dagger bayonet
Appearance: Looks like the Dynames with scaled down low tech versions of the Freedom's HiMAT wings, colored black with dark red trim. Has the symbol of a howling wolf head on the right shoulder.

117Jorn: And there you have it! All of the first batch of Mecha we've concieved for this chapter! We will be adding a few more in the next chapter! So until then…

Everyone: JA NE!