Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam franchise. If I did, Turn A would have an English dub by now.

Chapter 1: Aim For The Top!

Low, hushed whispers from a stadium crowd fill the air. The whispers are interrupted by an announcer's voice and a spotlight piercing through the darkness, shining on the figure of a boy, no more than 13 years old, dressed in a simple white jacket and blue shorts. His expression is full of confidence, eagerness, as he listens to the announcer call his name. "Ladies and gentlemen, the 7th Gunpla Battle World Champion, here again to fight for his title, let's hear a round of applause for IORI SEI!"

The crowd goes wild as the boy raises his fist in the air. Men and women, boys and girls of all ages cheering the boy's name. A second spotlight shines upon a figure on the opposite side of the arena, and as the announcer is about to speak...

"Levanah! Come on already!"

"All right, all right dad, sheesh!' A teenage girl presses pause on a remote, grumbling a bit under her breath. "Damn it, and at the last match too..." The girl hops off her bed, hurriedly putting on a presentable outfit, plain white pants and a navy blue shirt, grey windbreaker with light blue waist and armbands on top. She pulls her brunette ponytail through the back of a white and blue baseball cap, a quick grab for her brown satchel as she dashes out her room's door. Swiftly running down the hallway she almost stumbles into a tall man in his late 40's, dressed in casual white business attire. He chuckles and pats the girl on the head.

"Come on kiddo, I know it's the last day and all but it's no excuse to just start skipping out on your classes." The man smiles. "Last year's Tournament will still be here when you get home."

"I knoooow, but I was at the final match!" The girl gave a light jab up into the air. "Champion Sei Iori defends his title against-"

"When. You. Get. Home." The man adamantly emphasizes, smile changing to an obviously faked frown. He then calls out to another room, "Jodi, she's finally ready, so we'll be heading off! You take care, hon!"

"All right, I'll be gone by the time you're back!" a woman's voice called back.

The father and daughter walk out the door, the girl's mind filled with thoughts of that final match. Sure she knew the outcome, but knowing it is nothing like seeing it happen. She looked up, staring at the slightly cloudy sky.

The girl's name is Levanah Morgan, 16 year old resident of New York City. She lives with her mom and dad, Mike and Jodi Morgan. An average, somewhat tomboyish girl, fascinated by the robots, machines, mechs. A fan of the Gundam metaseries and a variety of other mecha series as well. And above all, she is a Gundam Plastic Model, Gunpla, Builder and Fighter, with dreams of going head to head against some of the best in the world. By the end of the day, those dreams would be one step closer to reality.

The sound of ringing bells and cheering boys and girls break the relative silence of a High School near Central Park. Kids, teenagers anywhere between the ages of 14 and 18, pour out of the school. Levanah, flanked on the right by a blonde girl, slightly shorter than her and wearing a modest white jumper dress over an orange shirt, and a bespectacled Asian boy, about the same height as the blonde and wearing a red and white track suit, let out a loud yawn.

"It wasn't thaaaat tiring, Levvy." The blonde remarked, a soft giggle following. "Besides, the school year's finally over! You should be excited!"

"Methinks that little miss Pirate didn't get enough sleep last night, Belle." The boy snarked aloud. "Up trying to finish the 8th World Championship, I take it? How far did you get, anyway?"

"Made it to the last round before I had to leave. You'll get it back tomorrow, Blair." Levanah stretched out her arms, letting out another yawn before rubbing her eyes. "But that's later, you two wanna do anything? Dad's not gonna be here for a few hours." The two shrugged in response to her question as they all walked along behind the crowded sidewalk. As they reached the crosswalk, Belle piped up.

"Ah! We could just head to the arcade, I bet Levvy has a few things she wants to try out there."

"We could head to the Hobby shop nearby, too. I've been meaning to throw some money at a new kit, for practice." Blair replied.

Levanah laughed. "All right, all right, mall it is, then." The trio crossed the street, walking along and chatting among themselves as they headed towards a somewhat large building, only four stories in height but noticeably wider than the surrounding structures. This mall was filled with people, a significant portion being the kids from the nearby High School. Levanah's group wandered in the direction of the food court, still conversing, discussing plans for Summer vacation, but stopped upon hearing unusual music coming from the arcade. Not unusual in the sense of unfitting, but unusual in that it sounded... live, as if two guitarists and one singer were performing there. They headed closer, finding a small crowd gathered near the entrance as Levanah and Blair recognized the tune being played. Levanah spoke up, "Is that...?"

"Rhythm Emotion, yeah. Well, an electric guitar cover of it at least." Blair stated, adjusting his glasses. Beyond the crowd they could see a girl with dyed purple and blonde hair, maybe 17 years old, wearing a black tank-top with a purple vest over it, matching black short shorts and tall boots with purple pantyhose underneath. She was performing on what seemed to be a modified Gunpla Battle Field stage, a noticeably modified guitar in her hands, when the three noticed a smaller figure flying around her. Blair let out a short gasp as he noticed the figure was also playing its guitar along with the girl. "An Extreme Gundam? But... that rifle, that's not its usual equipment." Belle was lost trying to understand what the two were talking about, a puzzled look on her face as she tugged on the sleeve of Levanah's windbreaker.

"Levvy, what's an 'Extr-'?"

The question was interrupted by a synthesized voice, let out a loud statement:

[BATTLE ENDED]

The crowd's attention turned for a moment away from the guitarist to the arcade's main Gunpla Battle Field. A young boy, brown haired and dressed in a uniform for a nearby Private School, hung his head as he collected his Gunpla, a green and white Zeta Gundam with a Zaku head. A far older boy, with scruffy black hair and a white jersey, laughed at the younger one, his arms crossed. "And that's win number nine. You didn't stand a chance, kid!" Looking at the other Gunpla, it wasn't hard to see why. The imposing frame of a slightly modified Neo-Zeong sat on the table, without the booster "legs" and black and gold highlights complimenting its primarily red color scheme. The older boy addressed the crowd, "Anyone else want to take on my Neo-Zeong Tyrant? See if they can stop my win streak?" Levanah gripped her satchel, an angry glare directed towards him. Belle looked at her, then towards Blair.

"S-she has that look in her eyes again, Blair." she commented in a nervous voice.

Blair nodded at her, then tried to address Levanah. "Hey, maybe we should just let this-"

"You say you're accepting challengers. Well, here's your next one." She was already at one end of the hexagonal Battle Field before Blair and Belle even noticed she had moved. The girl pointed at the pilot of the Neo-Zeong. "Name's Levanah Morgan, and I'll be the one to break that win streak of yours."

The boy chuckled. "You think you can stop my Neo-Zeong Tyrant? This match will be over in less than two minutes!"

The guitarist, almost unnoticed since the end of the previous battle, addressed the crowd. "Woohoo, ladies and gentlemen, looks like we've got another heated battle starting up! Can this new girl topple Zack Brendans, or will he reach a tenth victory in a row? Fighters, are you ready?!"

The synthetic voice of the battle announcer came on again:

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GP BASE]

Both fighters placed the rectangular GP Bases down. Zack moved his Neo-Zeong back to the starting position, the Gunpla barely fitting. The guitarist addressed the crowd again, a riff from her guitar followed by one from the Extreme Gundam flying around her, "Let's have a good show!" She started to play the instrumental opening of "Stand Up To The Victory" as another announcement came forth:

[BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL]

A bluish glow filled the space around the two fighters as Levanah pulled her Gunpla out of her satchel, light cloth obscuring most of it, but the signature X-shaped thrusters on the back made it clear what it was.

[FIELD 01: SPACE]

The interior of the Battle Field became a holographic projection of space, the bottom becoming a lunar surface. The crowd had hushed slightly as "Stand Up To The Victory" continued to play in the background.

[PLEASE, SET YOUR GUNPLA]

Levanah placed hers on the starting base as holographic interfaces surrounded both fighters. She took in a deep breath, grabbing the holographic controls.

[BATTLE START]

"Neo-Zeong Tyrant! Launch!"

"Crossbone Gundam X-7! Launch!'

The thrusters under the Neo-Zeong fired up, the frame moving into the battlefield at a steady pace. The Crossbone's thrusters lit up as well, dashing towards its opponent, cloak fluttering slightly. The moment the smaller Gunpla was in range, the Neo-Zeong unleashed a flurry of beams towards it. As if expecting it, the hands of the Crossbone flung out of the cloak, palms splayed open as vents on the lower arms opened as well. The beams flew towards the Crossbone... and were promptly deflected. Zack seemed stunned for a few seconds as the Crossbone kept closing in.

"Tch, I was just making sure you're no rookie, girl! But you're still no match!" Zack tapped one of the buttons on his controls, selecting another weapon. "Take this!" A dozen wired claws spread out from the Neo-Zeong, attempting to halt the Crossbone's advance in its tracks. They were met with what seemed like a sheet of bullet fire from the smaller Gunpla's head Vulcans, it dodging the few that survived the onslaught almost effortlessly.

Levanah smirked, gripping the controls and pushing them forward, her Crossbone accelerating. It gripped two objects from under its cloak, throwing them at the Neo-Zeong. Expecting explosives, Zack maneuvered his mammoth Gunpla out of harm's way... and almost slapped himself when he finally noticed that they weren't explosives, but the Crossbone's Beam Zanber and Buster Gun. Turning his attention back to the opponent as warnings popped up in his terminal, Zack almost shrieked at the image of the pirate Gundam's mug occupying the viewscreen, mouth-vent open and emitting a haunting yellow glow. Zack attempted to swat at the Gundam to no avail, the large thrusters on the back keeping it at a distance. The Crossbone now overhead, he then attempted to use the Sinanju inside to fire its Bazooka at it, only for a claw coming from the Gundam's skirt armor to grapple it away.

The crowd remained mostly silent, either watching the battle or paying attention to the guitarist still, Levanah's friends fixated on her. Zack grew more and more noticeably nervous to the audience. He let out a yell, gripping the holographic controls and taking aim at the Crossbone with the Sinanju's Beam Rifle as he prepared the Neo-Zeong's PsychoShard in what seemed like a last-ditch, all out attempt to end this match quickly. The Rifle fired, Belle letting our a gasp as she saw it strike the Crossbone. Zack seemed to shout a celebratory "Aha!" but stopped short as the Gundam itself was undamaged, cloak breaking and burning away to reveal the navy blue and white frame of the Gundam, a stylized skull-and-crossbones emblem with a large number seven next to it on the chest. A small dagger darted out of the foot of the Crossbone as its thrusters fired up, the blade glowing red hot.

Levanah finally broke her silence, shouting aloud, "Dagger! INAZUMA! KIIIIIICK!" The guitarist in the background hit the final verse of her song. Sweat dripping down from his brow, Zack tried one more time to fire at the Gundam but failed to hit, the golden ring of the PsychoShard not yet fully ready, the arms of the Neo-Zeong flailing around in an attempt to swat the opponent away. This final miss proved fatal, as the Crossbone plunged its Heat Dagger right into the Sinanju's chest. A second kick pushed the Gundam out of its opponent while also increasing size of the gash the dagger left in it, dashing off to collect its discarded weapons, crossing its arms as the Sinanju exploded. The boy's head hung low upon hearing the announcer declare:

[BATTLE ENDED]

The holograms began to disperse. Zack sulked over to try and collect his behemoth Gunpla, but stopped as he saw an outstretched hand. "That was a nice try." Levanah said to him. "Problem was you were kinda relying too much on just overwhelming your opponent through sheer firepower. You've gotta plan things out more, strategize." The boy was somewhat dumbfounded. Levanah scratched the back of her head, continuing, "And probably isn't the best idea to go around with such an expensive kit, damage adds up pretty fast, even with something like that much firepower." She looked towards her opponent's now motionless Gunpla. "Kinda tried to leave as little damage on the Mobile Armor as possible. Sinanju's an easier thing to replace and repair."

Zack stared at her silently, then at his Neo-Zeong. He smiled, finally shaking her hand. "Thanks, uh..."

"Levanah. Levanah Morgan. And you're Zack...?"

"Zack Rolla." he replied.

"One last suggestion, then. Based on your fighting style, you might do a bit better when a smaller, ranged heavy-weapons Mobile Suit. Try a Heavyarms or Leopard, or maybe even a Seravee."

"Hah, I'll think about that." Zack gathered his Gunpla, carefully carrying it as he walked off. The battle's audience gathered around Levanah, people bombarding her with questions. Blair rushed to recover her Gunpla as Belle pulled her away from the crowd. A good five or six minutes passed before they were clear from the onlookers, all three letting out deep sighs.

"Just had to make a point, didn't you?" Blair grumbled towards Levanah.

"The guy was hiding behind power to make up for skill. Sure it'll get you a few wins in the short run, but it's not a good way to go about Gunpla Battle. You'll end up crashing pretty hard eventually." she defended, arms crossed. "Difference in skill can make a Jegan topple a Devil Gundam."

Blair rolled his eyes at that comment. He knew it was technically true, but somehow it just felt like too far a stretch, at least for any couple of Fighters of vaguely similar skill levels. Belle barely understood the reference, but could at least make a guess at what it meant. The three walked along for a bit before a voice called out to them. "Hey, heeeey! Crossbone Girl!" To their surprise, it was the guitarist from the arcade running towards them, guitar now in a black case slung over her shoulder. "That was quite a show you put on there. You were on fire!"

Levanah smiled and blushed a little at the compliment. "W-well, it was nothing, really." She scratched the back of her head, looking away. "I've... kinda had a good deal of practice. Say, I was actually wondering, what was with that concert thing back there? This is the first I've heard of someone performing a rock song with Gunpla. Well, with the Gunpla participating at the very least."

The girl placed her hands on her hips, a wide, cheeky grin on her face. "It's a special kind of promotion for the upcoming World Championship." She pulled out her Extreme Gundam from part of her guitar case, showing it to Levanah. Build quality was top-notch, engineering above what one would get from the base kit, but what amazed her was the accessory, a fully functional, miniature guitar in the shape of a Beam Rifle. "Straight from the geniuses at Yajima, with a bit of help from Bandai, of course. Oh! Forgive me, I still haven't introduced myself." She jabbed a thumb's-up into the air and then pointed it at herself, her grin going from what seemed to be ear to ear. "Haley Jo, Junior Promoter of the 9th Gunpla Battle World Championship!"

Levanah and Blair's jaws dropped. Even Belle showed some surprise at that statement. Haley continued, "That gig there was just a little preview thing, the real promotion starts this Sunday." She then pointed at Levanah and winked. "So, how about it, hot stuff? You gonna try and enter?"

Levanah's face went bright pink. "Ah... um... y-yeah! Yes!" Blair and Belle turned their heads towards her, blank expressions occupying their faces as the girl clumsily returned the Extreme Gundam to its owner.

"Awesome! I'll see you then!" Haley ran off before Levanah could get another word out, probably to her benefit. An awkward silence persisted among the three for a couple minutes, though it felt like an hour. It finally was broken by quiet snickering coming from Blair and Belle.

"W-what? What?" Levanah exclaimed, a prominent blush still on her face.

"Levvy and Haley, sitting in a~"

"Belle!" Levanah tried to grab her, the blonde easily escaping her grasp, laughing teasingly.

Blair chuckled to himself. "I guess there are worse reasons for making a fool of yourself. It's not like you were just going to pass it by, anyway." Levanah gave something halfway between a grumble and low growl as a response to his remark, Belle nudging her in the shoulder teasingly.

"You guys suck..." Levanah spoke in a tone of defeat, head hanging down.

"Aw, don't be like that. I think it's kinda cute." Belle poked the other girl's rosy-red cheek. "Levvy wants to impress her crush~"

"I-I met her like fifteen minutes ago!"

"That isn't a denial." Blair adjusted his glasses, smirking.

"Can, can we just drop this? Please?" The girl's friends nodded, letting the issue go. For now. Levanah let out a deep, exasperated sigh. "Thank you. Sheesh, with friends like these..." A bit of normalcy returned to their conversation, switching to now-modified weekend plans. A good twenty minutes pass before Levanah gets a call on her cell-phone. The conversation is short and to the point. She turns to her friends. "Well, dad's at the mall entrance. I'll see you two Sunday, then?"

"Of course. But do try to get some sleep between now and then, Levanah."

"Harder to impress a girl with bags under your eyes~"

"Why you-!" her friends started running off, laughing, before she could finish. They both waved to her, Levanah smiling and waved back, dashing towards the mall's entrance. Her father was waiting for her outside.

"Well, seems like you had a good day, kiddo." Mike patted his kid on the head, Levanah swatting his arm away.

"School was about what you'd expect, but you'll never believe what happened afterward."

"Hah, I somehow doubt that." He guided his kid into the black car he was leaning on, listening to her recount her fight against Zack Rolla and his Neo-Zeong. As they drove away, she got to the part about promising to join the Sunday tournament. While still keeping his eyes on the traffic ahead, Mike raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. Levanah then became unusually quiet, looking away from her father. The awkward silence continued for a couple blocks, only real sound coming from the hum of the car's engine. Mike cleared his throat, deciding to break this pause in conversation himself. "So... what's her name?"

"DAD!"