Part 37: Mission 21 - The Man With Two Faces
Location: Last Guardian’s Base
Miku relates to Oki that Masato’s shut himself inside the Zeorymer’s cockpit, refusing to answer to her calls. He asks what happened during the last battle and the best she can say is that he’s seemingly changed into someone else – just as he did during the battle against the Lanster.
Is that the reason behind his indiscriminate attack during the battle with the two Hakke Robos, caring nothing for the safety of the Magnate Ten units? Miku thinks so, yes. Inwardly, Oki wonders if the conditioning he gave Masato to pilot the Zeorymer was TOO effective. Or maybe… no, that man is certainly…
Oki says he has no idea what’s going on and, moreover, Masato’s actions have just made it a whole lot more difficult to have the Zeorymer assigned to that team. This is the first Miku’s heard of that but Oki reminds her that it’s not just the Haudragon who are after the bot; its Dimensional Coupling System is the target of various different groups.
The Magnate Ten is home to the D Weapons, as well as the pivotal units of GEAR, TERRA and NERV. Does Miku know why? To draw the enemies’ fire upon a single target and have all those units work together to defend one another’s secrets. But doesn’t that run the risk of some of said secrets leaking to other organizations if they’re all in the same place?
Oki argues that it’s inevitable that secrets would leak at any given time, considering how blurred the lines between friend and foe are between those groups. Hell, he even expects NERV and TERRA to have already scoped each other out by this point.
Furthermore, it would be safer for Masato and Miku themselves to be among a moving squadron than stuck at this base. But will the Magnate Ten welcome them? Oki is making arrangements with GEAR’s Shibuya and the Federation’s brass – he’s kept the Zeorymer hidden for so long now and isn’t about to let it fall in the hands of the Haudragon or any other organization.
*door opens*
: … That’s good, Oki. Doing so is precisely your role in this.
: !
: Masato…!
: …Masato, what were you thinking back in the Science Fortress Lab skirmish?: …
: He’s right… How could you have fought with such disregard for the Magnate Ten’s safety…?: Hm… Hmhmhm… They are no more than pawns, meant only to deal with skittering vermin.
: H-How can you say that…!: Hmph. You dare criticize me?: !: Have you forgotten where you stand? Or is that you trying to convince me to play nice?
: W-what… I’m just worried about you!: Hahahah… Well, aren’t you well-raised?: Masato… are you…?: Hmhmhm… Take this as your first and only warning, Oki: do not order me around. : !: And don’t think you can control me either. I’ll be doing what I please, when I please…: What…?!*Alarm and explosions!*
: We’re under attack?!: This signal…!: The Hakkeshu never learn, do they…?: Masato…!: I’m launching the Zeorymer…!*Masato walks away.*
: (His eyes… his attitude… No. No, that’s not possible…!)
Mission 21 – The Man with Two Faces
: There you are…!: … Oh, it’s “Moon” this time? Miku, are we ready?: …: ...Hmph, fine. If the system’s operating normally, then there’s no problem.: I have waited… How have I waited for this moment – the moment where I shall rend you asunder, Zeorymer of the Heavens.: Hah… The night needs not a second moon; especially when it sets itself before Heaven.: In the name of Wind, Flame and Water… My Rose C'Est La Vie of the Moon will strike down your Heaven!: Hmhmhm… the weaker they are, the louder they bark. Would you care to show me how you whimper in defeat, little mutt…?: Come, Zeorymer!
Ritsu is rather far away, so we’ll start heading over.
Enemy Phase!
His movement range is also piss since his mech’s air movement rating is low.
So, let’s speed this up another turn.
Here he comes.
: Come on, then. Show me the Moon’s strength!: This man is the Zeorymer’s pilot…?!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J_35kU4Mag
: … I-I’m?!
: Masato...? Masato, is that you?!: This is... inside the Zeorymer?! Why am I here?!: A Hakke Robo attacked, so you decided to deploy…!: I did?! With the Zeorymer?!: …Yes…
: But... that’s not…!: Hm? Its movements have grown sluggish…?
: I… I launched the Zeorymer myself?: Y-Yes…: I… I remember telling Mr. Oki… that I was launching but…: …: But that… that wasn’t me speaking…! I didn’t actually want to do that…! What the hell happened?!: This is the Zeorymer of the Heavens, destroyer of Wind, Flame and Water…? The creation of the man who foisted endless torment upon me…?!: What happened to me, Miku?! Tell me! Who was that Masato?!: Masato…: I… I’m…!: … Masato, we’re in the middle of a battle! The enemy’s right ahead!: Urk…!: (This isn’t going to work – he’s too confused…!): Mr. Oki, we can’t defeat the enemy like this! Please, request assistance from the Magnate Ten!: It’s already being done. Hang on until they arrive. And keep an eye out; other enemies may have detected the Zeorymer’s energy signal and be en route.: R-Roger…!: I know not what happened, but if you cannot bring forth your full might, so much the better…! Vanish before my moonlight, Zeorymer!: He’s coming, Masato! We need to fight back!
: Gch…! Damn it!
Player Phase!
Masato’s morale has gone to shit, meaning we need to start casting Iron Wall or Ritsu will tear through him. Attacking him head-on will only result in unnecessary damage to us, so we’ll hold and let him take the initiative.
: You’re mine now, Zeorymer!: What… What happened? Why did I…?!: Just focus on the enemy right now, Masato!
Alright, that’s fine.
Player Phase!
One turn after Masato gets back to normal, the plot kicks in.
: Hrm?! This signal is—!: Backup’s arrived, Masato!: “Backup”…? Is it…
: The Zeorymer…?
: The robot who attacked without any regard for us…? Why are we helping that thing?!
: She’s right! Who does that pilot think he is?!
: (I guess it’s to be expected that they feel this way. Despite the relationship between GEAR and Last Guardian, honestly, even I had major problems with what the Zeorymer did before…)
: Save this discussion for later. If we don’t put the enemy down quick, it’ll only cause more damage to the town. That’s more than enough of a reason for us to support the Zeorymer.
: That’s assuming the thing’s actually on our side.: Tetsuya…!
: I’ve had just about enough with letting the brass’ agenda decide this for me, Duke Fleed.
: I agree. There’s been absolutely no indication that that’s a friendly.
: Ease up; this isn’t the time or place for a debate!: Tetsuya, Hayato… if the Zeorymer does show itself to be hostile, then I’ll also be ready to do as needed. Is that answer good enough to you?: …Fine. : I’ve no objections.
: Captain, it’s probably best to designate the Zeorymer at least as a potential threat, no?: Yes. All units, support it but do so at a distance.
: Roger that. We’re deploying!
: So they’re the Magnate Ten…! Still, I will not allow any to obstruct me!
Rose C'Est La Vie of the Moon (Ritsu)
Pilot Skills:
- Prevail L3
- Support Attack L1
Same deal as all previous Hakkeshu: big, strong pilot in a powerhouse, bulky unit. The Rose is strong in both range and melee attacks, with his big weapon being the J-Kaiser – a MAPW that hits nine squares in a straight line.
His attacks also have big accuracy modifiers, so your guys will very certainly need to be packing defensive measures beyond Focus. Approach at an angle and swarm.
I’ll bring Masato closer to be healed as most land-bound folks wade around the builds to reach Ritsu. Some can get closer, though.
Slow but steady wins the race here.
Here, let’s check Ritsu’s “vulcans”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GStc9AI-Yh0
Them’s some big vulcans!
Ryouma and Kaine take off another chunk of HP.
Enemy Phase!
And in come the Hundred Demon, though it seems they weren’t after our stuff today. Hidler’s just as surprised to find us while he was homing in one of the Zeorymer’s energy reading.
You know what it comes down to: destroy us and take the bot for the empire! Hayato sighs at their thieving antics, setting their sights on the Zeorymer after failing score the Getter Ray Amplifier. Ryouma’s not about to let the demons get anything to boost their strength, of course.
The Demons are closing in but don’t reach us yet. Ritsu keeps harassing Masato.
Player Phase!
Between our stray attacks, we only need a few more hits to send the guy packing. Let’s get to it.
: If you mean to attack, then my Rose C'Est La Vie of the Moon will answer in kind!
: Psh… Why do we have to help that jerk?!
: Do not intrude upon my battle with the Zeorymer!: Hrm…! I’m not lending him a hand because I want to!
Ritsu runs under 13k HP. I could have easily killed him with a Valored attack plus a support but I didn’t care to waste time getting it set up.
Ritsu is livid that he’s unable to destroy the Zeorymer today and vows to get us back for this humiliation.
Off we go to deal with the demons. Since Dendoh flies well, I’ll park it here (with Iron Wall) to weaken these Shield Demons.
And there’s still this.
Two more levels to go!
Kazuya passes by Dendoh en route to the southeastern group.
Same goes for Kouji.
These things are ever-so-annoying, with their three shield charges.
The rest of our guys are moving on approach. Problem is, they’re being funneled onto that lone bridge since they can’t fly too good.
Enemy Phase!
Oh, I didn’t think Hidler would be coming in so soon. At least he chose an Iron Wall’d Kouji to attack.
: Trying to piggyback off this mess today, are you?! I figured demons would be all about brute force but you’re actually pretty shifty!
: Silence, I say! Silence! I am earning us a major victory, the most efficient way! Glory will be mine!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbw-GAkUoao
And here’s the other attack of the Mecha Fortress Demon.
There go all demons, getting walloped by the Dendoh.
On the other side, I underestimated how much damage Masato would be taking due to his low morale.
That’s a not-insignificant damage for a Super with Iron Wall!
Thankfully, that was the last one.
Player Phase!
There’s a Horned Demon dead and boom! I never have to use Mondo again and we’ve secured our future Dijeh!
Couple more kills for Ginga.
Excellent, and some more Prevail too.
Tetsuya gets a kill and Domon gets serious.
There’s finally room for Allenby to move in.
Kaine’s fallen a bit behind since I didn’t take his route split.
That’s one dead and three levels with a Cheer cast.
Ryouma wraps up the southwestern side while Hugo clears that one demon who decided to go for a swim.
Enemy Phase!
Too bad for you, I’ve healed Masato.
: Zeorymer! I claim your limitless energy in the name of the Hundred Demon Empire!: Kch…!: Fight, Masato! We can’t let them take the Zeorymer!
Hah!
What about this?
It’s just the last bit of morale Domon needed for something.
Kaine’s survivor dies against Allenby.
Player Phase!
And, with that, she and Domon have enough morale to kick ass together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM845zMjFS8
Did they do this in the original series? I can’t remember.
And, hey, might as well give another kill to the kids.
Here we go.
Only Hidler’s left now.
: Bring it on, Hundred Demons! Your party on Earth’s over now that I’ve returned!: This is the Daimos? Well, don’t assume us to be cut of the same cloth as those Baamians!
: Hundred Demon Empire! Try as you might, so long as we’re here—: I’ve had it up to here with your posturing! And, now, I’ll make sure you can’t open that big mouth ever again!
: Why have you come here, Hundred Demons?!
: You ought to know! We’re to acquire powerful energy sources and, with those, conquer the world! That is the true objective of the Hundred Demon Empire!
: Heh… You can always count on them to ramble about themselves.
: But you won’t get your hands on the Getter Rays or any other energies while we’re still around to stop it!
: So you’re the Hundred Demon Empire! But I’m afraid I’ll have to make this our first and last meeting!: That’s fine by me! I’ll bury the lot of you!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwk5t-siQbM
Next one of the Mazingers’ combined attacks – Triple Mazinger Blade is actually weaker than Double Lightning Buster.
Hidler calls for an immediate retreat and that’s all enemies down. The only problem left, Ruri sees, is the Zeorymer; it didn’t try to pull anything like last time, so Amuro asks Bright what to do.
Bright wants to know more about the thing in case we end up having to back it up again and, coincidentally, Last Guardian gets in touch right then. Misato figures the situation’s changed from the other day.
Notable drops are a Propellant Tank and a Dust Filter. Ritsu also had a Biosensor.
And, much to Bright’s shock, Oki says he wants to assign the Zeorymer to our team. (
)But isn’t that Last Guardian’s most closely guarded secret? Yes and that’s precisely why he figures Bright will understand why he’s doing this.
Misato and Haruka see that Last Guardian’s decided to follow in everyone else’s footsteps, assigning the bot here as bait to the Haudragon. Oki’s already cleared it with the brass and Bright’s orders should be arriving soon, he says.
Bright’s not too keen on being foisted with a bot that nearly blew us up the other day but Oki argues that, if we’re talking dangerous units, the RahXephon and the EVAs deserve just as much caution. Yet, they’re in our team, no? Misato and Haruka can’t well argue that point.
Oki declares that, like GEAR, Last Guardian acts with the purpose of defending Earth. So, if anything, he’d like Bright to believe that to be true… but, Bright surmises, Oki still won’t divulge details about the Zeorymer. No, and Oki is glad he understands. Rubbing his temples, Bright confirms and shuts the comm.
When Amuro asks, Bright figures that one or two more secrets around here won't break the bank – in fact, this gives him a bargaining chip to use outside the army brass. Hopefully, by dancing to this tune, we can figure out a bit of what’s really going on.
Masato and Miku introduce themselves to the team, welcomed with glares from Hayato and Tetsuya; not that Miku expected otherwise. Domon’s surprised that the Zeorymer’s pilots are so young – Shinji figures they’re around his age. Were they really the ones who pulled that stunt during the Science Fortress Lab battle?
Masato’s sullen and Chibodee and Beecha can’t figure out what’s up with him – he’s like a completely different person from before, laughing like crazy. Does that mean, Aqua wonders, that it WAS someone else piloting the mech at the time? Hayato figures split personality is more likely here.
Daisuke only has one question to the two kids: for what reason are they flying the Zeorymer into battle? “To stop the Haudragon’s schemes,” Miku answers. And Masato: “Because… it’s my destiny. I’ve no other choice…”
Yet another similarity they share, Shinji ponders. Daisuke seems satisfied and bids them welcome as teammates. Miku thanks him, before pulling Masato away. Maria asks Daisuke if he’s sure about this but he argues that it matters not whether he is; ultimately, we WILL be working with them from this day forward.
Tetsuya is hardly happy with this but Daisuke figures those two have their own issues to deal with. Even if they won’t divulge what those are, he’d rather not treat them differently.
Chibodee asks if he’d still be acting like that if they went and shot us in the back but, as Daisuke said before, he’ll be ready to fight back if it comes to that. Hayato comments that by then it may be too late if the thing unleashes its full power.
Aqua realizes that he's right: the Zeorymer seems to be using a powering system that follows a similar concept to the TE Engine, though the energy and its source seem wholly different. Tetsuya also raises that the point that the Zeorymer was a Haudragon creation and Last Guardian is a VERY mysterious organization; what if both groups are actually dealing with each other in secret? In that case, the potential for damage is multiplied by ten.
But, in that case, Daisuke argues that they would’ve already made a move to destroy us. There were plenty of opportunities to do so. Even if Masato is to be suspected, more information is clearly necessary.
Domon concurs, surprising Chibodee that he’s being so trusting. “If you get fixated on what’s in front, you won’t see truth that’s hiding behind it. I learned that from Schwarz Bruder,” Domon says.
As Chibodee shuts up, Domon inwardly realizes something: “That boy’s eyes… They’re similar to Schwartz’s – Kyoji’s shadow...”
: Dimensional Coupling System?
: Yes, the Zeorymer’s equipped with that. : And what is it, exactly?: We don’t know details about the principle behind it but, in essence, it’s a system that draws upon unlimited energy from a different dimension.
: I’d found that as well but you look like you’ve more to say.: A bit more, yes. It’s about the Zeorymer’s creator – Prof. Masaki Kihara…: Have you met him?: No, never, but I remember my father mentioning his name.: Prof. Katsuragi… the creator of the Super Solenoid – a.k.a. S² – theory. He was leading a research team in the South Pole, fifteen years ago…: Hm. And he lost his life when the Second Impact occurred. : …: From your story, then, does that imply that Professors Katsuragi and Kihara worked together in NERV’s predecessor organization? : …I think so.: Still, Prof. Kihara died under mysterious circumstances fifteen years ago… It won’t be easy to get to the bottom of this.: I wasn't expecting it to be… but I think it’ll be worth our while to do some digging.: True… I’ll help as well.: Depending on what crops up, we might find a connection between NERV and the Haudragon.
: This matter’s looking to be far more complicated than we thought.
Back at the Tekkoryu, Saiga is quick to laugh at Ritsu’s pathetic Moon – is this all his hatred amounts to? Psh. Ritsu easily loses his patience, only willing to accept such derision from the empress herself. Saiga isn’t impressed, wondering if someone who ran off with the tail between his legs should deign to speak like that.
Yura tells them to drop their pointless bickering. The situation’s changed now: other organizations have recently begun taking more vigorous action. Furthermore, the Tekkoryu still have some preparations to make for their Hades Project. With that in mind, they’ll hold back and observe for a bit; she sends Rockfell out to go and gather intel.
Inwardly, Yura ponders the Zeorymer, Masato and Miku: she will not tolerate their continued existence. When the time comes, she'll use the full might of the Tekkoryu to wipe them off the face of the Earth.