Part 38: Mission 22 - Time Lag: Ninety Seconds
We open up back in the dream world, with Albero relating the Cry Wolves’ newest mission. It relates to the Devil Gundam, the so-called Ultimate Gundam created by Neo Japan – apparently, it’s gone berserk for whatever reason.
Mobile Fighters from Neo Japan are in pursuit there are being held back; thus, their squad is being sent over. They’re coordinating with one Major Ulube Ishikawa from Neo Japan and he’s sent them their estimates to where the Devil Gundam will be. Furthermore, he’s given an energy canon meant to immobilize the thing.
Albero says they’ll depart as soon as Foglia and the others are brief, so he tells Hugo to get to the briefing room. Before he goes, though, Albero ponders the time he’s spent training Hugo; it hasn’t been long since he’s started taking part in actual combat, though.
So, if anything, he tells him to remember the ironclad rule of the Cry Wolves: “There is no meaning in death. Defeat your enemy and survive – cling to life with every fiber of your being.”
This next mission’s bound to be a tough one, but he tells Hugo to remember all he learned about keeping focus and a level head. And for Hugo to make sure to survive along with Foglia and their fellow soldiers.
: This is Black Wolf! All units, status report!
#1: The… the main unit’s regenerating! #2: More and more Death Army units are emerging!
: It can’t be…! I’m sure the shot hit it!
: It’s reenergized, even…! Was it because of that cannon?! #1: The Death Army’s encroaching on us! Th-There are Gespensts in their ranks…! #2: S-Stop! Ethan, stop!!
: Hario! Karim! 
: Urk! Red Wolf, respond!
: Ah, aaah…!!: What’s your status, Red Wolf?! Hugo!: C-Captain…! Foglia…!
: …hugo…: Foglia, you’re…!*A Gespenst turns to Hugo.
: …hugo…: What happened to Foglia?! Hugo!: …hugo…
: S-Stop…! It’s me, Foglia!: …*Gespenst moves closer.*
: Don't you recognize me, Foglia?!: …*Closer!*
: Stop! STOP, FOGLIAAAAAA!!
: Foglia!!: Urgh! Gah!!: I… I need… my med…!
: (Gch… hrmm…)MX Version:
: (The medicine… is slowly losing effectiveness… It’s only a matter of time before my arms and legs seize up… How am I going to fight Albero… and the Medius Locus…?)
MXP Version:
: (The medicine's effect is lasting... even less now. Only one more dose left and if I can't find a way to make do with that... How am I going to fight Albero… and the Medius Locus…?)Common ground:
: (I… I need to get stronger medicine from him… Prof. Zapato… More…!)
: Hugo… : Leina…!: Please, Hugo… let the doctor examine you…: I… I told you before, no…? I’m f-fine…
: No, you’re not! You’re just using the medicine to mask the pain, aren’t you?!: …: My brother, Aqua… everyone’s worried about you. So, please, let the doctor examine you. Then you’ll get better…: Get… better…? Hah… hahah…: Hugo…?!: … Sorry to make you worry like this, Leina… but, really, I’m fine… I am…*Hugo walks off.*
: Hugo…!
Bright relates to Ruri that our next job will be patrolling by the Niigata coast, where Giganos reconnaissance units have been spotted rather frequently lately.
The Far East Command has deemed this to be the prelude to an operation, so we’re being sent over. Once we’ve decided who’ll patrol where, Ruri’ll relay it to the respective pilots.
Rose tells the Dragonar pilots that they’ll be working with Hugo and Aqua, patrolling around the city of Niigata proper. The whole place has been abandoned due to previous Giganos attacks, Linda reports.
Kaine figures we oughta expect them to attack by the ocean and Aqua confirms, seeing how the Giganos still have some bases in continental Asia. Tap wonders if we should expect those Gon Jem guys again and Light wouldn’t put it past them – they seemed like a tenacious bunch.
Linda will be helping support them during this mission and Kaine is so very eager to have her talking in his ears… though, sadly for him, any support will be made via the D-3 so Light will be listening in on everything.
As Kaine sulks, Light asks about Hugo. The ship’s PA had announced the deployment, so it’s odd that he hasn’t arrived yet. Kaine wonders if he’s soaking in the bath by his lonesome again but Aqua doesn’t think so: the guy’s very punctual.
Light’s amused by how well she knows him and Kaine wonders if some love could be sprouting there. Aqua denies it fiercely since, again, she prefers guys that are older than her. Kaine says he was joking and, with that, moves to get ready to launch – they’ll go as soon as Hugo arrives.
Rose and Linda wish their significant others to take care out there and, as the couples leave together, Light and Aqua are left behind.
: …
: …
: … Well, break a leg, Light. I’ll be counting on you out there. : I’ll need you to watch my back, too. Sorry.
: … It’s not easy being single, huh?: I'll say.
Mission 22 – Time Lag: Ninety Seconds
Patrol’s underway and Kaine, call sign Anpontan 1, reports no problems; Linda, call sign Otankonasu, confirms and tells us to carry on. Tap asks Kaine what this “anpontan” business means but he just shrugs with a sassy smile.
Aqua feels it must be some sort of food but Tap figures, since Kaine decided on these codenames, they probably don’t have too deep a meaning. Regardless, Linda is monitoring our every move so she tells them to relax. Kaine quips that he’s gonna have performance anxiety with her having him so exposed.
As Linda flushes, Aqua wonders aloud if their relationship is that far along… Kaine laughs that they’ve been busted but quickly says he’s joking with Rose starts yelling that she will NOT ALLOW ANY OF THAT!
It falls on Light to remember that they’re on the job, so they need to take this a bit more seriously. The enemy could show up at any moment. Fair enough, so Kaine calls everyone to head to the next area.
(Regarding the call signs, this also happens in the anime. Despite the voiceover, it’s implied that the characters are all speaking English and Kaine is the only one in the D-Team that knows Japanese. So, he jokingly suggests Japanese insults as call signs since folks don’t know any better. In this case, both above words are equivalent to idiot, buffoon, etc.)
As the Dragonars start heading out, the Garmraid’s lagging behind – Hugo’s not looking too good. Light wonders if they’re having engine problems but Aqua says everything’s good. When she asks, Hugo stammers that he’s alright.
Aqua asks him to turn and let her see his face and he snaps at her to mind her own business. She huffs at his attitude, especially considering she’s worried about him, and Kaine tells Hugo to go back and rest if he's feeling poorly.
Light overturns that suggestion, detecting something on approach.
: Th-The Medius…! It was this close?!
: That’s crazy…! How did it avoid the D-3’s sensors?!
: AI1’s tracked down the targets.
: Get in touch and let them know.: Roger.
: Not good! We gotta get back in there and help them!
: Right on! Linda, calls everyone over here!
: Understood! Be very careful!: Withdraw, Hugo! We’ll handle the Medius!: No… I’ll destroy it… myself…!: This isn’t the time to act tough! Your reaction speed’s a whole lot slower than normal!: I’ll make do…: Huh?!: (That’s right…! I don’t have a choice now…!): The Garmraid’s not moving too good…: Their output seems to be fine, though.: (He’s breaking under his shackles…?): Gch…uurgh…!: Hugo, what are you doing…?!: It’s fine… We’re going…!
As these missions often go, you can’t lose anyone. This will get progressively harder to do, so follow Tap’s suggestion: get the Dragonar team over to Hugo and start heading north/northwest-bound to make things simpler on you.
Make sure Hugo always has Alert rolling because Albero will, still, wreck him otherwise.
As the Dragonars approach, Hugo lands atop a nearby building for the defense bonus. We won’t attack in the interest of preserving the Alert cast.
Do note that, if you get the Medius’ HP down enough (I’m thinking 40%?), it’ll simply regen to full and keep going – you don’t even get an event.
Enemy Phase!
Here he comes.
: What’s going on, Hugo? Your movements are dull. Is your medicine not working anymore?: (His medicine…?!)
: Shut up! That’s none of your business!
: So, in the end, you’re as defective as that unit…! A pitiful man, living in pain!
: The same goes for you!!
Mind, you can still do damage so long as you take care not to go over the threshold.
Player Phase!
Light gets a ping on the radar and warns that Metal Armors are approaching – they’ll be here in thirty seconds.
Guess they move faster than our crew.
We’re together now, Light spreading that EWAC around.
Enemy Phase!
Elde signals the Gon Jem team’s arrival, Albero sniffing that they’re like hyenas swarming a corpse. Ganan and Jin are the first to enter, which is good as it’ll let them hog all the glory. Ganan argues that Gon Jem will be annoyed if they don’t save some for him but Jin doesn’t care – he’s got a score to settle with the Dragonars after Chongqing.
While Kaine groans at our rotten luck, Jin tells Albero to keep away from the Dragonars. That’s fine with him, so long as they let him handle the Garmraid. Ganan sees no problem, as they don’t care for busted mechs.
What are we to do now, Tap asks? It’s only a matter of time before the rest of Jem and the Holograms show up. We’ll just have to hold on until the Argama and Nadesico arrive; and what if the baddies are here faster?
Maggie’s running the numbers and the Giganos forces are expected to be here in sixty seconds. Our team will be arriving from northwestern corner of the map and that’ll happen… in a hundred and fifty seconds. Which means we’re looking at a time lag of ninety seconds between the two events, and we’re finished if we don’t last through it.
Things aren’t looking good to Tap and Kaine figures we just need to destroy these guys before their backup arrives. Aqua argues against it: he’d spend all his ammo with them and be left a sitting duck against the fresh enemies.
What do we do then? Hugo sees a way for us to make it through this: we focus on defense and retreat to where the ships will arrive. Light agrees but Kaine says the best defense is a good offense – he’s not running from these guys!
“You wanna die here? Then, yeah, do that!” Hugo yells and that shuts Kaine up. “Please, Kaine, do as I say. I… I don’t want any of you to go through what I did…!”
And, Light adds, if he dies, then Kaine would truly be an “anpontan”. What, he knows what the word means? Turns out Maggie’s got a Japanese-English dictionary app and, for that matter, she also recommends a retreat.
Kaine accepts, knowing him dying here would make Linda really sad. Jin and Ganan aren’t going to make escape easy, of course. Hell is the only place we’ll be able to find shelter from them!
So, off we go to hold on until our folks arrive. Like Albero taught Hugo, he’ll live through the unlivable and survive.
Ganan and Jin aren’t doing anything but the Dauzehns go for Tap.
Jin’s EWAC gives them rather good numbers. Still, Tap dodges the other two attacks.
Albero’s out of range.
Player Phase!
Light repairs Tap and we’re still moving our guys as a group to the north corner.
Enemy Phase!
And here comes the main Giganos force, right on time. Min’s glad to see that Ganan and Jin left them stuff to eat; in fact, Goru is ready to BBQ everyone present for a nice meal.
Gon Jem proclaims today to be curtains for the Dragonars – he’ll kill them nice and slow. Kaine sniffs that he didn’t wait one second before starting with the bad guy clichés. Now we just gotta pull the comeback of the century and make him eat those words!
Go away, Albero!
: This whole thing looks like a repeat of that day, huh, Hugo?: But I’m not about to let it end the same way! I’m not the same man I was back then!
Alert!
Min decides to go after Light, seeing how he’s damage after defending Tap before.
Luck’s on our side with these 30%s, though.
The little guys fail to do much against an Iron Wall’d Tap while he shaves off a big chunk of their health.
The other Giganos teams, except Gon Jem’s, are closing in still.
Player Phase!
And it was now that I realized that none of the Dragonar folks had learned SP Regen yet. They only need a bit more PP, so Kaine and Light take a couple of Deins.
Enemy Phase!
While Albero wastes time on Hugo, Tap wears down another of Min’s shields.
The last Dein falls to Kaine, giving him Valor.
Hey, Goru.
: If we talkin’ big guns, my Metal Armor’s da best!
: Still, it won’t do anything if it doesn’t hit!
Good, good.
Player Phase!
Our guys finally arrive, and Linda was beside herself with worry. Of course, Kaine says our group wouldn’t get dropped like that.
As everyone deploys, Gon Jem is excited to see the full Magnate Ten. The Giganos brass will rain gold on them if they can take us out!
Alright, we’re in the home stretch. Having drawn the Giganos over to this corner, our guys can reach pretty much anything.
While Vega cuts one of Gon Jem’s mooks down to size, Ginga aims for a fresh guy.
The kid’s been my top ace for a long while now.
Attacking Gon won’t do much now as the mooks will defend him but Amuro can still tag both.
: Yer Amuro Ray, the Feds’ White Shooting Star, ain't ya?!
: Gon Jem… His fighting style’s as impulsive as the stories said!: The big hero o’ the Federation getting whacked by the “Disgrace of Giganos”… Now that’s a story that’d blow both our bosses away! Yer going down!
Free damage is always good.
Let’s get rid of Min before she decides to MAPW our guys. Kouji and Ryouma do a whole lot of damage.
This should be good enough.
: Here, boy! I’m gonna take real good care of you!
: W-whoa…! I bet its some bigass, powerhouse woman piloting that thing!
: Hey, I heard that! You’re not getting out of this alive now!
Easy money.
That’s all Min can handle for today and bails out.
And because I don’t wanna waste time writing them apart: Goru goes “COLONEL!”, Ganan shakes his fist at the Dragonars and Jin yells in disbelief.
Two Dauzehns for Tap and Light and that’s our turn.
Enemy Phase!
Give up! I’m untouchable!
The Medius does have some nice thrusters, though.
As Ginga maintains his top ace status with another kill, Vega is challenged.
Bad call.
Goru decides to go after the Nadesico even though he could probably oneshot Ryouko.
Only one shield charge left on him.
Kaine kills a Gebai and weakens all others.
Player Phase!
Now we can start cleaning up the small fry before going for the big guys. Quattro and Tetsuya gang up on Goru.
And here’s Zeorymer’s best non-Meioh attack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrXNaSAfTwY
It’s basically the Zeorymer-equivalent of flipping you the bird. Only you also explode.
Little bit more.
: I… I…!!: ‘sup, gorilla? You so revved-up you can’t even talk right?!: Hrrhrmm… Yer gonna pay!
: Bring it, King Kong! I’m short on bananas but I got a lotta pain to give ya!
There.
Ayato finishes the job for Prevail, Sword Cut and Shield Defense L2.
Next one up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spn9FT883QM
I’ve come to realize that Jin always starts his lines relatively calm and ends them yelling.
With some help from Akira, Light’s good to go.
: You’re not the only one who specializes in electronic warfare, D-3!
: If you wanna start a rivalry, that’s your business. But electronic warfare doesn’t jibe well with folks that get this hot-headed!
Didn’t even need Hayato’s support. Here’s Valor and Support Attack L2.
I confess I’d completely forgotten Ganan was even here because he spent all this time making his way to the Dragonars.
Kouji.
… Bah.
You wanna be like that? Alright.
That’s what you get.
And with that, all we’ve left are Albero and Gon Jem. So, let’s get to it.
: Hold still and let me kill you, zombie!: The Medius is immortal…! And this power’s precisely what I need to win against that demon!
: There it is again…! Every time we fight this thing, its specs have gotten an improvement!
: It’s not improvement… it’s growth! And someday, the Medius will be the strongest being in the universe!
: I’m sick of you, too, guy!: Combat’s the best food the Medius can get! And you’re part of today’s main course!: You creep… people ain’t kibble for your pet!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jExnSmIneAE
The fight with Albero ends at 40% HP but I had enough people around to easily nab that kill.
And Hugo gets Valor!
: It’s stopped?! Then—!: Uk…?! Gwaargh!!
: Hugo?!MX Version:
: G-grrrgh! GAAAAAH!: What’s going on, Hugo?!: …: … I believe he’s suffering a side effect of his medicine.: That’s a side effect?: If he took far more than the recommended dosage, yes.: (You idiot…): Moreover, it’s likely been a while since Prof. Zapato last gave him some adjustments. Regardless, it’s impossible for him to pilot in this state.: Gch! Uurgh!PSP Version:
: G-grrrgh! GAAAAAH!: What’s going on, Hugo?!: (What the hell...?! What kind of pain is this?!): Get a grip, Hugo!: (Hrk... I need to... my medicine...!): …: It appears the medicine isn't keeping things under control anymore. And it’s likely been a while since Prof. Zapato last gave him some adjustments.: (You idiot…):: (I-It's not working... I took the thing and the pain isn't stopping...!): Regardless, it’s impossible for him to pilot in this state.: Gch! Uurgh!Common ground:
: Hugo, you need to pull yourself together!!: (D-Damn it… I can’t… can’t die like this…!): … Elde, we’re retreating.: Are you sure?: We need him alive at least until that is completed, right?: As you wish. Though I wager he’s very unlikely to survive this…: Hmph… I don’t remember training him to be someone who’d die that easy. Let’s go.: Roger.*The Medius leaves.*
: !: Wh- What happened…?!: (You… You let me go… Captain?!)*Garmraid retreats.*
Had you forced this event to happen prior to the team’s arrival, Aqua would request for Ruri bring in the Garmraid since Hugo's pretty much paralyzed and THEN it retreats. For whatever reason, those few lines aren’t present here.
Now for Gon Jem.
: Urgh, this guy…!: GWAHAHAHA! Ya think yer gonna hit me with them random shots?!: Fighting’s all about being gutsy! Lemme show ya how it’s done!
: Crap… he’s going straight for my weak spots – like an animal!
: Thanks; I’ll take that as a compliment! : And, in exchange, take this as my eulogy to ya!
: He’s good…! Every move’s based on instinct, as a wild beast!: Them’s some nice words, hotshot! Here’s hoping hanging out with that chick didn’t screw up that famous Karate of yers!
: Come on, then! See for yourself what mine and Daimos’ fists feel like!
Hah!
Prevail and Counter L4 for Hayato and Benkei.
That’s it for Gon Jem for today and he runs off.
All enemies are gone, so Ruri calls everyone back to leave the area – the Federation troops will hold the perimeter.
Notable goodies today are: Super Repair Kit, a Booster, and an EWAC (Weak).
And here are the convos we didn’t get.
: And the bandit boss shows his face!: I see brawn’s still the only thing ya got, sonny!: So what? Who was it that got sent packing by that the other day?!: Hah, that was just me checking ya out! Now grit yer teeth… I ain’t holding anything back today!--
: I can’t stand the sight of you, Dragonars!: Hrm… this is an electronic warfare unit like the D-3? Talk about a tough costumer! --
: Come on, Dragonar! See if you can keep up with me!: Damn it! This slippery bastard’s all over the place!
While Linda’s so relieved to see Kaine back safe, Tap’s still surprised we managed to turn that around. It’s now pretty dang clear that the Gon Jem team hasn’t given up on taking them down – Light figures its best to assume we’ll be seeing them acting around Japan now.
As for Hugo, Leina says that the guy’s still refusing medical treatment. He seems to have gone back to normal but Light saw him popping his meds even during battle. Judau remembers him mentioning having some sort of condition before. Was that what happened today? Puru Two and Tetsuya doubt he would’ve been chosen as a test pilot if he actually had a preexisting condition like that, though.
In that case, Nana suggests he may have suffered some huge injury in the past and it flared up during battle. In that case, it’d be even less likely that he’d be allowed to be doing this. Maybe not, Kyoshiro says – people can bounce back from the worst of crippling injuries.
He points to Kazuya as an example: the guy suffered an accident during training and that left his ENTIRE body paralyzed. Still, with some extreme rehab, he was able to make a recovery.
That said, Domon doesn’t think this is Hugo’s case and, inwardly, Leina figures there has to be something wrong with the guy’s body.
: … (PSP version: (The pain's stopped... but what the hell happened there? Did my body reach its limit, like Zapato said it would?))
: I’m asking you this as your partner, Hugo.: What. Is. That. Medicine? Why are you taking it?: …: Say something! This isn’t just your problem, you know!: Step aside. I’ve stuff to do.: “Stuff”, he says…! And you won’t tell me what that is, either, are you?!: Right.: Uuurgh – that’s it! I’ve had enough with all your secrets!: …: Fine, I’m done asking! You go and do whatever the hell you want!*Aqua leaves.*
: (… Sorry, Aqua… But I just can’t let you know what’s going on with me…)
: (Damn it… what’s his problem?! Why is he so stubborn…?!)
: Having a rough time, huh, Aqua?: Ah… Rain…: I think I’ve an idea of what you’re going through right now.: Huh?: In the past… Domon was very much like that.: He was…?
: Yes; burdened with a terrible fate, having to fight both his master and the Devil Gundam… you know the story. : I accompanied him as his partner but, at the start, he’d barely even speak to me. : …: The fact is that he’s not the best at expressing himself… and, because of that, we argued time and again. There were times where I questioned whether he truly thought of me as a partner. : …: But, after it all was said and done, I understood… Domon, in his way, was trying to keep me from worrying any more than I already did. : …: And I’m sure that, when the time comes, Hugo will open up to you. So, for today, why not think of what you can do to help him through this difficult time?: (What I can… ?): While it’d be great if you could tell each other anything… it’s crucial for a partner to consider what the other may be going through and simply be there for him, no questions asked. Don’t you agree?: … Alright, Rain. While there’s so much I don’t understand about him… I’ll just focus on what we can do, together, to finish our job. 
: And besides… I’m the older one here. It’s up to me to keep him out of trouble.: Aqua…: I’ll wait, as you said, until he’s ready to talk to me.
Mitall’s in a video-comm.
: That was a very rash thing you did, Hugo.: Spare me the lecture. I need you to give me some stronger medicine. (PSP Version: Send me a new batch of medicine right now.)
: Oho… Are you sure you should be taking that tone with me?: …!: Your survival depends on the medicine I create. Or would you fight the Medius without?: Still, if something happened to me or the Garmraid, it’d be your loss. Of course… that’s assuming you’re not dealing with Albero under the table.: But I’m the victim here, no? Your former superior officer stole my precious prototype and derailed the entire project. And aren’t you being a bit ungrateful to the man who saved your life?: I never asked you to do any of that…!: Fine, fine… The fact remains that, yes, it’d be problematic if anything happened to you two.: The sponsor’s breathing down my neck. I need the data you’re providing to use as the baseline for a new model of TE Absorber. : (A new model…?!)MX Version:
: I’ll prepare some new medicine soon; a modified version, even, so you won’t need to worry about side effects. And I believe that’s all for today.MXP version, some new stuff added:
: I’ll prepare some new medicine soon and that should last you for the time being. Still, this is bound to repeat itself if you don't let me give you some adjustments.: And, like I said before, I'm not interested.: If you say so. But if you change your mind, feel free to call me anytime. The development of the new model can't afford the loss of you. : ...Common ground:
*Bzzt.*
: (That new model… Is my usefulness only going to last until the moment that’s completed, Mitall…?!)
Location: Giganos’ Forward Base
Mitall’s passed word of Hugo's new (or additional, if you're in MXP) medication to Albero and Elde. That'll allow him to keep on fighting the Medius.
After a bit, Elde asks if he truly intends to defeat Hugo. Of course he does but, then, she asks what for? Same answer as before: to get revenge and surpass the Devil Gundam. She accepts that answer, though Albero’s still thinking to himself: those are his objectives but not ALL his objectives. And until he can accomplish everything, he’ll keep on using Elde and AI1 - no matter how much power's hidden inside the thing.