Part 35: Mission 14 (Japan Route) - The Black Executor - Part 1
Choose to stay in Japan and everything progresses pretty much the same. Only difference is Richard mentioning that he’s worried about how quiet the Katous have been: they must be gearing up for something big. Arnie’s relieved, since staying here likely means he won’t run into Graham and Jin, and Saya says her piece to him.
That said, we do get an extra scene after this one…
: ...
: (Kouichi Hayase’s also joined JUDA, so there’s no reason for me to observe him anymore...): (It’s probably only a matter of time before I leave this school…)*Ding, dong!*
: Heeey, Kizaki!: (Huh? Kouichi Hayase?!): Um… There’s something that’s been bugging me since the last time we spoke…: You didn’t know the first thing about me, so I don’t see any reason for you to just come out and tag me a “violent thug”, you know?: …? Did you chase after me just to say that?: Yeah! I want you to take that back, you know?: ... That said, I still got this sinking feeling that we’ve met before...
: SOOORYAAAAA!*Swoosh!*
: W-Waaaaah! The hell…?!: Oho, you dodged my punch? That’s pretty good.: ?! You… you’re Domyoji!
: Ah, you remember me? Much appreciated.: An acquaintance of yours, is he? You seem to have a lot of enemies.: No, I never met the guy! All I know is that he was a transfer student here; only he assaulted someone right after he came in and got sent to juvie… : Yeah, and I got off the joint last week. Word around the street’s you’ve been doing pretty nicely while I was gone.: Huh? What do you mean, “nice”…?
: It wasn’t nice at all! We had the worst time ever because of you!: Furuya?! That was your own damn fault for starting crap with me to begin with!: See, that guy there, Furuya? He did me a solid way back when…: And when I heard someone was giving my buddy grief, well, I couldn’t just do nothing.
: Urgh, what a pain... Listen, I dunno what place you got sent to, but I’m crazy strong, you hear?: … Sounds like fun!: Then suck on this! Haah!*Kouichi rushes him down!*
: ! He’s fast…!: … Not! Haah!*Punch!*
: What?! U-Uurgh…!: (It can’t be… He countered?! But Kouichi Hayase’s a Factor…!): Yeeeaah! You’re the best, Domyoji!: (Wh-What just happened?! A Factor’s supposed to have way stronger physical abilities than a regular person, right…?): I’ll admit that you’re strong AND quick, but you got no idea how to fight right.: But it ain’t in me to take things slow, so I’m gonna have to put you down pronto!
: Armas?! You… Are you with the Katou Organization?!: Huh?! Hey, those things… ain’t those the guys who were on TV?! Duude, check it out! It’s really them!: Whaaat?! You didn’t call them…?: (He’s not a Factor, and he’s not with the Katou Organization either. Then…): (Is he simply strong?!)*The Arms step forward.*
: Wh-What?! Are they coming after us?!
: Heh-Heheheh… Ah, right, you can’t do jack when you’re up against robots!: Come! Linebarrel!
: Th-The hell?! Wh-wh-wh-whuh…?!: (He called the Linebarrel?! Doesn’t he even care that there are civilians in the area?!): Whoa, I did not see this coming! You’re gonna fight those guys?! Lemme in on that bot too, dude!: Sorry, Domyoji… but this isn’t a game.
: Heh…: Aaah, that was siiick! I just met someone awesome!: Look at that robot! Look at it!: …: (He didn’t even think twice before calling the Linebarrel right around civilians…): (Kouichi Hayase… you are positively despicable!)As for deployments, Kouichi, Saya and the Fafner kids are going out as event units, so we’ll go with this:
Deceive
Yamashita/Mike
Arnie/Luna
Moritsugu
Joe
Shinn
Sun Quan/Rennie
Shangxiang/Eida
Tactician: Ylbora
Just maximize the amount of people that can either fly and/or use Accelerate.
The ALVIS folks have just arrived at JUDA and present themselves to Ishigami, including Koyo, the newly-assigned Mark Vier pilot. Ishigami does note Maya’s surname and figures she’s Toumi’s daughter – she’s got no unit of her own, so she’ll be working as part of our support staff.
Joe’s a bit surprised that they're all a bunch of kids, as he was expecting hardened vets to be flying special units like those. Shangxiang sniffs that Joe’s also too young to be rocking that attitude… but, as Lu Xun points out, she’s not exactly a grown lady either (Rennie wonders how old our Gundams friends actually are).
Now, Ishigami would love to introduce them to one of JUDA’s fine pilots but, unfortunately, he’s in school. School? Yeah, turn out he’s about the Fafner kids’ age, so Ishigami hopes they’ll be fast friends. “They’ve also got kids like us fighting around here…?” Koyo ponders inwardly.
That said, some rather worrying intel just came in about said pilot, so Ishigami would like to send Eida and Saya on a small mission.
: H-Hey… mornin’.: You again… what do you want?: Sorry if what happened back there startled you. That robot’s called the Linebarrel, see? And it’s kinda mine…: (“Yours”…?): I can’t really go into details, but I just wanted you to know…*Door opens!*
: A-ha! Found you, Hayase!: Hrgh…! Domyoji… and Furuya?! What’dya want?!: Easy, there; we just figured we oughta set things right. Get to it, Furuya!: … I’m sorry, Kouichi!: Whuh?!: He told me everything that happened. How he was mad, got a bunch of guys to ambush you and they wound up getting their asses kicked instead.: I didn’t know any of that, but it don’t change the fact that I was his accomplice when I got talked into picking a fight with you. And I’m really sorry about that, Hayase.: A-Ah, no… I-It’s fine. I’m also sort-of to blame for all that, so…: Oh, really?! That’s just great, buddy!: (“Buddy”?!): Okay, and now that all bridges are fixed, we got a little proposition for you!: How about you let us be your support crew?: My what now…?: Listen, I’ve been thinking… You’re piloting that robot and fighting a bunch of bad dudes, so that would make you a CHAMPION OF JUSTICE, right?
: Eeh, yeah, I guess you could say that…: …: It can’t be easy to do that kinda work and be a student too, so I figured we should do whatever we can to help you out.: (“We”? Oh, god, what do I do…? I’m getting dragged right into this mess…): Listen, I understand what you’re getting at, and I appreciate it… but are you really gonna put your neck on the line just to have some fun?: Not “some”! A whole LOT of fun!: …: Hah… Alright, sounds good! Glad to have you aboard!: (Wh-What… happened? Did they become friends just like that? I don’t get any of this!): You, too, girl. Let’s all put our hands together and make it official.: (Oh, nooooo!): HOLD IT!: ?! Wh-What?!
SRW UX - Roaring Deathblow
: You worms like making women cry, eh…?! I’m gonna make you pay for it in spades!: …: Um… And you are?
: I’m Saya Asamiya, the local delinquent queen! O-Oh, wait, what I’m supposed to say is…: You don’t deserve to know my name!: …: You know her, Hayase…?: Erm… well… Yeah, kinda…*Door opens.*
: S-Sorry about that, Kouichi… This is not how this was supposed to go…: Eida?! Okay, what’s going on here?: And why’s Saya dressed like a schoolgirl and spinning that yoyo around? This some sort of prank I haven’t heard about?: …: U-Um… excuse me, but are you Eida Rossa, the idol singer?!: Yes, I am. Why do you ask?: I-I knew it! I’m a huge fan! Could I please shake your hand?!: Oh, of course! But, in exchange, can I ask you to keep quiet about this meeting here?: Absolutely! Aah, be still my heart! I’m never washing this hand again!: (Hah… Now there’s a side of him I didn’t think he had.): These girls are all your friends, Hayase? I’m sure not gonna get bored with you folks!: Well, isn’t that nice…: Risako?! What’re you doing in that corner?!
: Oh, I’m just being left out… as always. But I’m already used to it, so it doesn’t bother me... no, sir, not at all…: B-But this really isn’t anything you need to worry about…: Hey, don’t do her like that, Hayase. Let her come along, will ya? The more girls, the better!: Huh? You mean it?! Yaaay!: Oh, brother…: And, you, the cosplaying chick – get in here too! Pulling pranks with your crew is way better than doing it solo, yeah?: …: Alright, folks! We’re gonna be busting our backs to help out Hayase, ya hear?!: I don’t really know what’s going on, but YEAH!: The Hayase Corps. has just been born!: (“C-Corps…” Someone save me…): Biingoo. I can put them to very good use… Yeeheeheeheeee…
Cut to the Shangri-La, Dmitri isn’t too sure about letting Riku handle things and Sawatari has to agree with him. Tubs there used to be a huge terrorist, doesn’t trust others, doesn’t keep subordinates of his own… Sawatari doubts he’s suited to lead any op.
Yulianne, however, disagrees: this op in particular is perfect for someone like him. Besides, the little piggy’s completely enamored with Katou, which makes him a wonderful pawn. Katou himself is well aware of how delusioned the kid is, but delusion can have great power. It’s for that reason Katou saved him…
“However, the moment he mistook that delusion for actual ‘imagination’, he…”
: Kouichi Hayase’s being targeted? And you were also sent here to keep watch on him…?: Hmhmm. Eida and I have been tasked with assisting you on your mission. : Eida’s with him right now, so we’re hoping we can meet up later and plan things out…: I understand. It’s a pleasure to be working with you both.: But… don’t you think that disguise is a bit out of place?: It is, isn’t it…? I was a bit doubtful myself…: Joe coached me on how to introduce myself, but the Major insisted on the outfit and the props…: You don’t have it easy, huh? Still, I think it best to point something out just to be sure…: A yoyo is not a weapon…: Come on, Kizaki! That’s the part you got a problem with?!: ?! You’re…!: Domyoji, what are you doing here…?!: I thought something was fishy with all that “prank” business, so I followed when Ms. Delinquent Queen here pulled you away.: What was all that talk about Hayase being targeted and you keeping watch on him?: Th-That was…*BOOM!*
: Wh-What the?!
: Yeeheeheee: A-A giant robot?! This really isn’t a prank, is it?!: That Arma... it’s the one with the explosive pellets that attacked Atami!*Grab!*
: Aaah!: Kizaki?! Saya…!: Hrrgh…! L-Let us go!: What’re you doing with those girls, creep?!: Oh, nothing… I’m just giving them a lift… Yeeheee! Eeeheeheee!*Fly away!*
: S-Stop! Kch… Who was that guy?!
Cut back to JUDA, Ogawa tells us of the attack and the girls’ kidnapping by the Katou Organization – same crazy guy from the Atami ambush, even, says the intel. Ishigami expected them to go after Kouichi directly, but not to pull something like this.
Richard groans at that insane terrorist from before being behind it, and Toumi’s surprised at how calm he is right now. Isn’t he worried for his daughter? Of course he is, but he knows enough to keep himself thinking straight.
That said, as Ishigami points out, we’re dealing with someone who won’t hesitate to attack even civilians, so we need to be very careful. Ishigami also requests the ALVIS’ folks help with this and Soushi agrees: he still needs to check the Siegfried System now that it’s installed on the Elshank, but the Fafners will be ready to deploy and assist.
Kazuki can’t believe how blasé he is with the two girls kidnapped but, as Soushi points out, they’ve both been trained for situations like this. Kazuki and the others should focus solely on the mission at hand.
“Hmph, that’s exactly what I’d expect to hear from the guy who just watched Shouko kill herself to protect the island,” Koyo sniffs. “But we’re not mercs or soldiers. No one told us told anything about the Fafners or all the battles going on outside our island until now!”
But Soushi fires back that that’s because Koyo and the others never cared to try and learn anything in the first place, content with the paradise they lived in. As it turns out, their island, their paradise, has always simply been walled off from the flames raging around them – and Soushi hopes they’ve understood that by now.
Koyo doesn’t like being called out, but Shinn steps in and points out that this is hardly the time for bickering. Toumi agrees, saying that they should direct that energy towards rescuing the captives. “I know that. And unlike Kazuki and Soushi, I will get them both back safe!” Koyo harrumphs.
Back in town, Kouichi and Eida are in pursuit of Riku’s Arma – it looked like he went towards the Ōi Harbor. Kouichi asks that she go and meet up with the rest of our crew while he gets in the Linebarrel.
Domyoji arrives right then, yelling that Saya and Emi got kidnapped – little late with that intel, of course. Kouichi tells him to stand back and beckons the Linebarrel… only the Machina doesn’t show up, despite his yelling. What the?
Location: Ōi Harbor – Abandoned Warehouse
: What did you kidnap us for...?: Yeeheehee… Tell me, do you know about the bombing that happened in Shanghai five years ago?: In Shanghai? That’s the one where over twenty thousand people died, right?: Right-o. And you know who did it? Me, all by myself.: … Why would you do something as horrible as that?: To check my imagination, of course! The people who died then didn’t imagine for even one second that they were going to lose their lives in an explosion.: All of them figured that day was gonna go on, end, and then another one would come… In other words!: When that bomb went off, I exceeded the imagination of twenty three thousand, five hundred and two people!: …: You… do you not feel anything over what you did?! The value of the lives you took, the pain all those people went through… is that meaningless to you?!: Yup, it is. Because it’s my sacred mission to bring despair to those who cannot even imagine their own futures!: And, still, Kouichi Hayase dared to say that my imagination wasn’t “all that”!: And so I’ll make his life a living hell! I’ll make him suffer so much, he’ll pray for death!: You’re a monster…: I don’t have any problem with you personally, but you seemed to be good friends with him… So I’m gonna have to make you the instrument of my revenge! I’ll rain misery on him through you!: …: I presume you’re not aware that I’m with JUDA?: Hah! Well, that’s convenient! Then you’re not only a valuable hostage to Kouichi Hayase, but to JUDA too!: Then… you had no idea who I am when you kidnapped me, right?: Kizaki…: It doesn’t make any difference to me who you are. You’re his dear friend who’s been taken hostage, and I’ll blow off your arms and legs right in front of him. And then…: In that case, I’ll take the time to teach you just one thing.: Huh…? SRW UX - Linebarrel (Full Intro)
: Reality… exceeds your imagination!
Mission 14 (Japan Route) – The Black Executor
: …: Th-The Linebarrel?!: It can’t be! Kouichi Hayase’s supposed to be its Factor… What’s going on?!: (It’s been a very long time, Linebarrel…): There’s always only one Factor for any Machina…!
: Let’s go, Linebarrel! Stabilize fields; then, activate counter-nanomachines! : Engage real-time teleportation in response to target’s movements at intervals 6, 7, 2, 3, 5, 8…!
: …?! It’s turned black?! Still, that doesn’t change anything…!: …!: I don’t really get what’s going on here, but I just need to destroy the Linebarrel and it won’t matter!
: Ooorgh! Wh-What was that?!
: Lepton Vectrer, output stable. Internal pressure is green…: Saya…!: Kizaki, I won’t ask how you were able to summon the Linebarrel. : The only thing that matters right now is dealing with the enemy!: Thank you, Saya…: Hmph, so you got that jet to help you out. Big deal…!
: Huh?! What’re you doing?! I thought I told you to hang back!
: We understand, but these are direct orders from Cmdr. Katou. He told us to support the 8th unit… : He did?! Hmph, then I guess it’s fine… Just make sure you don’t get in my way!: I’m ending this now!