Part 24: Mission 8 - Prologue (Includes Post-Mission 7 Intermission)
This intermission is short. So short, in fact, that I’m just sticking it on top of the Pre-Mission 8 storyline; the Nadesico crew still hasn’t joined our group so we can’t do anything related to them or Golion. Due to that, the Top 3 Aces remain the same as before:
Nevertheless, there’re still two things that can be done:
Gai gets that Infight+1 that dropped from the Deathbeast and now has Infight L2.
Big Volfogg gets the Dustproofer from last mission, giving him an S rating on Ground for both his movement and his attacks. Volfogg now has S ratings on both ground and water, very nice.
I sold the Repair Kit from last mission for an extra 5000G, bringing out total to around 19k but it’s still so little money that I rather spend it all during the next intermission.
With all that done, on with the story…
Somewhere in the Eurasian Union, a shadowy meeting is taking place between a military man and a mercenary.
The merc has had a certain girl under surveillance for the past month, and will be taking her during an upcoming trip to Okinawa.
The soldier, apparently a colonel, asks why Okinawa was chosen, and the other man says, since he’ll be in the area, he's got a little side business to tend to as well.
Moreover, if all turns out well, the merc figures that the Eurasia Union should be able to get the jump on the Atlantic Federation, if the colonel is interested in hearing the proposal.
The colonel tells the man, a Mister Gauron, to tell him more.
Kazuma tells the ship's log that a full month has passed since coming to G-Island City, making this August 1.
Though the Valstork has had a few small jobs, he feels like the GGG are starving him to death.
Bless claims that they haven't returned to space in deference to this Project W thing; apparently Bless is of a mind to help out with everything else besides the fighting itself.
Kazuma thinks his old man has lost his touch for letting some other organization engulf him.
To be sure, the Trailers' world is one suspended between duty and emotion, between mutual advantage and trust - still, he'd rather be checking into the rumored return of the Nadesico than cooling his jets here.
Not only is he bored out of his gourd, he's melting in the Japanese summer heat.
Balzac then barges in, showing his face for the first time in quite a while.
He claims to have almost finished gathering most of the ingredients for the story he's writing.
Kazuma asks why he’s in his room, then? Does he wants to throw in the Trailers into the story?
Balzac says that wouldn't be a bad thing to do an expose on the people known mostly to the world as space pirates.
But for now, he wants to come along the next time the GGG send Kazuma on a dispatch.
Kazuma informs him that he has no plans to fight for the GGG, but Balzac quickly says that he simply wants passage to the battlefield, which the Valhawk's maneuverability could make possible.
Kazuma's okay with it, and tells Balzac to settle the contractual stuff with his father.
Balzac then asks if Kazuma is going to Okinawa with his two sisters, to take in this Waterpolis amusement park.
Kazuma says that he’s too old for parks, but Balzac points out that if kids don't take the time to be kids, they grow up into twisted adults...like him and D-Boy.
Mihiro is telling Hyoryu about Waterpolis' mascot, Uppo-kun; he seems to be a rather unpopular character that Akane seems quite knowledgeable about.
Horis knows that Akane has been putting a lot of work into the Earth tourism thing, including buying, during a shopping trip with Shihomi, a new blue bikini that he says looks very very good on her.
Apparently, Akane loves Uppo-kun so much that she's got a hug pillow of it in her room – making Akane demand to know how Horis knows so much.
Bernard has just returned to G-Island, having been busy at Freeman's behest researching the Radam's capabilities with the GGG.
He's having a good time, enjoying the high-quality cafeteria and the drinking buddies he's found.
Bernard extends an invitation for Pegas to join them for some bourbon but Levin won’t allow him to pick up such habits; Bernard tells the little queer not to be so uptight.
Besides, he'll be leaving soon, returning to the regular Federation army.
Levin hmph's and thinks that any army that welcomes such indelicate, boozing soldiers can't be worth much.
Bernard and the Dragon Brothers will miss each other, but, despite Milly’s encouragement, D-Boy is having trouble finding words to see Bernard off with.
Bernard tells him not to push it - a single word of thanks from the Tekkaman would give Bernard the cold sweats, summer heat or no.
Instead, he calls Balzac over, telling him to take a commemorative picture entitled "The Hero Happens Upon a Soldier".
As everyone jostles together, neither the stone-faced D-Boy nor the Trailers feel all that heroic, despite fighting on the Earth's behalf.
D-Boy just can't think of himself as one of the gang but both Akane and Milly tell him to drop it – he has fought several battles with them, all for the sake of protecting Earth.
Akane and Levin pick which Dragon brother to sit on based on color (blue for cool, red for blazing heart, though Enryu’s Super AI doesn’t understand the concept), and Balzac manages to get everyone to sit still for the picture.
D-Boy refuses Gai's request to talk privately later, just as he has for the past month.
Akane asks when D-Boy will tire of his lone wolf act, and when Gai says he wishes to chat about the artificial bodies the two of them have, D-Boy says that he's got even less than nothing to discuss and stalks off.
Gai had hoped to ease D-Boy's pain even a bit, but supposes that he was just being a burden instead.
Milly is sure that Gai's heart will reach D-Boy's sooner or later, saying that D-Boy is actually a really gentle guy with a precious younger sister Miyuki somewhere.
Wouldn't you know, Waterpolis is also where Sousuke and the gang went for their field trip.
Kaname is far from thrilled with lugging Sousuke along, and despite his calm behavior during the trip, she's sure that whoever is saddled with the guy will be the object of universal pity.
Sousuke didn't even raise a fuss during the body search at the Okinawa Airport, apparently occasioned by the presence of Vice-Minister of State Dorian and the Orb dignitaries she's negotiating with.
Kyouko has nothing but admiration for the former princess of the Sank Kingdom, who at virtually the same age as her is one of the main heroines of the era.
Speaking of teenagers, Kaname was mortified by what Sousuke told the guards who body-searched him: no one's a big enough idiot to bring weapons through a search they know is coming.
Is he unrepentant over the trouble he caused at the school?
What's worse, he even told the screeners not to worry, since the weapons would arrive via another route.
Neither of them can believe that he loves walking around with his "model gun" that much, and Kaname in particular has not had a moment's rest in the month since Sousuke arrived.
In fact, she's even gained 2kg in that time (though that's entirely her fault).
Kaname actually used her prerogative as class rep to assign Sousuke the duty of Trash Monitor for the trip, but now regrets it since Sousuke is now checking each and every last garbage can for explosives.
He looked very much like some kind of homeless guy, digging through all that trash, and the Waterpolis staff hauled him away.
Kaname was quite unsympathetic, even telling him that she never wanted to see his face again.
Even now, she doesn't want to go fetch Sousuke, choosing instead to enjoy their vacation while they still can.
Deep in conversation, Kaname bumps into someone or other, and immediately has premonitions of doom based on her recent experience that she always bumps into troublesome folk.
It's actually Mamoru's dad, who's here with the whole family and Hana-chan besides.
Kyouko wonders if this is an officially sanctioned date for the youngsters, and Kaname sees no family resemblance between Mamoru and his dad at all.
Maybe he takes after his mother?
Said mother is currently waiting for the family and chatting with Kurz, who is distressed to hear she has both a husband and a kid.
He was sure she was some female college student, and when the rest of the party shows up he rather hastily declines her offer for tea with the family.
Kaname and Kyouko figure he's been shot down, but when he begins walking their way with his handsome looks, they're not so sure.
He greets them by name and, when Kaname asks, tells them he's got a friend at their school: the most inscrutable, unsociable student in the world.
Their conversation gets interrupted, though…
: Good morning! I am Uppo-kun!!
: Uwah! What is this thing showing up out of nowhere?!
: I believe that’s Uppo-kun…: Oh? You guys know of me?: Yes…you’re the mascot modeled after the moray eel, known of creeping out the park’s visitors…: …I can certainly see why…
: Nooo! Don’t come any closer!!
: It’s ok, Hana-chan. It’s only a costume.: B-but…: E-everyone…I guess I’m unpopular with you as well…: Hey…don’t get sad like tha--
: AAAAAAAAAH! UPPO-KUN! IT’S REALLY UPPO-KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!: W-what?!: Mihiro, picture! Take a picture! A picture of me and Uppo-kun!: Here, Uppo-kun! Smile, smile!
: Oh, sister…this is so embarrassing…: What are you saying?! It’s Uppo-kun! THE Uppo-kun!: Oooh! This already made the trip to Earth sooo worth it!!: She’s quite the fanatic…: But…she came all the way from the colonies to meet Uppo-kun…: Uppo-kun, let me shake your hand! Also, could you please sign your autograph: make it out to Akane!: I...I have a fan…! There’s someone that supports what I do!: UOOOOOOOO! I’m feeling all fired up now!: Hold your horses! It’s good that you’re feeling better but don’t go trying to hug me!!
I love this song so much…
: Fumoffu!: Bonta-kun! Why is he here of all places?!: Bonta-kun…it’s the mascot of G-Island’s Fumofumo Land…: What’s it doing in Okinawa, then?! : W-who is this guy?!: Fumo!*Punch!*
: UAAAAAAAH!: Bonta-kun did a one-armed shoulder throw on Uppo-kun!: He threw him over 3 meters…! What amazing power!!: You! What are you doing to my Uppo-kun?!: It’s too dangerous, sister! This costume…it may be cute but there’s something really wrong with it!: Stupid Mihiro! Uppo-kun is the only cute one!: Fumo…: What is it, you…?! Why do you hate me so…: Fumo! Fumomo, Fumoffu!: What, you’re ordering me to leave? But…you’re just a toy…: FUMO!*Gun-cocking sound*
: D-don’t kill me! MOMMYYYYYYYYYYY!! : Ah! Uppo-kun…My Uppo-kun ran away!: (This Bonta-kun…it’s no Zondar but…somewhere close by…!)
Oh, Bonta-kun...you're so great.
Somehow in all the confusion, Kurz and Bonta-kun vanish, only to be replaced by a giant talking robot apparently named "Mike Sounders Thirteen".
Akane is too broken up over the lost Uppo-kun to care and Mike happily chooses Mamoru as his newest friend.
Elsewhere, Kurz furiously tells Sousuke to get out of the fursuit.
Sousuke informs him that it's not a fursuit at all, but an urban assault mecha he invented specifically to keep an eye on Kaname, based on all his experiences so far – it was made based on data he collected from Tekkaman Blade.
That's just the kind of lunacy Kurz expects from Sousuke, who donned the suit as soon as Kaname said she didn't want to see his face.
He figures he just prevented a dreadful accident, and says that if he fully activated the suit, it would be the equal of a small AS.
Kurz demands to know why Sousuke turned a gun on a civilian without even a warning first, and Sousuke says he DID warn him...
Or he tried to, though his suit's voice box converts everything he says to "fumoffu" or something, just like the original mascot.
Kurz calls his attack on the park’s mascot to be idiocy, but Sousuke cautions him that the bad guys might have done something even sneakier and that he shouldn't be so easygoing.
As for why Kurz is away from his M9, Kurz says that he can't use the air conditioning and the ECS at the same time, making the inside as hot as an oven.
Sousuke tells him not to let down his guard, since there's no telling when the bad guys will strike at Kaname, and Kurz asks him if he's sure she really is a target at all.
He wants to know why Mithril is guarding someone who couldn't even command a decent ransom, and Sousuke tells him that soldiers with personal doubts have lost entire wars for their side; he, for his part, intends to carry out his mission, despite Kurz' protests that this amusement park is safe.
For example, a certain old guy is interfering with Uppo-kun, and it seems clear he's up to no good...Sousuke figures he better get his Powered Suit ready to go.
Uppo-kun, dejected from all the excitement, just wishes he could ride the Waterjet.
Polonaise offers to grant that wish and quickly works his magic on Uppo-kun.