Part 62: So Long, Little Buddy...

That was fast! Thanks.



Hey, it's Stinger and Coen meeting with Roddick! They're going to be at the U. N.'s summit on the extraterrestrial threat, presenting their findings on the Invaders. They do feel like they could have learned so much more with Saotome's help, but Roddick says Saotome has his own things to deal with and leaves.

But privately, Stinger and Coen are more interested in the beastmen, who've got a large force moving across Asia from the east. Coen calls them "purposeless creatures that rejected the Getter Rays." They're useful, perhaps, but not worth their (whose?) attention if they have no drive to evolve.

On the other hand, those that hunt the Beastmen are very interesting. Perhaps most interesting of all. And without Saotome, they'll have to intervene personally. "All in the name of Getter Rays, and the race to the apex of evolution," they cackle in unison.



Speaking of the Beastmen! Lordgenome is still grumbling about the meddling of "the one who knows the doom of the other world" (Zuul, Guame has to clarify). He has his minion snooping around the Dark Continent, and he's even joined with "he who dwells in those ruins." Lordgenome, it's just you and your general here - you don't need to be cryptic. We know who Dr. Hell is!

Guame wonders, is he trying to gather an army to fight Ba'al? Lordgenome suspects he simply wants the power hidden on this planet. Still, Lordgenome can handle him well enough himself; the real concern is the Ten Million Monkeys. The one who overcomes that limit will change the world, it's said. One man is already trying to lead the monkeys, but Lordgenome has already sent one of his four generals, Thymilf the Avalanche, to deal with him. He himself has much to prepare before the battle with those who would take the world's power...



Stinger and Coen weren't kidding - this is what happened when the beastmen rolled through China. That army is still running around here, and Elgan has asked us to put a stop to them. Elgan won't give us a rest, will he?

There's no rest for heroes. Ain't that right, chief?
Hell yeah! The Gurren Gang fights for all the people of the world, and nothing from flower to storm will stop us!
I guess we're supposed to be in the Gurren Gang now.
I'm sorry, Renton. Just bear with him until the mission's over.
Yo, you can't go over my head on that, Forehead!
Everyone here is in the Gurren Gang, and they're all my responsibility!
I'm putting my life on the line for you guys, so I hope you'll trust me with yours, yeah?
That doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
Yeah, no one asked you to be all leadery.
Hey, don't sweat the small stuff! Everybody follow me!
Okay!
Go go Gurren Gang!
!
You want to be in the Gurren Gang too?
At least kids and animals like Kamina.
Yeah. So which one are you?
What?

Yoko seems not to have realized that every girl in ZEUTH has figured her out from day one, and if she wants Kamina, she'll have to chase him, because he's never going to stop for her or anyone else. Elchi dreamily says that whoever does follow him, though, is going to find themselves in new and wonderful places before they know it, and it's definitely the voice of experience (Yoko sputters that Kamina isn't that... round). Gain, Exodus expert, agrees - those kinds of guys blaze trails behind them.



Meanwhile, Leeron is watching Renton and Eureka very closely - Eureka specifically. Renton yells at him (her?) to back away, and Leeron tells Eureka they can chat another time. Leeron seems to know who Eureka is, but Renton, in blissful ignorance, tells Eureka he won't let... it? bother her again.

Now Simon's staring at the couple, and it's Renton he's interested in - or rather (though Cynthia giggles that it would explain the "bro" thing), in his relationship with Eureka.

Oh, Simon, you're jealous of Renton now?
That's not what I meant!
Well, there are lots of girls here in GOONZ. You have your eyes on one?
Uh...
Hee hee... he always seems so childish, I didn't realize he was at that age.
Whee! This is fun! I'm rooting for you, Simon!
N-no! I mean, me... and girls...
Enough yapping! We're supposed to be scouting here!
Oh, let them have their fun. Love is only human.
Hey, bro, when are you getting a girlfriend?
Hunting beastmen, hunting love. I like it.
Hey, shut up! Black Family's gonna show all you Black Southern Cross and Black Knights!
Calm down, Kitan. If you keep yelling, we're gonna fail at scouting.
Reckon so, fellas. Misses.
You!

Yeah, him, and he's working for the beastmen now. Why's he got to keep butting heads with Jiron? "Aw, melonhead, don't flatter yerself. I just like choosin' the winning team."



And he hasn't come alone. Timp is here to duel his nemesis, but to Viral's great disappointment, he has not. Though he's not giving that honor to Timp - despite his assignment, Timp and Viral do not get along.



But no, Kamina is going to have to deal with Thymilf the Avalanche, a tremendous monster of a warrior and one of the Spiral King's four generals. He says we've earned the wrath of the Spiral King himself.

Heh. I don't care what your title is, open those giant ears and listen up!
If you try to grab the sun, you're gonna get burned!
You're talking to His Awesomeness Kamina, whose power is his pride! Memorize it!
So you're that Gurren-Lagann thing's pilot.
You got it! Gurren-Lagann is the fusion of my and Simon's souls!
Bro, leave me out of this...
Wanna do this? Bring on as many Four Generals as you've got, I'll take 'em all on!
K-Kamina? I think it's likely there are four of the Four Generals.
Not the point!

We've annoyed Thymilf slightly, but he just came to let us know that he's going to come for us tomorrow, with his army and his Dai-Gan-Zan (Great Mountain). If we have any affairs to settle, we have tonight to do it. He stomps away with sneering Viral and Timp in tow.



Simon is crapping his pants again, and Yoko advocates pulling out and planning our attack, but Kamina, of course, will have nothing to do with that bullshit. "We won't run! We won't hide! We won't turn back! That's the force of my and Simon's passion!" (It's clearly not.) We're gonna take on Thymilf tomorrow morning on the field of battle!



GOONZ is preparing to move out in a few hours; Zero and Sumeragi are doing their best to form a battle plan. Ideally, we can just focus on Thymilf, but all we know about the Dai-Gan-Zan is its name. Kitan has no patience for all of this worrying and is throwing a fit; Dayakka explains that they've been fighting the Ganmen for a long time. Kamina may look like an idiot, but he gave them real hope for the first time ever - he was the first to even think of jacking a Ganmen, and Gurren-Lagann has become a symbol of resistance against the Spiral King's oppression.

ZEUTH, who got here late to the party, hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes a lot of sense; Kamina is a moral leader, and where he points, others are inspired.



Simon is, as always, thinking of how totally awesome Kamina is. Yoko remembers thinking Simon was a load on Kamina, but she reminds Simon of what Kamina told her - that Simon's always there to pull him up when it looks darkest. Tomorrow, Kamina'll be counting on him, and so will she.

Yoko? I...
Hm?
N-never mind...
By the way, where is that idiot, anyway? I'm gonna check on him.


Yoko...
You're not gonna tell her?
R-ryoma! How long have you been there?
Don't hold anything back. You don't want to go out there with any regrets.
I-it's not like that. I'm not...
I-I'm gonna go find my bro!


Go get 'er, Simon.
Well, aren't you being nice.
Not really. We'll just need all he's got tomorrow.
Yeah, but you know, Yoko...
Nothing wrong with a little unrequited love.
Hmph. Means a lot coming from you.
...we are gonna win tomorrow.
Obviously.



Kamina?
Hey, what's up?
What are you doing here?
Lookin' at the moon.
Why?
It's a nice bright moon. Every time I look at it, I'm glad I came to the surface.
We gotta keep winning. We can't just stand still up here.
We're gonna keep fighting and fighting, gonna keep winning until they never come after us again.
For Simon... and Forehead, and Gimmy and Darry...
For all those kids to be able to live in peace, right?
Kamina...
What?
It's just, you're not a complete idiot.
Seriously, who do you think I am?
Kamina! The invincible, unbeatable Chief Badass of the Gurren Gang! That's how it goes.
Nope.
What?
I got a lot of guys now. Kitan, Dayakka, Jiron and Gainer, and way more...
This is beyond the Gurren Gang now.
We're gonna be the Great Gurren Gang!
But you're still the Great Gurren Gang's leader.
Watch my back for me, Yoko.
Huh?
I'll take on anybody that stands before me.
I need you to watch behind me... where we'll come back after, with Leeron and Forehead and Gimmy and Darry.
Kamina...
Yeah?



...
Yeah, your back needs watching.
Y-you...
You're gonna get that back times ten.
Wh...
When we get back, ten times that. Keep track.
Heh. You need to learn how to talk to a woman.
Sorry about that.
Just hold onto those ten times for me!
Yep!



Damn it.



It's the next morning! We're going to need a lot of fast units. Kamina gives the order to charge straight at Thymilf!

Zero's letting Kamina take charge. Kamina is a very different kind of leader than himself, but maybe Kamina's magical ability to instill an army with the kind of courage to take on an unknown but mighty enemy headfirst is just what's needed here.

You think we got this, Kamina?
You think we don't? Who do you think I am?
The invincible, unbeatable Chief Badass of the Great Gurren Gang, right?
...
(Don't think about it... concentrate!)



Thymilf's army shows up, and it's a big one...



And we've got a sighting on the Dai-Gan-Zan, an enormous mobile Ganmen landship. Kamina wants it! Jacking the thing might be tricky, but Kamina's got Leeron working on a plan. All we have to do is immobilize that boat!



In four turns, wiping out the enemy first.



Before long, the scent of blood has drawn...



Space sharks Invaders! But the Invaders normally pay no attention to the beastmen, so what's different now? Thymilf warns Timp that the Invaders will ignore the beastmen, but they will go after him.

Yoko, again, urges Kamina to fall back, and Kamina urges her to shut up. It is true that we won't be able to pull out now without taking heavy fire. There's only one direction to go!

By the way, Leeron's figured out how to jack the Dai-Gan-Zan. You know how Gurren and Lagann combined? Well, that's because Lagann's Spiral Drive has the ability to override the controls of any other Ganmen. Gurren-Lagann is just a matter of having Lagann tap Gurren's machinery and take over its controls. From here it's pretty simple - we're going to fuse Lagann with the Dai-Gan-Zan. Simon isn't convinced he's up to the task, but Kamina and Yoko both urge him on.

The catch is that Lagann's fusion depends on Simon's will and focus. All he has to do is concentrate, and the rest of GOONZ will back him up. Sounds easy enough, right?



Anyway, Thymilf, Viral, and Timp don't move, but it's only turn 1.



The Invaders aren't much of a concern.



Let's start on the bosses.

We came to blows once! But today, we will settle our score!
Perfect! I'm gonna beat Kamina to you!
You shall do no such thing! I fight in the name of the Captain of the Eastern Army!
Then that's not enough! Kamina's sights are way over your head!
What?
That man's got a vision! He's too busy to play with the likes of you!








This ends now, Kamina!
Sorry, Captain Creature! I don't have time for you today!
So if you still wanna mess with me, I'll make it quick!
Gh... h-he's... much stronger now...
But I have climbed in the ranks as a human hunter... I will step up to the challenge!








Eh. Like he said, Viral's not the main problem here. We can mop him up at leisure.






The beastman army is completely destroyed by the end of the turn; Dai-Guard's crew learn Drive, Hayato learns Sense.



Viral and Timp focus on Kamina, so I don't think he can take a shot at Thymilf just yet, though we can certainly hope for him to survive so Simon can patch up the machine.

Simon! We're gonna sink that thing, and then you're up!
(Bro and Yoko... Bro and Yoko...)
You listening, Simon?
Oh, yeah! I... I can do it!
Good! This whole battle's riding on you, Simon!
(Focus... I gotta focus...)



Okay, wow.






Anyway, we're not dead yet.



And there are just a couple of Invaders, who'll just die on the next turn by themselves.




Gurren-Lagann quickly gets back to full.




So Simon takes out Viral and gets a Pigmole Steak.

Why... why can't I defeat you?
Retreat, Viral!
But...
You have more to do. We cannot afford to lose you.
Yes, sir. I will pray for your victory.
Stand by, Viral! Thymilf the Avalanche will return with news of victory!

Now for Timp.

Before you worked for SR, and now you're with the beastmen. What's the matter with you?
Hey, I'm just lookin' out for myself.
You're green at this, so take it from me. You gotta win life or it don't count.
Then I'm going to make sure yours never counts! Add this to your long list of failures!







So... how much did the beastmen get you for?
Why do you wanna know? You thinkin' of comin' over?
Gimme a number and I'll put in a good word with my boss Thymilf.
1,989,990 G.
Are you outta your mind? Have you got no shame?
Im sick a' you, you penny-pincher, and comin' from me, that's saying somethin'!





Eh, next turn.







We've really gotta get started on Thymilf.





Gurren-Lagann's running out of power, but we're this close.

You're with the beastmen now? How low will you sink?
I made the smart choice. Reckon that's something a meatheaded fella like you won't understand.
I'm fighting with the people I think are doing the right thing!
And I'll fight you, no matter where I am!








Jiron and Timp have an incredibly shitty duel.







Thymilf attacks Dai-Guard, for some reason.



It's the last turn now. Charge!







Timp is finally dead, dropping an ammo Cartridge and a lump of 10,000 G.

Damn... my machine's outta control. Time to skedaddle!
(A pro never shows all their hand. 'sides, today was a pretty good showdown.)





And then Simon takes down Thymilf.



The Dai-Gan-Zan spins out of control, and Simon tries to take over it... but it doesn't seem to be working.

What's the matter, Simon? Get on it!
I know! I'm trying, but...!
I... I can't focus! Argh!
All units, fall back and defend the Dai-Gan-Zan!
Like hell! You guys deal with the furballs, and I'll go fix Simon!
You got it, Kamina! Get his head back on straight!
Yaaaaaaaargh!



B-bro?
Clench your teeth!



!
You awake now?
Yeah...
Whenever you're confused, I'll be there to smack you back to earth! Don't you ever worry! I'll always be with you!
Believe in yourself! Believe in my believing in you!
Okay!



Wow...
Great, Simon! That's beautiful!
I'm processing the data... just a little longer!
Woooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!
See, I knew you could do it.




But then Thymilf in his Byako blasts his way out of the ship, throwing the Gurren! Kamina is injured by the force of the blow, and Thymilf follows up:



GOONZ tries to give Kamina cover fire, but that just tells Thymilf how important Kamina is to GOONZ - how badly he needs to be destroyed.

Bro? Bro!



You gotta answer me, Bro! Without you... I... I can't...
Simon! Clench your teeth!



Owwwww!
Bro! You're alive!
Simon! Seriously, who th' hell do you think I am!
Uh...
Yours is the drill that will break the heavens, the earth, and drill straight on into the future! Now's no time to freeze up!
We just won this thing! You're in charge of that monster! We got nothing to worry about!
Bro...
Right!
You're mine, Dai-Gan-Zan! Get out of here!



Simon easily dismisses the Dai-Gan-Zan, and now Thymilf is really mad. Kamina declares that it's time to take down that Byakou with Gurren-Lagann.

Let 'em laugh and call us idiots! Our passion keeps us in our neverending fight!
If there's a wall, we'll break it down! If there's no road, we'll carve one out!
The magma within us burns to the sky! The force of our combined valor, Gurren-Lagann!



Who am I?
Who are we?
Who the hell do you think we are?



This is a video of that. It had a bunch of yelling and I thought it looked cool, is all.

Grr...
That's what we've been waiting for!
Woooo! Go kick his butt!



In one turn!



Analyze!






Surround!

You cannot leave here alive, Gurren-Lagann! You are too dangerous to let live!
Shut up! We live to go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb! Danger's gonna be the least of your worries!
When I'm with my bro, we're unstoppable! The drill in our hearts can pierce anything!
You're one of the Four Generals! Well, we're the unstoppable Great Gurren Gang!



I don't give a crap if you're one of the Four Generals! This is a straight up duel!



Final!



Giga!



Drill!



BREAK!





In light of all that, a Land Module seems... insufficient.

All remaining beastmen and Invaders have retreated.
We... won...
This is Kamina's victory. He earned it.
All right! We beat one of the enemy's four bosses and got ourselves a ship! This went perfect!
You did it, Kamina! And Simon, too!
Good job, Kamina. You're a great chief.



Bro?
Hey... Simon... don't you ever stop believing in yourself.
Not in your believing in me... and not me believing in you...
Believe in you... believing in yourself...
Kamina...
Kamina!
Kamina!
Kaminaaaaaaaaaaa!
Bro!
So long...


Chapter 32: So Long, Little Buddy...