Orb, Mass Accelerator, a few minutes ago…
"I see… I didn't expect that after you left, something like this would happen."
Kuzzey carried the luggage in his hands, talking with Flay amid the crowd about their respective experiences.
"Yeah, but fortunately, we're still alive."
Flay smiled, recalling what had happened. "Come to think of it, ever since meeting Mr. Roz, he always shows up in critical moments, and then everything passes safely."
Originally, the two of them were talking about recent events, but having been apart for so long, neither Flay, who had survived an assassination attempt, nor Kuzzey, who had narrowly escaped death, could fully understand the hardships the other had endured. However, since entering the Mass Accelerator's terminal required waiting in line for a while, Kuzzey could only keep trying to find common topics to pass the time.
After some winding conversation, they eventually reached the topic of Roz.
"Probably because he needed money…"
Kuzzey thought for a moment and offered his guess. "As far as I know, Mr. Roz has already blown up two mobile suits. As someone who takes commissions, whether from the Archangel or from your father's request, he'd probably take the next one too."
"I see… commissions…"
Flay sighed. "He really is the type who focuses on making money… very career-minded, Mr. Roz."
"But his behavior isn't exactly like those mercenaries who take commissions…"
Kuzzey recalled his past experiences carefully. "He seems to enjoy saying strange things, and some of his 'big truths' are a bit clumsy."
"Every time I meet him, he honestly tells me to be braver… stuff like that."
"And did you change?"
Flay turned to Kuzzey, seemingly curious about his answer.
"…I still get scared."
Kuzzey scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"Every time I see those enemies raise their weapons and stand right in front of me—even if they haven't noticed me—I feel scared and want to run…"
"That's normal, Kuzzey."
Flay sighed, recalling the moment she landed on Earth. "When I landed and saw that anti-ship missile flying toward me, I was so scared I couldn't move."
"But, Kuzzey, I saw something online."
As she spoke, Flay gave Kuzzey a thumbs-up. "So-called bravery is actually a kind of fear. It's like fear taken to the extreme, forcing your body to act… I guess that's what it means?"
"…Ha, if only I could move…"
Kuzzey wanted to say more, but suddenly a scream of astonishment rose from the crowd.
An MA carrying an MS flew over them, stirring a fierce gust of wind. As it passed a nearby slope, a purple MS leapt from the MA and landed on the hillside.
Although it looked like the barrel on the left shoulder of this purple "giant" had been cut, causing it to wobble as if it had snagged a line when landing, it quickly regained its balance and opened fire at the nearest M1 Astray.
The remaining M1 Astray rushed to surround the purple MS and fired continuously. But due to the pilot's skill and the performance gap, they were quickly defeated, blown apart into pieces.
One M1 Astray's head monitor was blown off, landing beside the highway, the violent impact and noise causing panic among the crowd.
"That's… an Earth Federation MS?"
Seeing the situation, Kuzzey instinctively swallowed hard.
"How could they deploy it here?!"
"Looks like they plan to infiltrate behind enemy lines and encircle the defenses."
Having spent some time in the Eighth Fleet searching for Flay, George had picked up a bit of tactical knowledge.
"Don't worry. Their target is definitely the Mass Accelerator, and there are a lot of people here—they won't dare fire in this direction."
Earlier, George had only spoken a few words with Kuzzey's parents and roughly understood the situation. Without a doubt, Orb, with almost no strategic depth, would never withstand the Earth Federation's attack.
But to be defeated like this and hand over the Mass Accelerator? That didn't seem like the "old lion" at all…
"W… wait! There are people on that mountain!"
At that moment, Kuzzey saw four figures running desperately toward the Mass Accelerator on the hillside.
It seemed one of the M1 Astray pilots also noticed the figures running toward the Mass Accelerator and decisively abandoned using the terrain against the Earth Federation MS to stall, charging straight at that G.
"Wait! The barrel! His barrel is pointing…"
It seemed that Kuzzey's strong survival instinct gave him a passive ability—he noticed the beam cannon on the Calamity's hand was aimed toward.
From that position… it would definitely hit those people.
Sure enough, as two beams fired, the M1 Astray was inevitably destroyed. Another blast of wind rolled out from the explosion, sweeping up the four running figures.
One person in white was blown away, tumbling down the hillside.
"Kuzzey, don't go! There's nothing we can do right now!"
Even knowing their son's character, Kuzzey's parents tried to stop him. "All we can do is watch and leave the rest to the army."
…Really just watch?
Kuzzey questioned himself inwardly once more.
Watching Kira fight painfully, watching comrades clash on the battlefield, watching young people lose everything before his eyes… he seemed to be doing nothing but observing, a coward seeking the safest corner.
Name of a Strong person… Mr. Roz—how could a coward like me be strong?
"You can do something too…"
"Act like a man…"
But I'm so scared. That guy, that Earth Federation MS—it's still there! My legs feel weak…
If only he had fallen a little closer… then I could pull him over…
Closer… closer…
Unconsciously, amid the chaos of the crowd, Kuzzey approached the highway fence, gripping it so hard his knuckles turned white.
"…Being brave is also a form of fear."
So scared…
Instinctively, Kuzzey dropped his luggage and climbed over the fence.
"Kuzzey! Come back!"
Flay noticed Kuzzey running toward the white-clad youth.
So scared… really so scared, my legs are almost useless.
But why…
"Why did my body just… run out instinctively?!"
Kuzzey shouted, venting his fear.
Yes… now he probably understood what he was afraid of.
He wasn't afraid of a vicious enemy—he was afraid of life ending: his own life, his friends' lives… even the life of this stranger in front of him.
Seeing the giant MS before him, focusing on the white-clad youth and himself, Kuzzey felt his heart nearly stop from fear. Suddenly, a streak of red light fell from the sky.
The once domineering purple MS had its remaining weapons instantly cut off, and its ominous-looking head monitor was split in two before Kuzzey's eyes.
"Narr… Narrative!"
Kuzzey, who had cursed himself for recklessly charging out, recognized the familiar MS in front of him.
"Mr. Roz?!"
Though he didn't know why, the Narrative Gundam's armor had turned red again, bringing a sudden sense of relief and making him quicken his pace.
He watched as the Narrative swiftly drove its beam saber through the purple "giant's" cockpit, until the battery pack began to fail, erupting in dazzling, firework-like sparks.
Kuzzey gritted his teeth and ran to the white-clad youth, who was staring at the Narrative in shock.
"Don't just stand there! That MS's battery is going to explode! Move!"
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Shinn Asuka felt like everything today was absolutely terrible.
In the past, he had been just an ordinary Coordinator, living a normal, peaceful life in Orb with his parents and sister. But ever since the Earth Federation and ZAFT went to war, everything had changed.
First, the atmosphere became tense. Then Orb issued evacuation notices, and the Earth Federation attacked Orb… and now, even his beloved family had been killed by the Earth Federation.
Rage, so hot it felt like it could reduce Asuka to ashes, welled up from deep within him.
"Ge… bro… it hurts…"
In Asuka's arms, the small, fragile body of Mayu, barely recognizable as human, was letting out a pitiful cry with its last bit of strength.
"Mayu, it's okay, breathe, breathe, keep breathing… you'll be fine, don't fall asleep, okay…"
Asuka's right hand gripped Mayu's phone tightly, trembling slightly.
Asuka lifted his head, staring at the imposing purple "giant" before him, the hatred in his eyes almost solidifying into something tangible.
"I'll kill you… I'll kill you… I will absolutely… kill every one of you!"
Just as the purple "giant" prepared to annihilate everything, another white "giant," glowing with red light, burst onto the battlefield.
Though the purple "giant" had toyed with Orb's M1 Astray like a plaything, against the attack of the white "giant," it seemed as weak as a child.
Its sinister head was cut off, its weapons destroyed, until the white "giant," wielding a beam saber, pierced the cockpit of the purple giant. As if the evil spirit inside had died, dissipating into golden particles, the chest pierced by the white "giant" erupted in firework-like sparks.
Amid the blaze, the white "giant" turned, looking down over the land, as if mourning everything that had just happened.
Asuka stared at the face of the white "giant," momentarily stunned.
Suddenly, he felt a forceful pat on his shoulder.
"Don't just stand there! That MS's battery is going to explode! Move!"
-----------------------------------
"Move aside, move aside!"
While everyone's attention had been focused on the Calamity, Kuzzey rushed forward, making both the Buskirk family and the Allster family hold their breaths. Kuzzey's mother nearly fainted to the ground.
But with the entrance of the Narrative Gundam, the situation ended without further disaster. The Calamity didn't explode; it just collapsed onto the ground, sparks shooting out like "fireworks."
However, sharp-eyed Flay noticed the young man beside Kuzzey—and in his arms, a twisted, mutilated figure, its flesh and blood obscured beyond recognition.
Suppressing the panic in her heart, Flay instinctively pulled out clothes from her backpack and laid them on the ground.
"Quick, put her here!"
Seeing that the youth held a severely injured, barely alive girl covered in blood, Flay bit her lip after letting out a small sigh of relief.
She breathed a little easier because her clothing could be used to cushion the injured girl from touching the ground.
At the same time, the girl's condition was not optimistic. To be honest, even Flay, a medic on the Archangel, had no guarantee she could save the girl's life at this moment.
"Bandages… bandages…"
With the situation urgent, Flay took out medical alcohol and bandages from her backpack—items she habitually carried with her.
"Ambulance! How long until the ambulance arrives?!"
"Two minutes, two minutes!"
Kuzzey's father had called the ambulance upon seeing the severely injured girl.
"Move! Move! There's a critically injured person! Don't block the ambulance!"
George, already shouting loudly, tried to clear an emergency path through the chaotic crowd so the ambulance could get through.
"Mayu… Mayu… just two more minutes, two more minutes… don't sleep, okay? Please, don't sleep…"
Asuka, covered in blood, trembled as he stroked Mayu's bloodied face, as if pleading for the girl named Mayu to survive.
"It's going to hurt! Hang in there!"
Seeing the wound with bone exposed, Flay frowned and poured alcohol over it.
Normally, the wound should have been cleaned first, but there was no time. Everyone was racing against death—the priority was keeping the girl alive.
"Ge… it hurts…"
Stimulated by the alcohol, the girl, who had been numb, regained slight awareness.
Seeing his sister in such a state, Asuka felt as if his heart was being cut, and the intense fire of rage surged from within him like it had erupted through cracks.
Flay worked quickly, wrapping the girl's amputated limbs and wounds in bandages, temporarily stopping the bleeding.
At that moment, a harsh sound rang out—a white ambulance arrived before them.
"Good work, leave the rest to us!"
Two figures in bulletproof vests jumped out of the vehicle, carrying the bandaged girl and the blood-soaked young man away on a stretcher.
Flay looked at her hands, covered in blood, and at her bloodstained dress, feeling a sense of unreality rising in her heart.
"You did it. You saved a life. I'm proud of you, Flay."
Sweating heavily, George reached out, wiping the blood from Flay's face with his sleeve, showing no concern that his expensive suit was now dirty.
"Yes… I did it… this is what I could do…"
Flay looked up at George. "Dad, shouldn't you have been angry just now, standing by and watching them die? They were Coordinators…"
"But before that identity, they were humans."
George stopped Flay's words, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"This is something I understood after being assassinated by naturals, protected by Coordinators, and resigning from my post after much reflection."
"And wanting to save her—that was your decision."
George looked into Flay's eyes. "Dad will always support you."
"I see…"
Flay sighed. "Just now… Kuzzey was so brave."
"Yes, he ran out to save someone immediately, unstoppable…"
George sighed. "Looks like he's grown a little…"
Flay said nothing, quietly staring at the now-empty bottle of medical alcohol in her hands.
"Dad…"
Flay looked up at George. "I'm happy I saved someone."
"But… even if I become a doctor, the number of people I can save is limited."
"…What are you trying to say?"
George paused, seemingly not fully understanding Flay's thoughts.
"Please, teach me how to save more people."
Flay's eyes were determined, as if she had decided her path. "You know what I mean, right, Dad?"
George looked at Flay, a little dazed, as if seeing a reflection of his past self.
As a former minister, George's understanding of people was high—how could he not understand what his daughter wanted?
After thinking for a while, George sighed.
"…I understand. But what I can teach you, you don't have to follow exactly. Flay, remember to have your own thoughts."
In an instant, George straightened his back. Even with his expensive suit stained with blood, he seemed imposing, like the minister of the Atlantic he once was.
"Dad will always support you."
"…Mm."
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