The Rescuer and the Rouge

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Gundam Battle Nexus Online was home to many different locations, some of which are space colonies. Most were the typical sort. Cities with parks, bridges, and other objects to make civilians’ lives feel normal. A few though, were created just for certain quests because of their varied areas. One such quest managed to create a heap of trouble for a couple of divers with very unlike playstyles…

“Mmmmm!” A man mumbled while eating a burger. “How can something fake like this taste sooooo good!” This is Josh Duncan, who had just managed to get some ketchup on his Titans uniform while finishing his meal. “McDaniel is still the best place to eat in GBN!” He yelled while walking out of the famous, fictional restaurant, catching a few annoyed glances from other players. Josh waltzed down the street of the space colony he currently resided in. His Force, Baka Brawlers, had their ship parked near the McDaniel. “Should’ve really thought that name through.” He pondered to himself. “Have the others even logged in yet?” As he opened up the Diver sheet, an alert blared at him, causing him to trip and fall. “Ah!” He exclaimed as he fell to the ground. “That… scared… me…” Suddenly, he began to smirk. “A timed mission, eh?” 

DESCRIPTION: Find the special animal and bring it to the hangar!

LOCATION: Savanna Space Colony

REWARD: ?????? 

“Hey, that place is near this colony.” He said while pushing ACCEPT. “I can do this while I wait for the boys to log in!” Josh managed to get even more glances from others. “Am I being to loud?” He thought, but soon realized that he was still laying on the ground. Not looking to be embarrassed even more, he teleported to the main hangar bay of the colony, directly inside of his mobile suit. “Time to get this reward…” He yelled as he moved the Gunpla to the catapult. “…that I actually know nothing about. I hope it’s good.” The Gaza E in front of him launched, allowing him to do so as well.

“Josh Duncan! Gundam Age Titanus! Punching to Victory!”

The dark blue Gunpla blasted into the depths of space, igniting its powerful MK-II backpack, which strangely had its beam sabers connected by a rope. The vastness of GBN’s space always amazed the Diver. He saw a couple others around, but once they were gone, he got to work. Not on the current mission though. What looked like two discs flew off of the Titanus’ shoulders, revealing cameras inside. “This place is perfect for a new video!” Josh proclaimed while turning on every single beam he had on the machine.

He started to punch and kick through the zero gravity biome, thinking that he was the coolest Diver in the whole world. “This’ll probably be my most watched video.” He said as he threw a flurry of punches toward one of the cameras. In reality, or rather the GBN reality, his views were a far cry from G-Tubers like Captain Zeon’s, with most commenters finding it stupid. Josh was to prideful (and dense) to mind though, but eventually he give the cameras everything he could possibly do. “Not I just gotta pose for the thumbnail!”

When he went to post his magnum opus, Josh noticed the entire reason he was out in space to begin with. “Oh crap!” He yelled. “I need to get to the colony before it’s too late!” The Titanus glided through space, making it to the colony’s opening with no time to spare. The other side of the airlock unlocked, showing Josh a gigantic plain of grass and countless animals. “Special animal?!” He yelled with concern. “I’m not in expert on these types of things. How am I supposed to know what’s special?” The custom Age jetted in the air while Josh attempted to make out any differences between any the animals. “I don’t get it. It’s just a bunch of zebras, giraffes, and what ever else belongs in a area like this.” No luck came from his search, so he landed the Titanus on the highest hill he could find. Josh teleported from the Gunpla, continuing his search on foot.
 

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All Josh wanted out of GBN was fighting others while showing off some cool moves. He didn’t expect to be playing what was essentially a safari simulator (except the sky looked cylindrical) , which he admitted had quite realistic animals for a Gundam game. The diver kept walking, hoping that something different would catch his eye. “Maybe they’re a different color? Different size?” He thought. It was then that he noticed two cheetah perched on a nearby hill. The two didn’t look happy that an outsider was in their vicinity.

“Just relax.” He said. “They’re not real. Just computer programs… who look very hungry.” Doing what you should never do in a situation like this, the scared diver bolted, starling the cheetahs. The two animals jumped toward the diver, who had no chance to outrunning them. “Please don’t rip me apart!” He yelled. “I never got to post my last video!” Thankfully, a missile slammed into the ground, blowing away the cheetahs far from Josh. The Titan cosplayer looked up expect a large mobile suit, but was surprised to see a machine only a couple feet taller (but much wider) than him.

The Juagguphant sat near Josh, putting its left arm down. “What the…” He said. “Wait a minute. You’re the special animal!” He jumped up and ran toward the gray Gunpla. “I’ve heard about rare creatures like you appearing in GBN after the Bearguy’s success. I should’ve been looking for something like you!” He walked up to the Juagguphant, putting his head on its trunk. “Thank you for saving me.” Josh exclaimed. “I just really get caught up in this world. It’s a waaaaay better life than what’s happening at home.” Josh began to walk away, motioning for the special animal to follow. The Juagguphant hopped up and began to spray what Josh assumed would be water from its trunk. It was oil.

After resetting his avatar, the two eventually made it back to the Titanus. “So…” Josh uttered. “All I have to do is take you to the hangar of this place.” Josh was excited to see what the secret reward would be, but he had started to get attached to the machine. The diver transported into the AGE, reaching down to pick up the Juagguphant, which just barely fit in the palm of the Titanus’ hand. True to its animal name, it was a heavy little creature. “Oh come on, Titanus!” He yelled. “Those muscles aren’t meant for nothing!” Deciding to hold it with two hands, Josh pulled up, flying away from the safari. However, someone else had other plans.

A red and black claw grasped the Titanus’ left leg, pulling it down from the sky. Josh jerked his mobile suit around, but lost his grip on the Juagguphant! The diver ignited his right knee, pushing on the claw, then flew down to grab his new friend. “Come on!” He said as he just barely stopped the gray machine from plummeting into the ground. In fact, the Titanus had to do a forward roll to keep the momentum going. Josh planted the Gunpla’s feet on the ground, standing up to see a cloaked machine pulling back its own arm from the sky.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Josh yelled out. “This is my mission.” The black Gunpla stood there, not responding to the question. Josh slowly put the Juagguphant to the ground. “Go hide somewhere safe, little buddy.” He told the Juagguphant. “I won’t let this guy hurt you.” The diver took a few steps forward, igniting his arm and leg’s beam sabers. “You’re not leaving this place with the Juagguphant!” He screamed as the pink blades got bigger. The enemy was unfazed by this flex, instead deciding to push it’s cloak back, revealing much more of the red and black Gunpla. Josh took the opportunity to scan the other machine hoping to find some sort of information.

RESULTS: 1

FUCANGLONG
 

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The Fucanglong Gundam unsheathed a heat saber, taken directly from the Gouf. Holding it down, the tip began to scorch the ground of the colony. However, his plan of attack wouldn’t actually be to attack. Falling for the bait, Josh ran forward at the breakneck pace, readying his fist for a punch that could knock down a Psycho Gundam. “Hyah!” He yelled as the hand was about to connect, but the Fucanglong simply moved slightly to the left.

The Titanus’ fist crashed, along with the entire Gunpla, right into the ground. “Lost my balance there…” Josh said. “There’s no way this guy could dodge my attack! I-It’s just impossible.” Climbing up, he turned around to see the black mobile suit staring right at him, still unmoving. The Diver stood in the cockpit, surveying the Titanus as it once again started attacking him. Punches, kicks, beam lariats, and everything the dark blue Gunpla had was thrown at the Fucanglong, but all were dodged.

As two punches were thrown, the enemy made its move, grabbing below the shoulders of the Titanus. “Ah!” Josh yelled. “He’s so fast!” Before he could use his knee to counterattack, he heard a faint voice from the Fucanglong. “Age-1.” They whispered. “It’s flawed.” The cloaked machine pulled up, popping the two arms right out of their slots. The machine cannons on the torso fired directly at Josh’s Gunpla, causing cracks in the Age System. Josh could barely move the mobile suit as it crashed to the ground. “Hey!” He screamed. “That’s not faiAHH!.” 

The Heat sword burnt though the waist of the Titanus, piercing it. With no way to pull it out, Josh could only watch as the Fucanglong searched for his new friend. “Come on!” He said as he messed with the controls. “We’ve survived worse!” The fear of the other diver rose in Josh, as he saw the cloaked mobile suit push away a few fallen trees. Beneath them lied the hiding place of the Juagguphant, scared now of it’s mind. Not wasting time, the Fucanglong reached out but its dragon claw, but something stopped him in its tracks. Josh tried to look, but the angle of the saber blocked his view. 

Deciding to transport out of the mobile suit, the diver saw the red and black Gunpla motionless, with a bubble appearing around the Juagguphant. “What the heck?” Josh thought. The bubble dissipated while the Fucanglong was still unmoving. Running to Josh, the Juagguphant managed to trip on one of the nearby fallen trees, almost squishing Josh. “You ok?” He asked. The Juagguphant got up, then looked down to see a large shadow. The Fucanglong stood over the two, pushing its cloak away. “Don’t worry.” Josh told his friend. “Seems like he can’t touch you.” Strangely, the enemy pulled its heat sword out of the Titanus, sheathing the blade.

“I’m done with this.” The pilot said, igniting its thrusters to fly toward the hangar. Josh stood there, looking confused at what just happened. “I guess… I won?” He exclaimed. “Hey! I won the mission all by myself, Mr. Juagguphant.” He looked to the right, but the animal was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was pushing one of the arms into position. “Oh hey! Thanks!” Josh got back in the Titanus and guided the machine to push the arms back in, with the help of the Juagguphant. The mobile suit had taken some damage, but it could still easily get to the hangar in time. Picking up the Juagguphant, Josh flew back to the airlock, noticing two shiny mobile suits waiting for him. “Oh, I thought the mission would end once I got here.” Josh said. “You two must be administrators wanting to pick him up, right?” The red and blue one looked at the other. “Uh, yeah! That’s right.” He said while putting a cage down on the hangarbay. “Just put ‘im in here and you’ll get your reward!” 
 

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Josh may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he could tell something was fishy about the situation. Upon further inspection, their mobile suits didn’t have the look of an average GBN worker. Plus, they could easily just teleport the Juagguphant out of the hangar with them. “Hmm… You know what?” Josh said. “I think I’m just gonna go ahead and keep him.” He began to walk toward the outer hangar door, but the red and blue SUMO put its hands out, blocking the Titanus. 

“It’s against the rules to take it.” He responded. The diver, along with his twin brother, ironically had the physique of sumo wrestlers, along with shiny bald heads. The only part that wasn’t identical were their A-Law outfits, which matched the colors of their respective mobile suits. “Put it in the cage NOW.” However, something managed to grab the Juagguphant right out of its arms. 

“Where’d it go?” The other SUMO diver yelled. Suddenly, the Juagguphant slammed into the green and yellow Gunpla, stunning the mobile suit with its bubble. The animal bounced to the ground and rolled near it’s thrower. “The Fucanglong!” Josh exclaimed. “How’d you grab the Juagguphant?” The Titanus and red SUMO looked in awe as the cloaked machine slowly walked forward, who’s pilot was surprisingly chatty about the situation. “It took a little bit of retooling to get rid of the stunning effect, but once I figured out these special animals blocked anyone who has used Break Decals, I waited here for the true culprits to arrive.”

“BREAK DECALS?!?!” Josh screamed while moving his Gunpla to also look shocked. “I’m surrounded by cheaters!” The red SUMO pilot chuckled. “You know, their stunning effect doesn’t last too long, but mine does!” With each arm pointing at its opponents, the I-Field Bankers turned on, holding the Titanus and Fucanglong in place. “Oh come on!” Josh uttered as the SUMO picked up the cage, lying it down on the Juagguphant. “These little Gunpla have been useful for making my generators much more powerful.” Josh scowled. “I doubt that’s the only reason you’ve been collecting them though.”

The green machine stood up, grabbing its fallen saber. “That guy caught me of guard, Ho!” Ho laughed while closing the cage. “Hoho, you’re better than that!” He responded. “None of that matters though. We’ve got a REAL nice one to sell.” Josh pressed practically every button he had access to in an attempt to move, but to no avail. These two made his blood boil. Selling rare animals to the highest bidder was sickening, especially since they were put in the game just for fun. At that moment, a message popped up.

THE SECOND YOU CAN MOVE, GRAB IT AND LEAVE

The Dragon arm of the Fucanglong extended and tore into the hangar bay door, with the movement causing it to electronically open prematurely. The fake air seeped out more and more as it unlocked, causing all the mobile suits to fly out of the colony. For a second, Josh was worried about the oxygen for the Juagguphant, but realized that he once again got way into the game. He watched as the cage floated away from the others while the cloaked machine began its attack.

The two blade wielders clashed swords while the red SUMO flew toward the caged animal. “It’ll be a while before these recharge.” Ho exclaimed. “Keep ‘im busy!” Hoho pulled back his shield, attempting to hit the enemy in the waist, but the black mobile suit fired its machine cannons, sending Hoho away from him to shield the attack. Meanwhile, Josh waited for the Titanus to reset, hoping to beat Ho to the cage. “Come on. Come on! COME ON!” He screamed. “Just work, dammit!” Punching the controls with both hands, the Titanus’ Age system lit up. “Huh! Guess that worked.” He stated while pressing forward on the thrusters.

Switching blade hands, the Fucanglong set the shield ablaze, causing the entire part to burn right down to the socket. “Weak.” He said “You’re nothing without Break Decals. The Dragon head grasped the SUMO’s right arm, pulling the entire machine towards him. “I’ve become much stronger than any Break Decal!” The Heat Sword pierced the green Gunpla in the chest, stopping Hoho from being apart of the battle any longer. The Fucanglong’s diver glanced at the other two, but noticed many warning signs nearby. “It’s time to leave.”
“HYEH!” The Titanus reached the SUMO, headbutting the red Gunpla. “There’s no way you’re taking him away!” Josh howled, slamming the Titanus’ hands together. Grabbing the I-Fields, he pulled back on the controls, ripping the only means of battle of the SUMO away for Ho. Not that it mattered much though. Warning signs were all over Josh’s cockpit view. “Aw man! Who’s gonna show up to ruin my battle?” The Titan cosplayer didn’t expect close to 20 GBN-Guard Frames to crash his party.

…

It took some explaining for Josh to get out of the mess he was apart of. At first, the administrator didn’t expect someone to make that many dumb decisions, but listening to Josh tell the story convinced him that the Diver meant no ill will. After all, this would allow GBN to stop a large trafficking scheme involving their rare animals. That would have been the end of it, but after much pleading by Josh, the administrator caved, giving the diver a not so secret prize.

“PLEASE GRANDMASTER?” Josh begged on his knees to their team leader, a wise old man with a long white beard, to keep the reward he was given. The Juagguphant sat behind him, glancing at the bridge of the Champion. “A Marseille III-class ship with only five team members definitely has the room for a pet!” The Grandmaster stroked his beard. “Hmmmmmm. Fine! But you must care of it!” Before he could even finished, Josh had left for the nearest pet shop. Walking down the main street of the colony once again, he noticed there weren’t many people outside with him. “I wonder where anyone is?” He thought. “Oh my gosh! I forgot about the race! I gotta go tell the…” Josh did a double take to a nearby alley. He thought he saw a hooded man, but when the Diver looked again, he was gone. This wouldn’t be the last time he’d see the Fucanglong…