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Chapter 7 Interlude Chapter 8

- Prologue? Fall, Restraint, and a Big Catch

"No, no, noooooooooooo!"

I'm thrown into a space-time rift and now I'm fall. Where... where... Nevermind where... How far am I going to fall?

When I look down, I see big eyes beneath me, staring back up at me.

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

Smack!

Our foreheads collide.

Thud.

We both fall over on the floor, on top of each other.

"O-ww!"

The girl cries.

It hurts for me too, but right now there's something else on my mind.

(Where am I?)

We're lying on the floor. Looking up, I see two masts with white sails fluttering against a cloudless blue sky... Maybe...

"Is this the deck of a sailing ship?"

"Ding-ding-ding."

I turn around and see the other girl there.

"This is the deck of the pirate ship, the Whale Queen."

... Does that mean I'm surrounded by ocean? I mean, if I made even a slight mistake, I would've crashed into the ocean and drowned.

I run up to the side to look down and... I don't see it.

"A desert?"

"ding-ding!"

I guess I got the answer right again.

"We're in the middle of the Nanifu Sand Dunes, on the outskirts of Nakato."

"The Nanifu Sand Dunes are famous for their mirages, but... that's also why ships shouldn't fly over the desert... Maybe this ship is..."

I turn my head and look at the ship. Yes, there's no doubt about it.

"This is a Whale King. This big guy's over 100 meters long, and this huge Zoid can easily fly even with a cargo of around 100 average Zoids."

"That's right."

The girl gives me a serious look.

"You know it well."

"Of course, if you have any questions about Zoids, please ask your big sister."

"Oh! So it is!"

The girl's eyes sparkle.

"Could it be, are you Ms. Räte?"

"Yes?"

"Of course! I know about you because I've been reading Hobby Magazines! But how did you end up falling into a place like this?"

"Well, because after my previous project was over, I was supposed to go to the site for the next job, but I was forced to skip it..."

The girl bounces around me, saying things like "Wow, that's super inspiring!" or "Yes, you're really like this after all!". It makes me feel good.

"But..."

I look up overhead.

"Why does the Whale King have sails?"

"Ac-tual-ly-"

The girl shakes her finger.

"This is a Whale Queen."

I see. It must be a modified type. Even so, it shouldn't need sails, and the way that it flies, it feels like it's just idling along at a low altitude, which is strange.

"So..."

I look at the girl.

"You are?"

The girl takes my hand.

"I'm Elfina Hauro Zephyrite, and I'm 12 years old. Please call me El, Master."

(Master?)

It's the first time anyone's called me that, but... it does make me feel a bit better...

"So if this is a pirate ship, are you also a pirate?"

"Ah!"

El hurriedly puts her hand over her mouth.

"I forgot! I'm not supposed to talk loudly."

"What are you talking about now?"

I hear another voice.

"Making all that racket."

When I turn around, there's a Wardick on the deck, and a woman standing in the open cockpit.

"I'll finally get rid of you today."

It seems like she's talking about all the noise, so I ask El in a whisper.

"What's going on? Who is that person?"

"That's Leona. She's one of the combatants of the Flying Fish Pirates."

Leona points to us.

"Get ready!"

Wardick's mouth opens and I can see the Sonic Blaster inside. But, there's no way they'd fire such a weapon on the ship...

"You no good cat burglars!"

"Watch out, Master!"

El pushes me down to the deck. The next moment, a roaring sound breaks behind us and the railings along the side shatter.

"Hey-"

Leona raises an eyebrow.

"Why'd you dodge it? Now I broke part of the ship."

Nevermind that it's just wrong to shoot something like that in a place like this...

"Are you for real?"

"Super serious. Master-"

"Well... then..."

"Let's run away, Master!"

El grabs my hand and starts running. I run after her, hunkering down.

Boom!

The second shot hits. This time it knocks a big hole in the cabin wall.

"This way, Master."

We rush into an open door. When we go down the stairs we find a large hold that's full of Zoids.

"What is this place?"

"This is our business. We capture wild Zoids then go around the capital and sell them."

"Wait, that's not really what pirates do, though. Pirates are supposed to go attack merchant ships and steal their cargo."

"If you do that, you get caught and thrown in prison."

Well, that may be true, but...

"So, what do you do, then?"

"I make a business by taking the captured Zoids and selling them around the capital."

Oh I see. She must be the real cat burglar, then?

"Oh, here."

El points, and I see a Hebby Rhimos. There's a hammer attached to its nose instead of a drill.

"This is the only Zoid that can move right now."

El jumps into the cockpit. I follow. El sits down in the cockpit and the canopy closes with a clang. Almost at the same time, the Wardick lunges into the holding area.

"Here he comes. Please be careful, Master."

I don't know what I' supposed to do...

Thud.

Hebby Rhimos swings the hammer on its nose around.

The chain of the hammer extends.

Ka-lang!

The Wardick extends six long claws.

A transmission opens and Leona's face pops up.

"Are you going to fight, cat burglar?"

"You're not going to quit until you catch me, are you?"

Hebby Rhimos charges. Wardick meets it half way.

Fwoo.

The hammer extends and flies.

(I did it!)

I think, but at that very moment, the Wardick slams its tail fin into the floor and springs into the air.

Spring.

The Wardick's huge body flies through the air. The long claws gleam as it attacks the Hebby Rhimos. El pulls the chain to bring the hammer back.

Bam!

The hammer strikes the claws above the Hebby Rhimos' head. Hebby Rhimos runs past, while the Wardick sails overhead.

"I'll show you what a fisherman's daughter can do!"

El shouts. Hebby Rhimos whips around and slings the hammer.

"This is what I call single-Zoid fishing!"

The hammer's chain wraps around the tail of the Wardick. Nice!

"Heh. How sweet."

Leona grins.

Wa-bam.

The Wardick bounces as soon as it lands, bouncing high into the air.

"Huh?"

Hebby Rhimos' body, being connected to the chain, is also yanked up off of the floor.

"Ahh! There's no way!"

(Huh? Huh? Huh? What's even going on here?)

The next moment, Hebby Rhimos falls to the floor on its back.

Thud.

"I'm take you alive."

A huge crane comes down from above. Hebby Rhimos rolls and wobbles, trying to regain its footing, but it's too late. Hebby Rhimos is grabbed by the giant crane. El shakes her head in disappointment. At that moment, the intercom echoes.

-- New game discovered. Gather at the bridge immediately. --

The voice is a young woman's. Leona grins on the screen.

"Oh, you're so lucky. You might have a chance to win back your life."

El lifts her head.

"Really?"

"Really. And if you want, you can win that Hebby Rhimos, too."

- Prologue?: Part 2

There are two people on the bridge. A young woman with binoculars... actually, she might be just a girl... and a man at the helm. At that moment, the mystery is solved for me.

(I see. These guys don't actually know how to properly fly a Whale King.)

El whispers to me.

"These people are the Flying Fish Pirates. The Captain there is Lian, and the helmsman is Lotta."

Captain Lian looks at us.

"What's this? And what's that they've got?"

Leona answers.

"I've caught the two cat burglars. Can I use them for fishing?"

"Yeah. I was wondering what we'd do about being so short-staffed, so this is perfect."

"So what's your prey?"

"Over there."

Captian Lian points to just over the horizon. All I can see is a mirage, that just sort of sways to and fro. Wait... No... That's....

"Holotech!"

I remember. The Nanifu Sand Dunes are famous for its high number of mirages, and the appearance of holotech Zoids. There's a whole group of holotech Zoids over there.

Captain Lian looks through the binoculars.

"Gojulas Holotech is at the head of the pack."

"Yes!"

Leona shouts.

"That's the big game we've been waiting for!"

"Its been a long journey, and we've got a long way to go."

Captain Lian turns away from the binoculars. Stars shine in her eyes.

"I've been wandering through the desert chasing the shadows of holotech Zoids, all the while following in the footsteps of my father, who fell in the middle of his ambitious endeavors. Now, all of that hardship is about to be rewarded."

That's a little sad. I whisper to El.

"Did that girl's father die?"

"No, he's in a bed in the cabin, moaning and groaning."

"So he's sick?"

"He has a hangover."

"What? Really?"

"I know I can do this, father!"

Fire burns in Captain Lian's eyes.

"So please watch over me from heaven."

Hang on, he's not dead yet.

"Then we can finally go to the capital and fulfill your wish!"

I ask El.

"So what's their wish?"

"I think iiiiiit's... to eat all kinds of ice cream."

Oh. Well, that's a fascinating desire. I think I might want to join in on this conversation... maybe.

"And that's why, cat burglar No. 1 and No. 2-"

Captian Lian turns her eyes towards us.

"I'm ordering you to capture the Gojulas Holotech."

"It's so far away from here. It could escape by the time we even get there..."

"That's no problem."

Captian Lian turns to the bow. When I look over, I see the Hebby Rhimos is hanging from a crane.

"I'll launch the entire Hebby Rhimos from the Electron Mass Driver on the bow."

"What? No way!"

Leona points two pistols at us.

"Come on, let's go. Get in the Hebby Rhimos."

- Prologue?: Part 3

"Keep the canopy closed. Otherwise you'll be thrown out when you launch."

Leona leaves me and El in the cockpit of the Hebby Rhimos.

"No, no, I can't do this!"

My cries fall on deaf ears as the Hebby Rhimos is loaded into the gun on the bow. One transmission comes through, and when I open it, I see Captain Lian's face.

"I wish you good luck."

Boom!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo!"

"Please hold on to something, Master!"

I hear El's voice, and I see the vague shapes of holotech Zoids underneath, but then...

Wha-bam!

We crash into something.

Rattle, rattle,

We fall to the ground.

Thud.

We hit something else.

(What happened?)

I turn my attention to outside, but I can't see anything other than the rising dust.

"Are you okay, El?"

I push my upper body up from the floor and look out over the cockpit... And I see no sign of El. On the contrary, I see no cockpit.

"Over here, Master."

Looking up, I see El sitting in the cockpit, hanging upside down from the ceiling. Wait, no, Hebby Rhimos itself is upside down.

"Hey, wake up, Master!"

With a roll and a thud, the Hebby Rhimos returns to its normal orientation. I roll from the ceiling, to the side wall, to the floor.

"Are you okay, Master?"

"Yeah, I think so."

My body hurts here and there, but anyway...

"You're so calm, El. After all of that."

"This is a traditional fishing method in this region, don't you know?"

"Is that so?"

I think it's a very rough fishing method.

"Two people get into one Zoid and hurl it at their prey. One steers the Zoid and holds them down, while the other jumps onto their prey and takes control of it."

So if El's sitting in the cockpit... that must mean it's my job to jump over?

"Does that mean I have to get out of the cockpit?"

"Of course. You have to climb onto the body of our rampaging prey, and pry open the canopy..."

"Isn't that a life-threatening job?"

"The survival rate is about 50%."

There's no way I can do that...

Thud!

A sudden shock hits us. Hebby Rhimos almost tips over, but manages to brace its legs at the last second. I look around, and see a giant foot moving through the dust.

"That's a Red Horn Holotech!"

I explain, falling back on my usual habit.

"Don't worry about that guy."

A communication comes in from Captain Lian. I turn around and see the giant Whale Queen flying towards us.

"Our target is the big game, the Gojulas Holotech."

"Okay."

El uses a sensor to look for heat sources while the Hebby Rhimos moves back. A vague figure jumps in from the right. That's...

"Command Wolf Holotech!"

Its strong body lunges towards us. In one smooth movement, El dodges around it and has the Hebby Rhimos run away.

"Our aim is the Gojulas."

El turns to me and smiles.

"Let's do our best, Master."

I feel conflicted.

- Prologue?: Part 4

I see the Gojulas Holotech up ahead. Hebby Rhimos extends the chain all the way and runs in with the hammer.

"Let's go, Master."

Hebby Rhimos jumps. It aims for the Gojulas Holotech. The next moment, there's a clang and... it's hugging it, while the Gojulas strikes its chest again and again. El is pretty brave. The hammer swings around the two Zoids, and wraps them up in the chain.

"Now, Master!"

The canopy opens. I can't help it, and once I'm ready, I jump out.

"Grraaaaahhhhh!"

Gojulas twists around and tries to escape. I stagger, unstable, and climb up to the cockpit on the Gojulas' head.

"Good luck! You can do it!"

When I turn around, El's cheering me on from the open canopy. That makes me kind of happy.

Luckily, the Gojulas' canopy opened pretty easily. I sit in the cockpit, and call out to the Gojulas.

"Gojulas Holotech, I'm Rätelme Faeroness."

There's a reaction. I guess we're not too incompatible.

"Let's get along."

I gently touch the control device. Gojulas begins to move according to my commands.

(I did it! What a great success!)

I open a communication.

"Success, El."

"You did it, Master!"

El has a big smile on the screen.

The chain that was wrapped around the two Zoids unwinds, and the Gojulas is free to move. The Whale Queen approaches.

"Well done."

A communication opens from Captain Lian.

"Immediately return to the ship, and hand over the Gojulas Holotech and the Hebby Rhimos."

"Whaaaaaaaat?"

El protests.

"If we caught the Gojulas Holotech, weren't we supposed to get the Hebby Rhimos?"

"I didn't say that."

"But Leona said..."

"Leona is Leona. I'm me. And I'm the captain of this ship."

"That's not fair!"

My eyes meet El's through the communication screen.

"Shall we, Master?"

"Yeah."

Hopefully this Gojulas will be mine.

"Go, Gojulas Holotech!"

"Come on, Hebby Rhimos!"

Gojulas and Hebby Rhimos run towards the Whale Queen."

"Oh, so you're going to resist!"

A flame burns in Captian Lian's eyes.

Boom.

The Electron Mass Driver on the bow fires. A huge net is cast out over the area. I think they intend to capture us without damage...

"Don't underestimate Gojulas!"

I fire the linear laser gun, the beam gun, and the heavy machine gun all at once.

Kaboom. Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!

The cast net breaks apart in the air.

"Jump, Gojulas Holotech!"

It jumps up to the deck. At the same time, it swings the Crusher Claw sideways.

Wha-bam.

The mast breaks with one swing. The torn sail dances in the wind.

Boom.

When I turn around, I spot Hebby Rhimos jumping up on the deck, its hammer piercing the wall of the bridge.

"Oh, you impudent little..."

The fire in Captain Lian's eyes flares.

The Whale Queen shakes and shudders. Gojulas and Hebby Rhimos are thrown off of its back from the momentum.

"Ahh!"

"Aaaahhhh!"

Gojulas falls to the ground, landing on his side in the sand. I look up while getting him back to his feet, and see the giant Whale Queen approaching.

"Now you can see it for yourself. The true power of my Whale Queen's main gun."

I'm thinking about how the Electron Mass Driver shouldn't be able to fire below a horizontal angle... until the Whale Queen leans forward.

"Wait, can it really-?"

"We should run, Master!"

The Electron Mass Driver points in our direction. El's Hebby Rhimos rushes away from it. I also run in the Gojulas. Then-

Boom!

A huge explosion erupts. My giant Gojulas is blown back by the shockwave and spins through the air. There's a huge crater left in the ground.

"Don't run away!"

But I mean, of course I'm going to run away.

Fu-wump.

Gojulas trips over the edge of the crater and falls through the ground. It rolls and rolls as it falls to the bottom of the crater. Is this some sort of ant hell?

We bump into something and stop rolling. When I look to see what it is, it seems Gojulas collided with El's Hebby Rhimos. Apparently we were both trapped in the ant hell.

Captain Lian's voice rings throughout the area.

"Next time, I won't let you get away..."

That's right. We can't escape like this anyway. I have no choice but to use my best kept secret.

I grab the handle of a microphone and open the canopy.

"Listen carefully, Whale Queen!"

I call out with the handheld micropone.

"You're not the type to be doing all this. You're the king of the skies, who flies gracefully through the heavens, that's who you truly are."

The movements of the Whale Queen change. The tilted hull returns to its normal position.

"That's right. You're so cool when you fly high in the sky. That's when you're at your best."

The huge body of the Whale Queen floats up. That's right, the correct way to fly a Whale King is to make it soar.

"The sun is waiting for you. The sky is calling to you. Now is the time to fly. Fly high, higher, and forever higher!"

The Whale Queen soars. High, higher, and forever higher.

"Wow!"

El's voice beams.

"Just as expected from the master."

"Heheheh. So it is."

I honestly didn't expect it to work.

I see the Whale Queen soaring high into the sky, and I bask in the afterglow of my victory.

"That ship won't be coming back down for a while. We should take the chance to get away, El."

Only, when I look back up at the communication screen... El isn't there.

"Thank you Master."

I hear her voice from behind me.

(Huh?)

Thud!

There's an impact on the back of my head. Unable to stand, I collapse to the floor.

"I'll never forget what you've done for me, Master. I can't believe you'd give me such an expensive Zoid, the Gojulas Holotech."

No, I had no intention of doing that...

"It's hard to say goodbye, but..."

El drags my body.

"I want my dreams to come true."

As she throws me out of the cockpit, El shouts.

"It was my dream! The dream to sell the Gojulas Holotech in the capital, then eat all kinds of ice cream!"

Oh, no, not her, too!

"Goodbye, Master. And take care, always and forever."

Gojulas Holotech starts running.

"Wait, you cat burglar-"

I climb into the Hebby Rhimos' cockpit.

"Let's go, Hebby Rhimos."

The Gojulas Holotech, which was already difficult to see, has long since disappeared, but I know where that kid's heading.

"Run, Hebby Rhimos, we're heading for the capital of Nakato!"

Chapter End

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