[Maverick Hunter Zero]

The sun had begun to set on the pristine landscapes of the city, surprisingly good for those who were safely tucked away within the Life Sphere, but for others it turned out to be a different matter as one such Maverick Hunter could attest.

Zero could be seen traveling the ruins of Neo Arcadia as though it was nothing, few maverick reploids dared to face him despite him not being in the best of moods, and it was common knowledge to stay as far as hell away from the Red Ripper if they valued their lives.

Zero stopped at what would be the grave of someone who might have had feelings for him back then, and looked towards the horizon, to the sun setting as it gradually dipped behind the ruins of the Wily Star, countless little red dots signaling the eventual arrival of a swarm of mavericks.

"Looks like they start coming in droves around this time, I hope those three know to pick up the pace." Zero said to himself, his eyes flinging ominously at the horde of mavericks that were beginning to start their March into Lost Neo Arcadia.

[Dragon Knight Volga]

Volga scanned the deserted city for the one who was organising the mission. It had been rather annoying to fly under a dome. However, he had managed gain entry. The Dragon Knight was a stubborn fellow. Volga soon spotted the person he was supposed to help and landed nearby.

[Mari]

"

Zero??

"

Behind Zero, having just rushed to catch up to him after recognizing his distinctive look, stood a wide and starry eyed young girl. One balled fist was held to her heart as if capture her own bated breath. Ciel had never been able to accept Zero's death after the Ragnarok incident, but to find him so soon thereafter--in a place like this no less--took her by surprise. A part of her had expected that bringing him back would be difficult, but this... This was almost too good to be true. She might not have believed it, if not for the person standing behind her having already opened her eyes to the strangeness of this new world. Oddly enough, she was wearing what looked like a very strange backpack that was basically a small little fish tank that Seriri could sit in, with the placement allowing Seriri to look over Ciel's shoulders from a sitting position, sort of like being given a piggyback ride, only the water would help keep her hydrated. It honestly looked pretty heavy, but for one reason or another Ciel seemed fine. There was probably something fancy at work to offset a lot of that weight.

"

I didn't think we'd ever get a chance to meet. So you're Zero, the legendary hero. . . . Is that my old buster??

"

Milan seemed perfectly calm around Zero, in spite of never having gotten the chance to meet him personally as a result of having died protecting Ciel during their mission to rescue him. He had been caught up by Ciel during their time together on Li and knew better than to question the legendary hero. Not after everything he'd apparently done. He, of course, had a new buster rifle, but it hadn't gone unnoticed by him that the one Zero had looked distinctly like his old one. He was a bit surprised, not having expected someone to be able to make such good use out of such a humble weapon. However, he supposed that was just why they called him the legendary hero. Being a civilian model reploid himself, crudely militarized as best the resistance was able to defend himself, he depended more on the strength of his weapon than the weapon on his strength. Normally he wouldn't have provided small talk, being a man of few words and serious business himself, but he'd taken notice of how emotional Ciel was getting and was attempting to snap her out of her little trance. ...And it worked! The scientist's gaze slipped back down from space and she seemed to refocus on the world around her.

"

...That's right. Zero needed a weapon after he was ressurected, so we repurposed what was available to us.

"

"

Huh. I never imagined it would bear the legacy of helping bring down Neo Arcadia.

"

"

Mmm... Zero, I'm glad to see you're okay. I've been looking for you ever since Ragnarok, but it seems like you're alright~

"

Ciel somewhat awkwardly trailed off a bit at the end there with the sudden realization that it was Zero's turn to provide the mission. ...Weird role reversal. Did he even need her if he had his own fight to win now? She decided not to voice those thoughts in favor of observing Zero in his element to see for herself. They were a bit presumptuous, having just been re-united, after all.

"

. . . So what's the mission? And please don't tell me our 'glorious ruler' is back too.

"

Milan was decidedly using his best sarcastic tone when describing Copy X. Ciel cringed rather visibly at the thought of Copy X returning though, the humor lost on her. No... No she wasn't ready to face that, not again. Not after how ugly things got last time.

[Coolshaymin]

Seriri looked at the city around them... Much more advanced than anything she was used to in the past. Though, it was also a lot bigger than she was used to, she was native to the water. Sure, she lived in the Life Sphere and that was pretty strange but... she was still mostly in water due to being naturally aquatic. And really, she doubted she would ever get used to this stuff even living with Ciel.

Speaking of, Seriri heard Ciel say Zero's name and looked over the girl's shoulder. So that was the Zero she heard about huh? He seemed... a lot more normal looking than she was expecting. Not that he was that normal to people she used to be around but still a lot less extrodinary looking. Such a big face she imagined to be more... intimidating or something. She was a bit intimidated anyway, moving her body very close behind Ciel and peeking over her shoulder.

"N-nice to m-meet you, Z-Zero," Seriri stammered out... the irony of meeting him lost on her as she was still hiding behind Ciel in her portable tank she was very appreciative of. Was a good way to stay hydrated when traveling distances and it was very nice of Ciel... Still, maybe expecting her to introduce herself was expecting a bit much... Especially with that other guy in funny red armor. He was paticularly scary looking even if the least foreign looking.

[Maverick Hunter Zero]

Zero turned as the first of the group turned up, kinda like a dragon out of hell more than anything unlike what he saw, but it was as good as any that gave him a good feeling of what might come. "I don't believe I have met you, but I can tell that you are ready for the fight ahead without giving your name." Zero said to the man who had arrived on the scene, but the appearance of another person seemed to stir a faint trace of past memories in him that caused a bit of the past to come back to him.

"I was wondering when you would turn up. It has indeed been a long time... Ciel." Zero said, a faint smile appearing on his face, eyes closed, though they opened immediately when Milan mentioned the 'great ruler'. "I highly Doubt Copy X would be around here, although he might be in hiding to keep out of this situation. I have heard a rumor going around however that someone placed a bounty on his head 'dead or alive' somewhere back in the Life Sphere due to his 'laundry list of crimes' of having innocent reploids executed as mavericks without justifiable cause. And as for this buster, not only has it served in the downfall of Neo Arcadia itself, it was also used by my own hand in stopping a certain man we know to be a greater threat to the world. All those times and memories now blur this world, our realm; now a part of this planet, has surely seen better days." Zero added, kneeling down to Ciel, his respect towards her never faltered even when she gave him the Ominous Save Prompt before the final battle against a truly formidable foe. He only looked up when he noticed a bit of a stutter, as it was then that he noticed that Ciel was carrying a moderately big fishbowl with a mermaid inside it poking out to get a glimpse of him. "I see you made a new friend, it's a pleasure to meet you too young one." Zero said in mild surprise, giving the mermaid a gentle smile as he stood up.

"I think this would be the appropriate time to say that I usually come to this exact spot once a month in my off times so that I can not only visit the grave of an old friend I had way back then, but to scout out the movements of the Mavericks that often come around here. It seems that they are organized and seem to be working under someone much stronger, we may have to cull their numbers so they get the point that they aren't going to have their way. I also intended to leave some flowers at this place in order to honor the memory of that old friend, who died in my arms due to both her grief and my carelessness." Zero said as he slowly turned to look at the grave they he was standing next to, he was still saddened by that painful memory, and he did not want Ciel to see his tears.

After a moment or so, the maverick horde was close enough that Zero could see them as they moved closer. Withdrawing and activating his Z-Saber, he would point at the mavericks that were fast approaching. "Now is the time to prove to ourselves what we are fighting for, or us rout out these mavericks and thin their ranks, the one in charge is amongst them, and if it falls, they will scatter." Zero said, jumping down to deal with the Maverick horde.

---

Zero
HP: 200%(current/threshold)
Bubble Shield: 60%
Status: Heartbroken Badass!

[Dragon Knight Volga]

Volga smirked and nodded at the strange-looking fellow who had addressed him. "I am Volga and a true warrior is always ready for battle." He replied, twirling his Dragon Spear as he spoke. However, the arrival of two others, one of whom appeared to be holding a water-filled bowl with an aquatic being in it got the Dragon Knight's attention. The new arrivals held little interest to Volga as he imaptiently waited for their little pow-wow to end. When the strange, metal man headed towards the hoarde of approaching enemies, he flew after them.

[Mari]

"Milan" the soldier would quickly reply the moment he could get a word in after Zero pointed out that he hadn't given his name, performing a familiar little salute. Judging by his brevity and the salute, it seemed like he was pretty duty focused and wouldn't hold them back much. Ciel felt her chest tighten with anxiety as Zero knelt before her, but seeing this gesture reminded her that he had always seen something in her. Something beyond her ability to issue a command or take out a target. Sometimes she had to remind herself that she had her own merits. She was always so busy thinking about others that she occasionally forgot that not everyone could simply fill in for her. She felt compelled to reach out to him at that moment, to offer him solidarity in their reunion. "Zero, I'm sorry..." Ciel would softly offer. Though she could not see Zero's face, she was perceptive enough to recognize what was going on. It was an emotional side of Zero that she didn't get to see very often, but she welcomed the opportunity to be there for him in his time of need. Yet, just as it had always been he was rushing to confront their latest enemy. This time, however, Ciel would not be staying behind where it was safe. ...Or well, not far behind, anyway. Milan would take the lead, sticking close by Ciel to make sure that she and Seriri weren't too vulnerable. He wasn't so sure why Ciel brought the seababy along to the fight, but he trusted that she had her reasons. Following Zero at a powerwalking pace so as to not be too rough with Seriri, Ciel called out one last time!

"

This time, I'll be there to make sure you make it out safely..! Sabras, assist Zero!

"

((Zero gains a +2 to his strength and dexterity modifiers for 3 turns, courtesy of Sabras.))

On cue, a little cyber elf that would likely be invisible to Volga's eyes shot out across the area and fused with Zero's body, expending most of its energy to empower him. Thankfully Ciel had long since worked out the dangers of cyber elf death, so Sabras would survive the expenditure, albeit in a weakened state for a while. Meanwhile, Milan took position in front of Ciel and readied his buster rifle for combat. He knew that Ciel had been working to become better at protecting herself, but she simply didn't have much of it in herself when it came to violence. She lacked the anger and the will to kill necessary to really go all out against an opponent, even if their enemy really deserved it. He'd observed her to hesitate a lot when it came down to those split second decisions, part of why he didn't enjoy the idea of letting her go off on her own even after they'd apparently won the war against No Arcadia. In some ways Li was better than the wasteland world they'd escaped, but realy not that much better. One would be splitting hairs comparing Copy X's reign to the starvia.

[Coolshaymin]

Seriri retreated a bit into the fish tank at Zero's acknowledgement as she was still unsure of trusting this guy. How did she know he would not be the kind of guy to eat her the moment Ciel turns her back... literally. However, Zero's final choice of words caught the mermaid's attention. What... was she fighting for? She never thought about it and she never liked to fight but here she was about to go up against a horde of enemies with Ciel, Zero, Milo and this dragon guy. She did not really consider it when she agreed to tag along with Ciel...

Seriri remained quiet as she was a bit taken aback by these questions in her mind. "... Ciel?" Seriri softly asked the only person she really had for guidances. "What are you fighting for?" she asked a bit hesitantly. She needed a moment to regain herself before she could use her water mermaid magic.

[Mr. Game & Watch]

While the on coming horde of maverick reploids were making their fair share of noise within the ruins of Neo Arcadia, the trademark hum of an F-Zero racer was echoing in the distance as well, from a completely different source. Out in the distance, a certain blue tinted hovercraft was zooming through the wreckage of the abandoned city, freeriding like there was no tomorrow. It would occasionally ramp off into the distance, disappearing only to be caught once again performing donuts on another end of the landscape.

It was of course, the chief of police himself, Captain Falcon. He was completely unaware of the situation going on not too far away from him, considering that it had nothing to do with him and he was a bit busy free roaming to clear out his head. He chose Neo Arcadia of all places since it was a futuristic city that reminded him of the F-Zero circuits, though not enough that he could get worked up over its destruction. Besides, the ruins made for the best ramps!

Peeking into his cab, it was easy to see why he was so unaware of his surroundings. The atmosphere within his racer was so clogged with the most generic sounding hard rock music blasting at maximum volume, his head bobbing back and forth like a pneumatic hammer. All the while, the man-child was singing along to his music tracks, replacing some choice words with falcon. For example “AH-AAAH AH AH FAL-CON!”

During his spree of stunt driving though, his machine and the group of adventurers paths were getting a bit too close to intersecting for comfort, at least from an observer’s perspective, the Captain was completely oblivious to it all. At least he was until he veered off one ramp too many and his vehicle was taking a nose dive directly toward a pink armoured creature wielding a fish bowl on her back. The Captain’s normally triangular eyes expanded into full blown circles as he quit his joyous freeriding for the sake not flattening the defenseless girl in front of him. With a mighty spur of his wheel, Captain Falcon managed to nudge the Blue Falcon enough to merely graze the blonde’s back, however, he cleanly crashed straight through the glass container, water splashing everywhere wildly.

The vehicle was set off balance by this act, skidding along the ground and fumbling wildly until the aircraft finally grinded to a halt. From the sky, the police chief descended, gracefully landed on his two feet as though he perfectly ejected from his vehicle despite the cockpit never opening. He swiftly peered at his totaled racer and then back at the woman he nearly crashed into and provided a confident grin and thumbs up as he realised no one was injured.

After a moment of consideration though, his eyes homed back on his vehicle, noting that the bowl that was there a second ago actually contained some aquatic life, only realizing that once he noticed that the woman’s friend was now a hood ornament on his vehicle. His eyes became shifty. “Uh… I can fix that!” he announced as he raced back to his vehicle, flipping it over with merely one hand. He punched the cockpit open and carefully placed the trophified mermaid inside. “Blue Falcon set to autopilot! Destination: Lightweather Hospital, Operation: oops!”

“Confirmed” the vehicle answered and promptly drove off.

Captain Falcon wiped his helmet like he was swiping sweat off his forehead. He had no idea where he was or what he was doing, but he supposed that it was his duty to replace the aquatic creature he had just turned into roadkill.