The heavy atmosphere needed breaking, and as the only girl present, Miriallia was naturally the best candidate.
"Has Flay's seasickness gotten better?" Miriallia stood up to ask.
"Yeah, she's taken medicine already, just still feeling a bit off."
"Is everything alright, Sai?" Katz asked quietly.
"It is what it is. After all, I can't compare to Kira anyway," Sai replied dejectedly, as if resigned to his inferiority.
Kira paused briefly as he passed by with drinks, initially wanting to chat with Yang Hui but hesitating upon seeing Sai nearby before moving on.
"Ah, what is love? It makes fools of us all," Yang Hui mused theatrically.
"W-what? That's not it at all!" Sai flushed red, hastily explaining, "I just... I merely..."
"I can't advise you on matters of the heart. Moreover..." Yang Hui paused, scanning all four of them, "...you've all sensed it too, haven't you? Between Flay and Kira."
Silence fell. Katz looked confused, Sai simply heartbroken, but as a couple themselves, Tolle and Miriallia understood Yang Hui's implication.
Initially, like others, they'd thought Flay had simply recognized Kira's superiority over Sai after her father's death, seeking security. But gradually, they'd noticed something distinctly off about the dynamic between Kira and Flay—more complex than mere emotional refuge or romance.
Yet they couldn't pinpoint exactly what.
"Enough of that. Yang Hui, how's your hand?" Tolle deliberately shifted topics as the mood grew heavier.
"Healing well. The doctor says the cast can come off in two more days," Yang Hui obliged, easing the tension.
"What? That fast?" The four exclaimed. For ordinary people, such injuries required months of recovery—how could his cast be removed so soon?
"Mhm. My physical constitution is excellent, hence the speedy recovery," Yang Hui boasted.
"You... sure you're not a Coordinator?" Katz ventured hesitantly.
"Katz!" The other three glared—the question was highly offensive, though they'd privately wondered the same.
How could a Natural pilot an MS, let alone outperform Kira? And how could a Natural's healing capacity be this remarkable?
"Haha, one hundred percent Natural, no doubt about that," Yang Hui dismissed casually with a laugh.
"Then... how are you so strong?" Katz pressed.
"Can't I just be a genius?"
"Uh... haha."
Their awkward laughter trailed off. Was this sheer arrogance... or simply fact?
"Point is, don't fixate on Natural versus Coordinator distinctions. Coordinators only determine the starting line, not the finish. With enough effort—"
"Could we become as strong as you?" Katz asked eagerly.
"Go to sleep. Dream on."
When effort and talent coexist, it's not impossible for Naturals to reach the level of Coordinators. After all, the genetic adjustment technology used by Coordinators was developed by Naturals in the first place. But...
Of all people, Katz had to compare himself to Yang Hui! Not to boast, but Yang Hui's current abilities could easily surpass any Coordinator—except when it came to having children. Even with Coordinators' lower fertility rates, they still outperformed him in that regard.
"Ah~!"
"Hahaha..."
"By the way, Yang Hui, didn't you say you'd teach us MS piloting? There are no enemies now—couldn't we use Mr. Dylandy's mobile suit for training?" Tolle asked eagerly. Several days had passed since Yang Hui promised to instruct them, and the anticipation had been gnawing at him.
"The OS for Naturals isn't fully adjusted yet, and it's still not safe. Lyle's unit needs to remain in optimal condition."
"Alright, we'll wait. Just don't forget—"
"Bwooo—bwooo—bwooo—!"
"Enemy forces detected! Battle stations, level one! Repeat, enemy forces detected! Battle stations, level one!"
The alarm blared mid-sentence, making Yang Hui roll his eyes. Talk about tempting fate—no sooner had he mentioned the lack of safety than enemies appeared. But there was no time to dwell on it. He sprang up and rushed to the bridge with the others.
"Radar systems picking up signals. Jamming increasing."
"How many enemy units?"
"Four Goons, plus one unidentified."
"Torpedoes incoming—sixteen in total!"
"Surface and ascend!"
History repeated itself eerily. The torpedoes narrowly missed as the Archangel broke the surface. But learning from past mistakes, the Goons hadn't pinned all their hopes on the torpedoes. They emerged immediately after firing, unleashing a barrage of rocket darts from their backs while reloading their arm-mounted torpedo launchers with compact anti-air missiles.
"Activate CIWS Array on the underside! Begin interception—target Valiants, fire!"
Electromagnetic cannon rounds streaked across the water, crackling with golden lightning. The Goons submerged again, dodging the shots before resurfacing to renew their assault.
A ship's underside and engines were always its greatest vulnerabilities, and the space-borne Archangel was no exception. Fortunately, Yang Hui had tweaked the CIWS Array's auto-defense protocols beforehand—prioritizing smaller targets over larger ones and adjusting the algorithm to engage earlier. The missiles were obliterated the moment they entered the CIWS's effective range.
"Skygrasper Unit 1, launch immediately! Locate and sink the enemy mothership. Strike with Sword Striker Pack, deploy underwater to intercept—"
"New enemy units approaching—two Deens!"
"Lyle, sortie! Assist Archangel with air defense!"
...
"CIC, have you pinpointed the enemy mothership's location?" Mu urgently inquired after receiving orders.
"Estimated position determined via enemy unit trajectories. Sending coordinates now."
"Copy."
This was part of their prearranged strategy. With the enemy carrier confirmed, eliminating it became the top priority. Destroying the mothership would force any surviving MS units to retreat to the Kamburia base, ending their relentless pursuit.
Just as Mu was preparing to sortie, Cagalli stormed into the hangar, causing a commotion.
"So why aren't we using the mobile suits? I can pilot one!" Cagalli argued with Murdoch.
"But you're—"
"If the Archangel gets sunk, we're all dead! If you don't let me go now and I die, I'll haunt you forever!"
"Eek~!!"
"Hahaha, the girl's got you there, Chief," Mu laughed. Cagalli was right—no matter how noble her status, their fates were tied to the Archangel now. If the ship went down, they'd all perish. Besides, Cagalli was talented; letting her pilot the Skygrasper Unit 2 would add reliable firepower. But...
"See? So just let me—"
"We should still ask Yang Hui. After all, he's your guardian now."
Mu wanted to make full use of Cagalli's combat potential, but Yang Hui had the final say regarding her. He didn't dare make the decision himself.
"Why ask him!? He's not even—"
"Let her go."
Just as Cagalli was about to continue arguing, Yang Hui's voice came through Mu's comms.
"Huh?"
"The battle's already started—what are you all doing? Sortie now! Major Flaga, you're responsible for this brat," Yang Hui scolded.
"Ah? Oh, right, got it."
Mu's heart pounded. Fighting MS was hard enough without having to watch over Cagalli too—it was like being thrown into the fire.
But there was no choice. They couldn't waste any more time, and since Yang Hui had already approved Cagalli's sortie, no one could stop her. He'd just have to accept it. After all, he didn't believe Yang Hui would let Cagalli face real danger.
Cagalli, thrilled, pushed Murdoch aside and jumped into the Skygrasper's cockpit, initiating the launch sequence.
"APU activated, catapult connected, Sword Striker Pack ready..."
She chose the Sword Striker Pack because it was the only one of the three packs that could function underwater. By deactivating the Beam function of the Sword Rifle's anti-ship blade, it could be used as a Solid Sword. The other two packs' primary weapons were all Beam-based—if used underwater, they'd explode before even leaving the barrel.
The Strike and Lyle's GINN sortied first. Lyle leaped onto the Archangel again and, the moment he landed, fired two shots, downing two incoming Deens and clearing the Skygrasper's flight path.
The Strike immediately dove into the water, confronting the aquatic MS.
"Path's clear. Sortie now," Lyle told Mu and Cagalli.
Receiving Lyle's signal, Mu sighed in relief—he'd guessed right. The biggest threat to the Skygrasper had been the two Deens, now destroyed. The risk of encountering enemy ships was practically zero.
With the aerial threats eliminated and the Strike submerged, the battle would be won if the Skygrasper could take out the ZAFT Forces' mothership.
But...
The moment the Strike entered the water, it was immediately ambushed by an unfamiliar new model.
UMF-5 [UMF-5 ZnO], though also an underwater mobile suit, differed greatly from the egg-shaped [GOOhN]. Its entire body was painted green, with a small head featuring a distinctive mono-eye positioned below the shoulders, yet crowned by a large crest-like antenna array that had been enlarged. Instead of standard torpedo launchers for arms, it wielded a pair of massive claws. Large, rounded shell-like shoulder and back armor nearly enveloped its entire frame, while the menacing fangs of its miniaturized sonic cannons in the palms and twelve 533mm torpedo tubes near the head were exposed.
"Hmph! Those damned Long Legs chose shallow waters—perfect for my [UMF-5 ZnO]! Creuset has already descended to Earth, and I must take down Long Legs before he does!"
Marco Morassim despised Creuset. Having accepted Creuset's provocation, he was determined to prove his capabilities to him!