The Southeast Asian sky burned with heat and smoke as Tanya von Zehrtfeld's Flight-Type Gouf weaved through the clouds, narrowly avoiding the beam trails from Amuro Ray's Gundam. Each swing of her heat rod cut through the air with precision, every movement a calculated gamble. The battle had begun hours ago, but the arrival of a new threat had thrown everything into chaos.
Amuro's Gundam moved with the fluidity of a predator, countering Tanya's strikes effortlessly. "You won't take me down that easily, Tanya!" he shouted, dodging a sweeping attack. His voice carried over comms, tense but controlled.
Tanya smirked beneath her visor, her fingers tightening on the controls. "I've faced worse, Amuro. Don't underestimate me because of your reputation." Her Gouf twisted and flipped, latching onto the momentum of her maneuvers, keeping pace with his Gundam despite the heavier armor.
From the rear, Lockon Stratos observed the battlefield from the safety of a supporting position. His eyes tracked the dueling mobile suits, but his attention shifted when a new silhouette cut through the clouds. A Gundam unlike any he had seen before approached with incredible speed and precision.
White Base received the transmission seconds later. "Attention all units," Bright Noa's voice crackled over the comms. "We have confirmation of a single newly developed Gundam entering the area. Armor system: unknown, but preliminary reports suggest beam attacks are ineffective unless precise. Pilot skill appears extremely high."
Athrun Zala's cockpit tightened as he observed the newcomer. The speed, the grace, the reaction time—it was familiar, yet impossibly advanced for this timeline. His chest tightened. "No… it can't be… this design…" he whispered, almost to himself, his hands clenching the controls.
The Strike Gundam approached, its armor glinting under the Southeast Asian sun. Every beam fired at it by Ginias Sahalin's Apsalus bounced harmlessly aside, leaving only vibrations and scorched metal traces. Tanya noticed it immediately. "Another Gundam?" she muttered, adjusting her trajectory to maintain distance while keeping her duel with Amuro active.
Amuro's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the new threat. "So, they sent one more… Why here? Why now?" He accelerated, weaving to intercept Tanya while keeping an eye on the incoming Gundam.
The Apsalus groaned as its massive cannon charged. Ginias' hands trembled slightly as he aimed at the Federation forces. "They can't be here already… This isn't scheduled!" he muttered under his breath.
The Strike Gundam shifted its focus, slicing through the air with pinpoint accuracy. Beams from Apsalus were dodged effortlessly, leaving only scorched traces in the atmosphere. Each shot it returned destabilized the massive weapon's systems. Sparks and alarms lit up the Apsalus' control room.
Tanya's comms crackled. "Ginias, focus! Don't let it touch us while I handle Amuro!" she shouted, maneuvering her Flight-Type Gouf to intercept another attack.
"Impossible…" Athrun whispered, watching from his Ground Gundam nearby. The Federation had sent only one mobile suit, yet its efficiency and skill rivaled anything he had seen. Memories of battles from another timeline gnawed at him.
Lockon's voice came over comms, directed at White Base. "All units, maintain formation. This Gundam is dodging every beam attack with uncanny precision. Cover our rear and flank positions. Do not engage recklessly."
Amuro lunged toward Tanya, his Gundam's arm swinging in a wide arc. Tanya pivoted midair, redirecting her Gouf to counter the strike. The two collided, sparks flying as metal scraped against metal. "Still fast," Amuro muttered, his visor reflecting Tanya's determined eyes.
Tanya grinned. "You'll have to do better than that, Amuro!" She pushed her machine, twisting around the Gundam, her heat rod slicing through the air.
Ginias, desperate, fired the Apsalus' massive beam cannon at the approaching Gundam. The ground shook from the force of the blast. Tanya gritted her teeth, narrowly avoiding the fallout. The new Gundam dodged, moving faster than anyone could track, its movements almost supernatural.
"Focus on the main weapon!" Tanya barked at Norris Packard, who was piloting his Gouf Custom. "If it reaches us, we're done!"
Norris' hands tightened on his controls. "Understood!" He charged toward the Federation units attempting to flank, keeping pressure off Tanya while she remained locked in her duel.
Athrun's mind raced. His Ground Gundam could do little to interfere here not with this condition; the Strike Gundam's skill, combined with Amuro's presence, made direct engagement suicidal. Still, he calculated angles, potential escape routes, and trajectories for supporting fire.
Amuro fired a short-range beam rifle at Tanya's Gouf. She twisted, letting the shot pass harmlessly beneath her. "Predictable," she sneered, launching her heat rod in a wide arc toward his side.
The Strike Gundam continued its deadly approach toward Apsalus. Its pilot—clearly an expert in evasion—dodged the massive weapon's beam attacks with grace. Athrun couldn't believe the speed; it mirrored what he had seen in another timeline, in another war.
Tanya's Gouf danced through the air, engaging Amuro directly. "Your moves are good," she said, "but you're still slower than my reflexes."
Amuro's Gundam pivoted sharply. "Reflexes aren't everything. You forget experience." His beam saber flashed, narrowly missing her Gouf's armor.
Norris continued his aggressive defense, hammering at Federation mobile suits approaching Tanya's position. Sparks flew as his Gouf met the enemy units head-on.
Suddenly, the Strike Gundam fired a concentrated shot at the Apsalus' structural support. Alarms blared inside Zeon's massive mobile weapon. Ginias' eyes widened in horror. "No… it can't withstand this… not yet!"
The Apsalus shuddered violently. Tanya could feel the shockwave even in her Flight-Type Gouf. She adjusted her flight path to avoid debris. "Everyone, get back! This isn't stable!"
Athrun's Ground Gundam braced against tremors from the collapsing Apsalus. He gritted his teeth, knowing that Zeon's defenses were collapsing faster than they could react.
Lockon Stratos' voice came over comms again. "All units, maintain coverage! The new Gundam is focusing on the Apsalus. Keep pressure on the remaining Zeon units!"
The Strike Gundam's pilot demonstrated unbelievable precision, dodging beams from both Apsalus and Zeon beam weapon while firing back with pinpoint accuracy.
Ginias screamed orders inside the Apsalus cockpit. "Redirect power! Focus on defense! Keep it operational!" But the massive weapon shook violently, sparks flying from damaged circuits.
Tanya's eyes narrowed. She saw Ginias' desperation and knew they couldn't hold. "Norris! We have to pull back now! Aina, cover retreat!"
Norris hesitated, anger and pride clashing with reality. "I… I can't let that Gundam just destroy everything!"
Aina's voice came over the comms. "Norris, fall back! This is not the time to die!"
The Apsalus shuddered as a beam from the Strike Gundam struck its core. Ginias' voice choked in panic. "Impossible… no…!" The massive weapon began to explode from within, fragments tearing through the sky.
Athrun watched in horror and disbelief. The explosion rocked the area, throwing debris and burning fragments everywhere. He felt powerless, unable to intervene.
Norris finally obeyed, retreating alongside Tanya and Aina, narrowly avoiding flying wreckage. The battlefield was littered with destroyed Zeon units and scorched earth.
Tanya's Gouf banked sharply, avoiding a fragment of the collapsing Apsalus. Her comms crackled. "Everyone, regroup at secondary positions! We'll live to fight another day!"
Amuro's Gundam briefly paused, watching the destruction. "This changes everything…" he muttered, observing the ruins of the Apsalus and Zeon forces.
Athrun's hands clenched on his controls. He could only stare at the Strike Gundam, the pilot moving with uncanny skill, and think of the timeline he had left behind.
Lockon Stratos provided covering fire for retreating Zeon units, ensuring Tanya, Norris, and remaining forces could pull back safely. His eyes reflected admiration and disbelief at the new Gundam's skill.
Ginias Sahalin was dead. The Apsalus was destroyed. Zeon's immediate defense had collapsed under the perfect combination of the new Strike Gundam's precision and Amuro's support.
Tanya, catching her breath, watched the battlefield. She gritted her teeth, thinking, This Gundam… this pilot… is unlike anything I've faced.
Norris muttered under his breath, still furious. "Damn it… I wanted to finish that Gundam…"
Aina gently grabbed his comms. "We live to fight another day. That's what matters now."
Athrun remained silent in his Ground Gundam, watching the retreat. His mind was filled with memories of his friends, his old world, and the shocking sight of a Gundam and pilot he had known from another timeline.
Lockon Stratos' voice came again. "All units, report status. Strike Gundam returning to base. Zeon forces retreating. Situation under control."
Tanya finally gave the order to break off. Her Gouf banked sharply and disappeared into the clouds, leaving behind the smoldering wreckage of Apsalus and Zeon's shattered defense lines.
Athrun stared at the sky long after they were gone, silently vowing to remember the skill, precision, and the uncanny familiarity of that single Gundam.
The battlefield lay in chaos, Zeon forces scattered, and the Federation's Strike Gundam had proven why it was feared even before its name was fully known.
Tanya and her remaining pilots regrouped, plotting their next move in silence, the smoke and debris a grim reminder of the day they had been outmatched by one Gundam and one pilot of unimaginable skill.