The battlefield still burned in the distance. Smoke and debris from the Apsalus lingered in the humid Southeast Asian air, curling into the sky like scars carved into the earth. Inside his cockpit, Gary Lin sat frozen for a moment, the Strike Gundam's systems powering down after the fight. His chest heaved as he finally exhaled, heart still pounding from the duel against the massive mobile armor. He had won—no, the Strike had won—but the reality of what he had just done hadn't yet sunk in.
"White Base, this is… Strike pilot," Gary said into the comm, realizing too late how awkward he sounded. "Requesting permission to dock."
There was a tense silence on the line before Bright Noa's voice replied, calm but firm. "You're the one who destroyed that mobile armor? Very well. White Base will receive you."
Gary swallowed, hands trembling. He had dreamed of this moment a thousand times—meeting the White Base, standing on the deck with the legends of the Universal Century—but never like this. Never as someone actually here, actually part of their war.
The Strike Gundam landed with practiced grace on the hangar deck. Mechanics rushed in, eyes wide at the unfamiliar machine towering above them. It looked alien compared to the RX-78 and the GM units stationed nearby, its sleek armor and vibrant colors screaming "prototype." Soldiers whispered, awed, as the cockpit hissed open.
Gary climbed out slowly, every step down the lift feeling surreal. His boots touched White Base's deck for the first time, and he almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity. God, I'm standing where Amuro stood. Where Bright commands. Where history unfolds.
Bright Noa stood waiting, arms folded, his usual stern expression unmoved by awe. His gaze cut straight through Gary. "You saved us, but I need answers. Who are you, and where did that machine come from?"
Gary forced a smile, suppressing the urge to ramble about being an isekai otaku with a system. "Gary Lin, Federation pilot. Assigned to… experimental development under direct orders." He kept it vague, because anything else would sound insane.
Bright's brow furrowed slightly, but he nodded. "Then I expect you'll give us more details in the briefing. For now, thank you. You likely saved White Base."
Gary opened his mouth to reply but froze when he caught sight of the crew assembling behind Bright. Amuro Ray himself was among them, staring at him with open curiosity. His gaze kept drifting to the Strike, eyes narrowing as if trying to analyze it on instinct alone.
Holy crap, that's Amuro. Actual Amuro Ray. He looks younger than I expected, but it's him… Gary fought the urge to grin like a fanboy.
Sayla Mass stood nearby, watching him with quiet suspicion. Mirai had a polite but cautious smile, while Ryu gave him a respectful nod. Every one of them was real. Not characters. Not drawings. Real people.
Gary forced himself to keep his cool as Bright led him toward the meeting room. His heart nearly stopped when he spotted two other figures along the way.
Athrun Zala. Lockon Stratos.
Gary's mind went blank. He stumbled for half a second, barely catching himself before anyone noticed. No way. No way. That's Athrun. And Lockon? What the hell are they doing here? This is UC! This is wrong!
Athrun noticed his stare and frowned slightly, his green eyes sharp but unreadable. Lockon raised an eyebrow, offering the faintest smirk as though he had already caught Gary staring too long.
Gary snapped his gaze away, heart racing. His system immediately pinged in his head.
Notice: External characters identified. Query detected.
Gary's thoughts exploded into a panicked whisper. System! Why the hell are Athrun and Lockon here? This isn't their timeline! This is supposed to be UC!
The system's voice was calm, clinical, and maddeningly unhelpful. Information classified. Beyond current access level.
Gary clenched his fists. That's not good enough! Tell me—
Compensation unlocked, the system interrupted. New feature available: Summon Function. You may now summon individuals from anime, manga, novels, and television within the science fiction or slice-of-life genres.
Gary nearly tripped as he walked. Wait—what? Slice of life? What the hell am I going to do with a cast of high school romcom characters in a warzone!?
The system gave no answer.
By the time he entered the briefing room, Gary was sweating under his uniform. He forced himself to sit straight at the table, surrounded by legends. Bright began discussing the battle results, but Gary barely heard him. His eyes flicked to Athrun, to Lockon, then back to Amuro.
He had to confirm. He had to know.
During a break, Gary casually approached Athrun. "You fought well out there. What's your background?"
Athrun glanced at him warily, then answered with precision. "Military academy. Learned strategy and tactics under ZA—" He cut himself short, correcting. "Under… Federation doctrine."
Gary's pulse spiked. ZAFT. He almost said ZAFT. That's it. That's confirmation.
Later, Gary found himself near Lockon in the hangar. The sniper was inspecting his Guncannon, long fingers running along the barrel. "Not bad for an old machine," Lockon said aloud, almost to himself. "But nothing compares to the accuracy of a GN rifle."
Gary nearly choked. GN rifle. Oh my god. He actually said it.
It was real. Both of them. Athrun from SEED. Lockon from 00. And now Amuro from UC. All here, in one place.
Gary walked away, his mind in chaos. He leaned against a bulkhead, muttering to himself. "So this isn't just UC. It's… all of it. A crossover. Gundam timelines merging. Why? How many more are here?"
He clenched his fists, terrified and exhilarated all at once. "If this keeps going, the war could get worse than anything I've ever seen. ZAFT, Celestial Being, Zeon, Earth Federation—all colliding…"
The Strike stood silently in the hangar beside the RX-78 and the Ground Gundam. To any other pilot, they were machines. To Gary, they were monuments of fiction, standing shoulder to shoulder in reality.
He looked up at them, his heart pounding. "Amuro, Athrun, Lockon… three pilots from three worlds. And me. If this is the start, I need to be ready for what's coming."
His system pinged again, the Summon Function glowing in his mind like forbidden fruit. He thought about it, but shook his head. Not yet. Too risky.
For now, he had to focus on surviving—and maybe, just maybe, finding allies among the legends.
Gary's lips curled into a faint smile as he whispered to himself, "At least I'm not just watching this time. I'm here. I'm part of it. And I won't waste it."
The Strike loomed above him, gleaming under White Base's lights, as Gary prepared himself for the battles to come.