Chapter 249: Tekkadan 7
Tolle's mouth twitched. So this guy cared about appearances too? No wonder Gusion Gundam got remodeled into the "Rebake" version after he obtained it.
Turns out he didn't like how it looked originally, huh? Fine then — Tolle would give him a new, tougher-looking model.
"Alright then, I'll give it a makeover. I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the new look."
He pulled out his tablet, tapped around for a bit, then showed him the redesigned Gusion Rebake model.
Sure enough, the man's eyes lit up with excitement. After a moment, Akihiro awkwardly scratched his head and said, "Thank you, Chairman. I'll leave it to you."
Tolle smirked inwardly — as expected, Akihiro was a quiet type with a secret weakness for good looks. Still, since he was giving him the Gusion Gundam, Lafter was no longer his to have.
Not that he'd ever truly had her anyway — in the original timeline, she'd been killed by Gjallarhorn before that could even happen. But this time, Tolle was determined to save her.
After chatting with the Tekkadan members for a while, Tolle noticed Kudelia watching him with eager eyes. He walked over and asked, "Kudelia, how have you been lately?"
Kudelia rushed forward and hugged Tolle tightly, like a lover reunited after a long separation. Resting in his arms, she said happily, "I've been doing well, Tolle. I never thought you'd actually come here."
Looking at the girl utterly smitten with him, Tolle sighed and raised his right hand — his clean left hand gently stroked her hair as he said softly, "That's good. I'm glad you're safe."
But her joy didn't last long. Realizing how she was acting, Kudelia quickly stepped back, blushing furiously. "I'm sorry. I lost my composure."
"No need to apologize. I don't mind," Tolle replied calmly. "Everyone has moments of weakness or sadness. Don't be afraid of that — just face it honestly."
"Thank you, Tolle. I understand now."
Kudelia patted her own cheeks lightly, trying to collect herself, then turned toward Orga with renewed determination. "Please continue to act as my escort. I want you to take me to Earth."
For a moment, Tolle thought his almost "cooked duck" was about to fly away and become someone else's.
But after hearing her request, he relaxed — she wasn't flying away from him, just flying to Earth.
Orga was visibly shocked. "What? Did I hear that right?"
Kudelia nodded firmly. "This way, Tekkadan will have a new source of operating funds, won't you?"
Hearing that she still intended to go to Earth, Fumitan stepped forward anxiously. "Lady Kudelia, but Lord Norman—"
Kudelia raised her hand to stop her. "I don't need Father's permission. Don't worry — I already know someone willing to fund this operation."
Orga blinked, confused. "Someone's going to fund it?"
Kudelia's expression dimmed slightly as she answered, "Yes. The man who supports Mars' independence movement — Nobliss Gordon."
Tolle smiled inwardly. So Kudelia had finally seen through things and decided to drag that manipulative old man into this mess herself.
Biscuit's eyes widened in surprise. "N–Nobliss Gordon?"
Orga turned to him, puzzled. "Who's that?"
Before Biscuit could reply, Todo jumped in, eager to show off in front of Tolle. "I've heard that name! He's supposed to be insanely rich — like, super rich."
Biscuit exhaled in relief. If that was true, Tekkadan's financial crisis was temporarily solved. He said to Orga, "If that's real, then we won't have to worry about funds for a while."
The surrounding Tekkadan members broke into cheers at the news that their economic troubles were over.
Takaki grabbed Mikazuki's hand excitedly. "That's awesome! And with Brother Mikazuki and the MS on our side, Gjallarhorn doesn't stand a chance!"
Tolle couldn't help but sigh — these kids really were fearless. If he hadn't gathered so many space pirates himself, he wouldn't dare claim to not fear Gjallarhorn either.
After all, in this world, beam weapons were practically useless against MS equipped with Ahab Nanolaminate Armor. Their combat efficiency was greatly reduced. Even a powerhouse like the Wing Zero Prelude's twin buster rifles wouldn't be enough to take on armies singlehandedly.
And yet these brats thought one Barbatos Gundam made them invincible? Such naïveté. Still, their luck wasn't bad — this time, he would be their reinforcement against Gjallarhorn.
Todo, however, quickly doused the enthusiasm with cold water. "Hey, hey, don't get ahead of yourselves! Gjallarhorn isn't easy to deal with. You think you can mess with an organization that's ruled the world for centuries and just walk away? You're all out of your minds!"
But everyone was too hyped up to pay him any attention.
Orga looked at Kudelia with gratitude. "Miss Kudelia, thank you for continuing to hire us. Tekkadan will make sure you reach Earth safely."
Kudelia smiled. "Alright then, I'll be counting on you, Captain Orga."
But Eugene raised his hand in protest. "Hold on, Orga — we haven't—"
Before he could finish, Takaki turned to Orga curiously. "By the way, what's Tekkadan supposed to mean?"
Orga turned proudly to the group. "That's our new name — I just decided it."
Norba laughed excitedly. "Whoa! That's so cool!"
Eugene frowned. "Wait a second, Orga! You decided that on your own again? Naming the company should be something we all discuss carefully. You can't just do whatever you want!"
Norba grinned and patted him on the back teasingly. "Man, you're way too uptight. Keep that up and you'll go bald."
The others joined in, laughing and teasing, "Yeah, yeah, you'll go bald!"
Despite the minor complaints, everyone loved the new name Tekkadan and celebrated the decision long into the night.
That evening, Kudelia visited Tolle's room. They talked for hours — she wanted to create a beautiful memory before parting.
Of course, Tolle didn't waste the opportunity. He secretly infused her with neo DG cells to protect her, and quietly transferred a portion into Fumitan as well, ensuring that she too would survive when the time came.
Early the next morning, Kudelia reluctantly left Tolle's room, her eyes still filled with emotion.