"The Qilin Wang Hu of East Asia is so strong!"
After praising the man, Lacus struggled to stabilize her body, preventing herself from nearly tumbling around like before.
Speaking of which...
The pink-haired girl firmly gripped the back of Creuset's seat in front of her. She glanced at the captain sitting calmly in the chair, fully engaged in combat with Wang Hu, with a hint of displeasure in her eyes.
Even though she was Lacus, she was still human—and a female human at that.
No matter how extraordinary Lacus appeared in Wang Hu's memories, she certainly possessed emotions like anger.
You, Creuset, want to fight Wang Hu, but you didn't inform me in advance or properly secure me.
Isn't that inappropriate!
Do you realize that once you started fighting, I was thrown around the cockpit, crashing into walls repeatedly?
I am Lacus Clyne!
The diva of PLANT, the daughter of Chairman Clyne!
However, despite thinking this way, Lacus couldn't show her emotions on her face, nor would she ever mention this incident afterward.
Because it didn't align with her persona.
Complaining inwardly with resentment, Lacus quickly refocused her attention on the battle between Wang Hu and Creuset.
Her beautiful eyes flickered as she struggled against the Gouf Ignited's movements, the vibrations from each collision with the enemy Gundam, and the G-forces from every sudden change in direction.
Wang Hu, this man, made Lacus's curiosity grow stronger and stronger.
Admiration for strength has been ingrained in human genes since ancient times, and the concept of power has often overshadowed the intelligence modern humans pride themselves on.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, a powerful male naturally attracts females.
This holds true in the animal kingdom, and it's no different in the human world.
After observing the battle a while longer, Lacus made a decision.
Wang Hu, this man who appeared like a meteor out of nowhere and became ZAFT Forces' number one nightmare, had value worth investing in!
His strength, his background—excellent! They met all the criteria!
Once her mind was set, Lacus subtly glanced at the Aegis Gundam outside the battlefield and the Strike Gundam piloted by Wang Hu's subordinate, Kira.
After comparing them once more in her heart, the scale in Lacus's mind tipped heavily in Wang Hu's favor, with his side crashing down to the ground.
"Captain Creuset, please stop!"
Lacus's cool tone carried an undeniable authority, a far cry from the harmless little white rabbit she appeared to be on the Archangel.
Her hands inside the aviation suit gloves were clenched tightly around the armrests, veins bulging.
Yet, Lacus maintained a calm and composed demeanor on the surface.
"Hmm?" Fully intent on settling the score with Wang Hu here and enjoying the thrill of battling him, Creuset was abruptly interrupted by the girl behind him.
He let out a soft hum. Though his expressionless face showed no extra emotion, he felt displeased while pondering the girl's intentions.
What was this girl, whom he had never paid much attention to before, trying to do?
"Didn't you hear me? Captain Rau Le Creuset, are you trying to turn this place where I stand as the memorial team representative into a battlefield once again filled with screams and death?"
Seeing that Creuset seemed to ignore her first attempt at intervention, Lacus lowered her voice slightly and spoke with even more resolute and determined tone.
"Tch." Creuset's displeasure was practically written on his face as he listened to the girl behind him.
"Such a difficult young lady to deal with."
He had said the same thing in the original timeline, but this time he kept failing to gain any advantage against Wang Hu.
Now being ordered around by the chairman's daughter who was treating a feather as an arrow of command, Creuset openly expressed his dissatisfaction in front of her.
After all, I'm an important member of Patrick's faction, naturally at odds with you.
But dissatisfaction aside, due to his consecutive failures, Creuset's standing within the ZAFT Forces was still acceptable - mainly because Wang Hu's combat record was truly terrifying.
As for Patrick's side... that madman's thoughts...
"Understood, Representative Lacus Clyne."
He emphasized the surname "Clyne" heavily, then spoke to Wang Hu who had been listening to their entire conversation through the communication device.
"Did you hear that? Stand down."
"Roger that. Creuset, do you know what you look like right now?"
Wang Hu asked cheerfully from inside the Zeta Gundam, assuming a non-combat stance as he posed the question.
"..." Creuset didn't even need to think to know Wang Hu wasn't going to say anything complimentary.
Therefore, he didn't bother to engage further.
Taking a deep look at the Zeta Gundam, Creuset wordlessly manipulated his Gouf Ignited to turn and prepare to return.
"Is it over?" Kira stared blankly at Wang Hu and Creuset, who had been fighting earth-shatteringly one moment and were now preparing to return to their respective bases as if nothing had happened.
"Those two are surprisingly in sync, aren't they?"
Suddenly, Kira initiated communication with Athrun for the first time here.
"Kira?" Athrun's complex emotions were barely containable when he received his friend's communication.
Looking at his captain and the enemy Wang Hu whom Kira described as being in sync, Athrun once again thought about himself and his childhood friend beside him.
"Next time we meet, we'll be true enemies."
Shaking his head, Athrun wished he could slap himself for his wavering resolve, especially since Nicol was waiting for him aboard the Vesalius!
So he coldly replied to Kira.
"Enemies?" Kira was momentarily stunned, then a determined expression appeared on his face.
"Athrun, this world is wrong. Hatred and war are everywhere. So to change this world..."
"I will become Gundam!"
"Gundam?" Athrun, who was turning to follow Creuset back to the mothership, paused at this word.
It was the combined initials of the mobile suit's name - he quickly figured out the origin of the term Gundam.
But looking back at the Strike Gundam seeing him off, Athrun smiled bitterly.
Next time we meet, it will be a fight to the death!
"Hey!" The conversation between Kira and Athrun didn't affect Wang Hu and Creuset at all.
Seeing that the masked man completely ignored him, Wang Hu chased after the Gouf Ignited, shouting with an attitude of wanting to infuriate him without compensation.
"You're just missing a tail. With one more tail, wouldn't you say you resemble a dog?"
"You!" Being called a dog, Creuset immediately couldn't hold back and wanted to turn around to fight Wang Hu for another three hundred rounds.
But before he could act, Lacus spoke to Wang Hu, who was chasing after them.
"Captain Wang Hu, please refrain from pointless banter here. Additionally, I formally extend an invitation to you."
"As fellow companions on the path to peace, if possible, I invite you to visit PLANT."
"Huh?" Creuset jolted. What did this invitation mean?
Was the Klein Faction trying to secretly negotiate peace with the East Asian Army, currently the most accomplished force in the Allied Forces?
Right, the recent general election on PLANT was in full swing. If the Klein Faction truly reached an agreement with the East Asian Alliance!
This...
"Oh?"
Wang Hu was also surprised by the invitation, but after a quick mental calculation, he immediately smiled and agreed.
"Alright, when the opportunity arises, I'll visit the PLANT Satellite Colonies with the East Asian Army."
"I believe it would be the East Asian delegation."
Lacus pointedly corrected Wang Hu's wording.
Smiling at this, Wang Hu signaled to Kira, who had caught up worried they might fight again, and they flew back toward the Archangel. Creuset and his group didn't linger either.
They flew toward the ZAFT fleet even faster than Wang Hu and the others.
"Whew." Kira let out a long sigh in the Strike Gundam's cockpit.
What he had imagined as a smooth return of Lacus should have been a simple matter, but he hadn't expected so many complications.
Fortunately, it was over now. What remained was...
He had just thought about how no one from the advance fleet had come to the Archangel yet when the advance team's transport shuttle appeared in his view.
"Haha, haha." Kira forced a dry laugh, his eyelid twitching. "It's really one trouble after another."
He hadn't forgotten what Li Chengzhi had said earlier about returning Lacus before the advance team arrived.
Could it be interpreted that once the advance team came, they would cause trouble for the Archangel?
With such anxious thoughts, Kira followed nervously behind Wang Hu, almost arriving back in the Archangel's hangar at the same time as the advance team's shuttle.
"What a grand reception!" As soon as he stepped out of the Strike Gundam's cockpit, he saw that almost all the ship's senior officers had gathered in the hangar.
"Is this to welcome the advance team?"
Before he could ask Brother Wang Hu, Kira trotted behind him to stand behind Murrue and the others.
"Lieutenant Badgiruel isn't here?"
Kira scanned the crowd and then, making conversation, approached Flay, who was present.
"She's on duty. The ZAFT fleet outside hasn't withdrawn yet."
Glancing at Kira, who was clearly trying to pursue her, the red-haired girl showed no obvious resistance.
Answering Kira beside her, Flay kept her eyes fixed on the opening hatch of the transport shuttle.
"Flay?" Seeing the girl's attitude toward him was quite different from back in Heliopolis, Kira felt greatly encouraged and wanted to say more.
"My father is on that ship."
Flay said softly, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"Your father?" Upon hearing this, Kira quickly straightened his posture, not wanting to make a bad first impression in front of his potential father-in-law.
"Hahaha." The voice arrived before the person did. Despite having a square-jawed face, he unexpectedly gave off a very amiable vibe.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Arsida, who in the original timeline would have been reduced to ashes by this point, stepped out of the transport shuttle.
"Is this the renowned East Asian Qilin, our Allied Forces' strongest spear, Captain Wang Hu?"
From a distance, he addressed Wang Hu among the crowd, behaving very enthusiastically and proactively extending his hand as a gesture of goodwill.
"Hello, Deputy Foreign Minister Arsida, I am Wang Hu."
Walking with the most precise military stride, Wang Hu stepped out from the crowd. He first saluted Arsida, then shook the extended hand with both of his own.
"Terrifying," murmured the wandering Mu softly as he watched the two exchanging pleasantries.
"Huh?" Murrue, who overheard this, asked quietly. "Isn't it perfectly normal? What's terrifying about it?"
"Can't you see it?" Mu glanced sideways at Murrue, who had asked what he considered a foolish question.
"The world of adults still seems too far beyond your grasp."
(End of Chapter)