Despite this being their first real combat mission together, Raleigh and Mako Mori piloted Gipsy Danger with power that far exceeded expectations.
"BOOM!"
The reactor in Gipsy Danger's chest spun wildly. Stomping through the shallow water, it collided head-on with the charging Knifehead. The massive impact sent a shockwave across the ocean surface.
"Raleigh, Mako—Striker Eureka's nuke is almost loaded. You have to hold out!" Tendo Choi urged over the comms.
Five years ago, the battle between Gipsy Danger and Knifehead had been brutal, and even the victory came at a heavy cost.
Marshal Pentecost expected them to eliminate the Kaiju outright, but as Raleigh's old friend, Tendo was worried. Deploying Striker Eureka, a fifth-generation Jaeger, for a 2v1 would have been the safest approach.
Gipsy Danger twisted its massive frame, deftly dodging Knifehead's piercing charge. It seized the opportunity, grappling the Kaiju's lower body and locking its arm around that freakishly long head. Raleigh swung his fist, pounding the skull repeatedly with dense, heavy thuds.
"We can handle it!"
"Have Striker Eureka rendezvous directly with Mr. Natsuki!" Raleigh shouted, throwing punches inside the cockpit.
He refused to delay the entire operation for his own sake.
Their mission concerned the future of all humanity.
Natsuki had trusted him, and he would give everything to honor that trust. He—no, they—would definitely eliminate this Kaiju.
"I killed Knifehead five years ago, and I can do it again!"
"Trust me... trust us!"
After Raleigh shouted those words, Knifehead struggled free from Gipsy Danger's hold. This creature felt stronger than the one five years ago.
"...Alright!"
Hearing Raleigh's resolute answer, Marshal Pentecost nodded solemnly. It was the correct decision.
He was gratified. Raleigh and Mako were perfectly displaying the will of true warriors.
"Open the gates. Deploy Striker Eureka to rendezvous with Shaolin Rogue and Crimson Typhoon."
"Mission continues. Target... the Breach at the bottom of the Pacific!" Marshal Pentecost ordered gravely from the command center.
They had come too far. There was no possibility of retreat.
Bearing the future of humanity, success was their only option.
"Copy that!" The technicians in the command center answered in unison. Once the nuclear warhead was loaded, they immediately began Striker Eureka's launch sequence.
Outside the base, on the lamp-lit, mottled ocean surface:
"KRAAAW!"
Knifehead opened its massive maw and roared. Flying saliva mixed with the rain, splashing into the water.
Inside the cockpit, Raleigh and Mako focused intently on their enemy.
"Something's strange..." Raleigh frowned.
After several exchanges, Gipsy Danger's outer armor sustained minor damage, while Knifehead took far worse.
But from the wounds on its body, Raleigh didn't see the familiar blue blood. It was as if something else flowed inside the creature.
"Is that... machinery?" Mako saw an arc of electricity suddenly flash beneath Knifehead's skin. Her eyes widened in confusion.
In their understanding, Kaiju were biological—possessing blood, skin, and organs. They had never encountered anything mechanical in their structure.
"How is that possible...?" Raleigh was equally shocked by the realization.
At the same time, a bold idea formed in his mind.
"Could it... not be a new specimen, but the Knifehead from five years ago—rebuilt with machinery!?"
Once the thought emerged, it echoed uncontrollably in both their minds.
Who would rebuild a dead Kaiju?
Were the Precursors not their only enemy?
"It's coming!" Mako warned. Knifehead was charging again.
Both pilots focused, and Gipsy Danger sprang into action.
The right hand switched to plasma cannon mode and began charging. Blue arcs instantly illuminated the water below.
"BOOM!"
Knifehead tried to pierce Gipsy Danger's chest reactor with its sharp head, but Raleigh, with his wealth of combat experience, immediately caught its intent. At the perfect moment, he delivered a left uppercut. The collision rang out.
Knifehead's assault was interrupted, exposing an opening.
Gipsy Danger seized the opportunity. Its massive mechanical frame surged forward, pressing the right plasma cannon against Knifehead's body. The fully charged cannon blazed with brilliant blue light!
In that instant, Raleigh felt connected to his brother again, transported back to that stormy night five years ago.
Once more, he faced this terrifying beast, this enemy returned from the grave.
Mako, too, felt the past surge back, witnessing the beast kill her loved ones.
But unlike the past, they now possessed the power to change everything.
'Good job... Raleigh.' His brother Yancy's voice echoed in his mind.
For both Raleigh and Mako, their reason for fighting was the same.
For humanity. For... family!
"Plasma cannon, FIRE!!!" they shouted in unison, unleashing the devastating, fully charged blast!
"BOOM!!!"
Blinding blue light erupted instantly. Devastating energy poured into the beast at point-blank range, ravaging its internal structure.
"KRAAAW!" Knifehead let out a mechanically-tinged scream.
It tried to break free, but Gipsy Danger's assault didn't stop.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
After the charged shot, several rapid-fire plasma blasts followed, riddling Knifehead's body with holes. Smoking, it toppled backward into the black water.
Knifehead was defeated by Gipsy Danger once again!
Simultaneously:
"CLANK! CLANK! CLANK—"
The Shatterdome gates opened again. Striker Eureka, nuclear warhead loaded, slowly ascended with assistance from several black helicopters, heading for the deep Pacific.
Further out, Crimson Typhoon and Shaolin Rogue, having dealt with three Kaiju, were collecting the corpses. To pass through the Breach, they needed a Kaiju body as a passport.
"Well done, Raleigh," Natsuki praised over the comms.
The pilot had not disappointed him.
But before Raleigh could reply, another alarm sounded from the command center.
"The Breach is expanding again!"
"Two Kaiju this time."
"One Category IV, and one... Category V!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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