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[Pokémon Adventure: Riding the Hype!]
[PS: Is in my second account! Zaelum2]
Six aircraft fell from the starry sky, tore through the atmosphere, and descended into an endless sea of clouds.
"This is Bunker Command. YoRHa units, respond."
Operator 6O's voice came through on the six aircrafts' shared channel.
"This is 11B. All units have passed through the atmosphere. Navigation systems are normal."
11B was the leader of this operation.
"Before making contact with the honored guest, conduct an immediate full exterior inspection!"
"Understood! All craft, begin a deep scan immediately and transmit the data to me!"
"14D, understood."
The response was bright and loud, like an exceptionally obedient honor guard.
"4D, u-understood."
That voice sounded a little nervous, almost like a rookie.
"10D, understood."
That one sounded notably steady.
"6D, understood."
That voice, on the other hand, sounded distinctly excited.
"12H, understood."
That one gave the impression of someone who still had not quite woken up.
Those six androids, including their captain, were piloting upgraded Ho 229 Flight Units toward the area that had been taken not long ago.
Correction, not toward it.
They were going there to receive someone.
"Operator 6O, all scans are complete. No abnormalities detected."
"Good. Your flight path has been reassigned. Follow the new route to the destination."
"Understood."
After receiving the new course, 11B led the formation away from its original route.
And directly beneath that original path, weapons were already aimed at their squadron in the sky.
If anything unusual showed up, they would be shot down at once.
11B did not think that level of caution was excessive in the slightest.
After all, this concerned an honored guest.
Ten minutes later, the radar finally picked up another aircraft approaching head-on.
That aircraft looked as if it had only just lifted off from the ground and was still climbing.
It was also different from the ones they were flying, around four times larger, with two Ho 229 Flight Units housed inside it.
"This is 2B. I'll be taking over command."
"This is 11B. Understood. Command authority transferred."
The command authority here also included literal physical control, meaning the self-destruct authorization for every Ho 229 in the squadron had now been transferred to Senior 2B.
If anything went wrong, 2B could order their aircraft to self-destruct immediately.
Then, under 2B's direction, the formation shifted again and moved into escort position around the Ho 229 transport craft.
"6O, this is 2B. We're entering the stratosphere. Keep watch on the surrounding airspace."
"This is 6O. No flying Machine Lifeforms detected. Area secure!"
Those words let 2B ease up just a little as she piloted the transport.
She had never had such a tense flying experience before. It almost felt as though this were her first time piloting this type of aircraft, and she was worried she might mishandle it.
But the truth was simple.
There was someone extremely important aboard this craft, and that made her deeply anxious about anything going wrong during the flight.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced toward the copilot's seat.
That important person was sitting there.
And behind him stood A2, fixed behind him like a nail driven into place.
As if he had noticed her staring even through her visor, his eyes turned toward her, making 2B hurriedly look away.
It felt like her heart was racing.
No, that was wrong.
She was an android. Where would a heartbeat come from?
And yet the area around her chest had grown strangely warm, as if her body were malfunctioning.
She tightened her grip on the controls.
Do not get distracted. Focus on piloting.
Once the craft broke through the atmosphere and entered outer space, where the sensation of weightlessness was far stronger, 2B felt her entire body grow lighter.
Not because of the reduced gravity.
It was more like some invisible pressure had been lifted from her.
Under normal circumstances, once they reached this zone, the Machine Lifeforms had no way of threatening them any longer.
She could also see that there were plenty of weapons stationed in orbit, capable of unleashing extremely fierce firepower, and that made her feel even more secure.
She adjusted the course again and headed straight for the YoRHa Bunker.
In the blink of an eye—
"6O, we've arrived at the Bunker entrance!"
"Good work, 2B."
This time, even 6O's reply carried excitement she could barely suppress, because she still had not seen the honored guest in person.
The transport slowly docked, and 2B could see a large crowd of YoRHa personnel gathered on the platform ahead.
More than half of them had come. The rest were probably stuck bitterly complaining at their posts because their duties kept them from being here.
"Huh? Everyone, what are you doing? Why are you pushing me to the front?"
A blonde girl with braided twin-tails was being shoved all the way to the front by the others.
"Huh? These flowers?"
Someone had suddenly stuffed a bouquet into her hands as well.
"What else would it be for?"
"Of course you're the representative, 6O."
"Do you have any idea how jealous we all are of you?"
"Huh? If you're that jealous, then I'll give one of you the chance."
"Don't be stupid. It's already been decided that it's you. If we keep changing it now, what will the honored guest think?"
On the surface, it sounded like they were all trying to avoid being the one to present the flowers.
In truth, every one of them desperately wanted to do it personally.
They were just so nervous that they had no idea what to do.
"All right, 6O, keep your composure. They're about to come out!"
That reminder left 6O, already standing at the very front, no choice but to snap into a straight formal posture.
Standing in front already made her conspicuous enough.
And with her being the only one holding a bouquet, she stood out even more. It was nerve-racking enough to kill her.
She had teased Lord Kain so many times before, and even acted silly around him.
Now that he was about to see her in person, how would he think of her?
Would he be especially annoyed?
At that moment, 6O deeply regretted ever being so playful.
As the hatch opened, she swallowed nervously and stared wide-eyed at the male figure stepping out.
This time, she was not looking at him through a screen.
This time, she was seeing him with her own eyes.
At a glance, he looked little different from a male android.
But she could tell with certainty that beneath his clothes was not an artificial body like theirs.
It was real flesh.
A true human.
He stepped down and walked toward her, making 6O even more nervous. Her body seemed to heat up, releasing coolant for temperature control like sweat.
...
At last, he stopped less than a meter in front of her.
"6O?"
"Y-yes, yes, yes, that's me. I'm 6O, Lord Kain."
"So you're 6O? You don't seem like the one I know. The 6O I know is a cheerful girl who's pretty good with words. Why are you acting like some shy, stammering little thing?"
His teasing tone, along with the amused way he brushed some of the flowers aside to look at her properly, made her blush.
She took a deep breath.
"I'm not stammering. I'm just nervous."
This time, 6O's voice sounded much more normal.
Because from Lord Kain's manner and the way he carried himself, he seemed easy to get along with, nothing like Commander White, who was always stern and unsmiling.
After handing him the bouquet, she stepped back, straightened herself, and then all the YoRHa forces, led by her, saluted in unison.
"Glory to Mankind!!!"
...
There were no heart-stopping battle scenes this time, no furious exchange of fire in the stars, no breathtaking image of a planet splitting apart.
Right now, there was only a quiet takeoff from the ground, a smooth ascent through the atmosphere, and arrival at an orbital satellite base.
But that kind of calm scene was appealing in its own way.
Because at last, there was a truly futuristic image of an Earth fighter formation breaking into space.
The familiar blue Earth, the familiar Solar System, and the approach to a space station that matched humanity's imagination so perfectly, it all stirred a beautiful longing for the future.
Of course, Miss Martian, and the two who had just joined the group, could also provide livestream footage like this.
Unfortunately, both of them seemed busy.
One was a princess of an entire nation, working tirelessly out of concern for her people.
The other had not come online again since informing them about the Bloody Valentine incident.
(End of Chapter)
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