SD Gundam 1. Prologue

**Superior Defender Gundam Force**

Book 4

_The Minov Sea_

Based on _SD Gundam Force _episodes 27-32

Property of Bandai and Sunrise

_My name's Shute._

_I'm from Neotopia, where humans and robots live together in peace._

_But one day, evil forces of the Dark Axis invaded my home._

_So the members of the Gundam Force- _

_Captain Gundam, Zero the Winged Knight, Bakunetsumaru, the Blazing Samurai, and even me!_

_-all fought against them again and again!_

_Finally, we defeated their Commander and drove the Dark Axis from Neotopia._

_Now we're on a mission to save the homelands of Zero and Bakunetsumaru as well!_


	2. Into the Dark Axis

Chapter 1: Into the Dark Axis

The land of the Dark Axis was a wasteland. No amount of poetic licensing could change this fact. From the cracked and shattered rock, to the rivers of lava that flowed around them, the area was truly a nightmare to behold.

But even more terrible than the land around it was the main base of the Dark Axis, which floated high in the air like a purple moon. It had three twisted horns growing from it- two on the sides, and one on the bottom. Covering it were large, spike-like structures, looking like needles sticking out of a basket ball. Its center glowed blood red, a light that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat.

If one were to do the unthinkable and enter the main base, if one were to go inside and keep going, until they reached the very center, they would find a massive chamber. In this room, big enough to hold several airships, they would find piles upon piles of trash and refuse, thrown away weapons, such as swords and guns, and empty suits of armor and shields. Around these stacks of metallic waste there were pools, smelting pits, that each had a single river, leading to a tree of twisting metal. At the very top of the tree, in the middle of the wall, was a giant, horned, red head. This head was not human, nor did it resemble anything like a human. It was a robot, and fearsome one at that. It was completely round, like a dome, and with its red teeth it almost resembled a mouth. On a black surface under the red, three mono-eyes moved in intricate, seemingly random patterns. The monstrous thing roared and screeched, bellowing eldritch mumblings in a deep voice. And yet, over it a silky voice could be heard.

"Great General… Please, calm your anger."

A small figure moved silently through the piles of trash, clutching a _tanto_ sword. He knew this was the place. All he had to do was hide and wait. Curiosity soon got the better of the intruder and he poked his head out from behind one shield to look at the horned head. He ducked away when he heard that silky voice again.

"I beg of you… be merciful."

The intruder watched as a robot floated up to the head on a red, torch-like platform, with slowly spinning antenna sticking out from the sides of the top. This robot had a mono eye over where its face should be. On its large shoulders was the insignia of the Dark Axis, a picture of an eye with three horns, like the main base. But there was something odd about the robot. While its top half was mostly crimson, there seemed to be black parts mixed in as well. From its back protruded three cybernetic rods, on above two. Its arms were black as well, but each had a special gauntlet attached to the wrist. Though there was crimson armor over its torso and forelegs, there was no hiding the black parts underneath it.

"Please, my magnificent General," The robot continued, his eye flashing as he spoke. "Kindly spare me your wrath."

The General, that monstrous face, glowered at the robot. It growled.

"Perhaps I have come at a bad time."

The red robot turned around to where the new voice had come from. "What's this…?"

Over one of the melting pools, a strange symbol appeared. It looked like a cross between a compass and a sick daisy, with runes at the end of each point. As it rose up, rings like ribs appeared beneath it. On top of the new platform a green, ghostly figure appeared, with yellow eyes appeared.

"Well," The ghost purred, "It looks to me as though _someone _has made the General rather angry…Professor Gerbera."

Professor Gerbera, science officer of the Dark Axis, relaxed. _Why, it's Deathscythe, the Knight of Darkness. _Aloud, he said, "The General demands more gundanium."

"Yes, understood. I'd be happy to re-supply with it. However…" Deathscythe turned from Gerbera and looked at the mounds of trash. "…we've used up the resources from my homeland Lacroa."

Gerbera nodded. "I appreciate the Knight Gundams being such an excellent source of gundanium."

"At the General's command we melted them all down, and there is no one left," Deathscythe continued, "And now with the miserable defeat of Commander Sazabi, I can understand the General's rage."

Gerbera bristled as Deathscythe glanced meaningfully at him. "Merely the failure of a single advance force."

"That's tough talk, Prof. Gerbera!" A deep voice interrupted.

"What?" Gerbera turned from Deathscythe towards the room's entrance.

Floating in on a large, wooden box was a Musha Gundam, a samurai Gundam from the land of Ark. This Musha Gundam had a yellow beard and sharp mustache, brown eyes amid a white background, and wore gold and black armor adorned with lightning bolts and pointed wings that made him resemble a god of thunder. On his helmet was small statue of a horse's head with jagged spike, like an evil unicorn. On each shoulder pad was an emblem of a black trident. At his side was a sword in a jagged purple sheath.

"With the loss of the Zakurello Gate, we now have no way to attack their world," the Musha Gundam said, "And we must now all consider the very real possibility of their attacking _our _world!"

"Well," Deathscythe murmured, "If it isn't-"

"-Kibaomaru." Gerbera finished.

The intruder's eyes glinted. _Yes, I've found him!_

-z-

"Long fly and it's…outta here!" Tommy laughed as he and his mobile friend played catch.

The Dark Axis invasion had come as quite a shock to the people of Neotopia. Such a terrible force had almost brought an end to everything the people held dear about their city. That their way of life could've been extinguished had caused a fright for the citizens, and yet it also gave them a new hope as well. While they longer could no longer tell themselves "We are at peace." they could now comfort each other by saying "We are protected."

On one of the grassy decks on the sides of Neotopia Tower's twin pillars, the people, such as Tommy and his friend, were enjoying their recaptured peace, now more grateful than ever for their quiet lifestyle. A large form in the sky cast a shadow over them, but it didn't alarm them.

"Wow…that's cool…" Tommy whispered as everyone looked at the ship passing overhead, the sound of its rockets filling their ears.

"Wow…"

"What is it?"

"It's the Gundam Force!" Tommy cried, and began to wave at the airship as it flew off into the distance. "Bye! Fly safe!"

Yes, they were protected indeed.

-z-

"_Hurry!_"

In the desert regions outside of the main city, a robotic horse red armor galloped across the sands, as his similarly-armored rider clutched the reins. Bakunetsumaru, a Mush Gundam called the Blazing Samurai and his horse Entengo had been stuck in Neotopia for months, ever since the SDG's Dimensional Transport Device malfunctioned and brought him from the land of Ark in the other dimension to here. And while he had learned to appreciate the city's beauty and splendor, his desire to return home had never diminished. And now that he had been told that the way back had finally been achieved, his yearning had intensified.

"Hurry up! Faster, Entengo!" Bakunetsumaru urged, "I've been waiting for this day, I must get there before everyone else!"

"Oh, really?"

Bakunetsumaru blanched and looked to his side. Flying through the air, on his back with his hands tucked under his head as if he was in an invisible hammock, was Zero, the Winged Knight. Zero was a Knight Gundam, one that came from the same world as Bakunetsumaru, though in a different country, the kingdom of Lacroa. Lacroa had suffered by the hands of the Dark Axis, and Zero had come to Neotopia in hopes of finding a way to restore it.

"Then you'd better hurry up!" Zero said calmly, "The day will end before _you _get there!"

Bakunetsumaru shook a fist at the knight in blue armor. "Blast you, Zero! What's the matter, you can't get there on your own two feet!"

Zero made no changes to his position. Instead, he moved ahead, flying off into the distance laughing, "So says the one who's riding his horse!"

Bakunetsumaru shook with rage at being slighted. "Sure, it's easy when you can fly with a cape…!" Bakunetsumaru muttered, then he hoped from the saddle, picked up a mystified Entengo and took off in a run. "_Let's go, Entengo!_"

-z-

Zero arrived at their destination first- Lab C, the construction grounds for the Dimensional Transport Device. There, as Gunperries flew around in the air, was the project head, the young Dr. Bell Wood. The teen genius was doing an unconventional hustle as he whistled.

"_Woo-ee! _It's finally complete!" He laughed, "Am I great or what?"

Zero looked up at the Device, momentarily amazed at its resemblance to the inner workings of a clock.

"It's wonderful!" The Winged Knight said.

Bell Wood smirked. "After all, I am a genius!"

Zero's gaze drifted across, as he looked at the monstrous circular yellow thing besides the device. It looked a great deal like the jaws of a terrible beast, with green eyes and horns at the top. In its 'mouth' was a holographic emblem for the Super Dimensional Guard, spinning. It was the Zakurello Gate, once the Dark Axis' means of inter-dimensional travel, now in the control of the SDG.

"Did you make that one, too, Bell Wood?" Zero asked.

"That little old gate?" Bell Wood asked, and shrugged. "Nah, that's just a recycle job. Y'know, the Dark Axis left it behind, and I picked it up and fixed it up. After all," He smiled broadly. "I am a genius!"

Bell Wood began to do another little dance of triumph, but stopped when he saw the improbable sight of a horse rider carrying his horse.

"With that thing we can finally travel to Ark and Lacroa, right?" Bakunetsumaru asked, panting.

Zero spared Bakunetsumaru a bemused smile. "You finally made it, huh?"

Bakunetsumaru had a retort, but it never left his mouth as a thought occurred to him. Looking around, he asked, "Wait, where are Shute and Captain?"

Zero looked around. It was true. Neither Shute or Captain could be seen. This was odd, considering that the two of them were supposed to have arrived before them…

"Hey, guys! You're here!"

Zero and Bakunetsumaru looked up. Standing on one of the modem towers surrounding the Dimensional Transport Device, waving his arms, was a boy with red hair that was topped off by a tuft at his forehead. He wore a backpack of some sort.

"Hey! Duh! Up here!" Shute laughed.

"Oh!" Bakunetsumaru cried, setting Entengo down. 'What are you doing up there? Come down here now!"

Shute grinned, and took hold of the straps. "Here I _go!_" He cried, and jumped from the tower.

Both Gundams, seeing Shute fall from a height of twenty feet, felt their eyes bulge as they freaked out.

"Hey-whoa-wait- _Zero, catch him!_" Bakunetsumaru babbled hysterically.

Zero was already flying up to Shute, his arms outstretched.

"No wait!" Shute cried, "I'm okay!"

Blue fire burst out from the bottom of Shute's backpack, just as Zero had gotten underneath him for the catch. The result was that Shute hovered for several minutes in the air as Zero's head got burned. The Winged Knight, after a coughing fit, sank back to the ground.

"Sorry, Zero!" Shute apologized, an awkward look on his face. Once he was back on the ground, he scratched his head and explained, "Actually, I just wanted to show you guys my new backpack," He turned around, showing that his backpack had small boosters underneath, a pipe-like handle sticking out on the top left, with the Gundam Force badge in the middle of the back. "I modeled it after the one Captain uses!"

Shute did some rocket-boosted jumps. Zero, his head black with soot, watched him go up and down while Bakunetsumaru and Entengo snickered from behind.

"I think you need a smog check." The Knight Gundam muttered.

Shute pointed. "Look!"

The Gundams looked, and saw a large, white airship fly into the area. It's nose was capped off with a giant Gundam Force badge, and on its front were three cannons that looked like Balls. On its sides were faces that looked like a tennis ball with eyes, two on each. At the very top was a Gundam Head that served as the bridge, which had another Gundam Force badge right where the V-fin was. And on a look-out on the Gundam head, waving cheerfully, was the leader of the Gundam Force.

"It's Captain!" Shute laughed and began to wave back.

"Oh my!" Zero gasped, "When did they build that magnificent airship?"

Bakunetsumaru rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. I don't know where, but I'm _sure_ I've seen that ship somewhere before."

With a wild cry, Chief Kao Lyn, head scientist for the SDG and champion kung fu artist suddenly leapt in front of the three, causing them to jump.

"You're right!" the scientist said, "This is the ship we made by retrofitting the _Magnamusai_ the Dark Axis left behind in Neotopia!"

As the new battleship came to a landing, Zero recalled what Bell Wood had said earlier. "I see." The Zakurello Gate had also been property of the Dark Axis, but had been reclaimed by the SDG.

"Looks nice." Bakunetsumaru commented.

"So, this is another recycle job, as you would say." Zero remarked.

"How cool!" Shute breathed, entranced by the new vessel.

But there were some not so pleased with the SDG's creation. From behind another modem tower, three Zako Soldiers– grunts for the Dark Axis, now reduced to service workers for Neotopia- poked their heads out and stared at the white ship.

"Zako! The Zakos' _Magnamusai!_ What a horrible thing to do!" They cried, and wept for their lost battleship. They calmed down instantly when an idea struck.

"Wait a minute, Zako!" One Zako cried.

"We'll use that ship…" Began a second Zako.

"…To get to the Dark Axis!" The third finished.

With a simultaneous cry of "Zako!" they ducked back behind the modem. They _had _to tell the others!

-z-

Captain saluted. "I, Captain Gundam, have returned from the test-flight of the _Gundamusai_, the new flagship for the Gundam Force."

In front of Captain stood Chief Haro, leader of the SDG, a man who had the distinction of having head like tennis ball- round and green. To the chief's sides were Bell Wood and Kao Lyn, the latter of whom was doing martial arts. They, along with the rest of the Gundam Force stood on a platform around the Dimensional Transport Device.

"Good work, Captain," Chief Haro said, returning the salute. Relaxing, he held out a small capsule with a robotic insect inside. It was a White Bagubagu, the antidote to the Dark Axis' petrification. While the normal green Bagubagu's sting would turn anything organic it stung to stone, Captain was able to reprogram the Bagubagu in Neotopia, turning them white. "Now, I want you to bring this White Bagubagu with you to save the petrified people of Lacroa."

Zero gave a joyous shout and punched the air. "Aha! The time has finally come to save my homeland!"

"We must hurry, and return the triplets to normal!" Bakunetsumaru added.

"Yes, you're right!" The entirety of Lacroa's human population had been turned to stone by the Dark Axis- save three identical brothers, who the Gundam Force had met when they were summoned to the ruined kingdom not long ago. But they, too, had been petrified by the time the Gundam Force left. It had been very upsetting for Zero to see his desolated homeland, but now he could go back in good spirits.

Captain took the capsule from Haro, and Shute asked, "Are we finally taking off?"

Captain nodded. "Yes."

"Shute."

Shute turned to Chief Haro. "Yeah?"

Chief Haro, with Kao Lyn and Bell Wood standing to attention at his side, said, "If it were possible, Shute, I would not have you go on such a dangerous journey…" The three of them saluted. "…But the Gundam Force needs you. Please, be very careful."

Shute, catching the concerned, almost parental tone in the chief's voice, straightened up and nodded. "I will." Grinning, he then jumped up and punched the air. "Heeeere we go, to Lacroa!"

"Yeah!" The Gundams cheered.

-z-

The Gundam Force boarded the _Gundamusai_, and after a quick tour of the main body, they took an elevator to the uppermost room. Shute gazed around the colorful and brightly lit room in wonder. In the middle at the back was a raised platform where a spinning clockwork device like Bell Wood's Transport Device was on the ceiling. At the front were four seats, two in a row. The two windows in front told Shute that they were in the Gundam head of the ship.

"Welcome," Captain said, "To the _Gundamusai_'s bridge."

"Ohhh, this is so great!" Shute gasped, and ran to the windows and looked out. "Awesome view! How cool!"

"Shute," Captain said, getting his attention. He gestured towards the smallest seat, the one in the front-left. "This is your seat."

"Right next to _you,_ Captain?" Shute asked in an awed voice. Captain's seat, of course was not so much designed for sitting in as it was needed to plug into.

"Uh-huh," Captain then gestured to the two seats that Zero and Bakunetsumaru were inspecting in the back. "And you guys take a seat over here."

Bakunetsumaru hummed, looking from one seat to the other. "Hm, which one should I pick?"

"Hey!" Zero exclaimed, "Don't decide without asking _me!_"

Bakunetsumaru smirked. "Oh, I assumed you were just going to hover around!"

"_What _did you say!"

Shute suppressed a groan. The trip hadn't even started and those two were about to have it again. He wondered why Zero and Bakunetsumaru bickered like they did.

"There is no fighting onboard the ship."

Shute, Zero, and Bakunetsumaru looked up suddenly. Where did that woman's voice come from? As Shute looked around, he heard a shift of machinery and Zero and Baku' cry out in alarm. Turning back, he saw that two robotic arms had descended from the ceiling, and were now clutching the two flabbergasted Gundams.

"Please cease fighting and take your seats." The woman's voice said.

"Wh-what is this!" Bakunetsumaru cried.

Captain pointed to the very front of the bridge. "It's Miss RAIMI."

In the space between the eyes of the bridge, a holographic helm appeared, and in front of it came a holographic Gundam Force badge. The top of the badge read RAIMI while the bottom read GUNDAMUSAI.

"I am RAIMI, the control AI of this ship." RAIMI greeted, "It is nice to meet you all."

Shute smiled. "It's nice to meet you too!"

-z-

Outside, the supplementary members of the Gundam Force- Gunbike, Captain's instructor, the air-combat specialist Guneagle, the deep-sea experts, the seven Gundivers, and Entengo. It had been decided that in Lacroa's uneven ground and narrow caves, the horse would run into difficulty, and so he would be excluded from this mission.

At his console, Bell Wood typed in commands. "Start the Dimensional Transport Device…let's go!"

The parts of the Dimensional Transportt Device slowly began to spin, picking up speed with each rotation, while the _Gundamusai _lifted up into the air and turned to face the Zakurello Gate. As all those in attendance to the grand take-off saluted, Entengo, with tearful eyes, gave a sad neigh at the departing ship. He was very distressed that his master was leaving again without him.

In the ship's bridge, Bakunetsumaru seemed to hear Entengo's distress and thought, _Just wait, Entengo. Ark is next!_

In the seat on the right next to Bakunetsumaru's Zero thought, _Princess, I'm finally coming back with worthy comrades!_

"Hey, Shute, try this out." Captain held up the something that looked like a miniature Zakurello Gate.

"The Zakurello Phone." Shute said, taking it.

"That's right," Captain said, "With that, we can command the Zakurello Gate to send us to any dimension."

"All right!" Shute held the Phone up to his mouth and said, "Zakurello Gate, I now command you to open to Lacroa!"

The Zakurello Gate sparked and glowed as its 'mouth' shimmered with multicolored lights. It growled a guttural "Rello."

"_Gundamusai, launch!_" Captain ordered.

The main rockets of the ship ignited, and the _Gundamusai _blasted off towards the Gate, which slowly absorbed the ship.

Just as the ship was halfway through, the three Zakos climbed up onto the Gate's top. Compared to the Gate's immense size, they looked like mere bugs.

"Wait for us, Zako!" Zako Soldier #3 cried.

"Hey, Zakurello Gate, don't close yet, Zako!" Zako #2 cried.

"Let us Zakos get back to the dark Axis, Zako!" Zako #1 pleaded.

The Zakos began to do a silly dance, chanting "O please, zako!"

But the Gate said, "No take orders from you! You not my master, rello!"

This vexed the Zakos. "_What, Zako!_"

"Do what we ask," Zako #1 threatened, "Or you'll get…"

"_Tickle torture!_" The Zakos cried as the entire Zako Horde leapt onto the Gate and began to scurry about.

"What's that!" Chief Haro cried, upon seeing dozens of little green dots on the Gate's top, like warts that had come to life.

The Gate's eyes spun and it rocked with laughter. "No-ho-ho, Zakos! Stop! That tickles! Rello-ho-ho!"

In the _Gundamusai_'s bridge, Shute, Zero, and Bakunetsumaru did their best to cling to their seats as the ship titled left and right.

"A problem has occurred with the Zakurello Gate." RAIMI announced.

"_What?_" Captain cried.

"Rello-ho-ho! I give up!" The Gate chortled, "Rello-ho-ho!"

"Okay, Zakos," Zako #1 ordered, "_Now!_"

The Zakos jumped off the Gate, and were sucked into it just as the _Gundamusai _vanished into. As they spiraled into the unknown, the Gate managed to gasp out, "You no play fair! _Rello!_"

The Zakurello Gate's mouth released a flash of purple light, causing everyone to shut their eyes. Kao Lyn was so surprised that he nearly fell over.

-z-

In the Zakurello Tunnel, the light-streamed darkness that Zakurello Gate used to connect to dimensions, the _Gundamusai _continued to rock as it hurtled through the space.

"The ship is out of control." RAIMI reported.

"Stop transport, _now!_" Captain ordered, and hoped that groan behind him wasn't Bakunetsumaru losing his lunch.

"Communications are disabled as well." RAIMI answered.

As the ship tilted and tumbled through the Tunnel, the Zako Soldiers, carried by naught but momentum, fell after it, their wails and screams echoing soundlessly into the nonexistent air.

-z-

In the General's room, Kibaomaru stood proudly in front of the General himself and stated, "General, I intend to show the result of the swift conquest of my homeland."

Deathsycthe regarded him. "But, you're still having a hard time conquering Ark, aren't you, Kibaomaru?" Kibaomaru shot him a dark look.

"Well, if you need help, I can let you borrow more of the Dark Axis forces…" Gerbera offered.

"Unnecessary!" Kibaomaru snapped, glaring. "I've captured the Tenchijo Castle already! I shall unify Ark shortly, and I will fill this room with Musha Gundams for the sake of the General!"

Amid the piles of junk, the intruder began to trace lines into the air, forming a crude box. However, as he did so, blue light came from his fingertip, becoming the lines. After he finished the box, it solidified into a 3-dimensional # symbol, with the center being pitch black. It grew and expanded, until the square hole became large enough for the intruder to fit through. The intruder glanced back at Kibaomaru. So far, no one had seen him.

"'Till then, General, I beg you," Kibaomaru continued, "Calm your rage. Have patience!"

The intruder leapt through the square hole. The hole vanished. At this time, Kibaomaru heard a shimmer behind him and looked to see a hole exactly like the one the intruder made appear not to far behind him. Out from it came the intruder, a small being who wore naught but a helmet and a piece of armor with the character for GEN on it over his front, with guards over his knuckles and sandals on his feet. On his back was some kind of plastic axe, and sticking out from the top of his helmet was a topknot. His eyes were brown amid a green screen, and his yellow eyebrows were large. But most disturbingly was the fact that he had a sword.

"Who are you?" Kibaomaru asked.

"I am the Musha Gundam Genkimaru!" the intruder yelled, his soft voice indicating he was a child.

"_What!_" Deathscythe cried as Gerbera stared at this intrusion.

"Kibaomaru, you are a traitor to Ark!" Genkimaru shouted, "Your head belongs…to me!"

Genkimaru swung his blade down- but Kibaomaru casually caught and snapped it between his fingers. Discouraged, Genkimaru landed on Kibaomaru's platform and grabbed his little axe. He pulled the handle, revealing it was actually a dagger- for a breath moment, the light of the chamber gleamed off of the Kibao crest at the bottom of the blade- but before he could use it, Kibaomaru leaned down and grabbed him, almost crushing the boy's arm. As he was lifted up, Genkimaru fitted the dagger back into the axe.

"Let me go!" Genkimaru cried out in both pain and anger.

"Where are you from, foolish one?" Kibaomaru asked.

"I'm amazed you were able to infiltrate our sacred space," Gerbera commented, moving his platform closer to Kibaomaru's. "How curious. In fact, I'll disassemble you myself-" He held out his left arm, and the gauntlet on it opened up to reveal several claws and drills. "-to find out exactly _what you're made of._"

Genkimaru's eyes widened and his heart stopped as he watched Gerbera's tools, clicking and spinning, get closer…and closer…_and closer…_

"_No!_" He cried.

Deathscythe cackled with glee. "On with the show!"

"Okay you two, stop right there!" Kibaomaru barked, and pulled Genkimaru away from Gerbera. "Such behavior in front of the General…pitiful!"

Gerbera saw his point and retracted his tools. "Indeed," He glanced at Genkimaru, who had resumed his struggle against Kibaomaru's fingers. "Yet he is a Musha Gundam, so why not just toss him into furnace?"

"Lemmegolemmegolemme…go?" Genkimaru froze when he heard Gerbera's words. Then with added desperation, he struggled even harder.

"That would calm his rage a bit." Deathscythe remarked.

"I am well aware of that, Deathscythe." Kibaomaru replied coldly, and moved his platform over towards one of the smelting pits. As it traveled, he stared at the boy, and remembered the hole in space he came out from. He asked in a hushed voice, "That technique you just showed me…"

"What about it?" Genkimaru growled, still trying to get free.

"Perhaps you have the key to Daishinshou," Kibaomaru suggested, "If you tell me, I might go _easy _on you!"

On the word 'easy' Kibaomaru kicked the pieces of the broken sword off the platform. They landed into the purple liquid of the smelting pit, and Genkimaru watched as they dissolved away.

"Well?" Kibaomaru asked, "What's it going to be?"

Genkimaru glared at the adult Musha Gundam. "Forget it, Kibaomaru!"

From behind, Kibaomaru could feel the stares of Gerbera and Deathscythe.

"Drop him!" Gerbera ordered, "_Now!_"

"_Quiet!_" Though his face didn't show it, Kibaomaru was getting worried. _Talk, brat, or we'll _both _have to wash our necks!_

"You're nothing but a dirty rotten traitor!" Genkimaru snarled, and yelped in pain as Kibaomaru tightened his grip.

"This is your last chance," The Musha Gundam lord threatened, "If you don't tell me now, down you go."

It was at that moment that Kibaomaru saw the air in front of him shimmer. He and Genkimaru watched as sparks of yellow and purple appeared, shaping into what looked like a giant yellow set of jaws with purple insides.

"What's this!" Kibaomaru cried out.

Gerbera stared as the apparition tilted, until it was set at an angle. "It's the Zakurello Gate!"

Kibaomaru's raised an eyebrow as two yellow spikes appeared from the Gate. "Something's coming through!" As the Gundam head of the _Gundamusai _rose out, like prairie dog from its hole, he wondered, _Is it a giant Gundam? _His eyes narrowed as he heard the distinctive sounds of rockets. _No…it's a battleship!_

Just as the _Gundamusai_'s head was completely out, the ship stopped, giving the General clear view of a giant Gundam head. The terrible being was not happy with this, and bellowed in fury.

-z-

Inside the ship's bridge, Shute pulled himself up back into his seat.

"Where are we?" He asked, staring at the nightmarish chamber outside of the ship. Getting up, he asked, "Is this supposed to be Lacroa?"

"Miss RAIMI- Status report!" Captain ordered.

"Confirming coordinates now. Our ship seems to be trapped in-between the Zakurello Tunnel and the Zakurello Gate. The cause is currently unidentified."

-z-

Outside on the space at the back of the ship under the bridge, the Zakos tried to untangle themselves from the pile they ended up in. One managed to pull himself out and look around.

"What's going on, Zako?" He asked.

-z-

"This is not my beloved Lacroa!"

Shute turned around to Zero, who had spoken. He and Bakunetsumaru were peering out of the _Gundamusai_'s window-eyes in horrid fascination.

"And such a horrible place couldn't possibly be my homeland Ark…" Bakunetsumaru said, perplexed.

Before any of them could discuss their circumstances further, a deep voice pulled their attention.

"You, inside the ship! Show yourselves!"

The Gundam Force looked out to see two free-floating platforms hovering towards the ship- a box-shaped one carrying what was unmistakably a Musha Gundam- older and more heavily-armored than Bakunetsumaru- and one that looked like a poisoned blossom, carrying some kind of green ghoul. Upon seeing them, both Zero and Bakunetsumaru's eyes hardened.

"_Fiend!_" Bakunetsumaru snarled.

"What is _he _doing here?" Zero hissed venomously. Without another word, the Winged Knight flew to the elevator. "C'mon!"

"Prepare yourself!" Bakunetsumaru shouted, running in after Zero.

"Hey, wait!" Shute cried, but the elevator doors closed.

-z-

"You, traitor to Ark!" Bakunetsumaru shouted as he and Zero appeared on top of the bridge, "The one who sided with the Dark Axis- Kibaomaru!"

Kibaomaru looked away from Genkimaru (Who had tried to escape by biting his hand) to the speaking Musha Gundam.

"Blazing blades of justice! I am Baku! Netsu! Maru!" The samurai yelled, making the characters appear in the air. He leapt at Kibaomaru, landing on his platform as the warlord jumped back to avoid the blow. Bakunetsumaru continued to make jabs and slices at the Musha Gundam lord, who kept evading the swords.

"Ha! Very nice, samurai!" Kibaomaru applauded, and held up Genkimaru in front of him. "Be careful, you might hit my little _shield _by accident!"

Bakunetsumaru froze in mid-swing. Lowering his swords, he yelled, "How dare you! You're nothing but a coward!"

Meanwhile, Zero was facing off against Deathscythe, summoning his shield and sword.

"_Come to me,_" He chanted, unsheathing his claymore, "_Legendary, sacred Vatras Sword!_"

Deathscythe's eyes shimmered with twisted delight. "So, some of the Knight Gundams from Lacroa still survive!"

The air in front of Deathscythe shimmered, and a black-purple double-side scythe- with two blades on either side- appeared. The scythe began to spin, manipulated by invisible hands, and swung at Zero, who blocked and parried the blows.

"Deathscythe!" Zero yelled, "For harming Lacroa, you will now pay!"

Deathscythe snickered, which served to further enrage the normally cool-headed knight. His swings became harder and more predictable, allowing Deathscythe to easily parry the attacks, and even take his back once or twice. At one point, however, Zero was able to get a clean slice at the evil knight, only for it to pass right through his ghostly body!

"That tickles!" Deathscythe cackled.

"What!" Zero gaped, and in gaping was barely able bring up his shield in order defend against a blow from the scythe. He was knocked down, landing right on the edge of one of the smelting pits.

"Why don't you just melt away like all the other Knight Gundams!" Deathscythe asked sadistically.

Zero forced himself up and glared at Deathscythe. "What do you mean!"

Meanwhile, Shute and Captain, who had his shield and beam rifle, appeared at the top of the ship.

Shute cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled, "Zero! Bakunetsumaru!"

Shute stopped when he saw Gerbera. The mono-eyed robot hadn't moved his platform, but his head was down and it looked like he was shaking with rage.

"Really, now…" Gerbera hissed, looking up to glare at the Neotopians. Even at that distance, Shute could feel an unnatural amount of venom in the robot's gaze. Then, a giant hand, with red fingers and a purple wrist, floated up from behind Gerbera as the General growled. There was a mono-eye in the wrist, and in each of the finger tips was some kind of hole…

"What's that?" Shute asked worriedly.

The index finger began to glow green, and with a sickening burst of light, a beam shot out from it. It streamed at Kibaomaru and Bakunetsumaru, the latter of whom jumping to avoid it. The beam hit a round point in the wall, but instead of creating a large hole, it split off into four separate beams. One of these beams shot at Zero, who did a barrel role to avoid it. _That _beam hit another point in the wall and separated, until beams were bouncing all over the place. The fighters began to do an odd dance, trying to attack each other while avoiding the beams. One beam was flying straight at the _Gundamusai_, and was about to take Shute's head off when Captain got in front of him, deflecting the beam with his shield.

"Thanks, Captain!" Shute said.

Captain nodded and cried, "I have to help the others!"

Shute grinned and punched the air. "Right. Let's _do it!_"

As Captain rocketed off, Shute heard Bakunetsumaru cry "Look out!" and looked. One of the beams had narrowly grazed Bakunetsumaru and Kibaomaru, causing Bakunetsumaru to fall back in pain as the beam streaked across his chest. But it was worse for Kibaomaru. As the heat from the beam burned his arm, he let go of Genkimaru! The boy Musha Gundam screamed as he plummeted towards the smelting pit.

"_No!_" Shute cried, and leapt from the _Gundamusai_.

Genkimaru, meanwhile, calmed himself down and began to trace another portal for himself, same as the last one. But before he could fall into it, Shute rocketed by and caught him, unaware of the Musha Gundam's plan. Once they were on the floor, Shute set Genkimaru down and asked, "Are you all right?"

Genkimaru shot him a cold look. "Stay outta my way!"

Shute wasn't sure what to say. He saved this kid's life, but he was upset? What was up with that?

Before explanations could be exchanged, the two boys saw a beam heading their way and panicked. But just before it hit, Captain jumped in and pulled them out of harm's way. However, it was a close one. Captain's backpack was torn off and landed into the smelting pit.

"_Captain!_" Zero cried, seeing this as he clashed with Deathscythe.

As Captain landed on another part of the floor, Shute cried, "Captain! You're backpack!"

"It's too late to save it!" Captain told him, before turning to Genkimaru. "But who is this?"

Genkimaru snored. The boy had either passed out from the excitement, or had fallen asleep from the strain of making two portals in short time.

"We have to get him to somewhere safe!" Shute decided. Putting Captain's arm over his shoulder and picking up Genkimaru, they two made their way towards the _Gundamusai_.

Kibaomaru saw what they were up to and roared "_He's mine!_" before jumped back over Bakunetsumaru's attack from behind.

"Curse you!" Bakunetsumaru snarled.

With the help of Shute's backpack's boosters, Captain and Shute jumped up onto the _Gundamusai_.

"Zero! Bakunetsumaru!" Captain ordered, "_Retreat now!_"

As he and Deathscythe continued to clash their blades, Zero demanded, "What, run away!"

Bakunetsumaru made slice at Kibaomaru and shouted, "We cannot run away from the Dark Axis!"

But with his attention drawn from their fight, Bakunetsumaru received a punch in the gut from Kibaomaru. The Blazing Samurai went flying off of the platform, and would have landed in a smelting pit had Zero not caught him. As the Winged Knight carried Bakunetsumaru away, the hot-headed Musha Gundam shouted, "Let me at 'em, let me at' em!"

With a terrible screech, the General's three eyes lined up into one single eye and began to glow. The cannon barrels on the hands fingers began to glow…all five of them.

Meanwhile, Zero was just about to deposit a struggling Bakunetsumaru onto the _Gundamusai_'s lookout with Shute and Captain.

"No, I don't wanna run away!" Bakunetsumaru continued to shout when a stray beam exploded behind them. Zero dropped the samurai in shock.

"_Emergency take-off!_" Captain ordered.

"Affirmative." RAIMI replied, and the ship began to sink back into the Zakurello Gate.

"Don't let them get away!" Kibaomaru shouted. He would _not _lose that brat after all this trouble. "_Cobramaru!_"

There was a rush of movement, and on the wall appeared Musha Gundam ninja wearing a giant purple, robotic cobra hood.

"Yes, sir," Cobramaru replied, bowing. "I'm at your command." He quickly zipped away.

Deathscythe, meanwhile, had a similar idea. His scythe glowed and compacted into ball of green magic.

"Where do you think _you're _going!" the Knight of Darkness hissed, and sent the ball at the _Gundamusai._ The magic struck the ship and sank into it, just Cobramaru hopped aboard and faded from sight.

At this time, the five cannons on the hand's fingers fired, sending five beams of energy at the ship.

Seeing this, Zero raised his hand and chanted, "_Super Magical I-Field!_"

A shimmering blue force field around the _Gundamusai_'s bridge just as the beams struck. The Gundam Force covered their eyes as the entire room lit up, and Zero struggled to keep the I-Field up. Shute felt the ship shake from the impact, gave one last yell…

…And then they were gone. Kibaomaru, Deathscythe, and Gebera turned to look at the General, who was muttering eldritch curses in what could have been considered a stage whisper. Only one word could be recognized.

"…_Gundam…_"

-z-

"Shute? Are you awake?

At the sound of Captain's voice, Shute slowly opened his eyes. His first thought was that he had died, but that idea was debunked by the beating of his heart. The dead didn't have heartbeats. Looking up, he saw the rest of the Gundams looking at him, relatively unharmed. Lying next to Bakunetsumaru was the small boy they had rescued from the Dark Axis, still asleep.

"You guys are all safe…" Shute said softly.

Bakunetsumaru nodded. "Yeah…"

"We all survived." Captain announced.

"Yes," Zero looked around. "But where are we?"

Shute looked up. All he could see was clouds in an endless sky. On their left and right he could see two oceans…lying vertically.

"What kind of place is this?" He asked, looking to the Gundams for explanation. They did not answer. "Where are we…?"

The only sound was the gentle roar of the _Gundamusai_'s thrusters.

A/N: Woo! We finally get started on the second season! Woo-woo-woo!

Anyway, some explanations. In the original Japanese airing, the General's speech is simply rendered as beastly roars and screeches, while in the English dubbing they use a strange, garbled language instead. I guess they do it to suggest his so-called status as a 'being beyond our comprehension'. Either way, I decided to try and merge the two speeches together, you know, sit on the fence.

And if you've been reading the previous books, yes, Deathscythe is Tallgeese's servant! I didn't give him a name before because A) they didn't mention it and B) He wasn't that important to the plot. Now he is! It adds mystique, I think. That unimportant guy actually has more character is very gripping…

Oh, and Kibaomaru's thought about washing necks comes from a Japanese threat "Wash your neck and prepare for the axe!" I guess it refers to the common execution method of beheading enemies. Basically, what the speaker is saying is that you should prepare to die.

Anyway, send plenty of reviews to keep me motivated, especially now that classes have started again!


	3. Zako Zako Hour 13

Chapter 1.5: Zako Zako Hour!

Deep with the _Gundamusai_, in the engine room, there was a garage door. The door had been closed for quite some time, but it now began to rise. Once it was completely open, it showed a stage with a large screen in the background, and on that stage were three Zako Soldiers, each carrying a differently colored and shaped microphone. The Zako in the middle had the round red microphone. The Zako on his left had the blue square microphone. The Zako on Red Mic's right had the yellow pyramid microphone.

"Ladies and gentlebots," Red Mic began as he and his co-stars bowed, "It's the Zako Zako Hour! Today's meeting is all about, all together now…"

The three Zakos cried all at once, "_Why Did You Turn On Us, _Magnamusai_?_"

"Zako," Began Red Mic, "Well well, it's been quite a long time since we've stood on this stage, Zako!"

"Well, it's not like we haven't been busy, Zako!" Blue Mic replied.

Yellow Mic let out a strangle cry. "Busy losing to the Gundams, Zako!"

The screen lit up, showing scenes from the Dark Axis invasion of Neotopia.

"It's been a long and tiresome battle for us Zakos!" Red Mic stated.

"We Zakos were engaged in a lot of activities you never saw, you know!" Blue Mic pointed out.

Red Mic and Yellow Mic nodded.

"We very busy running," Yellow Mic said, as the screen showed the Zakos falling past Shute as he climbed Neotopia Tower. "Hiding behind things," The screen showed the hosts peeking out from behind a Gunperry. "Staying perfectly still," Next was a capture of the hosts looking at the Horn of War. "And basically playing possum." This last phrase was capped off by an image from Captain's battle with Sazabi, where Yellow Mic and Red Mic were lying down in the background.

"Zako…" Red Mic and Blue Mic sighed.

"We did more than that!" Blue Mic protested, "How can you say such a thing! We watched our beloved _Mangamusai_ become the Horn of War!"

"Oh!" Red Mic and Yellow Mic cried.

"Great, Zako," Yellow Mic remarked, "_Magnamusai _is capable of doing anything, isn't it?"

"We're so proud of our Dark Axis!" The three Zakos cheered.

"And we're so proud of the…" Red Mic began.

"_Magnamusai!_" The three finished all together.

"Oh!" Cried Red Mic and Yellow Mic.

"Unfortunately," Yellow Mic said, "_Magnamusai _was totally destroyed along with our beloved Commander.

"Oh!" the hosts cried sadly.

Red Mic and Blue Mic then got annoyed and punched Yellow Mic. "Say it ain't so!"

"Zako!" Yellow Mic cried, reeling from the punch.

"The Dark Axis is no more." Red Mic said sadly.

"We not only lost our beloved Commander, but also the _Magnamusai_." Blue Mic said sadly.

"Thus we Zakos became homeless, Zako." Yellow Mic said sadly. Something occurred to him and he began to yell, "But-but-but, how did we get here, Zako, what is this!" Calming down, he asked, "Why are we here? Where do we live? Where is this stage?"

"Let me explain," Blue Mic began, "The_ Magnamusai _was recovered by the SDG," The screen behind showed an outline of the _Magnamusai_. It zoomed in on its bridge, which was replaced with a Gundam head, and zoomed out to show the _Gundamusai_. "And, believe it or not, it was remodeled by the Gundam Force as their flagship- The _Gundamusai!_"

"I can't believe it, Zako!" Red Mic cried.

"That is so cool, Zako." Yellow Mic remarked.

"No!" Red Mic and Blue Mic cried, "It's not cool, Zako!"

"Ah, c'mon, it's a little bit cool, Zako." Yellow Mic suggested. Red Mic and Blue Mic glared, but he paid them no mind. "They cleaned it up and gave it a Gundam face. Now it looks stronger than before, Zako."

"It belongs to them now!" Red Mic lamented.

"the fight is over." Blue Mic sighed.

But Yellow Mic was more optimistic. "If we got to use this fancy new ship we could do better this time, zako!"

Red Mic and Blue Mic shot him a dirty look. "You're right, Zako!" they cried, punching him.

Yellow Mic reeled. "Is that so?"

Red Mic's eye became enflamed. "Even if the_Magnamusai _is now the _Gundamusai…!_"

Blue Mic's eye enflamed as well. "Even though the Commander has been defeated!"

"As long as we're around," The two Zakos cried together, "The Dark Axis will survive forever!"

"Zako!" Yellow Mic added.

"Anyway, everyone!" Red Mic finished, "For the future of the Dark Axis…"

The hosts raised their microphones. "_Zako Soldiers fight! Yeah!_"

The iron curtain fell, and the audience- a single, solitary Zako, clapped his hands eagerly.

"Oh, yeah!" He cheered, "Yay! Yippee! Zako Soldiers fight!"


	4. Ways of the Warrior

Chapter 2: Ways of the Warriors

The V-fin on the bridge of the _Gundamusai _lifted up, and the fins bent upwards and split apart, the gaps filled with a purple netting.

Inside the bridge, RAIMI said, "Commencing omni-directional scan to determine our location."

Captain nodded. "Roger," Turning, he said, "Do it, Shute."

"Right!" Shute looked at the Zakurello Phone and said, "Zakurello Gate, open!"

Nothing happened. The eyes on the Phone were shut, as if it was in pain.

"Zakurello Gate, open!" Shute said again. When nothing continued to happen, his face fell. "Hey…"

"As long as the Gate opens…" Bakunetsumaru breathed as he and Zero sat in the back.

"I should be able to get back to Lacroa." Zero finished.

The Gundam Force looked ahead, waiting for any sign of change.

"The Zakurello Gate is not responding." RAIMI announced.

Shute sighed. "It's no use, huh?"

"Monitoring wave-spectrum for non-random emissions and communications channels," RAIMI announced. After a few minutes, she said, "Search complete. Result: Negative on all wavelengths."

Shute groaned.

"So we don't know what's happened to us…" Captain muttered.

Unable to think about their predicament, Shute turned to Zero and Bakunetsumaru. He had a question for them about the people they fought in that large room.

"Those Dark Axis guys were the jerks who betray Ark and Lacroa, right?" He asked.

"Correct," Zero answered, "One was called Deathscythe."

"And one was Kibaomaru." Bakunetsumaru added.

Meanwhile, at the back of the bridge, Genkimaru had been fast asleep on one of RAIMI's large hands. When he heard their voices, he slowly woke up. Confused, he looked around, before focusing on the four at the front.

"There were others, too, right?" Shute asked Captain, thinking about that mono-eyed robot and that weird robot hand-cannon.

Captain nodded. "Right."

Shute began to get excited. "Maybe it was their base! Dark Axis headquarters!"

"Miss RAIMI?" Captain asked.

"Unable to confirm." RAIMI answered.

Shute had an idea. "Hey, wait! Maybe that kid we saved might know something!"

The Gundam Force got out of their seats and walked to the hand- but it was empty.

"Hey, where'd he go?" Shute asked.

Zero looked around and pointed. "There he is!"

The rest of the Force looked and saw a helmet and a pair of brown eyes peeking out from alcove on the wall. Genkimaru had flattened himself out.

"I'm glad you finally woke up!" Shute greeted friendly as they walked up to him. "Hi, I'm Shute! You okay?"

Genkimaru said nothing. He just stared at them.

"Hey, don't worry!" Shute said, catching the boy's unease. "We're on your side!"

Genkimaru's eyes narrowed.

"Let me talk to him, Shute," Bakunetsumaru said, and stepped forward. Then, in a oh-so-cutesy and sugary tone, said, "He's right, you know! There's nothing to be afraid of! We mean you know harm! Now please, be a good boy and come down-"

That was as far as he got, as Genkimaru jumped down from the wall onto his face and began to do a frenzied kick-dance.

He said, "I am Genkimaru, who are you creatures, where are we?"

Shute, Zero, and Captain stared at this scene, as the boy continued to carry on.

"Whatever your vile intentions are, I will fight you to the very end! No matter what kind of horrible things you do to me, you fiendish weirdos!" Genkimaru finished and hopped off of Bakunetsumaru's face.

"Who are calling a fiendish weirdo, you little brat!" Bakunetsumaru bellowed as he began to chase Genkimaru around the room. "Is that how you introduce yourself to someone, by insulting them! You've gotta be taught some manners, come back here you-!"

Shute tried to stop Bakunetsumaru from throttling Genkimaru, leaping between the two and saying, "Calm down, Baku', calm down! He's just a kid, you know! Okay?"

Bakunetsumaru stopped, but he was still fuming. "He may be small, but he's a Musha Gundam! His rude behavior is absolutely inexcusable!"

Shute looked at Genkimaru, who was now staring back in some kind of disgruntled fascination. "Kid Musha Gundam? No kidding!"

"He will grow up, you know!" Bakunetsumaru grumbled, though from his tone, he probably didn't think it was possible for this kid.

"I didn't know that Musha Gundams _could _grow up." Zero remarked dryly to Captain, but was secretly amazed. He had never seen a Musha Gundam child before. They looked so different from the fully grown ones.

"Amazing!" Captain said.

"Hey, take it easy, will ya!" Shute cried.

Captain and Zero looked back to the center of the room to see that Genkimaru had tackled Shute, and was now pulling at his cheeks. The human boy had his teeth clenched in a pained smile as his brain screamed out in agony- that kid was really pinching!

"What a flabby creature…!" Genkimaru remarked.

"What are ya doing!" Shute groaned, "I'm not made outta rubber, ya know!"

"Coulda fooled me," Genkimaru muttered, but then he recalled Shute pulling him away from his portal when Kibaomaru dropped him. "Wait, I remember you! You guys showed up when I was fighting the Dark Axis! I woulda shredded 'em if _you_ hadn't interfered! You kidnapped me to save your Dark Axis friends! You're on their side, you evil losers!" He jumped back from Shute and pointed an accusing finger at them. "Your trickery won't work! You can't catch me!" He began to run again. "I'm outta here!"

As Genkimaru ran around the bridge, Shute cried, "We're not the Dark Axis! When we got there, they were just about to finish you off! If we hadn't saved you, they would have!"

"What kind of joke do you think I am?" Genkimaru demanded, "You can't deceive me, you liar!"

He passed the elevator, hitting the down button. The doors opened, and Genkimaru, seeing his chance, zipped inside.

"Stop!" Captain cried and the Gundam Force ran to the elevator, but the doors closed on them.

Genkimaru looked around. _This is what I need…how does it start? _He saw a flashing button. "Aha!"

-z-

The elevator opened up on a lower level. Poking his head out the door, Genkimaru looked around.

_Coast is clear! _He thought, and took off down the hall. When the hall split off into two separate directions he stopped and looked both ways. _That way or this way? This way! _He thought, and went right. _Whoops! Dead-end! That way! _Doing an about-face, he took off down the left hall.

As Genkimaru charged down the maze of corridors, small, green robotic mice called Elmice scurried and squeaked at his presence. This place was crazy enough as it was without some strange kid running around.

_Where's that stupid exit! _Genkimaru thought as he paused in a cross-section. _This way? _He took off down one path, only to find another dead-end. _That's not it, must be this way! _He zipped in the opposite direction, scaring some Elmice off.

However, what he found was another door fenced off by the SDG.

_Oh no! Another dead-end! _He thought discouragingly. Looking around, he decided, _I guess I got no choice!_

Genkimaru quickly traced another box into the air, creating a portal. Once it solidified, he jumped through it.

-z-

The portal opened up to the area outside of the ship, but once he got there, Genkimaru realized that something was wrong.

_Hey, where am I? Why are there so many clouds? _He thought, looking around. He looking down, he cried, "And why isn't there any ground!"

Waving his arms and legs frantically, Genkimaru plunged downward, screaming.

Luckily, the Gundam Force heard his wails. Zero shot downward after him.

"Hold on!" The Winged Knight yelled, and grabbed Genkimaru before he fell out of sight of the _Gundamusai. _As they rose back up, he scolded the Musha Gundam kid. "Where did you were going? You can't leave the ship while it's still in the air, it's too dangerous! Understand?"

Genkimaru nodded helplessly, his rebellious nature shaken by the experience. "Whatever…"

Zero rolled his eyes. "C'mon…"

-z-

Back in the bridge, Genkimaru was put back in the robotic hand, as the Gundam Force gathered around him.

"You see," Shute explained, "We came from a city called Neotopia, in another dimension."

Genkimaru drummed his fingers as he lay in the hand, a bored expression on his face.

"It's protected by a defense organization, the SDG. We all belong to it," Shute continued, "And we're called…" he and the Gundams struck poses. "…_The Gundam Force!_"

Genkimaru shrugged. "Never heard of ya."

The Gundam Force sighed.

"Very well," Captain rotated his head so that it was facing the front of the bridge. "RAIMI, display a video-image of Neotopia."

"Understood."

"Great idea, Captain!" Shute exclaimed, "Upload requested video file!"

When he heard RAIMI's voice, Genkimaru looked around. "Who is that? Who're you talking to?" Then he saw Captain's completely turned-around head and turned white. Pulling out his axe/dagger holder, he demanded in a scared voice, "Is this place haunted!"

Captain turned his head back to Genkimaru, confused at his question. He knew that Bakunetsumaru had a phobia of ghosts- did that apply to all Musha Gundams?

RAIMI then said, "Upload complete. Activating playback."

A holographic screen appeared over the holo-helm, showing an image of Neotopia.

"Take a look!" Shute said, waving at the screen. "That's where I live, Neotopia! It's in a different dimension than the one we're in now."

The screen switched to some footage of day-to-day life in the city.

"In Neotopia," Shute went on, "Humans and robots co-exist peacefully, and everyone was happy- until the Dark Axis showed up and tried to take over. But the Gundam Force wouldn't let them. We protected Neotopia and sent those Dark Axis goons back where they came from!"

The screen then showed clips from the Gundam Force's various battles with the Dark Axis, such as Captain's fight at the factory, Shute trying to knock Grappler off of a Horn-controlled swan ferry, and Zero and Bakunetsumaru's struggles against the Doga Bombers. The video finished with clips of the fight against the Commander, ending with the three Gundams, ready to unleash their Triple Attack, and then the entire Force posing in SDG headquarters.

"You see?" Shute asked.

"You see?" the Gundams asked.

But Genkimaru wasn't paying attention, he was lying down with his back at them. "Know what I think?" He asked before farting.

The Gundam Force was silent. And very, very disgusted.

Bakunetsumaru recovered first. He whipped out some ink, a brush, some red tape, and a sheet of paper.

"Ugh! Why that smelly little runt!" He growled, dabbing the brush with ink. With his eyes enflamed, he began to paint on the paper. "This kid needs to be educated!" Once he was finished, he held out his masterpiece. It was a giant character on it. Holding out the tape, he declared, "Properly educated, Musha-style!" Acting quickly, he folded and taped the paper into a fan. "Behold! Educational slapping fan!"

Bakunetsumaru brought the fan onto the ground, where it made a loud slap.

"Hold on!" Genkimaru yelped, jumping up. When he saw Bakunetsumaru and the fan, he said, "Chill out, dude."

"You must understand!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, slapping the fan against the hand with each word. "That to become a truly great Musha Gundam, you must master the way of the Musha! _The Musha Code!_" He began to slap the fan again. "You are _undisciplined!_"

"Yeah?" Genkimaru asked, "Says who?"

"I am Bakunetsumaru, the Blazing Samurai!" Bakunetsumaru declared, making the characters of his name appear. "Now listen! The way of the Musha is a life dedicated to chivalry! Where no deed is ever done that will dishonor your Gunsoul! A Musha depends on his Gunsoul for justice! An old friend and I had a difference of opinion, but he was a true Musha who understood the way!"

Bakunetsumaru gave the fan one more slap and pointed to the screen with it. At that moment, clips of his fights against Ashuramaru, a Musha Gundam Kibaomaru sent to aid the Dark Axis in their attacks on Neotopia. It had been a difficult struggle for Bakunetsumaru, not only because of Ashuramaru's power, but because he was once an old friend of Bakunetsumaru's, who had turned to a life of vengeance because of a sleight Bakunetsumaru did to him. But even though they had become enemies, he still respected the unspoken (But constantly shouted) honor between rivals, and even praised Bakunetsumaru's strength in the face of adversity.

"Try to believe me…what I did…I did for Ark…" The rival had said once defeated.

And Bakunetsumaru replied, "I believe you…Kujakumaru." using the fallen one's former name.

"This is but one example of what the eight virtues of the Musha Code demand!" Bakunetsumaru explained in the present, and began to count off his fingers. "Kindness, justice, respect…" His eyes glazed over as he trailed off. "Wisdom…ah…and, ah…" His eyes enflamed and he cried, "In short, eat well, sleep well, defeat the enemy, be polite, and live very honestly!" Wiping his brow, he asked, "Now, did you get all that…" He then saw Genkimaru was lying with his back turned again. "…_or do you need to hear it from the slapping fan!_"

"Hmph," Genkimaru glanced at him and recited, "Kindness, justice, respect, wisdom, loyalty, faith, devotion, and courtesy, the eight virtues!"

Bakunetsumaru's face scrunched up and he began to count on his fingers. "Kindness, justice, respect, wisdom…uh, let's see…"

Shute and Zero fell forward. "Baku'!"

Recovering, Zero summoned a violet rose (As he was wont to do) and said, "It would appear it's time for _me _to take a turn," Twirling in the air, he scattered the rose's petals. "I am the magnificent Winged Knight! The elegant Knight Gundam Zero!"

Zero halted into an elegant pose, lights sparkling around him.

"Well said!" Bakunetsumaru applauded.

"All right!" Shute cheered.

Captain nodded. "Well said."

Genkimaru, watching this spectacle, raised an eyebrow. "So, you're a Winged Knight, huh?"

Zero lowered to Genkimaru's level and said, "Consider the knight's chivalry, and learn from one who has been deemed a paragon of this glorious lifestyle, possessing courage and loyalty and tolerance. I protect those in need- especially fair damsels. That is the chivalry code of the Knights of Lacroa, my beloved homeland. Like Ark, it is a country in Soladiorama, a land where humans and Knight Gundams live together, and protect the peace."

Zero as spoke, he gestured to the screen and it showed footage from his exploits, such as protecting Shute and his friends from Bagubagu at the lake, or from a rampaging robotic statue of Mayor Margaret Gathermoon under Dark Axis control. It also showed his fight against Tallgeese, an evil Knight had who betrayed Lacroa for the Dark Axis, and how he trapped him in the Dark Hole of Lacroa, where magic cannot exist. It then showed him merging with Fenn, a spirit of Lacroa who Zero raised into the great Feather Dragon, and they defeated Tallgeese again, trapping him in a breach in a magic square. As he watched, Zero remembered the last words of his princess, before turning to stone.

"_**I leave the future in your hands…"**_

"Oh, princess…" He whispered.

"Lacroa…" Genkimaru muttered before snapping his fingers, "Yeah, I remember now. Lacroa is that lame country that the Dark Axis defeated so easily, right?"

Zero glared daggers at the child Musha. "It's not defeated yet! We're finally going to save the petrified princess and her citizens!"

Genkimaru rolled his eyes. "Finally! You mean you just ditched them like that until now? What a coward!"

A vein bulged under Zero's helmet. "_What! A coward!_"

Zero, fuming and muttering curses, had to be led away from Genkimaru by Shute, playing his role as Gundam Force peacemaker.

"Calm down, he doesn't understand!" the human boy said appeasingly, "This is all new to him!"

Captain then decided that enough was enough. Stepping forward, he said, "I guess it's my turn."

"Captain!" Shute cried, as all eyes turned to the Gundam.

Captain did several military punches and kicks into the air. His targeting scope slid down over his eye and he said, "I'm Captain Gundam! I've been granted special dispensation to use firearms against the forces of the Dark Axis!" He did a flip and posed. The light gleamed off of his V-fin. "I am the leader of the Gundam Force! My comrades and I are dedicated to defeating the Dark Axis invaders."

The screen then showed footage of Captain's battles, such as his first assault against Zapper Zaku, the battle at the Dimensional Transport Device, the fight against the _Big-Zam_, and ending with his battle against Commander Sazabi.

"Currently, we are on a mission to save Lacroa." Captain stated as the video ended.

"Oh _yeah?_" Genkimaru asked, "What're you guys floatin' around _here _for?"

"We…don't know that yet." Captain admitted.

Genkimaru scoffed. "Why should I trust a bunch of losers?"

Captain stared. He hadn't met anyone as difficult as Genkimaru before, and the experience was very tiresome.

"You can make him understand, Captain!" Shute urged, "_Keep trying!_"

At the sound of Shute's encouragement, Captain felt a burst of power and his eyes enflamed. "Genkimaru!"

"Huh?" Genkimaru blinked. "What's up?"

"We don't know if we can trust you either," Captain said, stepping towards him. "However, considering the situation, I think it's best if we work together. Don't you agree?"

"Agree? No way!" Genkimaru snapped, You think you can convince me with your ridiculous videos and your so-called logic? You better go back to Gundam school, Captain! You're so _lame!_"

As genkimaru spoke, the flame in Captain's eyes diminished until it was completely gone. Captain then walked over to the back of Bakunetsumaru's chair, leaned against it and sighed.

"Captain! Hey, Captain! Wait a second!" Shute yelled quickly, waving his arms desperately. "What about your chivalry! You didn't tell him anything about _that!_"

"Shute's right!" Zero and Bakunetsumaru joined in, "We want to hear about your chivalry, Captain!"

Captain turned to them and said, "I'd guess I'd call it…mecha chivalry."

"Huh?" Shute, Zero and Bakunetsumaru went.

"Let me explain what I mean by that," Captain said, and a compartment opened up on his chest to reveal the most vital part of him, a glass ball with a flame lit inside, surrounded by two spinning gold rings; the Soul Drive. "Everytime I must choose which path to take, I am guided by my Soul Drive. And whatever choice I make, my friend Shute and my comrades-in-arms will be by my side. And we will always do our best, no matter what. That is mecha chivalry, see?"

Shute smiled, and Zero and Bakunetsumaru nodded solemnly.

But Genkimaru wasn't so impressed. Pointing at Shute, he asked, "Yeah? What about that rubber-face guy over there? What good is _he _when you're fighting? Is he really one of your team? I mean, a weakling like that must be real pain to put up with!"

Shute frowned. Not just because of Genkimaru was saying, but that he knew deep down he was the weakest of the Force. But he was the one who saved Zero and Captain when they were captured by the Dark Axis. He was the one who got Captain's Soul Drive back from Commander Sazabi. And without him, Captain wouldn't be able to activate his Soul Drive! That counted too, didn't it?

Before he could say just that, the rest of the Gundam Force yelled at Genkimaru, "You're outta line, pal! Shute here is our best friend!"

Shute grinned. "You guys…!" That's right, who cared what that little brat thought?

Genkimaru stared them for a minute before snorting, looking away.

"Aw, Genkimaru! Haven't you ever…" Shute began to say, really fed up with the kid's attitude, when a klaxon sounded.

"Interdimensional communication has been established." RAIMI announced, "Uploading transmission and configuring image to display.

The clockwork parts on the ceiling in the center of the room lit up, and a platform rose up underneath it.

"Great!" Shute cried, relieved to have someone other than Genkimaru to talk with. "It must be from SDG headquarters! _Finally!_"

"Yes, that's a relief." Captain agreed.

A circular holo-screen appeared in the spotlight shining down, and the first thing the Gundam Force and genkimaru saw was a mop of blond hair, tied into a large ponytail.

Upon seeing this hair, the Gundam Force went, "Huh?"

The hair swiveled around, showing the face of the head it was growing on. It was a cute girl with big blue eyes.

"Sayla!" Shute, Captain and Bakunetsumaru cried.

"My princess!" Zero gasped.

"Who?" Genkimaru asked, confused.

"Hi there," Sayla greeted, "It's nice to see you."

Another face then slid in front of her. "I _told _you it would work!" Bell Wood muttered, a small, half-eaten cake in his hand, crumbs around his mouth.

"_Hey, wait!_" Shute yelled, "Is that Sayla's cake you got there!"

Bell Wood ignored him. "This is strange! You guys know where you are? Whatever dimension you're in right now isn't ours _or _Lacroa's!"

"It's neither dimension?" Captain asked.

"Whaddya mean?" Bakunetsumaru demanded, "Where are we!"

Bell Wood continued to type. "Those coordinates are imaginary numbers! Makes no sense!"

As Bell Wood tried to work it out, Sayla hopped in front.

"There's cake in the food storage are for all of you," Sayla said, "Please don't hesitate to eat them, all right?"

Shute's eyes rippled, his cheeks reddened, and his mouth watered. "Thank you, Sayla," He said, wiping away the drool. "That sounds really good!"

Next to him, Zero pondered their conundrum. "Neither our dimension or Lacroa's…I've got it! We must be in the Minov Boundary Sea!"

"Minov Boundary Sea!" Everyone repeated, looking at him.

"Correct," Zero explained, "When supernatural powers collide, there are those who will fall into the divergent gaps that exist between dimensional boundaries. It is said that one of these gaps is the Minov Boundary Sea, from which no one is capable of returning."

Shute felt his throat dry up. "You mean we're gonna be stuck here _forever?_"

Zero considered. "Well, according to the ancient legends of Lacroa…"

"Wait!" Bakunetsumaru interrupted, "That rascal Genkimaru has disappeared again!"

"What!" But it was true. The hand was empty.

-z-

On the V-fin of the _Gundamusai_, Genkimaru opened the basket he had found in the food storage. Pulling out the pastry within, he studied it, sniffed it. So…this was a 'cake' huh?

_Is this stuff even edible? _He wondered. It felt like bread, with some odd creamy stuff on top. Cautiously, he licked it.

The result was instantaneous. His taste buds did a joyous dance while his cheeks reddened.

"Not…bad…" He muttered, shaking at these new sensations running throughout his body.

-z-

Back at the bridge, the Gundam Force reconnoitered after searching the ship.

"Did you find him?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

"No!" Zero replied.

"We know he was in the food storage area," Captain remarked, "It was in shambles!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Shute saw something fell down the outside through the bridge's window. Rushing over, he saw that it was a basket!

"That was my cake!" Shute cried, and looked up. He made a dash for the elevator.

-z-

Genkimaru was doing an impressive imitation of a piranha as he devoured Sayla's cake. It was so good!

"Aha!"

Genkimaru looked up and saw the Gundam Force looking down at him. Shute had a particularly angry look in his eyes.

"Just as I thought!" Shute shouted hotly, pointing an accusing finger. "He found Sayla's cake and now the little glutton is gobbling it all up!"

Genkimaru blew raspberries at Shute before eating faster than ever. "Don' like it anyway!" He muttered between chews, "I' tastes awful!"

That got Shute's ire up, and it took all three Gundams to keep him from throttling the little Musha Gundam.

"Genkimaru!" Shute roared over the Gundams' pleas to stay calm, "Listen you! You just can't take things that belong to somebody else! Especially when it's the _best cake in the universe!_ Just wait till I…"

Genkimaru ignored him. This weird detour might actually be some fun!

-z-

Hanging underneath the_ Gundamusai_, Cobramaru sighed. This weird little detour might actually be some fun…if he didn't die from boredom first. Behind him, he sensed Deathscythe's magic shift as it clung to the bottom of the ship. As he heard the antics going on above, he allowed himself a private laugh. Those fools wouldn't know trouble until _he _was through!

Meanwhile, on the very back, some Zakos stared out at the endless clouds while one jumped around.

"What's going to happen to us now!" He cried hysterically, "_Zako!_"

-End chapter 2-

A/N: If this chapter seems familiar to you, than that's because the episode it's based on was a clip show, just like the first chapter of Book 3. Yeah, there was such a gap between the two seasons that the makers decided to throw one in to tell late viewers what's going on and stuff, or they just had to fill up time. In any case, Genkimaru certainly isn't starting out well with the Force, what with his bratty behavior. I also wanted to state what the character of Bakunetsumaru's 'educational slapping fan' was, but I couldn't find it. If anyone knows, please say so, and I'll give you a credit.

Also, we finally know the name of the planet Ark and Lacroa is on! Soladiorama! Yay!


	5. Zako Zako Hour 14

Chapter 2.5: Zako Zako Hour

The iron curtain rose.

"Ladies and gentlebots," Red Mic began as he and the other two bowed, "The subject of today's Zako Zako Hour is, _Whether Or Not…_"

The other hosts chimed in with him. "_We Zakos Can Go Back To The Dark Axis!_"

There was scattered applause.

"Zako," Red Mic said, "Right now we Zakos are trapped in a mysterious place between dimensions, called the Minov Boundary Sea, Zako!"

Blue Mic said, "The goody-goody Gundams are trapped too, 'cause they don't know how to get out of here!"

Yellow Mic began to fidget in a panicked manner. "We should have gotten back to the Dark Axis a long time ago!" Stopping, he looked around. "How'd we get here?"

"Who knows?" Blue Mic asked, "We changed the _Gundamusai_'s destination from Lacroa to the Dark Axis, but we ended up here!"

"Maybe 'cause we tickled the Zakurello Gate too much, Zako?" Red Mic asked.

"Butbutbutbutbut don't you remember!" Yellow Mic cried, "We did get there, we were at the Dark Axis headquarters, Zako!"

"_What did you say!_" Red Mic and Blue Mic cried out.

"When we got there, I saw our Zakurello Gate hanging on the wall, Zako!" Yellow Mic explained "Why, it must have been the heart of the Dark Axis fortress, the room belonging to the General himself!"

"Whoa!" Red Mic and Blue Mic gasped.

"By any chance," Red Mic asked, "Did you happen to see the General, too?"

"His highness, the General, the highest-ranking officer in the Dark Axis, Zako?" Blue Mic asked.

"Now that you mention it, I most certainly did, Zako." Yellow Mic answered.

"_You did?_" Gasped Red Mic and Blue Mic.

"What'd he look like, Zako?" Blue Mic asked breathlessly.

"Like him." Yellow Mic pointed to the screen, and an image of a bearded Musha Gundam, clad in dark and gold armor appeared.

"Sire!" Red Mic and Blue Mic bowed to the screen before catching themselves.

"Wait a minute, that guy is Kibaomaru!" Blue Mic yelled.

"Huh?" Yellow Mic asked intelligently.

"Lord Kibaomaru's the Musha Gundam who wants conquer Ark!" Red Mic explained.

"You mean he's not his highness, the General?" Yellow Mic asked.

"You bonehead, no!" Red Mic and Blue Mic snapped.

"Then how's about this one?" Yellow Mic asked, and the screen showed an image of a green blob of mist with yellow eyes.

"Sire!" Red Mic and Blue Mic bowed before catching themselves.

"Nah, that's Lord Deathscythe, the evil magician of Lacroa." Blue Mic said.

Not one to be beat, Yellow Mic had the screen pull up an image of a pink and black Dark Axis robot.

"Then it's gotta be this one here, huh?" He asked.

"Sire!" Red Mic and Blue Mic bowed out of habit.

"No, that's Prof. Gerbera, the terror of the Dark Axis." Blue Mic said.

"Wait a minute!" Yellow Mic cried, "I just remembered."

Red Mic and Blue Mic collapsed. They were fed up.

Yellow Mic went on. "There was another guy there that I didn't know, Zako, I've never seen before, or heard of anyone like him, zako, come to think of it."

"That could have been his highness, the General!" Red Mic cried, sticking his microphone under Yellow Mic's mouth piece.

"What'd this highness guy look like, Zako?" Blue Mic asked, sticking his microphone in.

"What'd he look like, you ask?" Yellow Mic asked, stepping away.

Red Mic and Blue Mic nodded. "Mm-hm!"

"You really wanna know what he looked like, Zako?" Yellow Mic asked.

"Uh-huh!" Nodded Red Mic and Blue Mic.

"You two are _absolutely sure!_" Yellow Mic demanded loudly.

Red Mic and Blue Mic cringed away, but nodded. "Uh, sure!"

Yellow Mic pointed and an image of a small figure, with large eyebrows, a helmet and a topknot sticking out appeared on the screen. He was in pain, and a large hand was squeezing his arm.

"His highness- The General!" Yellow Mic declared.

"Sire!" All three hosts bowed before catching themselves. "_Huh!_"

"_That's _the ruler of the Dark Axis, his highness, the General!" Blue Mic cried.

Red Mic and Blue Mic exchanged uneasy looks. "What's wrong with this picture?"

Then they felt a terrible presence, and a live video of three mono eyes under a red griddle appeared on the screen, before zooming out to show the same horned head in the Dark Axis fortress. A monstrous voice rumbled alien phrases, but one word could be understood.

"…_General!_"

"You mean the _real one!_" The Zakos squeaked, shivering.

The General bellowed a few more choice words. They were alien in their meaning, but the Zakos got the message.

"Forgive us, sire!" They cried, bowing.

The iron curtain slammed down, and Red Mic cried, "Bye, everyone!" Then, to his co-hosts, probably, he asked, "Great meeting, huh?"

The two Zakos in the audience called out dull cheers.


	6. No More Ultimate Techniques!

Chapter 3: No More Ultimate Techniques! Terror of the Minov Boundary Sea!

The doors of the food storage opened up, and in stepped Shute and Captain. Captain had his faceplate open, revealing the human-like mouth and nose that was normally shown for his old 'mobile citizen' mode. They first thing they saw upon entering the room was one of the food crates forced open, and who else but Genkimaru sitting in the middle of a pile of box lunches, ration bars, cans and jars, stuffing his face.

"He's eating _again?_" Shute groaned.

"Genkimaru!" Captain admonished, "Stealing food from the _Gundamusai _is prohibited! Stop this at once!"

Genkimaru responded by throwing an empty can of tuna at Captain. Standing rebelliously, he declared, "I do what I want, Gundam goody-goody!"

"_Oh yeah!_" Shute yelled.

He ran and leapt Genkimaru in a diving tackle, but the Musha Gundam kid quickly jumped out of the way. Shute's leg twitched after he landed on his face. Genkimaru landed on another crate and did a mocking dance.

"Hahaha! He laughed, "Slowpoke! Slowpoke!"

"Yeah?" Shute growled and got up. Getting a hold of the handle on his backpack, Shute pulled it out, revealing it had a hole on the part the connected to the pack. Holding it out, he cried, "Escape _this!_ Shute Super-Glue!"

Shute pointed the barrel of the handle at Genkimaru, and, pressing the button on the edge, began to fire off globs of green goo at Genkimaru. Captain recognized the substance as the high-strength glue Shute had made and used during a battle against the Dark Axis. He knew from first-hand experience how powerful the adhesive was, and how well things stuck to it even before it tried. Genkimaru, meanwhile, was running around the room, dodging the glue gobs.

"Missed me! Not even close!" the brat taunted as he darted around. After running into a corner, he took a flying leap to another crate.

_There you are! _Shute thought, and fired several globs at the side of the crate Genkimaru was going to land on. Naturally, Genkimaru found himself stuck at a horizontal angle.

"Hey, you can't do that!" he protested, trying to shake himself loose of the gunk. "You used a secret weapon! No fair! C'mon! _Get me down!_"

Shute laughed as he and Captain exchanged looks. Shute had some solvent…but he wasn't going to give it to Genkimaru just yet.

-z-

In the Dark Axis fortress, the General continued to bellow and roar.

"How could allow an enemy force inside, Kibaomaru!" Gerbera snarled, glaring at the Musha Gundam lord. "What incompetence! The General is furious!"

As Gerbera spoke, Kibaomaru moved some pieces around the _shogi _board he brought with him. He liked _shogi_, it allowed him to clear his mind.

"Really?" He asked at last, "Well, you share some of the blame yourself!"

Gerbera clutched a shaking fist and growled, "39.21% of his anger is at the intrusion of the small Musha Gundam! And we both know his presence here is solely _your _fault."

Kibaomaru considered pointing out that while Genkimaru did come here to attack him, the fact that a child was able to infiltrate the General's chamber was the result of the base's so-called security. However, he chose not to. Anyone with the power to create portals, child or not, could not be stopped by ordinary defenses.

Instead, he grunted and said, "Very well, then. I'll appease the General's rage by having Cobramaru eliminate enemy force completely," He moved another _shogi _piece. "He's already infiltrated their ship."

There was a sound like a river flowing, and Deathscythe's platform appeared, followed shortly by Deathscythe himself.

"Excuse me, Kibaomaru, I couldn't help overhearing your plan," He said, "Don't you think that's rather hasty?"

Kibaomaru looked at Deathscythe. "What are you talking about?"

"Simply this," Deathscythe answered, "As repulsive as we find them, their innards are constructed out of high-end gundanium. I think capturing them alive and melting them down to be absorbed into our exalted General would be the best way to appease him."

Gerbera nodded, pleased. "Good idea. After using up all the Gundam Knights of Lacroa, we haven't been able to acquire any Musha Gundams from Ark. It would be a wonderful gift."

Kibaomaru moved another piece across the board, frowning.

"How about it, Kibaomaru?" Deathscythe asked, "Why not have Cobramaru capture them alive? The General will be most impressed."

Kibaomaru's expression gave nothing away. "Very well."

-z-

Cobramaru was about to fall asleep, hanging from the bottom of the _Gundamusai_, when a rune circle like Deathscythe's appeared before him. An image of Kibaomaru appeared in the center of it.

"Come in, Cobramaru!" Kibaomaru said.

"Sir!" Cobramaru snapped to attention.

"Congratulations on your intrusion into the enemy ship. I have a new order for you," Kibaomaru said. The image zoomed out to show Deathscythe and Gerbera standing close behind him. "If they discover a way out of the Minov Boundary Sea, I want you to capture them-" He held out his hand. "-_alive._"

"Would you allow me to take over their ship first?" Cobramaru asked.

"Of course. Can you do that?"

"I wouldn't suggest it otherwise. I shall capture them alive, and after unlocking the mysteries of their ship's power, I'll deliver the complete package to you!"

"I expect no less." There was an undertone of threat in Kibaomaru's words; _Don't mess up- or else!_

"I understand, sir," Cobramaru bowed, "As you command."

The image vanished, and the rune circle flew away. Once it was gone, light began to shine from the eyes of Cobramaru's cobra hood, projecting a capture of the transmission, specifically, the part where Kibaomaru held up his hand. He zoomed in on the hand, showing that it held several _shogi _pieces. Zooming in on one of the pieces showed that there was a message, written in tiny letters, on the edge.

_Let's see what's in the encoded message, _Cobramaru thought, and read, _'The child must be caught alive, but the others can be eliminated.' Hmm… _The projection vanished, and he thought, _He wants to…preserve the little brat, but eliminate all the others! What can he be thinking?_

Bewildered, but not one to question his orders, Cobramaru began to move, heading towards the top.

-z-

In the bridge, the Gundam Force were busy relaxing at their seats when RAIMI spoke up.

"I'm getting an abnormal reading on the deck above the bridge." She said.

Shute looked up from his PDA's game. "What?"

"Is it an enemy ship?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

-z-

On the lookout on the Gundam head, two security cameras rose up on poles and began to turn around, their Ball-like lenses looking up and down.

Cobramaru quickly went to work, using his special blow pipe to launch a dart in the center of each camera. They sparked for a moment as the mind-controlling effects sank in. In moments the eyes of the Gundam head turned from light green to purple.

-z-

In the bridge, RAIMI gurgled and said, "Sorry…false alarm… The readings spiked…and I thought I detected an unidentified entity onboard the ship… But the readings all show normal now… It must have been a…momentary glitch… Carry on…"

The Gundam Force, watching anxiously in front of the holographic helm, fell over from shock. A false alarm!

-z-

_Good, _Cobramaru thought, _Their system is under my control. Now I'll hide their food and supplies!_

-z-

The Gundam Force watched as the interdimensional communicator showed Juli, adjutant of the SDG, typing at a computer. After RAIMI's mistake, they decided to have her looked at by the SDG.

Pausing, she looked up from her work and looked around. "I don't see our young Musha…has he run off again?"

Shute shrugged helplessly. "He's probably hiding somewhere." Maybe letting him out of the glue had been a mistake.

"That little one is out of control." Zero said, exchanging looks with Bakunetsumaru.

"I agree," Bakunetsumaru replied when a thought struck. "Hey! You don't think that brat's in the food locker again, do you?"

"No," Captain pointed towards the alcove on the wall. "He's up there, taking a nap."

Everyone looked up to see that, yes, Genkimaru was up there, lying on his belly, his hand drooping off the edge, lightly snoring.

"That's so cute!" Juli gushed, "He sounds like a cat, purring!"

Shute rolled his eyes. Girls. "Believe me, the _only _time he looks cute is when he's asleep."

Shute walked over to Genkimaru, only to back away with his nose pinched when the young Musha farted in his sleep.

"Ugh!" He cried, waving away the noxious fumes. "I take that back! He's offensive even while he's sleeping!"

Meanwhile, Juli continued to type at her console. Her image on the dimensional-com fizzled a bit.

"I hate to bring this up to you," She said, her voice a little distorted. "But RAIMI doesn't appear to be in very good shape."

"You're right, Juli," Shute said, "She started acting strangely a few minutes ago!"

Shuet looked back towards where the holo-helm. It had turned purple, and began to wobble and squish itself, like a piece of soft clay being manhandled.

"I wonder what the problem is." Juli remarked.

-z-

The food area-

-Was completely bare, save one crate in the middle. Cobramaru, his tail swinging back and forth rhythmically, painted on one side, chuckling evilly. Once he was finished, he took a step back and observed his work.

_Much as I hate to brag, I have to admit, this is a wonderful likeness! _He thought, _Now to apply the final touch…_

Cobramaru did a back flip into the air, disengaging from his hood.

_Cicada Cast-Off Skin Technique!_

The hood landed on the floor behind where Cobramaru landed, but instead of falling loose and limp, it stood upright, like a real snake.

Turning to the hood, Cobramaru reached out with two fingers extended. _Time to activate you, my little pet…_

He pressed the nostrils of the hood's nose, its eyes flashed, and a _second _Cobramaru appeared with the hood. This Cobramaru was somewhat transparent, like a ghost. But only the real Cobramaru could see that. To anyone else, this was Cobramaru.

"Hello…" Cobramaru purred to his double. He gave it a nod. "Now…_go!_"

The Cobramaru clone leapt away. The genuine article looked towards the door. Only a matter of time…

-z-

On the bridge, next on the dimensional-com was Bell Wood.

"Listen!" He said, "I finally got the coordinates for your location!"

Shute's spirits lifted. "Great! Does that mean we can get out of here?"

Bell Wood frowned. "Not yet. So far I can only transport from this side."

Shute's spirits fell. "That's progress…" He groaned, slumping. "…I suppose."

"I _am _sending you food!" Bell Wood added.

"Oh!" Bakunesumaru cried.

The shot panned from Bell Wood to a large pile of bananas, easily a head bigger than a Gundam.

"Bananas again?"Zero commented gloomily. A banana had been the first thing the SDG had transported with the Device. Bell Wood probably thought he was being funny.

"Oh…" Bakunetsumaru said unhappily. He wasn't too happy with the fruit either.

"At this point, _anything _will be fine." Shute sighed.

Up on his space, Genkimaru drowsily woke up.

Bell Wood punched in some commands, and a swirling purple vortex appeared in the air above Lab C. The banana pile became coated with light and vanished as the transfer took place. The Gundam Froce watched their own Dimensional Transport Device anxiously as a ball of light appeared.

With a rather pathetic sounding 'pfit' the ball popped, and a single banana landed on the platform.

"Did they come through?" Bell Wood asked excitedly.

The Gundam Force sweated.

"Not all of them," Shute replied unhappily, "We only got one!"

Bell Wood scratched his head. "Sorry, guys. I'll have to recalibrate."

"Hurry, we're starved!" Shute groaned. With Genkimaru making multiple raids on their rations, they had been forced to limit their meal time, in both quantity and amount.

"Food! And it's all mine! _Losers!_"

The Gundam Force looked down and saw that the banana was gone! Looking to where Genkimaru had spoken, they saw the little brat rushing towards the elevator, waving the banana like a stolen flag.

"Hahaha!" The Musha kid cackled, "Thanks for the banana, gotta split!"

"Yeah, split it with us!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, "Hey, come back here you little brat!"

There was a loud growl, which came from Shute's tummy. The boy blushed.

"Argh!" Bakunetsumaru groaned, "We have to discipline that little runt! He'll eat us right off the ship!"

-z-

Cobramaru had been sitting in a meditative stance when he heard footsteps approaching. He quickly leapt into hiding. The operation was about to begin.

"At least we have a little food left here in storage." Shute said as he and Bakunetsumaru entered the food locker.

Their eyes buldged and they both gave a yell at the immense emptiness that awaited them.

"What in the world-!" Shute cried.

"The food's all gone!" Bakunetsumaru exclaimed.

Shute then saw lone crate in the middle. On it was a rather crude drawing of Genkimaru's face, his tongue sticking out and one the skin under his eye being pulled down.

"Hey, look!" the human boy cried, pointing, "Genkimaru did it again?"

That was the last straw for Bakunetsumaru. With one hand, he grabbed the crate and lifted it into the air, his eyes burning with intense fury.

"He ate every scrap!" the samurai screamed, "I can't believe it!"

In the crate, Cobramaru smirked. So far his plan was working.

-z-

Genkimaru was soon found and brought to the bridge, where he was put under trial by the Gundam Force.

"Time for you to learn a lesson, banana-breath!" Bakunetsumaru snarled, his temper gone.

"Whaddya mean?" Genkimaru asked defiantly.

Bakunetsumaru looked down at the kid and growled, "Stealing food is against the Musha code! And on top of that, you stole every crumb!" a vein bulged under his helmet when he saw that Genkimaru was looking away. "What do you have to say for yourself!"

"You must have a fried circuit board!" Genkimaru protested, "I didn't steal any food today! You blame me for everything! You've got the wrong guy, samurai!"

But Bakunetsumaru was done listening to excuses. "We have proof it was you!" He snarled, and slammed the gratified crate before Genkimaru. "The evidence is right in front of your face!"

Genkimaru blinked at the drawing of him on the crate, and then burst into tears.

"It's a set-up, I tell you!" He sobbed, "I didn't do it, it wasn't me!"

"Hey, look!" Bakunetsumaru cried, pointing. "A rice ball!"

"Where?" Genkimaru stopped crying and zipped over to where Bakunetsumaru had pointed, only to find the Blazing Samurai blocking his path. "Hey, outta my way, you big bully! Move it!"

Bakunetsumaru's eyes burned. "You little faker! You're going to take responsibility for your behavior!"

And with that, Bakunetsumaru slapped his educational fan down onto Genkimaru's feet. The kid Musha stared at this before glaring up at the older Musha Gundam.

"Not even my dad talks to me that way!" Genkimaru yelled.

"Well, if you ask me," Bakunetsumaru shot back, "I think it's time somebody _did!_"

"Oh yeah!" Genkimaru gave Bakunetsumaru a kick in the shins ("Ow!") and ran over to the wall, jumping up to the alcove. "I've got just one thing to say to you, Bakunetsumaru!" He stuck his tongue out and blew raspberry.

"_How dare you!_" Bakunetsumaru exploded.

Shute groaned. That little kid was incorrigible!

An explosion sounded off somewhere and the ship rocked. Everyone looked up.

"Enemy attack!" RAIMI blurted out, "Code red! Everyone to battle stations, immediately!"

The screen above the helm appeared, showing Cobramaru scatting bombs around on the deck. Stopping what he was doing, the ninja looked forward, possibly right at the Gundam Force, and struck a pose.

"All right, you Gundam slugs!" He shouted, "Take me on if you've got the guts!"

"That's Cobramaru, isn't it?" Shute yelled. He remembered how Cobramaru, on orders from the Dark Axis, had snuck into the SDG headquarters and tried to destroy it, only to be thwarted by himself and Captain.

"I'm afraid you're right, Shute," Captain said, "He must have come here after we chased him out of Neotopia!"

"I am Cobramaru, the Castle Conqueror!" The snake ninja declared. He did a back flip and balanced on his tail, making the characters for his name appear but there was something odd about the character for 'maru'…

Bakunetsumaru stomped towards the elevator. "When I'm through with you, you'll be the castle doormat!"

Genkimaru snorted. "You're all talk, you big bully." And with that, he went to sleep. Then he farted.

"Ugh!" Bakunetsumaru groaned, thoroughly disgusted. "That is the most _obnoxious _kid I've ever met!"

"He needs a tune-up!" Zero decided, and began to shove Bakunetsumaru towards the elevator. "He has an emissions problem! Get away from him!"

"What he _needs _is a new muffler!" Baknetsumaru grumbled. _For that smart mouth!_

Captain began to follow the two Gundams when he heard Shute call out.

"Captain!" the boy said, holding out his backpack. "You okay without your backpack? You can use mine if you want."

"Thanks, but I'm fine," Captain assured, "I loaded Option V on the Re-equip Ring."

"Oh! That was pretty smart!" Shute cried.

They both turned to the front of the bridge and cAptain said, "Miss RAIMI, please open the Re-equip Bay."

But RAIMI wasn't with them at the moment. "Captain, I'm so embarrassed about missing that sneak attack!" She babbled, "I'm not functioning properly!"

Shute and Captain almost fell over.

Straightening up, Captain looked at Shute and said, "_You _better do it."

Shute nodded. "Right!" He took off for the front.

-z-

On the deck, Cobramaru released more bombs. Their explosions rocked the ship, but Zero and Bakunetsumaru weren't scared. They both took off after the snake ninja, running through the smoke from the blasts.

No one noticed a space on the left wall of the Sea crackle.

-z-

_All right, let's do this! _Shute thought, and pushed a button on the bridge's manual console.

-z-

Underneath the main deck of the _Gundamusai_, the large door to the launch bay flipped down, and a ramp extended outward. Rolling towards it on a specially-designed launcher was the Re-equip Ring. The Re-equip Ring was what Captain Gundam used to alternate between weapons and modes, leaping into it while on the way to battle scenes. The defender was already in the Ring's magnetic field, held within the center by robotic arms. Another robotic arm on the ring pulled out a large backpack- easily several times larger than his original one. Sticking out of it on both ends of the top were two electrical pipes. This was Option V, the latest weapon designed for Captain by the SDG, though he didn't think he'd need it so soon. Once Option V was attached to Captain's back, its two boosters flipped out and powered up. Captain's faceplate closed. The Ring released Captain, and the Gundam flew out from the Re-equip Bay and into the air. Doing a U-turn once he was far enough, Captain rocketed back towards the _Gundamusai._

-z-

Once he saw Captain was ready, Shute pumped his fist. "Go! I'm going too!"

The boy ran towards the doors. After he left, all was silent, except for Genkimaru drumming his fingers, bored.

The calm was broken by a soft clank, caused by Cobramaru forcing open the crate. The ninja looked around to see if there was anybody around-

"Hold it right there!"

-besides the brat.

Genkimaru pointed to the Kibao emblem on Cobramaru's head and yelled, "You're with Kibaomaru!"

Cobramaru snickered and vanished in a blur. Genkimaru looked around, trying to see where the ninja had gone when he felt some clawed fingers grab him and lift him up.

"Hey, put me down you big food-stealer!" The kid shouted, waving and kicking in the air.

Cobramaru regarded the brat he held with scrutiny. _Why in the world does Lord Kibaomaru want such a brat?_

-z-

Cobramaru and Zero and Bakunetsumaru were engaged in a face-off when Captain landed between them.

"As Captain of the _Gundamusai,_ I'm warning you, drop your weapons and surrender immediately," He ordered, "Do it now!"

Cobramaru chuckled darkly, and became a purple tornado as it spun, throwing more bombs.

The pipes on Option V flipped forward and fired off two beams, causing the bombs to explode prematurely.

As Cobramaru threw more bombs, which Captain destroyed, the crackling in the Sea wall increased. Then it began to crack.

Captain then grabbed Option V's pipes and pulled them off. Then, he joined the two ends together, forming a single electrical pole.

"I've been given special dispensation to use whatever force is needed!" He declared, taking a fighting stance with the pole.

Cobramaru released dozens of shuriken at Captain, but the defender held the hand holding the pole in front of him and spun it around, creating a makeshift shield that deflected the ninja stars.

As the Gundams fought, Shute watched the battle from the bridge's lookout.

_This is so cool! Captain must be using that new V-Rod! _Shute thought.

Captain swung his V-Rod around, ultimately jabbing it backwards.

Cobramaru's eyes widened- the end of the pole had got it directly in the chest, from a distance of over ten meters!

_This works pretty well! _Captain thought, marveling at how far the V-Rod could extend.

"That-a-way!" Shute cheered, "_Yeah!_"

The V-Rod continued to extend, forcing the clone further and further back until it reached its limit. Cobramaru, however, still went flying, now carried by momentum, going all the way off the ship.

"All right!" Shute yelled, "It's time for the Gundam Force special formation!"

The confidence in Shute's words ignited the Soul Drive, empowering Captain.

His eyes enflamed, he said, "Shute's right! Let's unite and focus our powers!"

Zero and Bakunetsumaru came to his side and they all yelled, "_Gundam Force Triple Attack!_"

Zero swung his sword, creating winds laced with rose petals. "_Super Magical Violet Tornado!_"

"Behold my blazing blades of justice!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, and sliced a fiery X into the air. "_Tenkyo-Ken!_"

Captain leapt into the air, winding up a glowing fist.

The three forces, the winds, the X, and Captain, merged together, becoming one destructive power. They flew towards Cobramaru.

-z-

In the bridge, the real Cobramaru watched the battle on the front screen.

_Now for my little surprise! _Cobramaru thought, and sent a mental command to his clone.

-z-

Before the Triple Attack could hit Cobramaru, he exploded, sending the Gundams flying!

"What's that!" Shtue cried, trying to shield his eyes from the light of the blast, while at the same time trying to watch.

-z-

Cobramaru chuckled evilly. _Mission Complete. _Even if the bomb inside the clone didn't destroy the Gundam Force, they were too far away from the ship to get back on. They would drift through the Minov Boundary Sea alone, until they ultimately starved- or went mad from boredom.

-z-

Something then happened. The wall of the Sea crackled once more, before exploding outward, like a window that was being shattered by a rogue baseball. The fissure it created was blood red, and soon began to suck in everything, like a vacuum. Shute grabbed hold of the lookout's edge to avoid being pulled off the ship.

-z-

_Where did that crack come from? _Cobramaru thought, and ordered, "Computer! Get us away from the site, immediately!"

"Yes, Captain Cobramaru. As you command." RAIMI replied dizzily.

-z-

The _Gundamusai_'s rockets went to full blast, and the ship slowly pulled itself away from the crack. However, the suction pulled out the darts Cobramaru had planted earlier!

-z-

"Wha- where am I?" RAIMI asked as the effects of the darts quickly wore off. Her holo-helm resumed its normal form as she regained her senses. "There's an enemy on the bridge!"

"Oh, phoo!" Cobramaru growled irritably.

-z-

Meanwhile, the Gundams of the Gundam Force were in dire peril. Captain was able to catch a hold of the ship by jabbing one end of his V-Rod into it, while clinging to the other end while Zero and Bakunetsumaru held on behind him. However, they were so far from the ship by now (The Rod was at its maximum extension!) that they couldn't pull themselves in!

"I don't understand!" Bakunetsumaru yelled over the wind, as he gripped Zero's foot. "How did this crack develop?"

"Could this be the place where we lost Fenn?" Zero asked, thinking of the spirit he once tended to.

"The probability that the perimeter crack was generated due to the force of our combined power, and the enemy explosion, is 98.37%!" Captain stated when he received a communication from RAIMI.

"Captain, the enemy on the bridge has captured Genkimaru!"

Enemy? What enemy? Did Cobramaru bring an ally?

Shute, from his relatively safe place on the lookout, shouted, "Talk to me! You all right?"

"We're all right, but there's trouble on the bridge!" Captain yelled back, "It'll be several minutes before we can get up there! Can _you _go, Shute?"

"On my way!"

-z-

On the bridge, RAMI was busy manipulating her robotic arms to get Cobramaru, trying to grab at him. The ninja was two quick however, easily dancing around her advances.

"Cease your struggling and surrender!" RAIMI told him.

Genkimaru groaned, his eyes spinning. Not only that, but his stomach was unsettling too…

Cobramaru heard a door open and looked to see Shute run in. _That boy again!_

Shute saw the ninja, but didn't recognize him without his hood. "Are you with Cobramaru!"

"That's none of your business!" Cobramaru snapped, and flicked two shuriken at the boy.

Shute yelled and took off, running around the room as Cobramaru flicked more ninja stars at him.

"Ahh! Sharp things! Look out!" He cried as he ducked behind the seats.

"_Rello!_" The Zakurello Phone then shrieked, and Cobramaru threw some shuriken at it. Shute saw this and acted quickly.

"Gotta fly!" he yelled, and dove forward, pulling the Phone out of its holder. The shuriken imbedded themselves in the empty space. Shute, a bit dazed from the adrenaline rush, sat on the floor when he heard another, high-pitched voice.

"Scary, Rello!"

Shute, with amazement, realized it was coming from the Phone!

"Rello, thank you!" It chirped.

Shute began to sweat. "You can _talk?_"

"Hello, I'm a phone!"

-z-

Outside, Captain was slowly distending the V-Rod, pulling him and the other Gundams closer to the ship. But just then Zero lost his grip on Captain's foot, and he and Bakunetsumaru went flying back, being pulled into the crack.

_I have to save them! _Captain thought desperately, and let go of the V-Rod. Activating Option V's boosters, and flew around and caught the two helpless Gundams. However, they were at the very edge of the crack, mere inches away from being sucked in. Grunting, Captain tried to push them away, but found it a trial just to maintain his position.

Then another call from RAIMI came in. "Captain! Crew member Shute is in danger!"

That did it. "We have to help him!" Captain yelled, and focused his boosters to fire off in one great burst. Spurned by Captain's urgency, all three of the Gundams rocketed away from the crack, Zero and Bakunetsumaru's eyes bulging from the abrupt increase in speed.

-z-

Back on the bridge, Shute had gone on the offensive and was firing globs of glue at Cobramaru.

"Missed!" Cobramaru taunted, ducking the shots, and ran and hopped up onto the crate, which was also splattered with glue, and grabbed hold of the ceiling.

Shute ran out from behind the seats and yelled, "Put down that Gundam _now!_"

Cobramaru sneered down at him. "Or what? Are you going to glue my fingers together, hot shot?"

"No," Genkimaru said, recovering, "Something _worse!_"

Confused, Cobramaru held Genkimaru closer to see what the brat meant.

"Okay, you asked for it!" GEnkimaru said, and flipped his body around so that his behind was towards Cobramaru's face, and let one rip.

His face full of noxious fumes, Cobramaru let go of Genkimaru and fell, gagging and coughing up a storm. Genkimaru wailed as he plummeted towards the floor. He was caught by Shute, and Cobramaru recovered in time to land on his feet.

Then the rest of the Gundam Force burst into the room.

"Shute, are you all right?" Captain asked worriedly.

_Uh-oh, here's trouble!_ Cobramaru thought, and leapt back.

"Stop!" Captain ordered, chasing after him.

"Oh, please! In your dreams!" Cobramaru said. But because he was flying backwards, he didn't see that one of RAIMI's hands was holding the glued side of the crate in his path, and subsequently became stuck. As he struggled to fear himself, he found himself yelling, "Hey, what is this stuff!"

"That worked!" Shute cheered as Genkimaru lay on his lap, and raised his hand in victory. "He's trapped in Shute's super secret glue!"

The rest of the Gundams came over to Shute and Captain asked, "Are you all right, my friend?"

Shute nodded. "Yup."

It was at that moment that Genkimaru slowly came to. Realizing where he was and what just happened, he jumped back from Shute and the Gundams.

"You wrecked my plan!" He shouted hotly, "I was just about to take that big dummy down!"

And with that, he zipped off.

Shute stared at where Genkimaru had gone. "…Why did I even bother to save him?" He groaned, and slumped.

-z-

Later on, Cobramaru, still stuck to his crate, was placed in the food locker, once all of the other crates had been found. As he lay there, upside-down, Bakunetsumaru glared at him while Genkimaru ranted.

"I can't believe you hid all the food and everyone blamed me for it!" He shouted angrily, "I knew you were no good from the second I saw ya! Where'd ya put it, tell me!"

"And _I'd _like to know how you managed to get on board our ship!" Bakunetsumaru said coolly.

Cobramaru growled and looked away, saying nothing.

"Well, if you're determined to be stubborn…" Bakunetsumaru said, turning away. "…we have no choice but to leave you stuck here. We'll come back when you've had a chance to think about it for a while."

Bakunetsumaru left the room, with Genkimaru close behind.

_If they want to leave me alone here, that's fine, _Cobramaru thought, _I'll just bide my time and see if I can figure out a way to escape…_

-z-

At the bridge, Shute, Captain and Zero reported this latest revelation to Chief Haro. He was more concerned about the crack than Cobramaru's infiltration, however.

"…The crack in the Boundary perimeter makes your situation _very dangerous._" The chief said.

"Yes, chief!" Captain replied, "It limits the use of our ultimate techniques!"

"That crack leaves us vulnerable to attack by the enemy," Zero remarked, worried. "We must find our way to safety at once!" If a single intruder like Cobramaru could spark such a disaster, a larger force would clearly be the end of them all.

"We're trying to figure out how to get you out of there," Chief Haro said, "But it looks like you'll have to hang in there a little while longer."

"Roger." Captain nodded.

"Excuse me for interrupting, chief," Juli cut in, stepping into view. "Bell Wood is standing by, and the rice balls are ready."

Juli gestured, and the view panned to a large plate, stacked with a pile of rice balls as big as the banana bunch that was transported earlier.

"Hooray!" Shute cheered, throwing his arms into the air. More food!

Bakunetsumaru and Genkimaru then entered the bridge, smiling.

"Did I hear someone say they were serving rice balls?" Bakunetsumaru asked good-naturedly.

Bell Wood stuck his head into the shot and said, "I've figured out how to transport them! They'll be there in a jiffy!"

The Gundam Force watched the Transporter with anticipation-

Pop!

-Only for a single rice ball to appear.

"Not again!" Bakunetsumaru groaned.

Bell Wood groaned and slumped.

Genkimaru's eyes twinkled with mischief. Acting quickly, he jumped onto the transport platform and grabbed the rice ball.

"That's mine!" He laughed, running off.

"Hey!" Shute yelled, and the Gundam Force began to chase the little brat around the room.


	7. Zako Zako Hour 15

Chapter 3.5: Zako Zako Hour

The iron curtain rose, showing the three hosts.

"Ladies and gentlebots," Red Mic said as the curtain rose, "Today we have an important subject! And that is-!"

All three hosts chimed in. "_How Can We Get Back To The Dark Axis?_ Zako!"

"We've been trapped in the Minov Boundary Sea!" Red Mic stated.

Yellow Mic began to flip out. "I wanna go back now! There's gotta be a way out of this place! There's gotta be!"

"You know what, you're right!" Red Mic cried, "There _may _be a way to escape this place!"

"Oh really, how?" Blue Mic and Yellow Mic asked.

"Through the Zakurello Gate, of course!" Red Mic replied, "Which happens to be accessible through the Zakurello Phone!"

"Well, c'mon, what are we waiting for, huh? Let's go!" Blue Mic asked excitedly before stopping. "Oh, I forgot, Zako. When the SDG took over the _Magnamusai_, they also got control of our access to the Zakurello Gate, Zako."

"So the good guys are bad guys too!" Red Mic cried.

"Gah, they're bad guys too!" Yellow Mic exclaimed before asking, "But how did we lose such an important piece of equipment to the SDG, Zako?"

"I don't wanna name names," Blue Mic commented, "But someone _carelessly _dropped it when they were running for cover during our last big fight, Zako!"

"Who was it?" Yellow Mic demanded, "What stupid idiot coulda been that stupid!"

They faced the screen, which showed Zako Red, a red Zako Soldier who worked directly under Commander Sazabi. He had the ZAkurello Phone.

"Yikes!" Red Mic gulped, and said awkwardly, "Let's change the subject…"

"But there's still a problem!" Yellow Mic yelled, and pointed to the screen. "The Zakurello Gate is designed for one thing and one thing only; it connects ordinary dimension through Zakurello Tunnels…"

The screen showed an image of two horizontal lines, one with Neotopia Tower and one with the Dark Axis base, that were connected by a dotted line with a Zakurello Gate emblem in the middle.

"…But you see, the Minov Boundary Sea isn't ordinary," Yellow Mic went on as Red Mic and Blu Mic's heads spun, "So it cancels out the usual routes! And that means it's totally useless to us, Zako!"

"Uh-oh!" Red Mic and Blue Mic cried.

"How did you get so smart all of a sudden?" Red Mic asked Yellow Mic.

Yellow Mic answered, "I learned about it on the last Zako Zako Hour."

"Those things have information?" Red Mic and Blue Mic asked, deeply surprised.

Yellow Mic fell over.

"Anyway," Red Mic said, "How can we defeat the SDG now that they control our technology?"

The hosts then had an vision of a dark, and mafia-like Super Dimensional Guard, with Chief Haro standing over it all, laughing fiendishly.

"Why's he laughing like that?" The hosts asked, "He's creeping us out, Zako!"

Yellow Mic pointed to the screen, which was now showing Dark Axis weapons, such as guns, battle axes, and Grappler Gouf's space board.

"I know we at the Dark Axis originally stole these weapons," He said, "But they at the SDG are even worse because they stole them from us!"

"I agree!" Red Mic declared.

"Then it's settled!" Blue Mic and Yellow Mic nodded.

"Then we'll have to overcome the enemy on our own, and recover our technology!" Red Mic decided.

"Wait a minute!" Blue Mic cried, "How can we do that without someone to lead us?"

"You're right," Yellow Mic said, "What's happened to our commanders, Zapper Zaku, Grappler Gouf and ?"

"Um," Blue Mic began hesitantly, "Maybe they were captured by the SDG during one of our battles and modified just like the _Gundamusai._"

The hosts then had a vision of Zapper Zaku as a SDG mobile soldier, and Grappler Gouf and Destroyer Dom's heads on Balls. They immediately cracked up at the silliness of it.

"Think it's possible?" Yellow Mic asked once they got over their giggles.

"I don't know," Blue Mic said, "But it'd serve them right!"

They cracked up again.

"The thing is," Yellow Mic then said, "We're not programmed to take initiative and be leaders."

Red Mic looked down. "So without them…"

Blue Mic looked down. "…We'll never get out of here."

The irion curtain lowered down.

"Hold on!" Red Mic voice echoed out, "What if we…no, that won't work… Or maybe we could…that's not it either…"

Of the few Zakos watching, one turned to another next to him.

"…These guys are _stupid._"

-end chapter 3.5-

A/n: On an added note, after RedMc/BlueMic say "those things have information?" They also say, "We thought they were fillers for when the show was too short!" I felt it wasn't appropriate for this novelized context.


	8. Big Comeback! We're the Heroes!

Chapter 4: Big Comeback! We're the Heroes?

Deep within the _Gundamusai_, a mono eye glowed in the shadows as an evil chuckle was heard. The glowing eye illuminated a menacing form, one twice as big as the Zakos, clad in red armor.

Three Zako Soldiers watched this being, quivering in anticipation.

"By any chance, are…" Zako #1 began, but was unable to finish his question.

"Are you, by any chance, possibly…" Zako #2 tried, but also couldn't finish.

"Are you _really…?_" Asked Zako #3 in a hushed voice.

The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a robot that was like the Zakos, but bigger, in red armor, with a knight-like visor and a command fin on his head. His left shoulder had a round shield with three twisted spikes, and his chest was adorned with twin ammo belts.

"Yes! That's right!" The red robot cackled, "I am! Everybody!"

The three Zakos cheered. "It can't possibly be! It's Lord Zapper Zaku!"

"Fall in and grab you special equipment!" Zapper ordered, "Today, we will begin special operation…" He reached behind and whipped out a pink swifter-like mop. "…_Clean-Sweep!_"

"'Clean-Sweep?'" The Zakos asked, confused.

Zapper decided to show them. With great, strong arm strokes, he began to scrub the mop head all over the engine room floor.

"Work, work, scrub the deck!" He sang happily, "Scrub until it shines like heck!"

The Zakos stared at Zapper, distraught and bewildered. _This _was the famous Zapper Zaku, known for his quick temper, and overuse of gunplay? What happened?

"Where's the Zapper Zaku the legends talk about?" Zako #1 asked unhappily.

"This guy oughta wear an apron." Zako #3 sighed.

"I don't understand what's going on here!" Zako #2 yelled, "He doesn't look anything…"

"_Hey, you idiots!_"

The Zakos stopped their hissy-fit and looked at Zapper. The larger robot had a mean look on his face.

"Quit your slacking off before you start making me angry!" Zapper growled, and pointed his right shoulder pad at the Zakos. There was a click and it began to open.

"Oh no!" Zako #1 squealed, "Armor-missiles!"

The Zakos huddled together and braced for impact. Maybe Zapper hadn't become such a sissy after all!

_Something_ shot out of Zapper's armor, but it bounced off of Zako #1's head. The rebounded projectile landed in Zapper's hand, which turned out to be a watering can with the words SDG on it.

"Now I can water my precious flower!" Zapper chuckled, and danced over to a potted flower whose pot also had SDG on it. As he poured water into it, he sang, "Dum dum deed um-dum, how's my lit-tle flo-wer? Water-water rain shower makes a happy flower!"

The Zakos shivered. Zapper Zaku, cleaning? Taking care of a plant? Acting _tender? _What was going on? This made no sense!

-z-

While the Zakos were trying to cope with this unsettling development in their great leader's mindset, the Gundam Force were busy up top. Out on the deck, Captain and Bakunetsumaru were busy testing the limits of their attack power before a crack formed in the Minov Boundary Sea. Inside the bridge, Shute and Zero had received a call from Sayla in Neotopia.

Nobody knew where Genkimaru was.

"Hi, everyone!" Sayla said, "I just came by to see if I could cheer you all up," She giggled. "I know things have been tough for you lately, but hang in there, you guys can do it!"

"Thank you, Sayla!" Shute began to say when Zero stepped in front of him.

"It was a _dangerous _situation, Princess Sayla!" The knight said grandly, "But through sheer courage I was able to get everything under control!"

"She wasn't talking to you, Zero!" Shute snapped, getting in front of Zero. The nerve of him, trying to take credit for saving the others from the crack! What ego!

"Oh, yes she was!" Zero retorted, stepping in front of Shute.

"Oh, no she _wasn't!_"

"Oh, yes she _was!_"

Outside, Bakunetsumaru leapt from the lookout, hopping off of each frontal cannon before taking another big jump in the air, cutting and slashing with his swords. When he landed on the deck, he turned and looked up to the lookout.

"That was full velocity, Captain!" He shouted, "Whaddya think? Do you see any signs of a crack?"

In the lookout, Captain scanned both walls of the Sea. "Negative, Bakunetsumaru. Test results so far seem to prove that my theory about its formation is correct. As long as we restrain from using our ultimate fighting techniques, probability of the hole reopening in the Boundary Sea is 9.873%. Now, a final test…!"

Captain activated Option V's boosters and rocketed up. However, before he could make ten meters, something knocked into him. It was Genkimaru, on something that looked like a purple kayak with rockets. He stood on a cardboard crate so he could use the steering rod properly.

"_Yee-haw!_" He cheered, "Whoop, sorry, Captain!" Laughing, he did a loop-de-loop, flying around the air above the ship.

"Genkimaru!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, "Where did you get that thing? And who authorized you to fly it, anyway?"

"Not tellin'!" Genkimaru laughed, doing barrel rolls. "It's a secret!"

He then lost his grip on the stick, and the space board bucked. Genkimaru fell face first into the trigger and the board released several missiles that flew down at the deck…at Bakunetsumaru! The Blazing Samurai made a mad dash for cover as the ballistics exploded behind him, throwing him forward.

In the bridge, Shute and Zeero stumbled as the ship shook under the impacts.

"What is that," Shute cried, "An earthquake?"

"Is something wrong there?" Sayla asked.

"N-no!" Shute replied, trying to keep his footing. "Other than the ship coming apart at the seams, everything's fine!"

"There is trouble on the outer hull!" Zero realized, and bowing quickly, said, "Excuse me, princess!"

Zero rushed to the elevator and floated up to the lookout instead of waiting for it to lift him. Once there, he saw that three more missiles were heading towards the bridge.

"_Super Magical I-Field!_" Zero chanted, raising his hand.

"Zero, _no!_" Bakunetsumaru cried.

Too late. The blue force field soon covered most of the _Gundamusai_, and the missiles exploded on it. The force of the blasts knocked Genkimaru off of the space board, and he went falling to the deck until Captain swooped down and caught him.

Bakunetsumaru let out the breath he'd been holding. "Close…"

Then klaxons sounded as RAIMI cried, "Emergency alert!"

"What now?" Bakunetsumaru asked, looking around.

"All hands on deck!" RAIMI announced, "Sensors indicate a crack opening in the Minov Boundary Sea! _Gundamusai _now leaving the area at full speed!"

As the _Gundamusai _blasted away from the vacuuming maw, Bakunetsumaru took a moment to wonder where Genkimaru had gotten the space board. He recalled that such a thing had once been used by the Dark Axis, but what was it doing here…?

-z-

Inside the lower halls of the _Gundamusai_, two Elmice scurried along the halls. Not far behind them, two cardboard boxes, both one larger than the other but big enough for people, shuffled along. In their fronts they had holes cut out, one like downward-curving crescent and the other like a stubby cross. Both had mono eyes. As they moved, the larger box hummed.

"Hold it!" The smaller box hissed, and the two stopped. "A camera…"

The wall-mounted security camera turned and stared at the two boxes for a minute before turning away. Sweating, the boxes resumed their arduous trek when two more Elmice zipped past them. The boxes froze and two figures burst from them, jumping high up- a sleek blue Dark Axis robot and a bulky light-purple one. They hit the ceiling, and from the pipes above poured dozens of Zako Soldiers.

"Hey, what the…" the blue muttered as he and the purple one looked at the Zakos.

"Hey, it's Lord Grappler Gouf, Zako!" One Zako cried, pointing at blue.

Another Zako pointed at purple. "And Lord Destroyer Dom, Zako!"

The Zakos began to celebrate– more of their leaders had been found. However, their jubilation was cut off when one Zako pointed up and cried, "Uh-oh, Zako! The camera's coming back this way!"

"What?" Grappler asked, and saw that the security camera _was_ turning back. "_Oh no!_"

The Dark Axis robots panicked and did the only thing they could think off- they stuffed themselves into the boxes. The camera got a good picture of two boxes sitting on top of two small piles of Zakos. As the 'boxes' shuffled off (With all the Zakos moving their legs), the camera began to sweat. What the…?

-z-

"_Look_ at him, Zako!" One Zako cried, pointing. "Just like we told you!"

"It's horrible!" Another Zako whimpered, "He must have had a hardrive meltdown, or something!"

Grappler stared at the sight before him. "Zapper Zaku, what are you doing? Explain your behavior!"

Grappler and Destroyer watched as Zapper ran around the engine room, mopping the floor while singing "Scrub-a-dub!" and watering his potted flower, singing "Watering, watering! Happy flower pot, happy water! Drink, drink, drink!"

"'_Drink drink drink'?_" Grappler repeated, horrified. "Have you fried your chip? What kind of warrior would actually help _living things survive?_"

A short theme-tune played, and the iron curtain to the nearby stage rose, showing Yellow Mic Zako, Red Mic Zako, and Blue Mic Zako.

"Ladies and gentlebots!" Red Mic announced, "The subject of today's meeting is…"

"…_What Actually Happened to Lord Zapper Zaku After The Battle, Zako!_" All three hosts declared.

"When he and Lords Grappler Gouf and Destroyer Dom went…" Yellow Mic began.

"Went far away forever…" Blue Mic sighed.

The screen behind them showed an image of the three lords disappearing into the night sky.

"Just thinking about it now is _so sad, _Zako." Red Mic sighed.

"Sad…" The other hosts repeated.

"We're not gone, ya dim bulbs!" Grappler shouted, and he, Zapper and Destroyer jumped onto the stage and began to harass Blue Mic.

Feeling they were getting off-topic, Red Mic decided to continue. "When the battle ended, Zapper Zaku was captured by Neotopia forces!" He explained, "And he was taken to a horrible place called 'Robo-House', to be reprogrammed!"

"Robo-House?" Blue Mic and Yellow Mic shivered. "How horrible!"

"Did I hear somebody say something about Robo-House?" Zapper asked.

"Stop saying that!" The hosts cried.

Zapper, however, had a faraway look in his eye. "Ah, Robo-House…" he could remember his time there like it was yesterday…

_**Two SDG mobile soldiers dragged Zapper Zaku down a white hallway, as the red robot kicked and screamed.**_

"_**Let me go!" He bellowed, "Let me go and maybe I won't turn you into scrap! Where are you taking me anyway, you mindless drones?"**_

_**The soldiers took Zapper into a box-shaped room and placed him behind a desk. Chief Haro stood in front of him.**_

"_**Please remain calm." Haro said. The room's acoustics made his voice echo slightly.**_

"_**I'll remain calm after I **_**rip out your solenoids!**_**" Zapper roared, pounding the desk. He reeled back in his chair when Chief Haro placed a daisy in a small pot before him. "Wh-what are you tryin' to do, w-wear me down with colorful organic lifeforms?"**_

"_**What do you think this flower?" Chief Haro asked, "Isn't it beautiful?"**_

_**Were it possible, Zapper would be sweating buckets. "Get-it-away!"**_

"_**And look at this!" Chief Haro waved his arm, and the room transformed into a sunny field. They were in a simulation chamber, which was now simulating the great outdoors. This sudden shift in environment did nothing to calm Zapper down.**_

"_**You want to help us protect the beauty of nature." Chief Haro said.**_

"_**No! No, I don't!"**_

_**Zapper's next session was with the beautiful mayor of Neotopia, Margaret Gathermoon. The room's next simulation was of Neotopia Peace Park.**_

"_**Both humans and mobile citizens live together in harmony and peace, here in Neotopia." She said.**_

"_**Sounds awful!" Zapper grunted.**_

"_**Lord Zapper Zaku," Mayor Margaret went on, "You can be a part of our happy community!"**_

"_**I don't **_**wanna!**_**" Zapper protested.**_

_**Next up were the mayor's aides, mobile butler, the mustached GM Leonardo, and his human co-worker Prio. The screens now showed machine guns with red X's over them.**_

"_**As a fellow mobile citizen of Neotopia," Leonardo explained, "I can assure you that all our rules are for your own protection and happiness. Dangerous weapons such as these-" (He pointed to the guns) "-are strictly prohibited here."**_

_**The next session Zapper took alone. He watched as the simulator showed him a footage from a video called **_**Life in Paradise**_**, an ad commonly used to promote tourism and real estate. He managed to get through it just fine- up until the big musical number.**_

"_**Here in Neotopia, everyone is happy!" The mobile citizens sang, dancing. "Everything is wonderful, here together!"**_

"_**Stop it, stop it! You're driving me crazy!" Zapper screamed, "I can't take anymore of this happiness!"**_

_**Zapper slammed his fists down onto the desk- and froze. He had knocked the flower pot into the air!**_

_**There was an audible crash, and Chief Haro, Mayor Margaret, and Leonardo & Prio rushed into the room. There, they found Zapper, lying face-forward, his outstretched hand clutching the pot. He stared into the flower, its petals reflecting in his eye.**_

"_**Oh, that was too close! I almost injured this beautiful living thing!" He sobbed, "I've been…so blind! But now I see! For this fragile flower, for Neotopia, I shall devote myself to a life of purity and order! From this day forward, I shall be…"**_

_**He was given a mop. He was given the flower pot. And he was given a badge with SDG Super Dimensional Guard to wear.**_

"…SDG Clean-up Volunteer, Zapper Zaku!" Zapper proclaimed, "And I shall not rest or lay down my mopping device until cleanliness has reached the far corners of the galaxy!"

Grappler and Destroyer reeled back, taken aback at their comrade's speech.

"I was lucky I ran before they got their hands on me!" Grappler commented, fearing what kind of change the SDG would make him go under.

The hosts were equally disturbed.

"This show is too scary for me!" Red Mic gulped.

Blue Mic shivered. "If I ever get taken to Robo-House, just pull my plug!"

"Yeah, pull mine, too!" Yellow Mic nodded quickly.

Grappler, Destroyer and the hosts sighed, and the iron curtain lowered.

"Yay!" the lone Zako in the audience cheered. A few feet away from him, Zapper mopped the floor.

"Uh, stay as long as you like," Zapper said, "I'm just gonna clean up around here…" He began to hum. "Scrubby-dubby dub-dub here…"

-z-

In the Dark Axis fortress, Prof. Gerbera was _not _happy. If anything, he was possibly livid.

"Despite his mighty 98.35% success rate," He growled, "Cobramaru has failed in his attempt to re-take the _Gundamusai_, and gotten himself captured as well!" He looked aside and glared. "What do you intend to do about this, Kibaomaru?"

Kibaomaru regarded Gerbera. He had been expecting this sort of thing when Deathscythe (Who apparently had been watching the battle with his magic) told them about the outcome, and had the perfect rebuttal.

"He failed?" The Musha Gundam lord asked, "Did you ever consider the possibility that he might have been captured on purpose, Professor?"

Gerbera's glare did not lessen. "And this from someone who has 29 _Big-Zam_s and can't even finish the conquest of Ark! Perhaps you should take a few tactics lesson Deathscythe! He was able to conquer Lacroa in just 78498731.14 seconds! So yes, Kibaomaru, you _failed!_"

The General began to make noise, angry noise.

"My apologies, your excellency!" Gerbera cried, turning to the giant horned face. "I assure the General that it is our top priority! Deathscythe is on his way seize the Spirit Tree at this very moment!"

Kibaomaru looked away. It was disgusting the way both he and Deathscythe sucked up to that wall-born monstrosity.

_Gerbera, you worm…_ He thought.

-z-

In the ruins of the king of Lacroa's castle, Deathcythe hovered around a room. There was no light, save for the glow of his ghostly body. In front of him a blood-red sword hung in the air. The blade and handle of the sword were jagged, like the scales of a lizard.

_At long last it is within my grasp!_ Deathscythe thought, _The legendary sword Epyon, with the spirit of the evil dragon sealed inside by the royal family!_

Deathscythe turned from the sword to another figure in the room. It was a statue of a beautiful girl, a head taller than Shute. Though stone, she wore an elegant dress with gems studded here and there, and a gold tiara on her head. Her hair was curled into twin buns on either side of her head. She was looking up, and had her hand extended as if she was reaching out to someone. She was placed on a floating platform like the one Deathscythe stood on in the General's room.

"Finally, the path to the Minov Boundary Sea has been opened! And now, my princess, the time for us to be married approaches…" Deathscyhe purred to the girl, floating over to her. "Beautiful Princess Relejimana Miya De Lacroa… Such a perfect rose… Now begins my quest to seize the greatest power trapped in the Minov Boundary Sea! _The Feather Dragon!_"

Deathscythe let loose with the most psychotic cackle ever to be heard, and his rune circle appeared in the air. The sword slowly stabbed and was absorbed by it, vanishing without a trace.

-z-

Underneath the _Gundamusai_, the magic circle left by Deathscythe detached from the hull, becoming vertical. Epyon slowly appeared from it before flying off into the untold reaches of the Sea.

-z-

In the engine room, at Zapper's forceful urging, mops had been handed out to the rest of the Zako gang, and there were now scrubbing the floor at a tired pace. Even Grappler and Destroyer had mops.

Grappler looked up and groused, "I just can't stand this anymore!"

Destroyer turned to him and nodded. "Yeah, dah."

Grappler looked past Destroyer and gulped. "Uh-oh!"

"_Quite slacking off, you two!_" Zapper roared, and charged at them, knocking his ex-partners into the air. Once they landed flat on their faces, he said, "Now while you're down there, get that deck sparkling!"

"Hey! Everybody listen up!"

Zapper and the Zakos turned to the stage. Standing on the top of the curtain was Genkimaru!

"Okay, you slackers, pay attention, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once, and if ya snooze, ya lose!" Genkimaru declared.

Destroyer got up and looked at the kid. "Baby Musha?"

Grappler got and glared at the brat. "Who are you to be giving _us _orders?"

"Behold! The awesome Musha Genkimaru!" The kid proclaimed, and held up a finger. "Samurai #1 in the universe!" He flipped backwards and three crudely drawn characters for GEN-KI-MARU appeared around him. "Ha! _Genkimaru!_"

Grappler smirked. "Uh, one of them's the wrong color!" He said sarcastically.

Genkimaru looked and saw that the character for KI was in an orange circle, unlike the yellow circles containing GEN and MARU. He quickly pushed the KI away and replaced it with a different character for KI, this one in a matching yellow. He struck a pose, though he was a bit shaken.

Grappler was not impressed. "So you can do a backflip! So what?"

Zapper held up his mop and eagerly asked, "Have you come help us tidy up, huh?"

"_No!_" Genkimaru spat with a wave of his hand, "I've come to take command and take over this ship!"

"Command?" Zapper repeated, unsure.

"And I expect every one of you to help me, too!" Genkimaru finished, pointing at Zapper's gang.

"Are you crazy?" Grappler exploded, "You're not the boss here! Why should we risk our lives for some half-pint motor mouth? So what's in it for us, mini-Musha?"

"Plenty!" Genkiamru retorted, "There's a transport system on the ship's bridge! Y'know what that mean?"

Grappler gasped. "We could transport ourselves back to the Dark Axis!"

Genkimaru smirked. _And all the food would be mine!_

The Zakos began to chatter wildly amongst themselves. They couldn't believe it, a way to get out of the Minov Boundary Sea and back to their home! It was a miracle! They began to celebrate.

"Stand by to use weapons!" Genkimaru yelled, a gleam in his eye.

Destroyer liked the sound of _that! _"Weapons!" He cheered, "Boom boom boom boom boom boom _boom!_"

Genkimaru pointed past the Dark Axis. "Check it out!"

Zapper's looked and saw guns, grenades, and other weapons sitting in a huge pile in front of the engines. These were the tools the invaders had used when they attacked Neotopia, and were subsequently confiscated by the Dark Axis.

"What the… That's my space board!" Grappler cried, recognizing one of the items in the pile. He then saw the dents in it. "You little runt! You turned it into a pile of junk!"

Destroyer gave a happy cheer. He saw his old weapons trailer, the Gallop, in the pile as well.

The Zakos cheered. Finally, they had their old tools back!

The only one not making noise was Zapper. He marched over to the pile and stopped before a small podium with two small buttons on it. He promptly slapped his hand over the blue button, and the floor underneath the weapons opened up. The items fell through. After a minute-long silence, a loud crash could be heard.

The rest of the Dark Axis gang sweated. Did _Zapper _of all people…?  
"Untidy junk makes the engine room look messy!" Zapper explained with a smile.

The Zakos huddled.

"Time for Plan B, Zako!" One Zako said, "Let's give him the turbo-blaster!"

Another Zako nodded and scurried over to one of the large crates in the engine room. After a minute, he then scurried over to Zapper and held out one of his old machine guns.

"Here, Lord Zapper!" The Zako said.

Zapper reeled back. "Oh _no! _Chief Haro would be very angry with me!" he began to run, followed by the Zako. "I cannot fire any weapons, no-no-no!"

Grappler, Destroyer and Genkimaru watched the surreal sight of Zapper being chased by the Zako as he fled into the rest of the Zakos. The Zakos panicked and tried to get out of his way, or end up being trampled by the larger robot.

"…Guns are bad! Guns are bad!" Zapper chanted as he hurried away. He stopped when he heard a loud snap. _I hope that sound wasn't what I think it was… _he looked down and gave a strangled cry. "Mop-murderer!"

A Zako Soldier looked down and saw that he had accidentally stepped on his mop, snapping the handle in two. When he looked up he saw that Zapper was right in front of him, shaking with rage.

"Your mop is your best friend in the war on dirt, soldier!" Zapper shouted, pulling back his arm. "And _don't you forget it!_"

Zapper gave the Zako such a punch that the little robot went flying clear across the room, until he hit one of the wall supports. He slid down, stars circling his head and an X over his eye.

"I won't forget Lord Zapper, Zako…" He moaned dizzily.

Watching Zapper fume gave Genkimaru an idea. "Hey, I saw a Gundam using a mop for target practice!" He called out, "Up on the bridge!"

Zapper whirled at him. "_What?_"

Genkimaru looked away, trying not smile. "But…you probably don't care.

The light shined off of his SDG badge, and Zapper said, "Such outrageous mop-abuse cannot be tolerated! Under section 699 of the SDG cleaning crew code we march at once to rescue our brother the mop! _To the bridge!_"

Zapper charged off, with the Zakos hurrying behind him. They really didn't care about the mops, but they weren't going to ignore an excuse to fight the Gundams.

"What a buncha dorks." Genkimaru remarked, and hopped off of the stage's door and onto Zapper's head. He grasped the larger robot's command fin held on tight, laughing. This was going to be fun!

-z-

Up on the _Gundamusai_'s lookout, the Gundam Force looked behind the ship. The crack in the Sea was now out of sight, much to their relief.

"As long as we keep our distance," Bakunetsumaru said, "The crack is no danger to us."

"Let's go!"

Confused, the Gundam Force began to look around. That voice had come from the bow of the ship.

_I know that voice…_ Shute thought, and looked down at the deck. His eyes widened when he saw Zapper's Gang, and… "Genkimaru! The Dark Axis has taken him prisoner!"

-z-

Genkimaru laughed excitedly as he rode Zapper, as he and Zako horde charged forward from the front of the deck towards the bridge.

"Onward, my brave Zakos!" Zapper yelled, "To save the innocent mops!"

-z-

The Gundam Force stared at this mob with mixed feelings.

"Not these guys again…" Bakunetsumaru groaned.

"Why is it that the enemy seems to have more troops aboard our ship than we do?" Captain asked.

But Zero had another concern. "I don't get it. For a prisoner, Genkimaru sure seems to be having a lot of fun!"

Shute soon heard Genkimaru's laughter and realized what was going on. "I've _had _it with that brat!" he yelled angrily, "I'm going out there to get him right now!"

Shute activated his backpack's boosters and leapt down from the lookout.

"_Shute!_" Captain activated Option V's boosters and rocketed down.

Zero began to fly after them but paused to look at Bakunetsumaru. "Can't let _them _have all the fun!"

"Right!" Bakunetsumaru nodded, and jumped.

-z-

"Hang in there, little mops!" Zapper shouted, "Zapper Zaku's on his way to save you!"

Zapper and the Zako horde stopped when Shute and Captain landed several feet before them.

Zapper pointed accusingly. "Are you the creeps who've been using a defenseless mop for target practice?"

Captain already had his V-Rod out and ready. Spinning it around, he said, "I have been granted special dispensation to use firearms!" He took a fighting stance.

"Oh, _hello _there, Mr. Captain!" Zapper said in a much nicer tone. "I'd like to thank you so much for _everything._"

Zapper bowed, almost throwing Genkimaru off, while the Zakos behind him blanched.

Angrily, Genkimaru yelled, "Attack!"

Out from behind the mob leapt Grappler and Destroyer, the former of which had his left arm replaced with his claw. The pair came down at Captain, only to be blocked by Zero and Bakunetsumaru.

"What the…!" Grappler muttered as Zero's Vatras Sword blocked his claw. Next to the Winged Knight Bakunetsumaru held off Destroyer's attempted kick with one hand.

Zero glanced at Bakunetsumaru and said, "I'll take this one, you get the other!"

Zero threw Grappler to the deck, and the two engaged in a duel, clashing sword against claw. Lightning crackled during a brief moment when their eyes met, and Grappler made several slashes at Zero, who blocked and parried his blows. Zero made his own attack, but was dodged. Their blades locked again soon after this.

"I hate to admit it," Zero commented, "But you fight rather gallantly!"

Directly across from them, Bakunetsumaru and Destroyer went at it. Because the larger robot had no weapons of his own, the Blazing Samurai kept his swords in their sheaths. Fighting an unarmed opponent was a serious breach in honor, after all. The two relied on good old fashioned fisticuffs, and lightning crackled between their eyes as their punches met. Backing away, Destroyer threw several punches at Bakunetsumaru, who dodged and gave him several punches and kicks. Destroyer fell back a pace, but stayed up.

"You're a worthy…" Bakunetsumaru huffed, amazed at Destroyer's resilience. "…opponent!"

Right in the middle, Captain held his own against a group of Zakos, blocking their mops with his V-Rod as they tried to trample him. He could have blasted them easily, but didn't want to risk opening another crack in Sea. And he also didn't want to hurt Genkimaru as well.

"C'mon, Captain!" Shute urged, "Get 'em! Get 'em! Show them what a Gundam is made of!"

Captain pressed against the mop handle being forced against him, and it snapped in two. Whatever mop handles were made of, it was a cheaper material than gundanium.

The Zako holding the broken mop panicked. "I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" He squealed.

"What are you _doing?_" Zapper roared, throwing Genkimaru off-balance. "Treat that mop more delicately!"

Shute saw that this was his chance. "Gotcha now!" He activated his backpack's boosters and rocketed up, grabbing Genkimaru and pulling the brat away from the fight as he flew through the air.

"Shute, what are you doing?" Captain yelled.

Shute smiled and shouted back, "I know just what to do with this one, Captain!"

Genkimaru kicked helplessly, trying to get out of Shute's arms. "Why are you always ruining my plans?"

Now that Genkimaru was out of the way, Captain easily knocked the Zakos backed. Bakunetsumaru and Zero then hurried up next to him.

"Now what are they up to?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

Zapper groaned and struggled to his feet. He glanced to the left and saw a Zako Soldier run up with his mop.

"I found it, sir!" The Zako yelled.

Two other Zakos hurried up to him, holding the machine gun.

"No, Lord Zapper Zaku!" One of the two cried, "You should take _this _mop! It's a much better one!"

Zapper froze as the two objects were held out in front of him. "They're both good mops…" He muttered, torn between passions old and new. "I, uh…"

The gun-bearing Zakos exchanged sneaky looks. The one holding the gun gave the mop-bearing Zako a swift kick, knocking him away. The Zakos then forced the gun into Zapper's hand, pointing it at the Gundams.

"Try this one, sir! Just put your hand right here and squeeze!" The Zako said, making Zapper's finger pull the trigger.

"Guh! What are you- Hey! Hold!" Zapper cried as bullets streamed out of the gun.

Captain began to twirl the V-Rod in front of him, blocking the bullets. After a few minutes of this, the Zakos let go of the gun Zapper began to laugh. He _liked _this!

"I'm _back!_" Zapper crowed as the Zakos, Grappler and Destroyer cheered for their comrade. Zapper Zaku had been reborn! Once all the bullets had been spent, Zapper threw the gun into the air. "Now to use our ultimate triple technique!"

Grappler leapt up and yelled, "No one can withstand the onslaught of our three attacks combined!"

"_The Final Deadly Screaming Chaos Catastrophe!_" The three ex-invaders called out.

"All right!" Genkimaru yelled, "_Bring it on!_"

Grappler replaced his clam arm with his normal arm, and it opened up to show his missile-launcher, glowing. Destroyer's chest opened up to show two glowing cannon barrels, and the forehead of Zapper's helmet opened as his visor lowered, revealing a glowing blaster. This was the set-up for a powerful combination attack that the three had come up with, but never got the chance to use…until now.

"Prepare to meet your doom!" Zapper growled…

…And a little watering can popped out of Zapper's forehead blaster, sprinkling water.

Zapper blanched. "Maybe not."

Grappler and Destroyer drop-kicked Zapper, knocking him down, and began to stomp on him.

"What's the matter with you?" Grappler snarled, "Can't you do one simple attack?"

"_Stop!_"

The quarreling three looked up and saw Captain, Zero and Bakunetsumaru looking at them.

"As Captain of the _Gundamusai_," Captain said, "I order you to drop your weapons and leave this ship at once!"

The Zakos, Zapper, Grappler, and Destroyer began to yell various taunts, making it clear that they were not about to go down quietly.

"C'mon, you little robo-freaks!" Grappler yelled, "Bring it on!"

Captain glared.

Upon seeing the look in Captain's eyes, any vestige of courage or rebellion left Zapper's gang. Turning around, they fled from the deck as fast as they could.

-z-

Later on in the bridge, Shute asked RAIMI, "Where are Zapper and his Zakos, now, RAIMI?"

"They're all back in the engine room again," the ship's AI told him, "I've sealed the passageway, so they can't get out and I'm monitoring their activities."

"Isn't that kinda dangerous?" Shute asked, worried. "What if they wreck stuff?"

-z-

As it turned out, Zapper had a very different idea over what his group should do with the engine room.

"We Zakos claim this engine for the Dark Axis!" he yelled from on top of the state's roof. "And from here we shall launch our next operation!"

The Zakos cheered.

"And we begin that mission…" Zapper declared, "…_By mopping the deck!_"

Zapper and the Zakos eagerly got to work, scrubbing the floor with their mops. The Zakos were happy about mopping now that it meant they wouldn't have to fight the Gundams. Their little tussel really gave them a new perspective about everything.

But not everyone was happy. Grappler and Destroyer watched the cleaning action with angry eyes.

"I've had it!" Grappler grumbled, throwing his mop down. "I can't stand this mopping anymore!"

Destroyer threw his mop down as well. "Yeah, Dom hate mopping too!"

Genkimaru watched as Grappler and Destroyer from atop one of the engine. Unable to bear to watch, he turned over and shook his head.

_Those guys are hopeless!_

-end chapter 4-

A/N: Okay, with this chapter done, we are now finished…

…With my favorite episode.

See, what got me interested in the show was the Zako Zako Hours. I ended up liking the rest of it, but the Zakos are still my favorite characters.

This episode is special, not just because it has two ZZHs, but that it focuses more on the Dark Axis trio. It was especially funny to watch Zapper, who, even though his goals have changed, still has that same 'determined to the point of stupidity' persona we've come to love. The episode also shows how much the show has matured and evolved since those early episodes. Because the Gundam Force has been dealing with more competent and lethal villains like Sazabi and Kibaomaru, they no longer have any fear of cartoony baddies like Zapper's gang. Instead of 'schemes of the week' concocted by Zapper and company, the Force has to deal with overarching plots that the true evils have been preparing. This is known on TVTropes as Cerberus Syndrome, where a humorous show becomes more and more dramatic as it goes on.

Be sure to review!


	9. Zako Zako Hour 16

The iron curtain rose.

"Ladies and gentlebots," Red Mic said as he and the other hosts bowed, "Today's meeting is all about _Why Lord Grappler Gouf…_"

"…_And Lord Destroyer Dom Were Aboard The _Gundamusai!" Blue Mic and Yellow finished with him.

"Now, Zako!" Red Mic said.

"Oh, me, me, me!" Blue Mic cried, raising his hand eagerly.

Red Mic looked at him. "All right, fine. _You _tell it!"

"Okay, Zako," Blue Mic chuckled, "First I'll tell you about Lord Grappler Gouf, and his part in the adventure! With the hard-hitting reporting style that makes me the star of the Zako Zako Hour!"

Red Mic and Yellow Mic went, "Huh?"

"Since when are you the star of the show?" Yellow Mic asked.

"Since I said so," Blue Mic replied, and pointed to the screen. "Screen!"

The screen showed a cardboard box with a crescent hole showing a mono-eye.

"Hurry it up!" Red Mic and Yellow Mic said.

"Don't rush me, Zako, you're always trying to make me mess up!" Blue Mic cried before saying calmly, "Here is the device which Lord Grappler used to conceal himself and make his way aboard the _Gundamusai!_"

"Huh?" Went Red Mic and Yellow Mic, and they looked at the screen.

"Disguised as ordinary cargo," Blue Mic went on, "Grappler hoped to get carried aboard the ship along with the supplies. Several times he was nearly thrown into the trash, Zako, but he finally made it into the cargo hold. Now that he was safely aboard, the only problem was he was lost."

The hosts sweated at the thought of that. Then Yellow Mic burst into tears.

"The thought of brave Lord Grappler Gouf all alone on that big ship in that little box!" he sobbed, "I should have been there for him!"

"Don't be sad, Zako," Red Mic ccomforted, patting Yellow Mic's head. "You'll see that everything will be okay."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Yellow Mic cried, getting up with a question mark in his eye. "Isn't Destroyer Dom supposed to be in this story too?"

"Zako! There you go again, trying to rush me!" Blue Mic cried, "I'm going to get to it, just relax!"

"Wait!" Red Mic interrupted, "Why don't _I _tell it?"

"Because you don't know the story!" Blue Mic insisted.

Red Mic pointed to the screen, which was now showing a box with a cross-shaped hole showing a mono-eye. "I think I can guess, Zako! Destroyer Dom is in this box hiding underneath, right?"

Blue Mic began to sweat. "Right…how'd you know?"

"It's obvious!" Red Mic exclaimed, "He imitated Lord Grappler Gouf and disguised himself as cargo so he'd get load aboard the ship! But Lord Destroyer Dom was excited by the smell of high-powered weapons! His reckless enthusiasm got him caught in a mousetrap!"

The screen then showed a picture of Destroyer standing amidst a swarm of Elmice.

"Now of course," Red Mic said, "I'm just formulating a theory about that last part, but it _could've _happened that way, right, Zako?"

Blue Mic sweated again. "How…how did you know that?"

Yellow Mic burst into tears. "Oh, the humiliation of our Lord Destroyer Dom! Trapped with common vermin!" He fell to his knees. "First Lord Grappler Gouf and now him…!"

"Don't worry, Zako," Red Mic comforted, "They'll both live on as heroes…in _our _memory."

"I am _not lost!_"

"Me _not trapped!_"

Grappler and Destroyer landed on the stage from the ceiling and glared at the hosts.

"We're sorry, we're sorry! We really didn't know!" the hosts cried, panicking. "Please don't pull our Zako plugs and end our happy show!"

"Actually," Grappler admitted, "It was all true."

Destroyer nodded. "True!"

The hosts stopped. "In that case, the end."

The curtain fell. In the audience, Zapper swabbed the floor with mop.

"Scrubby-dubby dub dub dub…" He hummed and called out to the other Zakos. "All right, you guys, show's over!"

"That's it?" One Zako asked.

Zapper nodded. "Yup. _Moppin' time!_"


	10. Evil Sword Epyon

Chapter 5: Evil Sword Epyon

In the Minov Boundary Sea floated three knights with purple capes.

One knight wore red armor, with a satellite-like shield and an arch of small drums floating over his head. He was Mercurius, Knight of Thunder.

The second knight wore blue armor with two fans on his back, and held a staff. He was Vayeate, Knight of Winds.

The third knight's armor was dusty grey, and his face was like a devilish mask. Over his grey armor he had golden claws and wings. Next to him was a large red lance. This was Tallgeese, Knight of the Tempest.

Tallgeese floated listlessly in the air, suspended in magical energy coming from a red octagon covered in Lacroa runes. On either side of the octagon wore Mericurius and Vayeate, who were channeling their own magic into the octagon.

Vayeate grimaced under his visor. "I-if we keep doing this, our own magical energy will run out in no time!"

"Y-yes," Mercurius gasped, "But we simply cannot abandon our lord!"

"Is it possible that Lord Tallgeese took so much damage?" Vayeate asked, "Could the dazzling Feather Dragon _truly _be that powerful?"

"Its rank as a spirit is much higher than that of the Griffin," Mercurius answered, speaking of the spirit that Tallgeese had merged with. "Lord Tallgeese didn't stand a chance!"

They all remembered when they went to Neotopia in the other dimension to destroy the Gundam Force. Trapping them in a Magic Square, Tallgeese tried to force the location of the Spirit Egg from Zero…only to find the creature of the Egg becoming the Feather Dragon. Merging with Feather Dragon, Zero soundly defeated Tallgeese, causing him and his followers to fall in a crack in the Magic Square. Since then, they have remained in the Minov Boundary Sea, with no way to escape. Tallgeese had fallen into a coma soon after, possibly from the stress of the battle or the shock at his defeat. The Feather Dragon had fallen into the Sea as well, but had flown off somewhere…

The two knights were pulled from their thoughts as they heard a sound like something rushing through the air.

"Huh?" Vayeate murmured, looking in the direction the sound was coming from.

"What's that?" Mercurius asked, also looking.

A red, sinister sword drove itself into the rune octagon. The green gems on its blade seemed to glow.

"What's it doing?" Mercurius asked as he and Vayeate flew in for a closer look. Before they could get to far, the sword pulled itself out and attacked them, lashing out like a snake. The two knights went flying away from the octagon, which shrank into the sword. Without the magic, Tallgeese began to fall, and the sword flew down after him.

"Lord Tallgeese!" Vayeate cried.

Mercurius looked down and asked, "What's happening?"

The tip of the sword's blade softly tapped Tallgeese, and there was a flash of light. The unconscious knight stopped falling as the sword began to emit red light, bathing Tallgeese in its glow.

And then…Tallgeese stood up.

"Lord Tallgeese!" Mercurius gasped. He and Vayeate flew down to investigate.

"The power of this sword must have revived him." Vayeate decided.

"Hmm, still alive, in the Minov Boundary Sea. I am proud of you, Tallgeese!"

A rune circle like one Vayeate had never seen appeared, and expanded into the size of a person. An image of Tallgeese's devoted servant, Deathscythe appeared in it.

"Deathscythe…" Tallgeese said softly, still a bit weary, and then realized that the Knight of Darkness had not called him 'Lord'. "I hope you're not mocking me…"

"Of _course _not!" Deathscythe cried out, sounding shocked. "Just expressing my respect and admiration."

Tallgeese grimaced as a tingle of pain shot through him. "…Forget about it. Just get us out of here. I trust you have a plan…do you?"

"Hm, but of course!" Deathscythe purred, "I've prepared a magical pathway to cross the dimensional border. However, there is one problem…"

"Spit it out already!" Tallgeese snarled.

"Yes, if you'll allow me to finish," Deathscythe said sternly, "You see, the Winged Knight and his comrades are at the foot of the magical pathway."

"Do you mean the Gundam Force?" Tallgeese asked quickly.

"Well, I don't mean the Neotopia Knitting Club," Deathscythe said, "We must hide you in this weakened condition!"

"_Never mind!_" Tallgeese growled, waving his hand. "It's time for a little payback… I'll get back to Lacroa _after _defeating them all! And that's _that!_" Destroying the Gundam Force would be a lovely way to celebrate his escape from this void…

"Ooh, spoken like a true warrior!" Deathscythe applauded, and the red sword floated up at their level. "Now, please take this Evil Sword Epyon. It will definitely be of use to you…"

Tallgeese stared at Epyon with wide eyes. "The Evil Sword…_Epyon?_" Was this what he thought it was?

"It will guide you to the magical pathway," Deathscythe explained, "Go ahead…_take it._"

Tallgeese said nothing, but the way he looked at the sword showed his thoughts. _I am going to borrow your power, Epyon!_

Deathscythe's image began to vanish. "I wish you victory, sir…" He said as the rune circle dissipated.

-z-

Deathscythe chuckled darkly. _That is, I wish you victory in order to make _my _ambitions come true!_

The Knight of Darkness looked at the petrified form of Princess Lacroa and cackled.

-z-

Tallgeese took hold of the Epyon Sword's handle and shivered with delight. His eyes flashed purple as he held it up.

"What a wonderful sword…" He whispered, "It flows into my body…" He began to laugh. "The power is flowing into my body!" His body gave off a dark orange light.

"Lord Tallgeese!" gasped Vayeate.

"Such powerful magic…" Mercurius murmured.

Tallgeese turned to his followers, chuckling evilly. "So you feel it too, do you?"

And with that, he rammed the Epyon Sword into Mercurius' chest!

The knight gasped out in pain, dropping his shield. "But… Lord Tallgeese…!"

Vayeate watched in horror as a black energy appeared from the sword, covering Mercurius. It soon shrank away, taking the red knight with it. The green gems glowed again. All the while, Tallgeese laughed fiendishly.

"Wh-why did you do that, sir?" Vayate asked anxiously, backing away.

"Why did I 'do that'?" Tallgeese asked, turning to the blue knight. He lunged. "The same reason I'm doing _this!_"

Vayeate was stabbed and subsequently absorbed into the sword's black energy. Once it was finished, Tallgeese held Epyon close to him, chuckling cruelly as he watched the green gems glow.

"My faithful followers…" He murmured into the blade, "Join the power of _Epyon!_"

Tallgeese waved the sword, and a ball of crackling electricity and swirling winds flew out from it- the powers of Mercurius and Vayeate.

He cackled, "This evil sword absorbs those wounded by it, and adds their power to its own! And it awaits you, Gundam Force! I will have _your _powers too!"

-z-

"He does not understand the true power of that evil sword," Deathscythe told the princess, even though as a statue she could not hear him. "Though he is a knight, _he's no Gundam. _And he should feel honored to contribute to my happiness with the princess. Isn't that right, my beloved Princess Rele? Fear not, my dear, for we shall soon be _together!_"

-z-

"Now, guide me to them, Evil Sword Epyon!"Tallgeese commanded, holding out the sword. Following its subtle urgings, Tallgeese flew off.

-z-

On the _Gundamusai_'s lookout, the Gundam Force were taking a break. Captain had his face plate open, and Bakunetsumaru had a wide plate full of freshly-made rice balls. The rice and packing materials were on a trolley behind him.

"Okay, let's eat!" The Blazing Samurai said, walking forward.

Shute smiled and ran forward for a bite, but Zero hung back, his eyes half-closed.

"Rice balls _again?_" He asked tiredly.

"Okay, Zero," Bakunetsumaru chuckled, "I'll be glad to eat your share!"

Just then, RAIMI made an announcement. "Captain! The radar shows an unidentified object is approaching us from behind!"

Confused, the Gundam Force looked down the ship's flight path, trying to see what was coming up. Because their backs were turned and their focus elsewhere, none of them noticed Genkimaru spring up from the front.

"Food!" The Musha Gundam child laughed, "They're _mine!_" He zipped around before charging back down to the deck.

"Genkimaru?" Bakunetsumaru asked, and then realized that his load seemed to lighten. He looked down at his plate of rice balls to find that…

"They're _gone!_" Shute cried, staring at the empty space in Baku's hands.

"My rice balls!" Bakunetsumaru cried, and hollered, "Come back!"

"No fair!" Shute yelled.

Genkimaru kept on going, laughing as he hopped down the cannons and onto the deck. He quickly ran into the ship.

Everyone stared, while Shute and Bakunetsumaru grumbled over their lost meal. Their mutterings were cut off when a giant red lance suddenly speared itself into the floor in front of them. The pair jumped back in alarm.

Zero examined the weapon. "I know this lance." he muttered, and looked up to see Tallgeese flying above them.

"So, I've found you at last, Gundam Force!" Tallgeese cackled.

"That guy again…!" Shute muttered as he and the Gundams looked up at Tallgeese.

Bakunetsumaru pointed at him and asked, "Who's that?"

The rest of the Gundam Force fell over.

"It's been a long time, Gundam Force!" Tallgeese declared, "Witness my newly acquired power!"

Tallgeese lunged at them, and Shute and Bakunetsumaru ran for cover. Once they reached the end of the lookout, Bakunetsumaru whirled around and pulled out his swords.

"No more running!" He yelled, "It's time to fight!"

Tallgeese swung his sword and hit Bakunetsumaru, sending him flying towards the deck below.

"Looks like Tallgeese is back." Captain said, and closed his faceplate.

"He's definitely changed since the last time we saw him." Zero commented. He not onlyfound Tallgeese's new glow unsettling, but also that he didn't go through a grand introduction speech. That wasn't like the Knight of the Tempest he knew.

-z-

Down below, as Bakunetsumaru tried to pull himself up, the Zakos, Grappler and Destroyer walked out of one of the Haro faces on the outside of the ship. They had heard the crash and came to investigate.

"I can't believe Lord Talgeese is still alive, Zako!" One Zako said.

Grappler shielded his eyes as he looked up at the winged figure. "I _knew _he'd be tough enough to survive!"

"Yeah, duh." Destroyer added.

"Hey, you idiots!" Zapper yelled following them. He waved his mop angrily. "Grab a mop! Our cleaning mission isn't over yet! This galaxy is filthy!"

-z-

"_Come to me! Legendary sacred magic Vatras Sword!_" Zero chanted, summoning his sword and shield. Once he was armed, he took to the air after Tallgeese.

"Looks like that Feather Dragon isn't around to fight for you, huh?" Tallgeese asked tauntingly.

The two knights began to clash, swinging their swords against one another. When their blades locked, Zero finally got a good look at the sword Tallgeese bore.

"Tallgeese!" the Winged Knight cried, "Is that by any chance the Evil Sword _Epyon?_"

Tallgeese smirked evilly. "Ha! I'm impressed you knew it! You truly are the sole survivor of the Royal Knights! Embrace your knight's pride as you are _destroyed!_"

Tallgeese spun around and struck Zero, sending him flying down onto the _Gundamusai_'s deck, landing near Bakunetsumaru.

"_Zero!_" Shute cried out.

Tallgeese laughed wildly as Shute and Captain ran to the aid of their friends.

"Zero!" Shute yelled, and helped the knight up. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Zero replied a bit gruffly.

As he was helped up by Captain, Bakunetsumaru muttered, "He's so powerful…"

Captain looked up at the laughing fiend and scanned him. "Tallgeese is showing 376.19% more power than the last time!"

"He's sold his soul to the Evil Sword," Zero said, "Everyone, be careful! That sword possesses formidable power!"

With a mad yell, Tallgeese flew down to the deck at the Gundam Force. The glow around him seemed to be increasing.

"Tallgeese!" Zero cried out, "Stop using that sword!"

Tallgeese grinned evilly. "Ah, the words of a coward who used the power of the Feather Dragon to seal me in the Minov Boundary Sea!"

Tallgeese swung Epyon down at Zero, who blocked with his shield. The evil knight then kicked Zero towards the front end of the deck, and quickly landed on him to keep him down. Tallgeese pointed the tip of the blade at Zero.

"Now to return the favor, Winged Knight!" Tallgeese cackled.

Zero stared at the blade, his eyes practically crossing as it got nearer. From behind Tallgeese came Bakunetsumaru and Captain, their weapons out and ready to fight. The Knight of Tempest floated up and whirled at the incoming Gundams.

"So, you want to be absorbed too, huh?" He asked cruelly, and shot a ball of tornado-lightning at them from Epyon. The two Gundams were blasted back into the wall of the ship.

"Captain!" Shute cried, "Bakunetsumaru!"

"The power of thunder and wind!" Zero gasped, getting up. "You had the Evil Sword swallow up your trusted followers?"

Tallgeese laughed insanely, shaking. "That's right! I can hear it! The joyful voices of my followers becoming part of y power!"

Zero felt his circuits go cold. "That Evil Sword absorbs it wounds, and then it steals all their power!"

Captain, having peeled himself and Bakunetsumaru from the wall, looked up at Tallgeese and asked, "Does that mean that the sword actually possesses the power of Vayeate and Mercurius?"

Bakunetsumaru spat. "Oh, fine! So the sides are more even, big deal! Let's get him! C'mon, team!"

Zero glanced at Shute and said, "I need you to stay here, Shute."

Shute did not argue. "Yeah, okay." He knew that this battle was going to be fierce, and that the last the Gundams needed was to worry about a comrade. He would support them from a distance.

"I'll have the sword absorb the power of each and every one of you!" Tallgeese cackled.

-z-

Off to the side, the Dark Axis stowaways watched the battle.

"Hmm…nice!" Grappler said.

The Zakos cheered for Tallgeese, while behind them, Destroyer yelled, "Sword! I want that sword!"

Only Zapper was not celebrating. "I want you morons to get back to your cleaning right this minute!"

-z-

Tallgeese attacked, swinging Epyon against Zero without pause. Zero was barely able to keep up with evil knight's assault as they fought in the air.

"I am grateful, Deathscythe!" Tallgeese cackled madly, "For giving this power to me!"

"_Deathscythe?_" Zero cried, "Why would your own ally give you a sword that will destroy you?"

-z-

"Rele…you can understand why I've used Tallgeese in this way, can't you?" the Knight of Darkness asked the princess. "He was always envious of the Gundams… The darkness in his mind made him choose the path of belonging to the Dark Axis… And I am going to use that obsession of his _to make you mine!_"

Deathscythe cackled again.

-z-

As the two knights clashed their blades together, they found themselves lowering back down to the _Gundamusai. _Although Zero had caught on to the pattern in Tallgeese's moves, he still had trouble keeping up with the Knight of the Tempest's speed and power.

"You are just a weakling if you can't borrow the power of the Feather Dragon!" Tallgeese screamed as his attacks intensified. "Someone as weak as you should _never _have been made a Royal Knight! Why are _Gundams _always chosen and not me?"

As Zero fended off Tallgeese's blows, he thought, _How _dare _Deathscythe resurrect such an evil sword!_

Tallgeese raised Epyon for a strong cut, and Zero backed off. Epyon banged harmlessly off of the cannon they were over.

"I had you but the ship moved!" Tallgeese howled, and began to stomp the cannon. ""Why can't you _just! Stay! Still!_ Bad ship! Bad ship! Bad ship!"

Down below, the Zakos quivered at Tallgeese's hissy fit.

"Lord Tallgeese is acting kind of weird, Zako!" One cried.

"That's not the Lord Tallgeese that we know, Zako!" Another whimpered.

Then Tallgeese turned and glared up at the bridge. The sight of its Gundam-head appearance only increased his rage.

"I don't like that face!" He growled, "_What are you smiling at?_"

Tallgeese shot another lightning-tornado at the bridge, and the entire ship shook from the impact. Not only that, but electricity seemed to crackle all over the place.

"Attention!" RAIMI called, "The _Gundamusai_'s outer hull has been damaged! Presently engaged in emergency-scan of all damaged areas!"

-z-

Inside the engine room, Genkimaru lay atop one of the ceiling supports, sleeping off his stolen meal. The empty plate of rice balls was right next to him, but the ship's shaking caused by the battle caused it to fall. Soon Genkimaru fell with it.

"Ouch!" Genkimaru cried when he hit the floor. Wincing in pain, he tried to sit up. "Ow… What's all the racket…?"

-z-

Zero and Tallgeese soon were back to fighting. Their blades soon locked as the Knight of the Tempest began to force the Winged Knight down.

"Do not make light of my power!" Tallgeese snarled, "You are no match for me, little Gundam! Say goodnight!"

Zero strained, trying to keep his strength up. "Stop, Tallgeese! If you let jealousy consume your soul you'll only destroy yourself!"

At that moment, Tallgeese pulled away and swung around, hitting Zero down. The Winged Knight managed to land on his feet on the ship's lowest frontline cannon.

"You don't understand the magical power you're dealing with!" Zero continued, "The Evil Sword Epyon absorbs not just those hurt by it, but it eventually devours the soul of the one who wields it as well!"

But Tallgeese laughed. "You are envious of my power! Without the Feather Dragon you are nothing but a weakling! This Evil Sword is mine! _And it's power is mine!_"

The Knight of the Tempest lunged, and slammed Epyon against Zero's Vatras Sword. As he began to force Zero down, the V-Rod and Bakunetsumaru's swords suddenly joined in and began to press Epyon back.

"Fenn the Feather Dragon is no longer with him, but _we _are here to help!" Captain said.

"Right!" Bakunetsumaru said, "Unlike you, we will not allow a friend to be defeated!"

"We will always fight together to achieve victory together!" Zero said.

The Gundams increased the force of their push, forcing Epyon back.

"_Impossible!_" Tallgeese exclaimed.

With one mighty shove, the Gundams sent Tallgeese flying into the face of the bridge. Tallgeese began to shake as blue lightning crackled all over him. He gave a fearsome yell and turned an even darker shade of orange.

"Now, I shall cure you of your curse!" Zero declared, and turned to the others. "Captain! Bakunetsumaru! Please!"

Captain nodded. "Got it!"

"We're with you, Zero!" Bakunetsumaru yelled.

"Captain, Zero, Bakunetsumaru!" Shute cheered.

"_Soul Drive activate!_" Captain cried as the unit burned to life. His eyes enflamed and his fist shone gold as he took a fighting stance.

Bakunetsumaru's chest stone shined. "The heavens call out… The earth calls out… the _people _call out! Justice calls to me, and I answer! I am Bakunetsumaru! The Blazing Samurai! Of _Ark!_" He charged forward.

"_O Mana, who lives in all the universe,_" Zero chanted, _By your contract with this Winged Knight give me your power now!_ _Super Magical Violet Torndado!_"

Zero swung his sword, and a great wind blow, laced with violet rose petals.

Captain swung his fist forward. "_Captain Punch!_"

"_Secret Arts! Bakunetsu! Kenpu!_" Bakunetsumaru sliced a flaming X into the air. "_Tenkyo-Ken!_"

The force of the three attacks combined shot forward, with Zero flying in the center of it.

"Get ready, Tallgeese!" The Winged Knight yelled, "This is _our _power!"

By now, Tallgeese had separated from the ship, though he was still crackling. The lightning vanished as he got a hold over himself and glared down at the incoming force.

"Hahaha!" He laughed fiendishly, "You make an easy target for me, Winged Knight!"

"Take your best shot!" Zero retorted.

Tallgeese raised Epyon and crowed, "The Evil Sword _hungers _for you!"

The two knights slammed into each other in a fantastic burst of light, and for a moment seemed to equal each other. Then Zero pushed forward, blasting Tallgeese away.

"_Noooooooo!_" the Knight of the Tempest screamed, letting o of Epyon. The Evil Sword landed on the _Gundamusai_ deck, stabbing itself into the ship behind Shute, Captain and Bakunetsumaru, who were looking up at the knights.

Tallgeese seemed frozen in the air for a moment before slumping. "What happened…?" He asked tiredly.

"You were being absorbed by the Evil Sword!" Zero told him, "But you're in control now."

Shute, meanwhile, was staring at Epyon. The Evil Sword was giving off a strange black mist before it receded. It then pulled itself out of the ship and flew into the air, fitting its handle into Tallgeese's hand. The blade began to give off the black and purple mist again.

"Wrong…" The evil knight moaned, "The sword…is controlling…_me!_"

"_Oh no!_" Zero cried, "_We're too late!_"

As the mist increased, Tallgeese wailed, "_What's happening?_"

-z-

Deathscythe's chamber echoed with the psychotic laughter of the Knight of Darkness.

"Yes! I've been waiting _so long _for this moment!"

-z-

Everyone- Gundams, Shute, Zakos- watched in horror as Epyon's dark mist began to cover Tallgeese, while the Knight of the Tempest shook, trying to free himself from the Evil Sword. But it was too late.

"Deathscythe!" Tallgeese howled, "How dare you use me!"

As the dark energy of Epyon covered his body and consumed him, he could just barely hear Deathscythe's voice in his thoughts, as if the Knight of Darkness were right behind him, whispering into his ear.

_You see, in order to activate the true power of Epyon, I needed to nourish it with intense negative feelings… Like jealousy…rage…hatred…and vengeance! It was obvious to me that more suitable morsel than you…_Lord Tallgeese!

"Deathscythe…!" Tallgeese screamed as the darkness consumed him, "This…isn't…_over...!_"

His final words echoing into the air, Tallgeese became a giant cloud of swirling dark magic.

"That was _so _cruel!" Bakunetsumaru gasped. The fate he had just witnessed was one he wouldn't wish on anyone, even his worst enemy.

Captain stared at the dark cloud and gave a start. "_Warning! _An extremely powerful energy is being released from the Evil Sword!"

Shute cried out in alarm.

…_No! _Zero thought, staring.

The black cloud burst, and in its place floated one of the most terrifying things anyone present had ever seen.

It wore black and red armor with four wings on its back. It bore a shield with serpent imagery and the Epyon Sword. Its shoulder pads resembled lizard heads.

And the most frightening aspect of it…was that it had the face of a Gundam.

"The Berserker Epyon!" Zero cried out, his worst fears confirmed.

The dark warrior did nothing for a moment, but then began to speak in a deep voice, as if from the bowels of Hades. "My name is Epyon… My revival is now complete…"

As Epyon spread his wings out, everyone who had witnessed this terrible thing being born shook with fear.


	11. Zako Zako Hour 17

Chapter 5.5: Zako Zako Hour

The iron curtain rose, showing the three hosts.

"Ladies and gentlebots!" Red Mic began, "Welcome to the Zako Zako Hour! Today's meeting is…"

All three hosts cried, "_Why Tallgeese Was In The Minov Boundary Sea?_"

"Zako," Red Mic said, "I was surprised to find Lord Tallgeese in that place, Zako. I never expected to see him there!"

"I don't understand what happened at all, Zako." Yellow Mic said.

"You never understand anything, Zako!" Blue Mic shouted, and then said, "During his battle with Zero, Lord Tallgeese was sucked into a gap between dimensions by a corrupted Magic Square and disappeared. But that gap between dimensions is that strange void known as the Minov Boundary Sea, Zako! And that's the answer to today's question. Zako!"

"Zako?" Red Mic and Yellow Mic asked, looking at Blue Mic.

Yellow Mic began to flip out. "There are too many places to be, Zako!" He began to count off on his fingers. "First the Magic Square, right? The Minov Boundary Sea, the gap between dimensions, then there's the Zakurello Tunnel, there's Neotopia, Lacroa, Ark…!"

"Come to think of it," Blue Mic said, "There's also a place called Soladiorama, Zako!"

"_Soladiorama!_" Red Mic and Blue Mic cried.

"Finally," Red Mic said, "That name comes out! Why have you not mentioned it? What are you hiding?"

Blue Mic laughed. "Actually, I can explain that very easily with my true power."

"Huh?" Red Mic and Yellow Mic went.

"True power? _True power?_" Yellow Mic asked.

"Screen, please, Zako!" Blue Mic cried, and a map appeared on the screen. It looked like it was crudely drawn by a small child, with two moons in the upper left corner, and trees and flowers here and there. Under the moons was a picture of the Dark axis fortress with a Zako head. At the top right was a picture of a banana bunch, accompanied by the head of a Pawn Leo, the magical soldiers used by the Dark Axis forces in Lacroa. In the lower middle of the map were rice balls with Kibaomaru's head.

"This is Soladiorama!" Blue Mic explained.

The other hosts began to sweat at the bad artwork.

"I don't get it at all, Zako!" Red Mic cried.

"Which part of that is Soladiorama?" Yellow Mic asked.

"It's right there on the screen, Zako!" Blue Mic shouted, "Direct your attention to this pretty map!" he jumped up to the bananas. "Over here is Lacroa!" He pointed at the rice balls. "This is the country of Ark!" He jumped up and pointed at the Dark Axis fortress. "And this is our Dark Axis!"

"Zako's home!" Red Mic and Yellow Mic cheered.

"There are many other lands out there too, Zako!" Blue Mic went on, "And the place that includes all those other lands is called- all together-"

"_Soladiorama!_" the hosts cheered.

"And _that, _Zako, explains that." Blue Mic finished happily.

"Soladiorama sounds nice enough for me, Zako," Yellow Mic remarked, then asked, "By the way, where is Neotopia, Zako?"

"It's in another dimension, according to the Zako Zako Hour," Blue Mic answered, "_Duh!_"

"Oh, that's right, Zako." Yellow Mic muttered.

"Red Mic and Blue Mic collapsed.

Yellow Mic raised his hand. "Question, question, question! I just have one question, Zako!"

"Okay, but just one, Zako!" Red Mic and Blue Mic said, bracing themselves.

"Which is bigger," Yellow Mic asked, his eye becoming a question mark. "Neotopia, or Soladiorama, I wonder…"

"Just like Zako explained, Zako," Red Mic said, "Neotopia is the name of a _nation, _just like Lacroa, or Ark! But Soladiorama is a whole _world, _so naturally it's bigger, Zako!"

"Oh, I see…" Then Yellow Mic raised his hand again. "Question, question, question! I just have one question, Zako!"

"Okay, but just one, Zako!" Red Mic and Blue Mic said, bracing themselves.

"Then tell me, Zako," Yellow Mic asked, his eye becoming a question mark. "Which is bigger, the Dark Axis or Soladiorama, I wonder…"

"_What?_" Red Mic asked.

"Because you didn't happen to mention in your little lesson," Yellow MIc said, "That our Dark Axis fortress is int-"

"Th-that's a secret, Zako!" Red Mic cried as he and Blue Mic covered Yellow Mic's mouthpiece. "We Zakos are not supposed to say that, Zako!"

"Yes, we must keep our secret, Zako!" Blue Mic cried.

The iron curtain fell. There was no reply from the audience, aside from Zapper as he sang while he mopped.

"Scurbby-dub-dub…"


	12. Epyon's Assault!

Chapter 6: Epyon's Assault!

High above them, a crack was opening in the Sea, but no one was paying attention. Not only was the ship too far down to be affected by the crack's suction, but they had bigger worries. Namely, the Berserker Epyon. The demonic warrior glared down at the Gundam Force with his pure green eyes, laughing evilly.

"The Berserker Epyon!"Zero explained, "The soul of the evil sword swallowed up the pitiful knight and possessed his body!"

"Then, Tallgeese…" Shute began to ask slowly, "Is he…?"

Zero shook his head sadly. "His body…and all of his power are in the hands of Berserker Epyon."

Captain's targeting scope slid down and he scanned Epyon. "I'm detecting an overwhelming energy…the Evil Sword! Tallgeese…Griffin, Vayeate, and Mercurius! It's the combined power…of each of them all within the Evil Sword Epyon!"

-z-

Down below, the Zakos chattered wildly about this new development.

"Lord Tallgeese! He was absorbed by the Evil Sword, Zako!"

"Zako!"

One Zako trembled with fear. "I hope that's really him, oh…"

Grappler took a step back. "This could be it for the Gundam Force…"

"_C'mon!_" Zapper yelled, "We have to get back to cleaning, you idiots! This dimension is filthy!"

-z-

"I am going to…" Epyon said, "…_Devour you._"

And with that, Epyon flew at Zero. The Winged Knight barely had to time to bring up his sword to defend against Epyon's assault. When their blades locked, Epyon shoved Zerow away with his shield and dove at the rest of the Gundam Force.

"_Look out!_" Captain yelled as he, Bakunetsumaru and Shute ran for cover. They just barely managed to get out of the way of Epyon's swinging sword, and the Berserker flew back up into the air.

"What speed!" Shute cried.

"His mobility and quickness matched that of Guneagle!" Captain noted.

"Here he comes again!" Bakunetsumaru yelled.

Epyon came bearing down at the three, and in fact seemed to be aiming at Shute! The boy quickly tried to get out of the way, but wasn't fast enough. Epyon was upon him, sword raised.

"_Watch out!_" Captain yelled, blocking Epyon's strike with his V-Rod. The Berserker responded by sending Captain flying back with a shield to the chest.

"_Captain!_" Shute cried, watching his friend go flying.

Epyon lunged to follow up on the blow, but was stopped by Zero, bringing blade against blade. The two fought vigorously for a moment, but in the blink of an eye Epyon was high above Zero.

"I am going to devour you all!" the Berserker loudly growled.

-z-

The Zakos cheered at Epyon's ability. Though they weren't entirely sure whether or not the dark warrior was friend or foe, one thing was certain; This guy was _owning _the Gundams!

While Zapper fussed and fumed from behind, Grappler turned to Destroyer and said, "Looks like we can expect the Gundam Force and Mr. Sword-boy Guy to go down together in one fell swoop!"

Destroyer nodded quickly. He only hoped 'Mr. Sword-boy Guy' wouldn't turn his attention to them!

"What is going on?" Genkimaru asked, "Can't a guy get some shut-eye?"

Grappler glared at the Musha Gundam kid marching up to them. "Well, what a surprise. It looks like our chance to take over the ship has arrived."

Grappler directed Genkimaru's attention up towards Epyon…who was looking down at the pack. They all froze, except for Zapper, who was saying, "Are you gonna help with the cleaning?"

Epyon, in a dangerous voice, said, "I will devour all of you…as well."

At this proclamation, the Dark Axis gang began to visibly panic ("How am I supposed to get any cleaning done around here?" Cried Zapper) while Genkimaru stared up at the evil warrior with wide, shocked eyes. He gulped.

-z-

Inside the food locker, Cobramaru's eyes snapped open. _Hmm, an extremely evil presence… It can only be only one thing!_

Cobramaru flipped up the blades on his wrists. The super-glue sticking him to the crate had long since dried, and in several quick motions cut it off of him. He flipped over right-side up as he landed on the floor.

_I must go! _Cobramaru thought, and rushed off.

-z-

"Somethin' bad's gonna happen!" Zapper said, "I can feel it!"

Epyon dove at them. The Zakos and their leaders quickly ran to get out of his way while Genkimaru ducked down, just barely feeling the Berserker fly past him overhead. Looking up, the brat saw Epyon doing a U-turn in the air.

"UH-oh!" He gulped.

"It's time to eat!" Epyon crowed.

As Epyon came at him, Genkimaru leapt up onto the Haro-face and yelled, "You think you're so tough!" and ran off.

The Gundam Force looked up as they were helping Captain stand. They gasped when they saw what was going on.

"_Genkimaru!_" Bakunetsumaru cried out.

The brat was trying to climb up the front-line cannons, looking for shelter. With some effort, he managed to make it to the highest one before realizing that he had run out of room. Turning around, he saw Epyon floating right in front of him, sword pointed.

"Devour!" The Berserker yelled, and then whispered, "_Devour…_"

Genkimaru shivered at the hungry tone in Epyon's voice. "I don't taste very good!" He wailed, "Just stay away from me!"

Epyon raised his sword.

Genkimaru screamed, "_Help!_"

As Epyon brought his sword down, Cobramaru jumped down from the top of the bridge and blocked the blade. Epyon paused at this intrusion, allowing the ninja to fend him off with some quick strikes.

"Time to eat!" the Berserker yelled.

Genkimaru opened his eyes, having closed them in preparation of Epyon's attack, and blanched when he saw who had saved him.

"I will not be able to complete my mission if this brat is eaten." Cobramaru told Epyon.

The Berserker growled at Cobramaru and looked ready to eat _him _when Bakunetsumaru began to yell.

"Hey! You want to devour something? Try me!" The Blazing Samurai yelled, "_Secret Arts! Bakunetsu! Kenpu…_"

Shute gasped when he saw what Bakunetsumaru was up to.

"Oh no!" Captain cried.

But it was too late. With a cry of "_Tenkyo-Ken!_" Bakunetsumaru sliced a flaming X into the air and sent it flying at Epyon.

"I'm outta here!" Genkimaru yelled and took off.

Cobramaru quickly vanished in a rush of movement afterwards.

Epyon whirled around and brought up his shield to block the attack. However, that did not stop it from exploding on contact, rocking the _Gundamusai _slightly.

"Eat your heart out!" Bakunetsumaru declared, striking a pose.

"You shouldn't have done that, Bakunetsumaru!" Shute yelled.

Bakunetsumaru glanced at Shute before his eyes widened from realization. He paled. "Oh no! My attack could cause another crack in the Minov Boundary Sea!"

Just as the words left Baku's mouth, another crack appeared not far behind the ship.

"I-i-i-it was an accident!" Bakunetsumaru cried, "I swear!"

"Miss RAIMI!" Captain yelled.

"Roger," RAIMI replied, "Accelerating full-speed ahead," As the ship rocketed away from the crack, she said, "Attention. A safe distance will be reached in 30 seconds."

Zero flew up alongside the ship and yelled, "Just hang on, everyone! You're almost out of the gravity well!"

"_You!_"

Zero turned and saw Epyon fly up from behind. It looked like he hadn't been sucked into the crack after all. He shot forward and began to fight the Berserker, but Epyon soon flipped over, knocking Zero back. The Winged Knight went flying into the base of the bridge's V-fin, creating an indent and dropping his weapons.

Upon seeing this with the others, Captain and Shute cried, "_Zero!_"

Groaning, Zero looked up and saw the tip of Epyon's sword right in his face.

"_Yes…_" the Berserker purred, his eyes glowing purple.

"_Oh no!_" Bakunetsumaru cried out.

Shute cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled, "_Zero!_"

Zero saw his end mere inches away from him, but refused to give into despair. "It takes more than that to destroy a Knight of Lacroa." He said defiantly.

"I am…going to…_devour you._" Epyon said eagerly.

Zero glared. "I'm sorry, but I'm not on today's menu, Epyon!" After all, he still had to complete his mission…he had to keep his promise…he had to rescue _her_. Until he saved the princess and all of Lacroa, he could not die!

His mind flashed back to the last peaceful days in Lacroa, before the Dark Axis came… On one of those days, he saw Princess Rele looking out at a lake near the castle. She looked so elegant, the sun shining off of her face...

"I refuse to be defeated in a place like this!" Zero shouted.

Zero's chest stone began to glow, showing a blue-white feather within. It was a keepsake from an old friend, one he had lost, one he had promised to see once more.

"What's this?" Epyon grunted. He watched in confusion as a beam of light slowly shot out of Zero's chest stone past his head, and deep into the Sea. Just as it twinkled in the distance, a faint roar could be heard. Epyon whirled around when the roar reached his ears.

Zero felt his heart pound. That sound! _Is that…?_

Just faintly, everyone could see a winged form fly in from the distance.

"Could it be…?" Shute gasped happily.

The creature flying to them was a white, two-legged dragon in purple armor, with feathery wings, but once it was a small furry animal with big eyes. The Gundam Force had named it Fenn due to the way its cries sounded. Hatched from the Spirit Egg of Lacroa, it was dubbed the key to saving the kingdom and restoring it to life.

The Feather Dragon!

"_Fenn!_" Shute cheered as Bakunetsumaru laughed victoriously.

"You've been here inside the Minov Boundary Sea!" Captain said, remembering how the Feather Dragon had sacrificed itself to save the Gundam Force from being pulled into a crack in Tallgeese's magic square.

Zero felt more joy in his heart than ever, seeing his faithful friend returned to him. "Now, Fenn!"

Fenn reared up and roared, shooting a beam of pure blue-white energy from his mouth. Epyon quickly ducked out of the way and the beam shot through Zero. But instead of harming the Winged Knight, the light revitalized him.

"Yes, it's working!" Zero cried, and he floated away from the _Gundamusai, _glowing. He looked up at the Feather Dragon and called out, "Fenn! In order to save Lacroa, please allow me to borrow your once again!"

Fenn made no sound, but began to give off his own glow, and floated towards Zero. Transforming into light, he flowed into the Winged Knight's body.

"_Yeah!_" Shute cheered, knowing what was coming next.

In an instant the light faded, revealing a new Zero. This Zero wore special light purple armor over his normal blue, and his cape had been replaced with magnificent wings. He was Zero Custom, Knight of Silver Wings. And he was _elegant_.

Only Epyon was not impressed. "The Feather Dragon! I will devour you too!"

-z-

Through his magic circle, Deathscythe nodded at the sight of Zero merged with the Feather Dragon.

_Excellent! The power of the Berserker Epyon put Zero into a predicament! And as I thought, you have appeared to save him, Feather Dragon. Yours is the true power I seek!_

-z-

Underneath the _Gundamusai_, the rune circle planted by Deathscythe glowed and separated from the bottom of the ship, floating freely in the air.

-z-

"_Twin Buster Sword, come!_" Zero chanted, and held out his hands. In each hand appeared an elegant silver blade, both a head taller than he was, with a wing on the handle. He then pressed the flat sides of the blades against each other, and the fused into a single great sword. With a yell, Zero shot towards Epyon, who came at him as well. The two began to clash, with Zero able to keep up with Epyon's might now that he had Fenn's power aiding him. Zero shot at Epyon and missed, then turned back and brought his sword down onto the Berserker, who was forced to bring up his shield and defend. Epyon tried to stab Zero, but the Knight of Silver Wings dodged it and sliced at him. Epyon flew away from this, and Zero chased him towards the air in front of the ship. On the _Gundamusai_'s deck, Shute, Captain and Bakunetsumaru tried to follow the battle as best they could, running towards the end of the deck.

"Go for it!" Shute yelled, "Zero!"

Zero and Epyon continued to clash, flying around each other for a chance to get a blow in from behind. When he failed to get Zero, Epyon flew off again, with Zero close behind.

"I won't let you get away!" The merged knight yelled. If he let Epyon escape, he knew what sort of trouble the evil warrior would cause?

Epyon glared behind him, his eyes and chest stone turned red, and he _changed. _His sword became a tail, his shield became a back, and his shoulder pads became two serpentine heads. He had become a two-headed dragon!

The heads of this new form then began to breath streams of lightning and a spiraling winds at Zero.

"_What?_" Zero gasped, and zipped around trying to dodge the blasts.

"Hey, no fair!" Shute yelled.

"A double-headed dragon!" Captain cried.

"Whoa! Is that the true form of that guy?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

Perhaps in answer, the double-headed beast gave off twin roars.

-z-

"Wyvern Epyon!" Deathscythe called out, "Bring the power of the Feather Dragon to me _now!_"

As the Knight of Darkness spoke, his ghostly form began to fade, showing a darker body within, capped off by a pair of red, shade-like eyes.

-z-

Epyon shot forward, and before Zero could react, the Wyvern grabbed hold of the Knight of Silver Wings with its talons.

The rune circle under the ship flashed and vanished. Far ahead of the ship, near where Epyon and Zero were, a giant version of it appeared on the wall of the Sea.

"Huh?" Zero grunted, looking behind him. Epyon was pushing towards that rune circle!

The knight and the beast made contact, and began to sink into the circle.

"Time to return…" The two dragon heads said in Epyon's voice.

"Zero…no!" Shute cried as he watched.

"That guy is forcing Zero through that magic circle into another dimension!" Bakunetsumaru realized. As he spoke, only Epyon's tail were left poking out of the circle before it sank completely.

Captain yelled, "Miss RAIMI! Set coordinates to follow Zero! Into that magic circle!"

"Roger." RAIMI said, and the holographic helm began to spin clockwise.

The _Gundamusai _did a wide turn and hit the magic circle dead on. The entire ship shook as it began to push its way through, being covered with strange multicolored lights and sparks.

On one of the ship's cannons, Genkimaru wobbled precariously. "_Now _what's goin' on?"

"Hey, hey!" Grappler yelled at the ship, "Where do ya think _you're _going?" He didn't know what that magi circle was or where it led to, but after everything else that had happened today he didn't want to take chances.

The magic circle began to dim, preparing to vanish. The _Gundamusai_'s rockets increased in power, trying to push the ship through before the circle disappeared completely.

"Warning!" RAIMI announced, "Engine output at 120%!"

"You can do it, _Gundamusai!_" Shute urged. They were already halfway through the portal- if that what it was, and they weren't about to quit yet.

Captan shared Shute's sentiments. "If we lose Zero now, we'll be separated in different dimensions _again!_" He said, remembering when Fenn had been trapped in the Minov Boundary Sea. At the time, Zero Custom had been willing to sacrifice himself in order to save the rest of the Force, but was forced out at the last minute by Fenn. It had been quite frightening to think that a comrade could be lost so easily.

"That's right!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, "Keep going!"

At their words, the rockets of the _Gundamusai_ increased in power. There was a fantastic flash of light.

-z-

Underneath light purple clouds, Deathscythe's magic circle appeared in the air, and out came Epyon, still attached to Zero.

_Where is this place? _The Knight of Silver Wings thought, looking up. Because of the way Epyon was holding him, it was the only place he _could _look. The first thing he saw were two crescent moons in the semi-night sky.

Minutes after Epyon and Zero appeared, the _Gundamusai _forced its way out of the circle. Once it was free of the circle, the ship resumed its normal speed in the air.

On the deck, Shute and Bakunetsumaru cautiously opened their eyes. That flash of light had been unexpected, and they weren't sure what had happened.

Bakunetsumaru was the first to see the flying fighters. "Look!" he shouted, pointing.

"There they are!" Shute cried, but found his attention drawn to their new surroundings.

Underneath the dark sky and moons was a canyon of sorts, filled with polluted water. Poking out of the ground were several large, twisted red horns. In the center of the canyon was a large, dead, stone tree, with several buildings on its roots. The tree's center had a giant, black dome of crackling energy covering it, so big that only the top half of the tree could be seen poking out of it. On the middle of the dome was some kind of armor's outline.

Shute had seen this place before, minus the dome. "Is this place…by any chance…?" He was almost afraid to ask, not wanting to jinx it.

"Correct," Captain said, "The probability of this location being Lacroa is 99.89%!"

So they _were _in Lacroa! They had made it!

Zero, just barely overhearing Captain, pulled his arm out of Epyon's grip (Or rather, one of Epyon's _mouths_- both heads had decided their jaws had a better grip than their claws) and looked at the giant tree. He realized that, even with that strange but unmistakably evil dome covering most of it, it was the Spirit Tree of Lacroa!

"That is unmistakably Lacroa Castle!" Zero gasped, "So this is… It's Lacroa!"

As they flew around, Zero looked at one of the branches higher up on the tree. Built there was the Fountain of Spirits that flowed the sacred river of life from the Spirit Tree into the rest of Lacroa. It had been sealed off by the royal family when the Dark Axis invaded Lacroa, and now the fountain was bare.

But in the center of the fountain was a lone, petrified figure- one that he had not seen since his exile from the kingdom.

His eyes widened. _And that's…! _"Princess…Princess Rele!" He cried out.

Her majesty's petrified form was just as Zero remembered- her eyes sad, but hopeful, and her arm and hand outstretched into the air as she had sent him into the other dimension. Was _this _where Tallgeese and his ilk had been holding her? On a pedestal, like some trophy?

There was a snickering cackle that echoed through the air, and the ghostly green form of the Knight of Darkness appeared behind the princess.

"So you came!" The evil knight giggled, "The Feather Dragon who merged with Zero!"

"It's you…Deathscythe!" Zero growled, subconsciously feeling offended by Deathscythe's remark. Was his worth only when merged with Fenn?

"Yessss…" Deathscythe purred, "Everything is happening just as I planned!"

As Epyon flew Zero away from the Castle, Deathscythe let loose with another cackle again.

Desperately, Zero held out his hand, trying in vain to reach out to her majesty. "Princess… _Princess!_"

-z-

The _Gundamusai_ followed Zero and Epyon into one of Lacroa's side canyons, the ship's rockets began to make funny noises. The ship bobbed slightly in the air, and began to drift down. Smoke began to cloud up in the engine room as the engines began to overheat.

On the deck, Zapper's gang began to panic at the ship's sudden descent.

"Hey!" Genkimaru cried as the cannon he was standing began to wobble. "This ship is falling! I gotta get off!"

"Engine output steadily decreasing." RAIMI announced.

"What?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

Captain knew what was going on. "We've pushed the _Gundamusai_'s engines too far!"

Shtue was about to say something, but a noise up ahead grabbed his attention. "Zero!"

The Knight of Silver Wings had just pulled himself out of Epyon's toothy grip. But instead of engaging the Wyvern in combat, he flew back, with only one thing in mind.

"_Princess!_" Zero screamed. The thought of her majesty being in the hands of that…_thing_…Deathscythe was too much to bare.

However, Epyon wasn't going to let Zero escape that easily. Returning to his Berserker form, he flew in front of Zero and hacked his sword at him. Zero brought his Twin Buster Sword up to defend, and the two locked blades.

"Out of my way!" Zero shouted.

But Epyon did not let up. "_Must…devour…_"

While this was going on, the _Gundamusai _continued its downward aerial slide. Unfortunately, there was a large stone pillar- about the height of the ship's length- directly in their path.

"We're gonna crash!" Shute wailed, looking around desperately for a solution.

"All crew members, please brace for emergency landing." RAIMI said as the holo-helm spun counter-clockwise.

"Wait a minute!" Grappler yelled, "Did she say _emergency landing?_"

The ship began to tilt to the left, causing Zapper's gang to slide down off the side. Genkimaru gave a wild yell and clung to the cannon barrel he stood on for dear life, kicking his legs frantically. The _Gundamusai _missed the rocky pillar, but in doing so had turned almost completely sideways. The rest of the Gundam Force were able to grab handrails to avoid falling, and Cobramaru had his ninja training to fall on- but not everyone was so lucky. For one thing, Zapper's gang- Zapper, Grappler, Destroyer, and the Zakos- went tumbling down into the rocky landscape below. And they weren't the only ones.

"No!"

Cobramaru looked down from the wall he was clinging to and gave a start. Genkimaru was losing his grip on that cannon barrel!

Then the ship hit a bump, and the jolt knocked Genkimaru off. With a yell, the kid Musha Gundam plummeted.

"_Oh no!_" Cobramaru yelled, and dove off of the ship.

Hearing Genkimaru's yell, Shute looked from the safe arms of Captain Gundam and saw what was going on. "_Genkimaru!_"

"Leave him to me!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, and jumped from the rail.

"_Bakunetsumaru!_" Captainn yelled as he and Shute watched him go down.

Meanwhile, Zero and Epyon continued to fight, clashing their blades as they flew around a petrified tree. Once they reached the top, Epyon gave the Knight of Silver Wings a hit that sent him back.

"You will not keep me from the princess!" Zero shouted as recovered and shot forward.

The warriors kept fighting, but Zero's concern for her majesty distracted him from his duel- He kept missing, and Epyon would get a hit in. And whenever Zero would manage to knock the Berserker away, he would ignore the evil warrior until he was back in his face. When they locked blades again, Epyon hit Zero back with his shield and turned into the Wyvern again. Both heads began breathed tornados and lightning again at Zero, who held up his sword and created a magic circle to defend. The Knight of Silver Wings grunted and winced from the glare as the two attacks pounded away.

The _Gundamusai _at this time had resumed its normal position, though now closer to the ground than before.

"Emergency landing!" RAIMI announced, "Impact imminent!"

The ship hit the dirt- bounced- and hit the dirt once more, and began to slide through the earth. The _Gundamusai _skidded down the canyon before it reached the end of it, coming to a shaky stop. Once he was sure it was safe, Captain pulled himself and Shute back onto the deck- where high above, Epyon continued his assault on Zero. The Knight Gundam seemed to be weakening against the wind and electricity.

"Zero…" Shute murmured, "It can't be…"

Captan turned to the ship's bridge and said, "Miss RAIMI! Prepare to fire main cannons!"

"Affirmative." RAIMI replied.

"Target the double-headed dragon, Epyon!" Captain ordered.

The _Gundamusai_'s Ball-like front-line cannons turned and pointed at Zero's duel. Their barrels extended.

Shute crouched down and covered his ears, while Captain pointed and yelled "_Fire!_"

The cannons let loose with three beams of pure yellow energy that streaked across the sky and struck Epyon. The Wyvern stopped his assault on Zero and reared back, releasing a howling roar of pain.

That was all the distraction Zero needed. "Fenn! Unleash your true power!" He called out and held up the Twin Buster Sword. The hole in the center of the blade's end shined with a white light.

"_Super Spirit-Magic...Infinity Winds!_" Zero called out, and sliced the Twin Buster Sword down. The sword shot out beams shaped like its blade, cutting a bright blue streak into Epyon's body. Zero turned from the beast as it howled in pain. Then the Wyvern turned into white and burst into hundreds of balls of light.

As he watched the light rain from the sky, Shute realized that they looked like luminescent jellyfish- They were Mmns, a type of spirit he had seen on his first trip to Lacroa.

"Does this mean that Epyon has become Mmns?" Shute asked, holding out his hand. One of the smaller Mmns drifted through it. He looked up and smiled. Zero was flying towards them.

"That's right, Shute," Zero said, "A spirit is never gone. It lives on forever. Both Epyon and Griffin have become Mmns and returned into the earth. To the forest. To the life force of Lacroa."

Zero glowed and in a flash, resumed his normal form, with Fenn floating above him.

"I have finally returned!" He declared.

"Zero!" Shute cried, happy for his friend.

"This is my homeland, Lacroa," Zero said softly, and thought of the princess again. He remembered his promise to her, and how much of a struggle it had been to get this far. "Yes…this time, I have returned to free Lacroa at last."

As Mmns danced around him in the soft drift from the sky to the ground, Zero looked towards where Lacroa Castle was- where the princess was. Though Deathscythe still had her in his grip, he knew that it would not last. He, and his new friends and allies, the Gundam Force, would defeat Deathscythe and cleanse the kingdom of his presence. They would release the land from its stone curse. They would save the princess and her people from their existence as statues.

And they would do it _elegantly._

-Book 4 end-

A/N: Well, aside from the upcoming Zako Zako Hour, this book is done! Woo! Before I go, I would like to talk about Epyon. In the original Japanese, Epyon's nickname is Kyo Senshi, which loosely translates to 'Evil Warrior.' But in the English dub, he is called the Berserker. What is a berserker, you ask? In Norse literature, the berserkers were warriors who fought in an uncontrollable, trance-like fury, which gave rise to the English word berserk. Nowadays the term refers to people who fight with reckless abandon and no concern for their lives. Both definitions most certainly apply to not just Epyon, who continues to attack and destroy, but also his victims, who are driven into a deeper and more mindless rage as they fight with the Evil Sword Epyon. As a bonus question, does anyone know what Woolseyism means?

Please review!


	13. Zako Zako Hour 18

Chapter 6.5: Zako Zako Hour!

In a cave deep underground, a large boulder rolled out of the way. Standing behind it were Red Mic, Blue Mic, and Yellow Mic.

"Ladies and gentlebots," Red Mic said as he bowed with his co-hosts, "Welcome to the Zako Zako Hour! Today's meeting is all about, all together…"

All three hosts said, "_What Exactly Is The Berserker Epyon Anyway!_"

"Zako!" Red Mic said.

Yellow Mic looked around and commented, "Today's stage looks different from usual, Zako."

"We have no choice," Red Mic replied, "It's an emergency, Zako!"

"But how do they expect us to display images in a cave like this, Zako?" Blue Mic asked.

"We'll do it this way!" Red Mic cried, and gave Yellow Mic a swift bonk on the head.

Yellow Mic's eye projected a holographic screen onto the air behind them, filling in the space of the cave. The image was that of the Evil Sword.

"Oh, so this is the Berserker Epyon." Blue Mic noted.

Red Mic shook his head. "Huh? No no no, this is the Evil Sword Epyon!"

"Sword?" Blue Mic asked.

The image then showed the evil warrior.

"Yes," Red Mic said, "And this is the Berserker Epyon, which has a tail that looks very similar to the sword we saw!"

"That's not it, you're getting it all wrong!" Blue Mic cried, and explained, "The Evil Sword absorbed Lord Tallgeese. When that happened, he became the Berserker. In fact, the Berserker Epyon then transformed into the Wyvern Eypon, Zako! And that explains that."

A Zako Soldier without any armor wearing a chef's hat and holding a whisk then rushed past the hosts. He cried, "Lord Tallgeese! You finally become a Gundam, Zako!" He leapt into the air. "Congratulations, Zako! Would you sign my whisk?"

The hosts cocked their heads. "Gundam, Zako?"

"He's a Lord Tallgeese fan," Red Mic explained, "So it's okay with him!"

A thought occurred to Yellow Mic. "So does this the Berserker Epyon is a Gundam, or is it a spirit?" He asked, his eye becoming a question mark.

"I'll answer for you, Pawn!"

There was a puff of smoke, scaring the hosts. When it cleared there was a Pawn Leo standing on the stage.

"This is Lacroa, _my _territory!" The Pawn Leo said, "So I'm privy to thing you don't know about because you're not important enough!"

"That kind of stuff really gets on our nerves, Zako!" The hosts yelled, glaring at Pawn Leo.

"Then _I _shall answer your question!" Pawn Leo declared, "Epyon! It is both a spirit _and _a Gundam, Pawn!"

"Wait just a minute, Zako!" Blue Mic yelled, "Can a Gundam and spirit merge with each other?"

"And why exactly are Gundams called Gundams, Zako? I've always wondered about that." Yellow Mic commented.

"I shall answer that too!" Pawn Leo declared, "That's because their bodies are made of _gundanium, _Pawn!"

"That explains that, Zako!" The hosts replied.

"I wonder, though," Blue Mic commented suspiciously, "How can a Gundam merge with a spirit? _Huh?_"

"Well, uh, um…" Pawn Leo stuttered, trying to think of an answer. "Maybe, because the spirits are made of gundanium too, Pawn." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Certainly, if you think that way, Zako, it seems to make sense, yeah," Red Mic replied, and pointed to an image of the Griffin and Feather Dragon. "That means that these two are Gundams!"

The image changed to a collection of Mmns.

"So they are Gundams, too!" Blue Mic cried, pointing at the image.

The two hosts thought it over. "It doesn't quite make sense, Zako!"

Yellow Mic then jumped up. "I finally get it, Zako!" he pointed to an image of Epyon. "This right here is both a Gundam and a spirit, Zako."

The hosts thought it over. "Oh! Uh… It still doesn't make sense to us, Zako!"

Pawn Leo shrugged. "Well, you guys shouldn't worry about it _too _much, Pawn. 'Cause you'll never figure it out!" He chuckled.

That was the last straw for the hosts.

"That ticks us off, Zako!" They yelled, and leapt at Pawn Leo. "_Zako Kick!_"

Pawn Leo received three boots to the rear and went flying off the 'stage'.

"We rock!" The hosts cried, "We're not afraid of anyone, Zako!"

Then another boulder fell between them and the rest of the Zakos. As they cheered, some Mmns floated around.


	14. Preview

A preview of the next _SD Gundam Force _book;

When they saw Zero and Captain fly overhead, the Dark Pawn Leo jumped to attention, running around in the fountain.

"Red alert! We're under attack, Pawn! It's the Gundams!" The lead Pawn Leo shouted, waving his sword.

The Gundam Force appearedThe other three Pawn Leo began to fire their cross bows at them. While Captain and Zero easily rocketed and flew around in the air to dodge the bolts, Shute was not so fortunate, dancing a precarious dance on the Re-equip Ring, trying to avoid being hit while at the same time keep his balance.

"What's the matter with you Pawns, shoot him down!" The Pawn Leo leader yelled.

"_Zero Dispel Sword!_" Zero shot a beam of pure light from his sword at the three Pawn Leo. They gave a cry and resumed their normal form- dice.

Captain, meanwhile, had assembled his V-Rod and began to face off against the remaining Pawn Leo.

"I'm warning you now," Captain said, "I have been granted special dispensation to use whatever force is necessary!

With swift movements, he struck the Pawn Leo in the back and front, knocking him off of the fountain. The Pawn Leo turned back into a die as he fell.

"Awesome, Captain!" Shute commented, hopping off of the ring.

Captain looked up at Shute and nodded. "Thanks."

Once they were clear of enemies, Zero landed before the princess and kneeled. "My princess," He said, looking up to her. "I have returned, just I promised you."

"I understand your devotion, Zero," Captain said, "And I must say, in the presence of royalty, I am humbled."

Shute stared at the stone features of her majesty, entranced. "Wow… She's...really beautiful!" He blurted out.

Zero glanced at Shute. "Her beauty eclipses any rose you might find here in Lacroa. Wait until you gaze upon her true form again once the petrification has been reversed. Then you see how impressive she really is, and how easily she inspires all those around here to an unshakable loyalty!"

It was then that a psychotic laughter cut through the calm air. The Gundams and Shute looked around, trying to place the source.

"Well, hello, Gundams!"

In the air above the Gundam Force, Deathscythe appeared on his platform.

"Welcome to the altar, where the princess shall be sacrificed to the Spirit Tree!" He greeted.

"Deathscythe!" Zero yelled, "I know _you're _the one who used Tallgeese! I will _not _allow you to harm the princess!"

"Tallgeese?" Deathscythe asked, insulted. "That lowly buffoon? I'm disappointed to hear you associate me with that clown! He was not even worthy to be one of the Royal Knights of Lacroa, although you're little knights have proven to be nothing more than a crowd of _incompetence!_"

Zero shook with rage at the Knight of Darkness' words. "Deathscythe, _stop!_ How _dare _you dishonor the Royal Knights of Lacroa!"

"There _are _no knights of Lacroa left, royal or otherwise!" Deathscythe retorted, "Everyone except you has been melted down into scrap- to serve my exalted General. But it seems today I will be adding the fifth and final knight to the scrap heap."

"I don't believe you defeated my comrades!" Zero shouted.

"Oh, yes- and quite easily, I might add." Deathscythe's eyes shimmered with twisted delight.

"A Knight Gundam is _never _defeated easily!" Zero yelled.

"Is that right?" Deathscythe asked, and said, "Let's put that theory to the test, shall we!"

Coming Soon

**SD Gundam Force**

Book 5

_The Knight's Darkness_


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SD Gundam, Adventure