The Wildcard

Part Three: Defeated by the Burning Crest!

Written by Zelda

 

 

 

                Chibodee had let himself lean back against the sun-warmed concrete of the old warehouse. He sank to the ground and drew his knees up, listening to the dragon. Even though she was focused intently on repairing her Gundam, her words were full of emotion. Chibodee was quite surprised that she was even speaking to him. She must have meant it when she had said she never wanted to fight him in the first place.

                “Most people who were born on the space colonies have never heard of us.” the dragon continued. “But our race existed before humans ever walked on this planet. Today, we aren’t really that great in number, but we all live on one stretch of land. We’ve been there for millions of years.”

                “Millions?” Chibodee could barely comprehend that large a span of time.

                “Yes.” Zelda nodded, not taking her eyes from her work as a few wires sparked. “The land has always supported us, kept enough of us alive to preserve our clan. In the years just before the colonies, times were growing tough. People were just… running out of space on this Earth. They were taking the place over. They wanted our land too, for buildings and things. We protested for as long as we could, and then came the colonies. It was a relief, I remember stories about that day. Everyone thought that our problems were solved. Actually, they quickly got worse. The colonies couldn’t support themselves without massive investments of resources from Earth. The government wanted to take our land again, and use it for its natural resources…” Zelda broke her gaze from the wires, and peered at Chibodee. “Have you ever been in a forest, Chibodee?”

                “A forest?” he asked. “Well…”

                “I don’t mean a big garden, or even a big park.” Zelda elaborated. “A real forest, out in the middle of nowhere. So far away that you could walk through it, and step upon land that a human foot had never touched before.”

                “Now that you mention it, I think I have.” Chibodee nodded. How could he have forgotten the Guyana Highlands, where he and the other Alliance members had fought off the Dark Gundam such a short time ago?

                “Then you know how beautiful places like that are. And how rare.” Zelda nodded solemnly.

                Chibodee mused over that statement as the dragon went back to her work. He hadn’t thought much about that point of view. To him, the Guyana Highlands were just boring, especially when he first arrived there. For someone that had grown up in the bustle of New York City, someplace far out in the woods was just uneventful and raw. He remembered trying to fall asleep, the first few nights that he’d spent there. It was difficult for him, because none of the noises were the same. There were thousands of buzzing insects and chirping frogs. He always got woken up too early by birds that would start singing before the crack of dawn. But… he also remembered walking through the woods, seeing all of the strange flowers and plants on the forest floor. And the waterfalls had been beautiful, he remembered that most of all. He also remembered the day that they all had to flee, leaving Domon behind in a burning wasteland that the Dark Gundam had created.

                “Yes…” he spoke softly.

                “My home is one of those places, Chibodee.” Zelda nodded. “And the Neo-American government thinks that it’s okay to take my home away from me and my clan, just because we’re technically on Neo-American soil. I may sound older, but I’m only 19. We age differently than humans.” she explained with a fluid wave of her tail. “But for a great deal of my life, I’ve been one of the leaders of my clan, and it’s been my job to make sure we’re protected. I spent… I can’t remember how many years, tangled up in your government’s processes, petitioning the House and the Senate for what I believed in. It so silly… we don’t take up much room… it would be like closing off a national park. But resources are too valuable. It would have been much, much easier to resist, to use force. But we don’t have weapons like you humans do. I may look like I’m all teeth and claws, but I’m not a violent creature. If we did fight back, we would have just been labeled as a threat and killed off.” she snapped her claws for emphasis on timing.

                “That’s… that’s pretty awful.” Chibodee admitted. “I can’t believe I’ve never heard about any of this. I grew up on Earth.”

                “Ever since the colonies launched, you humans have had your heads in the stars.” she dismissed him with the wave of a free hand. “Earth just got… left behind. We didn’t want to get left behind too. This was the only way. My clan got desperate. We salvaged parts from old Gundams, junkyards, everywhere. From your garbage we formed this Roaring Gundam. The only means of gaining power in the human world is through the Gundam fights now. I may not like to fight, but I’ve been very good at it, for all of my life. So here I am, as my clan’s protector and lone representative. You know the rest of the story.”

“That I do.” Chibodee nodded, stretching his shoulder muscles against the rough concrete wall.

“It’s odd I guess.” Zelda smiled at her Gundam. “My kind isn’t used to machines, we really don’t like them at all. We’re a close clan, and I’ve been separated from them for a whole year. This Gundam is all I’ve had. Guess I’ve developed an attachment to it.” She went back to work, and there were a few moments of silence between the two fighters.

“There’s just one thing I don’t get.” Chibodee started. “Why are you telling me all of this? And why be so nice about it? I would wanna rip my guts out right about now, if I were you.”

                Zelda let out a chuckle. “Like I said Crocket, I don’t have anything against you, I certainly don’t want to hurt you. Although not having to fight you would be nice from my perspective, I must obey the rules of the tournament. I just want you to understand.” she turned to look at him again, her voice hardening. “I wanted you to know what I’ll be thinking, when we finally do fight. Because I can’t look into the eyes of the Gundam Maxter and see those of Chibodee Crocket looking back. Once the barrier is sealed and the match begins, you will be the only thing that stands between my kind’s freedom and its certain extinction. I will show you no mercy.”

Her blue eyes were piercing him again, like they had done when they first met in Mr. Wong’s office. Chibodee frowned as he felt something. His hand was bothering him. He glanced down to it to see the faint traces of his shuffle crest surfacing again. He leveled his gaze, to find Zelda had also glanced away, rubbing the back of her hand with an annoyed look. “Something wrong?” he asked.

“It’s nothing.” she shook her head. “Every once and a while something in there bothers me. Must have splintered a bone in there a few years back.” She shrugged and went back to work. “But you understand me, don’t you Chibodee?”

“Yes.” he replied, as he regained his feet. “And I must be going. If you’re really not going to show me mercy, I suppose I’d better be prepared. You’re a good animal, Zelda. Your cause is certainly a worthy one. Personally, I think it’s awful that you haveta be pushed to this. A Gundam fight is no place to settle affairs like that.” he shook his head. “Still, none of that is my fault. I’ve got my reasons for fighting too. I have the pride and dreams of my nation to defend. Every fighter is here for their own goals. Don’t expect any of us to go easy on you.”

“I don’t.” she replied simply, not looking back at him. “Train hard, Neo-American.”

A few moments of silence passed between the two, before Chibodee’s light footsteps led him away from the docks.

 

                At least the crowd wasn’t as loud inside the solitude of the cockpit. Chibodee Crocket stood alone on the fighting platform of the bay ring, and waited. The Gundam had its arms crossed, while inside the Neo-American was making the final equipment checks with his crew on the sidelines. He’d need the support of his four girls in the fight today, that much was clear.

                “We’re here for ya Chibodee, don’t you forget it!” Cathy sounded over the speakers.

                Chibodee grinned and slicked back his hair. “Thanks gals, I won’t disappoint you today. I forgot to tell you this before we left the embassy, but I actually got a look at Zelda repairing the Roaring Gundam the other day. That thing is just a hunk of junk on the inside.”

                “You’re sure of that, Chibodee?” Janet asked.

                “Yeah, that’s probably why she was injured during the last fight, even with a not-so-serious hit.”

                “Then she must know her Gundam really well.” Bunny nodded. “To have made it this far.”

                “Don’t worry girls.” Chibodee laughed. “I won’t get ahead of myself. That little dragon doesn’t stand a chance against these burning fists.” He looked around the ring, and saw his four Shuffle Alliance partners scattered around, watching from their own boats. Chibodee couldn’t help but smile to himself. He knew some of them had matches coming up tomorrow, it was nice of them to stick around and see the show. He was distracted, however, by a familiar bubbling disturbance in the waters behind some of the boats. Just as it had done for its previous match, the Roaring Gundam surfaced and landed on the platform, shaking itself dry and baring its teeth to Chibodee. The Neo-American was surprised to find the Gundam had made a full recovery from the damage that the Zebra Gundam had inflicted. Then again, that was only how things appeared on the surface. Once he had a chance to test that armor with his fists, Chibodee knew the mech’s internal workings wouldn’t fare well. After all, the thing had been pieced together from scrap! Electric shocks of pink went racing up in a dome formation, over the ring, and the barrier materialized. Chibodee hopped up on his toes, balled his fists, and prepared for a good fight. He opened up a window to the fighter across from him, and grinned. “You ready to deliver on that good fight, Zelda?” Through the window, the purple dragon was perched in the cockpit, webbed over with neural net, eyes glowing blue. She responded with nothing more than her cold stare. “Have it your way then.” he miffed. He gave a short glance up to the royal box, where Prime Minister Wong sat with a long stick of Pocky hanging from his mouth.

                “Looks like everything’s in order.” Wong grinned. “Let’s kick things off then. Gundam fight all set….”

                “Ready!” Chibodee yelled, springing forward in a punch.

                Zelda finished the starting cry off with a thundering roar, opening her jaws and leaping straight in the direction of Gundam Maxter’s punch. The Roaring Gundam’s golden fangs closed in right over its opponent’s hand, curving its neck with the force of the punch to equal out the blow.

                In his cockpit, Chibodee winced as he felt his balled fist being squeezed and stabbed by the dragon’s teeth. Hissing, he brought his other fist up to punch his opponent squarely under the jaw. The two fighters separated, Chibodee pulling back to the end of the ring. He looked at his Gundam’s dented hand, and shook his head. “Alright girl.” he smiled. “Why don’t you try taking a bite out of these!” He detached his shoulder armor pieces, and snapped the giant boxing gloves onto his hands. “Now we’re ready to duke it out!” He charged in and punched again with his right arm, and this time the Roaring Gundam pulled back, flattening itself out and shoving with its forelimbs to duck away from his reach. “Running are we?” he snarled. But his anger quickly twisted into pain as he felt something sear along the side of his left hand. The Roaring Gundam had managed to whip up its tail, driving her blades straight into the side of his glove! She’s going for my hands…. Chibodee thought. Trying to get rid of what I use for weapons… “Heh, you don’t know the half of it, girl.” he sneered, and pulled back again. “Want some real firepower?!” He unholstered a pistol with his good right hand, and aimed it straight for the Roaring Gundam’s head. “Eat laser.” His shots were bang-on, and despite the Roaring Gundam’s speed, Zelda simply couldn’t dodge them. Holes burned in a nearly straight line along her neck and right flank as she tried to dart away, oil and coolant spurting from the jagged breaks. In his cockpit, Chibodee could hear her scream. This is working out… he nodded to himself. She’s not used to dodging shots, and I can keep firing until I’m empty… Suddenly, he looked up as the Roaring Gundam leapt airborne, soaring up to the very top part of the barrier. Chibodee shifted his arm up to re-aim, but as he started firing, the dragon suit simply plunged down on top of him. Gundam Maxter leapt aside, but Roaring Gundam caught the gun in its jaws, crushing it in a shower of sparks. While it was distracted, the Gundam Maxter landed a punch in its opponent’s flank, denting in the base of one of the wings. “You aren’t being very quick about things, dragon!” he teased, springing up into the air. With a yell, he unleashed a flurry of kicks that sent the opposing Gundam toppling to the ground. His attack ceased with him actually standing atop the fallen Gundam, crushing it into the ground. To Chibodee’s surprise, the dragon suit pushed back, getting her claws underneath the Gundam Maxter’s feet and pushing up and back, while digging her claws in. The boxer nearly lost his balance as he was violently shoved away. The Roaring Gundam was back on its feet with surprising speed, and before Chibodee knew it, he felt two sets of claws stab him right in the gut. The Gundam Maxter doubled back, reeling as the Roaring Gundam curled around it, flapping its one functional wing and sinking its claws in wherever it could get purchase. Annoyed, and feeling the sting of the claws on his suit, Chibodee gripped the Roaring Gundam by the head and tore it off of him, tossing it unceremoniously back across the ring. “You’re going to have to pull off a lot more than that!” he grumbled. “You’ve found a pretty slow way to work under my armor. I’ve still got the upper hand!” He watched the dragon suit react by gathering itself up.

                “Chibodee!” Shirley cut in via a window by his shoulder. “She’s starting up her special attack!”

                “Heh.” he grinned. “She’s in for a surprise then. Go ahead girls, cut the com lines and start scrambling my command frequencies. Let’s see how far her attack gets!” Only seconds later, Zelda’s command to launch her starscream attack went ringing through Chibodee’s ears. He paused for just a moment, wincing as a few circuits started to freeze up. But aside from the ear-piercing noise, her attack was having far less effect on him than it had on Zebra Gundam. It had paid well to be prepared. The boxer laughed out loud as he fought off the pain of the high pitch in his head, and charged for the Roaring Gundam, right in the midst of its attack. “I don’t like your tune, Zelda!” he sneered. “You’re finished!” He threw his weight into one punch, aiming for the head. The blow sent the head and neck jerking backwards, sparks flying. But the Roaring Gundam bucked up with its hind legs, taking advantage of the Gundam Maxter’s continuing momentum. “Frequencies back to normal!” he barked, alarmed, but it was too late to act. The Roaring Gundam flared the golden blades along its back, and they stabbed up into the Gundam Maxter’s chest and shoulder. Chibodee cried out in pain as he felt the stabs run up his body, and the Maxter’s frame go thundering to the platform below. He could hear the crowd howling outside. His crew was trying to get a line through to him, but the transmission was fuzzy. A few of the blades had cut very close to his cockpit, jarring the pilot and disrupting several systems. As Chibodee struggled to his hands and knees, he heard the Roaring Gundam slinking behind him. Even though it had also taken a lot of damage, it was still on its feet. Gundam Maxter was shoved face-first into the platform as the Roaring Gundam slammed a set of claws down onto the back. Chibodee could hear the head hissing and sparking as it hovered over the Maxter’s neck, creaking its dented jaws wide to deliver a final bite. But the bite never came. Twisting painfully in his cockpit to look, Chibodee saw the Roaring Gundam actually pulling its head back, its neck churning slowly.

                “Not now…” came a low hiss.

                Chibodee was almost startled by the voice. Aside from enraged roars, it was the first time during the fight that he’d heard Zelda speak.

                “Not now… stoppit…” she growled, removing her claws from the Maxter’s back and actually stumbling away. “Stop it now…”

                In the cockpit of the Gundam Maxter, a twinge of curiosity crept its way into the boxer’s combat mentality. Chibodee squinted as he turned himself over, trying to sit up, and opened a window to his opponent. What he saw on the other end was Zelda struggling in her cockpit, to clench and unclench her right hand. The Shuffle member narrowed his eyes as he felt something, a familiar burn in his own hand, and a dropping in the pit of his stomach. “I knew it.” he snarled. “They’re connected, I knew it!” He watched as his Shuffle crest glowed to life, and then turned his glare back to Zelda. In the window, he could see her limping away, hobbling on the hand which was now burning red. Chibodee thought that he could make out some sort of shape to the light, but Zelda was moving too much for him to get a good look. Her eyes were squinted shut in pain, her whole body being forced into action.

“Not now! Just.. just stop!” she cried, her voice strained.

Chibodee watched in a surprised horror as the Roaring Gundam’s pilot reared back and sank her jaws into her hand, tearing into the flesh. Looking through his cockpit’s view, he saw the same shocked reaction from the crowd, watching dumbfounded as the Gundam nearly ripped off its own right hand.

                “Can’t--- let it get to me---“ the dragon hissed. Her gaze suddenly shifted to the window, and her eyes blazed in a cold glare to Chibodee. “You--- Gundam of Neo-America. This is the end---of the line. You thought that starscream was my only special attack?!”

                “She—she has more than one?” Chibodee raised an eyebrow in shock, forcing his Gundam to its feet.

                “Here me, Gundam!” she snarled, rearing and bowing her head, crossing her arms over her face. She started to power up again, only this time, the gold parts of her Gundam started to glow, as if they were heating themselves to a burning state. The right hand was billowing with smoke and jumping with sparks. “These claws of mine roar red with anger!” Zelda screamed at him. “My cry of sorrow will sound your defeat!” She pulled her glowing claws away, and spread her burning wings. “Now!” she announced, leaping straight at Chibodee. “Sunburst attack!”

                Chibodee drew back in shock as the Maxter was suddenly engulfed in a wave of flames, shooting from the dragon’s jaws. Shouldn’t he have expected something like that?! As he was forced back by the heat, the Roaring Gundam came shooting for him, the glowing claws stabbing themselves into his Gundam’s upper chest. Chibodee Crocket screamed as he felt it in his suit, and circuits started to rupture right and left. That was the second blow close to the cockpit! Zelda hadn’t hit it, but too many of his systems were severed. He couldn’t force his Gundam to stand again. Chibodee sank to the floor of his cockpit, his neural suit glowing in pain and malfunction. His Gundam collapsed to its knees, unable to bring its hands out to brace it as it fell forward onto its stomach. As the noise of the crowd rose around him, the com line to his crew started to finally clear.

                “Chi---dee! Are y---- alright?!” The girls cried in unison.

                “I’m okay…” he assured, wincing as he spoke. His pain was relieved almost instantly as the fight was officially called, and the link to his neural suit was cut. “Ugh… what a mess.” He opened up a window to his victorious opponent as he stood. “I hope you’re happy, dragon. You got your freedom and you wrecked my Gundam.” The only reply was a pained snarl, causing Chibodee to look up at the view screen.

                Zelda was still limping as she withdrew, pinwheeling backwards as her hand continued to burn red. It was obvious she was still in a lot of pain, despite the fact that her neural net had been deactivated. What was going on?

                Chibodee watched helplessly as the Gundam backed to the end of the platform, and tipped over backwards into the water, almost capsizing the boats near it. The Roaring Gundam went twisting slowly through the bay, only barely breaking the surface in places. It left behind a thick trail of oil. “Girls, listen, I need you to recover the Gundam and take it back to the embassy for repair. I’m going after that other pilot, I’ll be back later!” Without another word, Chibodee sprang out of his cockpit and ran for the edge of the platform. The first Shuffle member he spotted was Argo, hovering close in a small powerboat, with Nastasha. “Argo!” he waved, running up to him and leaping into the boat.

                “Chibodee, what’s going on?” Argo started. “That pilot—“

                “Has gotta be connected to the Dark Gundam somehow!” Chibodee nodded. “Either that, or something else is really wrong with her. We’ve got to follow her and find out for sure.”

                “That shouldn’t be hard, with her Gundam’s oil trail.” Nastasha couldn’t help but turn her nose up at the unwelcome Neo-American intruder. “We’d better start off in the boat then. Your friends will catch up in time. She gunned the boat’s motor, and the trio were off skipping over the waters of Neo-Hong Kong’s bay, through a large slick of oil. Within moments, Burning Gundam, Dragon Gundam, and Gundam Rose soared overhead, following the oil slick back to the forest where they had previously found the wrecked Roaring Gundam. The Shuffle Alliance reunited on the shoreline of the woodlands, and Chibodee relayed to the others what he’d seen during his match.

                “Unreal!” Sai Saici stared at him with wide eyes. “Are you serious? I’ve never heard of anything like that happening before.”

                “Nor have I.” George concurred. “I was really wondering what Zelda was thinking in nearly biting off her own hand.”

                “The sooner we find her, the better.” Domon nodded. “Look, our crests are still glowing, so she’s still nearby.” The five fighters ran along the beach, still following the remainder of the oil trail, when they came upon the beached Roaring Gundam, it’s damaged frame coated in oil and gleaming in the midday sun.

                Argo merely grunted at the fresh destruction. “Well, then she’s definitely nearby.”

                “I suggest we fan out.” George started. “We’ll find her far more quickly in that manner.”

                “Sounds good to me.” Chibodee folded his arms. “I want some answers, and the sooner, the better.”

                “Alright then, yell if you find anything suspicious!” Domon waved to the others, trotting off into the woods. He heard his Alliance partners come crashing into the foliage as well, picking their way quickly through the trees. Warily, the King of Hearts drew the rusty sword that Schwartz Bruder had given to him. Whether it was his glowing crest or a gut instinct, he knew something bad was lurking in this forest.

 

                Argo Gulskii squinted, trying to make out what hid in the shadows between the dappled sunlight. He was definitely on the right track, he thought he’d seen a streak of blood on the leaves of a bush a few yards back. The Neo-Russian jerked his head to his right as he heard a yowl and a squeal.

                “Stupid thorn bushes!!” Sai Saici spat.

                Argo shook his head and continued walking, leaving the sound of the whimpering boy behind. He certainly was not going to make this wild goose-chase any easier. His frown deepened as he found Sai Saici’s whining carrying farther than expected. Argo was about to turn and complain, when he realized the sound wasn’t coming from behind him like he’d thought. It was up ahead, and it wasn’t from the young Neo-Chinese fighter. Argo crouched low, looking around. There! Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted movement a few yards away. He crept forward, trying to keep his movements slow and quiet. Parting aside some bushes, he finally spotted Zelda, her back to him as she was leaning heavily against a rock. Argo stood to his full height, pushing several low tree branches aside. “I’ve found her!!” he called.

                Beneath him, the dragon squealed in surprise, and launched herself away from the rock, scrambling to escape. But she couldn’t find her balance, and kept her eyes squinted shut.

                Argo maneuvered around her quickly, blocking off her intended path of escape.

                In response, the animal snapped, backing defensively away. Limping badly, she stumbled back against the shins of George De Sand, who had his fencing foil out, just in case. It was only a matter of seconds before the dragon was surrounded by the whole of the Shuffle Alliance.

                “Zelda!” Chibodee demanded. “What’s going on with you?”

                The animal refused to open her eyes, staggering in place in the center of the circle. She kept whimpering, limping on her right hand. The wrist had several ragged slashes, bleeding heavily. But there was something red glowing beneath.

                “Answer me, dragon!” Chibodee demanded, growing angry and stamping his foot.

                But the dragon didn’t speak, starting to shake as one by one its legs gave way, and she folded up in a ball on the ground. Tears started to leak out of the corners of her eyes.

                One by one, the looks on the faces of the Shuffle Alliance faded from anger into confusion, and concern.

                “What do you think is wrong with her?” George spoke quietly.

                “Whatever it is, I think it’s important that we find out.” Domon nodded to him. “Chibodee’s right, this definitely has something to do with the Dark Gundam. Let’s bring her back out to the shore.”

                “What for?” Sai asked.

                “Rain will meet us there, she’ll be able to see what’s going on with that hand of hers.”

                Argo had knelt down again during the conversation, slowly reaching a hand out towards the dragon. The closer he got to touching her, the brighter the crest on his hand burned, and the more Zelda seemed to recoil. Finally he scooped her up gently, and stood again. In his arms, the animal seemed to calm down a little. He walked behind as Domon lead the way back to shore. Emerging into the full sunlight on the shallow beach, the five men saw Nastasha waiting in her boat, with Rain in a small powerboat beside her.

                “Rain, here!” Domon waved, as she hopped to a rock onshore, and the group approached her. “Have a look at Zelda’s hand. I’m sure we must have missed something last time.”

                “My goodness…” Rain breathed, taking out a handkerchief. “She really did rip her hand up during the fight…” Argo kept the animal in his arms so that Rain could have a better look, as she gently took the dragon’s hand and tried to wipe away the blood. Zelda reacted slightly, her eyes tearing again as she pressed back into Argo’s side. “Easy girl…” Rain spoke, concentrating. “There’s… there’s a mark underneath here guys, look!”

The Shuffle members crowded around to see what Rain was pointing at. Obscured by the blood and the scars, there was indeed a symbol forming in glowing light on the back of the dragon’s hand. It was a black rectangle with rounded corners. Inside each of the corners was a different symbol of the four suits in a card deck. In the middle burned a ‘W’, glowing red in a scripted form.

                “What on Earth is that?” Chibodee frowned.

                “It… it looks like a Shuffle crest…” Sai mused aloud.

                “That’s impossible though.” Domon shook his head. “There are only five members in the Shuffle Alliance, right? And we’re all standing right here. I’ve never heard of this sort of mark before.”

                “Me neither.” George agreed. “But what else could it be? I know we’ve been thinking all along that Zelda’s associated with the Dark Gundam, but aside from our shining crests, we have no other evidence against her.”

                “And remember.” Sai spoke up. “Our crests only glow if one: the Dark Gundam is nearby, or two: if one of the Shuffle Alliance members is in trouble or something.”

                “Which…” Domon mused. “Would explain why our crests led us to her after she’d been hurt in her matches…”

                “Not entirely right.” Chibodee still wore a frown. “When I was fighting her, I had a window open. That thing started glowing when she had me on my back. I thought I was done for, and then she just backed off!”

                “Yeah, that was before she put up that second special attack of hers, right?” Sai Saici asked.

                Chibodee nodded. “Right. I think it was the activation of that symbol that hurt her, not the other way around.”

                “Very odd indeed.” Rain shook her head.

                “Is she gonna be okay Sis?” Sai cocked his head to one side.

                “Yes, she’ll be fine.” the doctor nodded. “Aside from the cuts on her hand, I can’t find anything else wrong with her.” She reached into her pocket and brought out a roll of gauze, bandaging the dragon’s injured hand tightly.

                Sai furrowed his brows in concern as he looked on. “Poor thing.” he started. “I feel kinda bad, I mean, that thing really must be hurting her.” Tentatively, he reached out and started petting the animal lightly on the back of the neck, as if she were a cat. The dragon’s body relaxed a little, and the glow from her bandaged hand started to fade. Eventually, the animal let out a soft snort, and she cracked open her eyes.

                “Looks like she’s back to reality now.” George nodded.

                “Zelda?” Rain asked. “Are you alright?”

                The dragon squinted her eyes shut again, as if woken from a good sleep. But she stirred, kicking slightly with her hind feet. Argo set her down on the sand, watching as she carefully stood on her own, sniffing at her bandaged hand. After a few moments, she grunted and spoke, not looking up at anyone surrounding her. “…Sorry…” Her tone was tired and weakened. “What--- what happened?”

                “We’d like you to tell that to us.” Argo folded his arms.

                “I’m sorry…” she repeated. “Sometimes…. my hand… I can’t help it…”

                “You mean how it starts glowing on the back?” Sai asked, squatting down to try and look her in the face.

                She avoided his gaze, but not purposely. “Yes…” she nodded. “It hurts--- it hurts terribly… I don’t--- know how you did it but… thank you, for making it stop…”

                “So that’s why you bit it.” Rain sighed. “You were so desperate to get rid of the pain that you chewed up your own hand. That’s where all the scars are from, isn’t it?”

                The dragon nodded in reply. “There’s a light--- and shapes--- it’s a curse, I don’t know what it means…”

                “We may be able to help you find that out.” Domon started. He was surprised as the dragon started limping away, barely holding her balance. She was heading back for her wrecked Gundam.

                “It doesn’t matter--- not anymore.” she breathed. “I did what I came here to do.” She turned about for a moment, finally looking up and locking eyes with Chibodee. “I’m in your debt, Crocket… Through you, my kind has won a future…” She turned again and started off, but stumbled in the sand and fell to her elbows.

                “Zelda, wait.” Chibodee trotted after her, rounding around her to stand in her way. “You can’t leave yet. That symbol on your hand may be a Shuffle crest.”

                The dragon snorted in frustration as she regained her feet. “I’ve never met any of the Alliance, new or old, before a few days ago. It’s not possible… there are only you five…”

                “It’s very strange, Zelda.” Domon followed Chibodee. “Won’t you stay with us until we find out?”

                The Neo-American knelt in the sand and put an arm against the dragon’s shoulder to brace her. “I know you wanna get home.” he nodded quietly. “But this is something important. We may be able to prevent it from hurting you from now on.”

                “What’s more…” Rain called as she approached too. “You’re in no condition to go anywhere. Look at you, you can’t even stand up straight! As a doctor, I must insist that you come back with us, just for now.”

                The dragon sighed heavily, and sat in the sand. She raised her head, flattening her ears and turning her sights to her destroyed Gundam.

                “That’s not goin’ anywhere for a while.” Sai Saici rubbed his forehead.

                “I’m afraid you’re right.” Zelda shrugged.

                The young Neo-Chinese boy sat in the gravelly sand beside her, and peered at her curiously. “So… are you feeling okay after all that?”

                “A little worn out.” she admitted. “But yes, this occurrence with my hand just comes and goes.” She glanced over to Chibodee. “I… hope I didn’t damage the Gundam Maxter much. I know you must have another match pretty soon.”

                The Neo-American smiled and shrugged. “Another consequence of being a Gundam fighter, it’s no big deal.”

                Zelda sighed again, shaking her head as the other Alliance members came up around her. “I’m sorry about the whole mess. Like I said before, I really didn’t want any of this to happen. It’s been a long year. But in the end, it all worked out.” she smiled slightly.

                “Well, here’s one guy that’s glad to hear it.” Chibodee nodded. “A loss on my record really won’t matter much at this point. I’ll still make it into the Battle Royale. And your cause, it definitely sounded like it was worth fighting for.”

                “Ahem!” there was a sharp cough from out on the water. Nastasha snapped her riding crop in her hand. “Unless you all plan to sit on the beach for the rest of the afternoon, I believe you all have places to be.”

                Argo grumbled as he turned and headed back for the boat. “I’ll catch up with you later.” he waved.

                “I do suppose the lady has a point.” George sighed. “I should be focusing on my match tomorrow.”

                “I’ll be there George, wouldn’t miss it!” Sai Saici gave him a thumb’s up.

                The Rose Knight smiled and turned to the dragon. “And to you, my dear, get some rest. You can trust us, we’ll help you sort things out before you return home.”

                The dragon bowed her head, returning the smile. “Thank you, Sir de Sand. Best of luck with your match.”

                “Yeah, guess I’d  better split before the guys back at the temple get worried.” Sai grinned and flashed a victory sign. “Seeya around!” Without time for any of the other fighters to speak, the Neo-Chinese child was off and bounding through the trees.

                Domon smiled after him, then turned to Chibodee. “You can catch a ride back with us, if you’d like.”

                “Heh, I think I will impose, Neo-Japanese.” he stood and sneered back. “Since you’ve already got one extra passenger…”

                Zelda was already hobbling back for the boat, having a little trouble keeping her balance in the sand.

                “Need a hand there?” Rain asked, following alongside.

                “Thank you, I’m alright.” the dragon nodded, and pushed ahead, concentrating on walking to the boat. Everyone climbed aboard, and Rain started the powerboat off. Zelda stared back at the torn Roaring Gundam for as long as it remained on the horizon. Conversation was light all the way back to shore, until the boat pulled up into a dock, to let Chibodee off.

                He bounced lightly onto the wooden dock, and pinched his nose. “Pleh, smells like fish! Reminds me of Fulton street back home.” he smiled, eyes turning skyward. “Guess I’ll be seeing you guys around!”

                “Take care Chibodee.” Rain waved.

                Behind her, Domon nodded and smiled.

                Rearing up to look over the boat’s side, the dragon bowed deeply to him. “My thanks again, Crocket.”

                “Call me Chibodee from now on, huh?” The Neo-American winked, and jogged off.

                “Well that does it for the passengers, it’s back to the boat ourselves.” Rain started, continuing close to the docks at a lower speed. “I’ll give your hand a better bandage Zelda. And I’d think Hoi and Min are in for the night as well.” The dragon brightened a bit at the mention of the children, and Rain smiled back.

 

                Tapping a stick of Pocky idly on the armrest of his chair, Wong mused silently for a moment. “Are you certain?”

                “Yes.” Master Asia, the Undefeated of the East, was at his side, staring through a window out onto the ruined skyline of Neo-Hong Kong.

                “Now, explain to me why this is so important again?” Wong turned around to face him. “I’m surprised that this could exist under our noses for this entire tournament.”

                “Thanks to your security cameras and personnel throughout the city, we have been able to confirm my former suspicions about the fighter with no nationality.” Master Asia started darkly. “The dragon carries a symbol on her hand, much like that of a Shuffle Alliance crest. It is, in fact, one of the set.”

                “She’s a member of the Shuffle Alliance?” Wong frowned.

                “Her symbol is what is called the Wildcard.” Master Asia continued. “And it’s named for good reason. The Wildcard is a Shuffle crest that normally lies dormant, and can do so for generations, passing from life to life.”

                “So why has it made itself appear now?” Wong asked.

                “I suspect that the proximity to the Dark Gundam is what activated the crest.” Master Asia nodded.

                Wong took a moment to think again. “So…” he started. “I can imagine you’re far from pleased about this.”

                Master Asia merely closed his eyes. “I am not happy about it.”

                “Heh.” Wong quirked a grin out of one corner of his mouth. “Calm and collected as ever, just what I’d expect out of a true master of the martial arts.”

                “Despite the resurfacing of the Wildcard, I believe we still have time to head off what could grow into an even less positive development.”

                “Please explain.” Wong blinked.

                “Although she is in the midst of the rest of the Alliance, neither they nor the Wildcard herself is aware of her true title. Without this key knowledge, she is still vulnerable, a weak link in the chain. In her state, the Wildcard may not even be aware of how to access her hyper mode and fend off the influence of the Dark Gundam.”

                Wong’s curiosity immediately turned into a full grin. “Interesting, very interesting.” he nodded. “The thought of being able to convert a Shuffle member to the side of the Dark Gundam… Well.” he looked up at Master Asia with a sly smile. “If we can do it for ex-crestholders, I think we can do it with her. And I think I know just how to go about it…”

 

To be continued…