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(Ugh... where am I?)



(What happened? Did I... die?)



(Oh, whatever... I'm hungry. Didn't think dead people'd have that problem.)



Seolla: "Arado. Hey, Arado. Wake up."
Arado: (Seolla...)
Seolla: "Arado, they decided our posting."
Arado: (Posting? Where?)



Seolla: "We're going to be under Van Vat Tran's direct command."
Arado: (Who's that?)
Seolla: "What are you talking about? Colonel Van's the one who's going to fulfill Dr. Zoldark's dream."
Arado: (...Yeah, I don't remember.)
Seolla: "Don't you get it? It's a huge honor."
Arado: (Then that means... we'll finally get out of the Earth Cradle.)



Seolla: "...Hey, Arado. Promise me something."
Arado: (Promise? Promise what?)
Seolla: "From now on, we have to keep each other alive, whatever it takes. And find the rest of the School... Lat and the others."
Arado: (Lat... Latooni...)



Seolla: "Ouka, and you, and me, and the rest... we can all live together. Somewhere... away from the School."



Arado: (Yeah, I remember... I promised you.)



Arado: (But... sorry, Seolla. Now I'm...)

-----



Arado: "I'm..."



Excellen: "Oh? Finally awake, are we?"
Arado: "...!! Wh-where am I!?"
Irm: "You're in the Hagane's sick bay."



Arado: "Huh. What do you know, I'm not dead. Lucky me."



Arado: "...Wait a minute, this is an enemy ship! What the hell!?"



Latooni: "We recovered your Lion..."
Arado: "Lat? ...Ow! Owowowowow!"
Excellen: "No no no, you stay put. You had a close shave, you need the rest."



Arado: "But... I got shot down, didn't I?"
Latooni: "....."
Irm: "When your mech exploded, the chest block was thrown free pretty much intact. You're lucky your ejection seat didn't work, actually."
Arado: "Lucky? Why?"



Irm: "If the timing had been different, you'd have shot out of the cockpit and right into the blast."
Excellen: "Hm... I don't know if your luck is better or worse than Kyosuke's..."



Excellen: "Well, how about it? Want to team up with me and put on a show as an escape artist?"
Arado: "E-Escape artist?"
Excellen: "Yep yep. Of course, the main attraction is my bunny costume. Want to see?"



: "Yes, please!"
Excellen: "Ooh, nice reaction. But be careful, you don't want to end up like Irm or Tasuku."



Irm: "Hey, what's wrong with me?"
Excellen: "You mean besides being completely under a woman's thumb?"
Irm: "Now just a minute, my spirit is free and unbroken!"
Excellen: "Oh, really..."



Irm: "Well, setting the fun aside... back in Izu, somebody jumped in front of my Grungust. Was that you?"
Arado: "Ugh..."
Irm: "Thought so. Charging into the heat of things, just like with Latooni. I guess that's what they call thinking with your guts."
Arado: "...I get in trouble for that at the School."



Latooni: "I'm sorry, Arado... because of me, you---"
Arado: "Because of you? So, you were the Huckebein's pilot..."
Latooni: "....."
Excellen: "Now, don't be mad at her. Since we recovered you, she's barely left your side."
Arado: "R-really..."



Irm: "...Excellen, let's leave these two be for while."
Excellen: "Well, we'll check in on you kids later, okay?"







Arado: "Anyway, long time no see, Lat. Been a while since you left the School."
Latooni: "Uh-huh..."
Arado: "Really, I'm just glad to know you're alive."
Latooni: "And you too, Arado..."



Arado: "So, um... what happened to Seolla?"
Latooni: "Afterward, she fell back to the submarine. She wasn't captured, so... I think she's safe."
Arado: "She is... I'm glad."
Latooni:
Arado: "Don't make that face. Seolla and I are both fine. And I'm not mad at you. Okay?"
Latooni: "Okay... thank you."



Latooni: "About the battle, Arado... you were trying to help Seolla, right?"
Arado: "Yeah... I guess."
Latooni: "You haven't changed at all."
Arado: "Huh? Really?"
Latooni: "Uh-huh. You're just like before. I'm relieved."
Arado: "Too bad you couldn't remember me for something cooler, huh..."



Arado: "But you've changed a lot. You used to be so quiet, never said a thing. Never smiled so much, even in front of us... or Ouka."
Latooni: (Ouka... our sister...)



Arado: "Those glasses look good on you, by the way."
Latooni: "Thanks... a friend gave them to me."
Arado: "And friends, too? Looks like getting away from the School and joining the Hagane was good for you."
Latooni: "Yeah... but you're also my friends. That never changed..."



Arado: (Our friends, huh. Seolla... you must think I'm dead. By now, they're probably planning to...)



Arado: (Whatever it takes, I have to escape from here...)

Arado's a little bit goofier in the remake (the "welp, looks like I'm dead. When's lunch?" is new) and of course in the original Arado commented on the pretty princess dress that Latooni's dear friend dirty old XO gave her to wear.

-----



Irm gives the report of Arado's physical examination. Daitetsu is unsurprised, though not pleased, to learn that he's had the School's full suite of steroids and hallucinogens. His body's physical development is more advanced than his age would indicate, as are his threshold of pain and recuperation times. It would appear that his survival wasn't just due to blind luck, after all.



Mentally Arado seems normal - but this is itself suspicious, given that Latooni suffered from borderline autism and severe anthropophobia when Garnet and Giado first found her. Arado may very well have underlying psychological issues, but they should leave that judgement to an expert like Radha. The question is what to do with him in the meantime; it's unlikely that he knows any useful information. Daitetsu resolves to keep him detained on the ship until they return to Izu.



Speaking of which, Laker contacts the ship at that moment. The Hagane won't be returning to Izu after all; they're to set a course across India and the Arabian Peninsula to rendezvous with the 23rd Mobile Division in Ethiopia. In order to mop up the DC remnants in Africa, they'll be attacking the Earth Cradle in an operation codenamed "Mole Hunt."



The transmission ends; it looks like they'll be keeping Arado in detention a bit longer than expected.

In the original there was another scene between the discussion of Arado and the call from Laker. That scene was removed because it included a segue to the mission. That mission isn't happening yet, because there are two brand-new missions to go through first. So we'll get to that scene later.

-----



And now for something completely different...



Jonathan welcomes Filio back to the Tesla Reich. From Filio's muted response, Jonathan can guess that he's still coping with his guilt for designing the Lion.



Master Rishu walks in on them, griping about the design for the new Zankanto; can't they change it back to a solid blade? Jonathan reminds him that he was the one who requested a sharper cutting edge, but it seems fighting without a fixed hilt will take some getting used to for an old man like him.



Jonathan introduces him to Filio. Filio is already familiar with his work on the Grungust's sword motion data - and since Rishu also trained Sanger Zonvolt, one of the original Aggressors, he has every reason to trust in his skill.



The topic of Sanger leads Filio to ask if his whereabouts are known - or those of Elzam. Jonathan says they have occasional messages from him, but nothing concrete enough to get a location. Rishu asks if they know one another, and it comes out that Filio and Elzam have been friends since they were children (Filio just calls him "El" at first).



Jonathan: "Anyway, Filio. Where is that lovely goddess who stole your heart away?"
Filio: "Chief Takakura? She's overseeing the arrival of the TD pilots, and their units."
Jonathan: "Really. Well, no need to delay, then. Let's go meet our interstellar angels."
Filio: "Before that... I have to make a request."
Jonathan: "...What is it?"

-----



Tsugumi: "Program complete. Out of the simulator, both of you."



Ibis: "Hah... hah..."
Kusuha: "Are you okay, Ibis?"
Ibis: "Y-yeah..."
Sleigh: "You're like this after that level of training? Pitiful."



Tsugumi: "Dogfighting, Sleigh versus Ibis, twenty matches... twenty victories for Sleigh. Coordinated assault, Sleigh and Ibis versus Kusuha, ten matches... seven wins for Kusuha."
Sleigh: "It's because you keep falling behind and giving her openings."
Ibis: "You don't have to tell me that..."
Sleigh: "Hmph. You're an embarrassment to Project TD."



Kusuha: "Um, Sleigh... Ibis is doing her best."
Sleigh: "As for you, Kusuha... you only got those wins because of Ibis. I've studied your data from the L5 campaign. If I were fighting alone, things would be different."
Kusuha: "Sleigh..."
Sleigh: "Chief Takakura, I want to change the training program. Starting tomorrow, we should focus on direct matchups between me and Kusuha."
Tsugumi: "Major Filio designed the training regimen. I can't change it without his approval."



Ibis: "But, Chief Takakura... ever since we came to Tesla, it's just been combat training. Are they... are they really going to send us out to fight?"
Tsugumi: "They haven't told me the details yet, but if the Federation gives the order, Project TD will have to go along."



Tsugumi: "But, Ibis... if it comes to that, you should withdraw from the team."
Ibis: "....."
Sleigh: "Heh. I figured all that bravado from the last battle was just a fluke. Now you've come back to your senses. You don't have what it takes. If you're afraid of dying, you should stay out of the cockpit."



Tsugumi: "Sleigh's right. Ibis... try to understand."
Ibis: "Y-Yes..."
Kusuha: "....."

-----



Later, Kusuha brings Ibis some cheesecake and milk tea - just the thing to perk her up again after working up a sweat. Ibis takes note of Kusuha's extensive collection of fitness equipment, turning the conversation towards Kusuha's interest in health; Ibis had heard she was a nurse, but this is more than she expected - and there are all these nutritional supplements here as well...



Kusuha: "Yes, it's a hobby of mine. Just yesterday I got these by mail order. Here!"
Ibis: (Wh... what's that smell...?)
Kusuha: "These herbs were cultivated in zero gravity. They're an ancient Tibetan secret to purifying one's essence. You can also use them in cooking!"
Ibis: "R... Really... they can do all that, huh..."



Kusuha: "Would you like one? I ordered in bulk, so I have plenty."
Ibis: "Th-that's okay... but, um... you didn't put this in the tea, did you?"
Kusuha: "Ah... I'm sorry, I didn't think of it! It'll just take a moment."
Ibis: "No no, that's fine! Don't worry about it!"



Still, Kusuha is amazed that Ibis can sit and eat right after her intense training, given that her own head is still spinning. Ibis says that eating sweets calms her down, which Kusuha has no problem believing, given that she always has such a happy look on her face when she's eating them. Ibis doesn't seem to be aware of it, herself.



After a moment's hesitation, Ibis asks if she can borrow the expander from Kusuha's collection - she's been having some trouble keeping hold of the sticks during maneuvers, so maybe working on her arm and grip strength will help out. Kusuha surprises her by saying that she's welcome to take it. By way of explanation, she says she didn't buy it for strength training.



Ibis: "Um... then what did you get it for?"
Kusuha: "W-well... um... I thought it might, uh... increase my bust size..."
Ibis: "Ahahahahaha! What's that about!?"



Kusuha: "Is it really that weird?"
Ibis: "No, I mean, I'd never expect to hear that from somebody who pilots a Grungust."
Kusuha: "Uh... huh."
Ibis: "There... well, there really weren't any other girls I could talk to in the Divine Crusaders."
Kusuha: "What about Sleigh and Chief Takakura?"
Ibis: "When I'm around them the atmosphere gets really awkward..."



Ibis: "Oh... b-but, I'm not saying I don't like them! I mean... Sleigh only says those things because I need to keep up. And Chief Takakura seems cold, but that's just because she's worried about me..."
Kusuha: "You're a team?"
Ibis: "Y-yeah... we all share the same dream."
Kusuha: "I'm glad for you. I'm here today because my own friends and comrades supported me."



Ibis: "...You were scouted as a pilot, Kusuha?"
Kusuha: "Yes. Well, that was part of it..."
Ibis: "Um... are you ever afraid to fight?"
Kusuha: "...Yes. But I made my decision."



Ibis: "You did, huh... I could never do that..."
Kusuha: "...!"



Ibis: "I didn't think about anything like that when I enlisted with the DCs. And somehow I got recommended to the head of Project TD..."
Kusuha: "You mean Major Filio?"
Ibis: "Filio told me how beautiful it would be to soar throughout the universe. I'm not piloting the Calion to fight. I'm doing it to make his dream come true."
Kusuha: (Ibis...)



The tea party is interrupted by a call from Jonathan, asking them both to come meet with him to discuss a new training program. Ibis wonders what they have in store...

-----



As it turns out, Master Rishu, of all people, will be participating in the next exercise, using Grungust Unit 2 (the red secret Grungust from the first game, not Kusuha's Type-2). Kusuha's a little concerned, given that Rishu has never piloted a mech before...



Rishu: "'How could that old fart possibly handle a super robot?' That's what your face is telling me."
Ibis: "Th-that's not what I..."
Rishu: "Don't you worry yourself. I'm just here to observe. The TC-OS will handle the fancy work."
Ibis: "Uh... but, still..."
Rishu: "Yes?"
Ibis: "N-no, it's nothing!"



Sleigh has noticed something else unusual: for increased realism in their data, this will be a live-fire exercise. Tsugumi is shocked to learn this, but Sleigh has no complaints, since simulations can only improve your skills so far. Furthermore, Tsugumi will be on the field as well to oversee the exercise from and armored module, having received at least the basics of pilot training.



(Training with live ammunition... can I really do this?)



Mission 14: Dreaming



Filio opens with a warning: the training rounds have had their strength reduced, but an unlucky hit could still prove fatal. The exercise's objective is to cooperate and eliminate all the enemy units within five minutes. Sleigh tells Ibis to focus up, since one mistake on her part will result in a failure; her role is to support and finish off Sleigh's targets.



Rishu: "I see no problems. Good luck, young ladies."
Kusuha: "But, Master... why the Grungust?"
Rishu: "Hm... well, it's meaningful. Think of it as rehabilitation."
Kusuha: "Rehabilitation?"
Rishu: "Ah, pay me no heed. An old man like me isn't for you to worry about. I'm just here to oversee your training."
Kusuha: "All right..."



Tsugumi reports that although the parameters have given them five minutes, by her calculations it should be doable in four. This catches Sleigh's interest at once...



...and Ibis realizes that she's just going to have to try even harder to keep up.