Dual Fan Fiction ❯ Interstellar Dual! ❯ Chances Are ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure and its characters are the property of Pioneer and whoever, not me. Travis Ecks, Tatsuma, the Marikesans, and the story belong to me.
My precious…


Italics: thoughts.
Bold: emphasized
Underlined: info from the author, such as definitions, clarifications, and the Author’s Note



There were no more Marikesan attacks before Monday. The days before were spent trying to convince the world of an oncoming invasion. Everyone was skeptical. "Even if these strange robots are from outer space, who's to say that they will return? Your man supposedly beat them easily. Maybe they won't come," was a common argument.


"How do we know that the robots aren't just some secret organization's troops, or that you didn't make them and are trying to get attention?" was another.


Dr. Sanada finally gave up, "They don't want to believe that there is an alien army coming. They will deny it to the very end, until they can no longer do so. I cannot convince them, because they refuse to listen."

"We'll just have to be ready ourselves. Earth forces will stand up to the Marikesans shortly after they invade. We'll simply have to stall for time," Dr. Rara replied. All this happened on Friday.


Saturday, the Rara's had finally decided to buy a new house, rather than wait for theirs to be rebuilt. Mitsuki R. moved out of the Sanada home on Sunday, making Mitsuki S. happy that she had her own room again. This didn't last long.


"Why does Dee have to sleep in my room?!" Mitsuki Sanada asked.


"Kazuki's room isn't really big enough to share with Travis. He's been stepped on nearly every day now. So, we're giving him Dee's room. Your room is the largest, so you'll share it with Dee," Akane explained.


Mitsuki S. shot a look of hate at Travis.


"Sorry, Mitsuki. I tried to talk her out of it. Hell, I offered to sleep in the basement or attic instead," Travis told her.


"The basement is too full of Ken's junk. The attic isn't high enough for you to do more than crawl in. You are going to stay in Dee's old room," Akane stated.


Travis shrugged at Mitsuki S., "I tried. I can't do any more." Mitsuki S. went to her room to pout again. She's done that a lot since I got here, Travis noted.


Sunday, the moving was done. Travis's new room was fairly empty, just a bed, desk, and dresser. At Mitsuki Sanada's request, more of a reimbursement that she demanded, for Dee being in her room Travis installed bars on Kazuki's window. I'll have to apologize to Yayoi when I see her next, Travis thought.


Dee was so enthused about the arrangement, that Mitsuki S. soon calmed down and accepted the change. At least I don't have that other Mitsuki around, she reasoned.


The moving took most of the day. Because everyone was so busy, Travis managed to make dinner under everyone's noses. He made a hamburger casserole, salad, bread, and green beans. "You can cook?" Mitsuki S. exclaimed.


"What's the big deal? I cook a few things, mostly simple stuff. Everyone was so busy. I knew I would have to make dinner myself. I usually cook burgers or macaroni, but I wasn't sure how well you all would like that," Travis answered.


Everyone sat down to eat, unsure of the food. Except Kazuki and Travis, who dove right in. Dee tried her food, "Wow! This is great, Travis!"


"Thank you, Dee," Travis lightly bowed. With that said, the Sanada household ate the food.


He really is a good cook, Mitsuki thought.


"Thank you for doing this, Travis. I had been worried about what we would eat," Akane told him.


"My pleasure. I've actually been wanting to cook since I got here," Travis replied.


"Well, I think we'd all enjoy American meals from time to time. Variety in food styles is good for the palate," Dr. Sanada declared with his mouth full of bread.


"Ken! Don't talk with food in your mouth!" Akane scolded.


"Yes, dear," he responded, forgetting to swallow first.


She smacked his head, "I just said don't do that!" Dr. Sanada swallowed the bread, "Sorry, dear."


Travis was trying hard not to laugh.


Travis awoke early the next morning, so he could get the shower first. If you consider the fact that he took only ten minutes in the bathroom, this was not a bad thing. He wore his new Academy uniform, like Kazuki's, and was downstairs before everyone else. So, he made breakfast: pancakes, jam, and eggs. He ate his by the time anyone was downstairs.


"How do you like your eggs, Mitsuki?" he asked her, as she came down after him.


"Eggs? Uh, Wait! You're making breakfast?!" she cried out.


"Sure. Everyone loves pancakes and eggs. You guys got jam for the pancakes, although you don't have any syrup. How do you like your eggs?" he repeated.


"I...I...fried, solid," she finally answered, grabbing a plate for her pancakes. He made hers, and got everyone else's orders as they came down.


Yayoi came in the front door, "Someone closed off my shortcut!"


"Good morning. Sorry, Ms. Schwael; I did that. How do you like your eggs?" Travis questioned.


Other than all that, the morning was fairly basic. "Kazuki, get up!" Mitsuki hit his stomach to wake him.


* * *


"Who's the new guy? And why's he with Sanada Mitsuki?!", "I don't know. He looks foreign. She doesn't look too happy with him there!", "We should get him away from her!" three boys, with crushes on Miss Sanada, said.


"Oooh, look at the new guy!", "He's gorgeous!", "Yeah. But he's already talking to Sanada Mitsuki!", "Damn her! She's got every guy after her! She would have to get him, too!" a few girls complained.


Travis was walking with Mitsuki, who was showing him around. Since they were both seniors, she got stuck with the job, and wasn't thrilled with it. Miss Sanada disliked being around him; she was still scared of him.


The three boys came over to Travis, "What're you doing, bothering her?!"


"Good morning. I was simply getting guided around by Miss Sanada here," Travis answered innocently. Great. A fight on my first day. Shit! he thought.


"It's alright. He's a foreign exchange student. He's staying at my house," Mitsuki told them. The girls heard this, and made a collective sigh of disappointment.


The boys, however, were already attacking Travis, and did not hear. Travis ducked behind them, barely missing their punches. "Everyone, please note that I am only acting in self-defense," Travis took a fighting stance.


The boys attacked again, angrier. A block, two gut-punches, and an uppercut knocked one out. A kick to the knee and a fist to the forehead sent another to the floor. The last one hit Travis in the face, forcing him back. Travis caught the boy's wrist on his next attack, and flipped him on his back. The second boy had gotten up and was trying a sucker punch.


"Behind you!" someone in the crowd of onlookers warned. Travis did the splits, grabbed the second boy's legs, and pulled them from under him. Travis stood back up, but the boys stayed on the ground.


Travis bowed to them, "I'm sorry, but you gave me little choice."


"He's great! Wish my boyfriend would fight for me like that," a watching girl responded.


"How come you got to take all the good ones, Mitsuki?!" another questioned.


"I'm not her boyfriend. I don't want to be, either," Travis nursed a bleeding lip.


Miss Sanada fumed, hand poised to strike, "Why not?!" She was so angry, she forgot his threat, and hit him. A look of fright crossed her face right after.


"That. I told you if you hit me again, I would hit you back. I do not wish to hurt people, but I will not stand being abused. I'll go easy this time," Travis poked her forehead as hard as he could. Mitsuki S. fell on her rear from the blow, a bruise forming where he struck. "I will truly hit you next time. The same goes for anyone else who strikes me. I will not be treated like that, not by anyone," Travis added. Everyone stared at him as he walked to class.


"He did it. He really did. He said he would. He hurt me, as I hurt him," Mitsuki S. mumbled as she sat on the floor.


"Hey, are we gonna let him do that to Mitsuki?", "You want to punish the only guy who ever stood up to her? She did hit him first.", "Besides, you saw how good he is at fighting. I'm not interested in a black eye," a few boys talked.


"Mitsuki...hey, Mitsuki...what's his name?" a girl leaned over and queried.


"Ecks Travis. He's American," Miss Sanada almost whispered. She fingered where he had poked her, and winced.


"What's he like? Is he nice?" another girl wondered.


Mitsuki took her time, thinking hard, "Yes. He's very nice. He cooked dinner and breakfast. He tried to help me. He...scares me. I...can't help it. He's scared me since I first saw him, but even more after he warned that he'd hit me if I hit him again. He...he's like no man I've ever met."


"Ah, you just don't like him because he won't take your crap. He's dreamy!" one girl sighed, obviously daydreaming.


Mitsuki stood up so fast the girl jumped back in fear. Miss Sanada wasn't going to hurt her, though. "You may be right," Mitsuki S. admitted.


Geez, you'd think they'd never seen an American before. I've been told I'm handsome, but this is beyond ludicrous! Travis thought in class.


The girls all seemed to be paying more attention to him than the teacher. His teacher, Mr. Makasoto, was getting annoyed at it. Finally, he sent Travis into the hall. I didn't do anything, but I understand his reasoning, the American was thinking.


Mitsuki S. was also in the hall, because she had gotten into class late. Travis went over to her, but she ignored him. Oh, no! Don't shake, Mitsuki! she couldn't help trembling.


"Look, I'm sorry I hurt you, Mitsuki. I don't want you afraid of me. I never wanted anyone to fear me. I just wanted respect. Please don't hate me," he put his hand on her shoulder.


"I...I can't...hate you. I try, but I can't. You're...too...nice. But, I can't help...being afraid. You always scared me. That's why I treated you so badly," she explained.


"I'm sorry, Mitsuki. I really am. But, ya know, you scare me, too," Travis confessed. She looked astonished at him.


"I'm afraid of you hitting me. I don't like being hit. I'm also afraid of hurting you, but...it seemed the only way to stop your attacks. I tried to hate you, too. I can't. You aren't a bad person. Your actually very kind, a very good person. I understand why you hit Kazuki; it's because you care. I have no complaints there; without it, he'd not do much of anything. Anyway, I'm sorry. I never wanted this," he said sincerely.


"I'm sorry, too, Travis. I never should have been so mean to you," Mitsuki looked ready to cry.


"Oh, don't do that. I'll really get my ass kicked then. It's okay, I forgive you," he smiled.


She sniffed, "Thank you, Travis. I'll try not to."


"Well, I should get back to my classroom door. I'll see you later, Mitsuki," he walked back.


I...I feel so much better. I never realized how bad I was feeling, Miss Sanada thought.


* * *


At lunch, Travis had thought of joining Kazuki. Unfortunately, it seemed like a quarter of the girls at the school wanted to eat lunch with him. As for the rest, they seemed content to stare, daydream, etc. There was a literal swarm of girls around him.


"Uh, girls, I...girls, I'm flattered, but...girls, please, I can't eat with all of you...girls, please, I couldn't possibly...oh, don't fight like that! Stop, please! Would you all please stop?!!" he finally got them to quiet down.


"Thank you. Now, while I am very flattered, and I would love to sit and eat with all of you, I cannot be with all of you at once." Before he could say more, the girls started hounding him again.


"Girls! Sit down now!" Yayoi ordered, having just come in. The girls scattered.


"Thank you, Ms. Schwael. I was going crazy," Travis told her.


"Well, Mr. Ecks, it seems like you are as popular as Miss Sanada already. Go take a seat," Yayoi smiled.


Travis sat next to the lone Kazuki, "So, Kazuki, did they take your lunch again?"


"Yeah," Kazuki sighed.


"That doesn't seem to be your only problem. What's up?" Travis handed him one of his three sandwiches.


"Well...are you and Mitsuki in a relationship?" Kazuki asked.


"Nope. Not even interested. What, you hear about the fight? I told everyone then I had no interest in Miss Sanada," Travis told him.


Kazuki sighed in relief.


"Ya know, Kazuki, you really ought to choose already," Travis bit into a sandwich.


"Huh? Choose what?" Kazuki was as dense as always.


"Kazuki, you have four, count 'em, four, pretty young ladies after your heart: Rara Mitsuki, Sanada Mitsuki, Dee, and Yayoi. You need to choose one already," Travis explained.


Kazuki blushed.


"I know you don't want to hurt anyone, but the longer you wait, the worse it'll get. Hell, you could lose the one you really love if you wait too long."


"Mitsuki..." Kazuki sounded worried.


"But which one? Rara, or Sanada?" Travis questioned.


"I...I...which one?" Kazuki was unsure.


"Think of this. Me dating Miss Rara," Travis suggested. Kazuki did so, staring off into space.


"Does that bother you as much as me and Sanada in a relationship did?" Travis queried.


"It bothers me...but not nearly as much," Kazuki admitted.


"So, who do you love?" Travis raised an eyebrow.


"Sanada Mitsuki," Kazuki answered quietly.


"Good. Now, when you get home, I want you to tell her that. Tell her how much you love her. Don't worry about hurting anyone right away; I can keep Dee occupied. The other two won't be there. I'm not saying they won't be hurt, but...as I said, the longer you wait, the worse the pain will be," Travis explained.


"Thanks, Travis. I know you're right. I'll talk to her tonight," Kazuki smiled.


"That's the spirit. Just...don't mention I put you up to this. She might not like that," Travis warned.


* * *


That night, Travis began a conversation with Dee while Mitsuki was upstairs. Kazuki went up after her, once Travis had winked at him.


He knocked on her door, "Mitsuki? Can I talk to you?"


"Kazuki? You don't want me to do your homework or anything, do you?" she sounded suspicious.


"No, nothing like that. Can I come in?" Kazuki replied.


"Okay. Come in," Mitsuki told him. She was sitting on her bed, a book beside her.


Kazuki closed the door, "Mitsuki, this is really hard for me to say, so, let me say it."


"What is it?" she pulled him to sit on the bed.


"I..." Kazuki blushed, "I...well, I... I...I..."


"Kazuki, spit it out!" Mitsuki demanded.


"Mitsuki, I love you!" Kazuki responded.


"Y...y...you..." Mitsuki was stunned.


"I...I love you, Sanada Mitsuki. I have for a long time," Kazuki declared.


"You love me?" Mitsuki finished, sounding outraged.


As she moved, Kazuki flinched and thought, Travis, this is all your fault!


But, Mitsuki didn't hit him. Instead, she was hugging him. Mitsuki began crying.


"Mitsuki..." Kazuki felt guilty.


"I...I've... wanted to hear that...for so long...Kazuki, I love you too! I've loved you since...since before you met Rara. I...I thought you loved her!" she wept.


"Travis asked me a question today. He told me to think of him and Mitsuki Rara together, and of you and him together. And I realized...it tore me apart to think of you with someone else," Kazuki told her.


"Travis...he set this up...oh, I treated him so badly! I can't believe he'd do this, after all that!" Mitsuki wasn't angry.


"I wasn't supposed to tell you...please don't tell him I did, Mitsuki. I don't want to disappoint him, after his help," Kazuki requested.


"No, of course not," Mitsuki smiled. "Kazuki, would you kiss me?" He leaned in towards her face, and slowly put his lips to hers.


Meanwhile, everyone else was downstairs laughing. Except, that is, for Travis. Yayoi and Reika were there laughing, too. Travis just looked embarrassed.


"Did you really have over fifty girls around you?" Dr. Sanada asked as he guffawed.


"Yes, he did! You should have seen most of the girls around the cafeteria! Practically all of them were staring at him! In class, Mr. Makasoto had to send him to the hall, just so the girls would pay attention!" Yayoi chortled.


"And Ms. Schwael had to send the girls surrounding him at lunch to their seats!" Dee giggled.


"Well, my boy, it seems that you have become quite the attraction," Reika snickered.


"Oh, really, we must be completely humiliating him! But I can't stop laughing!" Akane chortled.


Kazuki, Mitsuki...you owe me more than the national debt of the United States! Travis thought.


"What are you to do tomorrow, Travis? Beat them off with a stick?!" Dr. Sanada rolled with laughter.


"Oh, Ken, stop it! We should all stop now!" Akane was still sniggering.


"Yes, Akane, you are right. I'm sure Travis doesn't find it so funny," Reika nodded, quickly composed.


"No, Mrs. Nanjounin, I do not. I don't blame you all for laughing. If it was someone else like me, I'd probably be doing the same thing," Travis said.


Suddenly, an alarm went off. "The lab!" Dr. Sanada ran to the basement. Travis and Dee followed, while Kazuki and Mitsuki came down to see what was going on. Kaoru Hayase appeared on a monitor Dr. Sanada sat at.


"Dr. Sanada! We are detecting what appears to be a large spacecraft above Japan! It is sending a signal to us, but it's in English! I've no one here who understands it well enough!" she declared.


"Play the message, Ms. Hayase!" Travis ordered.


"We are the Marikesans! We are here to declare war on this planet! You puny humans cannot be allowed to reach outer space! We will enslave you all, and put you to work digging mines. But, first, we must follow interstellar law! You humans must choose the battlefield on your planet. We will send our forces to meet yours. If you win, you delay our conquest. If you lose, we shall do all we have said we will. You have twenty Earth hours to decide!" Travis translated the message.


"Why do they speak English?" Dr. Sanada wondered.


"Probably because it is one of the main languages on the planet, yet has only twenty-six characters. But, what's important now is: where do we have the war!" Travis yelled.


"Oh, right, right. Well...I suppose outside of the city would be best, some uninhabited area nearby. I'll find something tomorrow. We've got nearly twenty hours," Dr. Sanada yawned.


"Yeah, I need to do my homework. Nice to meet you, Ms. Hayase," Travis went back upstairs.


"That’s the pilot of Tatsuma? Travis Ecks? Did he go to school today?" Kaoru queried.


"Yes, why?" Dr. Sanada wondered.


"He looks like he'd have to beat the girls off with a stick!" she answered.


An outburst of laughter came from Dr. Sanada.


* * *


The next day, Travis noticed that Kazuki and Mitsuki didn't fight like they usually would. She forced him out of bed, sure, but she did it by pushing him onto his feet. She didn't even yell like she usually did.


"Travis, do you notice anything different about Mitsuki?" Dee questioned.


"Yep. She changed her hair," Travis told the truth. Mitsuki had changed her hair into a ponytail.


"I meant about how she's acting, silly," Dee giggled.


"Silly? Me? Naw! C'mon, let's eat!" Travis grinned, and ran downstairs. Dee didn't seem to notice he was avoiding her question.


"Why the hair change, Mitsuki?" Yayoi said between bites of food.


"Just...felt like doing something different. That's all," Miss Sanada answered. Oddly, Mitsuki seemed quite calm and happier than normal.


"Well, don't forget, we've got an interstellar war after school," Travis reminded.


* * *


The Rara's new house was only a few blocks away. It was just as big, and the Rara's were already settled in. Travis stopped by instead of going right to school.


"Travis? What are you doing here?" Mitsuki Rara asked as she came out the door.


"I need your help, Mitsuki. Remember all those girls at lunch yesterday?" Travis stopped as she burst out laughing.


"This is serious! I need you to get me in the school the back way, so I can avoid those girls for a while. Please!" he begged.


Mitsuki stopped laughing fairly quickly, "Okay, Travis. I'll get you in the cafeteria." Mitsuki was the school's head cook, so she had keys to the kitchen and such.


"Thank you, Mitsuki!" Travis let out his breath. They began walking to the school together the back way, where the students couldn't see from the front.


Ayuko saw them out the window, and smiled wickedly. I couldn't ensnare Kazuki, but perhaps I can ensnare Travis with my daughter, she thought.


Alice, Ryla, and Mina also saw them walking together. "Who's the hunk with Mitsuki? Did she get a new boyfriend?!" Mina hypothesized.


Travis made it to class without having been surrounded with unwelcome estrogen. He had talked with Mitsuki R. as they walked, about Kazuki, the school, the aliens, and more. Miss Rara promised to be there for the battle, wherever Dr. Sanada decided to place it. Still no one wanted to believe in the Marikesans, and only Japan received the message of war. Dr. Sanada assumed it to be just a misunderstanding on the alien's part, that Japan was not the world center of power.


Travis figured it was just that the scout robots were destroyed over Japan. But, most people on the planet wouldn't even hear about it. Travis just lived his day at school, and Dr. Sanada prepared all the Core Robots. Lunch at school was a little different than the day before, though.


Today, Kazuki was not sitting alone, but with Naoya Shiozaki and Toshihiko Isawa. They had been doing lunch suspension the day before, but didn't have it today.


"Man, I wish I could get girls to swarm around ME like that!" Naoya proclaimed. Indeed, Travis was again set upon by the horde of ravenous females. There were even more today, to Travis's dismay. This time, Yayoi was obviously not going to rescue him.


"HE doesn't seem to be enjoying it," Toshihiko noted.


"He doesn't," Kazuki told them, "He actually snuck into the school this morning so he wouldn't have to deal with them then."


"Would you all please stop?! I can't hear myself think, so how could I possibly understand what you girls are asking?" Travis shouted. "Now, until you all can agree on some reasonable setup, I will be eating alone! Period! Make a list, take turns, do something! But not this...bickering!" Travis took his lunch, and ran to the roof.


The girls all started blaming each other for his outburst, so were too busy to chase after him.


Mitsuki R. did follow him to the roof. "Travis? Are you okay?" she checked.


"Mitsuki! Yeah, I'm just...arrgh, I've got a headache from those annoying bitches!" Travis clutched his head.


Mitsuki walked over and sat next to him, "You really don't enjoy all those girls around you, do you? Most guys at this school would love it."


"That's probably part of why it's happening to me. I hate it. It's completely ridiculous! I'm one fucking guy, not really that special or handsome," Travis replied.


"I think you are," Mitsuki told him, and blushed.


He looked at her, taken aback.


"I knew you were when I first saw you. I looked into your eyes. You have kind eyes. There's something else there, too. You have a strength to your eyes. I love Kazuki, but he doesn't have that. And...I saw how he looked at the other Mitsuki today. He loves her. And...I want him to be happy." Mitsuki was crying.


Travis put his arm around her, unsure what to do. "I'm sorry, Mitsuki. I...I told Kazuki to choose between you girls. I...I thought it would be better for him to do it now. He chose Miss Sanada, and he confessed his love last night. I'm sorry," Travis finally confessed.


"It's okay, Travis. You were right; the sooner, the better. I'm not angry, not at you or anyone else. I'm glad he's finally decided. He should be happy," Mitsuki was still weeping.


"Thank you, Mitsuki, for understanding. I just wanted to spare you girls some pain. The longer this went on, the worse it would be for all of you," Travis explained.


"Thank you, Travis. I needed someone to hold me," Miss Rara wiped her eyes and stood up.


"Anytime, Mitsuki. Heh. You seem to have gotten rid of my headache," he smiled.


Mitsuki R. smiled back, and went downstairs. Travis ate his homemade lunch, thinking about everything that had been going on for the last week. Well, at least I can take my frustrations out on some machines, he thought.


* * *


The time of the battle with the Marikesans came. The chosen battlefield was a small valley in the closest thing to the middle of Nowhere, Japan. Travis and Tatsuma were both anxious to fight. Kazuki and Zinv were ready, willing, and able. Mitsuki Rara was in CR1, Mitsuki Sanada was in CR2, and Dee piloted CR3. A new mecha, CR4, was piloted by Yayoi. CR4 was orange in color, much to Yayoi's dismay. The Marikesans launched a small army of their black units, around 1000 in total.


"There are so many! How can we win?!" Yayoi cried out.


"I'm not saying our chances are great, but we have to try!" Travis declared. Tatsuma roared loudly, and the battle began. Laser blasts filled the sky. Zinv fired a gravity shell a blue blast from his hand, which destroyed a large number of the empty enemy machines. Tatsuma rushed head first into battle.


"Travis! We can't shoot with you in the way!" Mitsuki S. complained.


"Go ahead! We won't be harmed!" Travis told her.


Travis activated Tatsuma's Boost. The green robot moved with lightning speed, and performed numerous punches and kicks. The Marikesan troops couldn't withstand the force of his blows. The four Core Robots fired at the black machines. Due to the close proximity between the enemy forces, there was no chance of missing.


"These guys suck!" Travis smashed a few more Marikesan troops. He regretted his comment instantly, as more troops came from above the clouds. They landed behind the Core Robots, and Travis was the only one who noticed. These new units were almost 50% bigger than the first ones, and carried larger laser rifles. There was also one very large black robot, easily twice the size of Zinv, with a large bazooka-like gun. It pointed its weapon at CR1.


"Mitsuki! Look out!" Travis shouted into his microphone, running towards her. All he received was static. Damn! The comms are out! "Mitsuki!" Travis dove in front of the powerful blast of the gigantic enemy robot.


The blast struck Tatsuma hard, pushing him into CR1 and beyond. CR1 fell over as Tatsuma crashed into it, but was otherwise unharmed. The green automaton fell, over half of its body missing.


"Aaaaaahhhhhhh!" Travis bellowed in sheer pain.


"Travis?!" Mitsuki Rara yelled over the radio, "Are you alive?!"


"Light hawk wings!" Travis commanded. The beams of white energy sprung from Tatsuma's back, and the robot was repaired to full ability. Travis stood the robot up, sheer hate filling his eyes. The huge robot aimed at Tatsuma, who was soaring towards it.


"That fucking hurt, you sonofabitch!" Travis yelled, and swung at the monstrosity. Tatsuma's hand glowed with a white light as he did so, and made a large dent in the machine's hull. He kept pounding, and quickly burst through the armor and destroyed the internal circuitry.


Tatsuma sped away as the giant machine exploded in a ball of fire. The enhanced units around it were incinerated by the blast. Tatsuma warned Travis of more enemy units coming from the skies. 20 black ships that reminded him of birds broke the cloud cover. They fired upon Tatsuma, and the blasts knocked him back to Earth.


"Those things are really fast!" Travis noted, unhurt. He soared into the air, shooting at the black ships with Tatsuma's chest beam.


"Travis! Where are you?!" Miss Rara's voice sounded worried.


"I'm in the air, CR1! We've got flying bogeys up here!" he replied, unheard.


"Travis! Ahhh!" Mitsuki cried out as the CR1 was shot to the ground.


"Damn it! Kazuki, can you hear me?!" Travis asked. No response came. "Dr. Sanada? Can anyone hear me?!" Travis was getting desperate, as no one answered him.


"Tatsuma, Chain Lightning!" he ordered. The green robot hovered in the air; then he put both hands in front of him, palms facing each other. A ball of electricity formed as the black ships turned to fire at him. Tatsuma pushed his hands forward, palms outstretched, and the ball fired towards the head ship. The electricity struck, and bolts of lightning shot out to destroy all the nearby ships. With their close flight pattern, they all were eliminated.


Tatsuma rushed down to the battlefield. CR1 was surrounded by the black troops, but CR4 shot them all as they focused on the fallen robot. Tatsuma helped up CR1, and tapped its 'mouth' to signify its communications were down. CR1 gave a thumbs up, and relayed the message to the other pilots. The Marikesan army was taking heavy losses, but CR3 had lost a leg and CR2's head was gone.


Dee and Mitsuki S. were out of the fight. Kazuki had apparently gotten pissed at his love's plight, and had released Zinv's light hawk wings. Tatsuma made hand gestures for CR1 and 4 to take 2 and 3 away from the battle.


"But, what about you and Kazuki?!" Yayoi complained. Tatsuma gave her a thumbs up, and returned to fighting. CR 1 and 4 did as they were told.


With the loss of four opponents, the Marikesans sent down more flying and advanced robots. Two more giant units were also dropped.


"This is bad," Travis said. He headed for the giants as they fell to Earth, and was demolishing them before they could do anything about it. The white energy still flowed from Tatsuma's hands, and was definitely causing extra damage. "Too bad the boost is used up. Could use that right now, all these guys around. Chain Lightning's gone, too. Guess it's up to some old fashioned- oh, maybe not..."


Tatsuma picked up two laser rifles from fallen Marikesan drones. He began blasting away at the air units as Zinv trashed the upgraded robots. Tatsuma stuck a few with his rapid firing. Once the rifles were empty, he dropped them and picked up a couple more.


This process continued, and Zinv soon joined in with the upgraded rifles. The squadron of ships was decimated by this onslaught, only being able to knock the two artifact robots around a bit.


A message came over the comm. channel, in English, "Very well, humans. You have won for today. But there shall be a next time, very soon, and we will be far better armed to fight your small forces. Now, we will soon retrieve our fallen soldiers, so we suggest that your forces remove themselves from the battlefield. If they do not, interstellar law will be broken, and we will have the right to break it in return."


Tatsuma tapped Zinv's shoulder, and motioned for them to leave. Zinv nodded, and they returned to the Sanada/Rara lab. The Marikesan mothership then used a device on the bottom to levitate all the parts of the black troops back on board. The mothership then left Earth's orbit, and flew off into outer space. Travis explained what the aliens had said to the Doctors when he got back to the base.


The two Mitsukis ran into the docking bay ahead of Dee and Yayoi. Miss Sanada practically tackled Kazuki, and Miss Rara gave Travis a big hug. Yayoi stood staring, mouth agape. Dee giggled at the expressions on the boys' faces, which were of sheer bewilderment.


"Miss Rara, I thought you liked Kazuki!" Yayoi managed to say.


"I do. But...he chose her, so I figured she got first rights..." Mitsuki R. blushed.


"Kazuki...chose ...her...? You mean..." Yayoi was confounded.


"Did you really, Kazuki?" Dee asked as if she wasn't sure whether to be happy or cry.


"Yes...I love Mitsuki," Kazuki answered worriedly. Mitsuki S. clung to him possessively.


"Oh...congratulations, Mitsuki," Yayoi was unenthusiastic.


Dee, however, was, "Oh, I'm so happy for you!"


Wow. I expected her to weep in sorrow, not joy, Travis thought.


"Thank you, Travis, for saving my life," Mitsuki R. gave him a kiss on the cheek.


"You're very welcome," Travis blushed. Suddenly, Travis collapsed in pain.


"Travis! Travis, what's wrong?!" Dee exclaimed. He was letting out a bloodcurdling scream of torment. Dr. Sanada and Dr. Rara rushed over.


"Tatsuma!" Travis bellowed, "Light hawk wings!" A power surge flooded the base, caused by the green robot's limiter deactivating.


"What happened to him?!" Mitsuki R. sat on her knees at his side.


"I...I feel...Tatsuma's pain...they were...cutting him open...badly..." Travis's voice had gone hoarse.


"My goodness! I never suspected a bond like that could exist!" Dr. Sanada replied.


"So you activated the light hawk wings to repair him," Kazuki reasoned.


"Exactly. I don't know exactly what you were doing, but it hurt like hell!" Travis barely managed to stand.


"I was simply making sure there was no permanent damage to Tatsuma during the battle. I had his limbs removed, to be tested separately,' Dr. Rara explained.


"How could you do that?! You idiot! I could have told you not to do that, had you only told me about it!" Dr. Sanada yelled at his partner.


"It's okay, Dr. Sanada. Just...don't let it happen again. That...that hurt worse than the blast I took from the giant robot. Tatsuma, retract the wings!" Travis ordered, I'm sorry, pal. I had no idea they might do that. Tatsuma replied with forgiveness.


"Are you sure you're alright, Travis?" Dee checked.


"Yeah. I just need some throat spray, and I'll be fine," Travis smiled at her, thinking, They will never understand how much that hurt. It was pure pain all along my arms and legs. Hell is the only thing that could hurt worse.


"I'm sorry, Travis. I had no idea," Dr. Rara bowed his head, ashamed.


"Just, make sure I'm there to supervise anything next time, okay?" Travis recommended.


"Yes. I certainly will," Dr. Rara bowed. Travis returned the bow, with great difficulty.


Ow, man, my muscles are sore! Travis thought.


Everyone went back to their houses. Travis got a ride back with Dr. Rara, because everyone made him. "Really, I'm fine!" he had protested, walking along. He had strained to keep from wincing or crying out in pain. When Akane heard what had happened, she made Travis sit at the dining room table to do his homework.


"You shouldn't be moving around too much," she said. Travis was barely allowed to go to the bathroom, and certainly wasn't allowed to move around for anything else. Even the dog Kumu seemed to realize Travis was in pain, licking at an exposed part of his leg. Reika even stopped by to check on him.


"I'm afraid they're right, young man; you shouldn't be moving around tonight," she had told him. Then she smiled, "You should be fine enough to move around tomorrow."


Travis sighed in relief, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Finally, when it was time for bed, they let him go upstairs. Kazuki and Dr. Sanada were right behind him in case he fell, but they let him go up himself.
End of part 2

Author’s Note: The original title for the next chapter, Re-Attempts, has been restored. A typo had it titled Real Attempts at dualfans.host.sk . I hope you are enjoying this story. In the next part, Travis finds himself in differing types of uncomfortable situations.