G Gundam Fan Fiction ❯ Rise, Crusade Gundam! ❯ Neo-France Vs Neo-Indonesia's Gamelan Gundam ( Chapter 11 )

Jean-Luc looked out of the window at the verdant fields outside the palace. He was visiting George De Sand, hoping for some inspiration. His last fight, against the Gundam Caledonia of Neo-Scotland, ended in a draw, but he felt a certain distaste regarding the fight.

 

"My friend, do not be so hard on yourself. You have exceeded all of our expectations as our fighter. Perhaps your unease is a matter in the head?" George poured them both a glass of wine, and passed Jean-Luc's over to him. "You haven't yet told me of your last fight, you know."

 

"You're right. Well, as you know, your majesty, I was fighting against Neo-Scotland's Gundam Caledonia...I don't quite know what it was, but his fighting style was incredibly similar to Mark Anderson's."

 

"The Neo-England fighter?" George inquired.

 

"Yes, that's right. It felt odd, fighting an exact mirror of Mark...but it also felt humbling. My skills are lacking too much," Jean-Luc sighed. "Am I just wasting my time here, my liege?"

 

"Jean-Luc...one setback does not mean you will not become a great Gundam Fighter. After all, each time I entered the fight, I lost, remember?" He chuckled. "Many Gundam Fighters do not have the skills to last a single round with their peers, and yet they enter anyway. Why is this? Because they are overconfident, a fatal flaw which can lead to disaster. Jean-Luc...your father was like that." Jean-Luc shuddered. Jean-Pierre Mirabeau's legacy again catching up with him. "You, however, are humble. A trait that few possess these days, and something to be admired. But, you must also remember not to wallow in self-pity. That will also lead to disaster. A perfect balance...that is what a true knight must yearn for, must strive to achieve." Jean-Luc looked at George, and smiled.

 

"You forget, I'm not a knight. I'm just somebody who wishes to restore honour to his family's name."

 

"An equally admirable goal. Either way, what I have said counts. I hope I have been of some help to you, Master Mirabeau."

 

"More than you'd know, your highness." He turned to leave the room.

 

"Where are you headed now?"

 

"I'm going to see my mother. It's been a month again."

 

"Ah. Well, good luck to that. Give her my regards, hm?" He smiled, as he opened the door for Jean-Luc, grace and elegance evident in his every motion. Jean-Luc smiled back, and left. He felt slightly more satisfied, having spoken with George. The former champion of Neo-France always knew what to say to make him feel better. Now, however, came what he affectionately referred to as the 'standoff'.

 

A few short hours drive outside of Paris led Jean-Luc to his family home, a small cottage from which he remembered his childhood days, spent in carefree happiness with loving parents. He grew proud of his father, a strong man, who desired nothing other than to become the representative of Neo-France in the 13th Gundam Fight.

 

At least, that was the plan.

 

Driven by an intense desire to win, and a refusal to accept George De Sand as his superior, Jean-Pierre Mirabeau used the crowd as a buffer, to halt the honourable George's attacks. This tactic resulted in an abrupt halt to the battle by the previous king, George's father-in-law, and the instant dismissal of Jean-Pierre Mirabeau as a Gundam Fighter. However, this led to his rage-fuelled attack, now dubbed the 'Marseilles Tragedy'.

 

The home had fallen into disrepair over the past twenty years. Where once proud doorframes stood firm, now cracks appeared in the perimeter. Windows were clouded or broken, and paint was stripping from the walls. Inside, however, was the object most damaged: A broken woman.

 

"Jean-Luc," a shrill voice rang through the halls of the home. "You've returned."

 

"Maman." Jean-Luc's voice contained no emotion, no love. "How are things? King George asked me to send you his regards."

 

"Oh, his regards? How nice of him." Jean-Luc entered the front room, and a woman in a chair stared out at him. She clearly hadn't washed in days, her face the very picture of her black heart. "And why hasn't he made amends for killing your father, hm?"

 

"Maman...please. Papa died long before George purged the DG Cells from him."

 

"And who do you think told the world that? Oh yes, the man who murdered him!" Jean-Luc wiped his mother's spittle from his cheek. "And why are you working for that murderer anyway? Him and that little slut!"

 

"Now look here, Maman! Perhaps you might not be able to understand this, but Papa killed scores of people! Countless murders, all because he couldn't admit that he wasn't as good a fighter as George!" Jean-Luc's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps one day you'll realise that the whole reason I'm fighting is to make up for the mistakes he made!" Disgusted, he left the room and slammed the door. He exited, hearing his mother's rantings and ravings.

 

Evening drew in slowly, indicating the shift from spring to summer. It wasn't long until the Final Battle. Jean-Luc soon returned to his new home, that of the Neo-France palace. As George De Sand was head of the Neo-France Gundam Fight committee, all Gundam Fighters were permitted residence at the palace, to allow for ease of access to training facilities housed within the palace, and as such Jean-Luc took advantage of this offer.

 

As he drew in slowly to enter the residence, his identity confirmed by guards surrounding, he could make out three figures silhouetted in the doorway. Two were familiar, but one was unknown. One waved to him as he walked up, and he recognised it as George De Sand, and with him Queen Maria Louise.

 

"Jean-Luc! It is good to see you!" George called out. "We have a guest."

 

"Is that so?" Jean-Luc replied. His eyes turned to the newcomer. A man, small in stature, stood unconfidently beside the royal couple. His skin was of the eastern persuasion, while his clothes were proud and colourful.

 

"Jean-Luc Mirabeau?" The stranger inquired. "I am Agum Gumelar, Gundam Fighter for Neo-Indonesia. I have come to challenge you to a Gundam Fight." His voice was shaky, while he carried himself somewhat unsteadily around other people. This irritated Jean-Luc.

 

"Certainly. But may we battle tomorrow? I need some time to reflect..."

 

"Yes, yes, of course. I can wait." Agum replied.

 

"Well, until then, you can stay here, my visiting friend." George pulled out a mobile telephone from his robes, and called for some guards, which promptly arrived. "Prepare a nice room for our challenger here please." The guards nodded curtly, and led Agum to his room. Jean-Luc was pleased to see him leave. George noticed this.

 

"My liege...there's something about him I don't like..."

 

"I can't see anything wrong with him," Maria Louise interrupted. "He seems to be the perfect gentleman." George laughed in response.

 

"Well, if there is any trouble with him, I'm sure my guards can handle it. Besides, there wouldn't be much purpose for him to start anything, right in the heart of my country, hm?" He put an arm around Maria Louise, and the pair began to enter the palace. "Jean-Luc, make sure you're well rested for tomorrow. And remember our little talk earlier, too." Jean-Luc stood alone, and pensive, for a few moments.

 

Some hours passed, and Jean-Luc found himself unable to sleep. A strange feeling haunted his gut, one which put his mind at unease. He attributed it to his mother, whose ravings seemed to hit harder than usual today. His eyes opened sleepily, and he saw a note on his dresser. It had unusual handwriting, as if from somebody who had only the basic knowledge of the French language. It seemed to request a meeting over the balcony of his room. Jean-Luc was disturbed to find security over his person was so flaccid, but decided to see what he could make of this. Quickly wrapping a dressing gown about himself, he walked to the balcony, to see a face he only met the day prior.

 

"Jean-Luc Mirabeau?"

 

"Agum Gumelar? What do you want?"

 

"I am sorry for waking you up at this time, but I need to talk to you, away from the prying eyes of our countries, as fighter to fighter."

 

"I'm here now, so say what you want to say."

 

"I know this may be a hard request but...please, forfeit the match tomorrow." Jean-Luc shook his head, and burst out laughing.

 

"That's a good one! Now, seriously, what do you want?" The expression on Agum's face soon halted the laughter, and Jean-Luc realised he was serious. "...why?"

 

"Because...if I lose the match...or even draw...I will suffer the wrath of my government."

 

"...and you think I won't? I'm sorry, but if you lose, then that's it, I'm afraid."

 

"Let me tell you my position. Back in Neo-Indonesia, I was a homeless man, one who had ran to the colony to find new work, a new life...but as you might guess, that didn't happen. There was very little call for a man who played the traditional instruments of the home islands. I scraped a living as a street musician for three years, until the Neo-Indonesia government ran especially late with the construction of its latest Gundam. They required a Gundam Fighter. The first man they found was me, on the street, so they took me to save time. I was fed well, I was one of the high society...they treated me with tales of success and glory, they told me of how my participation would lead to a better era for mankind...how could I refuse?" He looked to the sky, at the moon. "Then...I reached Earth."

 

"To fight?"

 

"Yes. But I have not done well enough for my government. They want me to win more...so I believed that if I could defeat you, then I would win back their respect."

 

"So why can't you just accept fate, and let what will be, be? Are you really expecting me to just roll over and accept defeat? You do realise that the Final Battle will have opponents far stronger than me, unwilling to surrender to anything?" His voice began to rise in volume. Whatever Jean-Luc found irritating before had returned with a vengeance.

 

"So...you are willing to send me back to the street? You are completely secure in knowing you will have condemned another man to death? You're more like your father than you realise..." His sentence was cut off by Jean-Luc's fist hitting his cheek.

 

"You did not know him. And you chastise me for fighting for my country. What kind of a man are you?"

 

"A man who has lived in the rubbish for all his life, and refuses to give up that sip of greatness for anybody...I hoped I could reason with you. But obviously you won't listen. So be it." He back flipped over the balcony, and grabbed onto the edge, before climbing down. Jean-Luc found himself staring into space, dumbfounded, for a second time.

 

Morning came. While breakfasting, Jean-Luc told George of the incident at night.

 

"That is most peculiar," George remarked, stroking his chin. "I trust you won't be surrendering?"

 

"Of course...but...I'm just wondering...is it right for me to defeat him? Provided he's telling the truth, that is."

 

"Jean-Luc, have I ever told you of the time I fought Domon Kashuu during the 13th Fight?" Jean-Luc shook his head in the negative. "Well, officially, I didn't. I had been forced to forfeit the match on the orders of my late father in law..." At this point, Maria Louise sat down to join them, and George coughed.

 

"What's this about my father?" She inquired.

 

"I am telling Jean-Luc of the fight with Domon during the 13th Fight. I'm sure you remember?"

 

"Oh yes...daddy wanted the Rose Gundam in the best condition it could be for the battle royale, so he wouldn't let George fight him. But, then George went and fought him anyway, and daddy realised that a knight's honour was at stake, so he let them finish their fight." She began to delicately shovel food into her mouth. George shook his head, laughing, while Jean-Luc desperately attempted to contain this avalanche of information.

 

"So...this is relevant..."

 

"...because it shows you should fight for your principles, Jean-Luc," George finished. "Do what you think is right." Jean-Luc massaged his scalp. Right, he thought. What is right?

 

The arena in Paris was one of the more extravagant in the world. Modelled in the style of an ancient arena, it offered an air of dignity to the sometimes brutal fights. Jean-Luc appreciated this, and found it always helped to clear his head during battles. In one corner, the Rose Mirage Gundam. A purple and yellow mecha, in the style of his late father's Mirage Gundam, but with the head, beam sabre and shield of the Rose Gundam George De Sand piloted.

 

In the other, the Gamelan Gundam of Neo-Indonesia. A bizarre design clothed in strange armour, comprising of a single rounded plate on the chest, and two rows of metal bars on the sides, each of irregular length. It wielded a strange stick with a spherical end, which appeared to have no practical use for fighting.

 

"Jean-Luc Mirabeau! I challenge you to a Gundam Fight!" Agum called out.

 

"I accept, Agum Gumelar! Gundam Fight!"

 

"Ready!"

 

"Gooo!" Jean-Luc leapt backwards, firing missiles to the ground to cover his movements. This was a tactic he had developed over the past months, one which had dealt him much success. However, mid dash, he found himself assaulted by an unusual sound. He fell to the ground, clutching his ears, suddenly undergoing a severe case of vertigo.

 

"Do you like my music, Jean-Luc? How about my metallophone solo?" He swiftly slid the stick along his sides, creating a dissonant glissando which sent Jean-Luc's senses flying. Jean-Luc staggered about, trying to regain his composure, unable to focus his eyes.

 

"Damn...something in that music is messing about my head..." He scowled, and tried to pinpoint the source of the sound, when a strong kick to his back knocked him to the floor.

 

"To think, I offered you the chance of surrender...If I had known what a farce this battle would be, I would never have bothered. Accept your defeat, or face decapitation." Jean-Luc rolled over, and fired a multitude of rose bits out to the Gamelan Gundam.

 

"Overconfident, aren't you?" As the rose bits whirled around, preventing Agum from striking the gong again, Jean-Luc got to his feet, and raised the beam sabre. "I'm sorry, but you must be defeated. If you hadn't relied so much on your music, you may well have won..." He sliced off the Gamelan Gundam's left arm, and pointed the sabre at its neck. "Surrender."

 

"No!" Before Jean-Luc could react, Agum quickly performed the metallophone glissando again, knocking Jean-Luc into a daze. He used this opportunity to strike the Rose Mirage Gundam's chest, with a surprising amount of force. Jean-Luc grunted as he crawled to his feet once again, shocked at the willpower being displayed here.

 

"Still can't accept defeat?" He chuckled, and the shield of the Gundam opened up, unleashing a barrage of missiles and rose bits. "Rose Onslaught! Go!" The sheer force and number of the projectiles forced the Gamelan Gundam to the ground, giving Jean-Luc ample time to rush over and strike. Swirling the sabre above his head, Jean-Luc slammed it into the neck of the opponent, severing it completely. Jean-Luc collapsed, and breathed a sigh of relief. That was one close battle.

 

"Congratulations, Jean-Luc," said George De Sand a few hours later, as the pair walked towards the palace. "That was a very well done match."

 

"I'm not so sure, your highness," Jean-Luc replied. "If he wasn't so overconfident during the fight, I could've lost very easily..."

 

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Jean-Luc. You did well. Oh, that reminds me, I have something I need to tell you..." He opened the door to his office as he said this, only to be confronted with a sight that chilled his heart.

 

"Hello." Agum stood, armed with a pistol, clutching Maria Louise in his arms, wearing an expression that screamed desperation. "Now...let's change the results of the match, shall we?"

 

"Don't do it, Agum," Jean-Luc warned. "You think that threatening the queen of Neo-France will help you in any way at all? You'll be a fugitive from the law!"

 

"The law of Neo-France, not Neo-Indonesia. Now, admit defeat, and you will still have a queen. Otherwise..." He cocked the pistol. That sound was all it took.

 

George shot forward with an almost animalistic fury, one which he had not manifested in a long time. Seeing his love in danger only brought back bad memories, and he planned on having no more of them. With a single strike, he knocked the pistol from Agum's hand, and quickly pinned him to a wall. Security guards immediately arrived on the scene, hearing the commotion. George delivered Agum to them, and quickly held Maria Louise in his arms.

 

"It's ok now, my love...do not be afraid...it's all over." He could feel her tears permeate his clothing, but that didn't matter. The one woman who meant the world to him was alive, and that was all that he could care about at this moment in time. Jean-Luc watched Agum get carted away by the guards.

 

"Feel proud of yourself. I go to my death...because of you..." Those words were the last he heard from Agum, which made him shiver.

 

"Your majesty...is everything ok? We should really do something about security here, that's twice he's broken in."

 

"Jean-Luc...you're right. I will get that sorted out as soon as possible. Oh yes, I forgot to tell you..." He handed Jean-Luc a piece of paper. "That has the report from Mark Anderson's last battle. I know you want to fight him again, and I implore you to do so. May you bring Neo-France glory." Jean-Luc nodded, and bowed before the couple. As he left the room, he stroked Maria Louise's hair, softly whispering into her ear. Suddenly, he felt a strange pressure on his right hand.

 

"My crest..." George looked into Maria Louise's eyes, and sighed. "My love...I must go." He showed her the crest. "I'm needed."