Robot 101 is essential curriculum - Let's Play Super Robot Wars L

[Mattman324]

Blade Gainer is one of the strongest units in the game, you should be using him more. Its low range doesn’t change that.

It’s “Electro Blazer”, as in the counterpart to Hydro Blazer.

Kind of sad that Kouichi, at this point, still is “just coasting on Linebarrel being strong”. At this point in the manga it’s been plainly established that that’s only a half-truth - Kouichi is only a good pilot for Linebarrel, because he trained in the thing and it’s got a lot of unique systems, which makes him a bad pilot for MP units… but he IS still a good pilot and he’s got great instincts for that stuff. Of course, the anime can’t have characters actually fucking develop.

…and yes, “MP Katou Grunts” is fucking awful.

Oh, by the way - if you go Earth/Space/Earth/Space/Earth/Space, the next stage is arguably the worst in the game. It does give one really fun unit to you, though. Expect a few fun units in the next few stages, including the one you’ve been clamoring for for so long… and, well, Dancouga Nova’s next upgrade (IT LITERALLY GETS GOD BEAST RIGHT BEFORE IT UPGRADES FUCKING L MATE)

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

Here we are at the Space Route. We’ll be keeping this path, so we’ll see how our ace list changes as Kenji and Ichitaka get to wreck stuff without Daiya around.

This first mission only allows for a surprisingly small amount of squads: only 10. Granted, all of the Valkyries and Klan are deploying as event units, so here’s how we’re going:
Ichitaka
Shinn/Luna
Duo/Quatre
Zechs/Yagyuu (I soon regret this choice, swapping her over to Rey’s team and bringing Noin back here)
Kenji/Kyo
Jeeg/Micchi
Voltes/Canaria
Rey/Noin
Combattler/Hilde
Iczer-3/Heine

Off we go.

We open up on the Quarter, and Jeffrey asks if Talia shouldn’t take some time off to rest. She agrees, willing to let Arthur take things over for a bit… though she has a hard time being at ease when we can only sit around and wait for information on Djibril to come in. Well, Jeffrey tells her to have faith in ZAFT and the NUNS, as they’re scouring the whole sector looking for him.
Jeffrey himself would prefer if nothing happened at least for a bit, while the ship’s still getting serviced. True, true, considering the battles we’ll have in the future, it’ll be tough to get another chance to run maintenance like this. And that’s saying nothing on giving our team a chance to get some much needed R&R. Maybe this waiting around isn’t SO bad, Talia reconsiders.
Indeed, haste makes waste. While Jeffrey applauds her dutifulness, she ought to put her feet up once in a blue moon. So she will.

At Island 1, Alto’s not happy that he got conscripted into helping buy groceries during his time off. Tsubaki suggest he not look at it like that, and instead think of it as shopping. Nagisa herself is enjoying being back home after so long, but the same clearly doesn’t apply to the man. And telling him to look at it like “shopping” isn’t helping make it better, either.
Hilde quips that not enjoying shopping won’t help him get along with the ladies, though Alto grunts that he doesn’t care. One thing Quatre notices is that Ranka’s music is playing throughout the area. In fact, it’s been like that since they came to port.

Seems to Ichitaka that the Frontier has Ranka Fever – way more than down on Earth, that’s for sure. Speaking of, Megumi’s heard that the girl’ll be making a live performance at Mihoshi Academy soon. Provided nothing happens, we’ll be able to catch that. Nagisa’s excited for it, as it’ll be hers and Kawai’s first time seeing their friend perform solo.
That’s great, but Juzo tells them to be careful not to jinx it: better pray hard Djibril doesn’t rear his head out of whatever hole he’s hiding in.

Back to the Quarter, Cathy’s brought some unusual info to Ozma: apparently, Ranka’s show today is being sponsored by the Frontier’s Executive branch itself. Her guess is they want to further boost Ranka’s career, as the one whose song can repel the Vajra. A modern Lynn Minmay, Ozma sighs.
He likes that her wish is coming true, but doesn’t care that it’s coming hand-in-hand with her being weaponized in our fight with the bugs. And to further raise questions around this, it seems the whole event was proposed by Mishima.
He was the one who put forward that experiment to use Ranka’s song against the Vajra, and Cathy thinks there’s more to all this than what we’re seeing. Ozma feels the same way, and wants to get to the bottom of it.

Ranka’s getting ready for the show, and while she seems bothered by what’s going on, she’s willing to go with it to make everyone happy. At least she gets some visitors to cheer her up before it all starts. She’s glad to see Klan and Michel again but, of course, what really brightens her day is Alto’s presence.
He asks if she’s not feeling too nervous – singing at her school’s different from her usual gigs. True, she’s a bit nervous, but figures she’ll be fine. She’ll just have fun and sing! Alto likes hearing that, impressed with the professional she’s become – all thanks to him helping her so many times before. And she’ll be working extra-hard out there knowing he’ll be listening.

At that, Michel and Klan nod at each other and suddenly remember that they have a few things they need to take care of real quick. Ranka’s a bit dejected, but understands that they’re busy. But she needn’t be bummed out: they’ll be leaving Alto here to keep her company until the show!
That’s the first Alto’s heard of any of this, but, whoops, too late – gotta go! Klan and Michel promise to be at their seats by the time she steps on stage. Alto grumbles as they leave.

Outside, Klan and Michel groan right back: seems like it didn’t really dawn on Alto WHY they were leaving him there. Seriously, being that dense should be a crime, Michel thinks. “Pfeh, I really don’t think you can say anything about that,” Klan harrumphs.
Michel stops short, but Klan continues. Despite all the myriad ladies he’s been with, he’s never REALLY gotten together with anyone. “Is there no one you really have feelings for, Michel? Is there love, somewhere in your heart?!” Klan demands to know, and Michel can’t answer.

: Hold me to the edge of the galaxy!

: Ranka’s on fire today, huh?
: Yes, she is! There’s this glow in her eyes that I don’t see often…!

: Wow, has it been half the show already?
: She’ll be wearing an outfit you designed for the second half, right, Nanase? How exciting…
: Speaking of excitement, Sheryl, I saw on the news that you were taking some time to rest? Are you well enough to be here?
: She’s right! And I know this is the VIP area, but do you need that disguise…?
: Ssshh. This is Ranka’s show, so I don’t want to stand out. And, as you can see, I’m doing just fine. Relax and have some fun, would you?
: Huh… that’s a lot different from the picture Michel painted. He said you might not be feeling too good, and that I really needed to see you… And here I was, all worried for nothing.
: (Michel and Klan… so they now there’s something wrong with me… but I can’t let him know. That’s why I…)
: Of course – what did you expect? I am Sheryl Nome, after all.

: Oh! The second half’s starting!
: (Are you listening, Alto? Please let my feelings reach you…!)
: That’s a beautiful stage.
: Hey, Sheryl… I heard you’d quit singing. Is that true?
: … It is. I’ve retired…
: But you still want to sing, don’t you…?
: Come, now… Sheryl Nome never says anything that she…
: …!

Thud.

: Sheryl!
: Don’t worry… I just got a bit dizzy. And, whatever the case, I am not singing any—
: Don’t lie to me, Sheryl. I know you’d never quit singing. You wouldn’t have touched the hearts of so many people if you didn’t love doing this!
: …
: Whenever I got up on stage, I wasn’t really there. So I can tell when someone’s pretending to be something they’re not, and someone who’s the real deal.
: Alto…
: (Huh? There’s someone with Alto… Sheryl? No… no…!)
: (How can you break my heart like this, Alto…? Is she really the one you love?)

BOOM! Vrrrrr!

: !!
: That sound was!
: SHYAAAAAAAA!!
: Aaaah!
: That’s… a Stage #2 Vajra larva?! How did it get in Island 1?!
: Save the questions for later! We gotta get back to SMS!

Mission 29 (Space Route) – Triangular

: A new type of Vajra…!
: More important than that is how we now got a fight breaking out in an airtight environment…! This isn’t good, man!
: Worse, some of our units are still repairing, so we won’t have all hands on deck for this!
: There are so many Vajra… Where did they come from…?!
: That’s not the main issue right now! We’ll have to keep them from tearing through the city until Alto and the others come over!

On the other side of town…

: Damn, this just keeps getting worse… Transportations down, we got split up with Alto’s group…
: Michel… Are you still not going to give me an answer?
: Huh? What is it now?
: Is there love, somewhere in your heart…?!
: … If there is, it’s currently MIA. I can’t even remember if I ever felt that to begin with.
: I see how it is… You’re a coward…

Punch!

: Hm…?!
: I love you, Michel.
: Y-You… Look at what’s happening…!
: I am, which is why I did this! How could I be truly in love if I let something like the fear of death hold me down…?!
: Klan…

And, on that note, let’s shoot some bugs. This mission is a bit of an odd one: there are 30 Vajra larvas to the NW, with more to come, and you have a rather diminished amount of resources. Start sending your folks out thattaway and start blasting – the larvas are pretty frail. That said, don’t go too crazy: you’ll want to leave 8+ of them alive for stuff.
On the flip side, the Vajra Larvas are SS sized, so they’ll be getting better numbers than usual against your guys. Worse, your beefier units will likely have pretty shoddy hit %s against them, so Strike is the name of the game.
Of note is that Ichitaka is FUCKING INVINCIBLE in this mission: the larvas only have one attack, and it’s a Beam weapon which doesn’t hit too hard. In other words, they’ll never get through the Laplace Wall.

Push onwards and, on the next turn…

: Urk!
: Sheryl! You alright?!
: Yes, yes! The shrapnel just grazed me.
: … Ranka, you have to sing! Make the Vajra docile with your song, please!
: Huh… but…
: You’re the only one who can! Please! Our city and everyone in it need your help!
: I’m the only one… Okay, I’ll do it…
: (You tell me that, but she’s the one you’re holding… It hurts… You’ve no idea how much my heart’s hurting, Alto…)

: …!

: What the?! The Vajra got all energized?!
: Damn it, and they were already tough to deal with before…!
: (What… how…?)

Elsewhere…

: Emotional level: -7.3…
: Is this mess your doing?
: No. I admit that I considered the possibility, but this is an irregular event as far as I’m concerned.
: But it doesn’t matter. How are things going on your end? The plan’s been going so swimmingly… I could lend you a hand with that if you’re feeling uneasy.
: Thank you, but no. I’ll handle it myself. This mayhem could be a bit of divine providence at work, I think…!

: AAAH!!

Thud.

: Nanase!
: Ur…gh…
: H-Hang in there! Stay with us!
: Nanase! Sheryl!
: I’ll take her to the shelter! Your job is to keep the city safe – hurry back to the SMS building!
: Hrm… alright! Can you keep up, Ranka?!
: Yes…

: Sorry for the delay, people!
: Ranka’s already safe and sound! Same goes for Nagisa and Kawai, by the looks for things!
: You… You’ve hurt Nanase!

Back at the SMS base…

: How’s my Queadluun doing?!
: It was still undergoing maintenance, so its frame’s pried wide open! We could try reassembling it on a hurry, but…
: Damn it, of all the…! Wait, there was a Super Pack stored in the hangar, right?
: Sure, but what use—
: Give it to me! I’m going out with it!

: Klan?! Are you really sure about fighting with that?!
: We’re already short on people as is. Watch my six, Michel!

Can’t lose Michel or Klan here, which is fine as they’re very dodgy. Just don’t let evasion decay bite them in the ass. With the new gaggle of Vajras to the NE, we’ll have to spread our forces a bit – I’ll have the Rushbird lead the way there since it can’t be damaged. The NW group has the SMS folks, so I’ll only add a few more hands there.

Klan Klang (Super Pack)
Squad Bonus: Critical +10, Mobility +5, Money +10%

And here’s Iczer-5! Klan and her jetpack are rather short on attacks, but she’s got decently powered missiles with 2-7 range, so that’ll do well enough. And unlike Z2.2, this isn’t a one-time thing: Klan can now go out in either this or her Queadluun-Rea for any mission!
One thing you really need to pay attention to is that Klan doesn’t fly too well: only a B rank in air, and that’s a real problem since she deploys in flight! Put her back in the ground ASAP or the Vajra Larvas WILL be getting good numbers on her. Grounded, she is very dodgy, though.
Once she’s landed, she’s pretty much untouchable until the evasion decay really piles up.

And one final thing before we go:

Secret Alert!
Have Michel kill 8+ enemies. As in, by the time you clear out THIS bunch of Vajras, he needs to have 8+ kills.
Easiest way to do that is to have Luca (my Alto’s too strong – he often crit-kills one with even the Gunpod) pop a chain attack to shave off 50-70% of a pair’s HP, and have Michel follow up for two kills. Do that four times, and you’ll be good.

Here we go.

: You’re not hurting Island 1 or any other of the people I love! I’m not having it!

: Fighting and dying are things only soldiers should be doing! You’re not killing any more of the Frontier’s civs on my watch!

: Ranka’s song isn’t working on them, so we’ll have to handle this ourselves! You bugs can go straight to Hell!

: What’s wrong, Mr. Bug?! Why’re you angry?!
: But I still need to get Nagisa back… I’m sorry!

: There’re shelters all over this area! It’s only a matter of time before those get damaged – we need to get rid of these things quick!

: Are there any people who haven’t run off yet?! This all went down so suddenly…!
: About 90% should already have evacuated safely! We should hurry to make sure the remaining 10% are also fine!

Every once in a while comes a mission where all stars align in Ichitaka’s favor, and this is one of them. By the end, he’ll have taken a total of 11 kills, and that’s only because I held him back after a point – the Rushbird can solo this whole thing with just its Lightning Fist and absorbing EN.

: Damn it, how did a screw-up like this happen?! We haven’t had Vajra managing to get inside Island 1 since first contact!

: This isn’t the time to lose your head – calm down…! Calm down and push the bugs back…!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNYfYtR3DO8

: What the hell… Did the Vajra manage to build a nest inside the Frontier? I can’t think of any other explanation for this!

: Rrrgh, these’re ever smaller and quicker than the ones we fought before…! And there’s a ton of them, to boot!
: Just point us in the right direction, Hyouma! I’ll get you a lock!

It was as I was killing the last survivors that I came to realize that I REALLY wanted Rey to be able to MAPW aerial targets, so I went and swapped his and Zechs’ squadmates around.

Much better.

: Yeesh, how many of them are there?!
: We have to do something, or there’ll be no way for anyone to live here…!
: SHYAAAAAAA!

The Vajra rushes Klan down!

: Damn—!
: KLAN!!

Michel: Zentran or no, she’s out there in the flesh…!

Michel: K-Klan… I’ll… protect… you!

: Michel?!
: Hey… Alto. When you really love someone… you’re ready to risk your life for them… right…?
: Michel…!
: Sorry, Klan… that I couldn’t say this ‘til now… But I… I also…
: Mi…Michel…?
: I love you…

: Aah…! AAAAAAAAAH!
: Th-This has to be a sick joke… Michel! MICHEEEEEEL!!

Beep! Secret Achieved!

: Hrgh…! Quit yelling… I hear you just fine…
: Michel! You’re alive?!
: Just barely… I really thought I was a goner there… which loosened my tongue a bit too much…
: Argh, you idiot! If you actually do love me, then you can’t just die like that!
: Kch… You’re such a slavedriver… God, this hurts…
: Don’t talk anymore, Michel! Do whatever you can for your wounds – we’re sending people your way!
: Aye, aye… I’ll be waiting…!
: In the meantime, we’ve to clear out the remaining Vajras in Island 1 and keep the people safe!
: Yes, sir! We’ll wrap this up in a hurry!

In a hurry, indeed, because I’ve officially ran out of patience. So I have everyone bunch up at Mihoshi and hold back for just a few turns…

Perfect.

That’s precisely 30 kills for Rey, and not a drop of regret on my part (especially because I used Bless).
And it’s just hit me that this is the second game in a row where a Toshihiko Seki character becomes my go-to “fuck this” tactic.

: (What’s going on…? I shouldn’t have any memories of my childhood… so why does this look so familiar…?)
: (That’s right… someone helped me before! What happened was… hrm… I can’t remember…!)

Anything that wasn’t inside this AoE gets wrecked, and we’re done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNECbtp60y4

: We’ve managed to bring down all the Vajras that entered the ship…!
: Now we just need to deal with the ones surrounding the fleet!
: What…?! There’re more outside?!
: Yes, Brera and the fleet’s forces are currently engaging them. They won’t last by themselves, though. We need to get out there and provide support!
: So he’s fighting too… Roger that!

: I see you’re safe, Mr. President.
: Oh, Mishima? We’ve already finished transferring all governmental functions to the Battle Frontier. All that remains is leading the offensive from there.
: Much appreciated. Now, if you would, I, Leon Mishima, shall take those duties upon myself…
: What…?

Door opens.

: Father, get away from him!
: Cathy?! What are you doing here?!
: Oh, dear, we’ve some uninvited guests… but I’m afraid you’re too late.

Bang!

: Wh—…!

Dead.

: F-FATHER!!
: Mishima…!
: Your father is gone, Cathy. And I fear I must now call off our engagement.
: You… how could you!
: Much as it pains me, I cannot afford to leave witnesses… Get them!
: Yes, sir…!

: You’re not getting rid of us that easy!

Punch!

: Urgh!
: Cathy, run!

Door closes, and they run off!

: Tsk… After them! Don’t let them escape!

: …
: Stay strong… Alto and his friends will save us, I’m sure…
: Why is any of this happening…? Couldn’t Ranka’s song stop the Vajra?
#1: Rrgh, damn that aide… I thought that story was too good to be true!
#2: If only we’d made it to pilots, we…!
: …

: Don’t lie to me, Sheryl. I know you’d never quit singing. You wouldn’t have touched the hearts of so many people if you didn’t love doing this!

: (Singing, huh…? Could I still touch their hearts?)

L doesn’t have this song, but screw it!

: Kami-sama ni koi wo shiteta koro wa… ♪
: … Sheryl? It’s Sheryl Nome!
: What a beautiful song…
: (I might not be able to be a symbol of hope like Ranka. But, still, I’ll carry on singing even as despair spreads around me.)
: (All so my song can touch and bring joy to the hearts of these people…!)

[Mattman324]

And to think, you’re still not done getting Iczers in this game!

Man, I really like Armored Klan, but it’s a shame that she’s not particularly good. Still, I made use of her fairly extensively my first playthrough, and while her partner bonuses aren’t THAT impressive (it’s the same as her Queadlunn but with +money instead of +EXP and eventually +Range instead of +Movement) they do tend to help quite a bit.

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

Back at the Earth route, no need to check the Top Aces since we’ve decided to keep Michel alive. Not a whole lot of money from the last mission, but I did use it all giving our secondary units a boost in HP, Armor, and whatnot, to keep them from being too flimsy.

The Dancouga’s still an event unit, so we’re pretty much the same as before:
Ichitaka/Miu
Domyoji/Jack
Daiya/Deceive
Norza/Lee
Dick/Puria
Goh/Anna
Ken/Lou
Tetsuya/Yanma
Shinji/Yajima
Kouji/Rei
Asuka/Boss
Yamashita/Shizuru
Kouichi/Mira

At Shangri-La, Vladimir’s bidding Katou farewell. She does appreciate his help, as it allowed the Dancouga to awaken – now she and her fellows can carry on with their own plan. Katou is very understanding, knowing that it’s all necessary to stand up to a certain group. As the call ends, he tells her to give his regards to “him”, and Vladimir hopes his plan’ll also proceed smoothly.
Vladimir (and, likely, the R-Daigun) blast away, and Katou tells Reiji that neither of the ladies had any reason to share in their battles anymore. Regardless, Katou knows time is running short, so they ought to also start advancing with their own project.

Cut to the Cthulhu Fortress, Iczer-2 is up and about. And despite having just returned to active duty, she’s already given Iczer-3 a major beating on the other path. 2 was stopped just short of killing the girl, but knows she can end someone as weak as her at any time – with or without control over Nagisa’s powers.
Neos Gold is very impressed with her mother’s warrior, and asks if Iczer-2 wouldn’t be willing to take on another assignment…

Meanwhile, our people have just arrived at the Dragon’s Hive – hidden on an island only a scant few people in LOTUS and the UN were even aware existed, Lulu adds. O-G’s still around, and extends a warm welcome to Ru. Seimi trails right behind, and it’s been ages since she and Team D saw each other face-to-face.
Her figure has Domyoji blown away, and Kouichi can’t well argue with the guy’s assessment – he even feels his heart beating faster! Goh knows what that’s like, right? D-Don’t bring him into this, as he’s already trying hard enough to keep his gaze under control. Anna doesn’t appreciate it, and while Goh stammers that his eyes moved on impulse, Emi is still very disappointed with everyone. They’re all despicable!

Seimi has a giggle at our lively posse, but figures we’re to thank for the Dancouga displaying that kind of power in the last battle. And Sakuya’ll admit it, saying it was our advice that allowed them to push the bot into the mode. The Dancouga also deserves its share of praise, of course.
It’s pretty clear to Seimi that the team has changed a lot over this period of time – like so many have already noted, Johnny sees. But it’s true, as she remembers they kept this sort of wall around their hearts, and never really let their spirit run free. Now they’re just beaming with energy, and she’s so impressed with them.
Before she can give Aoi one of her painful hugs, Tanaka comes in and beckons everyone.

He leads us to the command center, and while Misato wants to know why we were called here, Tanaka explains that while he has the title of Commander, he’s not actually the one running the whole show. Meaning it’s that F.S. guy, Tetsuya asks? Indeed, and we’ll hear it all from him.
F.S. – Fog Sweeper – steps in and Aoi immediately demands him come clean about what the Dancouga’s about. That’s fine, though F.S. notes that we apparently have an unexpected visitor. It’s Isabelle Cronkite, who’s very surprised at how easily she managed to break into the base.
F.S. explains that he disabled security, figuring that she’s also earned the right to hear everything – out of respect for her fearless zeal in uncovering and reporting the truth about the Dancouga.

Why now? Because, says the suddenly appearing Vladimir, now the Dancouga and the R-Daigun have gained the strength needed for us to emerge victorious. Tanaka introduces her as the commander of the R-Daigun team, but the bot’s pilot is yet to arrive. She’s stayed at their home base to check on the Daigun’s repairs, but will be coming over as soon as can be.
So, how about those answers? And Kurara would like an explanation on what Vladimir just said about the Dancouga and R-Daigun, too. Very well, F.S. will talk: first off, the Dancouga was built with the singular purpose of safeguarding all life on this planet. With that in mind, the bot needed to collect and study combat data from various sources in order to grow.

And that is why, Johnny surmises, he had them take part in all these battles, R-Daigun included? Indeed, so that it could evolve to even greater heights… and also to gather vital data from humans and all myriad lifeforms across the world. As for why the bot’s been prolonging conflict since before the War of Giants, F.S. says it was done in accordance to his investors’ orders, as a way to keep them none the wiser.
What Daiya wants to know is why the Dancouga would be collecting that vital data, and F.S. says it was all to defend the life for this world against two things: the Angels, and WILL. What’s a WILL?

And WILL materializes to explain about that: he is, as F.S. puts it, an inorganic life form and ONE of many WILLs out there. He and his peers have stood as the observers of all organic life before this universe even came to be, and as WILL observed humanity’s emergence and growth throughout the ages, he felt the boundless potential within us.
However, another of his kind was on the moon – the aptly named Moon WILL – deemed that there was no place in the universe for our kind (a process that has been done to many other civilizations before). In other words, the guy wants to wipe out humanity.
“And that is precisely why we cannot allow you to fight Moon WILL,” F.S. adds. What? WILL explains to Aoi that Moon WILL has control of the so-called Original Dancouga. They based the Nova on it, and its power is beyond compare to anything we’ve faced before. It is a machine made solely for combat, while our Dancouga is, first and foremost, a means to make sure the vital data of this world survives.

That is the reason why they also had it fight and learn from collected combat data throughout all these years: to help it develop the strength needed to protect the seeds of all life, human included, that lie in its data banks. Misato sees that the thing is like Noah’s Ark, built in the eventuality Earth was destroyed.
Seems to Isabelle that she was right to doubt that the Dancouga would be this world’s savior. If anything, F.S. wants us to understand that they can’t send us into a battle that they know we’ll lose.

Asuka and Shinji don’t like this one bit: they’ve fought all those Angels to keep humanity safe, and now F.S. wants them to just give up and wait for our world to be destroyed? “What have we all fought for all this time, then?!” Shinji asks. And Aoi follows up: “You won’t even give us a chance to try and fight for our lives…?! We’ve already fought to get to this point, and we’re already set to keep going all the way!”
What do we care about this Moon WILL guy? Sakuya says we’ll just kick his ass one way or another! And while Goh isn’t outright rejecting their plan, we have been, and still are, fighting to protect the lives of all those living in THIS world.
We keep on going, struggling as hard as we can for as long as we have a shot of winning. “But how can this end with anything but you getting beaten, when you won’t even try to do anything?” Ichitaka argues.

F.S. understands how we feel, but the enemy’s power is far more than what we can currently oppose. Aoi still isn’t convinced, but the alarm signals a newer problem on the horizon: we have enemies headed this way. The SDF has reported them as Cthulhu forces, and tried to intercept them with the Fuji #2… which promptly got trashed as well.
Seems we’ll have to decide what to do about Moon WILL after these guys are dealt with. And as everyone runs off to deploy, F.S. ponders: “They now know the truth, and still they are determined to face Moon WILL…”
It proves to WILL how tough our people are, and he figures F.S. expected us to react like that. Still, that changes not the fact that we stand no chance against this enemy… right now, at least.

Mission 30 (Earth Route) – Transcendent Evolution

: Hmph, is that all…?

: And there you are… LOTUS.
: It’s… the Iczer-Σ!
: Gah, meaning that scary broad’s back in action?!
: I am, but, unfortunately, you lot will have to be permanently out of commission. That way my sister will come and fight me in earnest!
: Keep your heads on a swivel, everyone! The Iczer-Σ’s looking to be even stronger than before!
: Yes, ma’am! We’ll kick them out in a hurry!

Again with the Cthulhu, and the same tactics still apply. Iczer-2’s as dangerous as always, but we’ve fought her enough that we can handle that, despite the stat boost. Better still, a whole bunch of our guys now know Valor, so her HP pool won’t last at all.
Just don’t lose a ship or the Dancouga, which isn’t likely anyway.

Nothing happens on the first turn as we all start closing in. When turn two rolls around…

Beep, beep!

: We’ve got an enemy force approaching our airspace! This signal…
: It’s the Pretender…?!

: Kiriyama… but I’m sure I—!
: He survived…?!
: Well, how do you do, LOTUS… and Kouichi Hayase! It’s been ages!
: You really humiliated me back then, but, today, my justice… jus…tice… j u s t i c e…
: The hell…? What’s wrong with him?
: What… What am I feeling…?
: Oh, yeess… Today, I’ll make the whole world…
: Acknowledge mine and Reiji’s justice…!
: His… His D-S.O.I.L. rate has broken past 300%?! That’s impossible…!
: You and your false justice… will all vanish…!
: (He is only after LOTUS, it seems. I might as well make use of this.)
: I am righteous – just …! Me, and only me…! This world needs no one else’s justice…!

Pretender, a.k.a. Deceive IV (Eiji Kiriyama)
Pilot Skills:
Machina-Human L7 – you have no idea how much restraint it took not to call this Humachina, Manchina or something silly like that. But I DID say I’d stick to established terms…
Sword Cut
Break Morale Limit
Prevail L8
Support Attack L3
Attack Combo L3

Oh, Kiriyama… someone in the anime team really didn’t like you, I guess. Still, the guy was dangerous before and he’s even worse now.
First and foremost, the Machina-Human skill not only give a passive HP regen (20% at L7), it also provides a free boost to his accuracy, evasion and crit rates (+15% at L7). This guy was dodgy and accurate before, so you can guess how his numbers’ll look now.
The Pretender also got significant stat and power boosts across the board – Kiriyama’s huge Prevail and Break Morale Limit will only further bolster its effectiveness. So my advice to you is to not give him the chance to pull anything: save a couple of Valors, lure him in and BLAST him off your hair before he can do some real damage.
And be mindful that he still has his Nerve Cracker missiles and his new strongest attack will apply armor down.

He and his MP Jinrais will take a couple of turns to get here, so in the meantime we’ll build up morale while clearing the Dilos.

Once you wreck about 70%-ish of the Dilos…

: You appear to be struggling, warrior of the Cthulhu.
: You’re that Moon WILL with whom Neos allied herself, hm?
: That’s RIIIiiiiight! And I shall AAASSIIiist you! In order to eradicate these OORGANICSSsss!
: What…?
: We’re detecting a powerful energy reaction from the Moon! It’s headed this way…!
: What did you say…?!

: It’s those things we saw at Neo Tokyo 3…!
: We’ve run out of time. They are Moon WILL’s vanguard.
: Hmph… So, as it turns out, the vaunted enemy is one we’ve bested in the past.
: No, that’s not the case! These readings I’m getting… these are on a wholly different league from the ones that appeared in Neo Tokyo 3!
: Whatever, we’ll trash the all the same! If we don’t, Earth… all our friends will…!

Aoi charges after the lead Regulus.

And she gets blasted back.

: UWAAH!!
: Aoi!
: Oho… not bad at all. Let us see the extent of your servants’ prowess, then.

: Kch…
: Absolute Hurricane…!

: That attack was…!

: You’re not destroying the Dancouga!
: The R-Daigun! It helped us?
: I am here to also fulfill my duty as the R-Daigun’s pilot…!
: Eida…!
: Wha… Wait, huh?! The R-Daigun’s pilot is…!
: Sorry, autographs will have to wait until later…! Now we take the fight to the Cthulhu and Moon WILL’s troops!
: Y-Yeah!
: Yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend, huh? Let’s get to it, then, Eida…!
: Aye, aye!

Can’t lose Eida either, but the R-Daigun is just as solid as the Dancouga itself.

R-Daigun (Eida Rossa)
Pilot Skills:
Sword Cut
Counter
Prevail L5
Support Attack L1
Support Defense L1
Attack Combo L1
Spirit Commands:
Assail
Sense
Accelerate
Lucky
Squad Bonus: Mobility +5, EN +50, A rating in Air

Eida’s a pretty good pilot with the perfect spirit list for what she’s meant to do. The R-Daigun hits hard, the ability to fly is as useful as ever (especially paired with Accelerate), and, of course, a few other things… but that’s for later.

Carrying on!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrpBKdztMyg
And now we can finally see the DK of her attack. Like Kiriyama’s posse, the Regulus are a bit distant, so we’ll keep on bashing the Cthulhu.

She wasn’t coming, so I came to her. Maybe I should’ve held off since I think she adds a couple extra lines to following scenes…

: Come… Let us see how much your strength has grown during my slumber…!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_h1vPOqy08
Hey, here’s that one attack I could never get her to use before!

And, boom!

: Hrm… So I will truly struggle to crush them so long as I’m lacking a partner? Nagisa… you will be mine, this I swear!

: Damn it, she got away!
: However, I sensed that she wasn’t facing us with her all. Rather, it felt like she was using this bout simply as a warm-up.
: She faced us as a warm-up? Does that mean Iczer-1 is the only one she is truly after?

Kiriyama and the Regulus should reach you at the same time, which can make things a bit harry. All things considered, you should focus on the former group, while setting someone beefy up (Daiya) as a distraction of the latter. You’ll see why in a bit.

: These guys really are tough as nails…! We gotta get rid of that Moon WILL before more of these start turning up!

First and foremost, they all got a major HP boost. You’ll want to focus-fire them even more than before.

Clever girl… At least I’ll get to show off his strongest move.

: Anyone who stands against me’ll crumble to dust! The enemies of justice will be eliminated with extreme prejudice!
: Righteousness is with me! I AM JUSTICE GIVEN FLESH!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Gx36Ebaz4

Couple more hits from Tetsuya, Daiya and Shinji, and he’s ready.

: We’ve gathered enough data. Retreat, Kiriyama…
: No, not yet! JUSTICE will not flee when faced with evil…!
: Retreat. That’s an order.
: …!
: Or…der… Roger… retreating…

: Eiji Kiriyama… What the hell happened to him…?

Now clip the rest of the Jinrais, as you don’t need them converging on someone and boosting evasion decay for the Regulus.

Now, let’s start wrecking the Regulus…

: What?! They regenerated…?!
: And it wasn’t just the one we defeated…! All of them recovered at the same time!
: Psh, and they think that will be enough to beat us?
: You listening, Moon WILL?! You’re not breaking us with that!
: Forward, everyone!

Strap in, folks, we’re in for the long haul. As before, go after ONE at a time – doesn’t matter which.

: You can send whatever weapons you want, Moon WILL, we’re not bailing on this fight!
: And we’ll be showing up on your doorstep real soon, just you wait!

: …
: Something about their faces is really pissing me off…!
: Yeah, it’s like they’re laughing at us.
: But they won’t be for long! Get a load of this, Moon WILL!

: They’ve got that Original Dancouga stashed away in their evil lair…!
: So we can’t let these random mooks give us a hard time!

: Do you think we need to beat them all at the same time…?
: Or maybe only one’s actually real, and we gotta trash that guy?
: No, from the readings we’re getting, they’re not sharing any energy with each other. All of them are real, individual units.
: Damn it, then we’re just gonna have to keep going ‘til we can’t no more!

: We can’t run away…! If we did, that’d really be the end for everything!

: How about we toss that family maxim by the wayside for today and just get right in these things’ faces? I really don’t care to show them my back…!
: Now we know who the enemy we gotta take down really is…!
: Come what may, however strong they might be, we’ll keep Earth safe from Moon WILL! That’s all that matters!
: Kurara, Sakuya, Johnny! I’m taking us in!

: Aah, ENOUGH already! No one asked for an encore!
: Emi, have you found any clues that’d let us beat these robots?
: I’m sorry, but…
: …
: Fine, bring it…! We’ll wreck them again and again and again until they can’t regen anymore!
: …
: Are we going, F.S….?
: Yes… I’m willing to take a chance on all the potential humans have…

: Just because you’ve been observing Earth since forever doesn’t give you the right to just call for humanity’s destruction!
: No one has that right!

: All this time, I’ve waited… waited for the day I’d fight against Moon WILL, side-by-side with the awakened Dancouga!

: What does this Moon WILL take humanity for…? How can he deem that there’s no place for humans in the universe?!
: I guess I can kinda see what set him off… I mean, Earth’s got a bunch of folks like Logos prowling about.
: Ichitaka…!
: STILL, that doesn’t mean he gets to come out and say “everyone dies”! I’m not taking it!
: Come on, Alice! First we’ll get rid of these guys, and then it’s straight off to rain on that guy’s parade!

FIVE! TIMES!

: …
: And they keep on trucking…!
: How are we supposed to win this, Misato…? At this rate, we…!
: Quit your whining, Stupid Shinji! You wanna go back to being just Daddy’s Boy?!
: But things are looking bad! Seriously bad!
: Is this the power Moon WILL has…?!
: What do we do, Misato…?
: We might not have a choice but to sound a temporary retreat…
: Hey, hold the phone! We can’t just run off and leave them free to go!
: Yeah… If we ran, there’d be no one to stop them!
: Kouji, Daiya…
: …
: Right… There’s got to be something for us to try! We’re not losing this… we can’t!
: Indeed, Aoi… Failure is not an option!
: F.S….?!
: Rise and stand tall, Dancouga and R-Daigun…!

RUUUUMBLE!

: Hrm?! What vibrations are these…?
: It’s… coming from the Dragon’s Hive…?!

: This is the true shape of our base, the Dragon’s Hive.
: The base itself as one huge battleship…!
: Keep at it all the way, guys! We know you can win this!
: Team D, and LOTUS! Surely this isn’t all your strength amounts to!
: You…!
: Show me, heroes of the Dancouga… Show me that you can truly be this world’s saviors…!
: Saviors of the world, eh… Sounds like a good deal!
: From regular salaryman to savior… That’s quite the leap, but I don’t mind it.
: We can’t let these monsters steal away everyone’s future!
: Come on, Aoi. The Dancouga… rather, we still have plenty of energy to fight with!
: Right on. Let this Moon WILL, and whoever else feels like it, step right up! We’re never letting ourselves be beaten…!

: The Dancouga and R-Daigun are glowing…?!
: It’s like my whole body’s on fire… Pretty intense, but pretty nice too…!
: The time has come… Now is when the Dancouga shall truly awaken!
: Transcendence Mode, activate!

: Wha…?! These letters are…!
: You will evolve… beyond men, beasts… beyond the gods themselves, to reach your ultimate form!
: Roar, Aoi! Call out its name! Keyword: M-A-X-G-O-D! Dancouga Max God!
: Let’s go wild!
: Keyword: M-A-X-G-O-D!

: Dancouga! Max God!

: That’s… the ultimate form of the Dancouga…!
: D-Dude, that’s siiick…! The Dancouga and the R-Daigun combined…!
: And with all this power in our hands… Come on, guys!
: Aye, aye! Grit your teeth, silverware!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1oY-IKLdm8

: !!

Explosions on all surviving Regulus!

: The enemy’s unknown regeneration has stopped! It looks like backlash from the major damage they took caused it to malfunction!
: We did it…!
: Hell, yeah, Dancouga!
: We’ve got this now! One last push, people! Let’s run these mooks into the dirt!

Dancouga Max God
50% Squad Bonus: Crit rate +20, Armor +150, Mobility +15, Movement +1

Take the Dancouga, make it better in every conceivable way, and you get this. The original bot’s firepower was starting to lag behind a bit, so now it makes up for it by being one of the strongest (non-cheating) bots in the game. You say Dancougas are often glass cannons? Not in L – this bot was hard to kill before, now it is nigh impossible.
And it can do pretty much anything, even dodge reliably thanks to the S ranks it has on earth and space. EN cost is a bit hefty, of course, but that’s what EN-Save is for. If we’ve the deployment slots to spare, it could be worthwhile to set, say, Anna and Eida as their separate teams, so that we can have Goh and Aoi keep a resupplying squaddie even after combining.
Whatever the case, the Max God is pretty good.

And now! We! KIIIIIIILL!

And done.

: Our energy stores are unbelievable…! So this is the Dancouga Max God…!
: Who’d have thought the bot had a secret like this tucked away…!
: We can absolutely push back Moon WILL’s vanguard with this…!
: They’ve already lost – they just don’t know it yet.
: We just have to show it to them, then! They’ll get a taste of the full power of a warrior that’s transcended men, beasts and the gods themselves!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i7tGlfLE34

: It’s over…
: Yes… We’ve beaten Moon WILL’s forces…!
: Yes, we did… It’s a total win for us!
: That said, to think our two units could actually combine with one another…
: You didn’t know, Eida?

: They’ve grown so much in such a short period of time… astounding.
: I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just as surprised… Still, this is the strength humans possess.
: And that is precisely why I rejected the eradication of mankind. The boundless diversity of your kind, the overwhelming might of your individuals… all of which has the potential to push you to newer, greater heights…
: They’ve done very well today… We might have a chance now.
: We might, yes… These people could possibly prevail…

Back to Shangri-La, apparently Masaki didn’t clear things with Katou before deploying Kiriyama – it was all to gather data on their opponents, see.
Masaki figures the boss understands that that’s a necessity in their bid to carry out their objective. He slowly concurs, but still seems ill at ease.

Outside, Soubi can hear the talk at the bridge and Yulianne tells what happened. Sawatari’s surprised to hear that, as Kiriyama sure as hell wasn’t in any condition to be doing anything yet.
Not the first time Masaki’s gone against Katou’s orders, either, as was shown during his previous offensive when installing the Sphere. Soubi thinks it might be good to keep a close eye on the guy.
Wufei’s listening in quietly, but inwardly he thinks: “Will you make it in time, LOTUS…”

Seimi was very much impressed with the Dancouga folks drawing out strength from one another – that’s the mark of a good team. And while it still sounds a bit weird to Aoi, she appreciates the praise regardless. Isabelle herself is now a firm believer in the Dancouga as a savior of mankind, and Sakuya swears we’ll make good on it.
Indeed, Aoi declares to F.S. that they’ll be taking the fight to Moon WILL and any other enemy that shows up – no matter how strong. He won’t try to stop them anymore, entrusting the future of Earth to us… and, furthermore, the Dragon’s Hive is officially travel alongside LOTUS (Only the ship isn’t an actual unit, but hey). Should the need arise, F.S. and WILL will help in any way they can.
In any case, Lulu is very much impressed with the strength of the new Dancouga, but Daiya says power isn’t all it’s got. Just the sight of the bot’s pilots fighting got his flame burning hotter – same for Kouichi! “Combining with your Rival Bot is just a beautiful, beautiful, turn of events!”

Speaking of unforeseen turn of events, Shizuru’s still shocked to find out who was piloting the R-Daigun. It really is worldwide idol Eida Rossa, the one who’s been hounding the Dancouga all this time to get them to awaken. As it turns out, the reason she had to back down on that movie deal way back when was due to her getting a mission.
As for why the R-Daigun spent all that time missing, it was due to the Dancouga joining LOTUS. F.S. and the others saw the remarkable growth the bot and the team were doing with us, so there wasn’t as much need for them to fight the Daigun. Though, as Vladimir puts it, WILL had it happen again as a way to trigger the Dancouga’s awakening.
But whatever the reasons, Eida is still very sorry for everything she did to them… but Aoi says it’s all water under the bridge. As she mentioned before, yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend, and not only were they actually on the same team all along, Eida also seems to be close with Johnny. That makes things easy for her.

Eida’s really grateful, and with that done, there’s a very important matter left unattended: autographs! Kouichi wants one, and Anna’ll take two (one for Nagisa Kanou, once she’s back), as does Ichitaka – she’ll show it to everyone at school once he goes back! Hey, Kouichi asked first!
Asuka groans at the idiot fanboys, but Yamashita figures that attitude’s a good feature of them. His attention’s diverted by an incoming mail, though… it’s from Reiji.

[Mattman324]

I don’t think Seimi entirely minds all those people looking at her, the show made it preeeetty clear that she’s hotblood-sexual and in a SRW that’s basically half the playable cast.

The fact that the anime had Machina Humans bugs the fuck out of me because I keep thinking of the manga, which had Human Machina, and that was a big fucking deal. Also robot Kiriyama is stupid, Drill Pretender is even more stupid, and this all makes me remember that in the manga Kiriyama grows some stubble and joins the main cast, contributing to one of the most nightmarish parts of UX (YES THANK YOU GAME YOU’VE PORTRAYED HIS SUICIDE CHARGE VERY WELL, NOW IF YOU COULD DO IT IN A WAY WHERE HE DOESN’T JUST FUCKING DIE THAT’D BE NICE.) in the process.

Aaaand you don’t get Dragon’s Hive despite it showing up as a map thing. I’d be more mad if Z2-2 didn’t have it show up. I’m still pissed about Big Falcon not being fucking playable though because that’s zettai ni urusenai.

(Also, at person in the main thread - Solarion was lategame, as was Chouginga Dai Gurren in Z3-1 and Shin Dragon in Z2-2. And the Ultrasaurus in OE but hahahahahahahahahahahahaha FUCK OE WITH A POLEAXE.)

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

[I]Back in the Space Route, Ichitaka’s Vajra killing spree has pushed him father away from Kenji. And he’ll likely get a bunch more today, as we continue our trek through Macross land.

Now, before we get to upgrades, it should be noted that Klan herself comes with four upgrade bars, which is a ton more than I ever gave her Queadlunn. As such, I’ll likely keep her in this form not only for the survivability, but because I prefer the cash bonus.
We’ve a complicated mission ahead of us, and everyone’ll need to pull their weight. As such, all the cash I had went into giving boosts to our secondary folk – give them weapons, armor, EN, mobility, the works. Everyone needs to be able to hit reliably and for not insignificant damage.

Reason for that is because I’m deploying everyone, barring Rey and Yagyuu (safety net), as solo units. I also finally remembered to put Heine in the Gaia Gundam.
You’ll see why we’re going out like this in a bit.[/i]

By the Quarter, our people are getting reports that the number of Vajras around Island 1 is finally starting to decrease, but the protracted battle is starting to wear us down as well – we can’t repair and resupply our units fast enough. Even Iczer-3’s feeling beat up, and doesn’t understand what made the bugs so angry.
Unfortunately for her, Nagisa says she’ll have to head out again after a bit of a breather. And what Bobby wants to know is where Ozma and Cathy have run off to during this mess. The Bridge Bunnies have been trying, and failing, to get in touch with them, and Hilda fears the Vajra might’ve gotten them. Best not to go there, Ichitaka thinks.
But Jeffrey gets a call from Monica, saying ACTING PRESIDENT Leon Mishima has arrived.

Indeed, he’s taken up the President’s chair after Howard “unfortunately” met his demise at the hands of the Vajra. Talia is deeply saddened to hear that he died in such a way, and extends her condolences. That said, now isn’t the time for grieving: Leon has come to request LOTUS’ assistance with a mission.
The siege by the Vajra represents not only an unprecedented crisis for the Frontier Fleet, but it is also a knife at the throat of the PLANTs if left unchecked. They’ve got us severely outnumbered, Noin agrees, and that is why the Frontier’s thought up a plan. And the key to it all will be codename “Little Girl”.

What is it? A Fold Bomb developed by L.A.I., capable of destroying anything in a 50 kilometers radius. That sort of blast would engulf a chunk of the Fleet, Alto yells, which is why Mishima wants us to draw the Vajra elsewhere – then, they’ll detonate it.
As for how they’ll do that, Mishima notes the known fact that the bugs are drawn to Ranka’s song, so they’ll use that. “You want to use Ranka as bait for them?!” Alto isn’t happy, but the girl herself has agreed to it.

He has her escorted in to explain it all, and she confirms to Micchi that she really did agree to help with the operation. Hyouma asks if she’s actually okay with setting herself up as bait, and Mishima says it’s to avenge her late brother. It’s only natural for her to want this, no?
“Hey, hold on there, Mushroom Head!” Kenji protests. “It’s too dang soon for you to tag Ozma as having been killed by the buggers!” Oh, but news of his and Cathy’s disappearance almost coincided with the time the Vajra started tearing through the urban areas. Is it that absurd to take that they were among the many victims?
Maybe not, but Kenichi agrees with Kenji that the jury’s still out on that one; to say nothing of the fact that Ozma wouldn’t want Ranka to avenge him like that! But Ranka speaks up, and says it’s fine. This is a choice she made by herself.

Alto doesn’t like it, but Ranka figures if her song can help everyone – help Alto, in particular – then that is good enough for her. Jeffrey can see that we’re not changing her mind, so he asks where we’ll be gathering the Vajra. That’d be Island 3, and now it’s Klan’s turn to get mad: that’s one of the Zentradi’s.
Mishima understands that it’s an agricultural and sightseeing Island, but her people can easily be micronized and accommodated in the other ones. And there is simply not enough time to prep a different island for the operation. Once the Vajra have been drawn there by Ranka, they’ll blow them and the Island with the Little Girl.

Jeffrey’s a bit uneasy that they’d destroy an entire Island to exterminate the Vajra, but Mishima says it’s better than risking them causing even more damage. While we’ll need to wait for Lady Une to officially OK our participation in this Talia sees no problem in helping safeguard the Fleet from the things.
Mishima extends the gratitude of all of the Frontier’s populace, but inwardly he’s grinning like a motherfucker: “Heheheh… And, with this, we’ll be able to proceed to the next step of the plan. My turn is just around the corner…!”

Iczer-2 has fully recovered from her wounds and Neos Gold bids her welcome. Iczer-2 tags her as the spawn of mother Big Gold, and asks if it is true that she’s captured Nagisa Kanou. Indeed, thanks to the splendid work of her Four (one) Generals – they’re currently analyzing the girl in a bid to figure out the source of her unique powers.
Iczer-2 seems a bit disappointed that she can’t be put to actual combat yet, but, regardless, asks what of her sister. Currently hiding inbetween the dimensions along with the traitorous Sister Gray – she’s left Earth’s defense in the hands of Iczer-3.
3? Another warrior granted the Iczelio’s power, like Iczer-1. She could well be dubbed Iczer-2’s little sister. “My little sister? I care not for such nonsense. My target, my enemy, is Iczer-1 and no one else,” she answers quickly.

Well, Neos Gold figures destroying Iczer-3’ll be the quickest way to drawing Iczer-1 out into the open. Hearing that, 2 is now more than willing to “play” with her baby sister a bit. As she leaves, Golem wants to know why Neos entrusted that one with the destruction of Iczer-3.
Neos harrumphs at her, annoyed that she’d dare show her face again – surely she, as a commander in her troops, hasn’t forgotten that the price of failure is death. Golem begs for another chance, arguing that the Evangelions had never displayed teamwork of that level before.
Neos Gold calls her a fool, but, fine. She has ONE chance to redeem herself, and only if she successfully kills Iczer-3. There is no place for the weak among Neos’ generals! Golem confirms, and starts scheming: while Iczer-2 is the favorite warrior of Big Gold, she must obviously be weakened after all the time it took to recover…!

: This sensation… the tension ripping through the air… Ah, to be in the battlefield again…!
: Wait just bit, Iczer-3. I’m coming to end your life and drag my sister out of hiding!

Woosh!

: Stop right there!
: Hmph, what of you, weakling…? If you are here as my backup, tell Neos Gold that I don’t want any. You’ll just get in my way.
: “Get in your”…? Idiocy. I am the one who’ll destroy Iczer-3, and it is you who’s in the way!

Blast! Warp!

: … Impudent worm!

Blast!

: I-I can’t be…! She’s too… stron…g…!

Boom!

: This was the mightiest of her Four Generals? I’d laugh, if it wasn’t so pathetic. Now, where was I…?

Warp!

: (That woman’s… so strong…! She’s going to crush Iczer-3! What should I do…?)

Mission 30 (Space Route) – Little Queen, Little Sister

: … The new president’s got a lot of nerve, cooking up a plan like this.
: Michel?! Weren’t you injured?!
: I couldn’t exactly stay in bed with all this going down… But I’m fine, and ready to go as usual.
: Well, don’t worry about watching my six anymore. And you better not make me cry again, or there’ll be hell to pay!
: Yes, ma’am… Any tears I get out of you will only be tears of joy, I promise.
: The Vajra are expected to start massing here as soon as Ranka starts singing. Once we’ve confirmation that they’re all here, we’ll detach Island 3. The Little Girl’ll be detonated right when the Island’s made it past the buffer zone.
: And I just have to keep singing until that moment?
: Right, and we’ll keep them all away from you. Once it’s time to go, we’ll get you out of here safely… So…
: So don’t worry about anything. Just sing.
: … Okay.
: We’re all counting on you, Ranka.
: And after this is finished, maybe you could put together another concert?
: Hmhmm. I’ll be happy to…
: … You don’t have to sing if you don’t want to, Ranka.
: !!
: Why… Why would you say something like that, Brera?
: Your song comes from your heart. It belongs to no one but yourself – that’s why.
: Thank you, Brera. But it’s fine…
: (I wanted my song to touch the heart of just one person… but I couldn’t. Still, this is that one person’s wish, so I…!)

: Aimo… Aimo… ♪
: (Come on…! I’m over here…!)

Vajra spawns all around us!

: Here they come!
: Sorry, Mr. Bugs, but I don’t want Nagisa and her friends to be sad…!
: Our objective today is to draw all the Vajras into Island 3. Don’t worry about shooting them down outright.
: Focus primarily on making sure none of them reach Ranka’s stage.
: According to our calculations, it’ll take about 8 minutes for all the Vajras to make it here. You must keep Ranka safe until then!

: 8 minutes, roger that!
: “That one person’s wish…” If making it real is your own wish, Ranka, then I…

[i]Mission Objective: Protect Ranka for 8 turns.
Mission Failure: Any Vajra enters the target area, Alto or Iczer-3 shot down.

Oh, boy, this mission. I’ve heard plenty of talk about this being one of the hardest missions, and I can certainly see why.
You’ve a big area to defend that you simply can’t fully encircle even if you deploy everyone as solo units (there’ll be one spot open, and Brera’s AI controlled), there are enemies on all sides, and you’re kind of forced to rely even on folks you might not have been using too much. The Vajra are also very quick on their feet, and can easily blindside you. That’s why I don’t advise the aggressive approach, because all it takes is one breaking through your lines.

Still, there are a few things that can make your life easier. First and foremost, and probably THE most important piece of information for this: you should always prioritize the Small Vajras (the yellow ones, not the larvae). Their AI is hardwired to ALWAYS make a beeline for Ranka; the other ones are rather prone to attacking nearby enemies, but these are a lot more likely to just ignore you. And they’re also very fast. I’ve only seen the yellow Vajra ignore this rule if someone’s at their spawn.
Do note, however, that this doesn’t mean the other enemies’ll drop everything to attack your bait. They might still go after Ranka regardless (especially if they catch sight of a juicy target inside the target area), so be mindful of them. Oh, and the Red Vajras pairs are flier/walker twins, so, if you can take both out, get the flier first – the forest will really slow down the walker.

Resource management is the name of the game, as 8 turns is a lot and our stocks of SP aren’t too great. Provided you’ve been using the Nagahama bots, Kosuke and Megumi should already know Confuse, so use those to give your Reals two turns where they won’t need to cast Focus.
Ground whoever’s good on foot because Ranka’s stage area provides a decent boost to defense and evasion. Also keep an eye on your EN and Ammo, but don’t be stingy enough that you’ll leave a Vajra hanging close by: using an expensive weapon to quickly ease pressure on a side will allow you to shift attacks around more flexibly.

Now, I’m going for the defensive approach here. It’s what allowed me to beat this mission in one try, so I reckon it’s the safest bet. Another thing you’ll want to keep in mind is that you can check a target’s movement range like in any SRW. This is important, because it’ll let you know what you need to kill THIS turn, and what you can leave for the next.
You’ve two gaps to keep an eye at, so don’t hesitate to shift your people around to close an entryway if a Vajra’s too close and you can’t kill it. If you can only kill one of two targets, and one can be blocked off, but not the other, you know which one to pick. Again, check their movement ranges constantly to confirm which is which. New Vajras will arrive whenever you drop them under 12, so keep that in mind. All things considered, with this defensive approach, you should expect a new wave to be closing on your perimeter every 3 stages (but that’s not a hard rule).

Finally, don’t be afraid to send units out if you spot a nice chain attack (especially with guys that can oneshot both smaller Vajras), provided next turn they can get back in place. If you need to pop Valor to put a squad down quick, do it.
Take things slow, constantly check movement ranges, send people in and out as needed, and keep Duo and, especially, Rey’s MAPWs ready to use in a pinch. The first few turns are the hardest, but this’ll get progressively easier as your morale builds and you can reliably oneshot the enemy.

Brera’s AI will immediately cast Focus, Accel and Renew, and spawn camp at the north. He’ll be a fine distraction, drawing in enemies from N, NE and NW, and he can’t die, so I’m not too mad over the lost money.

The first turn’s a freebie, though, as all enemies, except the Vajra Larvae, will stay put.[/i]

: Seven minutes until the operation’s concluded!
: I’ll make you all pay for hurting Nanase!

And now the other Vajras start moving.

: Six minutes left! Keep Ranka safe, people!
: Yeah!

Since we’re running solo units, if you’re not comfortable using chain attacks, you’ll either have to make use of Support Attacks or Fury to bypass the Vajras’ support defense.

: I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger and kill you all if this boils down to only one of us getting to survive!

–

: Hrk…! Crap, the painkillers aren’t really cutting it by themselves, huh?
: Still, the pain’s keeping my eyes wide open, so I guess that helps. A sniper’s eyes are his life, after all!

: We’re letting you have one ship, but that’s it! You better never show your faces around here again!

: I swore that I’d keep Nanase safe…
: So you’ll have to forgive us, Island 3! If we let the Frontier take any more damage, it’ll be the end of our fleet!

: Five minutes left…! Where were these many Vajra hiding at…?!
: (Urk…! I’m hurting… inside…!)

As I said before, you can send folks out to weaken with chain attacks, provided they’re in range to plug the new opening they’re creating. Heine’s cheap, powerful Gryphon 2 does that nicely, and our remaining folks can pick off what’s left.

: The fate of the Frontier’s riding on this battle! We need to draw as many of them as we can!

: That guy, Leon’s, attitude really rubs me the wrong way… but we still need to work as hard as we can to help Ranka!

: Hm…? What am I feeling…?
: Is something wrong, Iczer-3? Are you sensing Atross?
: No… It’s something a whole lot weirder – and scarier. Eyes, hiding in the darkness… looking right at me.
: Then… Then maybe you should let the others handle the Vajra, Iczer-3!
: No, no, I don’t wanna be treated like a baby! I’ll fight them too!

Once the enemy’s turn four rolls around…

: Wah?!
: Iczer-3!
: That was close! Who did that?!

: It’s…!
: Watch out! That’s Iczer-2, your big sister!
: Whuh?!
: So you’re Iczer-3… the sorry creation of Sister Gray…
: Then how about I put you to the test? Prove yourself as my little sister… as one of the Iczer siblings.

Iczer-2 rushes 3 down!

: Oow! What the hell?!
: Listen to me, Iczer-3, because I’ll only say this once. We, Iczers, have no room for those that are weak. Much less a young sister who cannot measure up to her elders…
: Iczer-1… my big sis never said anything like that!
: And I am not her. Show me the depths of your strength!
: Why, you!!

: …! Is she stronger than she was before?!
: Hmph, you have raw power, at the very least. Unfortunately for you, battles aren’t won with just that!
: Whaat?!

Iczer-2 warps all around 3!

: Ah? Oh?! Awawawa!
: And your movements are too haphazard!

: Waaaaaaaaah!
: Iczer-3!
: What’s the matter? Your other sister was a far greater challenge than that, you know.
: I’m not done yet…! If I got beaten here, Nagisa… and the Earth would… Hrgh!
: Your end has come, Iczer-3!

: Hm?!

: You are…!
: Atross!
: You’re not killing her!
: That girl… Has she found a different path than fighting us…?
: … You are Neos’ servant, are you not? You’ll betray the Cthulhu?
: Lady Neos lied to me! I thought I was her daughter, but I’m not! So I won’t let you kill Iczer-3… I’ll stop you even if it costs me my life!

: Pfeh… I’ve lost my appetite now. When you find Iczer-1, relay a message for me: “I, and no one else, will be the one who’ll kill you.”

: Stop!
: Uh-Urrgh…
: …! Hang in there, Iczer-3!

Atross moves after her.

: Atros… Why did you…?
: I’ve tormented you and Nagisa so much… but I’m done.
: Nagisa, do you hear me?! I’m bringing Iczer-3 over to you! I want to make up for what I did!
: Thank you! Just follow my telepathy and you’ll find me!
: Understood, Nagisa.

: We’ve confirmation that Iczer-3’s made it out safely. The rest of us will carry on with the mission!
: Aye, aye!
: Keep at it, Ranka…!

And now we have a new gap in our defenses… I seriously hope you didn’t have any yellow Vajras being blocked on Iczer-3’s side, or you might simply be screwed here.

: Go to hell, Vajras! You can have Island 3, but leave and never return!

: There’re still so many flying around…! But we just need another four minutes! We need to keep things steady until then!

: Why are you attacking us?! What are you after?! If it’s bullets, then I’ll give you your fill!

: Just three minutes left… Stand firm, people! Psyche yourselves up and don’t give them an inch!
: (Hrk… It hurts…!)

: We will hold this line…! If we don’t, both the Frontier and the PLANTs will…!

: Couldn’t we just have used a bunch of bug lights or something? That way, we wouldn’t need to put Ranka through something as dangerous as this…!
: Hm, it’s a shame that the Rushbird can’t attract the Vajra. In which case, we’ll just have to do everything we can to make this go smoothly!

: They’re still not all in here…?! How much time left, Tsubaki?!
: Two minutes! Just a bit longer!

: Only 60 seconds until the mission is done! This is it, folks!

: It’s time! 2nd Lt. Alto, take Ranka and evac!
: Yes, sir!

Alto flies to Ranka’s stage.

: Come in, Ranka!
: Alto!
: Ranka’s secured!
: We’ve confirmation! Island 3 has been purged! T minus 1 minute until Little Girl is detonated!
: There it goes. All forces, full retreat!

BOOOOOOOOM!

: An excellent job, Little Queen. What a difference 11 years make, hm…?

We’ve made it out and Alto is very grateful to Ranka for everything she did. She nods, but inwardly wonders if it was the right thing to do. All those Vajra died because of her song, and she still doesn’t know what to make of that sharp pain she felt inside her as the bomb went off.
Her thoughts are interrupted when Mishima calls in to also thank her for leading the operation to success. However, today’s battle merely defeated the Vajra that invaded their fleet – this battle will not end until every single one of them has been destroyed. Ranka doesn’t like hearing that. Will she continue to sing for them, to ensure their victory and survival?
Ranka’s progressively growing frown soon gives way to an apology: “I’m sorry, but I… I can’t sing anymore!” And she runs off, leaving Mishima to wonder what happened. Rey notes that despite her being in battlefields before, she is still a civilian – the destruction that unfolded before her eyes has likely disturbed her plenty.

Kenichi sees his point, as being forced to sing as tons of dead Vajras fell all around you would scar anyone. Seems to Mishima that they’ll need to assign some mental care for the girl, to make sure nothing obstructs the success of future operations… and Grace will handle that job.
But, whatever the case, the Vajra threat has been repelled for now and the Frontier Fleet is safe. Mishima is certain Howard would’ve been overjoyed, and extends the fleet’s gratitude for our efforts. Now, he has to oversee preparations for the next offensives in his Vajra extermination campaign, so he signs off.

The thought of extermination leaves a bad taste in Kenichi’s mouth, and Kyo agrees: the new president’s way of thinking is a whole lot more extreme than the former’s. You can see that just from today’s operation.
Rey counters that extreme measures were necessary, as the rampaging Vajra even did damage to nearby PLANT colonies. Sure, but Alto still doesn’t agree with the guy’s idea of using Ranka as bait…

By Island 1, Ranka’s back a Griffith Park and isn’t happy: “I can’t do this anymore… Why me? Why does my song affect the Vajra…?” But she’s brought back when Ai-kun flies over.
Now where did the little guy go? She’s been worried sick! Never mind that, as Ai-kun starts glowing and transforming!

Oh, my god, it’s a Pokémon!

: I can’t go back to the Cthulhu anymore…
: And you don’t have to. You can just stay with us!
: …! I’m your enemy, remember? A warrior created to destroy you?
: No, you’re not, Atross. That’s why you saved Iczer-3!
: Right, and that makes us friends!
: “Friends”…? That’s insane! I’ve fought and hurt you and your friends as your enemy! How can you say I’m a friend now…?!
: Ah, don’t worry about that. Everyone screws up once or twice. What’s important is what you’re gonna do from here on out!
: That’s very well said… Who are you and what did you do to Kenji?
: Blah, gimme a break, Tsubaki.
: But if I hadn’t attacked you back then, Nagisa Kanou wouldn’t have been taken by Golem…
: I can’t even imagine what she’s going through at Lady Neos’ base… and it’s my fault…!
: If you feel that way, then come with us and help rescue her.
: Hmhmm, that’s how you can take responsibility for what happened.
: Speaking of, do you know where Neos Gold is hiding?
: Not really… the Cthulhu fortress hides itself between dimensions, and it’s already left the spot I knew of…
: I see…
: Chin up, Atross! The only way to move onwards is to look straight ahead, not at your feet!
: … I understand, and I’ll try my best!
: That’s the way!
: Thanks for everything you said, Nagisa. I really, really like you!
: Oh, Atross, you’re such a sweet girl…
: HEEEY! Nagisa’s my partner! You can’t hug her without clearing it with me first!

Beep, boop.

: Hm? A message from Ranka…?

Alto’s run up to Griffith Park, wanting to know what happened, why she’s not singing anymore. Ranka has a favor to ask of him, though, and waves Ai-kun over… and he looks very much like a Stage #2 Vajra larva! Alto flips out and draws a gun, but Ranka begs him not to shoot. Why?! It’s a Vajra – one of the things that’s brought so much pain to the people of the Frontier!
“But that’s not the case with him! He’s just shed his skin, so he hasn’t done anything wrong!” Ranka protests, but Alto isn’t budging. “So long as any Vajras are around, the sky’ll erupt into a battlefield again! The only way for us to survive is by killing them!” he says.

He tries pushing Ranka off the way, and earns himself a punch from the suddenly appearing Brera. He asks Ranka what she wants, and he’ll make it happen. Thinking a bit, she turns to Alto: “Alto… these past days, I’ve been slowly remembering things from my childhood. I’m kind of scared of what I’m going to find out, but… but it’s something I have to know. I just feel like I have to… and that’s why I need to go.”
Go where? “I want to at least bring him back to his friends,” she says. And Brera understands, immediately summoning his VF-27 and beckoning Ranka aboard.

: Alto…
: Ranka, please, this is insane! Don’t go!
: To be honest, I wanted to make this trip with you. I wanted to be with you forever.
: Ranka…!
: Alto… Goodbye… I loved you…!

The VF-27 flies away.

: Ranka! Don’t go! RANKAAAAAA!!

At President Mishima’s office, turns out this is all part of the plan. They’ve pinged Brera’s route and know that he’s headed to the Vajra Homeworld with the Little Queen in tow. The girl’s pet Vajra will lead them there… you see, the major influx of Vajras, and their constant cries, have beckoned their homeworld itself to Fold into this universe.
Now it is only a matter of following the Little Queen and they’ll find the planet in due time. Mishima is ecstatic, and figures he needs to make ready to head over there right away.

Grace inwardly sneers at how small he’s thinking: he’s so giddy over all the Fold Quartz lying in wait at the Vajra HomeWorld… “But, to me, the crown jewel of that planet is the being that managed to Fold the entire homeworld”.
Whatever the case, Mishima thinks they should cover their bases. He wants a substitute songstress readied for the eventuality they lose the Little Queen. Oh, Grace says he doesn’t need to worry one bit about that: “As it turns out, the fallen songstress has exceeded my expectations. I’m certain you’ll be pleased…Hmhmhmhm…”

[Mattman324]

So, if you didn’t save Michael here, Klan would actually debut as mini-Klan inside Michael’s VF, something she did late in the show that no other SRW has done because it was only done in the show and not the movies and relies on Michael dying (something else no other SRW has done, as the only other one to even have the show plot was Z2 - OE had no plot, UX/BX/Z3 had the movies). It’s arguably her best vehicle and she’s inarguably better than Michael in it. If you decide to do NG+ for some reason, make sure to show that off.

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

Back for the last mission of the Earth Route and, damn, did Daiya really get ahead of the competition. But we’re not staying on this path in to keep Michel’s bespectacled face from getting sprayed across the space countryside, so it doesn’t matter.

As before, all our cash went into our squaddies to help them stay alive. The R-Daigun comes with 4 bars, so it’s already good.

Ichitaka, Kouichi, Miu, Yamashita, Kouji and Tetsuya are deploying as event units, so that’s a good bunch of squads I need to rearrange:
Dancouga/Yanma
Domyoji/Jack
Gaiking/Deceive
Norza/Lee
Dick/Puria
Goh/Rei
Ken/Lou
Eida/Anna (another combination-oriented squad, deployed separately so Goh and Aoi still have their mates)
Shinji/Yajima
Mira/Shizuru
Asuka/Boss

Alright, let’s get to it.

: (I’d lost both my parents at a very young age, so the only family I had left was my sister Yuriko.)
: (I fancied myself some Champion of Justice back then. My body felt no pain, so that led me take the fight to any delinquents I found…)
: (But there was a price to pay for all the gangs I defeated… and my sister, the one who’d been protecting me from the world, was taken from me.)
: (It was payback from some of the delinquents I’d hurt… though they weren’t the masterminds behind that plan. The culprit was my confidant, my one friend, Eiji Kiriyama.)
: (I presume he did not like how Yuriko kept me grounded, how she made me hesitant to give all of myself to “justice”.)
: (But even knowing the truth, I don’t hate him. Because I know that the real blame for my sister’s death fell on my self-serving, distorted sense of justice…)

: … A dream. That’s unusually nervous of me, hm…?

Cut to Shangri-La, Katou’s already managed to get things rolling – the pathway is stabilizing and it won’t be long before “Central’s” invasion of this world begins. He wants Masaki to lead the first wave, though the guy asks if Katou’ll be able to carry out LOTUS’ destruction without him.
That’ll be no problem at all, and he asks Masaki to give his regards to the superior… though he concedes that addressing individuals is meaningless. Whatever the case, Masaki asks to have Kiriyama accompany him on his mission and Katou allows it (though he doesn’t look too happy).
As Masaki leaves, Katou, inwardly, is hoping for Reiji’s success.

Over by Flag, Yumi’s called in to say he STILL needs more time before the Mazinkaiser is ready. Fine, Kouji will just keep on trucking with the Mazinger, and Yumi’s very apologetic, what with our showdown with Moon WILL drawing closer and closer.
Still, he wants Kouji to take care and not do anything crazy. When the call ends, Kouji spots Miu and the JUDA techs talking nearby. Seems like the Painkiller’s D-S.O.I.L. is showing signs of growing weaker, and Rachel can’t really determine the cause. It shouldn’t affect her ability to fight YET, but she still wants Miu to be careful.

Miu mumbles a “thanks”, and Rachel asks if something’s wrong. She’s not looking too spritely. Miu says she’s fine and sets out, though Maki is worried: if her D-S.O.I.L. continues to drop, it’ll push her already dipping vitals to very dangerous levels.
As Sakon remembers, Factors are dependent on the D-S.O.I.L. to stay alive, so a problem with it is a major problem for them as well. And that’s saying nothing of the fact that it’ll also really diminish the Machina’s own ability to regenerate, Shibakusa points out. Rachel hopes it’s just a temporary thing, but will try and look for a way to deal with it.

: …
: Ah, here you are, Miu.
: Kouichi… you were looking for me…?
: Yeah. Kouji said you looked kind of down, and I got worried…
: Sorry… I’m just being a burden for everyone…
: No way, you’re a very dear friend for all of us. There ain’t a soul here who thinks you’re a burden.
: Thanks… you really are a nice guy…
: Ahahah… I think you’re giving me too much credit there.
: I… I want to be capable of helping you and our friends… to be a Champion of Justice, someone who can protect what’s dear to me…
: Or… rather, that’s what I wanted…
: … Why the past tense?
: Huh…?
: You can still do it now. Just don’t give up on it, and you can come to be a Champion, keeping safe all that’s dear to you…
: The important part is asking yourself: “What do I want to do”? And, if you ask me, you’re already a great Champion of Justice.
: O… Okay… Thank you, Kouichi.
: Um… Kouichi, I—

Alarm! Take off!

: The alarm?! What happened?!

Door opens.

: Not good, guys! Yamashita’s just taken off on his own!
: He…?!
: Col. Katsuragi’s just ordered us to give chase! Everyone aboard their units!
: Y-Yes, sir…!
: (What happened, Yamashita…?!)

Mission 31 (Earth Route) – The Demon-Eater

: Sorry, folks…

: Hello, Yamashita…
: Reiji… Why did you kill the president? Please tell me…
: Because it was necessary.
: “Necessary”…? Not out of anger, hatred, or whatever… but just because it was necessary…?
: That’s right. Come with me, Yamashita. I could use someone like you.
: Did you expect this one mail would get me to turn on everyone else?
: Did you honestly think a few words is all it’d take for me to betray friends I’d been fighting with since forever…?!
: They’re only people you know. Nothing more, nothing less.

: …
: Hmph…
: I told you trying to be diplomatic would be a waste of time.
: The Katou Organization…! How wrong I was about you, Reiji…
: What will you do about it, then…?
: I’ll put you down… here and now…!

Yamashita can’t really take on Reiji by himself, so we’ll just pull him out of range for a turn…

As the enemies start closing in, next player phase…

: The Hind-Kind’s an artillery and support model – as evidenced by its cannons and reflector cores.
: I don’t need a reminder…! That’s why I’ve been trying to keep you at a distance…!
: … You do understand, I see. Still, if you haven’t the skill to make proper use of it all, then your Machina is no more than a fancy paperweight.
: Reiji…!
: Is this what you think is just?! Fooling those who took you for a friend, hurting them… Is this what you really wanted to do all along?!
: …
: Answer me… Reiji Moritsugu…!!
: Are you done with your monologue?
: Kch…
: YAMASHITAA! You still alive?!
: They’ve come…

: K-Kouichi… everyone…
: Goddamn… Now this is a crazy stunt you tried to pull!
: Once we’ve made it back, you’ll be sweeping all of the Dragon’s Hive gym until it is sparkling clean!
: Sorry… but I needed to hear what was on his mind – nothing else mattered…
: Reiji Moritsugu… looks like every millimeter of your heart’s frozen solid, huh?
: You don’t stand a chance of winning this battle as you are, LOTUS. You’ve too many amateurs holding you down…
: Hrm…!
: So what we’re amateurs…!
: We’ve still learned a lot more than you think!
: And if you say that’s still not good enough, then we’ll just help each other cover our weaknesses! That’s what being a team – what being friends – is about!
: Right on! And we’re going to win this, and keep our world safe, even if we gotta kick you to the curb!
: A fine speech, but one that’ll amount to nothing if you haven’t the strength to make good on it.
: Come… I’ll show you what true brutality is like.

You can take down Reiji but he’ll just heal to full and keep going (cash only on the first kill), so I’ll ignore him until later. Other than that, it’s the same battle we had in Misaki, only it’s Sawatari, Yulianne, Soubi and Wufei instead of Yulianne, Masaki and Sawatari. Deal with the MP Jinrais as you have, and this’ll be simple – valored attacks will tear through the midbosses.
Of note is that Reiji’s AI seems to be hardwired to go after Yamashita if possible, so be mindful of that or you’ll be eating chain attacks. Miu can always repair him if the damage mounts up too high.

Do note that you’ll only have actual backup by turn 6, so it’s in your best interest to shave off the enemies’ numbers ASAP – send Ichitaka, Kouichi and the zingers forward, setting them in the forest and/or popping Iron Wall when the enemy wave comes closer.
From what I’ve seen the more distant mook groups will take a long while to start moving, so you’re not in a big risk of being overwhelmed. After Kouji and Tetsuya’s HP dips enough, they’ll likely only be taking two-digit damage if Mazin Power’s active anyway.
Your bigger liabilities here are Miu and Yamashita, and even they should prove pretty resilient unless you’ve neglected them throughout the whole game.

: We’ll protect what is just… we’ll fight side-by-side… Isn’t that what you once said?! What is all a lie?!
: It was.
: …!! Reiji…!!

The Katou folks will support defend like crazy, so chain attacks are the way if you’d rather be proactive.

But, really, barring you not using ANY of these people, this isn’t really hard if you let the protags take point.

When turn four rolls over…

: …?! M-My energy’s…!

Power dooooown.

: What happened, Miu…?!
: Kouichi… I… the Painkiller is…
: The Painkiller’s D-S.O.I.L. has dipped below 20%! Her cardiopulmonary functions are going critical…!
: What?!
: … You’d try to uphold your “justice” with a body as frail as that? Calling it idiocy would be an understatement!
: But don’t worry: I’ll make it all go away in just a second!

Soubi charges after Miu!

: Watch out!

“You’re not taking the Painkiller!”

: Urgh…!
: … Heheh… Looks like the Painkiller’s still in one piece…!
: Kabuto!
: I-I’m fine, Tetsuya… that attack just wrecked the Mazinger Z’s propulsion, though…
: …! You’re willing to go this far to save her? The Factor of this Machina is that important a companion to you…?!
: This ain’t about me being “willing” or not…! I just acted on impulse…!
: …

Soubi backs up.

: cough, cough I-I’m… so…rry…
: Hayase, Yamashita, Nagumo! We have to cover Kabuto and Kujo!
: Roger!
: We’re not letting them have this their way!

This would probably be more dangerous if Kouji didn’t have enough SP to cast Guts. That said, it’d probably take a midboss to do anything more than 10 damage to him on that HP level (and they’re not close enough).

FYI, I could never get Miu to attack anything before this event because either she was out of range or the enemies all ran after our beefier targets, but she does have a quick line:

: (Please… hold on for just a bit longer, Painkiller…!)

Now, just hang in there one more turn, and…

: Hmhmhm… fighting while babysitting your friends is pretty tough, isn’t it? Why not just dump those guys and take care of yourselves?
: Are you kidding? None of us would ever do that!
: I can appreciate how manly you’ve gotten, boy, but I wonder for how long that attitude’s going to last.
: …

Tetsuya moves by Kouji and Miu.

: You kids let me handle this. Grab Kabuto and Kujo, and pull back!
: Wh-What’s wrong with you, Tetsuya?! I’m gonna fight here until the last second!
: What he said! Not even the Great could take all these enemies alone—!
: Don’t be stupid! Our main goal isn’t to win this ONE battle – it’s to make sure the entire world survives! That’s what we need to do!
: Tetsu…ya…
: Damn it… Mazinger, please, move…! I don’t wanna have to leave one of friends hung out to try…!!

Beep, beep!

: What…? There’s something… flying towards us?

: It’s the Kaiser Pailder…?! What’s it doing here?!
: Kouji, I’ve finished the Mazinkaiser’s maintenance at long last! Quickly! Board the Kaiser Pailder!
: I don’t know what you’re up to, but it won’t be a problem if I just destroy you all!
: No, you won’t! Both Kabuto and Kujo are under my watch!

Soubi takes aim at Tetsuya and Kouji.

: Hrk…! The Great was…!
: Tetsuya, I’m also sending the original Great for you to use! Climb to a higher altitude – hurry!
: …! Yes, sir!

Kouji and Tetsuya fly westward a bit.

: Don’t know when to give up, do you? And here I was, trying to free you from all this hardship…!
: I won’t let you hurt them…!

: What…?! But I thought the Painkiller couldn’t move…!
: Th-This is…! The Paikiller’s D-S.O.I.L. has been reenergized! Its energy cycle rate is… 250%?!
: She’s deliberately sending the D-S.O.I.L. into overdrive! The nanomachines are being pushed to the point of apoptosis to increase the rate they metabolize energy!
: Miu, stop! That’ll kill you!
: I won’t die like this…! Because I…!
: I’ll be a Champion of Justice… side-by-side with everyone… and with you, Kouichi…!!
: Miu… you…
: Kouji… Tetsuya… Keep flying. I’ll cover you…
: Alright. Let’s go, Kabuto!
: Sorry, Miu!

: You’re not going anywhere…!

: Kouji! Tetsuya!

: N-No way…! Kouji! Tetsuya! Say something!!
: … And there you have it. At the end of the day, the so called “power of justice” is—
: Easy there, Hayase! We’re not going down from something like that!
: What?!

:ssj: :ssj:

: You’ve been getting a kick outta messing with us, eh…? But now you’re gonna have to deal with the Mazinkaiser! Get ready!
: They both made it…!
: My piloting technique hasn’t waned enough that you’d need to worry about me.
: …
: Time to pay them back with interest, Kabuto!
: Aye, aye, Tetsuya!

Nearby…

: So those are the Mazinkaiser and the True Great Mazinger… The data didn’t do justice to their magnificence.
: Should I deploy and collect data directly?
: You’ll have plenty of chances to fight them in the near future. That can wait until then.
: I ask that you simply observe them fight, precisely in the interest of what moment. I’d like my magnum opus to be absolutely flawless when it steps into the limelight.
: Yes, sir.

True Great Mazinger (Tetsuya Tsurugi)
Squad Bonus: Armor +150, Accuracy +5

Mazinkaiser (Kouji Kabuto)
Squad Bonus: Armor +150, Accuracy +5

Show’s over, folks. We’ve officially won the game. If Gaiking the Great already made this plenty easy, Kouji and Tetsuya’s upgrades mean we cannot be beaten in a straight-up fight ever. Mazin Power, if you’ll remember, ups damage done by 25%, and lowers damage taken by 25%. Once it activates, only bosses will do real damage; once Prevail gets rolling, not even they will.
Tetsuya’s original Great Mazinger, complete with blue arms and legs, gains access to its Double Thunder Break move, on top of a stat boost to everything else. But the real jump in power goes to Kouji, who’s just been promoted to the rank of “tied with Gaiking as the strongest goddamn unit in the game”.
Gaiking the Great has more HP, but the Kaiser hits harder courtesy of still having Double Burning Fire with Tetsuya. There are a couple of moves with higher attack power, but this won’t get left far behind with Mazin Power boosting it.

Mazinkaiser has everything: survivability, nuclear powered strikes, good range, it is cost efficient (99 Gigant Missiles! :vince: ), Rust Tornado will apply Armor Down, strong chain attacks if you’re deploying solo, and more, more, more.
The only demerit I can think of is that neither it nor the True Great actually inherit the upgrades from the regular Mazinger or Great Mazinger. That’s a bit of a dick move if you dumped a lot of cash into them (which I didn’t), BUT you can assign any other Mazinger pilot to control the things (though only Kouji and Tetsuya can do the Double Burning Fire).

Now we just need to stand by for a bit longer, and be thankful that the enemies are spread out, otherwise Kouji and Tetsuya would wreck them all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lH19nxoFSI

: Our plan’s been pushed into the final stage, but these orders we got… Hmm, I wonder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4Qs6OQOBNs
Tetsuya and Kouji’s rocket punches had their animations updated, so he it is (with a bonus of Kouichi showing that he’s pro now).

: There’ll be nothing left if we do not make good on this opportunity… Come! Show me your full strength!

: Had things played out differently, I believe I could’ve ended up part of your team… but this is reality, and I am now your enemy!

: A legit attack jives a whole lot better with me than sneaky traps like this. Still, orders are orders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXCLXlj66ac
Would you blame me if I said that it was only on this mission that I noticed Sawatari had upgraded his mech (apparently he’s had it since the Misaki Sphere mission)? To be fair, his new Idaten Ver. 2 looks pretty much identical to Ver. 1, only with a new backpack, I think?
And because I know someone’ll ask, no, it’s not called Idaten Nogota. Do they outright call it like that in the original series, or did the furigana read like that in the manga? Because it is written イダテン弐型 and that is Idaten Nigata.
The JP wiki doesn’t have it spelled out like that, either. Where did this Nogota business start?

Either way, after a whole turn of slaughter…

: Is everyone alright?!
: Ah, there’s the Daiku Maryu, right on time!
: That’s… the Mazinkaiser! And the True Great Mazinger!
: Okay, that’s enough “Men’s Super Robots Monthly” for you, Johnny.
: We had a few close calls here, but, as you can see, everyone’s A-OK!
: I’m really sorry, guys…!
: Never mind that right now! You just went through a tough bit, didn’t you? Then let’s go and get some payback!

Looks at the Reiji.

: The Vardant is leading the enemy forces… We’d best assume he’s got a pretty good read on all our tactics…
: It’s fine…
: Huh…?
: He might be LOTUS’ old commander, but that doesn’t mean he’s familiar with the current LOTUS. So we’ll be alright.
: That is correct. All of you have been displaying growth far beyond our expectations.
: And if the enemy underestimates that growth, then that’d actually be an opening we can exploit.
: … I understand. And we only got this far by having faith in one another, so I shouldn’t stop that now. I’m counting on you all, troops!

Still need to keep Miu, Kouichi and Yamashita safe (plus your ships, of course). Not that any of this matters, since Kouji and Tetsuya could’ve easily wiped the floor with all the enemies, but hey.

Carrying on.

I have chosen you to suffer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suv5DWM-fRA
How ghastly.

Bye, Yulianne.

: So you kids have done a bit of growing up, huh…? Much as it annoys me, I better run off…!

Secret Alert!
If you’re taking this route to carry on with the Linebarrel secret, then you’ll want to have Kouichi fight Soubi TWICE before killing him (anyone can take him).

: Are you seriously fine with the whole world getting destroyed? Katou’s trying to bring over a bunch of invaders from that other universe!
: You really are a noble kid, huh…
: A long time ago I also had that same passion of justice and ideals… but that changed when my wife died. That is when a realized that there are no such things in this world.
: But in the future? That’s where we’ll find true justice and ideals – nowhere else!
: Y-You…

Second time:

: Listen, I don’t think I could ever imagine what it feels to lose your wife…
: But what you’re doing now will only result in more people being as miserable as you!
: Hah, noble, indeed… so much so that you’re getting on my nerves…!
: You don’t think I’m well aware of that? Of course I am…!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KKv601ZD78

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNPiVF4OuTQ
Folks decide to tangle with Tetsuya, allowing me to show off his new moves (that’s a pretty smug DK for Double Thunder Break!).

And I have Kouichi wreck Soubi again just because.

: I’m not finished yet… I also have a cause of my own, you know!

: Damn it, his Machina’s still regenning? When does it stop?!

Miu charges after him.

: What are you doing, Miumiu?! We’ve no idea when your D-S.O.I.L. might break down again!
: Are you trying to get yourself killed, MIu?!
: I’m fine… so is the Painkiller…! This Factor is in pain… I have to do this not just for us, but to also set him free from it…
: Painkiller… please give me strength… just enough to keep everyone safe…!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iSvOVauoCo

: … Kaoru… Finally… I can be with you…

: Are you alright, Miu…?
: I am. The Painkiller heard my voice and answered it…
: (Thank you, Painkiller…)
: Recording complete. Will we turn in in this data as well?
: No… a D-S.O.I.L. being stimulated by one’s emotions isn’t something they’d be too happy with.
: Still, it is some very interesting data. I think we could put it to good use for our future endeavors.
: Copy that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eFHb-p_T9I
And here we go, I found a good opportunity to show off God Beast Mode’s DK. We’ll likely never use it again!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPRyf6CIWyw
Bye, Wufei!

: This is it. I believe that today is when the curtain will rise on a new battle!

: Psh… How did I end up as just some random foil to guys like them…?!

: Don’t think I’m the same guy I was before!
: Your brute-force approach hasn’t changed, though… I could see through your attacks blindfolded, Hayase.
: You son of a!!

: You overextend beyond what the Painkiller can handle. Carry on with that and you risk not only your life, but that of your allies as well.
: I won’t… let that happen!

: Oh…? Your movements have improved. And you’ve learned how to properly control your unit…
: But this is still as far as you’ll go. You’ll have your chance to get together with Prof. Grife in the afterlife.
: No way, I’m not stopping now. Rather, this is the moment I’ll clear a major milestone!
: Come on and let’s do this, Reiji Moritsugu!

: The Gaiking and Daiku Maryu have served their purpose with the defeat of the Darius. Now I’ll just snuff out these symbols of hope.
: Like hell you will! The souls of every single one of us are riding on that ship!
: And while I know that you’re really dang strong, I’m still not letting myself get beaten! And that’s a promise!

: Ever the obedient pup, fighting on command. If you’re so afraid of being rejected by others, I can just put you out of your misery.
: I… I’m not doing this because anyone told me…! I’m here just because it is what I chose to do…!
: Ah…?
: And that’s because…
: I’m Shinji Ikari of LOTUS, pilot of the EVA-01!

Had you attacked Reiji before all events went down:

: Your units aren’t in top condition, it seems. That’ll hamper your capacity to fight with all your might.
: Too bad for you, the Great’s still running perfectly. And while your body might not feel any pain, I can just as well give your soul ample taste of its power!

: You called Yamashita here only to try and kill him?! I never took you to be the kind of man to use dirty tricks like that!
: It is never a good habit to presume things. There was much more you never thought to question, and that was your biggest mistake.
: Oh, no, you’ve rubbed me the wrong way since day one. But I saw that everything you did was for us and Earth - that’s why I trusted you! So what the hell happened there?!

: …
: What’s the holdup, Reiji? Come and show us “what true brutality is like” already!

: As you wish.

Reiji rushes Kouichi down.

: H-He’s fast…! But I!!

: Wh-What?! But I should be way stronger than before!
: You are, absolutely… but…
: Like I said, I can still read you like an open book.
: Damn…!
: The Linebarrel is special; it eclipses all other Machinas. It is the ultimate, greatest of all weapons. You’ve been entrusted with it, and this is all you can manage? Show me strength to match all your grandstanding!
: Kouichi, you’re being too hot-headed! Pull yourself together!
: Is this what the power of your justice amounts to…? Defeat is not an option in this fight. If you think you’re allowed to die and leave all this behind, think again…!

“How do you figure you could ever defend this world with so little power?”

: GAAAAAH!!
: Stay strong, Kouichi! A Champion of Justice always finds a way through even the toughest situations!
: He’s right – get up, Kouichi! I know you too well to think you’d have gone down from that!
: Mister Godannar… Wasn’t there something odd about the Vardant’s attack just now?
: Yeah… The killer intent is clearly there, but he didn’t hit any vital spots…
: You don’t think Reiji’s…?
: You cannot protect anything, Hayase. You ramble on about justice, but have no power to back any of it up…
: You cannot even kill me, the villain who murdered Ishigami and left to join the Katou Organization. How could someone like you ever protect even a single person?
: Then I suppose I’ll just kill you, the people of LOTUS, and everyone you swore to keep safe…!
: Kouichi…!
: I’m not… losing this…!

: The Mode B…! It engaged without my authorization…?!

“Nothing’s changed, Hayase. You still have no idea how to make good use of that power.”

: Even if you can engage Mode B at will, it isn’t difficult for me to predict your actions when your attack patterns remain the same.
: Can he really not win this…?!
: Wait, this is… the energy readings are still going up!
: I’m not finished…! So many people have trusted us with all their hopes. That’s why…
: That’s why I…!
: … I am never letting myself be beaten!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOVv42SVQY8
Kouichi: “Everyone’s hopes are riding on us… I can’t go down!”
Reiji: “Hah… it’s finally awakened…”

: He did it…!
: Haah… haah… haah…

: What was that just now…?
: My guess is the Linebarrel answered his wholehearted determination…
: Yamashita!
: Y-Yes!
: I trust you collected data on what happened? That was the true power of the Linebarrel. But the awakening is still incomplete…
: Hayase has no choice but to keep on moving onwards, so you will all need to support him.
: Reiji…!
: Never forget how you felt now, Hayase. Nagumo, Kabuto, Tsurugi, Kujo, I hope you’ve also gained something from this battle with me.
: Reiji, you…
: I knew it…
: …
: It seems the time has come…

: Th-That’s…!
: We’ve a match in the Flag’s database… It’s the Shangri-La, Katou Hisataka’s battleship!
: Ladies and Gentlemen of LOTUS, I am glad to see you well.
: Katou Hisataka…
: I’d like to tell you that we have officially entered the final stage of our plan…
: The second the Dimension Peeler activates, the forces from the other side will invade this universe. Are you ready to take a stand and fight…?
: Damn straight! We’ll kick all their asses, and yours as well, so you better start clenching!
: “Tired” isn’t part of our dictionary…! We’re ready to go whenever, wherever…!
: That’s good to hear. And, in that case, I’d like to propose an alliance between us and LOTUS.
: What?!
: An alliance?! Just what are you…?!
: The Katou Organization’s true purpose has always been to oppose and destroy the invasion from the other side… and to cultivate the strength and resolve of this world’s dwellers in preparation for the showdown that’d inevitably come.
: I think we can safely check that objective as “accomplished”.
: That’s your “true” purpose…?
: Oi, what the hell is going on…?!
: B-Brother… why…
: “Brother”?! Him?!
: You’ve recovered all of your memories, hm? It’s been a while, Emi…

: … Could I ask you for a full explanation? Why have you proposed this alliance as abruptly as you have?
: As I mentioned not long ago, the Dimension Peeler will soon activate, opening a hole in the fabric of space-time.
: Machina-Humans from the other universe will surge through it, and it is up to us to face them.
: “Machina-Humans”…?
: To put it simply, those are humans who’ve chosen to merge themselves with machines in order to better execute their goals. Their separate psyches were unified into a single network, and all is directed to one thing: harmony with the collective mass. There are no more individuals, nor emotions.
: Perfect efficiency… Discordance is a thing of the past. And the unified consciousness that controls it all is the being named Central.
: No individuals or emotions… Are there no regular humans in that other universe, then…?
: Yes, there are. Half of that Earth is populated by humans like those of the Frontier Fleet, under the rule of the United Nations Government.
: It’s possible for us to coexist, then…?
: No, it isn’t coexistence. Central merely surveyed and appraised them as having the potential to be “useful” to the whole…
: Just as it did to Amagatsu Kizaki, the one who’d recovered a piece of technology that’d been lost when humanity transitioned into its unified state: the Factor System.
: Amagatsu Kizaki… the creator of the Linebarrel, and Emi’s dad…
: …
: Okay, I kinda get what that Central is, but why are do they want to invade our world…?
: Because all must be in harmony with the whole. They now seek to expand that harmony across the other universe, converting all who live here into Machina-Humans.
: It could well be said that that desire to expand is the one instinct left within the Machina-Humans.
: And so you pretended to work with Central, all the while forming the Katou Organization in order to oppose them?
: So that the people of this world would be ready and able to stand against the force that would eventually arrive from the parallel universe, correct.
: And was that… why you killed Amagatsu Kizaki? Is that why you killed our father?
: I need an answer, my brother… why did you kill him that day?
: While I remember you often clashed with each other, I still thought that, deep down, you loved each other as family…
: … Around that time, our father had been appraised as an “unsuitable part” by Central. He, himself, realized that, and what was coming, so he asked me to gun him down…
: I had already infiltrated Central’s ranks by then, and it would prove my trustworthiness to them… all in the name of true justice…
: So… when he told me not to hate you, he was…
: … But the fact still remains that I killed our father. I will not blame you if you’ve come to despise me.
: …
: Color me surprised… The Katou Organization has been an unknown force since before the Second Impact, but not once did I expect that to be your goal.
: I all kinda makes sense… but, damn, it still feels so surreal…
: I think he’s telling the truth, though…
: Eida?
: What the Katou Organization has been doing is about the same thing the R-Daigun did: force your opponent to grow. That’s why they willingly cooperated with us.
: All for the sake of mankind’s future, huh…?
: Their ideals guided their hands in battle, though all could see that they’d be villains in the eyes of the world. No different from one Treize Khushrenada…
: And, so, I chose to help this man: for our once-earned peace to be made truly enduring…
: I see… that’s why you stopped reporting after you infiltrated their group.
: My goal is to permanently strand the invading forces inbetween the dimensions… but I cannot do that without yours and the Linebarrel’s power.
: …
: My friends, now is the time where we must pool our strength against the enemy from the other universe.
: Mr. Ishigami…!
: My words are neither commands nor threats… The choice is entirely yours to make. If pressed, I’d say… this is a sincere plea for your help.
: I’m never going to forgive what you guys have done… but I can tell that there’ll be no way for us to protect this world by fighting each other.
: So if us fighting together is an option, then I guess that’s the one I’ll pick…
: Kouichi…
: And I agree… if we can stop fighting our fellow men, then that is clearly the way to go.
: I think LOTUS should accept their proposal, Lady Une.
: Giving them a vote of confidence, are you…? Very well, I’ll defer to your judgement.
: Thank you!
: We have an agreement…
: Then I guess that’s that. I look forward to working with you guys… especially with these cute boys.
: P-Please don’t look at me like that…!
: Reiji Moritsugu… I await the opportunity for us to have our duel.
: You’re free to try, but only after this battle’s finished…
: …
: … Have you nothing to say about this, Sawatari.
: … Eh, I already had some idea of what you were up to after how long we’ve worked together.
: I just wish Soubi, Riku and the boss were around for this… but you can’t get stuck in the past, right?
: I see… but I apologize to you regardless…
: I was also privy to what Katou’s agenda was, but I couldn’t condone all the bloodshed that would’ve resulted from his methods…
: So I left, taking many of their Machinas and the Flag with me… and the rest is history.
: Of course, actually getting said Flag to activate wound up putting a major burden on Reiji’s shoulders.
: Activating the Flag…?
: You see, doing that requires someone to part with their physical self and merge with the ship itself. I took that job upon myself… but I had to thrust the dirty work onto Reiji.
: Pay it no mind. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t change what happened… and I’m ready to do as I must to the very end.
: Reiji…
: Blah, there’s being poker-faced and then there’s you… it’s like I’m staring at a cardboard cutout. Damn it, I can’t believe I let you trick me like that!
: Further proof that you still have a long way to go.
: And you, Prez! You said you were an AI, but that’s really you in there, isn’t it?! You just plugged your mind into a machine!
: Ahahaha, I guess the cat’s out of the bag. Still, this is a pretty sweet body, don’t you think? Now I can go flat out with my pranks.
: Granted, that’s not really that different from before…
: … Alice, is there anything you can do to teach him a lesson?
: I think I could hack into the main computer and start messing with his source code a bit, or maybe…
: N-Now, please wait a second! … By the time you see this, I’ll likely be dead, dead, dedededededededddddd…
: You’re not fooling anyone!
: Darn and blast! The truth was better left unsaid! Oh, the humanity!

: I hope I managed to help you guys out there, Kouichi…
: Yeah, absolutely… but you also really had me on pins and needles. Can you promise you won’t push yourself to the edge again?
: Oh, don’t worry. My body’s feeling a whole lot better now!
: It seems that your condition today was a secondary effect to the Painkiller inoculating itself against viral attacks.
: And with this data in store, you should be fine even when faced with viral weapons targeting your D-S.O.I.L.
: Miu’s back to normal, I’ve got the Kaiser back and Tetsuya has a new and improved Great… all things considered, today was a good day!
: And what about the Mazinger?
: He’ll still be ready for to be used if need be. We’ve been fighting together for too long for me to just leave him behind…
: Wouldn’t you feel bad if you had to say goodbye to your EVA all of a sudden, Asuka?
: … Yeah, I guess.
: (Inside the EVA’s the only place I feel truly at home, after all…)
: (… Actually, maybe that’s not true anymore. Maybe here, with these people, is just as much of a home to me now…)

It’s been a long since time since Wufei and Goh had a chance to fight – not since he and Katou visited JUDA. Wufei’s wanted to speak with him again for a while, and is glad to see that he’s recovered his spirit. Actually, he’s looking even mightier, courtesy of all his comrades.
That’s especially true in regards to Anna, Goh says. Wufei also recognizes the girl, telling Goh to value his wife. “I will,” he says, “We’ll never be taken apart again.”
But never mind that: Misato calls in and says we just got an urgent message from Une. One of the Preventers’ agents has located Djibril, and the guy’s camping out at the Moon’s Daedalus Base. That sounds pretty good to Goh and Anna since we were headed up there do deal with Moon WILL as well.
We’re expecting a major battle, though, so Misato says we’ll be first heading up to rendezvous with our other half.

: What… I’m still alive…?
: …
: Masaki… What are you doing to me…?
: I’m making you useful, just as I did to Eiji Kiriyama.

Click.

: Masaki! What the hell are you—?!

Wirrrrrr

: No, stop! STOP! GWAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

[Mattman324]

Ha. Reiji calling Yamashita out for being “unable to pilot his machina.” Despite Yamashita being one of the better pilots in the manga and having one of the strongest bonds with his unit (seen through the eye colors, which the anime fucks up - fucking PINK eyes. In the manga you have Red, Orange, or Yellow, and what color you have is a big hint about your machina.). How funny.

Double Burning Fire actually ISN’T the strongest attack in the game. It’s either fourth or fifth. The top three/four are the stronger version of Final Phase, which is strongest becuase it beats the others by like 2000 base, the Iczer Combination off Iczer 2 (She gets Soul, which is Hot Blood + Mazinpower, and it’s 400 stronger), the Eva combo off Shinji (ditto, it’s 300 stronger), and possibly Kotetsushin Jeeg, which is much weaker than the others, but Kenji gets Soul AND a Mazinpower equivalent in Bronze Bell so he might be better than all but Final Phase. That said, it’s still bullshit strong.

As for Sawatari, dunno. The only difference is the backpack though. In the manga, this isn’t even his final upgrade, it lasts a hilariously short amount of time - right before he goes full villain, he picks up a new, manga exclusive mech that hasn’t been in SRW yet outside maybe Chain Chronicle. He doesn’t go full villain in the anime though despite being a total bastard because ?

Oh, obviously, none of this Miu/Soubi shit happened in the manga. I will make a quick note though - did you know that Painkiller’s not even the right color in the anime? In the manga, we do see some of the Painkiller’s initial armor in a colored shot (since it quickly sheds said armor in its first fight, never using it again, but that’s the form the anime uses). It’s fucking red. Like, pretty dark red, even.

Aaaand here we are. Mode C is entirely created by the anime, based on something the manga wouldn’t end up pulling out until the literal last volume, many, MANY years later. It looks a little neat, I guess, but the manga’s version whose name I cannot recall is great (Linebarrel, which was supposed to be based on a demon, turns blood fucking red! And has a few addons before the fight that are neat too) so whatever. The big problem is the Executor suddenly becomes a short blade, despite it being a goddamn ranged weapon that got misappropriated as a long blade so that makes no sense at all.

(EDIT: The red form was “Linebarrel Overlord”.)

Oh, yeah, and Wufei was actually doing the right thing all along. This is such a minor thing, but I find it fucking hilarious.

And yeah, this twist. Let’s compare to the manga. L handles it pretty much the same, but in the manga…

Manga plot leading to this point

So Ishigami wasn’t dead, and at this point he’s clearly got a plan, and has in fact said “So I have this mysterious, big plan that’s going to save everyone’s life, but unfortunately a part of this plan can only succeed if I don’t go into great detail about it,” which everyone… mostly accepted, because he did still give a lot of info. For instance, it wasn’t an alternate dimension or a time loop - the year was actually somewhere in the 2600s, and a large chunk of history from the early 2100s to the late 2400s was missing, after which people thought it was the 1800s (there’s a good reason but that’s post timeskip info.) Also, he had a Machina. Its name was JUDA. It named itself. After Judas. Also mostly post timeski as to why, but it’s important.

Right before the big final battle, Kouichi got into a lengthy discussion about Justice! and Imagination! where he basically called Katou out on all his shit and showed that he was the true heir to the vision of Amagatsu Kizaki. At the same time, Reiji fucking wrecked Jack and… that one older guy who had a fortress Arma the show never really had… and Ishigami let Sawatari (previously captured) go free with the knowledge that Katou had another Machina inside of Shangri La that he let no one see. Sawatari wanted a Machina because he’s a narc and an asshole, so he reinfiltrated their force with the intention of finding it.

The big final battle starts, but before it can really go anywhere, Ishigami goes “Hey, so, I’m rejoining Katou Organization as of this moment. Also all of JUDA is now working for Katou.” This stops the fighting pretty effectively, and in the confusion, Sawatari finds the Lostbarrel inside Shangri La. He activates it, and while he’s doing so, Ishigami reveals the major plans at this point. Katou was trying to take over the Earth using Machina to save it - as long as a single Machina wasn’t active, the evil Hitomachina faction (who were STILL ALIVE! The heroes knew about them from Amagatsu’s visions but thought they were dead!) wouldn’t come to Earth and fucking wreck it, because their plan required every Machina active for post timeskip spoiler reasons. This would be bad, but in Katou’s mind, it would be way better than letting the machines win.

Ishigami thought that was fucking weak, and since JUDA was the one who set the entire Machina scheme up and was helping him with his plans, he had a new one - let the last Earth Machina activate while everyone was near JUDA headquarters, and when the giant portal in the sky opened, fire massive fucking cannons through the breach. This blew apart the camouflage the Hitomachina were using to hide (on the moon, as it turns out, with what remained of the original Tokyo as their base), and as Ishigami pointed out, this made them vulnerable to a counterattack. The first Hitomachina does still get through, and Ishigami led the charge, leading JUDA forces and Katou forces to victory. When a bunch more came through, Ishigami finally realized the end of Juda’s plans, and why it was cagey about a few details - because the plan would save as many people as possible, but Juda and Ishigami would die, as Juda was near suicidal and didn’t care about its own life. Ishigami left one final message and destroyed the portal with Juda, killing both of them in the process.

The scene was really touching, Jouji Nakata admitted that he really wanted to voice it at some point (it is voiced in UX. If you SAVE him, however, you get the SD Gundams using Celestial Armors to fuck the portal sideways, including - if you get Lu Bu - the first use of THE FOUR GODS ARE UNITED), and the anime has nothing like it, which is par for the course.

[Brunom1]

I confess I simply assumed the EVA attack was weaker than Double Burning Fire, but I suppose three regular ass rifles beats two magic energy-powered Super Robots! Not sure if Soul would be enough to cover the 700 attack power difference between Kenji and Kouji’s moves, though, but alright.

Also, dang, reading that stuff really made me want to LP UX next. I heard Citra was actually running the game now? Is it 100% ready for primetime or are there some quirks left?

[nekomajokko]

man it’s almost like making an anime based off an ongoing manga leads to wild plot divergences

[Mattman324]

It’s not just Soul. Kouji’s attack is effectively 2.5x (2x and 1.25x combined), but Kenji’s is 3.125x (2.5x and 1.25x combined), which is a fairly notable increase in power. Also it’s not 700, since Kenji is on a better upgrade tier… but it is close, it’s a difference of 550 (8950 to 8400).

UX is totally playable, though I haven’t tested it on Citra myself I’ve seen videos and stuff and people say it works. The thing is, UX would require you to do three runs through to grab every secret. It would come with the positive side effect of those secrets carrying over (as in, if you unlock… I dunno, Graham, in your first run, Graham will stay unlocked in every run afterwards automatically without you having to do shit as long as you’re NG+ing. It’s a plot point, even!), but then, most of the secrets are rather insane, requiring upwards of 200 or 300 kills within the run while you’re incapable of relying on the screen because kill carryover across NG+ is rather fucked. And by that I mean someone who ended run 1 with 100 kills might join with like 200+ and none of those kills count for killcount secrets. You have to kill enemies manually.

Fortunately, Game Over grinding does work - if someone kills 30 enemies and then you lose and continue, even though the kill screen doesn’t show it, the game remembers. Typical practice is to get to THE SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH and kill grind there, since everyone except Graham (who is piss easy to get kills for since he only needs like 50) who needs to get kills is on your team at that point.

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

One more mission and we’ll wrap up the Space Route. Ichitaka’s 15 kills ahead of Kenji, so he’ll likely have a solid lead on Daiya once we’re back together.

On upgrades, I’ve gotten Alto and Shinn over 50%, so their bonuses are now, respectively, Mobility +15, crit +20, movement +1, and, Mobility +15, crit +20 and A rank in Space.

Regarding squads, Voltes and Combattler are going out as event units, and while Ozma isn’t showing up in the intermission menu, he WILL be back when the mission actually starts, so you’ll need to set him in then.
Ichitaka
Shinn/Luna
Duo/Hilde
Zechs/Noin
Kenji/Kyo
Jeeg/Micchi
Heine (Gaia)/Quatre
Rey/Luca
Alto/Michel
Iczer-3/Atross
Klan/Yagyuu
Ozma/Canaria

Here we go.

We open up the Quarter, and Mishima’s up on TV, issuing a call to arms: “We sought nothing but peace after we left our homeworld. As we searched for a new planet, we asked simply for a moment of peace at this parallel Earth! But the Vajra attacked, relentless in their desire to eradicate us. We will not bend our knees to their onslaught, however! I, as the 5th president of the Frontier Fleet, solemnly swear that victory will be ours in this holiest of battles! For the people of the Frontier!
Lam is very surprised someone as young as Mishima made it president, and Monica chalks it up to the success of his operation against the Vajra. His speech at Howard’s burial was also quite moving – all in all, he gathered a lot of support. And the guy’s already showing what he’s all about, Kyo noting that the Valkyries are being equipped with some new kind of warhead.
Luca explains that it’s the MDE Warhead, L.A.I.’s newest creation and capable of creating a miniature Fold when it goes off… he only wishes they’d completed it sooner, as maybe Nanase wouldn’t have gotten hurt. But Ippei says it’s not the kid’s company’s fault; moreover, Nagisa points out, our Valkyries are also getting the goods, so he’ll need to stay strong for the battles ahead.

The fact that Mishima doesn’t seem to care that Ranka’s song isn’t available anymore to use against the Vajra makes Quatre wonder if the guy’s THAT confident in the MDE Warhead’s firepower. Ichitaka can see why Mishima’d be all hyped and raring to go, as the things are said to be even stronger than the Reactive Munitions… but knowing how he is, Heine figures Mishima would only be this excited if he was sure he had good odds of winning this.
Good for him, because Ranka is long gone. Duo says her departure was confirmed not only by Alto but by several eyewitnesses and the airlock locks of Island 1: she, Brera and that one Vajra were seen leaving.

Kenichi wonders if the Vajra’s hive is hiding somewhere in this universe, though Alice also raises the possibility that Ranka and Brera might be able to Fold back to the Highly Probably Universe with their Vajra’s help, finding their hive over there. Whatever the case, there’ll be no end to the battle with the bugs until we find and wreck the place. They’re in for a tough fight, Hyouma sighs.
Iczer-3 thinks it’s more sad than anything, figuring the best solution would just be if we could find a way to get along with the bugs (Atross is taken aback by our kindness – a far cry from the Cthulhu).
And with all this crazy stuff that’s happened with Ranka, Bobby has to wonder: what is Ozma doing? Here’s hoping he’s safe…

By Mishima’s office, he’s seen fit to call in Sheryl. She’s a “mere” indie singer now, so what use could he have for her? Well, word has reached him that she has V-Type Infection, and that it’s already reached her brain, meaning it can no longer be treated. Oh? Is he paying attention to what the paparazzi’s rumors, or did the government look into her?
Mishima won’t reveal his source, but the important thing is that her disease has opened a new avenue for her to use. You see, due to the V-Type Infection, Sheryl’s voice is now capable of generating faint Fold Waves – just like the traitor, Ranka Lee.
Does that mean Ranka’s also sick? No, it’s due to something else, though the cause is still unknown. But, regardless, Sheryl can now do what the girl could and Mishima would like to ask that she use her music to save the Frontier Fleet.

Back to the Quarter, Jeffrey’s just assembled the team to pass on some information relayed to us by the President’s Office: they’ve just received reliable intel indicating the location for the Vajra’s homeworld. Not nest, homeworld, and Kentarou says the entire place’s in the process of being Folded into this universe.
Hiyoshi and Ippei are blown away and impressed, as the best us humans can do is just warp our ships around. Regardless, once we’ve confirmed the homeworld’s location, the Frontier Fleet itself will set off to attack it.

This all seems incredibly hasty to Megumi, what with Ranka’s departure, but Kentarou figures they’ll be using Sheryl as her replacement. Alto’s taken aback by that, and the professor explains that her song can now affect the Vajra… likely due to her disease.
Alto, of course, hadn’t heard anything about that, and Michel and Klan figure we’ve no choice but to explain what’s what now.

Alto now understands what was going on with Sheryl, and Kentarou wagers Mishima’s looking at both her and the MDE Warheads as the keys to securing a victory against the Vajra. Ippei raises the fact that the Frontier’s been placed under the UN’s supervision and their actions’ restricted. Won’t unilateral actions – such as up and Folding away at the drop of a hat – make things much more difficult to control for the PLANTs and Lady Une?
Sure, but Kentarou figures Mishima doesn’t take this Earth’s protection to be needed any more. Considering how often forces of this world helped the Frontier defend against the Vajra before, that sounds very selfish to Megumi. Kenichi agrees: how can they simply turn their backs on the crisis enveloping Earth, all the people who’ve risked their lives for them?
Still, those are the options presented to the Quarter now: leave Earth with the Frontier upon Mishima’s command, or stay behind with LOTUS…

But the suddenly appearing Ozma and Cathy say balls to Mishima – that guy’s a criminal! As Bobby cries tears of joy over his return, Ozma apologizes for the worry and explains that they were being pursued by Mishima’s goons and couldn’t get in touch. Mishima’s what now?
Ozma explains how the guy used the Vajra attack as cover to kill Howard, and tried to eliminate them as witnesses. That explains a message Jeffrey received from Birler’s estate not too long ago: it said that the SMS was being disbanded and incorporated into the NUNS. Seems to Canaria that Mishima’s moving for a takeover of the SMS forces, but Ozma refuses to serve someone who killed the president to fulfill his own agenda.

Jeffrey agrees with him, figuring the Quarter’ll need to choose its fate right now, and the path is clear to him: we’ll be cutties ties with the Frontier Fleet. As Bobby scrambles to tell Micchi and Talia, Luca asks if this won’t mean we’ll be tagged as traitors.
If not that, Michel says we’ll at least be deserters, and while Luca’s still worried about Nanase, he can’t turn his back on this. Now, Ozma doubts the Frontier’ll simply let us go, so he wants everyone ready to deploy at the drop of a hat. Before we leave, however, Alto has one thing to take care of: he can’t leave Sheryl in Mishima’s hands.

Mission 31 (Space Route) – Set Out on an Interstellar Flight…

And, indeed, NUNS troops fly out after us the second we start leaving. The President’s Office is demanding we return immediately – the Quarter was never given permission to depart. Not happening, of course, and Jeffrey declares that they’re cutting ties with the Fleet and will be acting independently. The NUNS have orders to shoot us down, in that case!
Talia gets in touch and argues that the SMS is currently assigned to LOTUS, but the NUNS guys aren’t listening. This is a Frontier problem, and we better keep off unless we’re ready to face the consequences! As Meyrin detects their sights being set on us, our hands are forced. Shinn would rather not have to fight people who’ve helped protect the PLANTs before, but Rey knows we’ve no real choice here if they’re not willing to talk.
Jeffrey does apologize for pulling our folks into this, but Talia says it’s fine: we’ll just avoid fighting as much as possible and focus on leaving the area.

Alto’s left Sheryl aboard the Quarter, having quickly shown up and brought her over. She’s very confused with all the stuff going on, but explanations will have to wait a bit. In the meantime, Luca’s asking Jeffrey’s permission to use THAT – we can’t afford to hold anything back if we’re to leave here safely.
And if we’re already being tagged as traitors, Luca figures we should be ready to use all means at our disposal to pull through this and future battles. Fine, Jeffrey allows it, and Luca releases the AI limiters in his three drones. It’s time to engage that which once spread terror across Macross City: the Judah System!
And, with that, Ozma calls for formation My Soul For You. “We’ll show these mooks that we’ll fight not for Mishima, but for the future of the entire Frontier!”

Get any allied ship to the marked area, without losing either of them or the Nagahama bots. Now, despite what Talia said, you’ve no reason to avoid fighting the Frontier guys and, I think, it’s best to actually wreck them all first.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise for you, but we won’t be dealing with JUST a bevy of Macross mooks. In fact, the second a ship enters the area, you’ll be caught in a pincer attack. Not all that dangerous, but there’s no reason you should subject yourself to that in the first place.
And, as you might expect, the Frontier’s Valkyries are very dodgy, but don’t have much by way of defenses – pop Strike and go to town. I suggest you engage this group from one of its wings first, to force the other to come to you. Their missiles have rather long range, so goading them in will make things simpler.

It should also be noted, if it wasn’t clear enough, that the Valkyries now have access to new weapons: all of them have MDE Warheads, which are way stronger than the Reactive ones, and Luca now has access to his new Judah System weapon. It’s basically a better version of his Ghost weapon, which is post-movement and has 3 shots.
Pair that with all the different warheads and Luca’s one of the strongest squaddies around.

: I’d rather not fight the NUNS, but you’re not leaving me any choice…! If you’re set on stopping us from following our path… if you’re gonna try to use us and Sheryl for your schemes, then…!

–

: I get that you’re all giddy with your new weapons, but you’re not winning that war by putting all your eggs in that basket. The Vajra aren’t that weak!

: The Vajra aren’t our only enemies! Chances are the NUNS and SMS alone wouldn’t be able to keep the Frontier safe…!
: So it’s far too dangerous for you to send all of the Fleet towards the Vajra homeworld!

When you roll into the next enemy turn…

: Now what is this… the Macross Quarter is parting with the Frontier Fleet?
: Yes, sir. Moreover, it seems the Fleet’s development of an MDE Warhead has been successful… As they said, necessity is the mother of all invention.
: We can’t well not collect data on that, can we? Prepare all troops to deploy soon.
: Roger.
: What should I do?
: I want you to simply observe how they’ll fight. You’ll likely be facing them soon anyway.
: Your mission is to control my magnum opus absolutely flawlessly, so we shouldn’t rush to send you into combat.
: Copy that. Proceeding as instructed.

: Ken, these people are…!
: I know; they’re soldiers. If the orders are to fight, then they have to comply whether they want to or not!
: But we’re also on that same boat: whoever the enemy is, we have to fight!

: You think these cobbled together fighters can take us own? Someone’s really selling us short, I see!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZM6K4UjrMw
When you first use this weapon, you get this scene:

: Data collection complete. Should we relay these to the Professor’s brain?
: No, this is something we can develop by ourselves. Continue to gather data on LOTUS.
: But we should already have more than enough on these units…
: There’s only so much one can learn from videos and recorded data. I want her to observe, to experience, how these heroes fight with her own eyes.
: …
: Roger that. Carrying on.

: Look at these pirates, thinking they can commandeer our ship. We’re going in, you lot!
, Aye, aye, captain!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipfbkj8HZmU
And here’s Luca’s new trick. It’s pretty good!

Kill everything and the Quarter will move into the evac area.

Beep, beep!

: We’ve multiple heat signatures closing in from 12 o’ clock! It’s!

: Come and show us that new weapon of yours. Let’s see whether or not it’ll amount to a new “potential”…
: And I believe we might as well collect some data on the NUNS as well, just in case (I might have bad news for you…)
: Those are… What are they doing here?!
: These guys always pick the worse moments to crash our parties…!
: Forward, troops! Engage and destroy the new enemies!

I guess they really did expect me to do as the captain said and make a beeline for the escape zone. Whatever the case, your objective now is to destroy all of the new enemies – if there are still NUNS troops alive, you don’t have to take them (though that’d mean less money and we know that’s no good).
As for the Valleys, they’re pretty much the same as the Orb fight. Decently bulky and hard-hitting, but our guys here are some of our strongest. Focus fire them down and do keep an eye out for opportunities to MAPW them with Rey (who should already know Valor).

Finally, you can’t hit the Imperial Valley – not even with Strike. If you tried to attack if with Hyouma, you’d get this:

: We’ve already processed data on all of your weapons. Nothing you have will work.
: That guy’s not taking us seriously…!
: He might have some trick up his sleeve. Keep an eye out!

So all you can do is take out the lesser Valleys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBSls69zyoA
Also, here’s Atross’ Iczer Bomb plus its DK.

Once three turns have passed since the Valleys’ arrival…

: No different from what the data suggested… which means the newest auto-evasion program can easily handle them. (Reported for hacking!)
: Hey, what gives?! It’s using some sort of trick?!
: That’s just like before… when I had to help Kira and Athrun!
: Anything we can do, Kosuke?!
: I’ve nothing! The enemy’s apparently analyzing and predicting any and all of our motions!
: Damn it, then what’re we supposed to do?!
: What the hell are you people doing, letting the enemy get inside your heads?!
: Prof. Sakonji!
: How many battles have you fought until today?! Did you learn so little from them that the enemy can process it all just like that?!
: Get your head in the game and bring out every gram of your strength! Surpass the enemy’s predictions and your own limits!
: Surpass our limits, eh… I like the sound of that!
: This might just be the moment for us to try that again… the attack we used against the Boazans way back when!
: J-Just what’re you planning?!
: Chill, XO – we’ll handle this!

The Combattler moves after the Imperial Valley.

: Super Electromagnetic Tornado, followed by the Spin… I just have to avoid being hit by the Tornado, and the rest will be relatively easy to dodge.
: I don’t need to tag you with the Tornado… I just gotta do this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWwWU3GCB_8
Hyouma: Kosuke, bring our super electromagnetic energy into the red!
Kosuke: You got it, Hyouma! Forming a super EM field around the Combattler!
Juzo: Get in there, Hyouma!
Soldier: How… they stopped my movements without resorting to the Tornado?!

: Wh-what was… that attack?!
: Now, Kenichi!
: I’m on it! Here we go, guys!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E7kIi3HSsg
Megumi: We’re going with that move, huh?
Ippei: Just gotta think back to that hellish training we went through!
Kenichi: We’re going!
Soldier: This can’t be! Our predictions said nothing of them being able to do something like that!

: Impossible…! We should already have analyzed those units’ capabilities from top to bottom! This… this is…!
: Kch… E-Engage the emergency repair!

: What…?! An error?!
: The enemy’s movements have grown sluggish! We should be able to attack it now!
: Alright, then let’s go and finish him off for good!

: Decided to come out your hidey-hole, eh, Mr. Stalker?!
: I haven’t the time to play with you. There are too many tests left to be done…!

: Ichitaka, the more we let this battle drag on, the more they’ll be able to gather data on us!
: We still don’t know what these guys are after, but I guess nothing good’ll come out of letting them do that, yeah? Then let’s save the questions for later and just worry about trashing ‘em all quick!

: Who are you?! Why did you kidnap Ichitaka’s professor, and what did you target us for…? Answer me!
: We’ve already applied the Orb data. I should be able to keep up with him now…!

: What’s up, Red Bot? Where’d all that attitude from before go?
: I’m not finished yet! I just have to put the Imperial Valley’s full capacity to use and your measly Super Electromagnetic Robot will be easy pickings…!

The Voltes and Combattler now have a combined attack, but I forgot about it! We’ll see it next mission.

: Hell, yeah!
: We did it, Hyouma!
: A very good job, all of you. That was some fine teamwork!
: Yow! Did Prof. Sakonji actually give us props?
: Hah, maybe someone oughta check if Hell’s frozen over.
: Are you volunteering, Juzo? Because I can provide some extra training that’ll send you straight there…!
: S-Sorry, sir…!
: All unknown units have retreated from the sector.

If NUNS units are still alive…

: What’re these people made of…! They drove out all of those unknowns…!
: These cowards…! It’s because you’re like that that we need to handle everything!
: But you soldiers will have to keep the Frontier safe… just be careful around Mishima.

: Here’s our chance. We’ll evacuate the area and reorganize.

: I suppose regular humans really can’t use the Imperial Valley to its full capacity…
: You’ll be leading the troops next deployment. Is that fine with you?
: Yes, master. It is no problem at all.

: Sorry for dragging you like that, but I didn’t want to leave you in Mishima’s hands. Not in the state you’re in…
: Aaah… You’ve heard about it, huh? And you were the one person I really didn’t want to find out…
: Sheryl, please… stop pushing yourself. You don’t need to force a smile, or carry on with that act anymore…
: No!
: !
: I’m going to keep singing – I have to keep singing! That’s the only way I’ll leave proof that I ever existed…!
: Sheryl…
: But… it’s almost too much. I’m all alone, watching as my life crumbles away… and it scares me…!
: Strange, isn’t it…? I’m Sheryl Nome… I’d decided to live the rest of my life like that, and look at me now…
: … I’ll be right there with you!
: Alto…
: If you’re going to sing, then I’ll stay by your side until the very last moment!
: Alto…
: … Alto, please grant me some courage. Just enough to carry on singing for as long as I can…!
: Sheryl…

By Talia’s office, she informs Durandal of Mishima breaking the Frontier’s treaty with the UN. If nothing’s done, won’t this be a heavy blow to Durandal, and the PLANTs’, position? Indeed, and Durandal’s disappointed: he’d hoped to hold talks with the guy. But it’s already too late, as Durandal informs that, just now, the Frontier Fleet Folded out of the solar system before the PLANTs could do anything to keep them in check.
Talia sees that their attack on us was meant to do nothing but stall for time as they prepared to leave, and Durandal figures they all fell for Mishima’s plan. Whatever the case, he’ll figure out what to do about this. In the meantime, he has intel for Talia: they’ve finally located Djibril.
So the time has come to track down the Logos remnants, and Durandal’s already requested LOTUS’ support with it. Once the Earth troops are up top, the Minerva and the rest of our group will rendezvous with them and pursue Djibril.

Cut to the Quarter’s briefing room, Ozma hands a disc to Kentarou. It’s filled with data he and Cathy gathered from the government computers while they were investigating Mishima; among which, some worrying information regarding Grace. Luca remembers Sheryl’s former manager (and Ranka’s current one) and, when Kenichi asks, Ozma says she was the one who suggested that Mishima weaponized the singers’ music against the Vajra.
Kentarou figures Ozma is worried that the lady might have her own plans, and Sheryl steps in, demanding they let her in on this conversation. From what Grace herself said, she deliberately gave Sheryl the V-Type Infection after picking her up from the Macross Galaxy’s slums. As the disease developed, her singing started to affect the Vajra apparently – and Grace sought to have her work as a tool for Mishima’s plot.

Nagisa’s appalled over the woman using Sheryl’s life as a plaything, but she disagrees: she’s not being used, and never will be. “My life belongs to no one but me. Everything I’ve done to this day, I did because I wanted to – and I’ll carry on living that way. I am Sheryl Nome!”
Well, Michel figures Alto’ll have to be there for her all the way – he’s the only one who could manage to lift her spirits like that. And he’s alright with that: “Sheryl… I swear I’ll be your rock,” he thinks.

Now, Alice hands Sheryl a fresh batch of her medicine and asks that she keep taking it. It should at least allow her to carry on with her everyday life. Sheryl’s not one to ignore doctor’s orders, so she promises.
All that said, there’s still one big question in Ichitaka’s eyes: Brera. We’ve been told that he’d been taking orders from the government, but, from what Ozma’s found, his recent escapade wasn’t part of that. There was no information whatsoever about it on the data they found.
But Zechs figures we’ll have to worry about him later. Right now, we should focus on dealing with Lord Djibril. Inwardly, though, Ozma prays that Ranka’s safe.

Speaking of, we find Brera and Ranka out in the middle of nowhere, some distant corner in space. She thanks him for helping her with this, flying all the way here, but he was eager to help. He was supposed to be no more than a fighting machine, but when he heard her sing, something washed over him – this is him paying her back for it.
Ai-kun’s still bouncing around, and Ranka tells him it won’t be long before he’s home. With that, she starts singing Aimo…

[Mattman324]

Fun fact here - Combattler and Voltes’s moves are both taken from the show, but neither have been in SRW at this point. Combattler still has quite a few moves that haven’t, despite having like 25 in the older games. Their new attacks have DKs, by the way.

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

And we are back from the route split – it’s now just a strait shot to the end! And, indeed, Ichitaka’s Vajra rampages have given him a sizeable lead over Daiya and Kenji. Can he keep that through the 10 missions we’ve left?

Few upgrades went to some squaddies, but the more important part is that Mazinkaiser came 40% upgraded and is now up to 50. Its squad bonus is now Armor + 200, Dodge + 15, with Tetsuya also taking a few pips.
And, in case you’re wondering, our new Katou friends all come 40% upgraded as well.

Ichitaka and Shinn are deploying as event units and, much to my dismay, we’re only allowed 12 slots in the upcoming mission. As such, the squads we’ll be deploying are:
Kouichi/Quatre
Daiya/Deceive
Lee/Norza
Kenji/Kyo
Shinji/Rey
Kouji/Sawatari (accelerate and flies – that’s all I care)
Tetsuya/Canaria
Dancouga/Hilde
Goh/Yanma
Eida/Anna
Combattler/Miu (shrug)
Voltes/Puria

We’ll give Wufei and Yulianne some time to play later on.

Forward!

We open up at the moon’s Daedalus Base, where Djibril’s just arrived. He’s very much cross with the Coordinators (more so than usual, at least) for reducing his life to such indignity and asks how are preparations for THAT.
His goon says it’ll be good to go very soon and Djibril’s glad – his only regret is that he won’t get to see the horror that’ll set in Durandal’s face. When Relena asks what he’s up to, he says he’s just going to “play a little song”.
A song? “Yes, a requiem for all of the space monsters.”

Cut to the Flag, already in space, and it’s catch-up time. Here are the important/amusing bits:

• As Ishigami explains that Reiji attacked us to push Kouichi into growing as a Factor, it turns out Sawatari and the other Katou captains weren’t really in on their boss’ actual agenda – they were fighting us legit, unlike FiveheadWufei. He tells Sawatari that he didn’t outright know, but he had an inkling of what was up after using some of their vaunted IMAGINATION. Not his problem the others couldn’t do the same.
• FYI, as Rey and Kouichi point out, none of this excuses all the crap the Katou Organization has done – we just have bigger, interdimensional, fish to fry right now.
• Asuka singles out “the Cthulhu girl” among our space crew, but Iczer-3 tells her not to say that: Atross is our friend now. Indeed, the girl declares she’s made up her mind to help Nagisa and her allies, and if Asuka thinks that’s stupid – so be it. “That’s stupid,” she immediately proclaims… then continues, “But we’re all just as bad, so I won’t say anything. Strength and stupidity seem to go hand-in-hand, I guess.” Atross is grateful to hear that.
• Dick extends his condolences to Klan over what happened to Michel (if you let him get wrecked), but she says all of them were aware death was a possibility whenever they deployed. Lou, however, tells her not to let revenge become the sole driving force in her life and Klan understands. And she’s a Zentran, so she’ll just be ready to fight when the time is right (Nene can see that she’s masking her feelings, but says nothing).

So, good news is that teaming up with the Katou Organization has taken one enemy faction of our plate… but, as Reiji points out, that spot has been taken by Central, so we’re not better off. Plus there’s still the Vajra, Moon WILL, the Logos remnants, the Cthulhu and that mysterious group that the Archangel team was chasing. Katou actually knows who those guys are: the New United Nations Government, the ruling body of the regular humans in the Highly Probable World!
As Luca gasps, Katou asks how much Cathy’s aware of the situation on their homeworld after the Frontier’s departure. All she heard from Mishima is that the Government had gotten into a war with someone, and Katou clears up the writing on the wall: the enemy in said war was Central.
That strikes Ichitaka as weird since, as he heard, when those guys attacked Misaki and kidnapped Grife, Katou’s group ignored them. If they were posing as Central’s allies back then, shouldn’t they have attacked?

Not quite, and Katou will take this opportunity to explain: Central and the New United Nations Government are now allies. When he said Central’d deemed them to have the potential to be useful to the whole, this is what he meant. You see, the Highly Probable World is not only haunted by a chronic energy deficiency, but was also previously assailed by alien invaders.
As Alto knows, that is what lead to them dispatching the Macross fleets out into space. Another way the Government found to deal with the energy crisis was to start fusing cybernetic implants into people.
But while doing so is perfectly legal in some Macross Fleets, many on Earth looked at it with fear and suspicion. Thus, those who’d undergone full integration with machines – the Machina-Humans – were rounded up away from the eye of the common folk.

That’s the first Nagisa’s ever heard of that, but Katou isn’t surprised. The New United Nations Government is very adept at information control, and they’ve kept much from ever becoming public knowledge – going back as far as the incident where Sharon Apple, a groundbreaking AI, went out of control… though Luca should be privy to details on that.
Whatever the case, the secluded Machina-Humans began secretly bolstering their numbers and, guided by their collective consciousness seeking more and more efficiency, produced the combat-specialized Machinas and declared war on humanity.
The humans had a very difficult fight on their hands, compounded by the energy shortage. But it all eventually ended in a cease-fire put together by an anti-war faction within the New United Nations Government. They were hailed as heroes by the people, and in very short time, saw a huge increase in their power and influence.
They gave Central sovereignty over its territory, and even brokered the construction of city meant as a hub of cultural and technological exchange between humans and Machina-Humans. It was in that city where Emi, Katou and Amagatsu lived. In Central’s eyes, that city facilitated its survey of what kind of technologies humanity was creating.

Amagatsu Kizaki was especially worthy of attention for Central, with his development of Factor technology, various Assault Machinas and trans-dimensional travel. The guy carried on his research, playing at the loyal scientist, and eventually built the Linebarrel – the ultimate Machina-Kiler – in secret.
Amagatsu teleported the Assault Machinas he’d been developing into this world… and that was when Central decided he had to go, culminating in Katou having to kill him. His “loyalty” assured, Katou came to this world and arrived twenty years ago, way before Emi got through (Time displacement? Was Emi put in stasis for those decades, like in the manga? The anime doesn’t explain.), whereupon he formed his Organization and began searching for the Machinas Amagatsu sent over.
However, right after the Second Impact had hit, he ran into someone else from the Highly Probable World – someone who’d made the jump around the same time he did.

That’d be one Ludo Gloria – the goddamn PRESIDENT of the New United Nations Government, and the founder of GreAT in this world. Seems to Rachel that we were right to suspect the company. The man, in order to keep what remained of mankind from being turned into a Machinas, struck a deal with Central: he’d come to this world and look for any tech and intellectually-gifted people that could be useful for the collectivity.
GreAT and the Katou Organization cooperated with one another every now and then, but Katou can’t give us more details on the front. All dealings with that group were handled by Masaki, so, much to his embarrassment, he doesn’t know anything else.

Ichitaka won’t give him crap, but at the very least he and Alice now know why they took Grife and kept on stalking us: it’s all part of their scheme to bring Central new goodies. LOTUS is a cornucopia of valuable samples, with all our myriad high-tech units and, as WILL put it, the massive potential we have.
That makes it all but certain to Hiroshi that they’ll be coming after us again, but Kouji isn’t scared now that we’re starting to understand what we’re dealing with. First things first, though, Rey says we need to deal with Djibril. Misato and Ozma agree, being especially worried as to what that crazy guy my try to pull now that he’s backed against the wall.

We’re interrupted when the alarm sounds and Emi gets a startling message: something has just attacked the PLANTs’ Januarius colonies, causing catastrophic damage!
Shinn, Lunamaria, everyone is dumbstruck as images of the destruction arrive, and we get a transmission from Durandal soon after. When Talia asks, he says Djibril is the one behind it, having blasted the colonies with a weapon at the Daedalus Base.
But isn’t said base at the far side of the moon, Quatre points out – it shouldn’t be capable of getting an angle to fire at the PLANTs. Durandal sighs that they also thought the same, which is why they were only keeping an eye on Logos’ Arzachel Base (which has line of sight with the PLANTs). None of them expected the enemy to be capable of something like this.

As data starts coming in, Rey realizes the problem: Logos has retrofitted a bunch of abandoned colonies as gigantic relay stations to deflect their beam blast in any direction they wish – nowhere is safe.
Rey grunts that the deaths of all these people are our responsibility since we didn’t kill Djibril back at Orb, but Talia says dwelling on the past won’t help. We need to think of something to do NOW, and Durandal agrees: Daedalus Base needs to be assaulted, conquered, and Djibril has to be dealt with immediately.
It’s high time put a full stop to this war, Misato thinks, and Durandal wishes us all good luck in our offensive.

Now, if you did things differently from what we did…

: Damn that Djibril… I won’t let him kill any more innocents…!
: Don’t beat yourself over this… the guy’s escape at Orb was GreAT’s fault – they’re the ones to blame.
: Maybe, but I can’t bring myself to look at it like that… whoever’s at fault, the fact is all the lives that’ve been taking will never come back…!
: Shinn, I know you’re getting ready to deploy, but there was someone who insisted on seeing you immediately.
: Someone…?
: Yes. You see, the Flag’s infirmary and other facilities were the ones at JUDA HQ, so…
: Shiiiiiiiiinn!

Jumping hug!

: S-Stella! What’re you doing here? Should you really be up and about?!
: Yes, I’m all better, so I asked them to let me see you!
: You’re “all better”… really?
: Hmhmm. Everyone came through and we manage to fully heal the side-effects of her Extended conditioning.
: So she can go on living as a regular girl?
: Yes, she can!
: Oh, thank god… I’m so happy for you, Stella.
: Thanks, but… Shinn, I’m also going to be fighting with you!
: Fight with— S-Stella, no! You don’t have to take part in anything like that anymore.
: I’m only here because you and your friends helped me… So now I want to help you all back!
: Stella…
: I can see where she’s coming from. Having to just sit and watch as people that are dear to you throw themselves into the fire is very, very tough…
: We understand that you don’t want her to get wrapped up in another battle, but if she’s that important to you, then I think there are times where you should respect her wishes.
: Anna… Goh… Alright, Stella. But please don’t do anything crazy out there. This next battle will be a lot tougher from the ones before.
: Okay! I’ll help in any way I can!

Elsewhere, the Eternal crew has pinged GreAT’s forces headed for Daedalus Base as well. Makes sense to Waltfeld and Mu, especially in light of the new intel LOTUS sent them IDing the guys as essentially an R&D team for Central.
A giant beam cannon and colonies capable of relaying it to attack anywhere sounds like something they’d be interested in, alright. Lacus feels like the time has come for the Eternal to step into the limelight, so she tells Kira and the others to set a course for Daedalus.

Mission 32 – The Song That Was Played

: ZAFT troops are now engaging our forces at satellite orbit!
: Hmph, they don’t know when they’re beaten… the next REQUIEM shot will obliterate Aprillius, and with Durandal gone, that’ll be check mate.
: You… How could you create something like this…?!
: Because I had to – it is a mighty crucible with which to purify space. And once that’s all done, you’ll rise to lead the Earth Sphere… just like the good old days, “Queen Relena”.
: Don’t be ridiculous! I’d never go along with that a plan like that!
: Your wants matter absolutely nothing. I just need you to look the part… and I have many ways to make that happen.
: (Heero… at this rate, I…!)

: LOTUS?! What’re they doing here?!
: The majority of the enemy forces are currently engaging the fleet at satellite orbit!
: Looks like the plan went off without a hitch. All that’s left now is to bring down Daedalus Base!
: Rrgh, deploy all remaining troops! Do whatever it takes to hold that line!

: HYAHAHAHAHAHA! Look at all these annoying little flies! I’m gonna squish you all into paste!
: That voice… It’s the Extended we fought at Heaven’s Base…!
: Sting, stop! It’s me, Stella! Come with me, please!
: Stella…? I dunno any Stella! I’ve always killed alone, and that’s exactly what I’ll do here!
: They went overboard with his adjustments… he’s gone…
: All we can do now is put him out of his misery, then.
: Sting…

If you didn’t get Stella, it’ll be Shinn speaking in her place, only with more “angry” and less “sad”.

One last battle with Logos, and they bring absolutely nothing new to the table. We, on the other hand, are even stronger than during our battle at Orb, so even with the reduced numbers, we’ll carve a bloody swathe through them. Just don’t lose a ship, Ichitaka or Shinn.
In the interest of saving time, I say try to have Rey MAPW the Destroy pack and shave off about half their health with Valor. Aside from that, it’s no different from what we did before – easier, even, because they’ll packed in a tighter area.
Sting’s by far the bigger threat, but he can easily be burned down before he has a chance to do any damage with his own MAPW.

As you’re approaching, on turn 2…

: What are you all doing?! Isn’t REQUIEM done charging yet?!
: Currently at 70%! Just a few more minutes…
: No, this is good enough! Aim the blast at LOTUS! Once they’re out of the picture, there won’t be anyone capable of stopping us…!

Alarm!

: …! Energy spike within Daedalus Base! I think it’s the weapon that attacked the PLANTs!
: They’re targeting us! All troops, evasive maneuvers!
: We can’t! There’s not enough time…!
: I’m afraid this is where we part, LOTUS. Goodbye.

Energy Charge!

: Kch… Wh-What happened?!
: Someone’s attacked REQUIEM! The muzzle… has been destroyed…!
: Whaaat?!

: There you are, Heero.
: Yeesh… the guy always knows the right time to pop out the woodwork.
: Lord Djibril… I’m taking Relena back today.
Blast you straight to hell, Heero Yui…! How dare you destroy my beautiful REQUIEM!
: But that doesn’t mean this is over! And where is the ambush we had set up?!
: We have nothing, Mr. Djibril! We can’t get in touch with him!
: What?! D-Did he abandon me…?!
: You pathetic man… even now you haven’t realized how you have been played.
: S-Shut your mouth…! This isn’t over yet! I just have to win this one battle…!

Don’t lose Heero either. Now off we go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCOgVqJwNjg
Here’s the DK for Sawatari’s best trick.

Oh, by the way, the Linebarrel can’t use Trans-Am yet. That said, he now has fully unlocked the Override attack and skill!

: You won’t be making anyone else miserable…! The Destiny and I’ll put the final nail into Logos’ coffin today!

: The world Gil envisions has no place for someone like Lord Djibril. Your insane agenda has gone on for far too long…!

: I won’t be leaving here without Relena… Anyone who gets in the way won’t be there for long…!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNYmrV3Z8Do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9r5yse7QZw
And I found worthy targets to showcase the very swanky DKs for the Nagahamas’ new attacks!
Can you hear Kenichi yelling VOOOOOLTES FIIIIIIIIIIVE inside your head? I can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PtRRH3YjUY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3cqnjG6Pc0
Also, damn, did they go all-out with this attack. Glorious.

Sting’s about to get blown to kingdom come by a valored Face Open: The Great, so here’s what Stella had to say to him:

: Please, Sting! Come with us! You can’t stay with them!
: Aah? Who the hell are you?!
: Well, whatever, I can kill you first and then deal with the others! I feel like a million bucks right now!

: HYAAHAHAHAHA! Burn! Burn! Everything is burning…!
: Stiiiiiing!
: …!
: Ste…lla…?
: Sting?!
: He went back to normal?!
: You were… alive… Stella…
: Yes, and we can all live together, Sting! I don’t… I don’t want anyone else to die…!
: You said… Hah… You’re a normal girl again… Glad to see that… Stella…
: Sting, eject! Quick! You can’t die!
: Sorry… But I can’t just… let Auel by himself. He’ll get lonely…
: Be happy… Stella…

His Destroy explodes.

: S-STIIIIIIIIIIING…!
: The Extended… yet another group victimized by this war…
: Thank you… Sting… and goodbye…

: Looks like that’s all of them.
: Stop right there, LOTUS.
: Lord Djibril… are you finally ready to call it quits?
: Hardly. Did you forget that I still have Vice-Foreign Minister Darlian here with me?
: Djibril…!
: You seriously gonna try a cheap shot like that, ya crook?!
: Victory is all that’s important, not how you achieve it. Now, if you would, put down your weapons and surrender immediately.
: C-Captain…
: …
: What will it be, then…?
: Do not worry about me! Just stop him!
: Hah, do you think any of them would be capable of doing anything like that?
: …

Heero charges towards REQUIEM!

: Wha?! Did you not hear what I said? I—
: Forget me, Heero. Just destroy us both.
: Mission… accepted.
: Ha-Hahahaha… You’re bluffing. You won’t actually shoo—

: He actually shot?!
: Let him handle this one, guys.

: H-He’s aiming right at us…! Does he not care what happens to her?!
: Your threats won’t work on him. Accept your defeat and surrender, I say.
: Hrm! No, not yet…! The Arzachel Base is still under my control! If I can just make it there…!
: He’s trying to run off again!
: Not this time, Djibril…

: (Hold on, Relena.)
: This way, Heero.
: Your infiltration mission is also ending today, it seems.
: Save that for later. Djibril is not too far – follow me.

Little bit later…

: Contact! There they are!
: Djibril went through there. Go. I’ll hold them off.
: Sorry for this. I’ll see you soon…!

: Damn it all, I can’t die yet…!

:tfrxmas:

: Stop right there, Djibril. Let Relena go.
: Heero!
: No, you stop! Do you not care if this woman dies?!
: If you want to shoot me, then be my guest. I’m ready to face my end.
: Wh-What… You lie…!
: Shoot her if you will. But the moment you pull that trigger…
: I’ll kill you.
: Tch…! Damn it!

Throws Relena!

: Aah!
: Relena!
: Now’s my chance!

Runs off.

: Are you alright?
: I am. Thank you, Heero… but Djibril…
: … He won’t be a problem.

: Hurry! Get us to Arzachel Base! I can still—

Shinn intercepts!

: Wh-What…?!
: You’re not getting away today! The world that gave birth to men like me… it ends, here and now, with you!
: S-Stop! STOOOOOOP!!

“Djibril! I’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done! Ever!”

“So many people died because of you!”

“I won’t let you create any more war!”

“You’re finished!”

: I-I’m the one meant to rule this world…! I-I cannot… GAAAAAAAARGH!!

: And so ends Logos…

: It’s already done, it seems.
: Heero, Trowa! You’re safe!
: And by the looks of things, they’re also got the lady back all safe and sound.
: My sincerest thanks, LOTUS. With Djibril gone and the remaining Logos members already in custody, their organization is, for all intents and purposes, finished.
: Dad, mom… Mayu… I’ve done it. It might just be a small step in the right direction, but at least we’ve ended this war…
: Shinn…
: Don’t let your guard down just yet, Shinn!

: The Archangel! And the Eternal!
: Be careful. They’re coming!

Alarm!

: Multiple signals closing in overhead! It… It’s GreAT!

: They’ve broken through all those defending forces and destroyed REQUIEM… Impressive. Their growth is far exceeding our expectations.
: That said, my AI should also be perfect now… let’s put it to the test.
: You’re still hounding us to collect our data?!
: … Wait, was that voice just now—?!
: Haruno? Is that you?!
: Not quite. I am HL-1… a new defense mechanism “potential” created by Prof. Kral Grife’s brain.
: I see… so you’re kind of like her sister?
: Yes, though our basic design philosophies are very different… and the professor didn’t voluntarily create me, either.
: What…?!
: You… How much did you hurt Grife to force him to do as told?!
: You misunderstand; we did not actively force him. Rather, we simply analyzed his brain waves… Boazan technology is a thing of wonder, you see.
: … And just to confirm our suspicions, tell us: what are you all after?
: You already know what: survey all the technology, the weaponry, present within LOTUS that has the potential to be deemed useful by Central. Nothing more, nothing less.
: Alright, I think I’ve had enough of your shtick. If you wanna see what we’re about, how strong we are, then we’ll show you ‘til your eyes pop out!
: Do it, then. Help me experience the full might of the strongest fighting force in the Earth Sphere.
: All troops, pull yourselves back together and set forth! Everything we did would be for nothing if we were beaten here!
: Mission… accepted.

You might not have realized it, since she didn’t speak, but we actually got a new surprise addition to our forces!

Dom Trooper (Hilda Harken)
Pilot Skills:
Sword Cut
Shoot Down
Shield Defense
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L2
Attack Combo L2
Spirit Commands:
Focus
Accelerate
Vigor
Alert
Valor
Squad Bonus: 1000 Barrier, Armor +100, Crit rate +10

How’s that for a surprise? You get SEED’s phony Black Tri-Stars (though Mars and Herbert are attack only)! You can’t really expect the world from Doms, but it’s decent enough (range tops at 3, so that ain’t great) and Hilda isn’t a bad pilot at all. The squad bonus is a nice fit for a Super, too.
All in all, Hilda is purely squaddie fodder, but she could do a lot worse in that department than what she got.

Eternal (Lacus Clyne, Martin DaCosta)
Pilot Skills:
SEED
Shoot Down
Commander L3
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L2
Attack Combo L2
Spirit Commands - Lacus:
Bless
Cheer
Mercy
Daunt
Sense
Spirit Commands - DaCosta:
Accelerate
Invincible
Strike
Iron Wall
Valor
Unit Features:
Gun
Repair Module
Resupply Module
Squad Bonus: EN +50

Rinse and repeat what I said in W and Z1: Lacus is, as always, one of the best pure support units in the game. Cheer and Bless in one unit is always good, her SEED bonus paired with DaCosta’s spirits means the ship isn’t helpless in combat (though it’s not the best there, what with its crap armor) and it being around allows Kira and Athrun to use their METEOR combo attacks.
If you’re deploying the SEED boys, deploying the Eternal should be something to be considered. That said, if you don’t want to, you can probably make do without since they also have a combo attack of their own.

Imperial Valley (HL-1)
Pilot Skills:
Sword Cut
Shoot Down
Counter
Break Morale Limit
Guard
Prevail L7
Support Attack L3
Support Defense L3
Attack Combo L2

That’s a very extensive list of skills, and HL-1 does justice to all the hype with massive stats across the board – it’s not just a random mook relying on auto-dodge to win! On the other hand, the Imperial Valley is not all that different from before; if you didn’t go too crazy with your SP, you should have enough for Valors and Strikes, so HL-1 won’t last long.
If you’re running low, though, you might have some trouble as she’ll turn very dodgy and resilient once that big Prevail gets going. If anything, make sure you spread out your guys as you can to avoid free chain attacks.

As we all start closing in, on the next turn…

: Yuu!
: Seems he really is focusing on just GreAT now.
: We’re not the same as before… We will beat that machine this time…!
: You’re losing your cool, Yuu. We can’t stand up to GreAT by ourselves – you know that.
: As your tactical advisor, it is my recommendation that we cooperate with LOTUS.
: … We don’t need their help. The two of us and the Straybird can pull through this…! Come on…!
: … Roger…!

: That unit and its pilot have already plateaued… We’ve been given permission to destroy it. In that case…

Letting Yuu get destroyed is a game over, mind. He has a decent amount of HP but will jump straight into the fray, so, if you tarry, evasion decay will start building up and he might find himself in trouble.

I’ll pop a Confuse cast just to eliminate the chance of the RNG getting sassy while I clear up the mooks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5_FiUEEqac
Let’s get this out of the way right now and showcase Hilda’s ultimate technique: lining up!

Oh, and I just remembered that the Akatsuki’s swapped to its Shiranui Frame. Contrary to the Oowashi, this is very much a ranged attack form – specifically, for use in space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhLBWgbATBM
Lacus’ strongest attack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvrCs5gMXGU
And since we’re at it, Kouichi found this little Strike Valley to help showcase his new trick. It’s pretty dang powerful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cXSrr93RT8
Not as powerful as this, though! By the by, I did not use valor and Kouji’s yet to receive his Infights.

: The unit has been perfectly fine-tuned. As for my own motions… no abnormalities detected.
: Come. My trial run demands your participation…!

Once you damage HL-1, the plot kicks in.

: We’ve confirmed damage on the enemy unit. This could be our chance.
: Yeah. We’ll end this right now…!

Yuu charges after HL-1

: Hm, I see you’ve ever-so-slightly improved your skill and performance. That said…

: What…?!
: The Imperial Valley was built based on combat data from all of you, and designed to exceed your parameters in all aspects.
: In other words, even if you’ve managed to somewhat rise above the projected standard, it is still not enough to challenge me.
: Gch… I can’t go down here! I have to save my grandfather…!
: Hrk… We really cannot do this on our own…!
: It is the end of the road for you. Ultimately, you just couldn’t prove yourself to be a new “potential”.

: Stop right there…!

: Kch…!
: Stay out of this, Ichi—
: You huge idiot!
: …!
: Why do you always gotta be so stubborn?! Just shut up and listen for a second!
: When you’re not strong enough to handle something, just go and ask others for help! And, in turn, when they’re having a hard time, you help them back!
: Even if people are weak by themselves, they get as strong as they need to be by helping each other!
: Ichitaka…
: Yuu… I’m sure you’ve realized the limits of your strength.
: “They get as strong as they need to be by helping each other…”
: We fought by ourselves, while you fought relying on the bonds between you and your teammates… Is that what differentiates us? (Well, when fighting him means going up against Mazinkaiser, Gaiking the Great, Jeegs, etc., yes.)

Alert!

: …! Watch out! Energy spike on the enemy!
: Ah, crap…!

: Bro… you saved me…?

The Straybird turns friendly!

: I was weak… in both mind and body.
: So I’ll try things your way – this strength that comes from fighting together with others…!
: Yuu…!
: Come on, Ichitaka!
: Yeah! We’ll give her an eyeful of what we can do!

Straybird (Yuunagi Grife, HL-0 Haruno)
Pilot Skills:
Sword Cut
Shoot Down
Counter
Predict
Prevail L6
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L1
Attack Combo L2
Spirit Commands – Yuu:
Focus
Sense
Mercy
Drive
Soul
Spirit Commands – Yuu:
Accelerate
Scan
Snipe
Trust
Confuse
Squad Bonus:Mobility +5, Accuracy +5, A in Air

Now that’s a proper Skill list. Yuu’s got a lot of good stuff going for him and, his past humiliation at our hands notwithstanding, he’s actually a really damn good pilot. His stats are huge, especially Range and Evasion, and Predict plus his Imaginary Road ability makes the Straybird a really hard target to hit.
Hit & Away would be nice for him as only his two weakest moves are post-movement and the Rushbird outright hits harder, but the Straybird is still a very fine unit. Having Haruno’s spirit set and the Air terrain bonus at least makes him a very worthwhile squaddie to deploy, though you can easily have him lead something.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHa0FCEt4NI
Before we stomp HL-1 into mush, did you know Kira’s moveset straight-up changes when you’re up in space? His DRAGOON-based weapons don’t even show up if you’re not, so let’s make use of them now.
And of course they gave him the not-Newtype flash.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAvMtv33ZF8
Finally, the combo attack between the Nagahamas that I said I forgot to show off last mission!

: You will not amount to new “potential” – that has already been proven. Your continuous opposition is a waste of time.
: I’ll admit that my heart was weak.
: But I’ve watched Ichitaka grow before my very eyes. And now…!

Haruno: “She’s a combat AI with the same functionalities as me…”
Yuu: “Stay calm. Our skill and experience far exceed hers… We’ll have her down in 40 seconds!”

: You might be another sister model of Alice, but that don’t mean I’m cutting you any slack! Hand over the professor right now!
: I cannot accept that request. The professor’s brain still has much use for us… It is a valuable apparatus with which new “potential” may be produced.
: “Apparatus”…! The professor isn’t a thing, and we’ll be rescuing him from your clutches no matter what it takes!

: Why…? According to our data, I should’ve been superior to them in all accounts…
: Do they, perhaps, hold something that our data couldn’t quantify…?

: All enemy forces destroyed and no other signals incoming!
: But that command unit sure was strong… Looks like they weren’t pulling our legs when they said it was made based on our data.
: Still, don’t you think this was a bit weird? They fought us fair and square today, unlike when they jumped us out in space…
: Maybe this was some sort of experiment. Those guys upgrade their unit and pilot with unbelievable speed, after all…
: In regards to the pilot, judging by what we saw today, this was likely a test run for that android.
: Do they mean to deliver her to Central, I wonder…
: They can upgrade as much as they want, we still ain’t losing this… Right, Yuu?
: …

Trowa was too far away to attack anything, but he did have a line:

: My Logos infiltration mission is finally over. Now I am once again Trowa Barton of the Preventers.

: You’re leaving, Yuu?! But the battle just ended!
: I’ve caused you and your teammates too much trouble… I don’t deserve to fight at your side after all that.
: … Yuu, that stuff I said about helping each other? You were the one who taught me that ages ago, remember?
: I did…?
: I’d just lost my parents, so I was really down back then. You probably didn’t think what you said was anything special – just random stuff to cheer me up…
: But I only survived ‘til now thanks to those words and the help of my friends.
: Ichitaka…
: Lend us a hand, please, bro… Not for my sake, but for the professor and the whole world’s…!
: …

By the bridge, Sayaka’s very relieved that Djibril’s finally gone. Trowa apologizes for all the times he had to fight us, and he properly introduces himself to everyone. Ichitaka grumbles that Une could’ve told us he was an agent and they would’ve held back against him…
Of course, that couldn’t happen – it’d mean risking exposing his actual identity to Logos. Duo remembers the old “to fool your enemies, you must fool your friends” thing, but he at least knows that Trowa’s a certified tough-nut-to-crack.
Same goes for Heero, Wufei sniffs, and Shinn finally get to meet the guy in the flesh. Heero thanks him for the assist at Heaven’s Base and will be accompanying us as a way to pay back that debt.

Relena herself has no qualms with this, telling Heero to carry on with his own battle. She, meanwhile, will be waiting for him back on Earth. “Your Gundam is the stone upon which absolute peace will be made real… so use it to bring hope to everyone’s hearts.”
Iczer-3 asks if she wouldn’t feel safer staying close by, where we could protect her? No, her eyes are now fixated on the future of Earth and that easily lets her stand strong, no matter how frightful the situation. As she leaves, Daiya’s really impressed with her strong aura.

: Relena’s already left, huh?
: Yes, she set off for Earth not long ago.
: The Katou Organization selected several of its top fighters to escort her, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
: You’ve befriended even the Katou Organization…? So this is the kind of group you’ve both been a part of…
: Heh, yeah, I really lucked out here having folks like Kouichi and Yamashita and…
: Aah, I better stop reminiscing or we’ll be here all day – the point is a ton of people here helped me out. I might still be a rookie here, but I think it’s a really good team.
: Hey there, Ichitaka’s bro! What’re you doing here in this corner?
: …
: We got a briefing coming up real soon, so you two need to get going! They’ll be mad if you’re late!
: But Haruno and I… time and again we got in your way, never thinking of anything but our own agenda…
: All water under the bridge, guy.
: Huh…?
: You want to protect this world, so that’s all that matters.
: You can’t get too hung up on the little things, or you’ll end up a total wimp – like Shinji here.
: Why’re you bringing me into this?!
: Shush, you. You need to learn how to shrug things off, Stupid Shinji!
: While some of us can’t really say jack on this subject, the tomboy’s still got a point. Worrying too much’ll get you bald, ya know.
: They’re all very kind people, too.
: There’s nothing to worry about, Yuu. Just indulge in their good will, I say.
: Sorry… and thank you…

Back to our leaders, while Cagalli points that we can’t be sure another Logos won’t crop up eventually, our victory today at least closes the book on humanity’s infighting for now. It’ll be up to voices of reconciliation like Relena and Durandal to lead the Earth Sphere from here on out.
Still, as Reiji remembers, there are still many other threats to the world out there – and we can officially add GreAT to the pile. They’ve been acting more and more overtly recently, Athrun notes.
Katou fears, from the data he received from the Hub Fountain, that it won’t be long before the Dimension Peeler goes active. In other words, the day the other side invades our world isn’t too far off. That’s likely the reason behind GreAT’s increased activity, Ozma figures, which is why Lacus and the others have decided that they can no longer stick to the shadows while pursuing them.

Now, Katou tells Misato that he’ll be taking off with the Shangri-La for a bit: he’ll stand guard over the dimensional passageway and if the space-time distortion starts acting up, he’ll be in position to take immediate action. Of course, he’ll leave Sawatari and Yulianne here to keep on helping us.
Misato agrees and asks that he let us know if anything happens. As he leaves, F.S. also relates that we’ve yet to ping where Moon WILL’s hiding out… he’s at the moon, obviously, but we can’t tell where. WILL often spoke with him in the past, but the guy has long since cut ties, so he can’t help us there. All in all, Hiroshi’s very annoyed that we can’t do anything despite knowing that he’s camping out at the moon.
And, to top things off, Kenichi says that we’ve yet to locate the Frontier Fleet or the Vajra Homeworld. So what are we supposed to do now?

Emi might have something, receiving a worldwide announcement that Durandal’s making right now!
“Not long ago, we have successfully brought an end to Lord Djibril, leader of Logos. However, that does not mean peace has returned to this world just yet. The Vajra still roam the universe, threatening the lives of every man, woman and child day in and day out. Moreover, unknown to us, other beings that’d threaten us all are lying in wait, biding their time.”
Domyoji doesn’t see what the guy’s getting at, so Durandal carries on: “There is only one way for humanity to endure what’s ahead: to evolve our society to a higher level! I now proclaim the start of the Destiny Plan, the final bulwark in defense of mankind’s future…!”

Welp, I guess someone’s decided to stop being reasonable. We’ll see what his Destiny Plan entails next still (no myriad Scirocco clones manning the SDF-1, though), but before we wrap this up…

OUT!

All is right in the world.

[Mattman324]

In the manga, it’s a very different story, and not so much “alternate universes” as “lots of stasus, a long period where there were no humans, and Emi coming in three years before the plot starts with Linebarrel.”

Also, yeah, the DOMs are in here with no real reason. IIRC they got a few lines in K, and managed to get in over the entire foreign cast of Godannar somehow, so since the assets were in… Same deal as the Serpent, which you have, have not yet shown off, but is there because asset reuse.

…do you not have PROUD yet? I just realized, since in UX you get it with the Override finisher for Linebarrel.

[Brunom1]

We got PROUD when Kouichi had his second fistfight with Yajima.

And I wanted to show off the Serpent, but never really got around to it as the increasing length of missions made me more and more inclined to sic Gaiking the Great at things until they stop being problematic.

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

Here we are again, Ichitaka and Daiya maintaining a steady distance from one another – each got four kills last mission.

Quickly on the Skill Parts front, I’ve been saving Hit & Aways and Gunfights for the whole damn game because outside of Shinji and Alto, there are no other range-focused MCs and I didn’t feel like spending those on Ozma. So, finally, I get to dump them all on Heero and Kira.

And for upgrades, I got both Heero and Yuu up to 50% since they need it way more than Kira – he’s already OP. Heero now has Accuracy +15, A in Air and Range +1; Yuu has Mobility +15, Accuracy +15, S(!) in Air and Range +1. Very nice, indeed.

16 slots in today’s mission, with Shinn, Athrun, Kira and Rey deploying as event units. Here’s how we’re going:
Kouichi/Quatre
Daiya/Rei
Alto/Michel
Lee/Norza
Kenji/Kyo
Shinji/Cagalli
Kouji/Sawatari
Tetsuya/Canaria
Iczer-3/Atross
Dancouga/Hilde
Goh/Yanma
Eida/Anna
Wufei/Yulianne
Combattler/Voltes
Ichitaka/Miu
Yuu/Heero

Off we go.

: The Destiny Plan…?
: Many of you are likely taken aback by the abruptness of it all, but, please, we ask that you lend us your ear for a moment.
: Meer…
: …
: As the Chairman just said, our world is currently beset by many different threats. It is not unthinkable that tomorrow, many of our loved ones may find their lives in danger… What would you do at that moment…?
: (Dad, mom… Mayu…)
: Would you wait for someone to come to their rescue? That might result in your loved ones losing their lives…
: Indeed, when that moment comes, it is up to you to keep said peoples’ lives safe! All of us have the strength to be capable of that lying deep within us! The Chairman’s Destiny Plan is simply a way to support us in that endeavor.
: It is understandable that, even after hearing Lady Lacus’ words, many will still be confused. However, please, ask yourselves: what should you do to safeguard the future of your beloved?

*End transmission.

: So it’s meant to give people the strength to protect those they love…?
: If the plan really can make that happen, then…
: It does, yes.
: Huh… Rey…?
: You knew about this Destiny Plan…?
: Hm, the Chairman told me about it. Ways to stimulate mankind’s evolution, to allow us to defend Earth with our own hands… that is what the Destiny Plan entails.
: Ways to defend Earth…?
: An example would be the Zentran Factor. By researching data Leon Mishima gave us, we’ve found that there are Earthlings with genetic factors that, if stimulated, could allow them to grow as big as a Zentradi.
: When did he ever send that…?
: Sounds like something he’d do, though. Offer the PLANTs some tech and, in exchange, he got more forces to use in his schemes.
: The other example would be the SEED Factor. And our own group has several examples of people who’ve manifested it – people like you, Shinn, and Kira Yamato.
: I…
: …
: The Destiny Plan’s goal is to discover the humans that have these genetic factors and build teams to defend the Earth Sphere from any who’d do it harm.
: What…?
: I suppose it makes sense from a military point of view to scout only folks that are innately talented at combat…
: The Plan won’t be focusing solely on the military aspect, though. By analyzing the talents that lie dormant within each individual, they’ll be capable of making full use of said talents without any risk of losing their path in life.
: Science, arts, and more… every human will be able to have a meaningful life.
: Is that really true…?
: What…?
: Just because someone might be innately talented as a fighter, that doesn’t mean that’s all they can ever amount to…
: You’d turn your back on your own genes?! You were born as the Super Coordinator, owner of peerless talent, and, yet, you’d wish for a different lot in life?!
: I do not fight because I’m talented at it; nor do I wish for something in hopes it’ll just come true. Isn’t it the desire to make your wish come true what pushes people to overcome their destiny?
: Kira’s right. It’s the people themselves that decide their own destiny – it’s not something anyone can impose on others.
: …
: Rey, I’ll be the first to admit that my life hasn’t been a perfect string of successes – far from it – but hardship, sorrow, and whatnot, are all different and necessary facets of it, no?
: Why…? Do you think every single person is strong? They’re not. There are many who’ve been defeated by the strain of life, whose hearts have broken under it all. This Plan could save them…!
: It’s true that everyone hates hardship… things would likely be a lot simpler just being told what to do…
: But humans aren’t dolls.
: !!
: None of us are superheroes. Whatever talents we might have, we still cry and get angry during difficult times…
: Also, sending people into battle because they have, or haven’t, certain innate talents, and them being capable of fighting to the bitter end, are two very different things…
: I told you before, didn’t I, Rey? I don’t really like the idea of something like “destiny” deciding how people live and die…
: Life is more than just that… I’ve come to that realization over all these battles.
: Shinn…
: Listen, Rey… I might not have any special talents of my own… but I’m still set on saving the professor myself. That’s just the choice I made.
: You will not be endorsing the Chairman’s Plan, then…?
: Personally, I’m afraid not. That said, I don’t think I’m entitled to make this decision for all of LOTUS.
: I agree. We’ll need to talk things over, and see if we’re all on the same page on this matter…
: Time is running very short, though. I’m sure you all understand how urgent it is that we strengthen our defenses right away…!
: And if you’re not willing to cooperate, then we’ll be left with no choice but to force you…
: F-Force us…?!
: What, you’re just gonna jam this Destiny Plan down everyone’s throats?!
: There’ll be no future for mankind without the Destiny Plan! It is the one remaining way to deliver us from chaos… And any who refuse to support the Chairman’s Plan will have to be eliminated!
: Then it’ll fall on us to stand against his tyranny.
: Captain…?! Even you’re turning against him?
: I’m a member of FAITH, so I’m exercising my right to act according to my convictions.
: Fine. Then as another member of FAITH, I’ll follow my own convictions and help the Chairman in any way I can… I’ll be taking my leave.

Off he goes.

: Rey!
: … Trying to stop him won’t help. He’s fighting for what he, himself, believes in…
: The Legend is departing!

Woooosh!

: Rey…

Some time later, our other folk ponder Rey leaving – ever firm in his belief in Durandal. Will we have to fight him, then, Daiya wonders. Kira doesn’t see any way around it, considering what he and Durandal are planning to do. They need to be stopped. The Archangel/Eternal group has officially joined us, and Kira and Shinn finally have a chance to speak face-to-face again (Athrun’s told Kira much about him).
Shinn remembers their encounter at Orb, and is surprised that guy was the Freedom’s pilot. As Murrue properly introduces them, Kira has been meaning to apologize all this time for hurting that girl in Berlin – she clearly means much to him. But Shinn’s willing to let bygones be bygones since, in the end, they managed to get her out alive. “Plus, I still owe you a ton for all the times you helped us. I dunno how I can repay you, but I’ll absolutely try,” Shinn adds.

When Misato asks, Cagalli says both the Archangel and Eternal will be converging with our group as, one, this isn’t really the time to be chasing GreAT, and, two, things have reached a point where they can’t handle things by themselves. Well, Misato sees no reason to turn them down and gives them all the welcome aboard.
Kouichi and Ichitaka see that LOTUS is becoming an even bigger family with all these new additions, and Nagisa can’t help but be amazed all so many different folks, from many different backgrounds, banding together in one group. Still, this is exactly what Ishigami and Une wanted LOTUS to become when they put it together.

Wielding all this firepower is a big responsibility, Waltfeld sees, which is all the more reason to Lacus that we can’t wield our weapons thoughtlessly. If our words can get through the other party and avoid hostilities breaking out, that’d be best, of course. In the eventuality that’s not possible, Hilda steps up and says we’ll be ready to deploy. Mars and Herbert are with her, undaunted when fighting for LACUS-SAMA.
Sounds like a real trio of go-getters to Kenji, so he wishes them do a bang-up job. Hilda says the same, with an admonition for him not to make Lacus worry! Now, Yui gets a message from Une saying that the ZAFT fleet on the moon is on the move – we’re to check what they’re up to, but to be ready to act, worst comes to worst. As we get ready to scramble, Misato asks Yui to see if we can get in touch with Relena on Earth, just in case.

: …
: How’re you doing, Shinn…?
: Luna…
: You’re thinking about Rey, aren’t you?
: Yeah… Hey, can I ask why you also decided to stay here?
: Well… I guess it’s because I didn’t want the life I’ve lead to this point to be denied.
: Your life?
: Yeah. I’ve have plenty of missteps along the way, but everything I did was always what I had chosen… I don’t see myself having someone else decide my life for me.
: Hm, I know how you feel…
: So I’m still here. I wanna keep helping you protect all our friends.
: Took the words out of my mouth. All I want is to keep you and our friends safe, with my own two hands…
: Shinn…

If you rescued Stella, you get these added bits:

: And I’ll protect Shinn too!
: S-Stella! When did you get here?! And you really don’t need to hug me this tight!
: … Well, I guess I better go and get ready to deploy.
: Hey, Luna! Wait just a minute!
: You, too, Luna! I’ll protect you too!
: Ah…?
: All this time, I’ve been nothing but trouble for everyone. So now I want to try and make everyone happy.
: Stella…
: You’re right… We’ll bring happiness to everyone – us and our whole team, together.
: Right!

Cut to Durandal’s fortress – Messiah – and he’s welcoming Rey back after the difficult battle on the moon. All in Gil’s name, of course, and Rey sees the time has finally come for the chairman’s ideals to crystallize. Still, they’ve only just begun and the difficult part is yet to come… which is why Durandal was hoping LOTUS would’ve agreed to help.
Indeed, Rey was surprised that the Minerva crew refused as well. Durandal’s idea behind assigning the ship to work with us was that it’d make LOTUS more amenable and, eventually, they’d sign on up, but it had the exact opposite effect. Durandal had hoped the crew – and, especially, Shinn – would’ve been more sympathetic to his cause.

But their chat’s interrupted when Masaki enters to speak with Durandal (Rey stops short). Why is he here? Durandal is sure the required data was already transferred. Actually, Masaki is here with a warning: LOTUS is headed this way. Oh. Now, Central has deemed the Destiny Plan to be useful in managing the society, so they’ll be dispatching troops over to make sure it is successfully implemented.
As Durandal nods, Masaki and Rey exchange glares and the former leaves. Rey wants to know why Durandal is working with those people – he should be well aware of what Central’s goal is. “I know what you’re getting at. However, the Destiny Plan wouldn’t have been completed without their assistance,” Durandal argues. “Moreover, if the Plan is put into effect, coexistence with Central may not be an impossibility – and, in doing so, we’ll keep them from converting all of humanity into Machinas.”

As Durandal puts it, he is a statesman – it’s in his blood to prepare for the worst case scenario. As such, he’ll try to secure humanity’s future in his own way, and requests Rey’s help in making it happen.
“If that is what you declare, then I’ll see that it is done. It’s my firm belief that both the world and mankind as a whole need your Plan,” Rey declares, and Durandal thanks him for the support.

Mission 33 – The Chosen Future

: We’ve brought a fortress to the moon, allied ourselves with those creepy fellas… Jeez, what the hell is wrong with ZAFT?
: Cut to the chatter – this is a battlefield. We should just focus on keeping the PLANTs safe.
: Still, this whole thing is…
: I know! … I don’t like it either, but…
: Yzak…

: And so you’ve come, Shinn… and LOTUS.
: Rey…
: We’re really gonna have to fight Rey, huh…

Looks ahead.

: The space fortress Messiah…! They’ve even deployed it…?

Looks at the Valleys.

: Hey, I see some of those Central mechs mixed in with ‘em!
: The Chairman’s working with Central, then?!
: Shows how far Durandal is willing to go to implement his Destiny Plan…!

Looks at some different units out back.

: I’ve never seen those units before, though…
: Earthlings… resistance is futile… Join us…
: That voice… Soubi?!
: Join us…
: He’s been turned into a Machina-Human, just like Kiriyama…
: What… What the hell do they think people are?!
: I bid you a warm welcome, LOTUS… Am I correct to assume that you’ve come here to stop me?
: Gilbert…
: As I’m sure you’re aware, I’m ready and willing to force the implementation of the Destiny Plan. If possible, I’d much rather… Actually, I suppose there isn’t much for us to discuss – not when we both hold such unswayable desires.
: I suppose this battle will serve to decide who is truly suited to bear the burden of mankind’s future, then.
: Chairman, why are you in so much of a rush?! This isn’t the way!
: You said we both hold “such unswayable desires”… but I’m sure we all want the same thing, and that’s to defend the future of all people!
: Our ideals are the same, but our methods are not. You know that.
: Come. There’s no reason for further debate, don’t you think?
: Understood… then we’ll simply follow our convictions and bring you down!
: … That is truly a shame, Cpt. Gladys…
: Here we come… Rey…!

Mission Objective: destroy all enemies.
Mission Failure: Any battleship, Shinn, Kira or Athrun shot down.

Got a big wave of enemies up ahead, with Rey being the biggest threat around by a mile. In truth, this is a bit of a difficulty spike: the ZAFT units are quite dodgy and accurate, the Valleys still pack the same heavy punch as always (especially the Strikes) and you’ve got Soubi and three other MP Machinas.
Your first priority should be to hang by, at most, the edge of Rey’s MAPW range and build up morale on the first wave of goons. Once your folks are ready, rush the Legend ASAP and get him off your hair – things become significantly easier when you do. Remember that your Confuse casts, just in case you guys are getting mobbed too badly.
As mentioned above, when dealing with the Valleys, you should always prioritize the Strikes not only due to their damage but due to the Armor Down they can still apply. Finally, the four MP Machinas are either programmed to only act real late in the mission or they outright won’t do anything until your guys get close. Whatever the case, save them for last.

Finally, something to keep in mind:
Secret Alerts!
Have Kira fight Rey, then have Shinn shoot him down
Also, have Kouichi CONVINCE Soubi.

Two different secrets on the line, but nothing too difficult. Just make sure you don’t overestimate Shinn’s movement range and be forced to wait a turn before killing Rey – that’s a recipe for losing folks to his DRAGOON.

Legend Gundam (Rey za Burrel)
Pilot Skills:
Sword Cut
Shoot Down
Shield Defense
Guard
Prevail L8
Support Attack L3
Attack Combo L3

Switching portraits has given Rey a major boost in everything which, when paired with the Legend’s S rank in space and high modifiers, results in a whole lot of accuracy and evasion.
One thing you should be mindful of (outside of that lovely 6x6 MAPW we’ve come to abuse) is that Rey’s surprisingly bulky: nearly max Prevail, Guard, the VPS armor and Messiah’s terrain providing a 20% boost to defense means he can take a decent amount of punishment, so you better come packing Valor to get things done quick.
As I said, park people outside his MAPW range, rush him down, attack with Kira and have Shinn finish him off – you can easily wreck him in a single round if your morale’s good.

Mass-Produced Machina (Soubi Nakajima)
Pilot Skills:
Machina-Human L8
Sword Cut
Shoot Down
Break Morale Limit
Prevail L8
Support Attack L3
Attack Combo L3

Despite the major stat boost, Soubi’s nowhere near as much of a threat as Kiriyama since they saw fit to take away his Talisman. The MP Machinas are decent enough as grunt units, but they’re just not strong enough to compete in the big leagues. Plus, there’s also the fact that it only has two attacks: the weakest is 1-3, and the strongest is point-blank, so pretty much anyone can outrange him.
Convince him with Kouichi, and then Soubi’ll likely go down in 2-3 valored attacks (maybe even oneshotted, depending on whether it’s Kouji or Kenji).

As our folks advance, the first enemy wave throws itself into the grinder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dQAOLxRNog
And we’ll show off the Straybird’s DKs while we’re at it.

When turn two rolls around, you down a named character or reduce the enemy numbers below 36…

: To all the peoples of the Earth Sphere, I am Lacus Clyne.
: ?! This broadcast is…?!
: Please observe the images before you. ZAFT has shed light upon LOTUS’ true nature: yet another group that’d threaten us. Under the pretense of protecting the Earth Sphere, they’ve bolstered their forces and now turned it against us. No different from Logos…
: So it all comes down to propaganda again?!
: He really did put Meer Campbell into play – unsurprising. Then we’ll follow suit…
: None of us desire any more war… We wanted it gone from our world, but that does not suit them…

Beep, boop.

: Do not be fooled by her appearance. I am Lacus Clyne.
: ?!

: That’s the Eternal… Then is she really…?
: I am aware that someone with the same face, voice and name as mine is working with Chairman Durandal.
: I-I…!
: But I cannot endorse Chairman Durandal’s words or his actions.
: That said, it does not mean that we are against said wish to see war gone from our midst.
: What the… even Relena Darlian’s with her…? The hell?
: It may be true that the Plan the Chairman’s advocating could bring many a life of peace.
: But we cannot blindly accept his proposal. We must all think long and hard about what kind of world we are on the verge of heading towards…
: And if I may borrow Chairman Durandal’s own words…
: All of you that are watching this, please, think: what should you do to safeguard the future of your beloved?
: And that concludes our broadcast. Isabelle Cronkite, out.

Bloop.

: What I should do, huh…?
: …
: Ch-Chairman…
: Hahahah… the two queens have outplayed me. Still, it isn’t check mate just yet.

And now we carry on our destruction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2BRY06_VOM
Did they give everyone of Kira’s attacks a DK…?

At last, SEIGI blesses this battlefield!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziLu4-smGfk
What do you mean the BGM is wrong? No, you’re clearly talking crazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCyYbIjTrWc

Excellent. Fourth turn, named character down, or enemy count is at 28 or less, and you get…

: Well done, LOTUS. I did not expect this victory to come easily, even with Central’s assistance…
: … You may fire when ready.
: Yes, sir! Engaging Neutron Jammer Cancellers! Nuclear Cartridge, loading!

Alarm!

: …! We’re detecting a powerful energy reading within the enemy fortress!
: … Hrm! LOTUS! Get your people out of the firing line! Hurry!
: Yzak…?!
: The Messiah’s getting ready to fire it… the GENESIS! They’re targeting the Eternal!
: GENESIS…?
: A gigantic gamma ray cannon! Eternal, what are you still doing there?!

Energy charge!

: Everything I do, I do in the name of humanity’s future…!
: !!

: I-Is everyone alright?!
: Our forces barely evaded the attack – no major damage. The Eternal is also fine!

Beep, beep!

: Th-That’s…
: What happened, Meyrin?!
: Th-The attack just now… it’s caused catastrophic damage throughout a ZAFT fleet that’d deployed at our flank…!
: What…?!
: Gilbert… you…!
: I-Is that how you look out for Earth…? Didn’t you say you were doing this for mankind’s sake?! You’ve got to be kidding me, Durandal!
: It took so long to lessen the fear people felt from those living in space, and you’ll be bringing it all back…!
: … Sorry, Yzak, but this is about all I can take. Whether or not the Chairman’s vision for the world is right, if ZAFT’s willing to put up with stuff like this, then we’d just be going down that same, insane, path again!
: Our mission is still to provide support for ZAFT.
: Yzak…!
: So move your ass and support the Minerva and the Eternal! They’re ZAFT ships, remember!
: …! Psh… You hardass, you…

Their units turn friendly and move by the Archangel.

: Huh… the IFF on that GOUF and ZAKU is…! Dearka?!
: This is Dearka Elsman speaking. We’re backing you up, LOTUS.
: Yzak, Dearka… You’re going to help us?
: Hmph… And I’ve a lot to yell at you about after this is done. You better brace yourself for it!
: Aye, aye, sir…
: We’ve no idea how much time we have until Neo-GENESIS is ready to fire again, or where they might shoot next…!
: Things might not end as well as they did if that thing gets off another shot. We need to hurry and capture Messiah!
: Are you two ZAFT soldiers ready to go?
: Yeah!
: We… We’ll put a stop to the Chairman!

Alright, that’s two less problems to deal with. We’ll set our sights on Rey real soon.

: So, Durandal’s words are pretty much gospel to you?
: As Moon WILL himself assessed, destruction is all that awaits humanity in its current state. So Gil will take its reins and guide it! Then, our world will endure!
: Sorry, but that’s not happening. We’re here to pull the plug on both the Destiny Plan and that “destruction of humanity” business!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2aOBkLx8T4
And here’s the Akatsuki Shiranui’s best weapon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KVRAwH8_dk
Plus the Straybird’s best trick!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJvIgl0R4Wc
And let’s get this one out the way as well. Finally, Rey…

: Why do you trust that Chairman so much?!
: I, for one, ain’t putting up with that crazy Plan of his!
: You don’t have to understand, only to stand back and watch. If you do, Gil will make a utopia out of this world…
: Oh, piss off! We fought through all those battles to keep our future in our own hands, not to hand it over to someone else!

–

: You… Were you planning on using us even back when we first met?
: Yes, to be honest. Gil needed more strength for what was to come.
: Uh-huh… Too bad for you, things ain’t gonna go your way!
: The Chairman won’t have a monopoly on our strength! The Voltes is, and always will be, a symbol of hope for ALL of Earth!

: You said before that you wanted your father to accept you, right?
: We are alike, then… I am alive because Gil accepts me.
: It’s true that I wanted my dad to compliment me. And I was really happy when he told me “good job”.
: But I’ve already made up my mind, that even if my dad doesn’t approve of what I’m doing, I’m still going to follow my own path – the path I chose to follow…!
: And I know that’ll make him happy…!

: Your Destiny Plan’ll do away with the future of so many children! There’s absolutely no way that’s how the world’s meant to be!
: Are you worried about Lou Roux? Don’t be.
: The Earth Sphere will be under the protection of hand-picked warriors… There will be no more alien invasions, or new tragedies born of those, and the children will all be lead in the proper direction.
: Even children can go and make their own choices; and if it looks like they’re making a bad one, then adults should just try and point out a better direction!
: But by setting them on a linear path from the moment they’re born, you’re doing nothing but killing all the potential they have!

: Rey, please stop this!
: I’ve lived all for this day – the day Gil would create the world he dreamt of…! What about you, Shinn?!
: To create a world where there’s no war, that’s why…!
: But even if there’s no war, there will always be unhappiness! Gil will put an end to all of that!
: But that doesn’t change the fact that what he’s doing is wrong, Rey!

: Kira Yamato… I refuse to allow someone like you to exist…!
…! Why are you so…?!
: You, of all people, should know! I’m… Rau le Creuset!
: Rau le Creuset…?!
: It can’t be…! Kira destroyed him at Jachin Due!
: … He’s a clone?
: That’s right… I’m a being created by the hands of man… Not a person, but an empty vessel…
: You’re wrong! You only ever had one life… and that life is your own! You’re not him!
: Shut your mouth! Your life was also created by someone else’s hands! What makes you so different from us?!
: Why do you, alone, get to live a meaningful life?!
: Rey, you…!
: Kira Yamato… you’re the “glorious” embodiment of the dream – the future – of humanity…!
: And that’s why you must disappear along with us! So that this world may be reborn!

: If you ask me, a life on preset rails is a whole lot worse than one stumbling about your own path!
: But if the Destiny Plan is successfully implemented, no one will ever lose their way again. It’ll be the end of this society that persecutes those who’ve fallen by the wayside!
: Is that a fact? But you should know that there are wings within the hearts of every person! Those wings yearn for freedom, and you’re not strong enough to bind them!

: Rey, was it always your plan to use LOTUS as a tool for Durandal?
: It was, though that obviously didn’t happen. Still, you’ve also used LOTUS for your own goals, no? We are alike.
: It’s true, I did join LOTUS in order to save the professor… but that doesn’t mean I’d ever betray our crew over it!
: And if you had to choose between LOTUS and the professor? What then?
: Then I’d insist to have my cake and eat it too – I’m childish like that…!
: And that happy ending is one we’ll earn ourselves!

: Here we are, Rey. I am sorry, but Gilbert’s Plan needs to be stopped.
: I also want my son to have the freedom to choose his own future.
: I cannot stand down either, Cpt. Gladys… I’ll destroy anyone who stands in Gil’s way – even you!

: The world isn’t so tiny that your justice alone could save it.
: I’ve figured out ages ago that I’m not strong enough to pull that off! That said, I’m not fighting this alone…
: If I can really be a Champion of Justice, it’s only because I’ve my friends of LOTUS beside me!

: You are not fighting because you were ordered, but because you’ve someone you wish to be safe, so I won’t gainsay what you’re doing… But, tell me: what do you expect to gain after this is done?
: My very being is worth nothing – I doubt I could ever make something with my life.
: But if I can protect Gil, then not even death seems like a high price to pay.
: In the past, I was no different from a fighting machine. I’d get my orders, and kill as many people as necessary to fulfill them – again, again, and again.
: You may smother your heart and convince yourself that life is cheap…
: But there is nothing cheap about anyone’s life! And that includes mine and yours!

Heero: “Target confirmed: Legend, ZAFT’s prototype…”

: You always had that “cold and aloof” shtick going, but I figured there was a good guy behind all that! What the hell, man?!
: All I’ve done was act in accordance to my orders: “fall in with LOTUS and, when it’s time to implement the Destiny Plan, bring them into our fold if possible.”
: Wow… So this was all just one huge act? I can’t believe you!

: We even got Atross to be our friend, so why do we need to fight you?!
: Please reconsider what you’re doing, Rey!
: First off, I am not another child. Secondly, this is what I want to do.
: And thirdly… I just cannot be friends with you.
: No, no, no! We absolutely can!

: Stop this, Rey! The Chairman’s Plan won’t make anyone truly happy!
: Are you implying that Lacus Clyne could, then, Athrun?!
: But I don’t share your faith in her! I’d much rather stick with a far more concrete method. That’s why…!
: You idiot! All you’re doing is shutting your ears to everyone’s words but the Chairman’s!
: The Destiny Plan has to be stopped! That’s the path I chose to take, and why I was entrusted with the Justice!

: Come back to us, Rey! The Chairman’s way of doing things is totally wrong! Help us shut the guy down!
: I told you I cannot do that…! A swarm of menaces are massing at our doorstep; we need to implement the Plan immediately if we’re to stand a chance!
: It’ll be fine – we can all protect Earth together! Think of how lonely you’d be if you went on with this!

: Why are we even doing this?! What happened to all the stuff we went through?!
: This turn of events is very commonplace in the battlefield. That’s all there is to it…
: But we weren’t on the battlefield 24/7! For instance, didn’t we work on putting together that Idol Contest?! That was all of us, together!
: We’re all LOTUS members… The bonds between us aren’t flimsy like that! No way!
: … Come. We’re done talking…!

If you attack Rey with Shinn after having Kira engage, you get a new convo.

: Shinn… if only you would join us…
: Rey, you looked after me, didn’t you? Was the fact that you’re someone else’s clone what pushed you to do that?
: …
: No, it wasn’t! You did it because it was a decision you made, wasn’t it?!
: That’s…
: To me, you’re not this Rau le Creuset! You’re Rey za Burrell… my friend!
: …! Still, Shinn… I… my destiny is…!
: Come on, Rey! If destiny is what binds you… then I’ll cut you free from it!

: Hah… How much you’ve grown, Shinn…

If you killed him with anyone but Shinn:

: Impressive, LOTUS… but not surprising… I confess I’d been running simulations to figure out how to defeat you since yesterday, but nothing worked.
: Rey… “It doesn’t help to panic and burn the midnight oil on the eve of your deadline”. You were the one who said that to us, remember?!
: I guess… I did…
: Rey, why…?!
: … I don’t have that much of a future left. You see… I was born with short telomeres…
: So, what, that means you only care about helping with this crap, screw whether you live or die?!
: That’s right! I want to use whatever life I still have for the Gil’s… for the Chairman’s sake…! Kyo Misumi… I’m sure you can understand how I feel…!
: …

And then we converge. We did things right, though, so it goes straight to this from the previous line.

: Come back with us, Rey…!
: I’m sorry… but I have to keep Gil safe. That is what I chose, of my own free will…
: Rey…!

All that’s left is Soubi and a few GreAT units, so the battle’s pretty much won.

Especially after I do this.

Cha-ching!

Bam – all gone. Now to wait a turn while Kouichi gets in position.

Psh.

: Link confirmed… Join us…
: Psh, seems like that collective consciousness’ doing a much bigger number on his brains that it did on Kiriyama.
: Do you think there isn’t anything we can do about this?
: That poor man…
: Hrm, and I bet the Glain-Neidr guy’s ordering him from somewhere! Get your ass out here, coward!
: Resistance is futile… but…
: He’s engaging! Counterattack!

MP Machinas aren’t too powerful, though.

There we go.

: Look at what they did to you… they got you dancing on the palm of their cyber-hand. Are you seriously alright with being controlled?!
: I am not under control… I am now one with the whole…
: Do you not remember anything?! You told me before: “a long time ago I also had that same passion of justice and ideals”! Did you even forget all about those…?!
: Urk…
: Justice… Ideals… Ka…oru…
: Soubi, are you…?!
: I thought his integration was already complete…This warrants some observation.

And that’s it. Now we blow him up!

: Further combat will have no effect on the Destiny Plan’s preservation. We’re done here – retreat, Soubi.
: Acknowledged…

: They’ve left…?
: I’d wager the Destiny Plan caught Central’s eye… but apparently that does not mean they’re willing to stick with them through thick and thin.
: Soubi… I…

: Messiah has gone silent! No additional enemy forces detected!
: Then all that remains…
: Right. This isn’t over just yet. Not until we’ve put a stop to him… to Chairman Durandal.
: Wait for me, Rey!

: Stop, you two! It’s too dangerous!

: We should go as well…

Couple of convos we missed:

: Rey… we’ve been friends since the academy, haven’t we?! Why do we need to fight like this…?
: I thought of protecting the PLANTs – of protecting the world – even back then.
: Gil can make that happen! The Earth will not last if we do nothing but insist on LOTUS’ approach! Sooner or later, it’ll crumble away!

–

: Mu la Flaga… You have to die as well.
: Rau le Creuset, he who sought to drape this world in darkness, was your father’s clone… And you’ll disappear along with all the crimes he committed!
: If we’re listing crimes, I’ve done more than a handful during my time with the Phantom Pain. But I can only atone for those by staying alive!
: So just come back to us – your friends are waiting…!
: Don’t be ridiculous! I have to keep on fighting… for Gil!
: Enough of this! If you do that, you’ll be draping this world in darkness yourself – no different from Creuset!

: Gil, you have to leave this place!
: No. I think now truly is check mate…

Door opens!

: Chairman Durandal…
: ?! You’re all…!
: All of LOTUS’ pilots step forth to meet with me… I am truly honored.
: Chairman, your Plan’s already done for. Just call it quits and turn yourself in…
: We’ve a major debt with you… You’ve helped us ever since we arrived in this world. So, please…!
: Do you truly think this is for the best…? Humanity will not last without the Destiny Plan.
: If you reject it, even should you successfully drive out the invaders, the world will inevitably fall into chaos once more.
: That’s a possibility, sure… but humanity can also choose not to head in that direction!
: Just like we learned to coexist with the Darius…
: And how we managed to befriend the Zentradi!
: … None of that means that all humans are as strong, or as kind, as you. Who could truly declare that humanity itself can change, that people can understand one another?
: But many of us know what it is like to reach out to another, to change for the better…
: And because we know that, we can help others do the same – the same way I changed after meeting everyone in LOTUS.
: Chairman Durandal, humans aren’t as idiotic as you deem them to be.
: You wished to protect this world… would you be willing to entrust it to us now…?
: …

Door opens.

: Gil… Stop this, please.
: Talia…
: The future should be molded by young men and women like them, not by us.
: The previous generation shouldn’t decide the road the next will walk, only help them make their own choice. The future is theirs alone.
: It doesn’t belong to us, hm…? You may be right. But bringing forth this future you’ve chosen is a herculean task. You are aware of that, I’m sure.
: And we’re ready to face what’s ahead.
: We rejected your choice, so we’ve a responsibility to see it done…
: Is that so… then I have nothing more to say. If you’re capable of proclaiming this much, then I’d like to bear witness to the future you’ll create.
: Chairman Durandal…
: And there’s something I’d like to apologize to you for, Lacus Clyne… it was I who sent those forces after you in Orb.
: …
: Chairman…?!
: As it was also my hand that forced Operation Angel Down into being… all so that Central would grant me their technology…
: Masaki Sugawara told me to eliminate the Archangel, as it was looking into GreAT. I am truly sorry for my deceit.
: But we’re all still alive… Did you honestly want us gone?
: I’m sure someone with your power could have made it happen if you did. Yet here we are…
: …
: What happens now, Durandal…?
: … You must leave this place. Messiah will break apart before long.
: Then you come with us, Chairman!
: I’m afraid that’s not possible. I also have to take responsibility for my choices.
: …
: Everyone back to your units… We must respect his wish…
: Kch…

They leave.

: Talia, you must carry on… Help those children. Do not let them go down the same path I did…
: I know… Goodbye, Gilbert…
: Goodbye, Talia…

She goes too.

: (Maybe, somewhere deep inside, I truly did hope Talia, Kira and their allies would stop me…)
: Gil…?
: Go with them, Rey. See for yourself whatever future this world might find…
: …
: … Understood, Gil… But I won’t just be watching. You wanted this world to be safe… so I’ll go and make it so…
: Thank you, Rey…

: Messiah’s…
: It’ll stand as a memorial for Durandal and his ideals…
: Chairman Durandal…

Beep, beep.

: That’s… we’re detecting a Mobile Suit!
: Huh…?

: LOTUS… I’m not here to fight with you. Will you accept my surrender?
: Rey…!

: The PLANTs’ Interim Council has agreed to a cease-fire. It’s over… finally.
: Though I would’ve preferred if things could’ve been resolved without hostilities…
: Chairman Durandal… he wanted to protect humanity just like us, but…
: Still, in the end, he decided to trust us with this world’s future… We now have to measure up to his wish.
: Yeah. All the more reason we really can’t let ourselves get taken out on these next battles.
: But, Dearka, you two are…
: Who gives a damn about affiliation right now? Our job is to make sure every single human – on the Earth, the PLANTs or wherever – gets to keep on living!
: Yup, what he said.

And if you covered all Meteor Breakers way back at the start of the game…

: We’ve brought the Duel and Buster Gundams along, too, so you can be sure we won’t be a burden…!
: Hey, now, and what do you think you’ll be doing with those two antiques?
: Chill; they got a lot of updates on their OSs and whatnot. We’ll be A-OK.
: Well, I see where you’re coming from. Better to jump into the fire with your old buddies than without, right?
: Granted, we shouldn’t be too puffed up about having those two considering where we took them from.
: … If you’re willing to fly them in the name of peace, then I’ll say nothing about it.
: We are sorry for what happened, Rep. Athha.
: That’s our situation sorted out, though. Guess we’ll be working together again, folks.
: Yzak, Dearka… thanks.

: And you? Do you really want to fight as part of LOTUS again?
: I understand that it’s a very selfish request. But, yes, that’s what I want to do – what I believe I can do.
: …
: Misato!
: Consider it a request from me as well. Could you please grant Gilbert’s final wish?
: … Oh, what the hell. Not like this’d be a first, so who am I so say anything? You have much to make up for, though.
: Then…!
: … Welcome back, Rey.
: Thank you very much.
: Thank goodness, Ray…! Our trio’s been together for too long – you can’t just ditch us!
: Absolutely…!

: Rey… Um, about the Chairman…
: It’s fine, Shinn… That was the future he chose. What I can do now is help protect the world he entrusted to us – side-by-side with all these people who called out to me.
: Rey…
: Yeah, we’ll protect this world. All of us together, for as long as it takes.

: (He’ll be going with Athrun and his team… But, I… what am I supposed to do now…?)
: Ah, here you are.
: Lady Lacus?! And LOTUS…
: We wanted to thank you for pointing the way to Messiah’s escape shaft. If you hadn’t, things could’ve have gotten rather complicated.
: Hm. Worst case scenario, we could’ve lost some of our folks.
: So, please, don’t be so scared. You can talk to us, you know.
: But I… I’m a fake. Lady Lacus herself is back, so I can’t…
: Meer… I’m sorry. You went through so much hardship because I pushed you to fill in as Lacus’ stand-in…
: Meer. Your name and your face might not be your own, but what about your song? The song that mended the hearts of so many wasn’t a lie, was it?
: My song…
: I saw your show at Diokia. It’s true that that wasn’t Lacus’ song… it was your own, no?
: That’s how you managed to connect with so many people.
: Sheryl… Alto…
: If you ask me, I dig your songs a whole lot. Whatever might be happening, they always perk me right up!
: You…
: Do carry on singing, Meer. Let the world hear your song…
: Lady Lacus… Okay, I’ll start over again and I’ll continue to sing… If anything, my wish to make people happy was real…
: Hmhmm, and that’s all you need…

: What a strong girl… She’s lost almost everything she had, but still swears to continue to sing.
: Sheryl…
: Don’t worry about me, Alto. I’ve enough courage to carry on singing myself… all thanks to you…
: …

And that’s the proper end to the human conflict, and our “shit needs killing” pile now only has the Vajra, Central, Moon WILL and the Cthulhu left. Katou hasn’t called in yet, so Reiji figures the interdimensional passageway isn’t open yet. This would make a good moment to deal with one of those other threats, then, but we don’t know where—
Never mind, the alarm sounds and Emi has news: the ship F-J III, currently patrolling around the moon, has just seen a massive fortress appear on the surface and it’s sending out a bunch of mobile weapons! Said weapons are IDed as being the Cthulhu’s and, whoops, they’ve just wrecked the F-J III in but an instant. Rachel is worried.
More importantly, Nagisa gets a Newtype flash and senses Nagisa Kanou – she’s inside that fortress for sure. Iczer-3 confirms, sensing the same kind, warm aura she feels from her Nagisa irradiating from within there.

Emi brings up an image of the fortress and Atross knows exactly what it is: Neos Gold’s base. Goh is dumbstruck that, despite our best efforts at trying to locate the thing, the Cthulhu managed to bring their entire base right to our doorstep.
They’re likely pretty sure of their victory to go all-in like that, Mu ponders, and Tetsuya’s sure we’ll likely have to contend with Moon WILL as well over there.That sounds like a good deal to Aoi, seeing how fighting the guy was our main reason for coming up to space anyway. And if we can rescue Nagisa while doing it, that’s two birds with one stone, for Ichitaka.
Regardless, there’s clearly no time to waste, so Misato orders us straight to the lunar surface.

[Mattman324]

K really loved Kira. Like… REALLY loved Kira. It loved Kira so much that the simple act of people who were currently on a different side than Kira having friendly conversation got ominous villain music. So yes, he gets shitloads of DKs.

Also, pay attention to how Yurianne’s finisher has Armor Down Level 3. Be ready for that to matter against bosses with a lot of HP.

But hey, Bronzerod Samson’s joined! Duel AS is, unfortunately, pretty much just filler at this point, but the Buster is actually a really good squaddie for a long range unit.

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

Back again, and not a whole lot’s changed. Ichitaka’s keeping Daiya steadily at a distance. I swear I’m not prioritizing him – the enemies just like going after the Rushbird and a punch is usually enough to oneshot.

Jesus (accuracy +15, A in Space and Air, movement +1) and Iczer-3 (exp earned +20%, mobility +15, range +1) have been brought up to 50% now.
As I’ve only now realized, Kira’s Squad Bonus changes with the terrain just like his weapon set: if you’re in space, it’ll boost the space rating, if you’re in the atmosphere, it’ll boost air.

Iczer-3 and Atross are deploying as event units today, and we’ve 19 slots, so here’s how it’ll be:
Kouichi/Quatre
Daiya/Deceive
Alto/Michel
Lee/Norza
Kenji/Kyo
Jeeg/Micchi
Shinji/Rey
Kouji/Sawatari
Tetsuya/Canaria
Kira/Athrun
Dancouga/Hilde
Goh/Yanma
Eida/Anna
Ichitaka/Miu
Voltes/Combattler
Yuu/Heero
Shinn/Yulianne
Yajima/Yamashita
Ken/Lou

Let’s go get revenge for all those Fujis.

Earth WILL is meeting up with Moon WILL in cyber space for the first time in a very long while, and Moon figures this is about the Cthulhu. Indeed, and our WILL asks if he’s really going to cooperate with the Cthulhu in a bid to wipe Earth out.
Of course he will (pun not intended)! Earth WILL has “only” observed the history of Earth for the last 5 billion years. But Moon WILL has transposed the universal cycle of death and rebirth time and again, always observing, never turning his hand against the organics. And what has he seen? All those he’s watched over, without one exception, have brought about nothing but war – war of galactic SCAAaales!

And, so, Moon WILL’s had enough watching over the organics. He’s given up on them. Eaaarth WIIILLLL is still young, but it is not too late just yet. “Listen to MEEeee! This world’s organics are no different from any of the other civilizations I’ve SEEeennn! There is no saving THEEeemmm!”
Our WILL isn’t about to see the life of Earth destroyed just yet, though: “I’ll continue to watch over Earth, believing as I have in the potential these beings have to grow…” That’s the end of that, then. Moon WILL says he’ll personally see to his destruction and bids Earth WILL farewell.

Back at Dragon’s Hive, WILL confirms to F.S. that he couldn’t change Moon WILL’s mind. He apologizes for not being able to help, but the guy has been wholly consumed by despair after the trillions of years he spent watching over organics.
The only option left for Earth’s survival now is to fight.

By the Cthulhu’s fortress, Nagisa wonders how long it’s been since she was brought here. She hopes Iczer-3 is doing fine. But the door opens, and she immediately starts yelling that torture won’t get them anywhere – she doesn’t have any valuable info!
That’s just fine with Iczer-2, though, who tells her to follow. Mother dearest is just about to return.

Neos Gold is very excited about it, too, as Big Gold materializes once more. And mommy is very proud of her spawn’s work while she slept, stealing Iczer-1’s partner. Now they just need her to show herself again, and it’ll be simple to put her down. Iczer-2 walks in with Nagisa right then, presenting her before Big Gold.
Big Gold sees not a whole lot of differences between the Earthlings and the Cthulhu peoples, so she can’t figure out how Nagisa was able to bring forth so much power when she and Iczer-1 came into contact with one another. Nagisa doesn’t care to indulge her questions and demands Big Gold stop her attack on Earth immediately. What did we ever do to warrant any of this?!

Big Gold is willing to explain, and opens up the wall to reveal a gigantic piece of machinery –her core. Eons ago, she was created by the hands of humans… humans who eventually scrapped and dumped her out into space. “As I drifted through the cosmos, I came across several wonders of the universe. I think that sometimes I even traveled against the curvature of time itself" she says. "I remember having these experiences where… I’d go through these dark spaces that were like little holes, and I’d find myself in a universe that was very clearly from a long, long time ago…”
As the ages passed and Big Gold continued to drift about, she slowly evolved into what we see now: something that could well be called a mechanical lifeform. At length, she was drawn to the Cthulhu’s lingering malice and that allowed her to take physical shape.
As Neos Gold puts it, her mother’s golden form that we see is the embodiment of the malice in Sir Violet’s heart. But Nagisa still doesn’t understand why they’re attacking Earth: from what she’s heard of Sir Violet, she’s sure she never wanted to destroy anything.

SIIiileeence! Everything that is haaappening now was caused by us, FOOoolish huumaaanns!! As Moon WILL remembers, it was the humans of the past universe – those with the same blood as Nagisa – that built Big Gold in the first place. Now that is something even Big Gold herself wasn’t aware, so Moon WILL clarifies…
“Big Gold… The FIIiinest masterpiece, gifted with many functions to support all aspects of human life as a certain planet’s production plant… A tragic being who, as a result of independently gifting itself with new functions such as the ability to be a genetic carrier, was feared and scrapped,” he declares, as Big Gold listens on.
“You haven’t gone back into the past. You’ve gone through the end of the universe and jumped into the next, just as I did. But your intelligence hadn’t awakened yet, so you went on to scatter the seeds of life throughout this universe – that is, the genes of your OOoownn CREEaaators! And you did not limit yourself with just this one, but went to do the same in that which the humans call Highly Probable World…!”

Neos sees how it is: Nagisa Kasumi and Nagisa Kanou are essentially blood relatives, descendants of those humans who created Big Gold in the former universe, whose genes she spread as per her directives. In essence, the Nagisas are her mothers’ hated enemies reborn by her own hands – fate is quite something, indeed.
Big Gold herself now, at long last, understands where her contempt for Earth comes from, and why it resonated with Sir Violet’s underlying willingness to invade the place. Nagisa tries speaking up, but Moon WILL shushes her and turns to BIIIiiig Gold: there’s absolutely no reason to leverage organics like Nagisa or the Cthulhu. They, the iiiinorgaaanics, can very EEeeasily help one another!

Iczer-2, however, cuts in and tells Moon WILL that Nagisa is hers to use in the upcoming fight – they’ll be doing this their way, not his. Moon WILL is willing to concede that the fighting spirit of humans is worthy of respect, and with LOTUS bound to show up at any given moment, he tells Iczer-2 to knock herself out.
The time has come for them to have their showdown with the humans, and Big Gold will make sure her spawn’s all healed up and ready to go when we arrive. Neos promises to slaughter the lot of us, empowered by the Iczelio she’s stolen – Iczer-2 might not even have enemies to fight by the time she’s done. Hohohohoho!
As Iczer-2 glares on, Nagisa calls out to Iczer-1. She needs to come back right now…

Back to us, the imminent battle with the Cthulhu and Moon WILL has everyone on edge – Ichitaka suggests Sakuya and Michel try relaxing while they can as things’ll get really hectic once we reach the battle site. Easier said than done, and Sakuya’s constant grumbling is starting to annoy Kurara. How’s she supposed to concentrate? Asuka tells them to take their bickering elsewhere, as, if they can’t tell, we’re on standby.
Sheryl saunters in and sees that, yup, everyone’s on pins and needles. Alto tries objecting that she should be resting, but Sheryl tells him to hush. She’s come bearing gifts: some of her very own home-made cooking.

Nagisa says they figured the nonstop battles didn’t leave us with a lot of time to eat, so they went and made something. Kyoko, the Daiku Maryu’s cook, also saw fit to help – even Iczer-3 and Atross pitched in.
Alto isn’t too sure if scarfing down food right before battle is a good idea, but Kouji tells him not to nitpick. The Galactic Fairy herself helped make these, so it wouldn’t do to turn her down! Plus, as Goh remembers, it’s an old saying that you can’t fight on an empty stomach. Daijirou takes his first bite and, hey, Kyoko’s Chinese food is pretty dang good.

As everyone starts eating, Alto agrees to try whatever Sheryl made… rice balls? Does he have a problem with that? Maybe she’s not a world-class chef, but still! Mind you, she’s wrapped them with bandages instead of nori (not that Alto’s going to say anything).
But, fine, he agrees to try and it’s quite tasty – surprisingly so! What’s that supposed to mean, huh? Did he think she was just some useless girl?! Alright, alright, Alto’s sorry for his quip. “… I dreamt of having moments like this for so long,” Sheryl sighs, but quickly tells Alto she’s just talking to herself and calls everyone to help themselves to her dishes.

Eida and Aoi, meanwhile, are staring out at the Earth. It looks real pretty, but seeing it here also shows Aoi how tiny it actually is – and time and again humans spread war throughout such a small planet. This next battle will have the fate of the whole thing riding on it, though, so she figures that’s enough sentimentality. We still got plenty of asses left to kick.
Speaking of, Seimi and Bobby get in touch to warn that the Cthulhu fortress is coming into sight. Time for everyone to get ready to set out, and Alto asks Sheryl to head back to her room. She will, but asks him to promise to make it back to her. “Of course I will… I’ve a lucky charm, remember?”
Atross and Iczer-3 are raring to go as well – wait just a bit more, Nagisa-1…!

Mission 34 – The Light of the Iczelio

: They’ve really rolled out the red carpet for us, huh?
: And if we’re defeated here, that massive army will rain destruction across Earth. Steel yourselves, my friends!
: Ohohohoho… That is correct, humans.
: Neos Gold…!
: You’re going down today, Neos Gold! We’re taking Nagisa-1 back from you!
: Lady Neos… No, Neos! Is the other Nagisa still safe?!
: Atross, the traitor… If you mean Nagisa Kanou, she’s doing just fine. Of course, the question is “for how long”…?

Flash!

: This sensation… Nagisa’s in pain…!
: What did you do to her?!
: Hmhmhm… If you wish to safe Nagisa Kanou, then you’ll have to destroy me first.
: … But, unfortunately, death is all you’ll find here, never to set foot on Earth again.
: Yeah, right! What kinda CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE would we be if we went down that easy?!
: We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel after so many sacrifices. Peace is almost ours again, and we won’t let you stop us.
: Don’t forget that even after we kick her ass, Big Gold and Moon WILL are likely inside that there fortress.
: Then we better yank them out their love shack…!
: Troops, engage and destroy the Cthulhu and Moon WILL forces! We – and Nagisa – will all be leaving here together!
: Yeah!
: Hmhmhm… You do not realize the new strength I’ve earned. I can correct that, though…

Don’t let Atross, Iczer-3 or any ship get blown up. I’m not sure if I’d qualify this as a difficulty or annoyance spike in comparison to the last mission. Neos Gold is the same as she was before, and so are the Dilos Thetas, but the difference if that there are now a bunch of Regulus Alphas around.
Attack-wise, they’re unchanged from our previous encounters, but, stat-wise, two of them have nearly 50k HP (the ones facing right). You can still outrange them easily enough, but there are many to deal with. There aren’t really any special tricks here: just build up morale on the Dilos, and start focus-firing them all. Do try to play conservatively with your SP, though, as having enough to pop valors and Strikes later will make things significantly easier.
No enemies here have MAPW attacks, so just be mindful of chains. And the terrain, especially the crevice, provides decent defensive bonuses, so that’ll help you conserve your SP stocks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh7w_1vc5IE
Yajima’s other attack is actually pretty intricate for the standard “shoot your gun” move.

Oh, you’re cute.

: We got my dad back safe and sound, so we’re absolutely gonna do the same for Nagisa!
: Then you have but to defeat me. Though I’m afraid that’s an impossibility!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzPOx-X91XI
More DKs for Kira!

One thing that I forgot to reiterate last mission is that Yulianne’s Decapitation is, I think, the only post-movement attack in the game that applies the Armor Down L3 debuff, so she is very much worth bringing around in these last missions.

Either way, 40 minutes later, I’ve finally gotten rid of all the mooks and we’re ready to go after Neos.

: Destroy you and break into the base. A simple mission.
: Fool. Do you honestly think it’s in your power to destroy me?!

: You’re not the only one we’re putting down today… I’m making this quick!
: Try it, if you can! However, struggle as you might, this universe will belong to none but my mother, Big Gold!

: No way I’m getting dropped here! I’m running you into the dirt and making it back in one piece!
: I can appreciate your zest, but I wonder if you’ve the strength to support it.

: Your plans end here and now, Neos!
: The creation dares turn on her creator…? I’ll personally turn you back to dust, worm!

: I can’t stop until my sis’ back with us! Come on, Neos!
: Idiot girl. The only place where you’ll see Iczer-1 again is in the afterlife!

: I couldn’t turn into Jeeg back then, so this’ll be my first time tangling with you!
: You’re the kinda baddie that kills her mooks like it ain’t no thing, right? Then I don’t need to hold back when kicking your ass!
: Hahahah… what a fine spirit you have. Come and see for yourself the horror of facing me!

: Not bad at all, Earthlings. You are certainly far stronger than when last we fought.
: Yeah, how’d you like that, Neos! We’re not getting beat up by you!
: Even Iczer-3’s grown as a warrior, Neos Gold. You’d best make peace with your defeat!
: We’re not here to eradicate the Cthulhu people, though! Some might still be open to parley about your immigration – you just have to be willing to try!
: So there’s no point in continuing this…!
: You don’t seem to grasp your situation…

: What?!
: It’s… The barrier around the Cthulhu fortress is enveloping our units!
: Defensive stance! Bring us into Volution Mode!
: R-Roger!

: Blast… to think the Cthulhu could use a defensive barrier as a snare…!
: Heey, what gives?! Our ship’s the one meant to be attacking with barriers!
: Hohohoho… you’d best watch how you move, or it’ll cost you dearly.
: Granted, even if you do sit still, the barrier will constrict and wring the life out of you regardless!

: Can’t we do anything, Arthur?!
: No, the barrier field has us completely trapped!

Alarm!

: Their barrier is apparently taking energy from both Neos Gold and the panels composing the surface of the Cthulhu fortress. We’re not doing away with it unless we can destroy them both…!
: The Dragon’s Hive moving in! We’ll bring forth a way for our survival!
: Don’t! If you get too close, you’ll be caught in the barrier field as well!
: But how are we supposed to engage the targets if we cannot even draw near…?!
: Ahahahahaha! What’s the matter, LOTUS? If that all you have to offer?
: Uurk… damn it…!

: This isn’t good…! The Minerva…!
: …I’ll handle this.
: Atross?!
: I can still move a bit even inside the barrier field! So if I just blast Neos with all energy I have, I might be able to take her out!
: “All of your”… but if you do that, you’ll…!
: That’s crazy, Atross!
: Nagisa… you’ve no idea how happy I am to have met you. And if doing this means you all survive, then…!
: Atross…
: Don’t worry about me! If we don’t hurry, everyone’s gonna be crushed!
: Iczer-3, you go and destroy the fortress’ surface right after I’ve pushed Neos back! Do that and the barrier’ll disappear!
: Your plan is pointless… You have nowhere enough energy to be capable of destroying our fortress, Iczer-3.

Beep!

: Then I’ll take that task upon myself.
: Huh…?!
: The Messiah still has enough fuel in stock to alter its trajectory…
: A collision with an object of this much mass should generate enough force to tear through their barrier and severely damage the fortress.
: Gil…!
: You…!
: Talia… Earth truly is beautiful – a gem floating amid the darkness of space, and well deserving of such recognition…
: Hahah… This will not atone for all I’ve done, but I’m glad that I could at least help you before my death.
: Chairman! CHAIRMAN DURANDAL!!

Alarm!

: Messiah’s incoming!

Ruuuuumble!

: … We can’t let the Chairman die for nothing. Atross…!
: I’m ready…!
: You’d stand against your own mother, Atross?!
: You’re not my mother!

Atross: “For Nagisa… and for all those who called me their friend…!” > “Neos Gold! I’ll end you!”
Neos Gold: “You accursed traitooooor!!”

CRAAAAAAAASH!

: The barrier’s gone! The Minerva and all units are moving again!
: You did it, Atross!
: Y-Yeah…!

: Not good! She’s breaking down!
: Get back to the ship, Atross!
… Going somewhere, traitor?!
: !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juWsjWej3QE

: Na…gisa… I…

: Atross! ATROOOOOSS!!
: Atross…
: You…! You’re gonna pay for that!
: What are you frothing at the mouth for? Atross was a being I created from the Iczelio – her life was false from the very beginning.
: And, regardless of that, death is all that awaits traitors and the incompetent. Such is the ironclad rule of the Cthulhu!
: What’dya think life is?! You can’t just snuff it out without even batting an eye!
: Her life may have been “false” in your eyes…
: But she was still alive! She fought and laughed with all of us! And killing her…
: Is unforgivable, Neos Gold!
: Foolish humans. I have achieved perfection, and you will learn what it means to oppose me.

: You killed Atross! Get as big as you want, bring as many goons as you’d like, I’m not letting you beat me! I can’t! EVER!!

And now you get to do it again. All enemies have respawned and while you probably could ignore them and just brute force Neos (who’ll auto-cast Iron Wall until you do some hefty damage), you’re likely better off casting Confuse once or twice and killing everything for the cash.

Super Neos (Neos Gold)
Pilot Skills:
Ignore Size Difference
Commander L3
Prevail L5
Support Attack L3
Attack Combo L3

Super Neos gets powered up in a lot of spots, but loses a couple of things. For one, she can no longer chain attack and doesn’t even get a MAPW to fall back on (and her AI will still prioritize high HP targets), so she’s actually less dangerous.
On the flip side, she’s gotten boosts in all stats and attack power, to say nothing of HP and defense. 94k on a Prevail L5 wouldn’t be an issue normally, but the fact that she’s auto-casting Iron Wall means you’ll be doing gimped damage for a while (make sure to tag her with Yulianne!).
Killing her in one round is likely tough on a fresh game, so you might as well clear out the mooks again. Once they’re gone, the battle is practically won.

Welcome back, Rey. Pop Zeal with Shinji and we can get him perfectly positioned to cut our problems down to size.

All the new enemies get trounced in two turns, and we’re free to tackle Neos.

: An ordinary human man! I’ve nothing to speak with worms who lack any unique powers!
: Well, what a coincidence! I also have nothing to say to you! I’ll just pour all my anger into the Dannar’s fists and let them get my point across!

: Bring it on, Neos Gold! You’re about to get an eyeful of the Devil Emperor’s power!
: Hohoho… “Emperor”, you say! Please, give me your best shot - and do try not to disappoint!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFlYVpxdacc
Here’s her best attack. Get Neos below 80% HP and…

: It is useless… So long as the Iczelio lies within my grasp, I am invincible. Any other force is impotent before it.

: Urgh! Not only is she tough as nails, she can also regen?!
: What do we do now?! Our attacks are only hitting, like, half as hard thanks to that Iczelio too…!
: Run her new numbers against our previously collected data! Hurry!
: Ohohohoho…. I am perfect – almighty. I am cut from wholly different cloth from the Jama Kingdom and Darius Army.
: If the Iczelio’s the problem, then there’s one thing we can try!
: Iczer-3?!
: You’ve got an idea? What, it’s not—
: Right. It takes Iczelio energy to beat Iczelio energy, so I’ll do just what Atross did!

Iczer-3 flies after Neos.

: Iczer-3, stop!
: Insolent fool. Die, Iczer-3!

: Waah?!

BOOM!

: Ah—… Iczer-3…
: Hahahahah…! You’ve been found wanting, accursed Iczer!
: This has gotta be a sick joke… is she really gone…?
: No, wait… Over there!
: You won’t be having this your way, Neos Gold!
: What?! Who goes there?!

: … Don’t worry. Iczer-3’s safe.
: Iczer-1…! You’re back!
: My wounds have finally healed, yes. I can once more fight at your side.
: Sis! You saved me!
: I see you’ve been working very hard since I left, hm, Iczer-3?
: I did, yes! All thanks to Nagisa and our friends!
: I thank you as well, other Nagisa…
: You’re Iczer-1… Weird… this is our first time talking, but I already feel like I know you…
: You’ve my deepest appreciation for taking care of this girl, Nagisa… and now I’ll also take upon myself to guard you.
: Iczer-1, Neos Gold is using the Iczelio to shield herself. We’ve to destroy that shield or this’ll be very difficult to turn around…
: I understand. But I’m sure there’s a way for us to prevail. Just don’t give in to her…!
: Idiocy! One extra Iczer won’t help you stem the tide of my power!
: Though if you get on your knees and vow to serve me, I may decide to spare your life!
: I’m afraid not. The vow I’ve taken is to use the life I’ve been given to destroy Big Gold and protect Nagisa and Earth!
: All troops, focus fire on Neos Gold!

Neos Gold still has Iron Wall, but keep at it – you’re almost in the clear!
And in case it’s not clear, Iczer-1 can’t use the Iczer Robo or Iczer-1 Full Power right now.

: I have been waiting, Iczer-1! At last the time has come for our decisive bout!
: Your evil has grown in my absence, I see… But that also comes to an end today, Neos Gold!

: You’re Neos Gold, huh? Come and try your hand against the Great Hero! The True Great Mazinger will put you six feet under!
: Oho, you dub yourself a hero? Let us put to the test how much that power’ll avail you against a perfect being.

Get her under 70% this time, and…

: Hrrmm…! For how long are you going to continue this exercise in futility…?! I’ve grown weary of your nonsense!
: …Hrk?!

: That light!

: It’s the Iczelio energy!
: Guh… What?! How?!
: Their unyielding hearts have wrested the Iczelio energy from under your control, Neos Gold.
: It is something we, inorganic beings, cannot do… and what pushes humans to grow and evolve.
: Yeah, that’s how we won all those fights before!
: With the Iczelio back with us, does that mean…
: Hmhmm. Iczer-3, call forth the Iczer Robo!
: I’m on it!

: Iczer! ROBO!

: Here we go, Nagisa!
: Ready, Iczer-3!
: Nagisa hasn’t been in a real battle since before, mind, so don’t push things too hard!
: I know, I know! I won’t put much on her back!
: Curse you…! CURSE YOU ALL!!

There goes her Iron Wall! KIIIIILL!!

: Those smug Four Generals of yours are already toast! You ain’t taking LOTUS down by yourself, lady!
: Hmph… So Golem also died an ignoble death. I had my suspicions when she didn’t return.
: Still, I’ve no use for those that are incompetent! Bacteria like you will not give an omnipotent being pause!

: Ah, the artificial human that Golem failed to dispose of – much to my disappointment, too…
: Had the Third Impact successfully triggered, all of humanity would’ve been ashes and our immigration could have happened in earnest.
: You don’t have any right to complain when you don’t even care about your own teammates!

: We had to get through Proist and that Super Mimetic Beast to get here! No way we’re letting you do us in after all that!
: You underestimate me, Earthling! And now my overwhelming might will put the fear of death into you!

–

: Your underlings hurt our friends and kidnapped Nagisa! Now you’ll feel the sting of all our anger!
: Hmph… this human “solidarity” garbage is truly nigh-incomprehensible.

: I am a perfect, omnipotent being. To bare your fangs against she whom you should be worshiping… I’d call you a fool, but that would be an understatement.
: Your “omnipotence” is just a delusion! And if you cannot see that for yourself, then we’ll just have to prove it to you!

: Say whatever you want, you’re still Big Gold’s mook! I don’t buy that “I AM ALL POWERFUL” bunk for one second!
: You dare mock me?! But it will not be long before we’ve shed light on the mysteries of Nagisa Kanou’s power. The day we’ll ascent to godhood draws near!
: “Being God” is way above your paygrade, mook! “Intelligence Staff Officer” or stuff like that is more in line with you! (Neos Gold’s VA voices Maribaron in Kamen Rider Black RX)

: We don’t care about you! Get Moon WILL out here right now!
: You dub yourself a warrior who’s transcended even the gods… the gall! Bow before my overwhelming might!

If you attack after Iczer-1 came back, but before you took the Iczelio:

: Alright, my big sis is back! We’ve nothing to worry about anymore!
: You still don’t understand that victory is impossible for you!
: Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but that doesn’t mean we’re just gonna run off!
: Then you will die here on this moon alongside all these moronic humans!
: I won’t, because I’d never let myself get taken out by you!

With the Robo:

: Stay calm, Iczer-3! I’m sure she has a weak spot somewhere!
: Ooh, you’re right! We should go for the wound the Iczelio energy made when it left!
: Your games have gone on for long enough, Iczer-3! Even without the Iczelio, my Super Neos still houses gigantic amounts of energy!
: And the Iczer Robo’ll send all that energy flying!

: Wh-Why?! How… I was supposed to be unbeatable! GAAAAAAAAAH!!

: Yeah! We finally wrecked Neos Gold!

: No more signs of the enemy around the fortress!
: Time for us to get in there, then…!
: And we even got that huge hole opened up on it. Even the Macross should be able to fit through.
: That’s the road the Chairman paved for us. Let’s not be ungrateful, then—

Beep!

: How abominable the sight of you squirming organics is! It is utterly BAAaaflinnng!
: Who goes there?!
: I’m certain you know who. It is I, Moon WILL… overseer of civilizations.
: You’re Moon WILL…!
: Come on IIIiinnnn, LOTUS! The girl you seek, Nagisa Kanou, awaits. As do I! And BIIiig GOOoold…!
: We will neither run NOoorr HIIiide! Indeed, we all await within the fortress before YOOoouu…!

Bloop.

: I guess we’re officially invited into their home.
: Heh, works for me. Beats having to sneak around the place, right?
: Yeah. And we’d have to fight them sooner or later, too…
: …

Iczer-1 flies south, spotting a fulfilled secret!

: What is it, Iczer-1?
: I sense the child, Atross… she’s still barely alive!
: Ah?!

: …

Iczer-3 pops out the Iczer Robo and heads over.

: Atross!
: Is there anything we can do to save her, Iczer-1?!
: I’m not sure… but it’s worth trying!
: Any units that need repairs and resupplies are to return to the ships at once! We’re entering the enemy fortress!
: Roger!

: …
: What happens now, Iczer-1?
: I’ll give her a portion of my energy. She was born of the Iczelio, so this could potentially save her life. I’ll need your help as well Iczer-3.
: Okay! Atross saved me back there, so I gotta pay her back!

: Please open your eyes, Atross…!
: If a kind soul has found its way into this child… If her heart truly shines bright, then we can bring her back…!

: Atross!

: Hm…
: Atross…! You did it! She’s back!
: Oh, Atross… thank goodness…!
: Nagisa…? You’re okay…
: We all are…! And so are you…!
: What a relief… Haah…
: You’re Iczer-1… Why did you save me…?
: What makes you ask that…?
: Because, look at you…! You and Iczer-3 are all groggy after using your energy to save me…!
: It’s said that people are prone to doing irrational things from time to time. Besides…
: Does one need a reason to try and save her little sister?
: …! Sister…
: Can… can I call you “sis” too, then…?
: Of course…

: There they go. Now we only need to rescue Nagisa and things’ll be just peachy.
: Our units should be about done resupplying. Let’s get going!

You only get to keep Atross if you had Iczer-3 beat her back on mission 26.

Some time later, Nagisa and Iczer-1 are trying to sense Nagisa Kanou inside the fortress, but the girl’s voice is growing steadily weaker. Mido and Saotome are patrolling ahead and found a wide open area inside the fortress – perfect for a huge brawl.
Ichitaka gapes at the baddies apparently setting up an arena for our showdown, but it tells Kurara that Moon WILL must be feeling pretty confident. He’s taunting us, Sakuya thinks – the guy probably thinks he’s hot stuff because he’s got that Original Dancouga thing.
Well, Seimi’s got the Nova all set up and ready to go, and Aoi’s looking forward to this Dancouga vs. Dancouga match. It’ll be the climax of Team D’s piloting career!

Ruuuumble!

: What was that…?
: Neos Gold has fallen, and LOTUS has made its way inside the fortress, I’d wager.
: They did?!

Tweep!

: Ah… this is…! Iczer-1’s with them! She came back!
: It’s a bit too soon for celebration, Nagisa… Her return does nothing to change your predicament.
: Furthermore, it is time I made you compliant…
: C-Compliant…? With what…?!
: Oh, you stupid girl… compliant with being mine.
: You will be my partner, Nagisa. Surely you understand that that’s why you were taken in the first place…?
: No! My place is with Iczer-1! I’d never be your partner!
: Ah, Nagisa… you’re adorable. But should beings as frail as humans deign to speak like that…?

Tentacles!

This is probably where I should say that Iczer-1 originally started in a porn mag. The anime doesn’t go that far, of course…

: Aah?! D-Do you think you can intimidate me with these creepy things…?!
: Did you forget what you’ve heard? These infect and transform the human hosts into monsters from the inside-out. Would you care to go the way of dear “mommy and daddy”?
: N-No… stop… urgh…
: You’d best agree to my terms quickly, or these tentacles will run you through.

Tentacle noises!

: … No! Threaten me with whatever you want, I won’t do it!
: What…?!
: And if you’re going to kill me, just get it over with!
: I see… I suppose I will, then, Nagisa.

: Gaah…!
: (Help me… Iczer-1…! Iczer-1! Iczer-ooone!!)