[u][b]Riku POV[/b][/u]
[@Crimson Lion][@KenjuGuy][@Shiyonichi][@Blade17] - [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkf70Sxx1zA]The Shot That Pierces the Stars[/url]

His plan succeeded. Kobayashi's shield remained up for as long as it could, but the Izanagi devoured it in the end. And afterword, there was nothing left that could stop him. With a fully charged blade, Riku cut down the two GN-X's with ease. As he did so, he noticed the bright red glow of the Yamato. The charge had begun. Having faith that Blade could handle himself, Riku positioned himself on the Yamato's broadside, safely outside outside its line of fire. After that, he simply held his position and waited.

This was would be the Wave Motion Cannon's first actual use. For that, Riku was certain he wanted to have a good hard look at the weapon in action. It was his creation after, his great project. This would also be his only real means of properly gauging the Cannon's power and capabilities. Data that would surely be helpful when refinements would eventually be made. Riku counted down the seconds in his head. When the countdown was about to reach zero, he raised his finger and pointed it at his cockpit view as if aiming an invisible gun, before seemingly pulling an imaginary trigger.

"Bang."

And the shot fired. The massive beam of energy lanced its way clear across the battlefield. It easily punched through the colony and broke it clean in half. Whatever was caught in its line of fire, was no doubt doomed to be destroyed. No amount of armor or energy shields would stop it, just as Riku designed. The sight of the energy, and the sheer pressure of witnessing such raw power firsthand was enough to send a chill down Riku's spine. And yet, chilling as this weapon's power was... he could tell that it paled in comparison to the weapon that inspired it. The Cannon from Space Battleship Yamato was powerful enough to vaporize an entire island the size of Australia. Riku's version of the weapon didn't come close. And yet, he couldn't help but curl his slips into a small smile. The potential was there, he could sense it. And he believed it was only a matter of time before he could devise a way to match that power... or even surpass it.

[i]“MATCH OVER, WINNERS … TEAM IMAGINE VICTORY!!!!!”[/i]

His cockpit hologram deactivated, and now Riku found himself looking around at a stunned and cheering crowd. The Wave Motion Cannon was sure to raise some eyebrows among them, but most would surely just be hyped beyond belief. He reached out and picked up his golden Gunpla, as well as the Yamato. Then, he looked around at each of his teammates and said, "I was right after all, our Cannon paled in comparison to the original. But it got the job done, and I intend to make sure it's perfected by the time we need to use it again."

This probably was also enough of a hint to the losing team that he was the one responsible for building the superweapon.

[b]Yuna POV[/b]

"WOW! That. Was. AMAZING!" Yuna was yelling at the top of her lungs over the cheers, "That cannon was so awesome!" She could also see the expression on Riku's face from where they watched. He was happy, happier than he'd been in a long time. She could tell. And she was sure that his mom could tell, too.

[b][u]??? POV[/u][/b]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n--JsJ3AlKA]Stranger in the Crowd[/url]

Unbeknownst to anyone from Team Imagine or their affiliates, there was someone [i]else[/i] in the audience that day. A man in a coat and dark sunglasses, who watched the Tournament with great interest while also retaining a strict poker face throughout. His attention shifted between battlers, but seemingly remained fixated on the Golden Samurai Gunpla more than any other. Or more specifically, on the young man piloting it. Seeing him use the blade to slice a Mobile Armor clean in half during round 1 aroused an amused eyebrow raise from the man. And the similar stunt pulled in the finals against two opponents simultaneously elicited a very slight nod, almost like one of approval.

But it was that finale that really caught his attention. The powerful Superweapon that not only cleaved a colony clean in half but also ended the entire round in a single shot. When the holograms faded, and he saw the pilot of the Golden Gunpla retrieve the ship from the ship, that was all the confirmation needed. So it was his creation after all. And while the previous things that caught his attention had elicited small responses at best, now he allowed himself an actual smile. He slowly, offering applause as the crowds cheered around him. And then, without a word... he was gone. He'd left his spot in the stands and slipped out of the arcade in silence.

"Finally over, is it?" asked a man sitting in the driver's seat of a car as the man from the audience opened the door and sat down in the backseat, "From the look on your face, I assume he did well."

"No," said the mystery man, "He did [i]splendidly[/i]."

"Exceeded your expectations, then? You'd best watch yourself then, he may well come after you eventually. Sounds like he's going to be quite good."

The man in the backseat offered a knowing smile, "No, he's going to be the [i]best[/i]." he said, correcting his associate driving the car, "If the darker side of the World of Gunpla doesn't destroy him, that is. That ship is going to be a game-changer. It may well end up painting a target on that team's back. You know as well as I do how ruthless and cutthroat some people in this industry are."

"Hm, well enough of that for now. You've your own battle to get to, you know. You're already about to be late as it is thanks to this little detour you made."

"I'm aware," said the man in the backseat, his gaze slightly shifting to a [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0d/e2/df/0de2df662ea787629a8f22c72a1ad023.jpg]Silver-Armored Gunpla[/url] sitting safely on its display stand nearby. "but it was his first real tournament. There was no way I was going to let myself miss that."