[center][h2][color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi Hasegawa[/color][/h2]
Paved Wilderness- Highertower
Lvl 9 [color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi[/color] (17/90) -> Lvl 9 (19/90) 
Word count: 1,001 words [/center]


Celica, thankfully, did not blow him up. She, did, however, transform her mech-tank into a full-on mecha, making Zenkichi suppress a sigh. At least this one was on his side. Unfortunately, they didn’t get much of a chance to have a meet-and-greet before another mech, this one outfitted in the colors of the soldiers they’d taken out, dropped from the sky and began spooling up its giant minigun. Bit of an oxymoron, that. [color=BFBFBF]”Oh come on…”[/color] he groaned as he summoned his Greatsword, all the better to block with. 

Thankfully, Edward and Juri appeared through a portal at about the same time, and Zenkichi quickly backed up their claim. [color=BFBFBF]”Friendlies! Those are, in fact, more friendlies on your six, even if they may not always [i]act[/i] like friends.”[/color] The complaint about their earlier pilfering from the Gears was mostly toothless, as Zenkichi was much more invested in Not Dying to a Giant Mecha for, like, the third or fourth time now? This was getting to become a pattern and he was [i]not[/i] a fan!

With reinforcements at its side, the NC Vanguard Mech began opening fire on Celica’s Skell, leaving Zenkichi and the others to deal with the squads of soldiers. Edward began firing back with his own weapons alongside his drones, and from the sky (presumably way up on the Highertower) came arrows the size of spears. How Edward managed to call in a giant with a bow for reinforcements, he did not know, but Zenkichi did know that this was his jam. A group of less-dangerous enemies and one big guy was the Phantom Thieves’ bread and butter when he was with them. Running in with Blazermate trailing on the heals, the fight was on. 

With Preservation Protocol activated, Zenkichi didn’t bother to buff himself just yet. The moment would come, and with Blazermate healing him, he didn’t have to swap to Restoration. Gunfire filled the battlefield, shots flying at him, at the portals Edward had set up to protect Juri and the container, the Dreadnought himself, Blazermate, Celica, and just about any other free spot of air around. Even as small arms fire plinked away at his vitality, Zenkichi ran in. The Greatsword was dismissed in favor of his revolvers, and when he found a good rock to hid behind, he finally took cover and began popping out to return fire.

Revolvers, being fairly simple weapons, were also somewhat underestimated by guys like this. Oh, he couldn’t put out nearly as much volume of fire, that would never be under question, but Zenkichi [i]could[/i] put out just as much hurt. As assault rifle fire slammed into the rock beside and dirt behind him, Zenkichi lined up a shot on the incoming combat medic and put a round in his plate carrier. It didn’t down him, but the momentary flinch threw off the soldier’s aim enough that Zenkichi could line up a second shot, to much deadlier effect. The bullet went right through the soldier’s head, crossing one target off the list. Turning his head, Zenkichi watched the NC reinforcements beginning to surround Celica before sighing and turning to Blazermate. 

[color=BFBFBF]”Gonna drop a big hit in there, then we go in and clear up. Just follow my lead.”[/color] The medabot was more than happy to oblige, and Zenkichi popped out with the Greatsword in hand and Valjean behind him. [color=BFBFBF]”Valjean! Let’s turn the tide. Agneyastra!”[/color] As a wave of lethargy passed over Zenkichi from his stamina dropping to perilous levels even as Preservation Protocol gave him a defensive buff, a trio of magical meteors crashed into the battlefield. wiping out a solid half of the NC reinforcements in a single fell swoop, leaving a vacuum he could fill.

To their credit, the remainder did not break and run. He wasn’t sure how many were under Galeem’s influence and had been hit by small arms fire or otherwise drawn into the fight, but not a one of the soldiers, even those in the rear, abandoned their squadmates. [color=BFBFBF]”A pity.”[/color] Zenkichi sighed, as Armstrong, Sosha, and he broke into their lines and began causing chaos. Between Sosha’s dexterity, Armstrong’s nigh-invulnerability, their fire support, and Zenkichi’s healthy mix of durability and self-sustain, the NC squad stood not even a ghost of a chance. 

Hitch blasts rang out with every blow Zenkichi landed, especially when he activated Fury and his attacks became AoE zones of devastation. An attack that hit three enemies hit each enemy an extra two times, as well as hitting all of their allies that he’d already hit. He had to keep his focus split between the soldiers to maintain the stacks of Hitch, but with Preservation Protocol’s defense boost still up and Blazermate keeping him topped off, even close-range shotgun blasts could keep the Phantom Thief down. It didn’t hurt that every once in a while, a giant arrow-spear would turn a soldier into a spirit in the blink of an eye, further harming their allies through Hitch. 

It was…not a pretty sight, but after what was realistically not a terribly long time, the battlefield turned quiet. Zenkichi sighed as Blazermate’s medigun healed his wounds and he picked up the spirits of the fallen soldiers. Each wound was fairly small, but there were many. [color=BFBFBF]”Thanks. We gotta get her outta here.”[/color] He said, gesturing to Celica. Putting his finger to his ear, he contacted Sandalphon yet again. 

[color=BFBFBF]”Sandalphon, this is Zenkichi. We made friendly contact, though I think we’re going to need a [i]lot[/i] of fultons for this…tank mech thing she has. Edward and Juri are getting some supplies to the armory, I think as well. Hard to tell with those two, we’ve all just been doing our own thing until we just met up. Regardless, we’re likely in need of a pickup of some kind. Not sure if the Avenger can reach us in time. If not, we can try to get her to a vehicle I pilfered and stashed out here. With Edward’s portals, shouldn’t be too hard, as long as we can get that mech moving, too.”[/color]