G Gundam: RYF - C2: The Tale of the Band of 5

Both fighters ended up having a bit of a laugh before the source of the noise called out to both Domon and Allenby.

???: Come…
ALLENBY: What was that?
DOMON: C’mon, let’s go find out.

With no hesitation whatsoever; Domon and Allenby searched out for the source of the voice that called out to them. As they ventured further into the passage; the noise kept calling out to both fighters with the same tone as they first heard it after their battle against the berserk Noble Gundam. After a while down the path they were on; the path ended at an open chamber in the caverns to an arena-like room with nothing or no one around them. At the center of the room was in fact the one rumor that Domon hoped that it wouldn’t be revealed as truth; the Dark Gundam was in fact in Neo Hong Kong and it was in the arena. Unlike the incarnations that Domon had seen before; this one had legs like a normal gundam would have and it still had all of the battle damage from their battle in the Guiana Highlands in Venezuela. The Dark Gundam was being held at a secret facility not too far away from the ring in which the rift opened up; which caused the facility to cave in from the resulting quake. The Dark Gundam fell down into the cavern and onto the floor of the arena-like room. The Dark Gundam then called out to both fighters to face him in combat.

???: Rise…
ALLENBY: Huh?
DOMON: Great…it speaks now.
???: Rise and fight me…

The Dark Gundam was starting to get up onto his feet; despite the battle damage he has sustained. Domon and Allenby prepared themselves to whatever the Dark Gundam might have planned for them. It was at that moment the Dark Gundam came at them like a wild animal and was starting to throw punches; but missing them every single time. Both fighters were not even attempting to land any sort of offense on the Dark Gundam. The Dark Gundam came at them still; determined to fight them to the end. Both Domon and Allenby stopped what they were doing as the Dark Gundam showed signs of both exhaustion and frustration towards them.

???: Why…why will you not fight me?
DOMON: Your fists don’t even bear a soul within them. That’s why we won’t fight you.
???: Rise and face me…I beg of you…
ALLENBY: Why should we? From what I heard the only thing you’ve been known to do is to cause death and destruction anything and anyone that you touch.
???: I cannot strike the defenseless, for this battle must be concluded under the warrior’s code. I beg you once more…Rise up, ready your fists, continue this fight…
DOMON: Why should we?
???: For freedom.

It was this revelation that caused a bit of confusion for both Domon and Allenby and understandably so. The Dark Gundam had taken control of both Michello Chariot and Gentle Chapman and used them as vessels for the Raven and Grand Gundams respectively. The Dark Gundam was also the cause of the death of Domon’s mother, his father’s imprisonment in stasis, and his brother’s descent into madness. Soon after, the rest of the dark kings arrived in the arena of their own accord. The Raven, Grand, and now revealed Walter Gundams all just stood there in place and no more.

???: The master of this kingdom of darkness and death is just a man; a cursed man trapped in a mechanical body.
ALLENBY: I don’t get it…
???: It happened a long time ago; so many moons ago now. I to, with the kings, were just men. Mighty warriors like you and the Shuffle Alliance.

It was at that instance he moved his hand to summon a huge scroll he had buried in the earth. The scroll revealed a manuscript that depicted the Dark Gundam Corps in a different manner than what was publicly known. The top emblem at the center of the scroll was a mighty falcon within an eight-pointed star; with each point having a characteristic to represent the emblem’s true meaning.

???: We have inscribed a recording of our past. So, we can never forget the lives we once had, the men that we once were, and for our culture not to be lost in the sands of time. Let me take you to a journey into our past.

It was in in that moment the writing from the scroll lit up and engulfed the entire arena and all parties involved were taken to what looked like a rural region of Neo Japan just a few decades before the first ever Gundam Fight. Domon and Allenby suddenly found themselves not in their gundams; but standing at gundam-height to the Dark Gundam and the three kings.

???: These lands were not always scorched and in ruins. There was once a beautiful kingdom in the lush countryside; it was truly something to behold. A jewel in all of the eastern lands also found my happiness with a wife, two sons, and a faithful canine.

The image then shifted from the peaceful times in the village to a battle that forged the heavenly kings into the elite four of the Dark Gundam.

???: The peace we had was almost taken away from us from rivals over the oceans. It was in that moment that I picked four of the best warriors and aligned them with me to help safeguard this land. Hou-ou Gundam, the winged lord of the northern skies and a Master of Flames. Geki Gundam, the loyal guardian of the western mountans and a Master of Thunder. Ryu Gundam, the wise man from the southern plains and a Master of Wind. Lastly there was Kame Gundam, the strongest of us all from the eastern seas and a Master of Water. We united our spirits and managed to drive off our rivals and won the respect and admiration of our people.

After that image it shifted towards more peaceful times and how the band of five managed after the war.

???: Times were good, the game was plentiful, and our people were thriving. After a while however, we knew that our time was drawing to its end. We returned from a successful hunting trip when an omen appeared; a black moon blocked out the sun. I should have known then that things were never going to be the same after the events of that day.

The image shifted from the eclipse into a vast field where the band of five met their downfall. The looks on the faces from Domon and Allenby shifted from confusion to utter sadness as they were not ready for what was coming next.

???: We heard reports that there was a planned uprising in the capital; but it turned out that Lord Ishikawa had used us to ascend the throne and ordered our destruction. We returned to find our kingdom in ruins and the coward had ordered our deaths. We fought as many of his men as we could; but it was to no avail. We were lying on the ground, ready to fight him for the last time; but he dealt us a fate worse than death. The coward imprisoned us in an unbreakable crystal; denying us a warrior’s end. We all sat helpless as the coward Ishikawa burned our kingdom to the ground and laughing at our misery.

The image of the burning kingdom was something that not even Domon could have even known about or the fact that the name “Ishikawa” struck a chord with him in an unexpected way. Before Domon could even get a response in; the scene changed once again to when Lord Ishikawa had the band of five in his hands.

???: The coward wanted to make sure that we were punished for eternity, so he thrusted us deep within the earth beneath our once proud kingdom. It seemed at that point that we were not able to get to Ark, the resting place for all warrior souls. That’s when your father found us on an expedition and there laid our chance. We took advantage of the advancement of technology and out of the DG Cells we were able to become the forms we see before you know. It was before the 13^th battle began; that I saw the face of the coward Ishikawa in a new body. He wanted to use our power to rule over everyone with an iron grip.

It was those images that Domon finally knew the truth that his brother in fact took the Dark Gundam to earth in order to save everyone and that everything that Ulube told him about the Dark Gundam was a fabricated lie.

???: I’m sure you are aware of what happened when we crashed into the earth right?
DOMON: Yeah…I know…
???: What you don’t know is that your brother knew that something had gone wrong and made a countermeasure to keep his will and ours intact. He split up our personas to the gundams you see before you and he manipulated the DG cells to clone himself to the real Schwarz Bruder; to watch over you and protect you whilst you were training. Thanks to the rift; we are now able to take over the programing of the DG cells for the time being. For you see, the only way for us to enter Ark is to fall in combat to another warrior.

With the entire story told the group returned to the arena in the same positions they were prior to the light engulfing them into the scroll. It was there that the Dark Gundam hung his head in shame after the revelation of the truth. Both Domon and Allenby couldn’t even stomach the thought of what they went through and how they were cursed to this life the Dark Gundam and the kings were going through.

???: So, it is written the truth is now told. The fate me, my brothers, and the people of this planet are at your mercy.

Domon then turned to Allenby and both fighters nodded at each other and they stood up and prepared themselves for a fight against the Dark Gundam. The Raven, Walter, and Grand Gundams stood back and allowed the Dark Gundam to go to battle for one last time.

DOMON: Get ready…this ends tonight.
ALLENBY: I got your back on this one Domon.
???: At last, the gateway to Ark finally opens for us brothers.

The Dark Gundam raised his fists as he prepared to slam down the earth; In turn Noble Gundam and Burning Gundam charged at the Dark Gundam with beam swords to catch his fists. There were a few moments of a struggle between the three gundams and then a break came and the Dark Gundam then took another swing at both gundams. He missed Allenby by only a few feet; but Domon managed to land a blow on the Dark Gundam which caused it to grab its chest in pain. Seeing as this was an opportunity to get another shot in; both gundams got ready for the next move. The Dark Gundam then landed a massive uppercut to both Domon and Allenby which sent them flying back a few feet before landing face down on the floor of the arena.

???: Rise fighters…Rise! Honorably I must be defeated, I cannot yield to you now!

Both fighters were clutching their fists as they made their way back to their feet and looked at the Dark Gundam dead in the eyes.

ALLENBY: You won’t need to worry about that.
DOMON: Because this battle is only getting started.

With the words that were spoken; the three gundams once again engaged in combat. Each time there were moves and counter moves on each participants part. It seemed as if no one was going to get the advantage on the other. In one last charge the Dark Gundam tried a straight right jab to Domon and Allenby. Both fighrers jumped the punch and then used the double burning finger again right to the core of the Dark Gundam; the result of that caused a sharp pain in the Dark Gundam’s chest.

???: After all of the cycles that h-have passed…our freedom h-has come. ACCUSED COWARD YOUR SPELL IS BROKEN!!!

With that loud yell, a sudden burst of energy came out of the Dark, Raven, Grand, and Walter Gundams in the arena. A fourth light, presumably the Master Gundam, joined in at the last possible moment. Domon and Allenby stood back as the light was growing in power and they shielded their eys for what was coming next. A sudden burst of energy shot through the roof of the arena and blasted another hole to the surface. Inside the arena the light faded and revealed the four gundams that were depicted in the manuscript as well as the Dark Gundam’s true form; the Gundam DaiShogun.

???: WE ARE FREE!!! At last our true forms have been restored. The curse…is…lifted…

Slowly but surely, all of the battle damages the band of five had suffered reemerged and left all of them in a weakened state. Domon and Allenby were first shocked at the reveal of the band of five, as well as the Dark Gundam’s true form. That emotion was replaced with concern after the Gundam DaiShogun dropped his sword in front of both gundams. The band of five laid on the ground as they did in their final battle against Lord Ishikawa so many years ago; but this time their minds were at peace.

DOMON: Hey warrior…I…I…
???: Don’t worry about me my friends, you have done your duty…as have we before you…please hand me my sword.

Domon fulfilled the final wish of the Gundam DaiShogun and returned him his sword and both fighters bowed in respect to the fallen five.

???: T-thank you…now...now we can rest.

Soon after the words have been spoken, all of the band of five ceased functioning. Both Domon and Allenby were exhausted after the fight and Allenby had to hold Domon up to keep him from collapsing to the floor. A steady beam of light engulfed the five gundams as they ascended to the heavens. With Domon and Allenby looking up; both had a smile on their faces they knew that they helped end a torturous life for the band of five. Before both fighters left the caverns; they inscribed on the scroll the kanji for the word “free” and one last image of the band of five in celebration.

ALLENBY: Hey Domon, what time is it anyway?
DOMON: Uhh…it’s about 2…AM.
ALLENBY: Oh man…
DOMON: Relax, I know a place we can crash.

Both gundams finally made their way out of the caverns and out onto the bay before their boosters were out of fuel. They walked the rest of the way to an old fishing boat that Domon spends his time at rather than his team’s facility. Both gundams stood over the boat as the fighters got out of their Mobile Trace Suits and got back to their normal clothes. Both fighters took a whiff at each other and could smell the B.O. that came off of them and they made the choice to jump out of the gundams and into the bay. After a brief swim to wash the stentch off of them; Domon and Allenby got back to the boat and left their usual clothes out to dry on the clothesline. The only thing that Allenby had on was a pair of underwear and a tank top; while Domon had a T-shirt and some boxers on his person. It got to around 4 AM and both fighters were ready to go to bed.

ALLENBY: (yawns) It got really late…
DOMON: Which bunk do you want?
ALLENBY: I’ll take the lower right bunk. How about you?
DOMON: I’ll take the lower (yawn) left…

It was clear that exhaustion had set in and both fighters just crawled into bed and got themselves covered with the sheets and comforters of the beds they were in. Both fighters got one last look at each other before they went to bed.

DOMON: Good night…
ALLENBY: Night to you…

As both fighters fell to sleep in the wee hours of the morning; a final flash of light appeared in the night sky. The band of five appeared one last time with the gates to Ark at the back as they took one last look at the two fighters who freed them from their curse in approval.