"Athrun, Yzak, Dearka, Nicol."
Piloting GINN while leading four Gundams away from their mothership, Creuset was certainly not the type to act impulsively upon seeing the enemy. Moreover, the four behind him were all second-generation officers from influential families.
Necessary instructions had to be given. Calling out his subordinates' names one by one, Creuset observed their helmeted faces on the screen. His gaze lingered particularly on Athrun and Yzak for a moment.
"Captain." "Captain."
Athrun and Yzak both noticed Creuset's gaze.
Athrun was uneasy due to his lackluster performance in the previous battle, compounded by his conflicted feelings about Kira. The blue-haired boy had been hesitating whether to confess the truth, and after the battle, he hadn't found an opportunity to speak with Creuset.
Yzak, on the other hand, was much simpler. A straightforward and hot-tempered young man, he merely assumed that his poor performance in the last battle had left a bad impression on Creuset.
Though Athrun hadn't performed much better, Yzak, who had always been competing with him, felt that failing to surpass Athrun was unacceptable.
"The previous battle was nothing. The Gundams' deployment and adjustments were far from perfect."
Creuset's magnetic voice rang out, his skill in inspiring and manipulating others nearly perfected.
"This battle will be your true debut. I look forward to your performance!"
No lengthy speeches, no unnecessary words—just two simple sentences, amplified by Creuset's charisma.
The effect was nothing short of extraordinary.
After hearing their captain's words, Athrun's guilt reached unbearable levels. Despite his terrible performance in the last battle, his captain not only didn't reprimand him but even placed such high expectations on him.
Kira... even if I face you this time, I'll fight seriously.
Similarly, Yzak, who had never been one to accept being second-best, was fired up. Though he said nothing aloud, he silently vowed to achieve outstanding results in this battle.
As for Dearka and Nicol—
Dearka, a young but naturally shrewd battlefield veteran, had better resistance to such speeches. Still, one thing was certain: while prioritizing his own safety, he didn't want to perform too poorly in his debut.
Likewise, Nicol, who disliked fighting, found himself unusually serious this time.
After all, their opponent was none other than the renowned Wang Hu of the Allied Forces.
A single moment of carelessness could cost them their lives.
"Captain, you can count on us!"
Though their thoughts were many, outwardly, it took only an instant. The four responded in unison to Creuset's expectations.
"Good." With an elegant nod, Creuset followed the predetermined strategy.
He piloted his CGUE alone, heading toward the Qilin, now visible to the naked eye.
"Athrun, don't hold me back this time."
The moment Creuset left, the white-haired Yzak immediately started stirring trouble.
Over their internal comms, he fired the first shot directly at Athrun.
"The captain mentioned earlier that Wang Hu's attack was a feint, aimed at drawing him away."
"What's coming next will definitely be the Allied Forces' Moebius Zero and that Strike Gundam."
"So if you lack confidence or continue to perform poorly,"
"you might as well retreat back to the battleship and not get in my way while I take down that damned Natural's Mobile Suit."
"Yzak." As Yzak's white-haired friend, Dearka stepped in to mediate, trying to smooth things over with a few words.
After all, Athrun's father was the publicly acknowledged top leader of the ZAFT Forces—was it really okay to offend Athrun like this?
"Hmph, Dearka, am I wrong?"
Yzak, like a dog biting Lü Dongbin—unable to recognize a good person's intentions—ignored even his friend's words and kept ranting.
"They're here."
Athrun didn't bother arguing with Yzak. Watching the distance where Captain Creuset had chased after the Qilin, he now saw the Moebius Zero suddenly appear in his field of vision. He tightened his grip on the Aegis Gundam's control stick.
While silently admiring Captain Creuset's foresight, he was also troubled and puzzled by one thing.
Why hadn't Kira's Strike Gundam appeared yet?
"Just as I thought."
Creuset, chasing after the Qilin that had turned tail and fled the moment it saw him, sensed the appearance of another Moebius Zero in his mind's eye.
Chuckling softly, Creuset remained outwardly composed but inwardly smug.
Though he had been outmaneuvered by Wang Hu regarding the Archangel's whereabouts, this time, Wang Hu's strategy was entirely within his grasp.
"Wang Hu, did you really think your 'lure the tiger out of the mountain' trick could fool me?"
As the Qilin continued its frantic escape ahead, Creuset sent a directed communication as usual, addressing who he believed to be Wang Hu.
"You overestimate Mu too much! With just him and Kira, they can't break through the encirclement of four Gundams!"
"Your arrogance will make you regret today's choices! This is the original sin of humanity!"
Gritting his teeth inside the Qilin, Mu listened to Creuset's words.
He wanted nothing more than to turn around and fight Creuset to the death right then and there. Wang Hu was like this, and now Creuset too—how many people had to look down on him?!
He was Mu La Flaga, the so-called "Eagle of Endymion"!
Why did no one take him seriously anymore?!
But suppressing the urge to go back and beat Creuset senseless, resisting the temptation to open a comm channel and curse him out, Mu glanced at the coordinates on the control panel.
At this distance, Creuset still had a chance to turn back.
For the sake of the bigger picture!
Mu stomped hard on the Qilin's accelerator, choosing to endure the humiliation.
After all, if Wang Hu's plan succeeded—!
Eyes burning with fury, Mu imagined the moment Creuset would be humiliated.
Then, he would reveal the truth right in front of him, and the look of regret and frustration on Creuset's face—!
Yes, he wanted to see that!
"Hm?" After sending the communication, Creuset waited for a long time but received no response from Wang Hu.
A faint suspicion arose in his mind—this wasn't like Wang Hu's usual behavior.
But the Qilin before him was undeniably real! After much deliberation...
"It must be a feint to lure me away from the battleship."
Glancing down at the coordinates, Creuset muttered to himself before accelerating his own machine.
There was no way their four Gundams and a battleship couldn't handle one disappointing son and the rookie Kira Yamato.
At the very least, they should hold out until he returned.
Running the calculations in his head again, Creuset saw no room for error.
Five against two—and the Moebius Zero's weapons couldn't even damage a Gundam!
Without a doubt, the advantage was his.
"He's here."
Watching their commander's CGUE grow distant, Athrun called out.
The enemy Moebius Zero had entered firing range!
"Fire!" Athrun raised the Aegis Gundam's beam rifle and took the first shot.
"Don't order me around—you're not the commander!" Yzak was only a split second behind, but even that tiny delay made him feel like he'd lost to the blue-haired brat again.
With a scowl, Yzak charged forward while firing.
"Yzak!" Seeing his friend's recklessness, Dearka followed.
"Yzak! Dearka!" Nicol, whose temperament was similar to Kira's, immediately activated the Blitz Gundam's Mirage Colloid System.
(End of Chapter)