WEEKLY POWER GOALS đ
đ„ 30â2ch | 60â5ch | 100â8ch | 200â15ch | 400â25ch
â° Resets Monday!
~~~~ââ~~~~~~~~ââ~~~~
Night fell. The Jaeger hangar's lights dimmed, and fewer maintenance crew remained on the night shift.
Raleigh sat on a steel beam, gazing at a blue Jaeger undergoing maintenance. His eyes were full of nostalgia.
Gipsy Danger.
"Five years... Five years and four months."
"Seeing her again still makes my heart pound."
That was Gipsy Dangerâhis former Jaeger, a machine laden with glory.
Throughout history, people had liked calling ships "she." When Jaegers were developed, that tradition carried over.
"The Marshal said you're in charge of the restoration plan."
"Thank you for letting me see her again." Raleigh turned toward Mako Mori, dressed in black beside him.
"No need to thank me." Mako shook her head gently, looking at Gipsy Danger with flickering eyes. "This Jaeger is waiting for her pilot too. I can hear it."
Seeing how she looked at Gipsy Danger, Raleigh smiled slightly.
He seemed to understand something.
Then he asked casually, "When do we start selecting my co-pilot?"
"You knowâJaegers need two pilots."
"Tomorrow morning. Six o'clock."
"I've already drafted the roster for the selection," Mako answered.
"Does that include you?" Raleigh raised an eyebrow.
At his question, Mako looked at him with some surprise. Her gaze drifted, and she shook her head. "No."
A trace of frustration colored her tone.
Getting a negative answer puzzled Raleigh.
Whether two people had spiritual compatibilityâwhether they could achieve the Driftâcould usually be determined at a glance.
The moment he'd arrived at this base and seen Mako, he'd guessed she might be his future partner.
Yet that wasn't the case.
Why?
Was there someone among the others even more compatible with him?
That was all Raleigh could assume.
"That's a shame." He shrugged.
Perhaps there was some inside story he didn't know about.
Just then, footsteps approached.
Raleigh and Mako turned simultaneously toward the tall figure walking toward them.
Seeing their perfectly synchronized movement, Marshal Pentecost couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
"Not planning to rest?" he said to Raleigh. "Tomorrow's test starts early. If you don't rest properly, it might affect your partner selection results."
"Marshal? You finished talking with Natsuki?"
"Half and half. The process was winding, but we reached a preliminary cooperation." Marshal Pentecost's mind still lingered on the scene of that man devouring food.
But regardless, after these interactions, he believed Natsuki was trustworthy.
"That's good." Raleigh smiled.
"I don't know much about him either, but I believe he's a decent guy."
"After all, he saved both our livesâand those workers' lives too."
Speaking of which, Raleigh recalled what Marshal Pentecost had said when persuading him to stay, and teased, "This afternoon you told me we couldn't push all our troubles onto him. How'd you change your mind?"
Hearing that teasing tone, Marshal Pentecost shot him a look.
Hands clasped behind his back, face and heart unperturbed, he said, "My exact words were we couldn't push all our troubles onto him."
As a former Marshal, he knew every word he spoke had to be precise. He excelled at this kind of wordplay.
"Besides, we're talking about cooperation."
"He helps us with power. We help him with intelligence."
"We can never place all our hopes on an outsider."
What they needed now was trust, not dependence.
"Fine."
"Can't argue with you." Raleigh chuckled.
He looked at Gipsy Danger.
"I'm actually looking forward to fighting alongside him."
"Though if he really takes action, there probably won't be room for us to do anything."
Based on what he'd witnessed with his own eyes, he couldn't imagine what Kaiju could possibly stop Natsuki.
Having such a powerful allyâsomeone who'd just saved his lifeâas backup was quite reassuring.
"Is that person... really that powerful?"
Hearing them discuss Natsuki, Mako asked curiously.
"You explain to her."
"I told her. She didn't believe me."
"Even Tendo didn't believe me," Raleigh said to Marshal Pentecost.
Earlier, while touring the base, he'd told Mako and his old friend Tendo Choi about this afternoon's events. Not one of them believed him.
The EMP attack had disabled most electronic equipment, so no one had recorded footage of the scene.
That eliminated the biggest piece of evidence.
No one believed a person could transform into a fifty-meter giant with the power to instantly kill Kaiju.
"Words alone cannot describe that scene."
"You'll understand once you see it with your own eyes." Marshal Pentecost met Mako's curious gaze seriously.
Witnessing that giant in battleâbeyond sensing his power, you'd feel something that defied words.
"Then I look forward to it." Hearing such a mystical answer, Mako still had no real concept. She could only anticipate personally witnessing the giant's combat herself.
"Alright, it's getting late."
"Rest early," Marshal Pentecost urged them both.
They checked the time. Understanding they had to participate in the Jaeger pilot selection test first thing tomorrow, they nodded and stood simultaneously.
"You rest early too." Raleigh patted Marshal Pentecost's shoulder.
"Good night," Mako said.
Marshal Pentecost watched them leave.
His expression was complicated.
He also knew who Raleigh's best partner candidate was.
But not now. Not yet.
He believed his daughter wasn't mature enough. The real battlefield was still too dangerous for her.
"I hope everything goes smoothly from here on."
Marshal Pentecost looked at the four Jaegers in the hangar, his tone heavy.
Then suddenly, he felt warmth from his nose.
He wiped it with his hand. A dark red bloodstain appeared on his fingers.
He wasn't surprised.
Instead, he habitually reached into his pocket, pulled out a metal case, took out a yellow-and-white capsule, and silently swallowed it.
This plan was humanity's decisive battle with the Precursorsâand his own all-or-nothing gamble.
"There's not much time left..."
He knew his days were numbered.
Before his life reached its end, he had to lead humanity out of doomsday.
These were the words he told himself every night before sleep.
Bringing Natsukiâessentially a walking nuclear bombâback to the base was partly out of trust, partly out of his determination to end the apocalypse.
~~~~ââ~~~~~~~~ââ~~~~
đ„ Want to read the next 15chapters RIGHT NOW?
 đ Patreon members get instant access!Â
⥠Limited-time offer currently running...
 đ [Join on Patreon - patreon.com/DarkGolds]