Mobile Suit Gundam École du Ciel (novel) chapter 5

Ecole du ciel novel chapter 5 is out now! This is really the Chandel focused chapter we've been waiting for. The big showcase for him after 4 chapters of just existing as a supporting character. He really is the breakout character out of all the original characters seen here in the novel, but not in the manga. Not to say we don't get more steps in Elysia's arc, because we certainly do. This and the next manga chapter really pair nicely together as showing two different sides of her growth.

This is technically set before the ending to chapter 7 of the manga and after most of the beginning of that chapter, but we chose to make this chapter of the novel next on the reading list. It wouldn't make sense to see the events of this chapter unfold considering the big status quo change in chapter 7 of the manga.





Reading order for this series is.

Special chapter

Manga chapter 1

Novel chapter 1

Novel chapter 2

Manga chapter 2

Manga chapter 3

Novel chapter 3

Manga chapter 4

Manga chapter 5

Manga chapter 6

Novel chapter 4

Novel chapter 5 (this one)

Manga chapter 7

Chapter 5

The mobile suits cautiously moved through the evergreen forest. The forest still bore visible battle scars all around from the incident that occurred days earlier. Countless trees were toppled over or charred, creating a dismal sight. Elysia walked through the scene in her giant mobile suit, gazing intently at the scene. The sinister scene threatened to swallow her mind with memories of that horrible day. 

Yahagi had told her last night that she was afraid of making mistakes. Visiting Yahagi last night marked the second time that she had visited the instructor's office in the past week. The first was because of Asuna. She wanted to ask Yahagi why Asuna would choose, of all things, a Zaku for her simulator battle against Shin, but also how she was able to win with such an outdated mobile suit.

Asuna seemed like a straight forward and perceptive girl, but Elysia was convinced that there was more to her than that. Elysia had no problem admitting that Asuna was strong. The reason she can think like that is because she's realized that she's a human being that makes mistakes.

Yahagi had told her to not be afraid of making mistakes, but Elysia thought those words were also applicable to Asuna. Asuna didn't care if she made mistakes, because the drop was never big for her. If she made a mistake, she could just pick herself back up and charge forward. If Asuna's strength was in her ability to make mistakes and recover, Elysia's strength was in her in her ability to not make mistakes.

Even if she makes a mistakes, she couldn't allow herself to fall as a result of them. She had to if she wanted to be strong, and above all else, for the sake of her brother's honor. She was no longer walking the path her brother did, but a path beyond it that was uniquely her own. The real battle wasn't avoiding mistakes, but overcoming them. This is why she asked Yahagi to let her retry the exercise. 

She used the panoramic monitor to keep a watchful eye on Asuna's mobile suit and Kelly's. The three of them were using the uniquely designed GM Canard, which had a distinct appearance thanks to the lack of a head. These were substituting the previously used two-seater GM Cannes. Not having the support of an instructor behind her was a little unsettling, but the moderate tension also felt reassuring. She sat alone in the cockpit, gripping the handles of her mobile suit tight.

"I was surprised that Zeon's Useless Girl showed up. I thought you wanted to provide some real support."

A sub window opened on the monitor and revealed that the teasing voice came from Kelly. The fact that he kept running his hands through his hair was probably a sign that he's nervous. Kelly certainly looked more like himself in the green school uniform than in his judo uniform.

"I still intend to, but I can't keep saying that. Not after what I went through."

Asuna spoke, but she didn't let a video transmission of her show up on the other trainees' monitors. There must have been something else she had on her mind.

"Even when its utterly hopeless, you can still find the motivation to do something to keep yourself moving forward."

Kelly leaned forward in amusement at Asuna's response, and Elysia turned on her microphone.

"Enough nicknames now, we need to be serious. Remember, we're in the middle of an operation right now. You can't afford to let-up against Instructor Yahagi."

Kelly gulped at Elysia's words. That's right. Their target had changed from a Guntank to Yahagi. Yahagi was using a GM Cannes, specifically Kelly's unit from the exercise. Kelly's unit retreated once they confirmed the Cannes' ineffectiveness against the Guntanks, leading to it being the one Cannes left mostly intact. The gap in performance between both mobile suits was negligible, as both were designed for training purposes as opposed to actual combat. The trainees had the strength in numbers, but they knew not to let their guards down, not after seeing what Yahagi was capable of during that Guntank incident.

Elysia was genuinely pleased to have an opponent like Yahagi. To know that there was an opponent she stood no chance of besting was refreshing. It was essential for her own growth to have unclimbable walls blocking her way. Even scoring one hit an ace of the One Year War such as Yahagi would mean she was capable of making progress on the toughest of challenges. In a way, this may be nothing more than a silly ritual, but for Elysia, this was a ritual necessary to grow.

"Be careful."

"Shut up! Don't give me orders."

Elsyia found Kelly's stubborn refusal and sullen expression reassuring. Despite his surface level defiance, there was a sense of camaraderie. This was a change she couldn't have fathomed a few months ago, but it was a welcome change. Elysia took a deep breath as she felt what could almost be described as a flutter in her chest.

"Move out!"

"Understood!"

Kelly and Asuna responded swiftly. Elysia just nodded her head. They had no choice but to move forward. The battle had begun.





A monitor in the instructors' office displayed a scene from the training ground. The lush forest could be seen adorned with green leaves and thick branches swaying in the breeze. It gave a sense of the fertile grounds of Quebec. It was the summer and the scent of morning dew steaming off of the summer grass carried itself in the air.

The image occasionally flickered as something in the distance glinted between the leaves. It was mobile suits in the middle of a special exercise. The sunlight reflected off of it and shone brightly. There were the three GM Canards and the one GM Cannes, with Yahagi in the Cannes. Thinking about this, a smile couldn't help but creep onto Forma's face. I don't dislike honest people.

Shortly after that infamous accident, Yahagi summoned Forma to the underground hangar and came close to beating him. Yahagi pressed Forma and even outright accused him of orchestrating the ammunition swapping incident. Though he didn't think it could have been Forma acting on his own initiative. His train of thought led him to suspect that Lieutenant Colonel Toru and the rest of the council came up with the plan before-hand, informing Forma but not him. In that moment Yahagi boldly declared: "I'll protect the students no matter what you or the council do!"

At École, a place where various people and their own differing intentions swirled about, such things were plausible. Forma actually envied Yahagi, who possessed an inner sense of control that left in him in a sense of sound mind Forma himself could never achieve. Though that isn't to say Forma wanted to actually be like Yahagi. Just as Yahagi had his own beliefs and ethics he felt that he had to stick to, Forma had something of his own he needed to pursue. He wasn't sure just what that something was, but he could feel the necessary pieces coming together and falling into place... Asuna Elmarit, Elysia Nocton and one other person...

"If there's nothing else to be done, I'll head back."
Came the voice of a tall man from behind the door to the instructor's office. It was Chandel Tadarshi, wearing oil stained overalls.
"Putting aside the Guntank, I have take charge of the Cannes project. It might not look like it, but I'm quite busy."
Chandel said sternly. His arms were crossed and he was glaring down at Forma with a face suggesting displeasure.

Forma turned back to look at him with a sly grin. It was a knowing smile that matched the equally gaudy bright red Hawaiian shirt he was wearing. It was an outfit unlike what you'd probably expect an instructor to wear.

"That's it. So what are the projections looking like? Will we be able to get the Cannes ready for the later training sessions?"

"I can't really say. Even if we were take them in and handle everything ourselves, the arrangement still dictates that they be sent to Augusta. That's just how the contract is written."
Chandel's answer was rather expressionless. His mind was already back in the underground hangar.
"Either way, we'll be working on it while you're in space. It might end up as whole new mobile suit."

"That's the first I've heard of it. Have you really gotten that far with Lieutenant Colonel Toru?"
Forma's voice was full of feigned surprise. They had already narrowed down the candidates to just two trainees, so it wouldn't surprise him if new mobile suits just for them were already being planned. Chandel just gave a little smirk at Forma's reaction.

"Well you'll just have to wait and see. That's the kind of person our president is. If he sees anything that can be used to his advantage, he'll definitely make full use of it."
His thick lips curled upwards, showing his white teeth. It was a magnificent and earnest smile that Forma could never hope to imitate.

"Well This kind of behavior is to be expected of a business man. He made Nocton Ceramics, a simple pot and kettle manufacturer in Dhaka, into the booming industrial company it is today. I'm sure he's no stranger to taking risks."

Chandel's smile disappeared when he heard Forma's words. Forma noticed the teeth that had once been visible were now hidden, with Chandel's grip on his own arms now tightening.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, well, that was just a general statement. I meant nothing by it." said Forma with a lecherous grin.
It was an unsettling smile that seemed to say "let's get down to business".
"Though, generally speaking... Some people would kill to have the know-how in mobile suit control technology. After the GM Cannes and the GM Canard, the logical next step up would be unique mobile suits for specific pilots. You've already given that a lot of thought, haven't you?"

"Well, I suppose so..."
Chandel nodded as Forma continued.

"However, we can't just hand over military secrets so easily. Best we could manage is... maybe giving the president of Nocton access to the black boxes of the control units?"

The words made Chandel's face change color. The fact that his arms were no longer crossed proved that Forma's words had gotten to him. Forma was desperately holding back the urge to burst out into laughter. It was one of life's greatest pleasures to corner someone with nothing but words alone. Forma got out of his chair and closed the distance between himself and Chandel. Once he reached the doorway, the light shining through the window no longer reached Chandel. Forma's eyes turned a poisonous color as his lowered brow cast a sinister shadow over them.

"It's not like it's anything special... If the president wants, I can even give him those circuit diagram you showed him."

"What do you know?"
Chandel asked in a low voice reminiscent of when he lived in that awful town.
"If you're going to do anything to house Nocton, you're going to have to get through me first. I owe that family my life."

Forma's smile only grew wider. He had no intention of acknowledging Chandel's threatening and menacing attitude. He returned Chandel's annoyed expression with a smug grin. The expression was like sludge, the kind of expression that irritates people by the very act of looking at it. With the long paise between responses, Chandel's nose began to scrunch as if he smelt an awful stench. This was the reaction Chandel had hoped for.

"Let's not talk about anything dangerous... What I'm in interested in is you: Chandel Tadarshi..."

Chandel's movement stopped cold at Forma's words, but Forma closed the gap to the point that their chests were almost touching. He could almost see Chandel's pupils narrow.

"You should come with me sometime... not just for your sake, but Elysia Nocton's too." Forma said, the muscles in his cheeks raising as the words left his mouth.
"You can see for yourself; the history of mankind being shaped and written."
A smile of satisfaction was painted Forma's face.





The spherical cockpit was rattled by a series of sporadic warning sounds. The repeated onscreen prompts announcing that the target was lost served as a testament to how fast the GM Cannes was moving. Elysia could track the target with her eyes faster than the onscreen display could. Though something inside her made her question if that was even possible.

In reality, the Cannes couldn't move as fast as Elysia perceived it. Yahagi just knew how to get the most out of its performance. The difference between the mobile suit's power and the current performance was a gap that could only be bridged by experience.

"Kelly! move to the left! Asuna! You've gone too far ahead!"
 
Elysia had to give orders, because she felt her team was being enticed into prematurely seeking out the battle. She could tell they were being manipulated by Yahagi. All they knew for sure was that he was within 6,000 meters of them. They were spread out and Elysia just felt like they had been lured by Yahagi.

Elysia gripped the handles with her hands. Her palms were damp with sweat. Even with the air-conditioning, the enclosed space of the cockpit was unbelievably stuffy. This was tough, but that's okay. She wouldn't be this nervous if her opponent wasn't Yahagi. The battle was three against one, there's no reason why they shouldn't be surrounding Yahagi and cornering him.

The clicking of Elysia's tongue was a secret cry of the heart. She was wondering to herself; why she couldn't take the initiative in a battle, when the fact that she and her teammates were the hunters should have made this easy. A quick glance at the information window would reveal that the top-down view of the four mobile suits moving around the forest almost resembled a game of chess. When Kelly moved to finish entrapping Yahagi, he would then move to face Elysia.

"With movement like this, shouldn't he be surrounded by the three of us?"
Elysia whispered this to herself, but the actual screen didn't reflect this. Asuna and Kelly were off in the distance and between her and them was Yahagi.
"Asuna! Move counter clockwise! Kelly and I are going to try a pincer attack! Make sure to cover us!"

In the next moment a brilliant pink flash came flying unexpectedly. The beam rifles were set to reduced and non-lethal power setting for the simulation, but that attack was enough to scorch the armor. It was clear that Yahagi was aiming for the target marker attached to the chest of the GM Canard. All mobile suits for this exercise had target markers on their chest. Shooting one of these will virtually simulate the impact of a beam weapon.

"Kelly! What are you doing!?"
But there was no response from Kelly. A dull rumble echoed through the ground beneath the feet of Elysia's mobile suit instead.
"They're fighting hand to hand!?"
Elysia's cry echoed through the cockpit and she slammed her fist against the console. Her right hand was still bandaged from the incident. That night where she stood in the bathroom and blamed herself felt like a distant memory.

"Elysia!"
She couldn't immediately deduce who's voice called to her from the speaker. When she opened the sub-window, she could make out Asuna's face through the distorted image.
"Kelly is engaging Yahagi! We can't provide cover from here!"

"I know!" shouted Elysia.
Why was this happening?! As if to clear the doubts inside her, she put her foot on the pedal and moved forward. The feeling of being pressed against her seat was representative of her stress.





"What are you talking about?"
The words that came out of Chandel's mouth were nothing more than a simple question. He couldn't understand just what Forma was saying, so he felt the need to verbally confess his confusion.
"Where exactly do you want to go with me? I'm nothing more than a technician and loyal servant to the Nocton family. You've vastly overestimated me."

Chandel kept going on and on until it reached a point where it became unbearably funny to Forma. He thought Chandel's seriously expression as he spoke was hilarious. The more serious it got, the funnier it became to him.

Forma had said "for Elysia's sake". Chandel was prepared to do anything for Elysia, as he felt in his heart that it was the only way to repay the debt he owed to the deceased Leonid. However, he knew there was a limit to the things he could do for her. It only took his own words to make him realize that. No matter what, he would always be nothing more than a "servant to the Nocton family".

How wonderful it would be if he and Leonid had swapped places. If he was the one who joined the army and never came home. Leonid would be walking a batter path than the one Chandel is walking now, and maybe he wouldn't have to make Elysia suffer. He couldn't always be kind and gentle to Elysia, but Leonid could... The smile Elysia gave him was undoubtedly different than the one she gave her brother. He couldn't replace Leonid... he knew that better than anyone. Leonid Nocton is Leonid Nocton because he was irreplicable. Just as Chandel is Chandel and Elysia is Elysia. You can't replace someone who's dead. All someone can do is strive to carry on their will.

Forma's face was still painted with that foul smile, the one that made Chandel sick just by looking at it. Why did he say "for Elysia's sake"? What did he mean by "history of mankind"? Chandel's expression must have shown his confusion, because Forma finally spoke to address it.

"You're the kind of person who would do anything for Elysia? That's just the kind of person we want."
Forma's smile faded a little as he spoke, with the intensity of the stare by his dark eyes increasing.

"What I- no... All of the people running École are planning to do things. Frightening and inhumane things. Historically there's been nothing good to have come from militaries scheming in secret. But sometimes, it is those very schemes that allow people to grasp a world beyond our imagination, one that could never be seen in peace time. I believe Elysia has this potential, and I believe you're the only one who can help her reach the height of that potential... What do you think about that? Do you think I'm wrong?"

Forma's words made Chandel's face stiffen. What he was asking was for him to participate in a secret military scheme. He had no idea what this scheme even was, but Forma was upfront about the nature of it when he referred to it as inhumane. Chandel then remembered Klaus's words. He told Klaus about the subsystem which activated during moments of extreme tension.

This suggested that they were looking to unlock potential in people by testing how they'd perform under extreme tension and high stress. This is what he suspected that was the reason for the black boxes installed in the GM Cannes and GM Canard. But that left Chandel asking just what Forma wanted him to do. Was he planning to do some of these experiments on Elysia? Was Forma going to ask him to help do these things? This wasn't a joke.

The man standing in front of Chandel was clearly leading him down the road to ruin. He spoke as if he knew Chandel, but in reality, he only was paying attention to the qualities of his that suited his own purposes.

"Stop talking..."
Chandel's voice got really low. His words were heavy and burning with an anger boiling over from the very depths of his stomach. Unfortunately; Forma did not stop talking.

"If you want to refuse, that's fine. However, if you refuse now, you won't be able to help Elysia in the future. You'll be just as helpful to her as her brother is now, and he's too dead be of any use."

"You son of a bitch!"

Chandel's hands were wrapped around Forma's neck so fast, that he didn't even have time to react. He was raised so high that his feet were five centimeters away from Chandel's groin. That sinister grin on his face turned into a wheeze as the color around it slowly became red.

"That's... the truth..." wheezed Forma "The dead... can't do... anything..."
As Chandel's grip around his neck tightened, Forma found could no longer breathe in. So, he spoke with what remaining air he had in his lungs.

Watching him squirm, cough and wheeze like a pitiful little rodent convinced Chandel to come to his senses and put Forma down. This man was truly a pest. Chandel could repair anything, but if his anger drove him any further against Forma, the fallout would have been irreparable. Chandel told himself this and glared daggers at Forma.

"I've heard enough from you. Are you going to kill me if I don't join? Did you mention Leonid to threaten me?"

"I'm not going to kill you. You're going to be one of my allies."

Forma spat bloody saliva onto the floor, landing with a light splat. Chandel couldn't tell if the blood came from bighting his lip or tongue, or if the cause was something he did to his throat. Though he figured Forma made a display of showing the blood to provoke him or show him the damage done. This only made Chandel disgusted with himself for losing control of himself and giving into his emotions at a simple provocation.

"Calm down" Chandel told himself in his head. He had to remember that he wasn't a teenager anymore. He'd changed for the better since he met Leonid, and if Elysia was as important to him as she was to her brother, he needed to be as rational as Leonid.

"I'm not your friend and I'm not going to be your ally."
Chandel's voice was strained and his fists were clenched.
"I'd do anything for Elysia, even lay down my life for her. As far as I'm concerned, my life has belonged to the Nocton family from the moment I met Leonid. I'd have no regrets of my own if I died now."
Chandel spoke slowly and deliberately. His words were heavy and serious. It was almost as if those words were prying open a past he had forgotten and put behind himself a long time ago. Like he was dusting off what lie within.

"Before I met Leonid, I was a hopeless loser. My fellow scammers and crooks would never entrust me with any serious work, because I was always quick to resort to violence. I was so desperate for validation and purpose that I would just beat people up. I didn't fight anybody, I'd just beat up defenseless people without warning. I stole money when I was a hungry, but only when I was hungry. I didn't care about money itself or what it represented."

The rusty and muddy place where Chandel grew up had now been brought back to him, as if it was right before his eyes. The air carrying specks of dirt from the reddish brown mud, blowing it past his nose and tainting the smell. No human figures could be seen anywhere, but the sounds of hushed whispers and footsteps on the grey cobblestone could be heard everywhere and surrounding him. It was a dizzying memory.

"Leonid took me in. He accepted me for who I was and called me his friend. Even if he's gone; how could I betray someone like that? Fact of the matter is; if he's no longer around to protect his sister, I'm going to do it instead."

"Are you really going to risk yourself so dangerously, for that, of all reasons? You breached protocol and tried to rip the secret control system from the Cannes. If anyone from the council finds out, you'll be killed within the hour."

Chandel smiled in a look of satisfaction in response to Forma's words.

"I don't care. I was just doing my job."

His voice was cheerful, almost as if he was relieved to have gotten all of this off of his chest. He was sure what he was doing probably wasn't right, but he was confident what he was doing wasn't wrong either. That's why he was able to stand tall and look Chandel straight in the eye. It was Forma who should've felt ashamed and hanging his head. Those who would stoop so low as to demean and belittle the dead... they should lower their heads in shame and accept responsibility for what they've said.

Forma's back was hunched and his shoulders were slumped. He no longer had the same confidence or gusto that he had mere minutes before. "I've defended Leonid's honor." Chandel thought to himself. Forma just remained silent. He didn't notice the change in Forma's expression.

He thought the trembling in Forma's shoulders was from holding back frustrations, not letting his emotions get the better of him. Chandel kept watching, but Forma's change in attitude was as imperceptible as the force of the waves of the open sea changing with the wind. When Forma finally looked up, Chandel couldn't believe what he saw. Forma was the one who looked happy and smug. He had a cheerful expression on his face, but that vulgar and twisted smile had returned.

"Come on... That's what this all comes down to... huh? You want Elysia yourself, don't you?" 

Those were words that should never have been said. Chandel's fist was now filled with the rage he had held back earlier, but now there was nothing holding it back, and there was no hesitation. He sent it flying in a punch that was just an explosion of pure and explosive emotion. His fist connected with Forma's jaw precisely. His muscular arms generated enough force that you could've sworn to hear hear the sound of impact.

An emotion fueled attack like that was the exact kind of thing Forma was hoping for. Chandel's fist only grazed Forma a little, before being deflected back at him. In that moment, Forma quickly reached his hand towards Chandel's throat. Chandel thought it was his imagine that something was against his throat, until the gleam of it in the light confirmed it to be very real. Forma held a knife to Chandel's throat as he spoke in a very menacing and low voice.

"I'm sorry. As you can see, I'm not a very well mannered person myself. But even if you phrase it as differently as you can, it all boils down to the same thing: You want Elysia."

Chandel felt a wave of darkness wash over him. It was a ferocious and vicious force mare harrowing than the glint of light reflecting off the blade of Forma's knife.





By the time Elysia had arrived to the scene of the battle, the fighting had already advanced to the next stage. Kelly's Canard lay on the ground with arms in an awkward direction pointing to the forest. Yahagi in his Cannes must have noticed Elysia's approach and made an escape. Though he didn't show any signs that he was wary of them, probably because he knew Elysia wouldn't have been able to join the fight in time enough to make a difference.

Soon, bands of energy came out of the forests and crisscrossed in multiple directions across the battlefield. She didn't even need to check anything to confirm it was Asuna, she could just tell. It seemed like she was trying to gun down Yahagi from the forest, when in reality, she was the one who was actually being cornered. No... Yahagi must have had some other reason for keeping Asuna at bay like that.

"Asuna you're shooting too much! Watch your energy levels!"

Elysia issued a warning to Asuna, almost without thinking, but Asuna gave no response. Instead, she heard the sound of the actuator motors from Yahagi's mobile suit. It stood tall and strong over Kelly's Canard. The Cannes exuded the aura of a battle-hardened warrior.

Elysia gripped the controls of her mobile suit tightly. The slightest of movements in the cockpit stirred the static air, wafting about the pungent smell of sweat. Her mind wandered to how sweaty she had gotten from fighting, but she soon admonished herself for letting her thoughts drift away from the situation at hand like that. She took another step forward with the Canard and moved ahead. Even Elysia momentarily forgot her training as she basked in Yahagi's intimidating presence.

Her eyes were glued to Yahagi's mobile suit as it drew the beam saber from its back. The compressed Minovsky particles shaped the energy into a rod-shaped close combat weapon, perfect for keeping enemies at bay. There was no more cover coming from the forest, which probably meant Asuna's rifle had run out of energy. Elysia accepted the fact that she had now put herself in a one-on-one battle against Yahagi.

"Kelly's learned hand to hand combat, Asuna's learned the basics of shooting... Now it's time for me to learn swordsmanship,"

With a light motion Elysia drew her beam saber. The blade of light slashed diagonally as it she drew it, with the display of it on her panoramic monitor bathing her in a pink glow. She realized just how calm and focused she was. She didn't think she stood a chance at beating Yahagi, but she didn't feel like she could lose either. The old Elysia would have thought only about how she could kill Yahagi, how to dodge his attacks and what moves could deliver the fatal blow. But Elysia knew now that beating him was impossible. His power was true strength backed by years of experience.

For Elysia, victory didn't mean beating Yahagi, but inflicting damage on him. If she could do something like take out one of his arms, maybe Asuna could be able to do something worse to him. The thought of relying on others like this would have been so foreign to Elysia a while ago, but that incident had made her see things differently. She used to think victory was something that could only be seized through the fruits of one's own efforts.

No, her beliefs on that hadn't changed much at all. She still believed victory was the result of one's hard-earned efforts. Nothing about that has changed, but she now knew that it's foolish to shoulder that burden alone. Kelly had things only he can do and Asuna had things only she can do. Elysia was the same way. There were things only her brother could do, things only he could accomplish. Now it was her turn. She had to the things only she could, even if she was unsure of what they were. Were they real? Did they exist? The only way to know, was to search. To throw herself into the fire and find what that is. Surely Victory was hidden in there.

Elysia's Canard raised its saber to its foe. Yahagi faced Elysia with a stance holding his sword diagonally at mid-level. The pace of their movements was slow and deliberate, filled with tension. There was a feeling of danger that came with the thought of being completely swallowed by Yahagi's menacing aura. This feeling only served to make Elysia's senses sharper than ever before.

She could sense Yahagi's breathing, she could feel Kelly's stare, but she couldn't sense Asuna. She must have been hiding in the forest. She felt surprisingly good. If her senses had indeed expanded like this, than a 360 degree monitor really was nothing more than a distraction. She pushed the pedal at her feet and moved forward.

"Don't you dare underestimate me!"

Elysia's mobile suit sped across the training grounds, kicking up dust in the air. Yahagi raised his beam saber above his Cannes's head and brought his sword down in a curved motion. Elysia was drawn in and attacked. The compressed particles charged with energy and the two sabers sent sparks flying as they collided. The impact transmitted to the mechanical arms was fierce and made it feel just like a real sword fight.

Yahagi's mobile suit lowered its stance to dodge Elysia's charge. If she let herself get swept away like that, the torso would be slashed. She instinctively held her sword vertically and regained her balance to support her weight. This was a balancing act of force and the attacks split the momentum. Elysia swung her beam saber towards the shin of Yahagi's mobile suit. He dodged it by spinning one side of his mobile suit in a circular motion, then swung his beam saber in a similar motion towards the head of Elysia's mobile suit.

"Wah!"

Elysia cried out involuntarily as the shoulder of her mobile suit got scorched. Black smoke rose from where the damage was dealt. The damage was clearly visible, but it wasn't fatal. Elysia could still fight with the arm's power output removed. She moved her mobile suit back a ways and adjusted the stance of her beam saber.

"How dare you! How dare you!"

She took a sharp thrust towards the chest of Yahagi's chest. Contrary to the harshness of her words, her movements were precise, calculated and swift. However, Yahagi's machine vanished in a rising cloud of dust obscuring Elysia's vision.

"Above me!?"

She instinctively looked up and saw the shadow of Yahagi's mobile suit obscuring her vision. The verniers were activated and propelled the machine high over her head.

"I've got this!"

Right when Yahagi's mobile suit was about to land behind Elysia and strike her mobile suit, she crouched to avoid his attack. Suddenly, the particles from a beam of a light zoomed through the forest. Elysia's monitor blinded her in a swath of pink roared right by her Canard's sensors too closely for comfort. The heat sensor, the light sensor, the metal sensor, the Minovsky particle sensor... All the sensor bars on her display turned red and reached dangerously close to their limits. Before Elysia knew it, Yahagi's Cannes had disappeared from her sight. She could have sworn that for a split second she saw Yahagi's mobile suit being consumed in that same light.





Every time the cold steel of the knife made contact with Chandel's throat, a chill sent shivers down his spine. The feeling of a fist raised against him was something he hadn't experienced in a long time. He used to live a cold life feeling nothing, anchored only by the pain his felt when he used it. His senses had dulled since then. He didn't forget about this or forget this feeling, but his emotions had gotten so strong that he didn't notice the knife until it was too late. Chandel had no choice but to surrender to Forma. He no longer revisited, but he stared at his dark eyes in silence.

"If you insist on refusing, I suppose you'll have to die. We're dealing with classified information. This isn't a joke."
Forma had a smirk on his face as he spoke. This smile was the same kind of smile Chandel might have had a long time ago. The return to a more polite manner of speaking seemed to suggest that he was confident of the current situation. What an utterly irritating person.

"I've had my fair share of issues before coming here and Yahagi's no different. Even Instructor Lina seems to have his own issues as well... I would advise against doing anything reckless Chandel."

"May I ask you something?"

Chandel, stretched his neck up and lifted his face to the ceiling as to allow himself to speak. The knife grazed the flesh of his chin as he spoke. The pungent smell of blood arose from a minor cut made from the knife.

"About that incident a few days ago... Were you the one responsible for replacing the paint rounds with live ammunition?"

"What makes you think that?"

Forma showed a clear interest in what Chandel had to say and lowered the knife ever so slightly and Chandel thought this would make it easier to talk without cutting himself.

"You said it yourself in this very room. You'd setup an opportunity, a 'trigger'... An inhumane person like you probably doesn't care about risking the lives of the trainees. If I became your ally, you'd make me do similar things, wouldn't you?"
Chandel had a smirk on his face as he said this, expecting Forma to be annoyed by a smile, making him do it deliberately. Contrary to his expectations, Forma's expression remained unchanged. He looked at Chandel in an expression suggesting he was pleased with him.

"You remember me so well."

Chandel was astonished by Forma's words and actions. Forma lowered the knife he was holding to Chandel's throat and looked relaxed, as if he didn't think Chandel would even begin to counterattack. Then he carelessly tucked the knife into the back of his leggings.

"What do you mean?"
Chandel asked, wiping the blood from his chin. His hand was stained with red, but the cut didn't appear to be as bad as he thought it was going off of only the amount of pain he felt.

"Earlier I said you're 'the kind of person we want'. I'm not the only one doing inhumane things. As someone so close to Mr. Nocton, you should know about Lieutenant Colonel Toru Uslant and the council."

Chandel nodded silently. He didn't know anything about a council, but he knew Lieutenant Colonel Toru, he was Klaus's business partner. Chandel was told that, whether or not Nocton became an independent mobile suit manufacturer in the future, was dependent entirely on Lieutenant Colonel Toru's final judgement.

Forma met Chandel's gaze directly with a theatrical gesture and then put his hands on his hips, slowly closing his eyes as he did so.

"Do you know what a newtype is?"

Chandel tilted his head in confusion at the unfamiliar word. It must have referred to a new type of weapon or a new type of mobile suit.

"What's that?"

"It's a term used most often used by spacenoids. It's comes from a philosophy that Zeon Deikun proposed. To put it in realistic terms; it dictates that those born in space may form some unnatural adaptation to their environment. They'd evolve and supposedly be capable of things like sensing enemies they can't see or tracking the trajectory of weapons by sight and instinct alone."

Chandel laughed at Forma's words. 

"That's not possible! They'd have to either be monsters or psychics."

"Of course they're monsters! Truly! I have no clue if they're even real or not, but in the Principality of Zeon they believed it whole-heartedly. Their research on this matter was remarkably advanced. Of course, the Federation has also been doing their own research into this matter. There are people within the Federation who are desperate to incorporate them into the military."

"Is Lieutenant Colenel Toru one of those people?"

Chandel had leaned forward in surprise and curiosity. This had become a rather serious matter, beyond the realm of industrial espionage. If such a plan were underway, the lives of the trainees would be at risk in the name of this mysterious newtype endgame. Realizing this, Chandel looked up in Shock at Forma.

"So, that means the subsystem in the control unit is for..."

Forma nodded to him quietly.

"As I expected... You're very perceptive."

Chandel was stunned. He had expected an answer somewhat like this, but if he applied the 'newtype' component to his theory regarding the subsystem, all the pieces lined up perfectly. It all made sense. This revelation left him shocked.

The measuring instruments used by the black box to measure the pilots capabilities suddenly made so much sense. The switch in the emitting signal was set to an extremely high value. Chandel thought it was set to activate when the pilot was subject to extreme stress or if they felt liek their life was in danger". Instead, it limited the capabilities of the mobile suit. It was essentially tying the hands of a pilot facing death, forcing them to adapt and improvise.
Klaus had speculated that this system was an experiment to discover special talents. It all made sense once Chandel factored in "newtypes"

"The council's objective, Lieutenant Colonel Toru's objective; is the discovery and cultivation of newtypes. École's objective was to pressure and stimulate promising young pilots. We conducted experiments to see how we could perform this task to elicit growth and evolution in trainees, but we yielded no results. So, the council planned to change this, by exposing the pilots to something as close to real combat as possible within the school's boundaries. Only two students managed to show any real promise when the subsystem left them with their hands tied... Asuna Elmarit and Elysia Nocton."

Chandel was speechless. Elysia was being subjected to a dangerous experiment to turn her into a monster known as 'newtype'. What did Forma possibly hope would happen by telling him about this? Didn't he consider that Chandel may obviously try to sabotage this? Forma nodded again, as if in understanding of Chandel's feelings.

"If you wish to get in the way of this, you're welcome to. However... would you really want to crush Elysia Nocton's potential like that?"

"What!?"
Chandel finally managed to get a word out, but his throat was dry and his voice hoarse.
"What do you mean potential!? This is nothing more than human experiments!"

"Well you're correct, it is human experiments. If Elysia Nocton knew about newtypes and that she had the potential to become one... would she really want to avoid stepping down that path?"

"Elysia?"

"That's right. She probably wouldn't turn away. On the contrary, I bet she'd willingly venture into the unknown in the name of bettering herself. So, that begs the question... Where will you be when she takes her steps down that path?"

Chandel felt as if the very foundation he stood was crumbling. Elysia certainly wouldn't turn her back to the possibilities before her. She'd face any challenge head on as long as it meant becoming better. But was it really his job to support her in that? What would Leonid do? Would Leonid stop her?

Forma extended his right hand again, this time it bore no weapon and no ill intent.

"If you want to help Elysia in the future, you'll need me someday. Just as Elysia, who has only now found the path for herself, will need you. Take my hand. If you come with me, I'll show you a dream."

Chandel stared intently at Forma's hand. He had left that fraud group a long time ago, he had only now dabbled in industrial espionage, and now he was being led into the unknown. Forma called what he would show him a 'dream'. Chandel's dream was to carry on his late friend's will. If he took Forma's hand, would he finally be able to help his friend's little sister for real?

He slowly stretched out his arm and grasped at Forma's hand. The warmth he felt in his palm was like that of a friend.





Elysia basked in the pale pink glow for only a few moments. The light consumed everything in her field of vision and she lost consciousness. The next thing she knew, an impact struck from behind her, making her temporarily lose consciousness.

The scent of fresh air against the tip of her nose made Elysia feel faintly alive in her hazy consciousness without disturbing her.

"Elysia! Elysia!"
Came a voice from the speaker, with a light imprinted on the monitor accompanying it.

"Elysia! Are you okay!?"

"Where's instructor Yahagi!?"
Elysia screamed out. The moment she screamed was the moment she understood just what situation she was in. There was no doubt that the voice coming from the speaker belonged to Asuna. The monitor was useless right now. The damage indicator lights for each part of her mobile suit were also useless. Everything was bathed in red, yet Elyisa continued to move her fingers.

She pulled out a mobile device from behind the seat and switched the camera feed to it. The screens showed Yahagi's mobile suit with its knee bent and muzzle pointed directly at her. The trees around being undamaged was probably owed to the beam output being reduced for training purposes, meaning the giant conifers of Quebec still stood

"Asuna! are you the one who fired the beam!?"
Elysia asked Asuna, who's face was not visible to her yet.
"Tell me what happened!"

"The beam missed its target as instructor Yahagi jumped upwards. It ended up hitting the main camera on the chest of your Canard."

Elysia thought Asuna's report confirmed her suspicions. That explained why the main portion of her monitor in front of her was dead. The weakened particles hadn't damaged the Canard itself, nor the camera itself, but the light receiver on the camera had shorted upon the impact.

"So Yahagi's machine was damaged because it hit my Canard when it dodged, right?"

Elysia's words were not a question she was directing to Asuna, but rather a confirmation. This would explain the impact she felt during the change in consciousness.

"In that case!"
With a whisper, Elysia gently tapped the console. The damage light went out and the cockpit seat trembled. Just as she thought. The Canard is primarily a training aircraft, so the pilot's safety was the top priority in its design. When the chest received an impact, all the joints forcibly locked up to prevent damage.

In contrast, Yahagi's mobile suit as seen on her mobile device, dropped to its knees. Mostly likely, the joints were damaged.

-----------Victory-----------

Just as Elysia thought that, the Canard stopped moving again. The monitors gradually dimmed one by one and the words "VIRTUAL OPERATION OVER" appeared on her mobile device.

"What!? What does this mean!?"
Elysia's cry echoed through the spherical space of the cockpit as the base color of the monitor began to appear.

"Move! C'mon! Move! You can still move, right!?"

"Elysia! Elyisa calm down!"
Asuna's voice came and echoed through the cockpit. The lights on the monitors flashed and faded one after the other until only the auxiliary light beneath her seat remained. A faint warm glow emitted from the bottom of her cockpit.

".....Why?"
Elysia whispered weakly. Her voice was clearly picked up by microphone on the console panel, making the sound resonated from the cockpit, which now looked exactly like the simulator.

"Elysia, the battle has already been decided."

"Huh?"

Elysia turned her head upwards in response to Asuna's voice.

"At the same time that your Canard lost its vision, instructor Yahagi's Cannes had been slashing from upwards, but Instructor Yahagi's mobile suit also detected the hit. Its knees buckled because it lost balance in that moment."

Elysia listened to Asuna's words in a daze. She knew she was no match for Yahagi. She knew his skills well enough, but she couldn't believe that she lost without even realizing it. If this was a real battle she'd be dead. She would have died without even realizing or knowing what happened. That's the reality of war.

Elysia had resolved to never make another mistake. She swore to herself she would never make another mistake, and yet...

Elysia lowered her head and remained silent. The mobile device remained on her lap leaving a subtle glow on it. The image of the Cannes unable to move remained on the device, knee still bent. Superimposed over it were the words "VIRTUAL OPERATION OVER"

"Asuna..."
Elysia finally managed to speak.

"Yes!?"
Asuna said in response to Elysia's voice. Even though she couldn't see her face, she was still looking straight ahead, imagining that her image on the monitor was still there.

She lost, and she lost to Instructor Yahagi. But if this defeat was due to her own mistakes, then what exactly was the cause of this mistake? Was it because she directly challenged Yahagi? Was her mistake challenging an opponent she had no chance of beating?

If that's the case, the only way to avoid mistakes in the future was to only fight opponents she knew she could beat. She would have to turn her backs on opponents she knew were beyond her abilities. But was that okay? Was it really alright to fight like that? Would claiming victory in such a manner truly allow her to forge her own path?

----------NO-----------

That's wrong!

She felt it so strongly. She next looked up and stared straight ahead with a resolute expression, trapped in a sphere where she helpless to do anything.

"Asuna! Let's win next time!"

"Yeah!"

Elysia confidently spoke to Asuna and then pressed the button to open the cockpit. The sound of gas escaping could be heard as she opened the cockpit. In spite of everything, Elysia still felt very strong at the end of the day.