The sun dipped lower across Tachikawa Base, shadows stretching long over the battered training field. Dust still hung in the air, thick with the tang of gunpowder and kaiju musk. The rookies stood scattered, chests heaving from the brutal clashes that had pushed them since morning.
Reno bent over, hands on his knees, sweat streaming down his face. "Still alive," he muttered between breaths, grinning despite the ache in his arms.
Kafka stumbled beside him, his uniform half-torn and stained, gulping in ragged air. "Still alive… barely."
Akira straightened his blade with a calm flick, resting it against his shoulder. His body was sore, true—but his breathing was steady, unhurried, as though the fights so far had been nothing more than practice swings. Ravan's voice ticked in his head, crisp and metallic.
[Ravan: Host status stable. Energy reserves optimal. Warning: third surge imminent.]
Akira's eyes narrowed slightly, lifting toward the observation deck high above. Mina Ashiro stood there, arms folded, expression unreadable. Beside her, Hoshina leaned lazily on the railing, but his grin had sharpened with anticipation.
The alarms cut through the heavy silence. Sirens wailed, a cold, mechanical cry that made the rookies tense all over again.
Technicians scrambled at their stations on the observation deck, shouts overlapping:
"Multiple signatures detected!"
"Fifty… no, sixty targets inbound!"
"They're converging on sectors C and D!"
Mina's gaze darkened. "Final wave," she said flatly.
Hoshina clicked his tongue. "Ah, so the kids get to play with the crawlers after all. Nice."
The ground trembled. From the far side of the training ground, hulking shapes emerged—Tiger Beetle variants, their carapaces gleaming under the floodlights. They screeched, legs stabbing the earth as they charged, mandibles snapping with bone-crushing strength.
The dirt beneath the rookies cracked. From the ground erupted Worm-types, their slick armored bodies twisting upward, maws opening wide enough to swallow a recruit whole.
Gasps tore through the rookie ranks. "Beetles?!" "Underground too?!"
And then, mingling with the familiar, came the unexpected. A mantis-shaped kaiju skittered into view, blades gleaming like sickles under the dying light. Its strikes shredded the ground itself as it tested its reach. Behind it, a massive toad-shaped variant lumbered forward, its swollen throat glowing faintly green before it belched out a cloud of toxic mist.
On the deck, Mina's eyes sharpened. "Those two weren't on the training roster."
Hoshina's grin faltered for once. "Yeah… someone's been busy breeding extras. Or something slipped containment."
The aides exchanged nervous glances, murmuring. "Impossible… the logs didn't show—"
"Double-check," Mina ordered coldly. "If those things aren't supposed to be here, I want to know why."
Below, the rookies had no time to question. The kaiju roared and surged forward.
"Formation!" Kikoru's voice cut through the panic, sharp as steel. She hefted her battle axe-cannon hybrid, its core whirring to life. "Keep your distance from the worms—strike as they surface!"
Reno drew his blade and gun, barking, "Iharu! Watch your left flank, you idiot!"
"I know, I know!" Iharu shouted back, already tripping backward as a worm lunged, snapping at his boots. Reno yanked him clear and countered with a desperate slash, sparks skittering off the beast's armored hide.
Akira stepped forward into the chaos, blade flashing.
[Ravan: Variant detected. Type—Tiger Beetle. Ability: Charge acceleration. Absorb? Y/N]
[Ravan: Variant detected. Type—Mantis. Ability: Sickle strike precision. Absorb? Y/N]
[Ravan: Variant detected. Type—Toad. Ability: Toxic mist dispersion. Absorb? Y/N]
The voice came in rapid fire, almost gleeful.
Akira swung casually, his blade splitting the air. A Tiger Beetle's charge met his steel head-on—and its momentum stopped dead as its carapace split in two, green ichor spraying across the dirt.
[Ravan: Absorption complete. Data integrated.]
He exhaled through his nose, keeping his face neutral, letting the others see only his 63% precision. Out of the corner of his eye, Kikoru's cannon roared, obliterating a worm as it burst from the ground.
She turned her glare on him. "Don't fall behind, Kurogiri!"
Akira smirked faintly, dashing forward to intercept another beetle. Sparks flew as his blade carved an arc through its legs, sending it crashing onto its back. He pivoted, driving his weapon through its underbelly.
The rookies gasped.
"He's insane…"
"No wasted movement at all…"
Kafka staggered amid the chaos, narrowly dodging a mantis blade that gouged a trench beside him. He nearly fell, then shouted, "Its reach is too long—aim for the joint where the blade connects!"
Haruichi, calm despite the frenzy, adjusted his stance and fired his rifle precisely at the mantis joint. The beast screeched, staggering. Aoi leapt in, screaming, "Got it!" and hacked the limb clean off.
Kafka blinked, startled at his own voice carrying across the battlefield. Then he laughed nervously. "Guess… guess that works."
Reno grinned from across the fight, blade parrying a worm strike. "See, senpai?! You're not useless!"
Kafka flushed red but kept shouting. "Don't stand in front of its mandibles! Aim low—underbelly's softer!"
The rookies listened. Shots rang out, synchronized strikes cutting down the worm swarm under Kafka's frantic guidance.
Up above, Hoshina whistled low. "Look at that. One percent and he's leading them better than half my men."
Mina didn't answer, but her gaze lingered on Kafka with a trace more interest.
On the field, Kikoru slammed her weapon down, blasting through another kaiju. She counted under her breath. "Nine. Ten. Eleven." Her eyes flicked to Akira. "What's your count?"
Akira cleaned his blade with a flick, stepping over a twitching Tiger Beetle corpse. "Lost track."
Her jaw clenched. "Liar."
[Ravan: Host tally—fifteen. Suppression maintained. Audience suspicion: minimal.]
The battlefield roared with overlapping sounds—kaiju screeches, the crack of rifles, the thunder of Kikoru's cannon, the metallic clang of Akira's blade. The toxic mist drifted, choking rookies into coughing fits until Haruichi coordinated suppressive fire, forcing the toad-beast back.
By the time the sun bled into red across the horizon, the final kaiju collapsed with a thunderous crash. Its mist dissolved, leaving only silence broken by the gasps of exhausted recruits.
Weapons lowered. Boots shuffled on blood-soaked dirt.
Reno leaned against his sword, panting hard. "That's… that's all of them."
Kafka collapsed flat on his back, laughing weakly. "I didn't… die… again."
Akira sheathed his blade, expression unreadable, while Kikoru scowled, wiping sweat from her brow.
From above, Hoshina clapped his hands together, his grin returning. "All right, brats. That's it. You survived."
His voice carried across the ruined field.
"The final selection's over. Rest up—tomorrow, you'll learn if you're Defense Force material or not."
The rookies exhaled in unison, a mixture of relief and dread tightening their stomachs.
On the observation deck, Mina's eyes were cold, focused. "Those variants. Investigate immediately."
"Yes, ma'am," aides responded, hurrying to gather the battle logs.
Akira lifted his gaze toward the deck, sweat sliding down his temple. For just a moment, he thought Mina's eyes had locked on his.
[Ravan: Host concealment intact. Suspicion toward external anomalies redirected. Situation secure.]
Akira exhaled slowly, letting the weight of the day settle. This was only the beginning.
This story is inspired from various fanfics i have read from around the world so if you find any similarities please dont mind . Thank you
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T/N :
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