Humanity once lived in peace, sharing laughter, song, and the gentle wind of everyday life. Their worries were small, ordinary things, the kind that faded with time.
Then everything changed when the Gate of Mato opened.
From that abyss emerged colossal demonic creatures known as Kaijus. They ravaged cities without mercy, plunging nations along the Pacific Ring of Fire into an existence defined by fear and uncertainty. No day passed without the shadow of catastrophe looming over them.
Conventional weapons proved hopelessly inadequate. It took entire military forces, countless sacrifices, and relentless days of battle just to bring a single monster down. Though some Kaijus were slain, the devastation they left behind could never be undone.
That was when humanity understood.
It would not stop.
To survive, they needed more than weapons. They needed a blade capable of striking down giants.
So the nations of the world set aside their divisions and stood together. Money, manpower, and resources were poured into a single, desperate endeavor: forging the sword that could challenge the Kaijus.
To fight monsters, we created giants of our own.
The Jaeger Program was launched.
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Current year: 2069
Time: 4:20 A.M
I was still asleep in my bedroom when I felt my body being shaken, the alarm blaring as a hologram flickered to life beside my bed—an incoming call from the HQ Control Center.
"Wake up, Hideo!" a silver-haired woman shouted, trying to haul me upright. "There's a Kaiju heading our way!"
"I know," I groaned, forcing myself awake as I pushed myself up and yawned.
Scratching my stomach, I glanced at my co-pilot. "What category is it this time, Kyouka?"
"It's a Category 4 again," Kyouka replied, smoothing her hair. "But this time, it's a double event."
That fucking sucked. One Category 4 were already a pain to deal with—two were just begging for disaster.
I changed into our uniform, the flag of Japan displayed proudly across the back. Kyouka and I stepped out of our room and headed toward the locker area to change into our drivesuits before reporting to the Command Center.
Along the way, we ran into a certain pilot from Russia.
"Bad morning to you, stupid Hideo," a blonde Russian woman said in flawless English, her tone laced with irritation.
"Well, bad morning to you too, Varvara," I shot back in my admittedly butchered English. "So, you're going with us for this fight?"
"Sadly, yes." She brushed a hand through her hair. "Try not to get in our way, you dumbass."
She snorted cutely before striding ahead toward the equipment room.
"Such a waste of that pretty face," I chuckled.
"Well, if you hadn't teased her so much during training at the academy, maybe she'd have a different view of you," Kyouka sighed.
We passed through the automatic doors into a bustling prep bay. Technicians were already in motion. Varvara was being fitted into her suit alongside her co-pilot, Jenna Staples.
"Move your asses, you two!" one of the technicians barked at us. "We don't have time for you to stand around!"
Fair enough.
I stepped forward and let the staff get to work. Piece by piece, my suit was secured and locked into place, components fastening tightly along my body. Our helmets were handed to us last.
Kyouka and I exchanged a brief look and shook our heads before pulling them on.
Locked and loaded.
Ready to beat some Kaiju ass.
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Standing before us was the current Marshal assigned to this branch of the Jaeger Base in Japan, Atlas Harbor.
And the Marshal standing before us now, clad in a black uniform that signified her authority.
Azuma Tobera.
"You four," Tobera said, her gaze settling on us. "I have nothing more to add. While we evacuate the city, you will pilot your respective Jaegers and intercept those two Kaiju heading toward Tokyo. Stop them. Kill them. Am I clear?"
"Yes, ma'am!!"
While the pilots spoke with the Marshal, a certain red-haired woman casually took a bite of her popsicle and spun her chair around.
"Be careful," said Isadora, the head of command center operations, her tone edged with warning. "We only have seven Jaegers remaining. Do not let yours fall, understood?"
"We already know that," I replied with a wry smile.
"I'm warning you specifically, my dear cousin," she deadpanned before turning back to her console.
Receiving the final instructions, we headed toward our respective Jaegers.
Entering the pilot cockpit, we stepped onto a magnetic platform shaped to match our feet. It locked into place with metallic clamps, securing us firmly, while the rest of the equipment was screwed onto us by the technical staff.
After checking the comms, I pressed a button among the countless control panels in front of us.
"You hearing us?" I asked.
"Testing, one-two-three," Kyouka followed, mirroring my tone.
["I can hear both of you just fine."]
Isadora responded from the other side.
"Good, then." Kyouka nodded.
I grinned.
"No good luck for me, my dear cousin?"
Isadora snorted.
["Me? Why don't you get that from your side chicks?"]
"What are you talking about?"
["Playing dumb, are we?"]
"I mean, having some fun adult time doesn't mean they're my side chicks."
["..."]
Just because I sleep with Yakumo, Tenka, and Ren regularly doesn't mean they're my women.
That said, being the only male pilot alive right now, we're just friends with benefits at most. Fellow Jaeger pilots blowing off some steam.
Don't blame me. There's no way in hell I could control myself when Tenka keeps seducing me whenever we're drinking. My ancestors would never forgive me if I slipped up and didn't respond.
"Yeah, yeah, can you please stop talking about that while I'm here?" Kyouka frowned. "I don't need to hear this guy bragging about what he does to my friend."
Hearing her, the two cousins immediately stopped talking.
Right after that, the Marshal ordered us to behave and prepare for the neural handshake, with Isadora leading the countdown.
["Neural handshake starting in 20… 19… 18…—"]
Taking a deep breath, I turned serious in an instant, silently praying to whatever god might be listening for this to go safely and smoothly.
"Nervous?" Kyouka asked.
"Nope. Just tense," I answered.
"Can't blame you. I've already lost count of how many times we nearly died." She sighed.
"You said it." I gave her a wry smile.
We looked at each other for a moment before closing our eyes as the countdown reached its end.
[3… 2… 1…]
The AI of our Jaeger spoke the moment the countdown finished.
{Neural handshake initiating}
I felt my mind stretch endlessly, memories of past and present surfacing all at once. Kyouka's consciousness and mine merged, intertwining into a single unified will to control the Jaeger.
When we opened our eyes, we inhaled in perfect sync, staring at our hands as they moved flawlessly together—like two halves of the same brain.
"Thunder Sentinel ready for deployment!!" Kyouka and I declared in unison, bumping our Jaegars left and right fists together before lowering them.
The hatch above the base began to open. Our Jaeger, Thunder Sentinel, was lifted by choppers, and we felt the massive machine being carried into the air.
["This is Cherno Titan. Are there any problems on your side?"] Varvara's voice echoed through the comms.
Kyouka pressed the comm button.
"This is Thunder Sentinel responding. All systems are clear on our side."
["Good."] Varvara replied happily.
The difference in how she treated me compared to Kyouka was honestly staggering.
Just how much of a fangirl of my partner is this Russian woman?
Ignoring that for a moment,
I sure hope things turn out the way we want them to.
(To be continued)
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Author's Note:
I might continue this one if I'm in the mood.
Also, the Hideo in this Omake and the Hideo from the main series are vastly different, so don't treat them as the same.