Awakening Kira

Under the cover of the desert night, a colossal figure on the hillside showcased its agile form and dynamic muscles. It continuously threw punches, one after another, rapidly unleashing heavy fist shadows in a short period. Each punch whistled through the air. With a lifted leg, a powerful side kick. A crouch and jump propelled it to a height unattainable by any human. In mid-air, it spun around and unleashed a flying kick. Its silhouette, illuminated by the moonlight, appeared incredibly cool. When the figure landed back on the ground, the violent tremor and immense power kicked up countless dust clouds, forcing onlookers to retreat.

While these movements appeared exceptionally flashy, to those who truly understood, the figure was merely performing ostentatious maneuvers. In actual combat, these actions would have virtually no effect on increasing fighting capability, serving at most as mere spectacle.

Rau Le Creuset, piloting the Strike Gundam with great enthusiasm, performed a series of seemingly simple movements on a hillside not far from the Archangel, under the watchful eyes of Kira, Mu, Maddock, Mwu, and others. Without any weapons equipped, he was purely testing the Strike Gundam's basic performance. Yet, these actions, which Rau Le Creuset considered normal, left everyone, including Xiao Ran, staring with disbelief.

"Are these movements even possible for a Mobile Suit? Can it really be that agile on Earth?" Mu's throat bobbed twice as he turned to look at Xiao Ran with difficulty. "Where did you find such an exceptional friend?"

"I didn't expect it either," Xiao Ran replied, spreading his hands in astonishment. He stared, dumbfounded, at the Strike Gundam rapidly throwing punches and kicks like a martial arts expert, even executing attacks resembling spinning kicks in mid-air. While it didn't reach the level of the Mobile Suits in Gundam G, it was already remarkable for the Strike Gundam.

Watching the Strike Gundam, which seemed to be practicing combat, Kira, who had been silent, stared blankly for a moment before focusing all his attention on it. Subsequently, his eyes revealed a spectrum of expressions: deep thought, understanding, and sudden enlightenment.

"Is this person even normal? Not a Coordinator?" Mu voiced the question on everyone's mind.

Bargyll, in particular, had been wearing a stern expression ever since she learned Xiao Ran had brought a stranger onto the Archangel and intended to pilot the Strike Gundam. If not for the fact that Captain Mwu had already agreed, and Xiao Ran, as a Major, outranked her, Mu was also curious about the extent of Xiao Ran's friend's capabilities. Therefore, the three highest-ranking officers on the Archangel had overruled her objection. She absolutely would not have agreed to let an unfamiliar stranger pilot the Strike Gundam.

But now, an expression of disbelief had also appeared on Bargyll's face. Her eyelids twitched uncontrollably, unable to contain her emotions. Someone who could pilot a Mobile Suit to perform such movements was, in her opinion, definitely not a normal human. Thus, the moment Mu asked his question, she fixed her gaze intently on Xiao Ran.

"No genetic modification, no drug enhancement, a purely normal person. If there are geniuses in this world, Rau must be one. A super talent in mechanics, and also an incredibly lucky guy," Xiao Ran took a deep breath. Thinking about it, he seemed to understand why Rau could pilot the Strike Gundam and perform these movements.

Xiao Ran stroked his chin and said to the disbelieving crowd, "He can perform these movements entirely due to his astonishing talent in mechanics, his deep understanding of Mobile Suit limbs, skeletons, joints, and the resilience and strength of metal. Without these factors, it would be impossible for him to execute such flashy movements. Moreover, I don't think it's solely due to his personal reasons. Rau also has a supercomputer. With that computer's assistance, performing such actions isn't surprising. It's just that I still can't figure out where that guy hid the computer before?"

Xiao Ran scratched his head, unable to comprehend. The AI, Little 8, didn't seem small enough to be hidden on Rau Le Creuset without him noticing. How could something the size of a briefcase be concealed? Unless...

Xiao Ran subtly twisted his head, as if stretching a stiff neck, quickly scanning every visible area within his line of sight. He eventually frowned and gave up on the idea of finding Rau Le Creuset's companions in the darkness of the desert.

"He probably never fully trusted me from the start, so his companions are nearby to provide support?" Xiao Ran shook his head, looked up at the now completely still Strike Gundam, and smiled indifferently.

Xiao Ran turned to Kira and suddenly asked, "Kira, do you have any thoughts?"

"I never thought about making a Mobile Suit perform such movements before. Although I think these actions are indeed a bit redundant in combat, and simpler, more direct actions could achieve the same goal, there's no need to make the movements so complicated," Kira glanced at Xiao Ran and said calmly, "If it were a battle, even if he fought like a martial artist, he wouldn't be my opponent. I can protect the Archangel."

Kira's tone and demeanor caused those around him to frown slightly, looking at him with puzzled expressions. In their eyes, Kira was not an arrogant person, but what was happening now?

Hearing Kira's words, Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow. "Don't underestimate Rau. While he might not be your match in combat, defeating him won't be that simple either."

Kira was silent for a moment, then said firmly, "Whether it's simple or not, if he's an enemy, I will defeat him no matter what."

Xiao Ran was stunned for a moment. He realized Kira's current state was very wrong. Not only was he arrogant, but more importantly, Xiao Ran felt his perception had become distorted. He didn't know if it was because he had been a teacher here for too long, but after hearing Kira's irresponsible words, Xiao Ran couldn't help but revert to his teacher persona and exclaimed sternly, "Kira! Are you sure you're clear-headed right now? Do you even know what you've been doing these past few days!"

Kira completely failed to realize that his own behavior over the past two days had already made people feel very strange. He seemed to be inexplicably filled with tension, suppressing the belief that only he could protect the Archangel. He hadn't realized that this mindset was leading him to become somewhat arrogant. However, he still respected Xiao Ran greatly, as Xiao Ran had been with him from the beginning, guiding and comforting him.

Therefore, after Xiao Ran's stern exclamation, even though Kira felt a flicker of inexplicable anger, he suppressed it and said, "I am clear-headed, Teacher."

"I know what happened to you that night. Ever since then, your mindset has been a bit off," Xiao Ran frowned, took a deep breath, and spoke to Kira in a gentler tone. "Haven't you noticed that you've been putting a lot more pressure on yourself? Before, you would hesitate when facing enemies, and feel guilty after destroying a Mobile Suit. But now? You even opened fire on an enemy who offered no resistance last night. Haven't you realized you've completely changed?"

"I won't say what the Kira I know is like, because I know you haven't changed from before. I don't know if the pressure we've put on you has caused you to believe that the Archangel can't function without you." Xiao Ran raised his hand to stop Kira from interjecting and continued, "Regarding this, I admit it, Captain Mwu admits it, Major Mu, Lieutenant Bargyll, they all admit it. Everyone on the Archangel admits it. Without you, the Archangel absolutely could not have safely reached this place from Heliopolis. That's why we've always avoided putting more pressure on you, fearing that your perpetually taut nerves might snap."

Xiao Ran looked at the silent Kira and said softly, "When Lacus was on board, did you really think we didn't know where you disappeared to every day? No, we all knew, but none of us said anything, none of us intervened. We just wanted you to relax a bit, hoping that Lacus, also a Coordinator, could ease your mind, help you relax, and make you happy. At that time, the situation seemed to be going well."

"But after landing on Earth, just today, the change in your mindset has caught us completely off guard," Xiao Ran took a deep breath and, under the composed and puzzled expressions of everyone, pulled Kira aside and whispered, "Silly child, Teacher knows about you and Frey at night. Is it because you couldn't save Frey's father that you feel guilty towards her? I also know you don't want the same thing to happen again, you want to protect the Archangel, protect Frey, protect us. But you can't put so much pressure on yourself because of this, do you understand?"

"Um... Teacher... How did you know?" Kira's face suddenly turned red, and he asked hesitantly and shyly.

"Of course, I heard it when I went to check on you," Xiao Ran said calmly, his face not blushing, and patted Kira's shoulder. "You need to calm down. If you really like Frey, then you should know that she's also not quite right after her father's death. Yet, she's still suppressing her grief to support you and comfort you when you're in pain. As a man, you shouldn't let a woman endure her pain to comfort you. What you can do is not just fight, so you need to be calmer to better comfort her, understand?"

After saying this, Xiao Ran added in his mind, "Although her suppressing her grief is just to manipulate you."

Hearing Xiao Ran's sincere words, Kira began to reflect on what he had done all day. He finally nodded gently. "I'm sorry, Teacher, you're absolutely right. My emotions were a bit off today, and I'll be mindful of it in the future. Also, your friend's performance just now, although I truly felt it was useless, it did give me some ideas. I didn't learn nothing."

"Kid," Xiao Ran chuckled and playfully punched Kira. "I didn't invite Rau over just for him to visit the Archangel. Rau is a very capable person. While he's here, if you find anything unsuitable about the Strike Gundam, quickly point it out. You can also discuss Mobile Suit piloting with him. His wildly imaginative ideas will definitely benefit you greatly."

"I understand, Teacher. I know what to do."

Watching Kira, who had regained his composure, Xiao Ran thought to himself, "Kira has been woken up early, and I hope Frey can change soon too."