A pair of eyes fluttered open.

"...zuh?"

Beige.

...lots of beige.

"Morning, metalhead."

He looked up at a fuzzy white and khaki blob before him, silhouetted against a mass of beige. "...Ivy?"

Beige walls. Where was he?

Light was streaming through a window to his right. A set of beige Venetian blinds split the rays into a series of bright bars on his bed. What time was it?

...wait, bed?

Blink, blink. Beige sheets.

Entirely too much beige. What was this place, a hospital?

He looked over. A set of clear tubes ran from his wrist up to a thin metal rack beside him. The numbers on the flow monitors blinked a soft green.

Frell. It was a hospital. What the heck had happened?

He groggily looked at the girl slowly coming into focus across the room. She was crouched, perched on a chair and smiling expectantly at him.

"Good to see you, man. Doc says you should sleep, though - I'll tell you everything in time."

Yeah. Sleep sounded good right about now...

Still perched birdlike on the edge of the chair, Ivy looked at her friend as he dozed off again. It had been a long few months, waiting and visiting every day, talking to the doctors about her friend.

Mr. and Mrs. Carrigan had been by to visit nearly every day, and were glad to see Ivy there supporting her friend. Initially, his mother was somewhat skeptical about allowing him to continue battling, but the doctor had returned with a diagnosis explaining that this was due to a spike in metal content in the brain; no matter where he was or what he had been doing, this would have happened. Reluctantly, Mrs. Carrigan agreed.

Her eyes flicked over to the baskets of flowers, the "get well soon" cards. Ivy pursed her lips; for a while, there was no certainty that there would be a "get well soon."

It had been a strange battle. The two of them versus a team called the Storm Riders. Some guy in a Warshark and another in a Command Wolf. It had started off dandy -well, barring the bit when Alex's mortar almost blew the Warshark into her Sinker- but right after that, he'd gone offline.

The judge had stopped the battle, awarding the victory to the Storm Riders, while medical personnel rushed to the scene. Alex was rushed to the hospital, where he lay in a coma for months.

Until today, that is. She couldn't wait to get back out there and settle the score with the Storm Riders.

Two days later...

A pair of eyes fluttered open.

"Morning, metalhead."

Beige. Beige bloody everywhere.

He had a distinct feeling of déjà vu.

He looked over to his left. At least all the damn tubes were gone.

"So - feeling up to reenter society?"

He looked over at the source of the voice. A dark-eyed, dark-haired, fair-skinned girl was standing there, bizarrely clad in a painter's smock, cargo shorts, sandals and a bandana around her head in a pirate fashion. She grinned at him.

Ivy gestured to the table beside him. "Brought you a change of clothes, mate."

Alex looked over. A small package of clothes, two sneakers laid neatly on top, sat in front of a large basket of flowers and a big plant. A tiny wisp of vapor issued from behind the big plant, backed up by a minute chuffing noise. It could only mean one thing: Ivy. He pulled the plant aside to reveal a minute silver device. It was a tiny silver Malder whose shell was a cleverly disguised steam boiler. A silver ring supported a counterweight on one end and a tiny Sinker on the other, continually flying rings around the Malder. The steam issued from the Malder's shell, swirled into a tiny spiral by the orbiting Sinker.

It meant a lot to him to have a friend like Ivy - but he wasn't going to disappoint her by going all cheesy and sappy.

"Needs a little Warshark getting blown up," he remarked.

Ivy grinned like a jack-o-lantern and launched herself into a bear hug. "Good to have you back, man. Good to have you back. Wanna kick some ass?"

It was good to know his pain receptors were still working. Well, maybe not "good," but "reassuring." In the same way that having one's head cut off was "reassuring" that it was attached a few seconds ago.

He managed a thumbs' up. "Absolutely."

It was a calm afternoon that day in the public square outside the hospital. People were sitting around, reading the newspaper or drinking coffee from a nearby vendor. A group of children skipped happily around the grassy median encircling the fountain in the middle of the square. Soft sounds of traffic came from the other side of the hospital as a few clouds floated overhead in the bright blue sky.

Nobody hand any idea what was coming.

The hospital doors flew open, and standing there was a figure, backlit by light streaming out of the beige hallway. Arms splayed between the handles, head bowed low in the manner of a deranged psychopath, the figure raised its shadowed face and...

...and grinned evilly. She had fair skin and dark hair and eyes. And what was with those clothes?

The few people who had initially looked went back to what they were doing. It was just another crazy Zoid pilot.

"STORM RIDERS!"

A gentleman dropped his newspaper. His wife nearly choked on her coffee. A child looked, frightened, in her direction and promptly ran headlong into the fountain.

"STOOOOORM RIDERS!" roared the girl. She had a very powerful stage voice - not the typical shrill female shriek one would expect from such a small, slight frame. This was the sort of voice that came with a lot of stagecraft experience - she must've been projecting not to those in the cheap seats, but somewhere on Zi's moon.

"You have been CHALLENGED!" she finished.

A figure appeared behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder. The gentleman, wiping his wife's coffee off his face, mentally thanked her friend.

Kesshi, Ryu, and Vincent walk through the square enjoying the sounds of the city. The three vear off in different directions as they go about their business. Kesshi continued walking down the street enjoying the sunshine.

He stops abruptly as he hears the name of his team yelled and he turns in that general direction. His eyes searching for the person who had just yelled out the challenge.

Ivy reared back for another one.

"STO-"

"There's more than one city," said Alex dryly.

Eyes bulging, chest still inflated and arms pulled back, Ivy looked much like a deranged puffer-fish. She deflated like a balloon, grinning reproachfully at him. "You're officially no fun. You do realize this, don't you?"

"I try."

Alex glanced around - the usual number of people (everybody) was staring at them. It was the usual, really; either Alex's weird hematite-colored metal lumps, or Ivy's constant, insufferable antics tended to attract lots of attention, wanted or otherwise.

No sign of the Storm Riders - of course, with their luck, they'd be somewhere in Europa at a sports bar. Nonetheless, if they were around, they'd undoubtably have heard (or seen) Team Sirocco by now.

His eyes locked onto a girl standing with a man at her side. She was the one that had been doing all of the yelling. As he walked closer to them, he began to study their faces. The two looked somewhat familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on where he had seen them before.

"Hey!" Kesshi yells at her as he waves his right hand crazily at her.

The girl Kesshi saw grinned back at him from behind dark locks of hair falling over her face. Embedded in her fair-skinned face, her dark eyes burned like coals in the heart of some mad machine. She folded her arms over her chest, which Kesshi couldn't help noticing was quite flat.

Her friend was a shade taller than her, though his stiff posture and thin, bony frame gave him the impression of being taller than he actually was. Bizarrely enough, a small crescent of dark gray bumps sat on the outside of his right eye. A small strip of metallic-looking material poked through the skin on his collarbone. Unlike his friend, he showed almost no emotion, barely moving except for his eyes, which gradually played over the scene.

Alex looked over at Ivy, who grinned at him. "Told you they'd be here."

He cocked a you-did-no-such-thing-and-you-know-it eyebrow.

She mimicked his look, before stepping forward and thrusting her hand in the new arrival's face. "Ivy of Team Sirocco, and this is my friend Alex. You're of the Storm Riders, I presume?"

(He did notice)

Kesshi smiles as he grasps her hand and begins to shake it. All the while examing the girl and her freind. He nods answering her question silently.

"I'm Kesshi, Kesshi Kuruado and you are?"

Ivy developed a "didn't I just say this?" look on her face, and looked ready to make a likewise outburst, before Alex stepped forward and shook Kesshi's hand. He moved mechanically, more like a machine than a human. Nor did he move particularly quickly, either, as opposed to his friend, who seemed to do everything smoothly and quickly at once. It was difficult to notice, but his jaw muscles tensed slightly with every step.

"I'm Alexander Carrigan, Kesshi. Pleased to meet you," he said, somewhat flatly. "And this is Bron-"

"Alex!"

"- Bronwyn Ivesdon. For your safety," he added with a slight smile, "please refer to her as 'Ivy.'"

Ivy wore a I-hate-that-name-so-say-it-and-you're-toast look.

Alex's dark brown eyes flicked to a spot slightly over Kesshi's shoulder. Yep - everyone was still staring. Not like he cared. The eyes flicked back to meet Kesshi's.

"My friend here-" -at this Ivy swelled slightly- "-was wondering if the Storm Riders would care for a rematch."

"Yeah, to whoop your butts!" Ivy finished, fist held in front of her grinning face.

Alex's eyes flicked disapprovingly to Ivy, then back to Kesshi's, cocking an eyebrow inquisitively. "We can discuss the terms of the battle over coffee, if you like. Care to join us?"

Kesshi smiled and ignored the girls comment as he focused on Alex.

"Well Alex and"

He glances at Ivy and smirked as he says "Bronwyn! a rematch sounds good to me...."

He begins to yawn and stretches his arms out.

((At this point I'm basically BSing, Hero, so we can move to more pressing matters -like the actual battle- whenever you like. And when the Mariner battle's over.))

For the briefest of instants, something like a solar flare burned behind the girl's coal-black eyes. Then, in a flash, her demeanor changed. Crossing her arms over her waist, she adopted a slightly more feminine stance. One that was, however, not without a slight flicker of challenge in her eyes.

Alex looked away and forced back the desire to roll his eyes. Ivy was too effective an actress for her own good.

"Y'know, it's a dangerous man what calls me that, Kesh," Ivy said. "I like it."

She took Kesshi by his arm and began to lead him over to a table. Alex watched her, mentally shrugged, and walked over to get everyone some coffee. Ivy had just put up with nearly six months of constant waiting and faithfulness - who was he to deprive her of a little fun?

He kept an ear open to listen to Ivy. Unless you knew her already, you'd be hard pressed to see through her stagecraft. And she was an extremely good actress, appearing genuinely interested in this guy Kesshi. Everyone around them was turning away. An old couple looked on warmly, apparently convinced that Ivy had fallen head over heels for him.

"...so what kind of Zoid you pilot, Kesh? Saber Tiger, Lightning Saix....?"

He scratches his head and yawns before answering her.

"I pilot a Gun Sniper.... Not that it really matters anyway since there is only a marginal chance that i'll be one of the two kicking your ass....", he says in a calm confident voice while smiling.

Alex returned with three coffees, overhearing Kesshi's last statement. What was it with these overconfident, arrogant hotheads? Blowing stuff up wantonly, endangering teammates, hotheadedly challenging everything that moved...

...oh. Yeah. Alex reminded himself that his teammate was probably their queen. Still, she kept it up without a hitch.

"Only a marginal chance, eh? How come? I hear Gun Snipers are supposed to be very customizeable - and very powerful."

Alex, frankly, was amazed that she could make it sound so casual. Ivy was from the Guylos old country, and regarded Republican Zoids on the same level as tapeworms and the plague.

"You must have a keen eye to pilot that thing. What sort of mods you use?"

Kesshi ignores her questions as he knows she is just trying to find out some useful information.

"Thanks for the coffee Alex..." He takes the coffee and he proceeds to pour a large amount of sugar into his coffee. He sips the coffee carefully and examines the two of them.

Alex seems to be an alright dude... However, Bronwyn seems to like to hear herself talk. As far as he could remember, the two were actually pretty good and had a better record than them. He still thought they had a good shot at winning though, if they played their cards right.

Alex furrowed his brow. "Believe my teammate asked you a question," he said, nodding towards Ivy.

She looked on naïvely.

"Oh?" Kesshi says innocently. He smiles at her as he scratches his head.

"I must not have heard it." He sinks down into his chair as he gets into a more comfortable positioin.

Alex, the eternal straight man, retained his deadpan expression. He wasn't particularly fond of how this punk had just blown off his teammate. Even if Alex had a reasonable idea of what his teammate was attempting to do.

"Believe you did, actually. Ivy?"

Ivy seemed a bit put off by Kesshi's silence, looking back to Alex before speaking. "Well, I was only making a bit of conversation..."

Alex looked at Kesshi without any trace of a smile. "It was rather rude of you to ignore my friend like that."

Kesshi shrugs off Alex's words and stares at Ivy a moment before replying.

"Repeat the question and I'd be glad to answer it." he said in an apologetic tone.

Alex looked back at Kesshi. "Believe we've got to prep for the Mariner Royale tomorrow," he said flatly, clearly implying he didn't care much for Kesh's disrespectful attitude.

"Aw, Alex - we've got all day!" pleaded Ivy. Alex shot her a look implying that under no circumstances were they going to sit here talking to this guy.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you, Kesshi," said Alex in a slightly forced tone, "but we really must go."

The two of them walked off, Ivy looking back and waving her fingers enchantingly at Kesshi. When she turned back around, it was all she could do to supress a nefarious giggle.

It was all over when Alex cracked a smile. Ivy managed to hold it in until they rounded a corner, whereupon she exploded into a gale of laughter, scattering a cloud of pigeons nearby. She leaned against Alex for support, who had to admit it was hilarious in his own way.

"Did you see the look on the poor guy's face?" wheezed Ivy. "I didn't know you could act that well - he actually thought I was trying to pry information out of him!"

Alex managed a short chuckle as they walked. "Poor Kesshi didn't realize we could've looked that stuff up online."

Ivy did a comically bad impression of Alex's walking, strutting robot-like beside him. "I AM ALEX CARRIGAN," she said in a monotone voice. "YOU, KESSHI, ARE BEING RUDE. RAR RAR RAR. ANSWER MY FRIEND."

Alex looked back disapprovingly. "Ive...I was being serious." His eyes drifted down, as if she had really hurt him with her impression.

Ivy's humor drained away. "You...you mean...geez, man, I'm sorry...don't take it, er, man, I feel terrible."

A sly look appeared in Alex's eye. "Gotcha."

The humor was back in a flash. "You dog!" exploded Ivy, laughing like a maniac. "I can't believe you pulled that one over on me!"

Alex grinned, feeling a tingle play over his jawbone. "Think they'll let me in the thespian society?"

Ivy shook her head with mock disapproval. "Let's go see if those Safecrackers I ordered came in," she said as they walked off.

Kesshi pulls out a cellphone and dials a number as the two talk to each other. Kesshi watched them as they walked off and waved to Ivy as he listened to the sound of a dial tone. His index finger tapping the table several times before he heard a loud hello.

"Ryu?" Kesshi asked in a questioning tone.

"Yeah what's up?"

"Team Sirocco wants a rematch."

Although Kesshi couldn't see it Ryu was smiling as he heard the words. Although the team wasn't very good. They did love to zoid battle. They've never backed down from a challenge and weren't going to now. It'd be interesting to fight a team as skilled as Sirocco though.

"Alright, I'll let Vincent know about the rematch." he said happily.