Then, the name of the Mobile Suit, shining with a mysterious light, slowly appeared on the screen.
GAT-X1
“Blazing…?”
Xia Ya unconsciously murmured the name, his golden brows slightly furrowed.
A hint of obvious confusion flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by deeper curiosity and scrutiny.
This name, this model number, did not exist in his memory bank, in the story script he was so familiar with, titled “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.”
The GAT-X Series, the five prototype Mobile Suits secretly developed by the Earth Alliance Forces in Heliopolis—Strike, Aegis, duel, Buster, and blitz.
This was information he knew by heart, the cornerstone of his preliminary plans.
But now, this Mobile Suit named “Blazing” appeared out of nowhere like a ghost, becoming the “sixth member” that shouldn't exist.
Why was it here? Who built it? Was it a hidden trump card of the Earth Alliance Forces, or a secret project of Dawn Company?
Countless questions instantly flooded his mind, bringing with them a hidden concern about an unknown variable.
The plan had deviated from the very beginning, and it was such a significant deviation.
The missed opportunity with the Blitz Gundam had already put him on alert, and the appearance of this Blazing Gundam cast a thick fog over his path forward.
However, beneath the fog, opportunities also lurked.
Xia Ya’s gaze quickly shifted from confusion to sharpness, like a raptor discovering new prey. This mysterious Mobile Suit, perhaps, was another form of compensation fate had given him after he missed the blitz, an even more unexpected, and possibly more powerful, vessel of strength.
“I need… I need it,” he muttered under his breath, his tone conveying an undeniable resolve.
He had descended into this world, bearing ambitions and goals far beyond the ordinary.
It was a grand plan, capable of overturning the existing order, requiring immense power to set in motion. Whether to counter the enemies that would inevitably rise in the future, or to carve out his own path between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, he desperately needed power.
Raw, overwhelming power, enough to establish his footing in this war-torn Cosmic Era.
This “Blazing” before him might be the strongest weapon he could grasp at the moment.
“Lend me your strength, Blazing…”
His voice carried a hint of determination and yearning, as if engaging in a soul-to-soul dialogue with this mysterious Mobile Suit, transcending time and matter.
His slightly trembling hands gradually steadied, beginning to operate the complex control panel with practiced ease.
Each button press, each joystick movement, was precise and fluid, as if he were born to sit there.
This was not entirely due to instinct, but more from the arduous and extraordinary efforts he had put in later.
The smooth hydraulic drive sounds and subtle vibrations came from within the Mobile Suit, and the view captured by the external monitors began to rise.
The colossal steel body, under his control, slowly rose upright from the restraints of the maintenance platform.
Through the main screen, the burning factory buildings, the fleeing figures, the orange-red fireballs from explosions, and the pervasive smoke created a scene like a hellish scroll.
However, this purgatorial world of flying flames, in Xia Ya’s eyes at this moment, strangely presented a wild and fervent welcoming ceremony, as if offering the most primal salute to this steel knight making his debut on the battlefield.
Becoming a qualified Mobile Suit Pilot was by no means easy.
Top-tier operating skills were the absolute foundation, but equally important was a profound understanding and mastery of the Mobile Suit's operating system (OS), which was as complex as the stars.
Without proper OS support, even the most powerful Mobile Suit was just a pile of scrap metal, and even the most exquisite operation could not be fully utilized.
For this day, to truly be able to control these steel giants, after he arrived in this world, confirmed the timeline and his own situation, he resolutely chose to enter the industrial academy in Heliopolis, specializing in related program design and system engineering.
For him, this was not an easy road.
Frankly, rigorous and tedious programming work was not where his soul's talent lay. Compared to strategizing or fighting on the battlefield, facing those cold logical codes often left him feeling inadequate. For countless nights, he buried himself in front of virtual screens, battling complex algorithms and lengthy code, trying to understand the system frameworks built under the Coordinator's mindset, which Naturals found difficult to grasp. Difficulties, frustrations, self-doubt, like a tide, repeatedly assailed him.
But he pushed through. With willpower far exceeding that of ordinary people, and an intense desire to achieve his goals, he obsessively, frantically absorbed knowledge.
He clearly remembered that during those days, every day and night felt like being immersed in an boundless ocean of code, his brain constantly running at high speed.
If it were his “previous life” self, who drifted aimlessly, not even knowing what he wanted to do, living by inertia, facing such high-intensity learning pressure, he would probably have had a mental breakdown and gone completely mad long ago.
But his current life was different; he had clear goals and a mission that must be accomplished.
And now, all his efforts had not been in vain.
When his fingertips touched the primitive, crude, and even terrible operating system interface of the Blazing Gundam, he did not become flustered like an ordinary person.
He had enough confidence that, after these few years of “cramming,” his knowledge reserves in MS operating systems were definitely not inferior to those of ordinary Coordinator soldiers.
This confidence was not unfounded.
In fact, in the semester evaluation that concluded not long ago, he, a Natural, managed to break through a group of Coordinator students who almost monopolized the top ranks in all science and engineering courses, successfully securing first place in the overall scores for programming-related courses.
This was undoubtedly an achievement noteworthy in a technology field dominated by Coordinators, and the best proof of his abilities… That being said, a hint of pride that had just emerged was forcibly suppressed by him.
Complacency was the breeding ground for failure, and the previous lessons were still vivid in his mind.
It was precisely his overconfidence in his own abilities and underestimation of ZAFT's speed of action that led to the complete failure of his meticulously planned first step to seize the Blitz Gundam.
That black ghost with the “Mirage Colloid” stealth system was practically driven away right under his nose, and every time he thought of it, it filled him with annoyance and vigilance.
“I cannot make the same mistake again,” he admonished himself, his eyes once again becoming sharp and focused.
On the battlefield, things change in an instant, and any minor oversight can lead to eternal damnation.
“Neural link synchronization confirmed. Control module direct-linked to molecular ion pump, power stable. Rebuilding neural link mapping network… Updating motor cortex corresponding drive parameters… Feedforward control loop initialized and activated… Coriolis effect correction parameters loaded… Standard combat movement routine library accessed, authorization verified… System, core module online. Now, initiating boot sequence!”
His fingers rapidly danced between the virtual keyboard and physical buttons, as he softly chanted a series of complex technical commands.
One part of his brain was intently performing low-level modifications and optimizations of the OS, attempting to rewrite this primitive operating interface to better suit his habits and unleash the Mobile Suit's potential; while another part of his mind, running at high speed, couldn't help but compare it to the original plot in his memory—Kira Yamato, the young man known as the “Strongest Coordinator,” should also be in the cockpit of the Strike Gundam right now, frustrated with an equally disastrous initial OS, right?
Between him and Kira, who would modify the OS faster?
This thought was just a fleeting one; he immediately focused all his attention on the task at hand.
In the original story, Kira constantly complained about the Strike's initial OS, finding it clumsy, sluggish, and difficult to control. Now, it was Xia Ya’s turn to experience it firsthand.
Indeed, it was terrible! Action command delays were obvious, feedback was vague, and many interfaces for advanced maneuvering were not even open.
He had initially thought that, as a “Natural,” adapting to this system, which was perhaps designed for ordinary Earth Alliance Forces Pilots, would be slightly easier than for Kira, who was a Coordinator.
But reality mercilessly shattered his illusion—no, absolutely not! The design philosophy of this OS was practically anti-human; no wonder even a genius like Kira needed to rewrite it.
As his thoughts wandered, he couldn't help but feel a genuine admiration for Captain Murrue Ramius, who, in the original story, was unexpectedly tasked with piloting the Strike Gundam and engaging with ZAFT GINNs.
It was truly remarkable that she could, in such a critical situation, operate the Strike Gundam, which was almost incapable of flexible movement due to such an unfriendly operating system, and still contend with Miguel Aiman’s battle-hardened GINN for so long.
Certainly, the Strike Gundam's Phase Shift Armor (PS Armor) provided powerful defense, greatly compensating for its lack of maneuverability, but this did not diminish Captain Murrue’s astonishing courage, decisiveness, and basic piloting skills.
“...Alright, basic optimization complete!”
After a tense and highly efficient operation, the new operating system configuration was finally set up. Xia Ya let out a long sigh, feeling fine beads of sweat on his forehead. He pressed the confirmation button to restart the system.
Instantly, all the screens in the cockpit went dark for a moment, then relit with a brand new interface and smoother dynamic effects.
The configured program, like a precise clock infused with a soul, began to operate with gears meshing perfectly.
The external indicator lights of the Mobile Suit flashed in the preset sequence, finally stabilizing into a bright operational state, like a star of hope lit in the darkness.
Immediately following, the PS Armor activated, and simultaneously, the vector thrusters on the back suddenly ejected two thick, incandescent particle streams, distorting the air with high temperatures.
The immense thrust instantly acted upon the Mobile Suit, and this Gundam named “Blazing,” like a primordial beast breaking free from its chains, surged with an unstoppable momentum, violently tearing through the factory roof structure and piercing straight into Heliopolis's simulated sky!
“Ugh!” The intense G-force instantly pressed Xia Ya firmly into the Pilot’s seat.
An indescribable mixed experience, both a sense of fullness from being enveloped by immense power and a peculiar floating sensation from high-speed flight, assaulted his senses.
This feeling was so novel, yet so captivating.
Was it because he wasn't wearing a Pilot suit with anti-G capabilities?
He mused to himself. After all, this was his first actual MS combat, and lacking experience, he found it difficult to accurately judge the difference in this sensation.
However, the sense of power coursing through his entire body was real.
It was as if a warm and powerful invisible hand was tightly embracing him, not restricting, but supporting, merging.
This sense of power not only brought no discomfort but instead acted like a potent stimulant, igniting his long-latent desire for combat and conquest deep within his heart.
Blood rushed faster through his veins, every cell cheering.
After a brief adaptation, Xia Ya immediately turned his attention back to the battlefield.
“Where is the Strike Gundam? Kira and the others…” He frowned slightly, a hint of doubt rising in his heart.
Just now, in order to concentrate fully on setting up the Blazing Gundam's operating system, he had almost blocked out most of the external information.
Now, after ascending and taking a closer look, he was startled to realize that the Strike Gundam, which should have been nearby, had disappeared.
“It’s not in its original position…” His gaze sharply scanned the battlefield below. Combining it with the plot in his memory, he quickly made a judgment: “If that’s the case, the Strike should already be entangled with a GINN and engaged in combat!”
“They must be found quickly!” He immediately brought up the radar enemy detection interface, simultaneously ordering the optical sensors to perform an omnidirectional scan.
"...Found them!" A few seconds later, the radar screen picked up two strong, high-speed moving signals, like beacons in the dark night.
Almost at the same time, the main camera's optical zoom successfully locked onto the targets, displaying clear images on the main screen.
Just as he expected.
On the street of the industrial area not far below, a mobile suit that had already deployed its brilliant PS Armor, painted in the incredibly familiar blue, white, and red, was none other than the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam!
Its movements appeared somewhat clumsy, but the armor, shimmering with energy, was exceptionally sturdy.
Opposite it was a mass-produced mobile suit with a dark gray paint job and a relatively rugged, even somewhat clunky, appearance—ZAFT's ZGMF-1017 GINN.
At this moment, these two Mobile Suits, representing different factions and different technological philosophies, had already engaged in a thrilling chase and battle in this ruined colonial satellite district.
The GINN was the first to attack. Its thick 76mm Heavy Assault Machine Gun roared deafeningly, and the dark muzzle spewed dense tongues of flame, a volley of tracer-equipped large-caliber solid rounds raining down on the Strike Gundam like a storm.
Each shell was enough to easily tear through conventional armor, causing violent explosions. The GINN's Pilot was clearly attempting to use this concentrated firepower to suppress the Strike Gundam's movements, forcing it into a desperate situation.
However, the Strike Gundam's response to this torrential downpour of bullets was almost "arrogant."
It didn't even make many evasive maneuvers, merely adjusting its posture slightly.
The incoming solid rounds, upon contact with the Strike Gundam's blue, white, and red armor, seemed to hit an invisible, absolutely solid energy barrier.
"Clang, clang, clang—!" Amidst the dense metallic impacts, bullets were deflected, deformed, and shattered, splashing harmless but brilliant energy sparks across the PS Armor's surface, like fireworks at a festival.
The miraculous properties of the PS Armor were fully displayed at this moment, reducing the threat of conventional solid-bullet weapons to a minimum.
The Strike Gundam cleverly used this brief interval of the PS Armor resisting attacks, abruptly activating its thrusters and quickly widening the distance.
Its movements began to become a bit more flexible than before; although still somewhat stiff, a sense of coordination, different from its initial state, was subtly emerging.
The selection and execution of those evasive maneuvers, while not top-tier, were precise and effective, possessing a unique agility, as if constantly learning and adapting.
"This operation... it's Kira after all." Xia Ya looked at the Strike's movements on the screen, further confirming his judgment.
Although he had no intention of offending Captain Murrue, based on his understanding of their abilities, while Miss Murrue's experience and willpower were commendable, in terms of precise MS piloting and instantaneous reactions, there was indeed a noticeable gap compared to Kira Yamato, who possessed the SEED factor and was hailed as the "Strongest Coordinator."
Only Kira could, in such a short time and under the pressure of actual combat, gradually explore and initially unleash some of the Strike Gundam's potential.
However, during the process of defending against and evading the GINN's gunfire, although the Strike Gundam's movements became increasingly agile, it never launched an effective counterattack, not even making a move to draw a weapon.
"Indeed..." A glint flashed in Xia Ya's eyes. "Kira must be desperately rewriting the Strike's operating system right now! How is his progress?"
A subtle competitive thought surfaced again. Was his speed in modifying the Blazing's OS just now fast or slow? How did it compare to Kira's?
...No, wait, thinking carefully, the Strike Gundam was initially piloted into the air by Miss Murrue. She maneuvered with that original OS against Michel for a period, and then Kira took over.
He, on the other hand, directly started and modified it. Perhaps it was precisely because of this time difference that he "won" this silent OS modification race?
Kira must now be optimizing and rewriting the operating system in the lulls of combat, racing against time, in order to truly master this powerful new mobile suit.
The pressure he faced was far greater than when he was simply modifying the OS earlier.
"...!"
Just as Xia Ya was thinking, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed! The GINN's Pilot was clearly very experienced in combat; he seemed to have seen through the Strike Gundam's current predicament—all defense, no offense, and stiff movements.
While continuing to fire seemingly casual suppressive shots with his assault rifle, he maneuvered the GINN to stride rapidly towards the Strike Gundam.
The moment it closed to a sufficient distance, it abruptly put away its rifle, and its right hand lightning-fast drew out the physical melee weapon mounted on its waist armor—that ruggedly shaped Heavy Sword with a cold metallic sheen on its blade!
"A physical sword?!" Xia Ya's heart tightened.
He knew, of course, that since the Strike Gundam possessed PS Armor, this physical slash from the GINN, in theory, as long as the energy supply was sufficient, could not cause structural damage to its armor.
But! PS Armor could only defend against cutting, piercing, and explosive impact, but it could not completely negate pure kinetic impact!
That substantial Heavy Sword, carrying the immense kinetic energy of the GINN's charge, slashed down fiercely; even if it couldn't penetrate the armor, the impact force it contained would be enough to cause serious effects!
Sure enough!
On the screen, the Strike Gundam seemed completely unprepared for the opponent to suddenly switch to a close-combat weapon, or perhaps Kira was fully focused on OS modification and simply didn't have time to react.
"Clang—!!!" A heavy, ear-splitting crash came through the communication channel as the Heavy Sword slammed into the Strike Gundam's left shoulder armor.
The PS Armor reacted by erupting in an even brighter glow, successfully resisting the blade's cut, but the overwhelming impact force was transmitted to the mobile suit's frame without reservation!
The unprepared Strike Gundam, after enduring this powerful and heavy slash, its massive body was like being struck by a heavy hammer, suddenly tilting to one side, its balance completely broken!
The blue, white, and red giant staggered back two steps, its feet scraping an ear-piercing sound on the ground, swaying as if it would collapse at any second.
Kira and Murrue in the cockpit were probably already disoriented by the violent impact.
"Damn it!" Seeing this, Xia Ya's pupils suddenly contracted. His body was already driven by combat instinct before his brain could issue clear commands.
"blaze—!!!"
He unconsciously let out a roar, as if to inject his will into the mobile suit.
He stomped the main thruster pedal all the way down! The power of the vector thrusters behind him instantly surged to their limit, spewing out a particle stream even more violent and scorching than before!
The immense G-force once again slammed him hard into his seat, his internal organs feeling as if they were displaced.
But he couldn't care less about that now, his eyes fixed on the GINN, which was retracting its Heavy Sword, seemingly intending to deliver a second and third slash to the off-balance Strike Gundam!
He gritted his teeth, his gums even bleeding slightly, using all his strength to resist the physiological limit pressure brought by the rapid acceleration.
The G-force, like an invisible giant hand, tore at his body, and the edges of his vision began to blacken, but he had no thought of slowing down.
The Blazing Gundam transformed into a crimson meteor, tearing through the air, rushing towards the GINN's rear flank with unparalleled impact!
Its speed was so great that it even left a brief, crimson afterimage behind it, generated by the high temperature and high-speed friction!
The GINN's Pilot—Miguel Aiman—evidently also sensed this sudden, destructive threat.
His mono-eye sensor sharply turned towards the direction from which the Blazing Gundam was attacking, and the sensors captured the rapidly enlarging crimson figure, a hint of astonishment flashing within.
— — — Has it noticed this way?!
This thought flashed through Xia Ya's mind, but in the next instant, it was overridden by an even stronger will.
No! It no longer matters! Now is the time!
Fly for me—!!!
He screamed frantically in his heart, as if his soul was burning.
Piloting the Blazing Gundam, like an angry meteorite descended from the heavens, carrying an overwhelming momentum, it slammed fiercely into the GINN's side waist!
Boom—!!!
A dull, extreme roar, as if even space was vibrating, erupted! This was the most primitive, most brutal collision of steel against steel!
Caught off guard by this violent assault, the GINN was like being hit head-on by a high-speed train; its massive body instantly lost all balance, like a kite with a broken string, it was violently sent flying by the immense kinetic energy!
It drew a clumsy arc in the air, tumbling as it inevitably crashed into the industrial factory building behind it.
Accompanied by an ear-splitting crunch of metal and shattering concrete, the GINN's heavy body smashed a huge hole in the building's outer wall, finally falling with a "rumble" into the rubble, kicking up a cloud of dust and temporarily losing its ability to move.
The recoil from the impact also caused the Blazing Gundam to shudder slightly, but Xia Ya, relying on the mobile suit's superior performance and instantaneous adjustments, steadily maintained its posture, hovering in mid-air.
"Hoo... hoo..." He gasped for air; that extreme acceleration and collision just now had been a huge drain on his physical and mental energy. But now, the crisis was temporarily averted.
"Oh, right, weapons!" Only then did he suddenly remember that he had completely relied on the mobile suit's impact force to save the day, without using any weapons.
A cold sweat instantly broke out. What if the GINN had reacted a little faster, or if his impact angle had been slightly off... the consequences would have been unimaginable.
He hurriedly brought up the weapon equipment management interface, his fingers trembling slightly as he scrolled across the screen, nervously confirming the weapon configuration of this Blazing Gundam.
"One high-energy Beam Rifle, mounted on the back. Then... a hilt on the back, it should be a Beam Saber, there are two. Inside the shield... no Gatling gun? No 'Igelstellung' CIWS on the head?!"
When he saw the simple, almost meager, weapon list displayed on the screen, he couldn't help but curse under his breath: "Damn it! Is that really all there is?! Not even basic self-defense firearms?"
Although it was just a glimpse, the appearance of this Blazing Gundam exuded a sense of power, even with a hint of the ferocity of a heavy-firepower mobile suit.
For example, its thick shoulder armor and the explosive design of its leg thrusters made one feel that it should be equipped with a richer and more diverse arsenal.
But the reality was so stark—only the most basic one-rifle, two-saber configuration.
The variety of weapons was simply too limited! Even less than the Strike Gundam's default configuration (the Strike's head at least had two 75mm 'Igelstellung' automatic CIWS).
This made a strong sense of unease and worry well up in his heart as he faced the potentially even more intense battles to come.
The scarcity of weapon types meant a singularity of tactical choices and a decrease in adaptability.
But now there was no time for him to hesitate or complain.
He quickly reached out and manipulated the mechanical arm to retrieve the high-energy Beam Rifle from its back mount.
He steadily aimed the muzzle at the GINN in the distance, which was struggling to get up from the rubble where the dust had not yet fully dispersed, assuming a standard firing stance, ready to meet the next round of engagement.