FLCL

Good, Naota thought. This is my opportunity, my chance to show Mamimi how great I am. I'm going to show her that I can pilot Canti and defeat this giant enemy.

With that resolve, Naota shouted as loud as possible: 'CANTI!'

As ordered, the robot landed next to Naota, and its abdominal area opened up wide like a cockpit hatch.

Naota looked at Mamimi and asserted, 'You got it? I'm Naota. Never call me 'Takkun' again!' And then, he jumped inside Canti.

As soon as the gap closed, the robot's body changed to a crimson color.

'Uraagh!' Not letting up, the bunny-outfitted Haruko let loose another slingshot barrage.

The bullets once again found their target—but with just a slight shift in stance, the robot was able to easily withstand the slingshot bullets that had caused such an impact earlier.

At some point, the metallic sheet poncho that covered the robot's body had changed color subtly, and the slingshot bullets probably had stopped working because of something to do with that.

MM used a seventh generation alloy in the bodies of its products, the culmination of human-subject testing wherein the alloy had been transplanted into joints, organs, blood, and living bodies. The final product was a miraculous metallic material than could become plasticlike and, in response to neutrino signals, could change into several patterns based on heat, electricity, conductivity, insulation, acid resistance, luster, solidity, catalysis, and mass. It was the same type of metal that made up Canti's body, allowing it to change color.

When the giant robot had taken Haruko's first attack, it had instantly devised a countermeasure based on the weapon's makeup, sending the data to its covering sheet.

'Drat.' Realizing that it was having no effect, Haruko threw away the weapon in her hand without a second thought.

Conversely, the enormous robot had taken what looked like a handgun from under its sheet. Although the weapon held by the arm manipulator was in the shape of a gun, because of its size, it was more like a missile launcher, with a gun barrel that measured almost two meters wide.

Surprisingly quick on the trigger, the giant took aim and fired at the soaring Haruko. Twice. Thrice. The gunshots shook the air above the city, but they did not hit. Haruko's movements were just a little faster. And aiming at her was much like trying to shoot a fly with a gun.

'Heh, you suck.' Haruko laughed boldly, but without a weapon, all she could do was run away. Just when she thought she would have to call for her Vespa, the bracelet on her left arm started to react again.

Something red was flying her way—Canti.

'Just my luck!' Haruko approached and leapt on top of Canti in midair; then, she took the guitar, which had been under her feet until now, in her hands. It was the guitar-shaped time-space interference weapon, an ideal choice in this situation.

The robot swiftly aimed for the approaching bunny girl riding on top of Canti; it fired, but could not hit because of the nimble, zigzagging flying maneuvers. Haruko had been amazing, but with its ability to close in and dodge bullets, Canti's flying skills were godlike.

Is that Takkun? Mamimi wondered as she watched this battle. Is Takkun really piloting that?

When they reached a close range, Haruko jumped from Canti's back. Her bunny ears streamed against the sky. She then fearlessly landed on the gun that the giant robot was holding—or rather, she landed on its barrel. Using the momentum of the speeding Canti, she had leapt over fifty meters.

Haruko calmly ran up the robot's manipulator arm and unleashed a blow on its chest area with all her strength.

White sparks flew out and the smell of ion filled the air.

Haruko kicked off the robot's body and retreated, placing the guitar underneath her feet, and once again sliding through the air as though riding a surfboard. With one guitar alone, she'd been able to engage in full aerial combat.

Haruko's attack did not result in victory, though. Indeed, the sheet area around the spot she'd hit had burned away, but that was all. The opponent was simply too large.

As Haruko tutted, Canti, who had been circling around, signaled with its thumb as if to say my turn to attack.

In midair, Canti transformed into a crimson cannon, its autonomic gun mode. Apparently, judging that there was no way to miss an opponent of that size at that distance, it didn't even use its laser sight, instead firing immediately. Of course, the result was a direct hit. Though the robot avoided getting pierced straight through by the bullet, it sustained heavy damage this time, staggering backward. The strike seemed be have been effective.

The unleashed bullet changed direction and, as always, returned back to Canti's gun barrel. It was a recyclable bullet.

Without a moment's hesitation, Canti fired again.

However, the giant robot also aimed its gun, firing as it was falling down.

The two weapons made simultaneous blast sounds, and then the two bullets collided in midair. They both had been unleashed at the same exact angle and with the same exact timing. There was an instant explosion, obliterating the bullet the giant robot had fired. While that bullet scattered to fragments, Canti's bullet, having been knocked off course, slammed into the side of a building close to where Mamimi was. Though the impact wasn't enormous, it still caused concrete debris to scatter across the vicinity.

Despite that, Mamimi continued to stand in place, without dodging the debris, transfixed by the bullet that was buried into the wall.

Its cannon mode having failed, Canti returned back to humanoid form and continued flying. It seemed it didn't have spare bullets, having always recycled that one shot. When it lost its one bullet, the cannon was no longer of any use.

However, bright light started spewing forth from Canti's face monitor. Then, from the face of that shining monitor, a protrusion appeared. Canti gripped the horn coming from its face and quickly pulled it out.

'That's…' From where she'd hid on a rooftop to shield herself from the blast, Haruko saw the protrusion coming from Canti's monitor. She watched in shock.

It was a guitar. No, it was probably the same as Haruko's—a guitar-shaped superweapon. But they way it differed from hers in shape was what made Haruko unable to believe her eyes.

'A Gibson EB-0!'

This was the first time she'd been this surprised since coming to Mabase.

Watching the battle unfold, Amarao also was shocked when he saw Canti's weapon. It seemed the weapon Canti had pulled out was highly recognizable for everyone involved.

With a stunned expression on his eyebrow-less face, Amarao whispered, 'It's him. It's the real Pirate King.'

With the guitar in hand, the crimson Canti took off like a flash—Land in the next instant, it swung into the giant robot's body. It was a magnificent, lightning-quick attack, with beautiful, elegant movement.

The belly of the giant robot flew up, and its internal parts scattered through the sky. It seemed that Canti's one hit had destroyed it, because it no longer made any response, and the sound of its internal machinery ceased completely. Its balance controls must have stopped working, as well, because as it flew back, it flipped and went completely upside down.

Just barely grazing the tops of civilian homes, what used to be the head of the robot sank into ground and caused a local earthquake.

And then, the sheet that had covered its entire body dropped.