When Lu Tianming heard Xia Chuan say he wanted to become a Haro, he truly couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Seriously, dude? We've known each other for so many years. Do you really think I don't know what you're scheming?"
"I bet you're just jealous of that pink Haro Lacus carries around all the time and want to compete for her affection."
Lu Tianming paused, as if recalling something amusing.
"Don't tell me you'd actually learn to talk like a Haro just to get hugged against Lacus's chest."
"That would be hilarious—it'd have the same absurd charm as a lost junior looking for his mom."
Seeing Lu Tianming remain silent for so long, Xia Chuan guessed the guy was probably making fun of him in his head and immediately explained:
"Don't overthink it, I swear my intentions are pure—"
If Xia Chuan hadn't said that, it might have been fine, but his earnest explanation made Lu Tianming burst out laughing.
"Alright, alright, I believe you... But traditional Haros have trouble moving on their own in gravity environments, and your appearance doesn't really match that mascot's cute design."
"So... I plan to make some modifications."
Lu Tianming stopped laughing and seriously discussed the issue.
"? You're not going to turn me into the version from G-Reco, are you?"
Xia Chuan thought about it and realized Lu Tianming's point was actually quite valid. The mobility of a Haro in gravity environments was indeed questionable.
After all, judging by its appearance, it was basically just a ball—it was hard to say whether it could roll on flat ground, and equally uncertain whether it could stop itself on slopes.
This train of thought naturally led him to recall the version from G-Reco.
That thing called the "Haro Bee"—while not significantly more powerful in strict terms—at least had transformation capabilities, making it clearly superior to the pure spherical Haro.
But Lu Tianming shook his head, leaving Xia Chuan momentarily confused:
"Then what exactly are you planning to make me into?"
"Psycho Haro... ever heard of it? While I can't replicate the size and weaponry, I think I can manage to recreate the appearance."
Lu Tianming answered with a smile. To be honest, this thing was quite obscure, and he doubted whether Xia Chuan had ever encountered it.
Xia Chuan's brain seemed to short-circuit for a moment as he searched through his mental database before finally remembering what it was:
"Holy shit, you're not talking about that thing from the G Generation series, are you?"
After racking his brains, he could only recall seeing this thing in the SD Gundam G Generation series games.
He vaguely remembered that in the games, when the protagonist's Mobile Suit reached a certain level, it could "develop" into the MA version of Haro.
And if Haro underwent further development, it would transform into the more powerful and menacing-looking "Psycho Haro."
Setting aside the size and weaponry that Lu Tianming couldn't replicate, the most distinctive features of the Psycho Haro's appearance were probably its combination of the menacing expression from the "Purple Haro" in 00 and the rare telescopic mechanical limbs.
To be honest, even Xia Chuan had to admit that this image seemed quite fitting.
After all, he couldn't genuinely act cute to scam benefits—he was afraid he'd disgust himself.
He was even more afraid that Lu Tianming would archive this as blackmail material.
The mechanical limbs also made movement in zero-gravity environments much more convenient, at least compared to the original Haro that could only roll around.
And honestly, thinking about it, violently punching Lu Tianming with a mechanical fist while wearing a fierce expression might actually feel pretty satisfying.
What, surely someone as grown-up as you wouldn't stoop to picking a fight with a Haro, right?.jpg
"Correct... If you don't like it, I can swap it out for a Dice Gundam for you to play with instead."
Lu Tianming laughed. In the G Generation series, there were plenty of insane mechanical designs like the Psyco Haro.
"Forget it... The Psyco Harro isn't so bad. It's not like we can build it anytime soon anyway."
Xia Chuan didn't really mind. After all, they hadn't started construction yet—it was just a technical experiment.
"Speaking of which, our earlier negotiation with Tiger failed, didn't it?"
Xia Chuan suddenly remembered this. Through the sunglasses, he vaguely heard that Tiger seemed inclined to reject their invitation.
Lu Tianming simply pondered for a moment before explaining:
"It didn't succeed... but it didn't fail either."
"What do you mean? He said it himself—as a ZAFT soldier, he has to fulfill his duties first..."
Xia Chuan was somewhat confused. Tiger himself had said as much.
"Exactly. But in other words, doesn't that mean... once he's fulfilled his duties, he can do whatever he wants?"
Lu Tianming smiled. Tiger had expressed agreement with the plan while using his ZAFT identity as cover—most likely, that was his intention.
Hearing this, even Xia Chuan began to understand what Lu Tianming meant.
So that's how it is...
"But in that case—we'll probably still have to face him in direct combat before he leaves, right?"
——————————————————
At that moment, in the Desert Tiger's residence
"...Due to the battle in Alaska, the Gundams originally scheduled for support have been canceled, I take it."
Hearing the report from his trusted aide, Andrew sighed softly and took a sip of coffee.
They had just received the latest news from ZAFT headquarters: the Creuset Team, originally assigned to help eliminate the Strike Suit, had canceled their support mission after receiving reports from Alaska and redirected to other military bases to prepare for the next strategic phase.
...To force them to abandon even the Strike Suit, it seems the headquarters' combat strength has been significantly weakened.
"I heard the Archangel has also begun preparing for battle. It probably won't be long before we meet the Strike Suit on the battlefield again."
Aisha smiled. During this period after the Strike's glorious return, there had been signs of activity from the Archangel as well.
They're probably preparing to leave here—to break through.
"What a shame... If only that boy had been born in PLANT."
Andrew shook his head and sighed with emotion.
"If he were born there... he might not have such understanding, right? They say a person's perception is greatly influenced by their environment."
"You're right about that."
Hearing Aisha's words, Andrew shrugged with some relief, and even felt a flicker of excitement in his eyes at the thought of the upcoming battle.
Last time, due to various reasons, he only had a brief encounter with the Strike Suit... Now he finally had the chance to witness that guy's true strength.
"Since he's an enemy... we have to respect him with the methods reserved for enemies."
"For this battle, I really need to prepare properly for him."
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