Infinite Stratos Next Generation discussion

>An area where duels, class representative tournaments and occasional IS practice take place, the edges are shielded to prevent accidents. There are:
There Are at least 6 of these battle arena's. Arena 6 is an open air arena connected to the central tower.
Stones benches for the spectators to sit and watch.
A VIP box for the countries guests (usually representatives of various R&D corporations).
4 maintenance areas for the IS users to suit up, in addition to a launch pad leading to the arena. There is an observation room where the teachers can monitor the battle. the condition of the IS, and the security of the arena.

A hover crane lowered a large metal box as an ivory haired boy in a jumpsuit shouted at the guy driving the crane. "Slowly, you idiot! This thing's more valuable than your whole family!", Jon hollered as the crane nearly dropped the crate. He tapped on the side of the box as it lowered to the ground and the crane disconnected. "You ready for number fifteen, Kai?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," a male voice said from the inside.

Xander landed in the arena in his IS. He saw the giant crate. "Is that your IS lad!?!" He hollered from his IS

"Nope!", Jon shouted back, "THat'd be like driving my son! Come on down, We've got a minute to kill!" As he spoke, his watch beeped and a holographic image of a platinum blonde was projected into the air.

"Has the Black Ronin tested the pilot yet?", the AI girl asked with a German accent.

"Not yet, still waiting on him," Jon said.

Xander walked over and held out his hand. "Xander McHamish, representative contender for Ireland." He jerked his thumb back at his IS. "That's shamrock over there."

"Jonathon Cole, IS-AI engineer," Jon said, shaking Xander's hand. "The hologram is Lucy, and in the box is the Black Ronin. Waiting for the representative competitor of Japan to show up. He'd be the fifteenth person to try and connect with the KA-1 AI in the Ronin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you and you as well Lucy." He smiled. "Ireland is working out the kinks for my future IS-AI. We hope to keep shamrock, but give it an upgrade."

"Their gonna have fun with that yet. I've only made three IS compatible AI cores, and they're even more complicated than the basic core," Jon said. As they spoke, a boy in the IS Academy male training uniform walked up, a notepad and pencil in hand. "And if I'm not mistaken, here's the representative of Japan now," Jon said.

Yohanesu held up a piece of paper, "I'm Yohanesu, I was told to meet the engineer here," was written on the paper.

"Yeah, the Ronin's wating for you. KAI!", he hollered that last part at the box, "Open up! Number 15's here!" A seam in the side of the box appeared before the box began folding downward, revealing a black IS unit with a samurai design. "THis is the Black Ronin, the AI's serial code is KA-A1, but he hates being called that," Jon said, "Hopefully he'll let you be the pilot, fifteenth time's the charm, right?"

"If he's compatible, would you like to see shamrock in action Jon? Maybe you can determine if shamrock is worthy of an AI core."

"That all depends on Kai's answer," Jon said as the samurai IS opened to allow the Yohanesu to climb in. "A lot of people think the IS-AI is a lot harder to pilot, especially for guys, but that's not even close to true. Anyone can pilot one of these babies, it's just up to the AI if they want that person to be their pilot." The Black Ronin whirred to life as Yohanesu entered the exosuit before closing around him. "If you want my advice, don't try to hide anything from him," was the last thing Yohanesu would be able to hear before Kai began scanning the potential pilot.

"It just depends on if the AI likes you?" He sounded surprised. "Shamrock chose me at a young age, but that was with the original IS tech."

"Well, the AI connects directly to your consciosness. It scans your brain, body, memories, and mind. It's like being in the school's scanners at all times," Jon said, "If your compatible, then it comes down to whether the AI thinks you are worth bonding to. If they do, they become a semi-permanent installment in your mind, a link between mind and machine, and your co-pilot. If not, well you wind up like the last fourteen people who tried to bond with the Ronin."

"They died?" He said curiously.

"Oh, no, he just tossed them out of the suit," Jon said with a laugh, "Somtimes it's funny."

"Well let's hope the AI chooses him."

"I really hope Kai does," Jon said, "I'd hate to have to remove him from the IS core. Lucy'd probably kill-"

The words "That was weird," flashed in text in front of the headpiece of the Ronin before the samurai mech engaged dimension compression and materialized as a pendant around Yohanesu's neck before the boy dropped to the ground.

"Connection complete," Kai said from the pendant.

"Nice job, kid! I told you, Lucy, fifteenth time's the charm!", Jon shouted

"Well, I hope all that power doesn't go to his head."

"I doubt it, Kai's extremely fond of the sound of his own voice. He'll probably regret trying by lights out tonight," Jon said, "Come to think of it, Kai's probably giving him a lecture right now. Lucy, what's the status of the connection?"

"The KA-A1 has blocked my efforts to examine it in greater detail, but the connection is strong," the German soundign hologram said before the hologram flickered and vanished.

"Lucy sounds like a rather kind AI. Are all AIs friendly?" He said with curiosity. "Lucy is the first AI I've actually met."

"Well, Lucy's definitely unusual. She was originally just supposed to be an advanced operating system for my computer, but when I put in the evolution based code she developed her own intelligence. Once I gave her a voice module her personality core developed on it's own," Jon said, "Kai is somewhat less friendly. If the IS-AI core you say the Emerald Shamrock might receive is the one I think it is, you're gonna have one hell of a time trying to convince her to be quiet."

"I wouldn't mind, It'd be nice to have someone to talk to. Not many folks like the Irish, that's thanks to the arrogant fools who only listen to stereotypes." He smiled somewhat. "I just hope I can make a friend or two during my time here."

"Well, my workshop's open to ya if you need repairs or updates," Jon said. "In the mean time, I think you two had a practice round you wanted to do, right? Lucy, prepare the LU-CF3R to chase down Kai if we have to," he said that last part into his watch screen before pulling a piece off and tossing it onto the ground.

"This is definitely easier than writing everything," flashed in front of Yohanesu, the boy apparently not really paying attention to the conversation and focusing more on the features and configurations of the AI around his neck.

"Ready to spar Lad?" He gestured with his hand: "Come at me"

"I'm just gonna be over here," Jon said, taking a few steps back and ducking behind what remained of the Ronin's transport crate.

Yohanesu didn't respond to Xander's challenge with words, but rather suited up.

"Time show you why we Irish were born fighters!" He suited up and drew his broadsword. "Come forth and accept defeat you cretin!" He created his hologram clones. He spawned them in several directions. He moved in sync with the last one, giving off the effect that he vanished.

Holographic replicas, Kai sounded in Yohanesu's head, his voice not hearable to anyone else. He was moving too fast for me to pinpoint which ones were the holograms, but if you disturb the hologram I can do that.

Then where are my weapons?, Yohanesu asked the AI before a pair of katana and a cannon looking thing appeared in the inventory image within the helmet. Yo-Yo drew the katana as Kai said something else about the holograms, but the sound of the blades being formed drowned it out.

The holograms echoed his voice. "Now Now. Which one am I? Dare try to find out you must." He readied his sword.

Initiating tracking procedure, Kai said as Yohanesu took the Ronin into the air, eyes flicking around for the slightest hint that one wasn't a hologram before charging at the nearest one.

"Nice try. My holograms are about as realistic as me." He flew around with his holograms.

Marking Hologram, Kai said as a blip appeared over the head of the hologram they had just ID'd.

"You talk too much," scrolled by in front of Yohanesu's IS as he charged through another hologram, which Kai marked as soon as it was confirmed that it wasn't physical.

"It seems you've figured me out." He disengaged the holograms and readied his sword. "Come forth lad."

He talks like an old man, Kai noted.

And you don't shut up, Yo-Yo repsonded before readying the left shoulder cannon.

"Little boy with fancy toys." He deployed his shield. "Go ahead and try to blast me." From behind the shield his recharge panels were activated.

"Try to find me," scrolled in front of Yohanesu before the IS went far enough skyward that the Ronin was a tiny speck in the blue sky, before fireing the cannon at the shoulder panels.

"Now Now." He sped off into the sky. "I'm rather quick, that cannon must be terribly heavy, so I've got you outclassed in speed."

What about weaponry?, Yohanesu thought as she met Xander's charge with the two blades

"Thought you'd never ask." He held the blades back with the shield and stowed the sword and pulled his shotgun. He opened fire.

The force of the blast from the shotgun knocked Yohanesu backwards hard enough that the Black Ronin flipped once or twice before it stabalized.

You must get between the gun and the suit, Kai sounded in Yohanesu's head.

Tell me something I don't know!, the pilot snapped at the AI before circling around Xander, closing the circle with every turn. THe aim was to avoid the shotgun blast that had taken such a large chunk out of the shielding.

"Time to play!" He replaced the shield with and SMG. "I have multiple weapons in my kit." He dashed towards Yohanesu, whilst firing the SMG.

Engaging evasive maneuvers, Kai said as the unit began swerving to avoid the bullets, although some were able to land and lower the shielding level. The Ronin has superior stealth capabilities, there is no reason he should be able to aim at you so easily.

Maybe because a big black samurai in the sky is kinda hard to miss, Yohanesu said before getting low enough to the ground that a cloud of dust was kicked up around the Ronin to hide in.

"Damn." He engaged the holograms and vanished into the mass,

I see you, Kai whispered as he marked the holograms as they formed, the dust in the air interrupted the hologram's light long enough for the AI to ID them. He put a blue blip over what he perceived to be the actual Emerald Shamrock. He's all yours, Yo-Yo.

Yohanesu charged the blue marked IS as the dust cleared, ignoring the holograms with blades forward and a shot building in the shoulder cannon.

"So you think you've found me?" Three grenade launcher rounds flew in front of Yohanesu.

Shing, shing, shing! BOOM!, Yohanesu sliced the propelled grenades in half, where they exploded behind him before firing the cannon at pretty much point blank range.

"Without sacrifice, there can be no victory," scrolled in front of the Ronin's helmet before the gun flashed and released the charged shot that had been building.

"GAH!" He was sent back a few feet. His clover shield took most of the force. His main shield was hurt fairly. He let loose a few shotgun blasts. He was using buckshot. [several pellets per shell]

(ALmost done with your AI, just gotta finish the personality)

We can't take another hit like that!, Kai sounded in Yohanesu's head.

Shut up!, Yohanesu yelled internally at the AI before letting loose a barrage of blasts from the cannon

Xander sped off. He dodged the blasts. He sped from behind, his shield raised and his primary shield charged. He aimed a heavy swing with his broadsword.

(I just shared the doc with you.)

There was the grinding sound of metal on metal as Yohanesu blocked the sword strike with one of the katana before hacking at Xander's shield with the other.

"Lovely lad." He performed a bicycle kick to break the lock. He traded sword for shotgun. "Checkmate." He let loose three shots. [it's semi-auto]

Oh, crap, Kai said as the "Not Shielded" warning flashed across the HUD of the Ronin before the IS de-stabablized and disappeared back into the pendant form, dropping Yohanesu out of the sky.

"Gotcha!", Lucy's voice said as a red machine caught Yo-Yo before he fell out of the sky.

"McHamish!", Jon said over the communicator in Xander's IS, "Your AI core arrived from Ireland. You'll need to swap out cores."