Darling in the FranXX: Insurrection

Chapter 15- Alpha

What's up guys, hope you're all well. Just dropping by with a short note before we get started. You will notice very quickly that this chapter is unlike any we've had to date so be sure to let me know what you think of getting a look at things from another side. Oh yeah, there will be no Squad 13 in this chapter, so you guys get to worry about them for a little while longer :)

Nine Alpha's POV

"Match start!" the mechanical voice announces. Nine Alpha can't help but smile. It's been quite some time since he fought against an intelligent opponent, and so he was looking forward to the upcoming battle. Though, calling parasites intelligent might be a stretch. They certainly had their uses, in fact against Conrad-class Klaxosaur they were almost guaranteed to win in a one on one fight. When it came to anything tougher, though, they quickly became outmatched. And he was far tougher than anything these parasites would have seen before.

Alpha continues a few paces into the arena and takes a moment to survey his surroundings. Before him is a rocky crag, a new addition to the arena since his last match here. Nearby boulders rest on the edge of a stream that lazily makes its way further past his vision. Only a small portion of the arena is visible from this point, anyway. In total it was nearly twenty-five square miles of enclosed space, part of the Nine's personal training facility. More accurately, their playground.

Well, they certainly have done some redecorating since I was last here, Alpha tells himself. I'll have to thank Papa for the gifts. "Zeta," Alpha addresses his partner, "shall we begin? These parasites won't dispose of themselves, after all."

M9 Prime, the FranXX of Alpha and Zeta, takes a step forward and begins walking along the side of the crag. Zeta gives no reply, but he can sense her eagerness through their connection. Like him, she felt that fighting parasites was much more fun than Klaxosaurs. Klaxosaurs never squealed or begged for mercy. And there was something about watching your foe realize they were going to die, the despair in their eyes as they cried or the crack in their voice as they pleaded for their lives, that was so delicious. And he would drink up every drop. Who knew when he would have the chance again?

The rules of today's training were simple: Alpha and Zeta would face off against a squad parasites. Said squad had entered the arena from a door opposite the one he and Zeta had just exited some hundred meters behind him. Today's squad was different than usual, however. It was comprised of members from one of Dr. FranXX's newly designed parasite templates. In theory they would survive longer than the traditional parasites, but Alpha high doubted that. There wasn't a parasite in the world that could out-pilot him. Well, at least there wasn't one nearby.

Nine Iota was the only parasite that had ever fought him to a draw. In their sparring match she had forced him to be on the defensive mere moments after it began. It remained that way for most of the match and there was a very real possibility that Alpha and Zeta would have lost if they hadn't been prepared.

Going in, Alpha knew everything about Iota, so his strategy had been to make her exert as much energy as he could. Doing so would put a great deal of strain on her stamen, who would undoubtedly fail to keep up and perish as she drank him dry.

The fight went according to plan and Strelitiza entered Stampede mode within minutes. Much to his surprise, Iota only became stronger after the transition. Her ferocity was unmatched. After the battle Alpha had requested that Iota become his partner, but unfortunately Papa had denied that request because they were unsure that even one such as he could pilot Strelitzia without side effects. There was no doubt in Alpha's mind that he could have tamed her, but Papa had decreed it and Papa's word was absolute.

Clack.

Alpha's head snapped in the direction of the sound. A rock had fallen half a mile away, and if it was a rock then that meant the squad was there. "Hear that, Zeta?" Alpha looks over his shoulder at his silver haired partner, who nods. "Let's go."