Chapter 2: Trigger, the Free Spirit

Hayato lay collapsed on the ground, his shirt completely stained with blood.

Little by little, his hair began turning white like ash, while a red light slowly covered his entire body.

A crimson flash illuminated the whole area—with the intensity of a thousand suns—blinding even the soldiers who were fighting against the young woman that looked like an angel.

"What’s happening?" said one of the soldiers, trying to regain his sight.

"General! Another Dual has appeared!" shouted another.

The general, who was facing the girl, shifted his gaze downward.

On the ground, a young man with white hair and a long violet overcoat seemed to stretch, as if waking from a long nap.

"Tch... damn it, another Dual. What a nuisance," said the general.

"Lambo, Gini, capture the second Dual," he ordered firmly.

Two soldiers nodded in unison and descended at high speed.

As they approached the man, who was throwing punches into the air, Gini was the first to speak:

"Unknown Dual subject, please surrender without resistance, or we’ll be forced to open fire," she said in an authoritative tone while holding a pulse rifle.

A smile formed on the young man’s face as he saw the two soldiers in their flying armor.

"What a rude woman..."

"Before asking me out, you should put on some makeup.”

“You’d look younger if you took care of your skin—and maybe avoided wearing such a revealing suit."

A vein popped on her forehead as her partner laughed.

"Huh? Definitely an aggressive Dual," she said, raising her pulse rifle.

"Whoa, whoa, no need to get aggressive, little mecha soldiers," Trigger replied.

"But if you insist on pointing your weapons at me..." he continued, materializing a red and a blue pistol in his hands.

The whole atmosphere grew tense; the soldiers aimed their rifles. The air began to feel heavier. The whistle of air currents lifted dust in their wake.

Even a tumbleweed appeared out of nowhere, rolling across the scene.

"You should know that weapons aren’t toys… you must be ready to bet your lives," he said, flipping off the safety with his finger.

A crow perched on a sign and began to caw.

The whole scene looked straight out of a duel in the Wild West.

Trigger glanced at his pistols and replaced his serious expression with a confused one.

"Forget it. I forgot to reload my guns," he muttered, spinning the empty chamber.

Click, click.

He turned around and began walking away with his hands in his pockets.

"Idiot..." Lambo muttered.

Ratatatatatatá!

A burst of bullets tore through the area.

Trigger dodged the shots as if he were dancing, then leapt to the side—the ground exploded beneath his feet. Bang! Crack!

He rolled, took cover behind an overturned car, and barely poked his head out.

"How can you shoot at someone who’s unarmed?! What little decency people have in this world!" he shouted, as a bullet pinged! inches from his face.

"Man, this body’s a wreck... I’m already winded. Does the kid never work out or what?"

Then he looked to the side, as if speaking to an imaginary camera.

"Don’t forget to exercise daily," he said sarcastically. "You never know when you might get attacked by mecha soldiers from a mega corporation."

"Or should I say ‘Mecha Corporation’?" he jotted that down in a notebook, as if it were a great joke.

His pistols began to glow faintly as he infused them with magic.

"Enough joking around."

"This body won’t last long… so I’d better get serious if I want to stay alive."

As he raised his head, plink! — another bullet ricocheted off the car.

"Stop shooting at me already! Reload or something! I’m trying to make a dramatic entrance!"

The soldiers looked at each other, bewildered.

"I’ve never seen such an annoying Dual..." Gini muttered.

Meanwhile, Lambo watched as his comrades were taken down by the Valkyrie. Even the general was having trouble.

"Gini, let’s finish this fool before…"

BOOM!

His voice was drowned out by the explosion, the turbine on Gini’s suit had just blown up.

"What the hell?!"

When he looked up, Trigger was already in front of him, less than a meter away. His smile was that of a seasoned killer.

"Don’t drop your guard, pretty boy..." he whispered, pulling the trigger.

BANG!

The shot hit Lambo’s exoskeleton directly, making it spark before shutting down completely.

In a final attempt, Gini drew her plasma sword and rushed toward him. Trigger dodged every slash as if dancing between blue flashes.

"Sorry, darling, you’re not my type. I like blondes," he said with a teasing grin.

Gini’s face turned red with anger.

"Ahhhhhhhh! You drive me insane!"

Screaming, she closed the distance with a jump and unleashed all her fury.

Trigger’s pistols began to shine with a golden glow, changing shape before everyone’s eyes.

Clang!

The sound of clashing blades... his pistols had transformed into a sword.

"A shifting Dual?" Gini thought, shocked.

But there was no time to analyze it.

Her virtual lenses began flashing red.

Alert! Power loss! Exo-suit functions canceled.

The plasma sword disintegrated in an instant, and she saw that the core in her chest was gone. Only sparking wires remained.

"Wow… this looks serious," Trigger said, tossing a small orb like it was trash.

"When… did this happen…?"

She recalled the clash of swords. A small opening in her defense. Goodbye, core.

"This Dual is terrifying," she thought, her face hardened in shock.

"Well, little soldiers, we’ll play another time. I’m out of time now," he said, flying toward where the Valkyrie was still fighting.

"Oh, and don’t forget to put on some makeup next time!"

Gini’s face flushed with rage again, while Lambo struggled to stand, his suit destroyed and his pride in shambles.

In the air, one of the soldiers, gasping for breath, spoke in broken words.

"Huff… huff… General Shepard! Lambo and Gini were defeated!"

"Our plasma cells are at twenty percent, and there’s almost no ammo left!"

The general’s face hardened. He looked at the Valkyrie, who didn’t even seem to sweat; her expression was cold, unyielding, like a marble statue.

"Fall back…" he ordered in a rigid tone. "I won’t leave until I finish her."

…

Absolute silence.

When he looked again, his soldiers were slowly falling to the ground, while the turbines of their suits spewed smoke.

He raised his gaze… and saw him.

"Who the hell are you?" Shepard muttered.

The white-haired young man passed by the general without even glancing at him, as if he wasn’t worth his attention.

"Hello, beautiful. Would you go on a date with me?" Trigger said, a rose between his teeth and raising his eyebrows up and down.

For the first time in the entire battle, the Valkyrie’s face changed. Her expression shifted into a look of contempt, as if that man were the greatest insult imaginable.

Shepard had no idea what was happening. But one thing was certain… this Dual was nothing normal.