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Build Fighters - Nielson Labs Academy

"Welcome! Glad you could join us~" Kanoko chuckled, plugging the completed torso of the Hi-Nu Gundam into its waist with the legs. She then began working on the funnel pack and the booster assembly, ruminating on Jessica's question. "I'm a Universal Century person. My father grew up with it, and he passed his love of the original series onto me. I've watched a number of the newer ones, but only Tekketsu No Orphans really meshes well with me. I have to say, despite the colors of the suits, the visceral close-quarters combat and actual gunfire versus the lancing beams of the Universal Century are really appealing. I only have a few kits I've created of theirs, but they're growing on me with simplicity and individuality."

Assembling the funnel packs one at a time, she attached them to the completed backpack and pressed it onto the back of the Hi-Nu, finishing its almost angelic appearance with the deadliest weapons at its disposal. Kanoko took a light brush and a cloth, deciding to wipe it free of any flash or filing dust left over from her construction. "I picked the Hi-Nu because I already have the Nu at home. I thought it was a bit fanciful compared to the rest of UC, but after seeing some Zeon designs, it grew on me. That, and Unicorn sorta brought the standards to a whole new level, if not entirely in my taste.

She looked at the other suits, raising an eyebrow and suddenly feeling very out of place again. "Geez, you all come prepared, don't you? I'm gonna be out of boxing all the kits I'm using here when we get the chance..."

Her ears twitched as she heard Justin rattle off some of the more famous suits, grinning a little. "You actually know about the Blossom? That's pretty cool! Not a whole lot of people know about it, mostly because there were just resin kits for a long time~"

Gundam War Among strangers

She would've loved the opportunity to learn more about their mysterious benefactor and savior from the vacuum of space, but the klaxon began to wail, the Apollo Burning Star warning its occupants of an incoming attack. Kanoko stumbled a little as she watched Elizabeth run off, the ship shaking just a little as the attackers began what would normally be considered a relentless assault.

However, whatever the ship was made out of, it was a hell of a lot stronger than anything she had seen in the Federation. That or the weapons were weak, but feeling the vessel shake and shudder under fire told her that it was the former. Wrapping up her head as best as she could to staunch the blood flow and keep it out of her eyes, Kanoko bolted out of the medical room and headed back to the hangar, noticing the other two launching almost immediately through the catapults. Floating back over to her RX-78, she slammed her helmet on and sealed her suit, grunting a little. "Alright, Cavalier scrambling for sortie!"

It didn't take much for the catapult system to drag the mobile suit out and launch it, her thrusters burning in the void as flashes of weapons fire and the blazing trail of propulsion systems met her vision. Gripping the beam rifle again with her shield up, she watched as the other two battered against the flurry of much smaller-than-normal mobile suits, Kanoko more than a little confused as the artillery batteries on the Apollo Burning Star ripped through them. "The heck is going on? I've never seen suits that small before, but geez, even this suit can shrug off some simple cannon fire from ship-based artillery. The shield alone can take that!"

Taking aim at a cluster of the oddly-designed suits, the Gundam squeezed the trigger and unleashed the neon-yellow blast of the megaparticles, not just striking the enemy troopers but outright vaporizing them with the force of the blast. Lowering her gun for the moment, Kanoko scratched her head, moving into the fray. "Are they seriously trying to take on this ship with such wimpy MS's? I've never seen them so...pathetic."

Build Fighters - Nielson Labs Academy

"Yeah, come on over! We have plenty of room here, and we aren't done with our kits yet," Kanoko grinned, going at it a bit slower than the other two. It was an out of box build, but she was being especially meticulous, as she had learned from her previous experience in Gunpla battling that higher build qualities yielded better endurance and overall operational functionality. The Hi-Nu was coming along nicely, but so far she had only gotten the torso, head and arms down, much less the legs and the funnel pack. It had been a while since she had the opportunity to actually have a group build; being in college didn't help, as her hectic schedule made it extremely difficult to do much with any Gunpla activity.

But now that she had been accepted here? There was time for all the gunpla building in the world. Hers wasn't going to get a coat of paint for now; just lining and some good filing to bring it up to par. She'd have time to dabble in it later.

Build Fighters - Nielson Labs Academy

Kanoko's pacing was extremely careful as she worked away at the plastic, making sure to file the nubs away completely and leaving bare plastic which she wiped clean with a brush. Maybe she was a bit too overdressed, judging by the way the others were clothed. Beads of sweat were already on her forehead as she worked at her Hi-Nu kit, and she bit her lip a little. The damn collar was so itchy! "Ha, so you all have much more experience than I do with Gunpla Battling as a whole. I've mostly just made dioramas and extensive kit modifications. Competing in an event was fun though, and seeing my models come to life was even better."

The broad girl looked over at Yumi, whistling a little as she went after another sprue for her parts. "Really? I mean, I can see the Rabbit bit, but you know what they say. Big things in small packages, and I try to never underestimate someone on looks alone. I already got shown up a little in a competition, heh! Nice to meet you all."

As she continued to whittle away at the model, making sure to get the fit exactly right, the collar felt a bit tighter and her face burned. Was it just her, or was it a bit warm? IT was making it hard to concentrate. Water wasn't helping her situation at all, and simply reminded her of how constricted she felt. Looking at the others at the table, building their own kits, Kanoko realized how much more comfortable they were in normal wear, the next bead of sweat rolling down her cheek and tucking neatly into her collar. The burning itch and sweltering restriction broke her concentration, and she reached up before snapping the top buttons of her shirt, ripping the tie's simple knot in one motion and taking a deep breath of relief. "There wasn't a formal dresscode for this, was there? I got dressed up for no reason."

Gundam War Among strangers

"Kanoko Tanegashi. Pleasure, but I'm sure you wouldn't want blood on ya right now," she managed to chuckle, having been taken off-guard a little by how quickly Elizabeth had moved to take them into the ship's interior. Walking over to the cabinet thanks to the half-G provided by her host, she opened it up and began taking out the basics to at least stop the bleeding. Gauze, bandages, and some rubbing alcohol were pulled from the medical cabinet, and Kanoko went to work trying to clean up the trail of crimson left in the wake of her accident. She winced and seethed as the alcohol burned on her temple, the Federation pilot turning her green eyes to Elizabeth. "Thanks for that. So...where am I? What kind of ship is this? It's not like any merchant or marine vessel I've seen in service to Zeon or the Feds..."

She took a look at the tank, which reminded her solidly of an old show that used to run. "Is that a regeneration tank? We only just started working on those. The theory's sound, but we haven't tested it in the field yet."

Build Fighters - Nielson Labs Academy

The carrot-topped girl was probably the least likely candidate for any sort of Gunpla school, considering her build as she was escorted towards the selection hall. Broad and burly, she looked uncomfortable in the outfit she chose, a skirt over her spats with a collared shirt and a simple tie in order to make herself look presentable. It didn't quite help that they didn't make anything in her size, which made her adjustments all the more frequent as she tried to work some more space around her collar. She felt oddly out of place; she was a good modeler in no uncertain terms, but she wasn't quite that experienced in Gunpla battling to even consider the prestige of the Nielson Labs Academy. The thought crossed her mind that she might not be able to live up to their expectations, and a small bead of sweat formed on her forehead.

Arriving at the hall, she noticed a blond that was...really tiny compared to her frame, and felt even more conscious than before. Here she was, this meathead getting into the most prestigious and well-known academy for gunpla building and battling, and her current fellow attendee was probably barely a third of what she could lift on a normal day. She nervously put up a hand and muttered "Hi there!" with a smile, heading over to another wall of Gunpla kits after the assistant gave the instructions.

She was a total UC fangirl, always appreciating the grit of the Universal Century suits, so she had to go for one that was totally iconic and a kit she didn't personally have. Noticing a particular box that was mildly out of place, she picked it out, eyes widening. "Huh...a Hi-Nu Gundam...I always thought the design was mildly fancier than it should've been for UC, but the funnel setup is pretty appealing..."

Taking it over to the tables in the center of the room equipped with tools far beyond her normal level of work, she opened up her HG kit, picking out the runners. Looking up at the blond as the girl grabbed her own kit, she chuckled anxiously, green eyes roaming back down to her own Gundam. "So...er...what's your name? I'm Kanoko Tanegashi. The only reason I'm here is that uh...I participated in one event a while back, and someone else used one of the models I submitted for a competition to sweep a tournament. How about you?"

Gundam War Among strangers

Kanoko managed to crawl out of her Gundam, blinking as her eyes attempted to adjust to the harsh light of the hangar bay's interior. Her head was pounding; the fluorescent lighting certainly wasn't helping. Hearing the announcement to disarm, she reached down with an unsteady hand, unbuckling the survival pistol from her suit and lightly tossing it towards her current host. "Here...not like I can do much anyway. Gh...do you have a first aid kit? Or at least somewhere I can clean up?"

She wiped the blood from her forehead again as she floated down towards the gathering, assuming that the owner of the vessel wanted a muster-up to see who she had given a ride to. On the way down, she passed familiar but unfamiliar faces: Gundams, but none like she had ever seen. The one closest to her RX-78EVA was stylishly decorated, closer in design to old samurai warriors of Japanese legend, the armor elegant with blue and gold trim and a single, green viewport which covered up the cockpit hatch. Turning to see the other unit, she received a chill up her spine; it was clad in black, flat-coated armor with amber trim, but the stark white of the Gundam's face and its body gave it the appearance of a reaper. Both of them exuded a presence that was almost overwhelming, and despite how small the black one was in comparison to her mobile suit, she could feel the power brimming underneath its armored shell.

Floating down to where the other pilots had gathered, she attempted not to snicker at the bodysuit-clad pilot, remembering her own forays in zero-G at first. "You'll get used to it, eventually. It's a bit of a weird transition...so what's this about weird mobile suits?" She peeked over at the lavender-haired girl's data slate, frowning a little. "None that I remember seeing...the ones I fought looked really weird. And they moved like animals...or more like humans, to be precise."

"Got any other pics? I mean...what about you?" She pointed at the blonde.

Gundam War Among strangers

The broadcast woke her up after a few minutes, Kanoko's head aching as she tried to sit up in the cockpit. Putting a hand up to her forehead, she winced as she touched a sore spot and felt something wet, looking at her hand and noticing the red of her own blood. A low groan issued from the pilot as she managed to straighten herself up a bit, the comlink blinking for acknowledgement. Kanoko looked down at her displays, most of the computers still active and running but the main power shut off for now thanks to the explosion. She was in no part of space that she could easily identify; not only that, but the signals that were being given off by two other suits and the space vessel near her were nothing like she'd ever seen in service to the Federation.

She was in the middle of nowhere in the Solar System, hopefully, and the ship was her only way out. Might as well answer them, right? "Ugh...erm...testing? Are my comms working? My name is Kanoko Tanegashi. I'm a pilot for the Earth Federation Space Forces...I don't suppose any of you have heard of that, either? I'm...uh...friendly. Just gimme a sec, my MS's power got knocked out..."

Priming the system again, Kanoko initiated startup as soon as her computers were ready, the emergency lights in her cabin disappearing while the main power was applied. The Gundam's eyes lit up and the AMBAC system corrected itself, Kanoko reorienting the Gundam so that she could face the vessel properly. Holding her head gently with one hand, trying to keep the blood out of her eyes, the pilot eased the throttle forward, pushing the unit towards Elizabeth's ship. "One RX-78EVA, docking with your express permission..."

It didn't take too long, but the RX-78EVA was wobbly as she tried to keep her vision straight, the mobile suit nearly scraping the floor and the ceiling of the hangar bay. Managing to make it into a docking station, Kanoko opened up the cockpit after the hangar had resealed and pressurized, panting softly. "Anyone got an aspirin...?"

Build Fighters - Nielson Labs Academy

Name: Kanoko Tanegashi
Age: 17
Gender: F

Apperance: Kanoko is well built and fairly tall, standing at 5'9" and 160ish pounds. She has wider hips and what seems to be a rather large chest, but in reality her body packs a lot more strength than would first appear. Being a weight lifter and someone who does strength training three times a week, Kanoko's form is thick and solid, with even the loosest clothing providing a very difficult fit for her musculature. Highly unusual for someone who likes gunpla and manages to scratchbuild aspects of a kit, other features that stand out are her rounder, cheerier face and her pastel, carrot-colored hair. With vivid green eyes to provide sharp contrast, her face is what attracts the most attention as she's usually dressed in track or exercise wear, mainly due to her workout schedule. Most days she wears a red track jacket, any kind of T-shirt underneath but traditionally ones with interesting patterns, and a pair of spats which are cut just above the knee, colored gray with a black stripe down the side.

Nationality: Japanese

Favourite Gundam Series: MSG: Thunderbolt, MSG: 08th MS, IBO, Gundam 00, Gundam Unicorn

Personality: Kanoko is very upbeat and outgoing, and is usually the life of a party. Almost always in a good mood, her attitude is simply bursting with energy, the girl being enthusiastic in almost all of her ventures no matter how tedious. She puts this to good use outside of her schooling and her workouts in the form of her passion for Gunpla, a highly unusual hobby for a girl of her temperament. However, the intense fights of gunpla tournaments resonate with her, and during battles she can be seen wholly throwing herself into the fray, her excitement flooding every attack and dodge to give her haphazard fighting style its own flavor. She's incredibly friendly, and isn't afraid to tell people off if need be, but she prefers to avoid conflict if she's able to.

History: One wouldn't think that Kanoko would be into Gunpla, but Gundam itself as a whole is one of her greatest interests. Being the daughter of an engineer, she was introduced to Gundam by her father through the Universal Century, where he took his own inspiration in order to become an engineer. In her early years she didn't build Gunpla, but was infatuated with the storyline, gobbling down every book, anime or movie she could possibly get her hands on about the Universal Century, until the series came to a head with: Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt. It was gritty, it was raw, the storyline was enthralling and the mobile suits themselves were detailed to a standard she had never seen before. The redesigns enraptured the weight training fitness girl more than anything else she had found, and the newest designs such as the Atlas or the Gundam Head GMs were fascinating to observe through the pages. Thus began her journey into Gunpla, using the energy and enthusiasm she put towards her athleticism into building gunpla and eventually submitting herself in tournaments.

Gunpla Info
Name: Hi-Nu Gundam
Scale: 1/144


Weapons: x6 Fin Funnels, Beam Rifle, Hyper Bazooka, Shield, x2 60mm MG, x3 Beam Saber

UC: Rise of the forgotten

She had kept to herself most of the time, not usually associating herself with pilots of other factions. Her experiences as a Spacenoid raised on Earth were more than plenty damning, and it took far more effort than the other two had probably given for her to be able to pilot her GM. The sneering faces and blunt refusals on basis of her heritage had soured her to the core, and made an already aloof Roan much worse in the long run.

That wasn't to say she was to agree with the Zeons, either. Dropping colonies, poisoning them if the situation was ripe for the abuse of human lives. The speech from the Zudah pilot was endearing, but it would take a hell of a lot more than that to remove the shell around her heart, even if this was the first time she had ever been called to a ceasefire with them. Still, given the choice, she wouldn't have gone back with Rebekah or Dallas if she could help it. The man was a lank and perverted individual, that much she could tell, but Roan couldn't discern if it was from Feddie testing or from a set of loose screws already rolling around in his head. Crass, and the kind of personality that boiled her blood and grated on her every nerve.

Rebekah wasn't too much help either. Quiet, stoic, focused utterly upon the Federation and the idea that it could do no wrong. Everything about the other two Federation pilot irritated her to no end, and it was hard enough to ignore the feeling to simply open up and airlock and drift endlessly rather than be stuck on this colony with them.

The Zeeks were...they were much different to say the least. Mostly younger than her, even, and far better pilots. The Gouf pilot was the strong silent type, but had plenty of sense about her. Depending on what she did to hitch a ride, Roan might jump ship with her. The Zudah's pilot was a bit more hopeful, which brought a slight nagging to her head again. Something about her words and the sensations dug into her brain, and it wasn't very pleasant. As for the Action Zaku pilot, a loner, and perhaps just as aloof as herself.

They were the enemy, so the Federation said. But they seemed less likely to stab her in the back.

Roan made her decision, picking up her helmet and walking after the Gouf pilot.