Shanalua's identity was publicly revealed aboard the Diva, clearing her of the suspicion of being a spy.
Meanwhile, the Diva had entered the territory of Lost Loran.
Once again, this deviated from the original plot. In the original timeline, when the Diva arrived at Lost Loran, the battle had already begun, and the Diva and its affiliated forces joined the fight midway.
But now, the Diva was about to reach Lost Loran, yet the large-scale invasion by VEGAN had yet to materialize.
"Yo, Flit, long time no see," Yang Hui greeted as soon as the Diva landed. He, along with Graham and Yurin, came to welcome Flit, accompanied by Argreus and Asemu.
Of course, Asemu wasn't there to welcome Flit. His gaze was filled with anger as he looked at his father.
"Long time no see, Yang Hui, Graham, Yurin," Flit nodded, but he didn't warmly greet his long-unseen elder brother and sister-in-law. Instead, he subtly took a step back.
Yang Hui, however, acted as if he didn't notice. He walked over and firmly clasped Flit's shoulder, the impact making everyone around them wince.
"What's wrong? Shouldn't you give your big brother a warm hug after so long? Or do you not recognize me as your brother anymore?" Yang Hui teased.
"N-no... I just..." Flit grimaced in pain. That one move nearly shattered his old bones.
"I'll deal with you later," Yang Hui whispered into Flit's ear, his eyes warning him: If you dare run, you're dead!
Flit's emotions were mixed. On one hand, he was relieved that he wouldn't lose face in front of the younger generation and could live a little longer. But... only a little longer.
Because the sorrowful part was that he would undoubtedly face Yang Hui's ruthless and harsh reprimand later!
Yang Hui released Flit and walked past him to greet Natarle Einas and the others.
"F-first time meeting you! Vice Admiral Yang Hui! I-I-I am..."
"Natarle Einas, granddaughter of that old man Einas. I held you when you were a child," Yang Hui said gently.
"Huh?"
"Your grandfather is understandable, but didn't your grandmother tell you about us?"
"She... she did..." Natarle lowered her head shyly. She had indeed heard her grandparents talk about the past when she was young, with Yang Hui and the others being a central topic. But...
The versions she heard from her grandfather and grandmother were completely different! She didn't know which one to believe.
"Well, keep working hard. Your grandmother was a heroine, and your parents were no slouch either. I believe you'll surpass them," Yang Hui encouraged.
"What about my grandfather?" Natarle asked softly.
"Him? Whatever, as long as he's not dead."
"Uh..."
Then, Yang Hui walked over to Seric Abis and patted his shoulder.
"Well done."
"All thanks to the Vice Admiral's guidance!" Seric saluted solemnly. He had once been a member of the Celestial Being squad, though he was transferred out not long after joining.
"Good. And you, Shanalua, thank you for your hard work."
"It's my duty. I also want to thank you, Vice Admiral, for treating my sister."
"You deserve it."
Yang Hui greeted everyone, regardless of whether he knew them or not. Although the current crew of the Diva was a group of "problem children," who hadn't been young once? And coincidentally, most of these "problem children" were elite talents.
Finally, Yang Hui approached Kio and ruffled his hair.
"Kio, you've grown."
"Long time no see, Grandpa Yang Hui."
"Yes, it's been three years. How are you? Getting used to things?"
"Yes, with the Gundam, I'll definitely protect everyone and become the savior."
This statement poured fuel on the fire in Yang Hui's heart, and his anger flared.
"Is that so? Then do your best."
Yang Hui didn't say much more. Kio was still too naive, blinded by his dream of becoming a savior, unable to understand that defeating the enemy meant killing.
Yang Hui wouldn't blame Kio now, as he was just a child. He would teach him slowly over time.
But that didn't mean Yang Hui would forgive the one who caused all this.
"Argreus, I'll leave the rest to you."
"No problem."
"Now, Flit..."
"Ugh!" Flit swore he had never been so afraid of hearing his own name.
"Come with me."
"Y-yes..."
Helpless, Flit could only obediently follow Yang Hui, along with Graham and Yurin.
Asemu also exchanged a few words with his son before following. He couldn't miss his father's scolding session, and he planned to add a few kicks of his own.
...
Once they reached the lounge and locked the door, the expressions of Yang Hui and the others immediately changed. Even Yurin, who had been smiling gently, now looked at Flit with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"Flit..."
"Kio carries the bloodline of the Asuno family. It's his destiny to board the Gundam and fight against VEGAN..."
Flit tried to take the initiative, but instead of achieving his goal, he only invited harsher reprimands.
"Bullshit destiny! What's so great about the Asuno family? Since when is fighting VEGAN your family's business?" Yang Hui roared.
"He's just a child. No matter how powerful the Gundam is, what difference can one more make?" Graham coldly added.
"Flit, Kio is still young. If the war isn't over by the time he grows up and he chooses to fight, we won't object. But how old is he now? You're sending him to the battlefield? Have you thought about Emily and Romary's feelings? Have you thought about Asemu's feelings?" Yurin asked. Though her tone was calm, the pressure she exuded was no less than Yang Hui and Graham's.
"Exactly! Father, I'm still here for the war, along with the Celestial Being squad and our comrades in the Federal Army. Why drag Kio into this?" Asemu demanded angrily.
"Isn't it because you're not good enough? Even if you're the heir to the Celestial Being squad now, so what? Can you live up to the name? Your command is still a mess. How can you become a savior like this?"
"Shut up! You still have the nerve to talk back?" Yang Hui's sharp rebuke cut off Flit's excuses and blame-shifting.
"Ugh..."
"I think you've gone senile. After all these years, haven't you realized? What savior? Every soldier in the Federal Army who helps win the war is a savior, a hero! You think you're special? You think the Asuno family is so great? Only an Asuno can be the savior?"
"...The situation back then was too urgent. I didn't plan to have Kio pilot the Gundam so early..."
"Enough with the excuses, Flit. I won't judge or deny your ideals and goals after all these years, but remember this: don't force your ideas onto others!" Yang Hui scolded.
"Ugh... I understand... I'll talk to Kio..."
"No need. We'll take care of the child. Your priority now is to prepare the Gundam AGE-1."
"Huh?" Flit looked at Yang Hui in confusion.
"What? You can order a theater commander around as a civilian, but you can't pilot the Gundam and return to the battlefield?" Yang Hui rolled his eyes, then left the lounge with Graham, Yurin, and Asemu.
Before the door closed, their吐槽s reached his ears.
"I really don't know what this brat is thinking. If he can't let go, why retire?"
"Getting old, maybe?"
"Isn't he younger than us?"
"Not just younger, he's a decade younger than some of us. He's just being stubborn!"
"Father seems more like a child the older he gets."
...
Hearing this, Flit's emotions were mixed. On one hand, he was annoyed by their吐槽s, but on the other hand, he felt a sense of anticipation.
Because Yang Hui's mention of preparing the AGE-1 meant he was being sent back to the battlefield.
At the same time, it also meant he would personally fulfill the dream he had failed to achieve in the past.
"The AGE-1... Hah, it's you, Yang Hui. After all these years, you haven't changed."
With this thought, the dullness in Flit's eyes was replaced by a sharp gleam.
...
"Kio's problem... it's not easy to handle," Yurin sighed.
Things weren't like before. Although Yang Hui and the others had stepped back from the front lines, leading the training squad didn't mean they had more free time.
On the contrary, since there weren't always difficult missions requiring the Celestial Being squad, they actually had more free time and could often visit Asemu and Unoa.
And since Flit had retired, he was often at home, so they only occasionally visited Kio.
Unexpectedly, it was Flit, whom they had trusted, who had stabbed them in the back.
"Let's talk to him first. If he really can't understand... then we'll have to remove him from the military," Yang Hui said.
In his past life, when he watched the anime, he had disliked Kio's character, whether in the early or later stages. His constant disobedience and strange actions were hard to understand.
If he wanted to emulate Kira Yamato's "no killing" approach, that was fine. Kira at least disabled enemies and left them alone while still aiding his allies.
But Kio took it too far. He would disable enemies and then forbid his teammates from attacking, only to be off saving enemies when his teammates needed him. What kind of logic was that?
To put it bluntly, he might as well have defected to the enemy.
Being a saint is fine; at most, people might dislike you. But being a hypocritical saint is just asking for criticism.
However, anime is anime, and reality is reality. Kio was his grandnephew, and he had held him as a child. Naturally, Yang Hui couldn't just abandon him. So...
They found Kio, and along the way, they encountered another family member.
"Uncle Yang Hui!! Uncle Graham! Aunt Yurin! I've missed you so much!"
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