During the three minutes it took to replenish the Dawn Gundam's energy, the Flag Gundam also returned to the Baize. However, the state of the Flag Gundam was astonishing.
"Did you... crash?" Yang Hui and Yurin both wore strange expressions as they looked at the Flag Gundam, which was missing a leg, had its beam claw at the waist destroyed, and was covered in scorch marks.
"Damn it! If it weren't for the energy issue, I wouldn't be in such a mess!" Graham cursed.
The Flag Gundam was in a similar situation to the Dawn Gundam and the Luna Gundam—its energy was nearly depleted. Although the Flag Gundam was in the best condition, the fierce battle with the three X-Rounders had left it with little residual energy, which naturally wouldn't last long.
Compared to the arrogant and reckless Devil Man unit, the three members of the guard unit were clearly much more composed. They didn't aim for a quick victory but instead focused on holding the Flag Gundam back to prevent it from causing further damage to other units.
Moreover, the coordination among the three was much tighter and more seamless than that of the Devil Man unit, making it difficult for Graham to find an opportunity to take them down one by one, let alone defeat all three at once.
As a result, during the prolonged skirmish, the Flag Gundam's energy ran out, forcing Graham to retreat. At this point, the photon torrent from the Photon Ring Array had successfully hit the Dons Fortress, and the battle for Nodra's defense was nearing its end. There was no need for Graham to continue engaging with the enemy.
However, just because he wanted to retreat didn't mean the enemy was willing to let him go, which is why he ended up in such a sorry state.
"Yeah, right, it's the energy issue, not that you're just bad," Yang Hui teased sarcastically.
"Go to hell! Get out of here!" Graham pushed Yang Hui away, cursing. He felt like if he looked at Yang Hui's punchable face any longer, he might not be able to resist throwing a punch.
"Alright, alright," Yang Hui said, spreading his hands and laughing.
At that moment, the maintenance chief contacted them: "Captain, the Dawn Gundam's energy replenishment is complete. It's ready to sortie at any time."
"Good, I understand."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Hui put on his helmet and left the lounge, heading to his Gundam. But Graham grabbed him: "Where are you going? Isn't the battle almost over?"
"The fortress wasn't completely destroyed. It's going to crash into Earth. I'm going to blow it up."
"Are you insane?" Graham immediately shouted, but then, remembering Yang Hui's personality, he calmed down. "Wait a few minutes. I'll go with you."
"Get out of here. In the Flag Gundam's current state, it won't be ready to sortie again for at least ten minutes. Don't worry, I'll be careful."
"Yang Hui..." Graham didn't let go, his gaze serious as he looked at Yang Hui. "...Remember, it's not just the two of us waiting for you."
"I know. I value my life, and... our journey has only just begun, hasn't it?" Yang Hui smiled wryly, broke free from Graham's grip, and headed to the hangar.
...
The Dawn Gundam sortied again, quickly entering the Dons Fortress as it hurtled toward Earth. But as soon as it entered, it detected two familiar signals.
"So you came after all, huh?" Yang Hui grinned, and the Dawn Gundam immediately changed course, heading toward the two signals.
The signals were naturally from Asemu in the Gundam AGE-2 and Jehart in the Jedra. Just like in the original story, the two had come alone to destroy the Dons Fortress. These best friends, now on opposing sides, had finally come together to work toward a common goal. Even if it was just this one brief moment of cooperation, it was still a significant moment in their shared history.
"I never thought we'd fight side by side again."
"Me neither."
"Wait, someone's approaching! That's—"
"The Dawn Gundam! Mr. Yang Hui!"
"Hey, what a coincidence. If I'm not mistaken, we're here for the same reason, right?" Yang Hui joked.
"Uncle, what are you doing here? I could have handled it myself..."
"Shut up, you brat! We old folks aren't dead yet. If anyone's going to make a heroic sacrifice, it's not going to be a kid like you."
"Ugh..." Asemu quickly fell silent. His fear of Yang Hui was equal to his respect for him.
"It's nostalgic," Jehart said with a faint smile, as if he had returned to that year spent in Tordia—a year filled with warmth, happiness, and simple daily life, free from deceit and life-and-death struggles.
"When you achieve your goal, won't that be enough?" Yang Hui said to Jehart.
"Haha," Jehart chuckled bitterly. "Do you think my goal can be achieved?"
The Celestial Being unit had always been the biggest obstacle to VEGAN's aspirations. Whether it was Ezelcant's goals or Jehart's, they all faced the same barrier: the Celestial Being unit. Coupled with the successive setbacks, Jehart's heart was filled with a sense of defeat.
"Of course not," Yang Hui teased.
"Haha, then I'll just have to work harder," Jehart said with a laugh. That was just like Yang Hui's personality.
"Good answer. Young people should be like that. But before that... you'll have to help us deal with this big guy. Otherwise, there will be no winner in this war," Yang Hui said seriously.
"Right. That's exactly what I had in mind. Follow me."
Under Jehart's guidance, the three Gundams arrived at the weapon depot. Each Gundam took two Colony Destroyers and attached them to the energy core.
While setting the detonation time, the three pilots got out of their Gundams, removed their helmets, and began chatting.
"Jehart, have you found your goal? Or rather... what direction should VEGAN take?" Yang Hui asked Jehart. While he cared for Asemu more out of familial affection, in terms of ability and potential, he actually had higher hopes for Jehart.
"Yes, I've found it. It's to win this war and then negotiate with the Earth Federation—the new Earth Federation that you and Flit Asuno have built," Jehart answered without hesitation.
"Good. I knew I wasn't wrong about you," Yang Hui nodded in satisfaction.
"Jehart..."
"What about you, Asemu? Have you found your direction? Do you know what you're fighting for now?" Yang Hui then asked Asemu.
"I... I might not have a goal as grand as Jehart's," Asemu said with a bitter smile. "I don't have the authority to make the Federation do anything, and I can't think on the same level as Jehart, who's considering the entire VEGAN..."
Asemu felt a bit bitter. The promise he had made with Jehart had, in a way, ended in failure for him. After experiencing several battles and the complexities of military life, he was no longer as naive as he once was. He no longer believed he had the ability to represent the Federation and debate the future of Earth and VEGAN alongside Jehart.
But... that didn't mean he had gained nothing. At the very least... he had found the meaning of his fight and his true goal.
"...But I... I'll keep fighting! The Federation and VEGAN can worry about themselves. My goal now is just to protect the people I care about, to make sure they aren't hurt by this war. As for the future... we'll see," Asemu said with courage.
"Asemu..."
"What's wrong with that? It's a great goal. Why be embarrassed?" Yang Hui ruffled Asemu's hair and laughed.
"Stop it, Uncle! I'm not a kid anymore!"
"Shut up and take it! Even your dad couldn't escape my... ahem, education!"
"You were going to say 'play,' weren't you? You definitely said 'play'!"
"You misheard."
"I didn't..."
"Shut up! Quiet!"
"Ugh..."
"Pfft—" Jehart, who was setting the timer, couldn't help but laugh at the scene.
"What are you laughing at?"
"It's good, isn't it, Asemu?" Jehart said with a smile.
"Ugh! You jerk!"
"Alright, you two," Yang Hui said, putting an arm around each of their shoulders. "Goals don't have to be grand. Once you've found your direction, just keep moving forward and never forget your初心. Whether we can achieve it or not, we don't know, but as long as you don't regret it, isn't that enough?"
"Yes!" both replied.
"Jehart, next time, I'll definitely beat you!"
"You'll have to catch up to me first."
Both of them smiled sincerely and brightly, as if they had returned to their student days.
"Alright, it's time to go."
At Yang Hui's reminder, the two quickly pulled themselves together and headed back to their Gundams.
At that moment, Yang Hui called out to Jehart and whispered to him, "When you get to Earth, you'd better hide well. If I find you, your plan will be ruined."
"Mr. Yang Hui! You..." Jehart was shocked but quickly calmed down. "So you saw through it."
"You still have a lot to learn. Keep it up, kid. I'm great at being the ghost in hide-and-seek."
"Don't worry, I won't give you the chance."
"Uncle Yang Hui, Jehart, what are you doing? We need to leave!"
At Asemu's reminder, the two boarded their Gundams. The Dons Fortress was about to enter the atmosphere, and the Colony Destroyers' detonation time was nearly up. The Dawn Gundam and the Jedra grabbed the Gundam AGE-2 in its fighter form, and the three Gundams used their maximum power to escape the fortress just before the flames could engulf them.
However, their position wasn't enough to allow them to return to their respective ships. Moreover, neither the Dawn Gundam nor the Jedra had the capability to enter the atmosphere alone. They could only find a large piece of debris to hide behind, using it as a shield to successfully enter the atmosphere.
After entering the atmosphere, the Jedra reunited with the three members of the guard unit who had been searching for it and quickly retreated into an uninhabited area, disappearing from sight.
"Go on, kid. The next time we meet will be over twenty years from now. Don't think you can take advantage of me just because I'll be an old man by then," Yang Hui said as the Dawn Gundam joined the Gundam AGE-2 and slowly landed on the nearest coastline.
Watching the fiery red sun slowly sink below the horizon, Yang Hui murmured, "Earth really is the best, even if the gravity is a bit uncomfortable."