A.N. After years of inactivity, one of my old stories is finally getting an update! Hooray! Thank you, Borneo, for giving me the inspiration to continue this story. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter of this epic adventure!

Now, before I begin, apparently there was some confusion about what happened during the graduation ceremony. I guess people were confused about who was being sent where. To correct that, here is a list of where each new cadet is going;

Chouji Akamichi: Tokyo

Maka Albarn: Sydney

Jugo Bazaka: Los Angeles

Soul Evans: Sydney

Korra Grey: Los Angeles

Burakku Hoshizoku (Black Star): Lima

Suigetsu Hozuki: Los Angeles

Hanabi Hyuuga: Tokyo

Hinata Hyuuga: Tokyo

Akamaru Inuzuka: Anchorage

Kiba Inuzuka: Anchorage

Eren Jaeger: Sydney

Luffy Monkey D.: Madang

Tsubaki Nakatsukasa: Lima

Shikamaru Nara: Tokyo

Rex Salazar: Lima

Ben Tennyson: Los Angeles

Sasuke Uchiha: Tokyo

Naruto Uzumaki: Los Angeles

Ino Yamanaka: Tokyo

Now that that's all cleared up, into the action!

Disclaimer: This author does not own any of the properties represented in this story (unfortunately) except for original Jaegers. This work is made for nonprofit entertainment purposes only.

"Hello there!": Speech.

'What a drag': Thoughts.

A long time ago: Flashback/Jaeger Names

[Commence neural handshake.]: Mechanical Speech

{Your English is terrible}: Foreign Speech

ROOOAR!: Monster/Demon Speech

Let'sgetiton!

Chapter 2

Deployment: Dome, Sweet Dome

Date: Sept. 27, 2085

Location: Academy

Night has fallen at the Jaeger Academy in New York City. Cadets and staff alike are tucking in for a restful sleep before the big deployment tomorrow morning. The halls are dark and devoid of life.

Except for a figure sneaking through the building.

The figure turns a corner, looks both ways for any other people, then creeps through the hall with an object in their hand. They eventually reach their destination; a door that's creaked open slightly. The figure slowly opens the door, wincing at the slight squeaks, then zips into the room, closing the door behind them.

Location: Naruto and Ben's Cabin

Inside the room, the lights turn on, revealing Korra standing at the door. She sees Naruto and Ben sitting eagerly on their bunks.

"Did you get it?" Ben asks his female companion.

Korra smirks and holds up the bottle of vodka in her hand. "Easy peasy! The Captain wasn't even in his room!"

Naruto breathes a sigh of relief. "Lucky us. I'll get the glasses," he says before he turns to rummage through his things.

Korra raises an eyebrow. "Us? I'm the one who got the damn thing. How come you two couldn't do it?" she accuses her comrades.

"After that prank Ben and I did a year ago? We're already on Logan's hit-list," Naruto responds as he pulls up three small glasses.

Korra rolls her eyes. "Whatever." She unscrews the bottle and begins pouring the liquor.

"It's weird," Ben remarks as his glass is filled, "I always thought Captain Logan was a whiskey kind of guy."

Soon, all three glasses are filled with the clear liquid. Each cadet holds a glass in their hand.

"A toast," Korra declares, "to the Jaegers."

"To mankind," Naruto continues.

"To the Bellwood Cannons!" Ben cheers. He sees the deadpan looks his friends give him. "What?"

Naruto sighs, "Anyway," He lifts his glass again, "Above all else, to our promise. That we stick by one another no matter what the Kaiju throw at us."

"And should one of us perish, he/she will save some spots in heaven for the rest of us," Ben adds.

"Amen to that," Korra finishes.

And with that, the three cadets clink their glasses together and shoot the vodka into their mouths.

And then immediately begin choking.

"COUGH! COUGH! Jesus H. Christ!" Korra coughs out.

"Ugh, is this what they use to clean the halls with?!" Ben asks in disgust.

Naruto looks at the bottle of vodka. "How the hell does Captain Logan stomach that stuff?"

"Well, for starters, you don't just shoot it down like that."

All three cadets freeze at the voice. They slowly turn to the door –

– and see Captain Logan at the doorway with an amused look on his face.

Naruto chuckles nervously and holds up the bottle. "Here you go, sir."

Logan smirks and holds up a glass of his own. He motions for Naruto to move down the bunk and takes a seat. Logan grabs the bottle from the blonde's hand and pours the vodka into all for glasses.

He holds up his drink and says, "Just sip it slowly," before taking a small bit of the liquid into his mouth.

The three cadets look at each other, not used to their commanding officer being so calm and sociable. They then follow their captain's lead and slowly sip their drinks. This time, it's much easier going down.

Captain Logan looks at his drink with a gaze of remembrance. "My Co-Pilot and I made a toast like this before our deployment."

"What was he like, sir?" Naruto nervously asks.

"Victor?" Logan chuckles, "He was a guy who really loved his job. He always got some kind of satisfaction from tearing Kaiju apart. Sometimes he was more of a monster than they were. But he was a great fighter, and a damn good Pilot."

"Sounds like he was a good friend," Korra remarks.

"Oh, we hated each other at first," Logan admits, "We were always fighting to see who the Alpha of our class would be. He called me the 'runt of the litter'. But, after a long while, we began to respect one another. It was only during the last half of our last year that we became friends. He was like a brother to me." He then gets a downcast look on his face. Naruto pats his captain's shoulder, getting a nod from the older man.

"So, you think your old friend can save us some spots in heaven," Ben asks.

Logan shakes his head in amusement. "I'm pretty sure he went the other way, bub." He then takes another sip of his drink, with his cadets following suit.

Captain Logan then stands up and takes a sweeping look at the three former students. For him, it feels like yesterday that they came into the academy, completely green kids with dreams of glory and victory.

"I've gotta say, despite your antics," Naruto and Ben give sheepish looks as Logan addresses the cadets, "I'm proud to have taught all three of you. I don't know if it's fate or some higher power, but I have a feeling that your generation might be the ones that succeed where my generation failed. Just make sure you take care of one another, and you'll survive." He then raises his glass once more. "Here's my toast; to the survivors."

"To the survivors," the three cadets repeat. All four of them take one more drink.

Captain Logan walks to the door, his bottle of vodka in his hand. "You all get some shuteye. You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow." He's just about to leave when he turns back to the cadets. "Oh, and one more thing."

Naruto, Korra, and Ben all flinch at the heated glare being sent their way.

"You steal from me again, bubs, and I'll cut all of your eyes out," Logan growls, "You got that?"

All three cadets quickly nod their heads.

"Good." Logan turns the light out behind him. "Sleep tight, ladies."

In the darkness, the new pilots breathe a sigh of relief. They then look at each other and chuckle at what just happened.

Location: Hallway

Captain Logan barely hears the laughter coming from the room behind him. He smiles and shakes his head before returning to his quarters to enjoy his drink by himself.

Location: Eren's Cabin

The brown-haired youth kneels next to his bed in a darkened room. The only source of light is a small flashlight illuminating a picture on the bed that Eren is praying to.

A groan is heard from the bunk behind him. Eren's roommate and childhood friend, Engineer Cadet Armin Arlert, groggily rubs his eyes. Unlike his brown-haired companion, Armin wanted to serve humanity in a less action-oriented setting.

"Eren," Armin groans out, "shouldn't you be asleep by now? We're being deployed tomorrow."

"I'll just be another minute, Armin," Eren assures his friend.

Armin grunts as he turns away and tries to fall asleep.

Eren turns back to the photograph on his bed with a serious look on his face. An older woman with long brown hair and a face eerily similar to Eren's smiles at him from behind the glass frame.

"Tomorrow, I become a pilot," Eren declares quietly to the photograph, "And then, I begin my war against the monsters that took you from me. I swear to you, Mom. You will be avenged."

Date: Sept. 28, 2085

Location: Academy, Main Hangar Bay

A cacophony of noise fills the massive room as hundreds of people move around the hangar. Eight massive cargo planes are stationed at the loading zones, each one being loaded with luggage and supplies. Each plane is stationed at a different zone for their respective Shatterdome location; Shatterdome 1 in Tokyo, Shatterdome 2 in Hong Kong, Shatterdome 3 in Los Angeles, Shatterdome 4 in Sydney, Shatterdome 5 in Lima, Shatterdome 6 in Vladivostok, Shatterdome 7 in Madang, and Shatterdome 8 in Anchorage. The docks for Shatterdome 2 and 6 are less crowded due to the lack of new Pilots heading for those locations. Eager and excited Cadets are waiting to board the vehicles that will take them to their new homes and their Jaegers.

In the midst of this crowd of people, our Three Musketeers are currently less then excited due to the slight headaches that they are nursing.

"Remind me to stay far away from vodka from now on," Korra grumbles.

"Likewise," Naruto agrees.

"I hope there's water on our flight," Ben muses.

"Hey guys!" All three turn to see Sasuke approaching them with a smile on his face. He then notices their bedraggled looks. "Wow. Rough night?"

"Something like that," Naruto groans out, "You are way to cheery today, Sasuke."

"Why wouldn't I be? We're going to be Jaeger pilots! Of course, I'm cheery!" Sasuke declares.

"You're just excited that Karin's going to a different Shatterdome," Ben accuses.

Sasuke gets a nervous look. "T-That has nothing to do with it. I mean, it'll be nice to not have my clothing stolen, and to not be afraid of losing my virginity in the middle of the night and…" Sasuke notices the smirks on his friends' faces, "…she's right behind me, isn't she – OOF!"

"Sasuke-kun!" A bespectacled woman with long, mismanaged red hair shouts as she grips the Uchiha in a bone-crushing hug from behind. "Why is the world so cruel?! How am I supposed to marry you and have your babies if we're an ocean apart?! Don't worry, even thousands of miles away, my heart and body will always belong to you!"

Naruto covers his eyes in embarrassment. 'My family is full of wierdos.' He composes himself and gives a smile to his cousin. "It's nice seeing you again, dear cousin."

Karin snaps out of her crazed talking and turns to the blonde with a big smile on her face. "Oh! Hey, Naru!" she says while still squeezing the life out of her "true love", "Isn't this great? We're both going to the same Shatterdome!"

"Grrk…hrrk…" Sasuke groans out as his face turns purple and his mouth starts foaming.

Salvation comes for the Uchiha when a hand pulls on Karin's ear, causing her to drop the young man.

"Will you cut it out, Karin?! You nearly killed Sasuke there!" Ino berates the redhead.

Said redhead, in a complete personality reversal, glares at the blond girl next to her. She fixes her glasses, giving them a sinister gleam. "Why don't you mind your own business, you bimbo?"

"Who are you calling a bimbo, you crazed stalker!"

"My love for Sasuke-kun is not crazy, pig!"

Both females grind their heads together. Animalistic growls come from the both of them as lightning sparks between their eyes.

Meanwhile, a smirking Naruto walks over to a still recovering Sasuke and crouches next to him. "You are one lucky bastard, you know that?" Naruto quips.

"S-Shut up, d-dobe," Sasuke grunts out.

Korra huffs as she sees her fellow women making fools of themselves. She walks over and whacks the both of them in the back of their heads. "Will you two cut it out already? You both are embarrassments to women everywhere."

Ino rubs her head in both pain and shame. 'I guess I did go a bit overboard.'

Karin, however, goes on the offensive. "At least we have some femininity, you goddamn shemale!"

Karin immediately regrets her words as she feels a blast of killing intent from the Alaskan native. In her fear-induced state, she sees what appears to be a blue aura blast around Korra's form, and a glowing-blue glare being sent her way. Naruto and Ben, being Korra's friends, are used to this feeling of righteous fury. Everyone else within ten feet of her, however, are taken aback.

"Care to repeat that?" Korra threatens.

"S-S-S-See you on the plane, Naru!" Karin shouts in fright as she books it to the Los Angeles loading dock.

The "aura" around Korra dissipates, and she holds her forehead in frustration. "I swear to God, if she wasn't your cousin, I would have strangled her by now," Korra states to her blond friend.

"Trust me, I know that feeling," Naruto mutters.

Ino, having recovered from Korra's wrath, suddenly hears her name being called. She turns and sees Chouji waving to her and Shikamaru standing next to him with impatience. Getting the signals from both of them, she lifts Sasuke up and throws his arm on her shoulders.

"Well, guess we'll be heading out," Ino says to her old comrades, "I guess this is goodbye, then."

"Hey hey, none of that," Naruto admonishes his fellow blonde, "Goodbyes are for when you'll never see each other again. This is just, 'see you later'."

Ino smiles and shakes her head in amusement. "Right. See you later!" And with that, Ino carries Sasuke to their plane, leaving behind the Three Musketeers.

Ben has some crocodile tears coming from his eyes. "That was so touching, Naruto. A real Hallmark Movie Moment right there."

"Zip it, Tennyson," Naruto responds, "Come on, we've got our own flight to make."

And with that, the trio of Pilots grab their gear and head towards their plane.

"ATTENTION, MORTALS! ALL EYES ON ME!"

Until a loud shouting draws everyone's attention to the loading dock for Shatterdome 5. They all immediately take notice of the figure standing on top of the cargo plane, pointing up to the ceiling and pretending to hold a microphone.

"I AM THE LEGENDARY BLACK STAR! THE NUMBER ONE PILOT IN THE ENTIRE PAN PACIFIC DEFENSE CORPS! I AM THE ONE WHO STANDS AS A MAN ABOVE MEN! I AM THE ONE WHO WILL DESTROY EVERY LAST KAIJU IN THE WORLD! I AM THE ONE WHO WILL CHALLENGE GOD HIMSELF! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU MORTALS BOW BEFORE ME, FOR I AM THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE MAGNIFICENT BLACK STA – AAAH!"

FWOMP!

To everyone's immense relief, the blue-haired young man's tirade ends when he falls off of the plane with no amount of grace whatsoever. As he lies on the ground in pain, he's berated by a much taller black-haired woman with glasses. Seeing that the commotion has died down, everyone else continues with their business.

"That guy's either going to die in the first five minutes of fighting, or he'll somehow miraculously survive the whole war," Ben comments, "There's no middle ground there."

Naruto then notices a pair of feral twins heading towards the plane for Shatterdome 8. "Oi! Kiba! Akamaru!"

Both Inuzuka turn to the blonde calling their names. "Hey Naruto!" Kiba calls out.

The Three Musketeers head towards the Inuzukas. "You guys are headed to Anchorage, right?" Naruto asks.

"We sure are," Akamaru answers with a feral grin, "Why? You guys wanna swap?"

"Nah, we prefer not freezing our asses off, thank you very much," Naruto quips, "No, we just need you to drop off some messages for us."

Kiba quirks an eyebrow. "Messages?"

"Yep. My older cousin, Nagato, is the Chief Analyst in Shatterdome 8. I was hoping you could give him my best wishes for me," Naruto states.

"And while you're at it," Ben cuts in, "Could you also say hi to my Grandpa Max for me? He's the Commander there."

Then Korra pipes in, "Oh, and if a Tonraq and Senna Grey ask about me, tell them that I'm living the dream, and I'll make it home sa–"

"HOLD UP!" Akamaru interrupts, "Do we look like delivery dogs to you?"

All three Musketeers give the twins a critical look. "Well…" they all say.

"Fuck all of you," Akamaru mutters. He gives a sigh. "Fine. We'll deliver your damn messages."

Both of the Inuzuka twins then head towards their plane.

"Thanks guys!" Naruto shouts out, "See you both later!"

"Try not to become Kaiju poop!" Ben calls out.

"UP YOURS!" Both Inuzuka twins call out.

"Real nice guys, those two," Korra quips. And with that, they once more head towards their own plane.

Location: Loading Dock for Shatterdome 3

[Attention, please. All Shatterdome transports will be leaving in approximately thirty minutes. Please be boarded onto your transport in fifteen minutes.]

Here at the loading dock, the crew are hard at work loading the luggage and whatever supplies need to be delivered to the Shatterdome. One of the crewmembers heaves a rather heavy crate inside the vehicle.

"Excuse me, sir."

The crewman turns around and sees a large orange-haired man wearing a Pilot Cadet uniform. This is Jugo Bazaka, an orphan from Japan. Despite his questionable origins, he is usually a kind and gentle soul who likes to help those around him at any opportunity.

Put him in a Jaeger, however, and he's a completely different animal altogether.

"May I help you with that?" the gentle giant asks.

The crewman is flabbergasted by the request. "Um, sure pal. Knock yourself out."

Jugo smiles and begins loading crates into the cargo plane.

From a distance, another Cadet with light blue hair and jagged teeth looks at his friend. This is Suigetsu Hoshizuki, another Japanese Native.

"Frickin' teddy bear sometimes, I swear," Suigetsu comments.

"Hey there, Suigetsu!" a female voice calls out.

The bluette turns and sees a familiar trio of fellow Pilots approaching him.

"Oh, hey guys," Suigetsu calls out halfheartedly, "What's up?"

Naruto notices his comrade's downtrodden expression. "What's up with you?"

Suigetsu sighs, but waves the blonde off, "It's nothing major."

"You still bummed that you're not going to Madang?" Ben asks.

"Ugh! Don't remind me," Suigetsu groans, "I specifically asked high command to be sent to Shatterdome 7 many times, and instead, they send that guy!" Suigetsu points a finger towards the loading dock for Shatterdome 7.

The other three Pilots turn to where he's pointing. They see a lanky Pilot Cadet with short, black hair and a scar under his left eye arguing with a crewmember. Apparently, there's a little issue about his luggage.

"For the last time, you can't bring all of this onto the plane!" The crewman yells.

The Pilot, Luffy if they remembered correctly, argues back, "There's nothing wrong with bringing food on board!"

"Yeah, a single granola bar or an apple, maybe! This," The Crewman points to the very overstuffed baggage, "Is an entire buffet's worth of food shoved in your bag!" He then pulls out one of the items in the bag. "For fuck's sake, you have an entire goddamn ham in here!"

"That's just a snack for when I get hungry on the trip over!"

"YOU HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED A SMALL COUNTRY AND YOU CALL THIS A SNACK?! YOU'RE A BIGGER THREAT TO HUMANITY THEN THE FUCKING KAIJU!"

From a distance, four Pilot Cadets have massive sweatdrops on their heads.

"Pour guy's gonna starve," Ben mutters.

Naruto turns to Suigetsu and says, "So you're not going to the Shatterdome you wanted. It's not that big a deal."

"'Not that big a deal'?" Suigetsu asks incredulously, "Madang is the home of the legendary Mist Demon! The baddest Kaiju killer in the seven seas! For years, my biggest dream has been to fight side-by-side with her, and after all the work I put in to becoming a Pilot, I'm now being stationed a continent away from her!"

"Maybe this is for the best," Korra offers, "Hero worship is unhealthy."

Ben raises an eyebrow, "This coming from the girl who had a crush on both of Indigo Patriot's Pilo–"

"WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT!" Korra snaps.

[Attention, please. All Shatterdome transports will be leaving in approximately twenty-five minutes. Please be boarded onto your transport in ten minutes.]

"Suigetsu!" Jugo calls out from inside the cargo plane, "Time to go!"

Suigetsu sighs again. "Yeah, yeah! Hold your horses!" He turns to the trio next to him. "See you guys onboard." Then he walks over to the plane, leaving Naruto, Ben, and Korra just outside the loading ramp.

"Oooh, this is it!" Korra cries out in excitement, "We're finally going to be Jaeger Pilots!"

"I have an entire storm of butterflies in my stomach right now," Ben admits with a smile on his face.

"What are we waiting for, then?!" Naruto calls out. He throws his hand in front of them. "All for One!"

Ben and Korra's hands join his. They both cry out, "And One for All!"

Location: Loading Dock for Shatterdome 4

"WHOOHOO!"

At the next dock over, Eren is just about to board his transport to Sydney when he hears a cheer going on nearby. He turns and sees fellow Cadets Naruto Uzumaki, Ben Tennyson, and Korra Grey with their hands thrown into the air. They then laugh and head into their own transport to Los Angeles.

Eren has never said it out loud, but he respects the three of them. They were troublemakers, sure. Pulled a lot of unnecessary pranks, one of which he was a victim of. It took him weeks to get the green dye out of his hair. Despite that, when it came to Jaeger training, they were focused and committed. They certainly took care of teamwork exercises easily enough, and no matter what combination, they were lethal in the simulators.

'Not to mention that they're still close friends after all these years', Eren thinks to himself. 'Now that I think about it, besides Armin, I never tried to actually make friends myself here at the Academy. I guess I was too busy fighting people who badmouthed Mom. Maybe in Sydney, I can–'

"Eren!" Armin calls out from the plane, snapping Eren out of his thoughts, "Come on!"

Eren shakes his head and heads towards his sole friend. "Coming!"

Location: Plane 4

Eren and Armin navigate through the piles of luggage and supplies being secured on the plane in order to find their seats. Eren looks ahead and notices two particular individuals near the front. One is a young woman with blonde hair in pigtails and green eyes reading a book. The other is a silver haired male kicking back against his seat. Eren recognizes them as the other two Pilot Cadets travelling with him and Armin to Sydney.

'I guess now's a good time as any to start making some friends," Eren thinks to himself. He grabs Armin's arm and pulls him along. "Come on, Armin."

Eren and Armin eventually make it to the front of the plane and stop in front of the other two individuals.

"Hi there," says Eren. The silverette lazily opens his red eyes. Eren continues, "My name is–"

"Eren Jaeger," the red-eyed young man interrupts.

Eren blinks. "You know me?"

"Of course, I do. You're the guy that's picked a fight with about 20 people in the Academy," the silverette states.

Eren rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't be embarrassed," the other Pilot continues with a fanged grin, "You're the kind of guy that doesn't take crap from anybody. That's pretty cool, in my opinion." He extends his fist out to Eren. "The name's Soul. Soul Evans."

Eren blinks for a moment, then smiles and meets Soul's fist with his own. "Nice to meet you." He then motions to his blond friend. "This is Armin Arlert."

Armin waves nervously. "H-Hello there."

Soul waves nonchalantly. "Hey there."

Eren turns to the young lady and asks, "And you are?"

"…" The woman flips a page in her book.

"…Um, hello?" Eren waves a hand in front of her.

"Forget her," Soul advises, "Maka's probably gonna be reading that thing the whole flight over. Damn bookworm."

The woman now identified as Maka gets a tick mark on her forehead. She then closes the book calmly and looks up with an impassive gaze.

"…Makaaaaa–"

POW!

"–CHOP!"

Eren and Armin recoil in shock at seeing Maka's book practically embedded in Soul's head. As Soul collapses in his seat, Maka puts a bookmark on her current page and looks up at the other Cadets with a gentle smile.

"Sorry about that. I was getting to a good part in the story," She says as he sticks her hand, "I'm Maka Albarn."

Eren and Armin both shake in fright at the girl in front of them, but nonetheless shake her hand.

"N-N-Nice to meet you," Eren stutters out. He then pauses as he processes the girl's name. "Wait a minute. Albarn? Are you related to–"

"Nope," Maka answers quickly, still smiling.

Eren blinks again. "I-It's just, you have the same last name as Spi–"

"Never heard of him," Maka interjects, her smile somewhat straining.

"…"

"…"

[Attention, please. All Shatterdome transports will be leaving in approximately twenty minutes. Please be boarded onto your transport in five minutes.]

"L-Let's take our seats, Armin," Eren suggests.

"S-Sure," Armin agrees.

The two Santa Maria natives take their seats across from Maka and Soul. As Eren buckles in, he looks across the plane and sees Maka happily returning to her book and Soul still knocked out from the deadly "Maka Chop".

Eren sighs. 'This is going to be a long flight.'

Location: Main Hangar Bay

Twenty minutes later, all eight planes are ready to fly. One by one, the large cargo planes lift off the runway and head out to their respective Shatterdomes, most of them carrying new soldiers for the fight against the Kaiju menace.

Location: Shatterdome 2, Hong Kong

The city of Hong Kong shines like a beacon in the blackness of the night. The imposing skyscrapers and colorful lights present an image of prosperity and peace to those watching from above. On the streets, however, are citizens who know the harsh reality of life in Hong Kong; that they, like anyone else living along the Pacific Rim, are targets for attacks from the monstrous Kaiju. The numerous colossal skeletons of fallen Kaiju and the wreckage of defeated Jaegers littering the city serve as grim reminders of this fact.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong City, on the island of Tsing Yi, stands Shatterdome 2, the largest and most famous of the PPDC Shatterdomes. It was here that the last four Jaegers of the First Kaiju War were stationed for their last stand. It was from this base that Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka were deployed to close The Breach and end the Kaiju threat the first time. And it is here where the current generation of heroes fight to destroy the new monsters that threaten humanity.

Location: Mess Hall

Those heroes are currently having dinner in the mess hall, along with the rest of the staff. Today was another day of combat exercises and Jaeger tests. All of the Pilots here are seasoned soldiers who have shed Kaiju blood. And it looks like that's not going to change anytime soon.

"It kinda sucks that we got the short end of the stick this year for recruits," remarks a young black-haired young man poking at his food. This is Jason Todd, a native of Gotham City, New Jersey, and one of the Pilots for the Mk. III Dark Knight.

"Recruits go where they're needed, Jason. We should consider ourselves fortunate that we don't currently need any," Jason's Co-Pilot advises him. The older gentleman is Captain Bruce "The Bat" Wayne. Bruce is the heir to Wayne Enterprises, a Jaeger manufacturing company headquartered in Gotham.

"Yeah, but I was looking forward to becoming a mentor figure to some shiny new cadets someday, you know?" Jason laments, "It sucks being the young guy in a group of old timers."

"Enjoy the youth while you can," Bruce says sagely, a small smirk on his face, "It won't be too long before you get to experience the 'joys' of being a teacher."

Jason quirks an eyebrow at the statement.

A feminine chuckle is heard from across the table. "Jason Todd as a teacher. I cannot see that for the life of me," a blonde young woman jokes. This is Cassie Sandsmark, an Academy friend of Jason's.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Ms. 'I get a shiny new Jaeger'," Jason remarks.

Cassie smile smugly. "Yeah. Diana and I are awesome like that."

"Don't let your pride cloud your judgement, Cassie," an older black-haired woman admonishes the blonde. This is Captain Diana Prince, Cassie's mentor and Co-Pilot.

Cassie ducks her head. "Sorry, Di." Cassie then perks up again. "I'm just so excited! I mean, sure, I'm going to miss the old Saber Athena, but I can't wait to try out the new prototype!"

A haughty laugh comes from Cassie's right side. She turns and glares at a redheaded man with a terrible bowl cut. This is Lieutenant Guy Gardner, Pilot of the Mk. III Emerald Beacon.

"Something funny, Gardner?" Cassie asks with a scowl.

Gardner waves off the blonde. "Ah, nothing. Just imagining you ladies dancing around in your new toy and then tripping on a reef or some crap like that."

"You shouldn't worry about us being clumsy, Gardner," Diana chides with a knowing smirk, "I believe you were the one who sent a missile flying towards the Shatterdome during training today."

Gardner chokes on his food and tries to defend himself. "What?! No, that was definitely the computer's fault for messing up my firing system, not me!" He turns to his right. "Ain't that right, H–"

Gardner stops and sweats at the look of pure murder coming from his Co-Pilot, Captain Hal Jordan.

"We were yelled at. By the Commander. For an hour. Because of you," Hal growls at his Co-Pilot.

Gardner gulps. "I, uh…"

"FOR AN HOUR!" Hal yells, before returning to his dinner.

Gardner turns and sees Cassie smirking at him. "Shaddup, blondie," he grumbles.

Suddenly, the table's occupants hear a commotion in the distance. They all turn and see two green blurs zooming through the food serving line before zipping straight towards their table. The Pilots notice that the two blurs have black bowl cuts.

"COMING THROUGH!" both blurs yell.

The table's occupants wisely and quickly move themselves and their food trays out of the way. They get clear just in time for both blurs to crash into the table. When the dust settles, the blurs are revealed to be Maito Gai and his protégé, Rock Lee. Both men are Pilots for the Mk. III Dynamic Youth. The other Pilots, unfazed by the impromptu race, return to their seats.

"Well, my youthful comrades, who was the winner of our race?!" Gai boldly asks.

"Gai. Definitely," Hal answers quickly.

"YOSH!" Gai cheers in triumph.

"CURSES!" Lee cries out in defeat.

Bruce turns to Hal. "Hal, was that a–"

"Total guess? Yes," Hal responds.

Gai puts a comforting hand on Lee's shoulder and says with encouragement, "Do not despair, my youthful disciple. Use this defeat to fuel your flames of youth, so that next time, against myself or the Kaiju, you may emerge victorious!"

Lee has stars in his eyes. "YOSH! I shall work until my bones crack to achieve victory!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

Everyone in the mess hall is blinded by the powerful aura of light that radiates from the two men. Their embracing forms are forever etched into the minds of the other occupants. And is that a beach behind them?

"Makeitstop makeitstop makeitstop makeitstop," Cassie chants as she hides under the table.

"It's a shame we can't use this as a weapon against the Kaiju," Bruce mutters.

"Actually, this is gonna sound weird," Jason admits, "but I prefer this over being around those two sticks in the mud." Jason is pointing towards the other end of the mess hall.

Bruce turns to where Jason is pointing and sees two individuals eating their dinner and ignoring the nearby spectacle. Both of them are of Japanese descent, with long brown hair, lavender eyes, and an aura of uptightness around them. They are Hiashi Hyuuga and his nephew, Neji, Pilots of the Mk. III Dancing Blade. Everything about them involves properness, rigidity, and order.

"Disgusting," Jason murmurs. Bruce nods in agreement.

"Looks like I missed quite a party."

Bruce and Jason turn to see another individual approaching them. The young man is a little older than Jason and has short black hair and blue eyes. This is Richard "Dick" Grayson, Jaeger Pilot and Bruce Wayne's ward.

"Dick! Where have you been?" Jason asks.

Dick sits down with a wince to Bruce's right and answers, "Combat training took longer than expected. We were working on a new technique."

Bruce raises an eyebrow and comments, "Must be some technique to take you this long to get here."

Dick may not be Bruce's son by blood, but he might as well be. Ever since Bruce adopted the boy at the age of 9, the two grew immensely close to one another. When Dick joined the Jaeger Academy, Bruce had high hopes that he would have Dick as his Co-Pilot in the Dark Knight.

Unfortunately, somebody beat him to it.

"Ah, you know how it is when fighting Kaiju."

Bruce looks up and sees a man around his age with snow-white hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and an eyepatch over his right eye. This is Captain Slade Wilson, Dick's Co-Pilot in the Mk. III Kaiju Terminator.

"You really gotta think outside the box with those beasts," Slade says with a smirk.

Bruce narrows his eyes at the cycloptic man. Slade, unfazed, takes a seat to Dick's right, effectively sandwiching Dick between the two older men.

Slade turns the two youthful Pilots across the table and asks, "So, who won the race?"

Gai gives a thumbs up and a shining smile. Seeing this, Slade simply holds out his hand in front of Dick. The younger Pilot grumbles before pulling out some money and putting it into the offered hand.

Lee sees the exchange and bows his head, nearly sending it into his food. "Please forgive me, Dick!"

"Don't worry about it, Lee," Dick reassures him, "We'll win next time."

Slade shakes his head. "I keep telling you, Dick; With age comes experience, and experience makes all the difference."

Dick crosses his arms. "Really? I seem to recall sending you down to the mat plenty of times," he says with a smirk of his own.

Slade chuckles and replies, "Yeah, I recall that, too."

Diana interjects, "Well I hope you two aren't in too bad a shape. Your Jaeger is going to be testing ours tomorrow morning."

"Diana," Slade says with a smirk, "we would be honored to slice your fancy new Jaeger into ribbons." Slade winces at the elbow sent into his left side. Slade turns to his Co-Pilot. "What? I know you're looking forward to it too."

Dick turns away and mutters, "Shut up. Jerk."

"Whelp," Slade fires back. Both Pilots glare at each other for a moment, before smiling and laughing at each other.

Bruce's eyes narrow further at this exchange. Bruce wouldn't exactly call himself an overprotective father, and he couldn't deny that Dick and Slade were an effective team. Still, he can't shake the feeling that the two of them were a little too closely bonded.

Bruce shakes his head. 'I must be overthinking things.'

Next to him, Jason is having his own little dilemma. Jason knows full well about Bruce and Dick's history together, and the father-and-son bond that they shared. Jason experienced none of that growing up on the streets of Gotham, and he subconsciously hoped he would experience some of that being Bruce's Co-Pilot. However, after several intense battles, emerging victoriously in the Dark Knight at Bruce's side, he still feels only slightly successful in his goals.

He still feels like an outsider. Like he's only second pick.

'I'll prove that I'm worthy,' Jason thinks to himself, 'to you, Bruce, and to Dick.'

Location: Shatterdome 6, Vladivostok

Farther to the north, at the southernmost tip of Russia, lies the port city of Vladivostok. As the largest Russian port city in the Pacific, it prospers from the vast amount of ships carrying food and goods to and from the city.

At the southern top of Golden Horn Bay is Shatterdome 6, home of the Jaegers that protect Russia from Kaiju attacks. Despite the late hour, activity continues as both the base and the Jaegers inside are constantly inspected and repaired in order to keep the base working at 100% efficiency all the time.

Meanwhile, the Pilots inside are currently enjoying some off time before lights out. Well, some of them are, at least.

Location: Pilot Break Room

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE NOT GETTING ANY NEW PILOTS!" a voice cries out, "What if a swarm of Kaiju attacks us? What if we don't have enough Jaegers to defend the area? What if a Kaiju attack happens tomorrow, or the next day, or–"

WHACK! "Knock it off Omoi!"

"OW!" A white-haired dark-skinned man rubs his head in pain. "What was that for, Karui?"

"You were freaking out again, that's what," says a dark-skinned female with scarlet-red hair.

"Sorry Karui," Omoi apologizes to his sister and Co-Pilot, "I guess I'm a little stressed out about the new Jaeger we're gonna be testing tomorrow."

"There shouldn't be any worries about the Jaeger malfunctioning," a posh British voice speaks up from one of the sofas.

Both siblings turn and see an older light-haired gentleman reading a book on a sofa near the television. This is Victor Shade, one of the Pilots for the Mk. IV Scarlet Witch.

Victor continues, "The Jaegers already go through many strenuous tests, inspections, and procedures before they even reach their Shatterdomes. The manufacturing companies would not approve of any imperfections or health risks, especially when it comes to their chief export that's involved with saving millions of lives. No harm should come to you from the Jaeger."

"It's not the Jaeger I'm worried about," Omoi admits, "I'm worried about myself. What if I make a mistake during the test run? What if I make Karui and I fall out of alignment in The Drift? What if I misfire a rocket right at the Shatter–"

WHACK!

Another hit from Karui sends Omoi straight to the ground in a heap.

Victor gives a sigh of exhaustion. "I apologize, Karui. I tried to help."

"Yeah, I know," Karui sighs with a tick mark on her forehead. The redhead drags her paranoid brother to one of the other sofas.

As Victor shakes his head and returns to his book, two other pilots chuckle at the scene from the other side of the break room. Both of them are busy putting bullseyes in a dart board.

"Never a dull moment with those two around," a blond-haired man with a goatee comments before throwing a dart right into the bullseye zone. This is Oliver Queen, a native of Star City, Washington, and a Pilot in the Mk. III Orion Jade.

"A hell of a lot more preferable than a certain trio of Pilots, that's for sure," says a dark-haired male wearing advanced hearing implants in his ears. He also sinks a bullseye right next to the other dart. This is Clint Barton, a small-town guy from Iowa, and a Pilot in the Mk. III Black Widow.

"Speaking of those 'young whippersnappers', I heard they're getting their own Jaeger as well." Oliver throws a dart. Bullseye.

"Yeah. One of the Pilots kept complaining about the design of the old Jaeger they were in. Apparently, the Typhoon unit isn't 'symmetrical'." Clint throws a dart. Bullseye.

"Well, don't get me started on those other two. I can't believe they let weirdos like that through the Academy." Oliver throws. Bullseye.

"I think you can argue that it takes a special kind of crazy to strap yourself into a giant robot and fight monsters." Clint throws. Bullseye.

"Touché," Oliver remarks as he holds up his last dart, "For all the marvels?"

Clint holds up his final dart. "On three." Both men ready their arms. "One, two–"

FWISH! FWISH!

SHINK! SHINK!

"OW!" "OW!"

Both men cradle their hands after having their darts knocked out of their hands by playing cards. They then turn to see the two women who threw the cards looking at them in amusement, along with a third woman behind them.

"Hope we weren't interrupting anything, boys," The redheaded woman quips. This Russian beauty is Natalia Romanoff, Clint's best friend and Co-Pilot.

Clint stands up, shaking his 'injured' hand, and says, "Only the greatest battle mankind's ever seen." He sees his friend's raised eyebrow. "Seriously, Nat. The fate of the world was at stake here."

Nat raises up a bottle of vodka. "Here. For the brave soldier."

Clint smiles at the liquor. "Ah, the universal cure for all ailments."

Clint grabs the bottle, but Nat still holds on to it. "Don't get too attached," she remarks before letting the bottle go, "I'm getting half of that."

Clint nods with a smirk, then goes to enjoy the beverage.

Meanwhile, the other card-throwing vixen is currently straddling Oliver's lap. The blonde bombshell is Oliver's Co-Pilot, Dinah Lance.

"Well, looks like 'Girl's Night Out' ended sooner than I thought it would," Oliver says to his girlfriend, "Did you miss me that much, Pretty Bird?"

Dinah's laughter is like music to his ears. "Just a minor concern that my dear boyfriend might go insane without little old me around," Dinah retorts.

"Your concerns are warranted, my dear," Oliver says. He then accepts a heated kiss from his partner.

As the two blondes cherish their "reunion", the third woman walks towards the Brit calmly reading his novel. The brunette Sokovian is Victor's Co-Pilot and spouse, Wanda Maximoff. Wanda walks right in front of Victor and drops a small bag between him and his book. Victor blinks for a moment, then looks up and sees his wife looking at him with her arms crossed.

"Am I interrupting something?" Wanda asks her husband.

Victor smiles and puts a bookmark between the pages. "That's the beautiful thing about books," he states, "You can have as many interruptions as you wish."

"I certainly hope so," Wanda says as she pulls Victor up to his feet, "because you're not going to be opening that book for the rest of the night." She holds up the bag as emphasis.

Victor gains a puzzled look on his face. "I'm not sure whether I should be excited or concerned."

Wanda smirks and kisses her husband. "You'll figure it out." She then whisks him away from his seat and out of the break room.

On one of the other sofas, Omoi, having recovered from his head trauma, sees the interaction between the married couple and laments his single status.

"I wish I had a girlfriend," Omoi grumbles. He then starts sweating. "What if I'm single for the rest of my life? What if I do get a girlfriend, but she's just using me for my status as a Pilot? What if she's a gold-digger? What if she's a man-eater? What if–"

WHACK!

A third smack from his irate sister knocks Omoi out cold.

Karui nurses a headache. "Why didn't Nat get me a bottle?"

Location: Shatterdome 3, Los Angeles

The sun is about to reach its zenith over the bright and scorching Metropolis that is Los Angeles. After decades of expansion and new construction, the city itself is actually much less polluted than it was in the past. This is due to the massive amounts of environmental conservation practices that were implemented worldwide throughout the years. A major cutback on fossil fuels in favor of greener energy, a large-scale cleanup of trash, and the vast numbers of new vegetation planted in both urban and rural areas across the globe helped reverse the damage done to the planet. This was all done not just for the overall benefit of the native lifeforms on Earth, but also to make the planet itself less hospitable for Kaiju invaders.

Just outside the city, near the smaller beach city of Port Hueneme, stands the impressive fortification that is Shatterdome 3. It is here where a batch of new Pilots are the first of their group to arrive at their final destination, where they will begin their new adventure.

Location: Landing Runway

After more than four hours of flight, the five new Pilots finally disembark from their plane and step onto solid ground. Their aches from the uncomfortable flight over are immediately overshadowed by the monstrous site before them. A colossal dome tops the mammoth complex of steel and concrete. Numerous turrets line the walls as a final defense. But the real eye openers are what can be seen past the large open blast doors.

"Are those…real Jaegers?!" Korra cries out.

"Well, that definitely boosts my spirits," Suigetsu says with a fanged grin.

"Speak for yourself," Ben comments, "I thought I was nervous during the graduation ceremony."

"The feeling is mutual, my friend," Jugo adds in.

"Sugoi!"

Four of the Pilots turn and see their blond compatriot with a bright smile on his face and stars in his eyes.

"THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE, DATTEBAYO!"

Everyone within the immediate vicinity stops what they're doing and looks at the source of the shout. Said source is now beet red at all the attention he's getting.

"U-Um, d-don't mind me! C-Carry on with your duties!" Naruto stutters out as he waves the other people off.

After a moment, everyone else moves on with their work, though a few of them chuckle and shake their heads.

Ben and Korra look at their embarrassed friend. "Wow. Haven't heard that tic of yours in a long time," Ben comments while Korra stifles her laughter.

Naruto just hangs his head in shame.

"Commander on deck! Atten-TION!"

The shout snaps all of the Pilots into focus, and they stand at attention. Approaching them is a dark-skinned Commander in a blue military suit. His most prominent feature is the eyepatch covering his left eye. He stops right in front of his new subordinates.

The Commander's right eye scans the Pilots. He takes note of Suigetsu, Jugo, and Korra. 'Three first generations.' He then notes Naruto and Ben. 'And two legacies.' The Commander sighs internally. 'Looks like I got my work cut out for me.' "At ease, soldiers."

All five Pilots relax their stances as the Commander continues, "The name is Commander Fury. First name is Commander. Last name is Fury. You can call me Commander. You can call me Fury. You can call me Commander Fury. That's it. If I hear you call me anything else, I will beat your motherfucking ass until you get it right. Am I understood so far?"

"Yes, Commander Fury!" the five Pilots respond.

Fury nods his head. "Good. Now, if you're expecting some grandiose speech about you joining a noble cause and being part of a family and some bullshit like that, you ain't getting that. You're not here to be celebrities. You're not here for a motherfucking picnic. You're here to kill monsters. End of story. Follow me." He turns from the group and heads towards the Shatterdome entrance.

"He seems nice," Ben deadpans. Nevertheless, he and his fellow Pilots follow the cycloptic Commander.

Location: Main Hangar Bay

"Welcome to the Shatterdome," Fury states as he begins giving a tour of the facility, "This is your life now. The majority of your waking hours will involve two things; Jaegers and Kaiju. Before you ask, don't worry, you'll have plenty of time for friends, dates, hobbies, and whatever other bullshit might interest you. Just as long as you remember that the two most important things in your life from now on are what?" Fury turns and puts a hand to his ear.

"Jaegers and Kaiju!" The Pilots answer.

"Good. Moving on."

Fury leads the Pilots to the launching stations for the Jaegers. Here, engineers and mechanics are working to maintain and repair the Jaegers in preparation for Kaiju attacks.

The tour stops at the first Jaeger, the Mk. III Titan Redeemer. Unlike most Jaegers in the fleet, which are built based off of designs previously used in the First Kaiju War, this one was an experimental prototype design that quickly became a success. It is forest green in color, and its main body is built in a broad T-shape, with the head close to the body. This frame, along with it's Gyro Core and wide, flat feet, are meant to account for the Jaeger's main weapon, the M19 Morning Star ball attached to the left arm.

Fury takes a moment to let the Pilots drink in the sight before them. Having a giant robot standing right in front of you is a humbling and exciting experience.

"Commander Fury," Naruto speaks up, "is it true that they're using the Titan Redeemer design as one of the templates for the new Mk. VI's?"

"Yeah, having a wrecking ball attached to your arm is pretty popular, apparently," Fury confirms, "Looks like we'll be seeing a lot more Redeemers in the future."

"I disagree, Commander."

Everyone turns to see a redheaded woman in a forest green Pilot outfit. Next to her is a dark-haired man wearing an identical outfit.

"There's only one true Titan Redeemer," the woman states with certainty.

"Captain Shayera Hall, and her husband Carter," Fury introduces, before gesturing to the group. "These are our new recruits."

"Welcome to L.A.," Carter says with a smile, which is returned by the recruits.

"Let's keep moving," Fury tells his tour group. They all walk on, leaving the couple with their walking battering ram.

The next Jaeger the group comes across is a hot-rod-red robot with gold accents. It bares a close resemblance to Gipsy Danger, with several major differences. Firstly, the lower arms and hands are bulkier, with circular lenses in the palms. Secondly, the Conn-Pod has a thinner, triangular vizor with what appears to be a scowling mouth underneath. The biggest difference, however, are the two massive cannons mounted to the shoulders, reminiscent of Coyote Tango.

"Here is another one of our more unique Jaegers," Fury explains, "This one was designed by–"

"Stark Industries."

Fury rolls his eye and sighs at the interruption. The recruits turn to see another Pilot approaching them. This one is a dark-haired man with a neatly trimmed beard wearing a pair of expensive sunglasses and a red and gold Pilot outfit.

The newcomer turns to the commander and says, "I hope you don't mind if I'm the one giving the description for my Jaeger."

"By all means, be my guest, Mr. Stark," Fury remarks with obvious amounts of sarcasm.

If Tony noticed the sarcasm, he doesn't mention it as he turns to the new Pilots. "Hi there! Tony Stark. Nice to meet you all."

The other Pilots definitely recognize the name. Tony Stark is the CEO of Stark Industries, the world's fourth largest manufacturer of Jaeger parts behind Uchiha Corps, LexCorp, and Wakanda Industries. Unlike most people of wealth and status, Tony was more than willing to climb into a Jaeger and put himself in harm's way to protect humanity. When asked why, Tony responded, "What's the point of building a giant robot if you won't use it yourself?" Not many people could argue with him on that point.

"And this," Tony continues, gesturing to the Jaeger behind him, "is my pride and joy. Powered by Stark Industries' patented ARC Reactor, she's the longest lasting, most fuel-efficient Jaeger in the fleet. The energy from the reactor powers the repulsor blasters outfitted in the forearms, as well as the utterly devastating mortar cannons capable of blowing Kaiju into itsy bitsy pieces. Add in her rocket propulsion system and her more durable armor plating, and you've got yourself one effective monster-killing machine." Tony presents the Jaeger like a work of fine art. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Mk. III Iron Jaeger.

The Commander and his new recruits all sweatdrop at the impromptu sales pitch.

"Dumb name for a Jaeger."

Everyone turns to the source of the unexpected comment. Ben, having realized that he just said his thought out loud, suddenly becomes nervous at all the attention.

Tony takes off his sunglasses and levels a penetrating stare at the younger Pilot. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"I-It's nothing major, Mr. Stark," Ben tries to deflect.

Tony's having none of it. "C'mon, newbie. We're all adults here."

After a moment, Ben sighs and turns to Fury. "Permission to speak freely, Commander?"

"Thank you so very much for asking, Mr. Tennyson," Fury says, giving Tony a subtle glare, "Permission granted."

Ben nods and turns back to Tony. "Iron Jaeger is the most unoriginal and unimaginative name I've ever heard for a Jaeger in my life. There, I said it."

Naruto and Korra both cringe at the bluntness of their friend's statement.

Tony blinks for a few seconds, trying to process what he just heard. "…Okay. That's a sucker punch to the boys." He shakes his head in disbelief. "I, uh, don't suppose you have any better alternatives?"

Ben shrugs and replies, "I don't know, maybe something like Rampart Blaster, or Burning Quasar, or, uh, War Machine–"

"Hold up!"

Everyone turns to see a dark-skinned, dark-haired man wearing a similar Pilot outfit as Tony's.

"What was that last one?" the man asks.

Ben blinks. "Uh, War Machine."

The man smiles and claps his hands as he walks over to Tony. "What did I tell, Tony? War Machine is the name to beat! Man, I certainly hope you don't become a poet after the war."

Tony pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Okay, seriously, Rhodey, you are being very unsupportive of your Co-Pilot right now."

Rhodey throws his arm around his friend's shoulder. "Yeah, I know." He then turns to his fellow critic. "What's your name, rookie?"

"Ben. Ben Tennyson," the new recruit answers.

"James Rhodes. Call me 'Rhodey'," Rhodey says. He then points to Ben. "Hit me up soon. Your next drink is on me."

"Um, okay. Sure thing," Ben answers unsurely.

Fury decides now is a good time to move on. "Alright, people. Moving on."

The new Pilots eagerly follow Fury away from the operators of the poorly named robot.

Rhodey pats Tony's shoulder. "You know, I've got a lot of hope for the future."

Tony turns away. "I can't even look at you right now."

Meanwhile, Fury leads the group to the last known Jaeger in the fleet. "And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the quarterback to our little team. The Mk. III Indigo Patriot."

The mecha has the upper body of Gipsy Danger, but the legs of Striker Eureka. Its color scheme is a deep indigo-blue with red highlights and a white star surrounding the core. The most unique features are the two attachments on the lower arms, each one carrying state-of-the-art Zero Energy shield technology, making the Jaeger a powerful defender.

As the Pilots gaze in awe of the metal beast, Fury looks off in the distance and says, "Speaking of quarterbacks; Captain Rogers. Captain Barnes."

The new recruits turn away from the Jaeger and turn to see her Pilots approaching them. One of them, a clean-shaven blonde man, is Captain Steve Rogers. The other, a dark-haired bearded man, is Captain James "Bucky" Barnes. Both Pilots are wearing indigo-blue uniforms and auras of experience and confidence.

The kind of auras that put a small blush on Korra's face.

Suigetsu notices this and jokes, "Hey, Korra. Your husbands are approaching."

Korra, without even a glance, simply raises her fist–

POW! "Augh!"

–and whacks Suigetsu's nose hard.

As Suigetsu holds his bleeding nose in pain, Captains Rogers and Barnes approach the group. Capt. Rogers turns to Fury and gives a nod. "Commander Fury. How's the tour coming?"

"Got a little sidetracked by a certain coworker of ours," Fury responds.

Rogers gives a knowing look. "Tony gave his sales pitch again, didn't he?"

"The man loves to hear himself talk," Fury confirms.

"Well, I'm sure somebody does," Capt. Barnes quips as he approaches the group of younger Pilots. He notices one of them holding their nose. "What's up with you?"

Suigetsu, surprised at being noticed, stammers out, "Uh, I-I, uh, got hit by some unnecessary baggage." He ignores the glare being sent his way.

Capt. Barnes raises an eyebrow. "First day here and already there's bloodshed." He turns to Rogers. "We might be in trouble here, Steve."

"Knock it off, Bucky," Capt. Rogers admonishes his friend before turning to the group of younger Pilots, "Welcome to the Shatterdome, everybody. Glad to have you all on board."

Capt. Rogers first approaches Jugo, who gives a respectful bow. "My name is Jugo Bazaka," the young man introduces himself, "It's an honor to be working with you, sir."

Capt. Rogers gives a bow of his own. "The honor is mine." He then approaches Suigetsu.

Suigetsu raises his blood-covered right hand. "Suigetsu Hozuki. I'd shake your hand, but, uh…," he jokes.

Capt. Rogers smirks and gives an understanding nod. He then recognizes one of the Musketeers. "Ben Tennyson, I presume?"

Ben raises his eyebrows in surprise. "You know me?"

"Commander Tennyson informed us that you would be assigned to our base," Capt. Rogers explains as he extends his hand out to the younger Pilot, "Max was a mentor for myself and Bucky when we first started our career. It'll be an honor to serve with his grandson."

Ben nods his head dumbly and shakes the offered hand. "Thank you, Captain."

Capt. Rogers then turns towards his fellow blond. "You must be Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto nods as he shakes the Captain's hand. "I take it you guys fought side-by-side with my parents too?"

"Nah, but we sure as hell wish we did," Capt. Barnes speaks up from a distance, not bothering with the meet-and-greet, "I would have loved to have kicked some Kaiju ass with the Crimson Flash."

Rogers give his friend a look. He then gives Naruto a hesitant nod. "What he said."

Naruto smiles and says, "Well, I'd certainly love to kick some Kaiju ass with the Indigo Patriot."

Rogers chuckles and replies, "Likewise." He approaches the nervous female of the group and asks, "And you are?"

Korra, ever confident and sure of herself, panics at the sight of her past crush staring at her. Her panic causes her to rigidly salute at the Captain. "K-KORRA GREY REPORTING FOR DUTY, CAPTAIN ROGERS!"

Complete silence descends upon the group. Naruto and Ben both turn away from their friend in embarrassment, with a quiet "wow" coming from Naruto's lips. Barnes tries desperately to hold in his laughter. Commander Fury once again pinches his brow.

Rogers simply smiles in amusement and offers the flustered girl his hand. "At ease, soldier. Call me Steve."

Korra, now beet-red from embarrassment, stiffly shakes the offered hand. "C-Call me Korra."

"Sure thing, Korra," Steve replies, making Korra release imaginary steam from her ears from hearing her name being spoken from his mouth.

'These rookies are gonna be the death of me', Fury thinks in annoyance. He clears his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "If we're all done making fools of ourselves, let's keep this train moving."

The group of recruits follows after the Commander, but not before Steve gives Korra a subtle wink, making the girl shyly duck her head. As the group continues the tour, Korra gives her two friends a fierce glare. "Not. One. Word," she growls. Naruto and Ben respond by zipping their lips.

"This next portion of our little tour directly involves the lot of you," says Fury, "so pay close attention."

He makes the group stop at yet another Jaeger, one which none of the rookies recognize. Its color scheme is sky-blue with purple highlights and a red Crimson Typhoon symbol on its chest. It has the head, body, and legs of Striker Eureka, the upper arms of Cherno Alpha, and the lower arms of Gipsy Danger. The most unique inclusions are the large thrusters attached to the elbows.

"What's this one called?" Suigetsu asks in confusion, "I've never seen her before. Pretty cool looking, though."

"You tell me," Fury responds nonchalantly, "You and Mr. Bazaka are in charge of naming her."

Both Suigetsu and Jugo widen their eyes in astonishment. They slowly turn to Fury. Suigetsu raises a shaky finger towards the Jaeger and says, "You mean…this is…"

"Yours? That's right."

"YOSH!" Suigetsu shouts with glee. He starts shaking Jugo around in excitement. "Look at her, Jugo! Isn't she beautiful?! We're gonna kill a shitload of Kaiju with this baby!"

"Y-Y-Yes, Suigetsu! S-S-She's beautiful! S-S-Stop shaking me!"

Fury shakes his head amusedly while the other rookies watch on with smiles on their faces. Fury turns to the Three Musketeers and says, "What say we let the happy couple celebrate on their own?"

"Sounds good to me," Naruto responds, his two friends agreeing with him. They follow Fury to what they presume to be their new Jaeger. Naruto then asks, "So, Commander Fury, are we getting a Typhoon unit?"

"Or maybe that new Mk. VI triple-pilot Jaeger that they're coming out with?" Korra inquires.

Fury simply says, "You'll see."

They approach their final stop in the hangar bay. The jaws of all three Pilots drop in astonishment, and stars fill their eyes.

"Are these…?" Ben asks.

Fury nods.

Not one, but two Jaegers stand before them. But not just any Jaegers. These are two of the newest and most advanced Jaegers in the PPDC. The Mk VI's. They both heavily resemble Gipsy Danger. However, they are sleeker, more versatile, and have dual vortex turbines instead of the singular turbines of their predecessors. One of them is bright orange with blue highlights. The other is chrome with emerald highlights.

"Commander Fury," Naruto murmurs in shock, "Please tell me I'm in the orange one."

"As a matter of fact, Mr. Uzumaki, you are," Fury confirms, getting a whoop of joy from the blonde, "And so is Ms. Grey. Mr. Tennyson will be piloting the other Jaeger."

Ben looks confused. "Wait. Then who's my Co-Pilot?"

Suddenly, Ben's danger senses go off. He instantly reaches out and grabs an object being thrown at him. It takes him only a second to realize that the wriggling object in his hand is a large snake trying to take a bite out of him. Instinctively, he launches the snake out of his hand, which, unfortunately, lands on a poor, unsuspecting worker.

"W-What the fu–"

Hisssss

"GYAAAAH!"

Ben cringes as the worker gets assaulted by the serpent. "Sorry!" Watching the attack leaves him unprepared for the arms that wrap around him and start squeezing the life out of him.

"You've got good reflexes, brat." Ben turns and sees a woman with purple hair in a ponytail and a predatory grin on her face. "You might last a while in my tender care." The way she licks her lips terrifies Ben.

Fury, unfazed, says, "Ben Tennyson, this is your Co-Pilot, Anko Mitarashi."

Ben gulps. "Do I get a say in this?"

"No."

"Hey Fury, hope you don't mind if my new partner and I spend some quality time," Anko asks, gripping her Co-Pilot even tighter.

"Just have him back in one piece by dinner," Fury answers indifferently.

"No promises," Anko quips as she drags her partner away.

Pure terror runs through Ben's body. He turns to his friends for support. "Uh, guys, a little help here!"

Naruto and Korra, however, are dealing with a different matter.

"Korra, what's with your hate for the color orange?"

"Naruto, I am not fighting monsters in a giant tangerine!"

"First of all, that's sunset orange, not tangerine orange. Second of all, orange is the perfect color for a Jaeger! It's full of energy, confidence, and power!"

"YOU DAMN TRAITORS!" Ben shouts as he's dragged towards his doom, leaving the Commander with two Pilots left.

Fury addresses the other two Musketeers, "Alright, now the official name of this model is Gipsy Avenger, but this is you Jaeger, so you can name it whatever the hell you want."

Naruto and Korra snap out of their argument and begin a new discussion on names. Mutterings can be overheard.

"That's a good one. "No, that's stupid." "Naruto, enough with the orange!"

Finally, both Pilots nod in agreement and turn to their superior officer with their new Jaeger name.

"Riptide Maelstrom!"

Fury nods in acceptance. "Not bad at all. Welcome to the L.A. Fleet, Riptide Maelstrom."

Naruto and Korra both cheer and hug in excitement. Slowly but surely, their ambitions are being realized. Soon, they will be joining their fellow Pilots in the epic war against the Kaiju menace!

Fury watches the celebration with a sad smile on his face. 'Enjoy the moment while you can. You all are gonna get a major wake-up call before you know it.'

Location: Training Room 13

Meanwhile, the third Musketeer is in a less then celebratory mood.

Whack! "ARGH!"

Mainly due to the fact that he's trying to not get killed by his Co-Pilot.

Ben hits the mat for the umpteenth time. He grunts in pain from the multiple bruises that are now forming all over his body. Nevertheless, Ben once again pushes himself up off the mat.

'Get it together, Tennyson. You've trained for years to fight monsters that destroy cities. You can handle this bitch.'

His opponent is significantly less bruised, though she does have to catch her breath. Anko hates to admit it, but this rookie is stronger than she expected. It brings a smile to her face.

"I gotta say, you've lasted a hell of a lot longer than other guys I've tangled with," Anko comments.

"Thank you for the glowing review," Ben huffs out.

Anko chuckles. "It's always the ones with the most talk that end up being Kaiju food first."

"Really? Then how have you lasted so long?" Ben quips.

Anko loses her smile and growls, "Let me show you, bastard." And with that, she continues her assault on the younger Pilot. Her strikes are fast, precise, and aimed at his weak spots, leaving Ben continually on the defense. He idly notes that she's particularly fond of attacking his manhood.

'This crazy lady's as much of a viper as you can possibly get!' Ben mentally cries as he continues blocking the snake woman's attacks.

Anko becomes frustrated at the lack of offense coming from her partner. "Come on, brat! Hit me already! Or are you too much of a coward to hit a lady?!"

"You're a lady?!"

"HYAAGH!" And thus, another volley of hits comes his way.

It's after a few more strikes that Ben notices something odd. Anko's attacks are ferocious and quick, but not that unmanageable. In fact, the longer the fight goes on, the easier it is for him to predict her moves. It's as if he could somehow read her mind.

'Is this what a Pilot's connection feels like?' Ben wonders. He's no stranger to being in synch with others. As one of the three Musketeers, Ben was used to being connected to his friends on a subconscious level. But now he's feeling that same connection with a total stranger.

Meanwhile, Anko is feeling something similar. The otherworldly bond forming between two unknown individuals. The bond of Drift Compatibility. She felt this bond once before, with…

Anko shakes her head of those thoughts and grits her teeth. "I said hit me!" she yells as she goes in for a brutal strike. This time, though, Ben knows her pattern and sees an opening. He intercepts Anko's strike and pulls her in for a brutal headbutt to the nose. As Anko clutches her bleeding nose, Ben follows up with a knee to her gut, which knocks the wind out of her. He finishes by sweeping her feet out from under her, sending them both down to the mat.

By the time Anko collects herself, she finds herself on the mat on her back, with her Co-Pilot sitting on top of her, one hand grasping her neck, and another one pinning her arms above her head. "So, did I pass your little test?" Ben asks as he gets his breath back.

Anko, however, is livid seeing the rookie boy not only beat her, but also hold her down like this. "You little shithead! Once I get out of here, I'm gonna–"

"Will you just shut the fuck up already?" Ben demands, causing Anko to pause her tirade in shock. "I get it, you're the baddest bitch in all of Los Angeles, and I'm the shiny new rookie that you have to put up with. And frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. I came here to fight monsters and keep my loved ones protected, and according to Fury, you're my best hope at doing that. So, either you help me save the world, or I'm gonna find someone who's better suited for the job. Got it?"

Anko blinks a few times, trying to process what this boy just said to her. 'This son of a bitch.' Finally, she takes a deep breath, and asks, "Do you mind letting me go, brat?"

Ben narrows his eyes. "You gonna try and kill me again?"

"Nope."

Ben reluctantly releases Anko's arms and neck, then moves away from her. He immediately regrets the decision, however, as she sits up, grips his collar, and pulls him towards her. It's not the grip on his uniform that frightens him, but the hungry grin on his Co-Pilot's face.

"You've got a massive pair on you, you know that?" Before Ben can process Anko's words, he finds his face pulled into hers in a ravenous and smoldering kiss. Ben's mind goes blank at the sudden shift in the room. First this crazy woman's trying to kill him, and now she's pillaging his mouth with her surprisingly long tongue.

'WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK?!' Ben mentally screams as he's pushed down onto the map, his partner ravaging his mouth and stealing his breath. He finally snaps out of his shock when he hears Anko rip his uniform shirt open.

Gathering his senses, Ben pushes Anko off of him and gasps for breath. "H-Hold on a minute! A-Are we seriously doing this?!"

Anko smirks as she slowly and seductively opens up her own shirt, revealing her purple bra. She chuckles at seeing her new partner's face glow bright red.

"You've got some moves, rookie, but you've still got a lot to learn if you want to really keep up with me." Anko unclips her bra, revealing her bare breasts to the younger male. She lays down on top of him, her large, full tits rubbing against his body. "So why don't you let the baddest bitch in all of Los Angeles teach the shiny new rookie some tricks?"

Ben gulps loudly. "Am I going to need a safe word?"

Anko smiles and leans close to Ben's ear. "Anaconda," she whispers, before biting his ear lobe.

"Oh, man," Ben groans as his eyes begin to roll. He has no idea whether heaven or hell awaits him, but he's going to find out real soon.

Location: Mess Hall/Bar

Dinner is now in full swing here at Shatterdome 3. Scores of men and women occupy the dining tables and the fully stocked bar, which is unique to this particular Shatterdome. Tony Stark requested that the bar be installed in order to "improve the fleet's morale". Fury reluctantly agreed, on the condition that Tony not only pay for the installation, but also for upkeep and maintenance.

This is how Tony Stark became the unofficial bartender for Casa del Stark Bar, and why he himself is now serving drinks for Naruto and Korra.

The rookies slowly enjoy their beverages as they unwind. After the visit to their new Jaeger, Fury gave the duo a tour of the rest of the facility, including training rooms and crew cabins. He then gave them a schedule for meals, training slots, Jaeger test runs, and weekly shore leave. After that, Naruto and Korra still had enough time to try out one of the training facilities for a bit before dinner. And now, they are eating their fill, quenching their thirst, and socializing with their fellow Pilots.

Naruto sighs in content. "This is just perfect. Us, here, enjoying some tasty drinks, and hanging out with our new crew. I can't think of a better way to end the day."

"No truer words have ever been spoken, my young comrade," Tony remarks with a smile as he mixes another drink. "So, how do you two like your new Jaeger?"

"She's amazing!" Korra exclaims. "I'm still not that big a fan of the color," "Oi!" "but otherwise she's just perfect. I'm still surprised that we're going to be piloting Mk. VI's."

Naruto pouts and says, "For the most part, I agree with her. She's absolutely spectacular." He then gives Tony a look. "Which is the answer you were looking for, right, Mr. Stark? Your company did design that particular model, after all."

"Yeah, we really outdid ourselves with this model," Tony boasts, "Especially with the new weapons."

"What kind of weapons are we talking about?" Naruto inquires.

Tony gives a faux thinking pose. "I'd tell you now, but I think I'll let you guys figure that out for yourselves during your first test run tomorrow morning."

"Does this mean we have to lay off the alcohol?" Korra jokes.

Tony's elegant response is, "I sure as hell wouldn't."

Naruto notices that one of his fellow Musketeers is missing. He looks around the hall, before turning to his fellow Pilots. "Hey, have any of you guys seen Ben? I don't see him anywhere in the hall."

Bucky speaks up from across the bar. "He's probably still spending quality time with Mitarashi. Poor bastard."

All of the other seasoned Pilots nod in agreement, making all of the rookies look at each other with confusion and worry.

"Pardon me, but is there something we should know about Mitarashi-san?" Jugo asks.

"Anko has a tendency to be rough with her partners," Shayera explains delicately.

Tony, however, has no such delicacy. "And, by rough, she means that Anko pulverizes and utterly humiliates her partners."

"Damn," Suigetsu mutters with wide eyes. "How long can Ben last against that?"

"I say four days," Bucky states.

"Five for me!" Rhodey chips in.

"Guys, let's be more faithful in the boy," Shayera says, trying to be optimistic, "One week."

"Same," Carter agrees with his wife.

"Oh, you all are so adorable," Tony remarks, "Two days before he becomes a Section 8."

Naruto and Korra, meanwhile, are both slack jawed seeing these seasoned, inspirational guardians wagering over their comrade's future mental state.

"What about you, Steve?" Bucky asks his Co-Pilot. "What's your wager?"

Steve shakes his head in disappointment. "Come on guys," he admonishes the group, "let's be adults here. If half of what Commander Tennyson has told me about the boy is true, then I believe that he has more commitment, willpower, and mental fortitude than you can possibly imagine."

The two Musketeers light up with joy at the praise for their friend.

"That's why I'm giving him ten days."

And then they both face fault.

Suigetsu then notices a pair of figures entering the hall. "Hey, is that them over there?"

Everyone in the bar and the hall turns their attention towards the entrance. Eyes widen and jaws drop at the sight before them. Even the composed and professional Captain Rogers is shell-shocked.

Approaching the bar are Anko and Ben, an ethereal glow surrounding the pair. Anko's hair is loose from her ponytail, and her smile is warm and full of joy. Ben's hair, however, is messed up in all directions, and his smile is dopey and exhausted. All that, plus Ben's torn shirt, raise a ton of questions from onlookers.

Ben takes a seat next to his concerned and surprised friends. Anko sits at his other side and waves for Tony. "Hey, Starky! How about some Bacardi for me and my partner?!"

Tony, still stunned, mumbles out a, "I, um, I don't, um…what?"

"Ben, are you okay?" Korra asks her fellow Musketeer.

Ben turns to his friends and says in a Zen tone, "I saw everything."

Cue question marks over everyone's heads.

Ben continues, "I saw civilization conquer the stars. I saw humanity rise above the Kaiju menace once and for all. I saw the future, bright and full of opportunity."

Anko laughs her head off and wraps her arm around Ben's shoulder. "That's what happens when you become a man, Ben!"

A wave of understanding hits the group. Naruto gawps at the happy duo. "You didn't."

A pair of shit-eating grins is his answer.

"WHAAAAAAAT?!", the entire hall shouts in astonishment.

"Hey Rhodey!" Ben calls out across the bar, "I'll take that drink now!"

Rhodey, after shaking off his shock, gives a proud smile. "Sure thing, Ben!" He turns to Tony. "Yo, you heard the man, Tony! Send a drink his way for me!"

Tony smirks. "Two double-shots of Bacardi coming right up!"

The majority of the hall erupts into cheers, praising Ben for doing the impossible, earning Anko Mitarashi's respect and then some. Some notable exceptions include Shayera, who shakes her head in embarrassment, and Korra, who gives her blonde Co-Pilot a glare for his cheering. Naruto scratches the back of his head and grins sheepishly.

Soon, Ben and Anko get their drinks, and Ben holds up his glass for a toast. "To a bright future for all!"

"Here here!" Anko replies, holding her glass up as well.

"Here here!" Naruto, Korra, and the other Pilots join in. A clinking of glasses signals the beginning of a long night of drinking and revelry. New friendships are made, games are played, and somebody (Tony) makes an ass of themselves. All in all, a grand time is had by everyone.

In a dark corner of the room, Commander Fury watches the party go down. A small, rare smile forms on his face. Everyone, especially the rookie Pilots, have a long, tortuous journey ahead of them, full of pain, loss, and torment. But for now, he'll let them enjoy themselves in this happy moment.

At the bar, the Three Drunk Musketeers embrace each other in an inebriated hug. A red-faced Naruto gives a dopey smile and shouts, "THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE, DATTEBAYO!"

"A-ha!" Ben points at his blond friend, "He said it! He said it!"

"Dattebayo!" Korra yells.

"Dattebayo!" Everyone else responds, making Naruto flush even more.

"Urusai!"

End Chapter

A.N.: Phew! Man, this took a hell of a long time for me to write, even with some of my new inspiration. Granted, there was a family crisis and a new job for me to deal with, but still. My sincerest apologies for taking so long, and I hope this will be worth it.

Now, I know what some of you are going to say; "OC, where is the Jaeger/Kaiju action?!" Slow down, kemosabes. There's no action in this chapter because this chapter is for introductions and character bonding. Next chapter will involve some Jaeger action, and then a couple more chapters for character interactions before I unleash the next Kaiju attack.

In this story, Kaiju attacks occur in regular intervals of 29 days (with some exceptions), leaving 28 days' worth of training, humor, drama, and romance to work with. Now I don't want to make this fic have that heavy of a focus on battles and such, I also want to focus on the characters themselves. For those of you who have a problem with that, my friend Jorgen von Strangle has a message for you.

Jorgen von Strangle: Tough Tinkies!

Thank you.

Anyways, as promised, the next update will be Iron Man: Titanic Adventures. After that, I will begin writing my Anime Cinematic Universe! Hooray! And according to the unofficial plot poll, the winner is…

(insert drum roll)

…Option B! DC Universe with Anime mixed in!

So yeah, I'll be starting off with the Young Justice Universe and I'll work from there. I hope you guys will enjoy my ideas. I know I certainly do.

Until next time!

Dropareviewifyoucanflamerswillbeignored.