Unparalleled Mechascout

I know you're marked for scrap, but I still can't let you go...

If only I could find some spare parts...

Huh? Aren't you... Rover from the Academy? You want this? No, no! Finders keepers, alright? Don't even think about taking it!

Scavenging?! How dare you call the work of a machine enthusiast scavenging!?

As you can see, everything here is already officially decommissioned. This big guy is now just a pile of cold, useless metal.

But "decommissioned" shouldn't be its end. Since the wiping of its data core is already an announcement of its death, we are now free from all the rules!

R-really? I thought that line was rather cool. I've been saving it, haha.

To be honest, I'm from the Agronomy Wing, but I've always dreamed of joining the Multi-Turret Club and designing my own mechs... I just, well, didn't pass their assessment.

But now, I've just had a wave of inspiration. This may be my chance to follow my dream and rehaul this mech. Just imagine it standing on its own feet again!

I will create a Mechascout the likes of which no one has ever seen! So... will you help me?

Don't worry, I'll give you a satisfying reward for your trouble!

Its torso is pretty much intact. If we can just find the right parts, we can start the modifications right away.

Actually, I ordered a batch of leg parts out of my own pocket a few days ago, but they were stolen by Outcasts. What if we tried to get them back?

Never mind the details. We shouldn't let existing designs limit ourselves. We must break free from all conventions!

The Outcast's camp is no joke. You should create a distraction, then sneak in to grab the parts. Remember, safety first!

It's a supplies package from the Academy...

I should bring it back.

You're finally back! How did it go? Did you find the parts?

No question about it! They were made for my Mechascout! I'll install them right away!

Oh my, the modifications turned out even better than I imagined! I feel confident that we can finish this now!

You get it! I specifically chose parts from different sources to maximize performance diversity!

Now that it can stand on its own two feet, it's time to give it a pair of strong arms!

There's a merchant at a Roya camp who specializes in recycling damaged parts from the Academy's Mechascouts. He'll definitely have what we need.

Don't worry, whatever he charges, I'll mark it in the expenses!

That little rascal... What's to be done...

Huh? Parts... I find I am in no mood for business today.

My son, that little scamp, has grown a picky tongue! He throws fits, refusing to eat our food.

A growing lad needs his food. Why won't he eat?

Got tired of them... You have a point!

We make our best dishes for him, his mother and I! Yet he turns his head away. Bored of our food, he must be!

But I've heard that food in your Academy halls has... a unique flavor. True, this tale? A hand you could lend?

Bring me the Academy's most iconic food, and these arm parts are yours! It's time I showed my boy the diversity this world has to offer!

(The quintessential Academy food... Is it the "Complete Nutrition Squeezy Jelly" or the "Instant Wakeup Energy Gel Sachet"?)

(I'll get it ready for the trade.)

This taste that robs a person of their appetite... this feeling of science... Yes, this is it!

I'll make good use of this "generous gift." May it cure my boy's finicky ways.

The parts are yours, as was promised. My thanks to you.

Oooh, these are the Mechascout arms of my dreams! So much power! I can feel the potential!

Watch as I install these parts! Hmm, the connection ports might not be a perfect fit...

Minor issues! Every problem has a solution. Don't worry!

I am halfway through the assembly process. Victory is in sight!

Now, the next step is crucial. I'm planning to install a more powerful weapon system, true to the Multi-Turret Club's philosophy!

There's an old Huanglong saying, something like, "If you want to do a job well, you first need a sharp weapon."

Exactly! That's the one! I didn't know you were so familiar with Huanglong culture.

Can't have "Multi-Turrets" without "guns," eh? Eh?! I've been dying to install an electromagnetic railgun on a Mechascout.

But such weapons aren't particularly easy to find. The Expedition Team has several decommissioned Spacetrek Explorers rusting out in the wild. I've marked their locations on your map. Mind helping me track them down?

According to his marked location, they should be around here...

The parts are ours! Now get ready to eat dust!

Oh, you're so full of it! That beat-up bike of yours can't even run over a few boxes!

The way you ride, I doubt you'd even break the speed limit inside the Academy. You really think you can race us?

Don't give me that crap! Everyone knows there are speed-limiters on campus vehicles!

You're the one who's desperate for these parts for your experiment, and you proposed this race! Getting cold feet now? Just hand over the parts and walk away, and I'll forget this ever happened!

Ha. Very funny! Me? Bail? We had a deal, whoever smashes the most boxes gets the parts! A word once spoken...

That's right!... Wait, who the heck are you?

Hmph, I don't care if you're some backup they called in.

You want a race? You're on!

You actually... smashed all of them?!

That kind of god-tier driving, you must be a legend! Are you the one they call the "Startorch Rider"?

You won, so the parts are yours. But on one condition!

I-I'd like to have your contact info. If we get a chance, let's go racing together!

Me too! You have to come to our next race!

After all these years, this is the closest I've come to fulfilling my dream!

Just one final step! We need a strong enough power source, or in simple terms, the head, and then it'll be finished!

I called in a favor from a colleague in the field. He found the perfect head unit. Could you make one last trip and bring it back?

Absolutely not! I asked him to store it inside a specialized protective container. Safety guaranteed!

The address has been sent to your Terminal. Make haste, and travel safe!

That bonehead Zeon... He really knows how to make my life difficult.

Next time, I'm making him buy me a royal feast!

Zeon sent you to pick up the materials, correct?

He has no idea how much trouble this was... It's technically decommissioned, but getting what he asked for was a nightmare.

Listen, this is a classified component. Do not open the case. Don't let anyone see it. Or we'll all be in deep trouble.

And when you see him? Give him an earful for me, will you?

Seems like the more I rush, the more obstacles appear...

My dream from my student days...

To think I'd ever see the day it became real...

At last... the final piece to the puzzle!

Thank you. I could never have assembled this Mechascout without you.

I humbly invite you to bear witness to this incredibly important moment of my life. This is also the moment I fulfill my promise to you.

I promised you I would create a Mechascout the likes of which no one has ever seen. A Mechascout of unparalleled excellence—

We did it! We really did it!

Rover, look! It's moving! It's standing on its own!

Thanks to your help, this is my first fully functional mech assembly! We did it!

So this is the purpose for your scavenging? A walking heap of scrap, I see.

Some of those parts were stolen from our camp.

Our thanks you have, for saving us the work. We will sell the whole machine! A finer price it will bring!

No! No one lays a finger on my mech! It's just a child!

Detected... Hostile intent. Initiating... Defense Protocol.

What the...! It moves?? Is it not a failed creation?!

Warning... Evacuate immediately. Countdown initiated... 5... 4...

...1. Commencing attack.

How did it jump from 5 to 1?! That's not fair—

It... activated self-destruct.

Heh. That pile of bolts gave me a start!

But now it's blown to smithereens! Let's see what shields you now—

Hello? I'm still here. Did you forget about me?

It's all my fault. A rookie mistake... I forgot to install the overload safety unit... I made it self-destruct...

I promised an Unparalleled Mechascout...

R-Really? You don't have to just say that to make me feel better...

Yes, you find it cute as well, don't you? That was my masterful design, especially the part with the TARD-E head!

If only it could hear your compliments...

Of course not! I'll treat this experience as the starting point of my research.

One day, I'll create an even more perfect Mechascout!

But before that, I want to erect a statue here. To honor its memory, to remember my mistakes, and to remember your aid.

Just wait and see. I promised you an Unparalleled Mechascout, and an Unparalleled Mechascout I shall deliver!

Hey, Rover! Remember our Unparalleled Mechascout?

The memorial statue I mentioned is finally finished. You know where to find it.

I posed its arms in a guardian's stance, to honor how it protected us that day.

Come by and see it sometime. It would be nice to catch up too!

Almost there... Just a bit longer...

The designer of this statue really has taste!

Is the designer trying to pay tribute to "Valley of Fire"? Or is it "Underground City"?

I'm a friend of Zeon. There's been an accident on the bridge up ahead, and the entire road is blocked.

I've dispatched a drone to help you. You can use it to pass through quickly.

When you get there, remember to yell at the bastard for me!