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Chapter 3: The Gathering Storm
The Foundation's bells echoed through the air early that morning, waking every Parasite in their quarters. Hiro stirred from a restless sleep, feeling a strange pressure in his chest — as if something important was about to happen.
Zero Two was already up, standing by the window, gazing at the rising sun. She turned slightly when she sensed Hiro waking, her eyes carrying a glint of excitement... and something deeper, something she herself couldn't name.
Today was the day.
The day they would finally step outside the safety of the Foundation.
In the central hall, all the squads gathered. Familiar faces from their past lives — Ichigo, Goro, Miku, Zorome, Kokoro, Mitsuru, Futoshi — all stood assembled in their new uniforms, looking sharper and more determined than ever. None of them fully remembered their pasts either, but they felt an invisible thread binding them together, a trust that couldn't be explained.
Standing on the platform above them was Dr. Hachi, who had also been mysteriously brought back, older but still carrying that unreadable expression.
He spoke firmly, "Parasites, you have been summoned here because humanity faces a threat beyond what we have ever known. The Klaxosaurs have returned... but they are evolving."
Gasps filled the room.
"But this time," he continued, "they are guided by something... someone. We have identified the reawakening of Code 000 — the Klaxosaur Princess. She poses a threat not only to humanity, but to the very balance of this planet."
The screen behind him lit up, showing a map with strange energy signals blooming deep underground.
"Your mission is simple: reconnaissance. Engage only if necessary. Teams will be deployed outside the perimeter. Stay sharp."
As assignments were given, Hiro and Zero Two were naturally placed together — Strelizia had been fully restored, gleaming under the morning sun in the hangar, like a warrior awaiting its masters.
Before boarding, Hiro and Zero Two met eyes again. There were no words. Just a strange, thrilling tension that made both their hearts beat faster.
Inside the cockpit, Hiro fastened his belts and looked at Zero Two sitting ahead of him. She smirked playfully. "Ready, darling?"
Hiro chuckled softly without realizing why that word made his chest tighten. "Let's do this."
The FranXX units launched one after another, streaking across the scarred lands outside the Foundation.
For a while, everything seemed peaceful — too peaceful. Fields of ruined cities stretched endlessly, long abandoned and half-consumed by nature.
But peace never lasted long in their world.
Suddenly, seismic alarms blared inside their cockpits. The ground cracked open, and from beneath the ruins, the familiar roar of Klaxosaurs echoed through the wasteland.
Small and mid-sized Klaxosaurs began to emerge — grotesque, snarling, and far more aggressive than anything the Parasites had seen in simulations. But even as they engaged in formation, one thing became clear:
These Klaxosaurs weren't attacking aimlessly.
They were moving like soldiers, as if following an invisible command.
Zero Two narrowed her eyes. "Something's different about them..."
Hiro nodded grimly. "They're organized."
As they fought and brought down several Klaxosaurs, a strange event caught everyone off-guard — a tiny, almost fragile-looking Klaxosaur, barely larger than a human, appeared among the wreckage. Its cries were distorted and sorrowful, different from the usual feral roars.
Before anyone could react, it pounced upon the fallen corpses of the other Klaxosaurs — and absorbed them.
The small Klaxosaur's body swelled and twisted, growing larger by the second. Plates of bone armor formed around its body, and its shape began to resemble something... unsettlingly human.
The instructors back at base immediately sent an emergency message:
> "Caution! The small Klaxosaur is infused with a fragment of Code 000's energy! It is evolving! Fall back immediately!"
But it was too late.
The newly formed monster roared — an earth-shattering, blood-curdling sound that made even the seasoned Parasites freeze in fear.
Hiro and Zero Two braced themselves. Zero Two grinned fiercely, the excitement of battle surging through her veins.
"This is just the beginning, darling," she whispered.
And in the deep shadows beyond, hidden from their sight, a pair of cold, ancient eyes watched them with interest... waiting.
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