A Battle Fought Alone

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"A Battle Fought Alone" 一人ぼっちの戦い (Hitoribotchi no Takakai)
Publisher	Kodansha
Published in	Comic BomBom
First published	July 1999
Cover date	August 1999
Script	Shōji Imaki
Artist	Shōji Imaki
Continuity	Beast Wars manga

The Maximals pay a visit to Colada's homeworld, where they learn of a great threat. In the meantime, Longrack must contend with a bomb planted on the Gung Ho.

Synopsis

In the Dinosaur, Magmatron has to separate himself into Skysaurus, Landsaurus, and Seasaurus, and stay in the healing chamber due to wounds incurred in the last battle with Big Convoy. He orders his henchmen to go to the planet Jörmungandr to retrieve another Angolmois Capsule.

Meanwhile, the Maximals detect there the capsule on the planet Jörmungandr, as well. Before setting out to the planet, Big Convoy assigns Longrack in charge of the Gung Ho. Longrack despairs, considering the assignment an indication that Big Convoy has little faith in his fighting abilities. Big Convoy tells him that he was chosen because he has the potential for leadership. Big's words cheer up Longrack and makes him more willing to take command. However, Break in turn despairs because he feels he is not favored by their instructor. After leaving the bridge, Big Convoy tells Break that he was assgined to the field mission because of his courage, cheering up Break.

When the field team approaches Jörmungandr, there is no sign of presence till the planet suddenly apppears behind them, freaking out Break and Stampy. Colada explains that Jörmungandr is a comet-like planet in the shape of a serpent's head, roaming across the galaxy. Colada then guides the other members into the planet through the serpent's mouth. After landing on the planet's surface, Colada tells them additional information about the planet. Break wonders how he knows so much and Colada reveals that Jörmungandr was his home planet. Colada tells them about the mythology of Scuba Geso Mongō the Squid God, who turned all the native cobras into Transformers. When Break asks where Colada's family is, the cobra informs him that they are all dead.

Meanwhile, on the Gung Ho, Longrack is role-playing as the commander and spotted by Heinrad, who is curious about what the giraffe is doing. Longrack explains that he is simulating what would happen if he became a commander, a rank he desires. He tells Heinrad that his desire comes about because all of his family members were once Convoys. Just as he is having his moment, two intruders break in: the Predacons Hydra and Hardhead. Hardhead accidentally cuts open Hydra's chest while threatening the Maximals. Hydra demands an apology, to which Hardhead replies with seppuku. Just as Longrack is wondering what they did, Hydra claims their mission has been accomplished—planting a bomb aboard the ship.

Back to Jörmungandr, Colada tells the others that he witnessed his father being brutally killed along with other inhabitants during a massacre by an unknown legion of monsters when he was a child. Colada later joined the Maximals to avenge his people's death. With those revelations, Break felt sorry for him and decides not to call him "Reptilian Guy" furthermore. The Maximals are soon attacked by the Predacons.

On the Gung Ho, Longrack finally finds the bomb. When NAVI asks if he can defuse it, Longrack is confident, claiming it is no problem as long as he had the manual. He begins to defuse the bomb step by step with the help of the manual until the last step—cutting the black or white wire. He becomes insecure and nervous. NAVI becomes mad and scolds him. Not knowing what to do, the spirits of Longrack's father and ancestors suddenly show up, hinting him to cut the white wire by telling him the family didn't need any white flag.

In the battle on Jörmungandr, while others were fighting, Dead End is happy that he finally met the legendary Big Convoy and asks if he has the honor to fight the One-Man Army. Big Convoy gives him a positive answer by throwing his Big Cannon away and flipping out his tonfas. The two have a fierce close quarters combat that both enjoy till the Predacon second-in-command Guiledart orders Saberback to shoot both Big Convoy and Dead End to stop wasting time. Initially, Guiledart is happy because he thinks Big Convoy is dead till he is horrifyingly corrected by the raging Big Convoy, only minutely injured and angry that his entertaining battle was interrupted. Big Convoy quickly picks up the Big Cannon and fires at the Predacon, blowing him into pieces. However, the blast also pokes a hole on the planet's wall, causing all of them to be sucked out to space. Before being sucked out, Dead End grabs Big Convoy's shoulder, telling the Maximal that he had a great time with him, so he had no regrets. Soon afterward, Saberback uses his vine to grab the Big Cannon, while Break is being sucked out into the space. Big Convoy subconsciously chooses to let the Big Cannon go and save Break. Due to the powerful suction, Scuba's statue crumbles down into pieces and reveals the capsule hidden inside. The capsule is sucked into the wall and plugs the hole, stopping the suction.

Back on the Gung Ho, Longrack misinterprets the hint given by the ancestors and cuts the black line—the wrong one. As the bomb begins to detonate, Heinrad freezes time, reversing it back to the moment when Longrack tried to cut the wrong wire. Heinrad places Longrack's hand on the correct wire and starts time again. Thus, the bomb is successfully defused. Longrack is so happy that tears started to burst out. NAVI wonders why the white wire was cut, as she recalls Longrack was going to cut the black one. No one notices the poker-faced Heinrad, who stands aside.

Heading back to Gung Ho, Big Convoy is troubled about why he chose to save Break and let his Big Cannon go, unaware of the growing bond between him and his trainees. Break considers it his fault for the loss of the Big Cannon.

On the Dinosaur, DNAVI tells Magmatron that his second-in-command and the main force were completely destroyed in the battle on the planet Jörmungandr. The Black Ball—which should have been with the Maximals onboard Gung Ho—suddenly appears and offers the soldiers that Magmatron lacks. Soon, the Blentrons emerge from the Black Ball with a roar.

Later on the Gung Ho, Longrack, now pleased with himself, happily boasts about how he saved the day on the ship to the field team. Later on that day, Stampy walks by Heinrad's room and eavesdrops on the tanuki talking to someone mysterious on his communication screen. Heinrad tells his master that while he had used his power due to extenuating circumstances, there was no possibility that his identity had been blown. Stampy is frightened upon seeing the scene.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Maximals	Predacons	Others
Longrack (6) Break (7) Big Convoy (8) Stampy (9) Colada (10) Heinrad (11) NAVI (12) Longrack's ancestors (13) Colada's father (19)	Magmatron (1) Dead End (2) Guiledart (3) Saberback (4) Sling (5) Hydra (14) Hardhead (15) DNAVI (20)	Drancron (16) Elphaorpha (17) Latolata (18) Black Ball (21)

Quotes

"Instructor Big Convoy is really good at handling us."

—Stampy comments on Big Convoy after seeing how he handle Break and Longrack.

"Uh... why are you here again?"

—Longrack, troubled and confused, upon seeing Hydra and Hardhead's idiotic action.

"Can you defuse the bomb?"
"Not a problem!! — as long as I have this"

—Longrack tells NAVI that he is confident that he can defuse the bomb because he has the manual.

"Oh no, the manual doesn't say what to do about this"

—Longrack is panic because he doesn't know what to do if the manual doesn't provide solutions.

"Listen Longrack, our family don't need any white flag!"

—The spirits of Longrack's ancestors give him hint that he should cut the white wire.

"I see! So all I need to do is cut the black wire!"

—Longrack just proves that how dumb he is.

"Um? Didn't he just say he would cut the black wire? Well, never mind."

—NAVI feels confused after Heinrad secretly helped Longrack.

"You just ruined the joy that I haven't had for a long time."

—Big Convoy is extremely raged towards Guiledart.

"Now I don't have any regret in my whole life!"

—Dead End tells Big Convoy that he is happy to have a fight with him.

"I never trust anyone except for my Big Cannon, who had accompanied for my whole life. Together, we went through many battles. Then why, why I chose to save this lad I just met instead of Big Cannon."

—Big Convoy is trouble about why he let his Big Cannon go, unaware of the growing bond between he and his trainees.

Notes

Continuity notes

• It is possible that Scuba arrived to Jörmungandr with an Angolmois Capsule and used the energy to turn the native cobras into Transformers.
• Colada wears his father's hat.
• Heinrad's room on Gung Ho is a washitsu.
• The person whom Heinrad talks to in the last pages is later revealed to be the Ruler of Time and Space, Heinrad's head supervisor.

Continuity errors

• Stampy is frightened upon seeing Heinrad talking to a mysterious figure with a serious tone, but Stampy's concern toward this never gets mentioned again.

Real-word references

• Jörmungandr takes its name from Jörmungandr, the "World Serpent" from Norse mythology.
• Bighorn is worshiped by the penguin Transformers in a matter similar to the Japanese Buddhism.
• Hardhead is depicted as a samurai-like character and commits seppuku.
• The Blentrons are depicted in a way similar to H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.

Trivia

• Longrack's father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and his ancestors have facial hair.
• Hydra is depicted bleeding to death.