PREVIOUSLY, IN PARADOX FIGHTERS: Holly completes recording Katniss' account and lets it pass among the fighters of the Grand Combat, which infuriates the girl. Holly wishes to repair the damage while Twilight Sparkle becomes increasingly suspicious, enlisting the aid of the powerful monster Alucard. The next round is a challenge to capture a mansion at the center of the walled city Shinganshima, Mikasa's hometown. The round becomes a chaotic game of cat-and-mouse as Katniss pursues the goal, Holly pursues Katniss, and Twilight pursues Holly. Along the way, a myriad of new faces appear: Adam and Ruby, an unusual duo with an explosive cooperative style; Dio, a vampire with the ability to stop time, which the Master of Games has given control of his team to; and Ryuko, a girl with a sentient transforming uniform and a gigantic half-scissor. When our heroes finally join up to confront Dio, Holly is mercilessly killed, sending the warriors running again- until they find the elf alive in a most unusual way. They launch a destructive assault to capture the mansion, but Katniss is consumed by the power of the Satsui No Hado, as her pent-up anger presents the final foe to our heroes. After winning the round, old friends and new alike relax, as a mysterious creature that looks like Holly begins to form a team…

A colossal foot placed itself gently onto the empty street below, buckling the pavement and shattering the ground-floor windows in a five-meter radius. The Jaeger twisted its head, nearly buried in armor plate, and took in a panoramic view of the empty city. A few scattered clouds drifted lazily through a bright blue sky. The Gipsy Danger stood as a stark contrast against the city's immobile skyscrapers, its huge linebacker shoulders refusing to be flat or square.

"Sure does look dead, don't it?" grunted Raleigh, a goofy grin sitting on his face.

"That it does," confirmed Mako. "We'll be able to push Gipsy a lot harder than usual."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," replied the male Ranger, hearing his partner's words before they were spoken. The two nodded in perfect unison, and began a synchronized march against the foot pedals, their side-by-side steps rhythmically moving the heavy implements. The archaic Jaeger mimicked their movements, and began to stomp ahead, carefully maneuvering between buildings with a grace that something that large should not have possessed.

Careful eyes watched the enormous machine walk away. Careful fingers pulled back the mass-production invisibility cloak- a recent invention of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement- and exposed the AEGIS system that she wore over her black-white-blue uniform. A few clicks across the liquid-metal screen, and a shower of blue sparks crackled out underneath her, concealed by the cloak.

"Oof," said the girl who fell out, blinking the stars out of her perpetually-distant, ruby-red eyes.

The woman with the AEGIS sat down next to the girl, the cloak draping over their heads. For a moment, the severity of the situation was nearly forgotten. Here they were, sitting under a sheet like children protesting bedtime. A smile spread across the woman' face.

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. Are you Number Two?"

"I think that name is useless. I am just like the-"

A change of subject was in order. "Never mind. Do you have it?"

"Of course." She held up a small black box, which the woman opened hurriedly, tossing aside the foam backing and removing the eyepiece it contained. She slipped the device over her ear and flipped over the thin piece of red space-plastic so that it covered her left eye.

"Thank you, Rei. That's all for now."

"Hmm," cooed Rei, her facial expression 'changing' to something that could be perceived as 'worry'.

"'Hmm' what?"

"She is angry, you know. Very upset."

"Who's angry?"

"Miss Yoko. She wanted this mission."

"I'm sure she did. But you know what Artemis said. 'Under no circumstance must one make contact with their-'"

"'-Universal counterpart.' I am aware."

"Okay, okay. I'm going to send you back."

"I understand."

With another tap on the AEGIS, Rei disappeared in the same way she had arrived.

Bloody hell. Socially awkward doesn't begin to describe 'em.

She stood up, the cloak billowing out behind her in the gentle breeze. The skyscraper roof she stood on still wasn't as tall as that huge machine, which could still be seen between the buildings ahead. A few dull beeps clattered around in the Scouter's earpiece, and she tapped a panel on the device to receive the call. Artemis' voice crackled over the speaker, truly a paradigm of audio reception.

"This is command. Rei Two just returned. I assume you have found your Scouter in working order?"

"It's fine. The audio quality is a bit of a bugger."

"That is to be expected. We're projecting signal through dimensions. As useful as the Scouter is, it was still designed for localized applications. We will iron out the glitches eventually."

"While you're at it, will you iron out Rei? She's got all of the suave of a hippogriff dropping."

"I am on the line," Rei's quiet voice responded.

"Oh. Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean- I didn't-"

"That's enough. Your mission starts now, Mrs. Granger."

"Solid copy, Artemis," she sighed. "Hermione Granger, out."

The Scouter beeped a few more times to signal the end of the call.

I'm as much of an oaf as that husband of mine. And I'm certainly too old to be up to this sort of nonsense.

She dismissed the second thought, remembering what was at stake. Hermione opened a latch on her left gauntlet and drew the wand stored within. She focused on her destination and disapparated to the next rooftop. After a series of consecutive jumps, her target was dead ahead. The Jaeger swept its head back and forth, clearly looking for something. Hermione slipped the invisibility cloak back up, huddling underneath- hidden in plain sight. She drew a small 'x' in midair with her wand, and the air swirled into a thin lens. Through it, Hermione could see straight into the Jaeger's inner workings, watching its synchronized pilots turning their heads.

"Got 'em," she whispered.

Artemis' voice crackled back in reply.

"That was fast," he said. "What are their power levels?"

"Three-hundred and seven each. Not bad for a couple of pilots."

"Oh, dear. That can't be them."

Hermione nearly tore off her Scouter in frustration. "What do you mean, it's not them? Who else could it be?"

Somewhere far below, a megaphone spat out whiny feedback before a shouting voice bellowed through, seemingly unaware of the amplification.

"HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY! YOU! UGLY! YES, YOU!"

Hermione crawled to the edge of the current roof, looking down past Gipsy Danger's massive bulk. Far ahead, down the street on which the titanic mech stood, sat two much smaller machines. With a circular swipe, she turned the x-ray lens into a magnifier, tilting her wand to aim the magical construct at the distant figures.

Gipsy Danger's pilots locked onto the sound, identifying the smaller mechs below.

"You're who we're supposed to be fighting?" groaned Raleigh in disbelief.

"We were expecting something the size of a Kaiju," muttered Mako.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT A KAIJU IS! PROBABLY SOMETHING SMALL AND WEAK!"

Hermione squinted at the magic lens she had created, noting that her vision wasn't what it used to be. The two mechs were of irregular design, one was much larger than the other, but still comparatively small. The other was absolutely miniscule; the boy sitting in its open-air cockpit would almost be taller if he stood next to it. Both of them lacked a head unit, and instead bore large and detailed faces across their torsos. The larger of the two had a feral-looking face with snarling teeth and huge, angular sunglasses. Atop it stood the voice's owner, a shirtless and heavily-tatooed teenage boy with a similar pair of sunglasses. The smaller, with its short, stubby limbs, had a far more human-looking visage- appropriately less visceral for its smaller, daintier-looking pilot.

"Actually," explained Mako, "Kaiju are monsters that are quite large and strong."

"WELL, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING REAL IMPORTANT. YOU SEE, WHEN LEGENDS TELL LEGENDS, THEY TELL THE KIND OF LEGEND THAT CAN ONLY BE TRUE OF THE MANLIEST OF LEGENDARY MEN!" The boy on the larger mech hopped down to the mouth region, opened a hatch, and flung himself in.

Oh boy, thought Hermione. This is not going to end well.

"THEY TELL THE STORY OF A MAN WHOSE PERSEVERANCE AND FIGHTING SPIRIT TORE STRAIGHT THROUGH THE HEAVENS! THE MAN WHO NEVER GAVE UP! THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT MAN, RIGHT THERE!"

The larger mech threw a hand upward in a dramatic point toward the sky, then levelled it at the smaller machine next to it.

"Thanks for the introduction, bro," said the boy in the tiny robot.

The Jaeger's loudspeakers buzzed with the sound of laughter.

"Come on," said the voice of Raleigh. "Really? All of that hot air for something that small?"

"I think they're bluffing," giggled Mako.

The larger of the two turned to the smaller. "They're laughing at us, Simon."

"Don't sweat it, bro. Believe in yourself."

"Heh. I never thought you'd turn that one around on me."

"Neither did I. Now, let's do this."

"Right," confirmed the larger of the two. "LET'S COMBINE!"

Hermione's Scouter began to sound every possible alarm, a chorus of beeps and trills that corresponded with the fluctuating readouts on the display.

Their power levels… that's insane! This thing has to be broken.

Artemis' voice crackled back over the line.

"Those are your targets, Mrs. Granger. Exercise caution in your observations, things might get a little dangerous out there."

The smaller of the two machines leapt into the air as its stubby limbs retracted. From where the legs had been extended a massive, spinning drill, the sunlight reflecting off of the metal like ocean waves. It dove into the top of the other mech, sprouting a half-moon crest above its brow. The new single robot extended its arms and legs further, taking on more humanoid proportions. It resembled a samurai to an extent, with brilliant crimson, glossy black and shining gold adorning its angular armor.

"TWO FIERY SPIRITS JOINED AS ONE! REUNION COMBINING GURREN LAGANN! JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?"

"You're still smaller than Gipsy's foot," scoffed Raleigh.

Mako finished his thought. "So we can crush you like a bug!"

Gipsy Danger raised one of its legs skyward, casting a shadow over the smaller combined mech. Hermione quickly began to draw a Flippendo jinx with her wand, knowing that she would have to throw the larger robot off-balance.

I'm not sure just how effective the jinx will be, but I don't have any other opt-

A brutal CRACK ripped through the air as Gipsy's stomp connected, crushing Gurren Lagann underfoot. Hermione barely had time to grab the edge of her building's roof before the massive shockwave knocked her off of her feet.

Damn, she thought, holding herself down against the blast of displaced air. It was too fast. I couldn't take the shot. I've failed. The wind died down, and she dusted herself off and stood up. The Jaeger pulled its foot out of the chasm it had created, and began to turn around. It stopped halfway, and then turned back to the hole its foot had dug.

Raleigh and Mako scratched their heads, and the Jaeger was obligated to mimic them. "If we had won, we would have sunk into the ground, right?" Said the male Ranger.

"Then, that must mean-"

The ground behind them exploded as their crimson foe burst through the street, a huge drill covering its arm. The robot pirouetted into the air with astounding poise as a set of wings unfolded from its back. A pair of brilliant-green jets of flame sparked to life, and the Gurren Lagann settled into a hover at eye-level with its massive opponent.

"THE INDOMITABLE SPIRIT OF GURREN LAGANN IS NOT SO EASILY CRUSHED!" shouted the voice Simon had identified as "bro".

"That's right, Kamina. Team Gurren never gives up, even against insurmountable odds!"

"You little-" growled Mako. The Gipsy began to turn, extending an arm forward and clenching a fist. With a thud, a booster rocket fired up in the depths of the elbow joint, throwing the battleship-sized arm into its opponent. The impact created another shockwave, which Hermione was not prepared for. The blast knocked her off of the building, and she barely had enough time to cast an Aresto Momentum to keep herself from ending up as a smear on the pavement. With the charm active, she descended lightly to the ground, where she promptly apparated back up to her vantage point.

I need to be more careful. Unlike these youngsters, I don't get brought back if I'm killed.

The Gurren Lagann flipped end-over-end as it flew away, propelled by Gipsy's gigantic punch. Simon took a deep breath and eased back on the controls, and the Gunmen righted itself violently, bringing itself back into a hover. He opened a comms channel into the torso.

"You doing all right, Kamina?"

"Sure thing, Simon. It's great to be back in action."

"Yeah. It's refreshing," he said, observing the Jaeger begin its march toward them. "What do you say we go on the offensive?"

"I say, you're on!"

Raleigh did a double-take at his holographic display. "They recovered? How? Something that small shouldn't be able to stand up to that kind of punishment!"

"We'll get it at range," grunted Mako, lifting an open-palmed hand. "Plasma caster ready."

The Gipsy Danger raised its left arm, the hand folding back into the heavy energy weapon. Plasma began to fizzle at the center of its focusing array. The smaller red mech dove toward the Jaeger, its jets at maximum burn.

"Looks like this guy's got a big weak spot on its chest, instead of a proper face," chuckled Kamina. Simon noticed the gaping, glowing intake in the center of their opponent's torso as well.

"You're right. That's what we'll aim for."

Hermione took a few steps back, knowing that the inevitable clash was going to be just as destructive as the last two. She noticed that the Jaeger held its right arm behind its back, and that something was slipping out of its huge wrist.

"GIGA!" shouted the two pilots of the Gurren Lagann as an oversized glowing drill erupted from their mech's outstretched arm.

"DRILL!" they continued, emphasizing the most obvious part of the attack. With a squeeze of the Jaeger's holo-trigger, the larger machine fired its plasma caster, sending a massive bolt toward the advancing Gunmen. The drill dispersed the plasma sphere into a fine mist, and the Gurren Lagann continued ahead. However, the Gipsy Danger had a final trick up its sleeve.

"TAKE THIS!" yelled Raleigh, as he and Mako thrust their right arms forward. The Jaeger's other arm swung ahead, a massive sword extending from its heavy gauntlet armor. The gigantic blade collided with the Gurren Lagann's drill, halting the smaller machine in the air. Sparks sprayed off of the collision like raindrops, and Hermione had to check that her invisibility cloak hadn't caught fire.

Raleigh let a little panic seep into his voice. "They're… still there?! That slash didn't get them?"

"The sword's integrity is failing," gasped Mako. "Fifty percent. Eighty percent. One hundred p-"

"BREAK!"

The sound of the sword shattering was followed by a massive jolt from below. The lights flickered off in the Jaeger's cockpit, until the emergency backups came on line a moment later. Every screen that was operational flashed the same warning: Critical Reactor Failure. The Gunmen powered their way straight through the Gipsy Danger's cooling fan, pierced the very heart of the massive robot, and exploded out of its back. Gurren Lagann landed with a flourish, once again behind its less graceful foe. The giga-drill collapsed to a more manageable size and retracted into the Gunmen's arm. One of the computers began their congratulatory speech.

Now's my chance, thought Hermione, charming herself with Aresto again. She jumped off of the building and landed at the feet of the disabled Jaeger, frantically scanning for her quarry. She was distracted for a moment by a loud warning klaxon- loud enough to drown out the computer's monologue.

"ATTENTION, CIVILIANS. SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. REACTOR FAILURE IN PROGRESS."

"Bugger," Hermione cursed. That brute's going to blow up.

She rushed back and forth along the fine debris that had been cast down when the massive Jaeger was run through by the Gurren Lagann's drill. Finally, she saw what she needed- a faint green glow underneath a bent sliver of dull-blue armor plate. She skidded to a seat and jammed her hand underneath the wreckage, but could not reach far enough. She placed her hands on the edges of the slab of metal and began to lift, but it was far heavier than she had expected.

"TOTAL FAILURE IN TEN. NINE. EIGHT. SEVEN," warned the Jaeger's loudspeaker. Hermione struggled, wrenching against the scrap metal with all of her strength. It was no use.

Come on. COME ON. I can't just- oh. Of course. How did I forget?

She drew her wand, and with a delicate swish and a well-timed flick, the Wingardium Leviosa charm took effect. The armor plate floated lazily into the air, scooted aside by a few inches, and fell to the ground again. Hermione snagged the glowing object, tapped a few coordinates into her AEGIS system, and vanished just before the Jaeger's reactor went supernova.