Franky Franklin/Synopsis

== History ==
In the last war between Ostania and Westalis, Franky became a soldier for Ostania but attempted to desert as he realized how pointless the war was. During his attempt to escape in the mountains, he met "Roland Spoofy," a Westalis soldier who would later become known as Agent Twilight. Franky pleaded for his life, saying he did not want to die without ever being with a woman. Twilight was amused and spared him, allowing him a cigarette. As they sat together, Franky told Twilight of a research experiment at a university, in which people's behaviors would change after being fed certain information. Using it as an analogy, Franky explained to Twilight his thoughts on the war, which he says was caused by a diplomatic fiasco and forced regular people to fight each other until they died.
Twilight strongly believed that Ostania began the war, but Franky told him they thought otherwise. Franky then talked about the bombing of Luwen, saying it was a false flag operation. Hearing that triggered Twilight, who pointed his gun at Franky, saying that those bombings took everything from him, but Franky retorted that he was in the same position. Loid kicked down Franky and prepared to shoot him, but as he hesitated, he was promptly shot in the head, only protected by his helmet. His attackers were the Ostanian army that had been pursuing Franky. Not wanting to get caught, Franky fled while Loid made his escape shortly after.
After some time, Franky returned to Ostania. Disliking Ostania's rigid and oppressive nature, Franky decided to go through "a rebellious phase." He became an informant and created several false fronts for himself, gathering and sharing intel and building up a connection network in the underworld, becoming quite a popular person there. He had his private hideout in Berlint and took the alias "Franky Franklin," a tobacconist. As Franky was willing to collaborate with Westalis agents, sometime after becoming an informant, he reunited with Twilight, who had become a spy, through their professions and became one of his information assets.
Franky has a passion for inventing, having once dreamed of making the world a better place with his inventions and getting money from patents, but it did not appear to turn out so well for him.
== Synopsis ==
=== Introduction Arc ===
As the first phase of Operation Strix begins, Twilight, now going by "Loid Forger," visits Franky at his shop for necessary paperwork for his mission. He explains that he was late after trapping his adopted daughter Anya inside the apartment, and Franky hopes Loid does not get reported for child abuse. After Loid and Franky complain about kids, Franky gives Loid the Eden Academy application, an appointment for the entrance exam, and a copy of the test. He also tells Loid that he did some digging on Anya's past and found no birth records or anything about her from more than a year ago. Franky jokes that since she got many names while being fostered out and returned, she is perfect for Loid, earning him a glare from the spy as he tells him he was just joking. As Loid leaves, Franky warns him not to get attached.
Loid realizes he needs a wife for the interview and Franky volunteers for the role. Loid disguises him as a woman, but it does not look good, and he blames Franky for his body proportions, to Franky's annoyance. Loid instead has Franky copy all the files of single women from Berlint City Hall and deliver them to him. Franky gets Loid the files, and as they discuss how Loid will find a wife, he points out Anya's appearance not looking like that of a girl from a wealthy family, prompting Loid to take her to the tailor later.
On Saturday, Loid gets a side mission to retrieve some stolen antiques from some smugglers and takes Franky with him so he can finish it quickly and meet with Yor Briar. Franky explains this is not his field of work and that Loid had maxed his credit with him, but Loid convinces him by offering up one of the valuable antiques. Hearing that, Franky quickly accepts the mission, and they successfully manage to get the antiques back while escaping the smugglers. During their getaway, Loid and Franky argue over a diamond ring and end up in a car crash with the smugglers, which they survive.
=== Admissions Interview Arc ===
After learning that Anya got accepted into Eden, Franky goes to the Forger's apartment to celebrate and introduces himself to Yor, who has now become Loid's wife, as Loid's friend. While they eat and drink, Franky tells Anya that Loid will buy her something as a reward, but Anya says she wants to be rescued in a castle like in her spy show. A drunken Franky takes her side and convinces Loid to rent a castle; otherwise, Anya will not go to school. At the castle, Anya assigns Loid as the spy who will save her from the evil boss Franky. Franky enthusiastically takes on the role and summons "Yorticia," the deadliest witch to stop "Loidman." Being drunk, Yor seriously attacks Loid, but her heels break, and she falls asleep. Franky tries to stop Loidman by himself but gets easily knocked out by him.
=== Secret Police Arc ===
After meeting Yor's brother Yuri and discovering that he is a member of the Secret Police, Loid begins to suspect Yor is also involved and gets Franky to help him with his ploy. Disguising themselves as SSS officers, Loid and Franky confront Yor, accusing her of espionage via. a secret cipher. While initially annoyed at having to help out, Franky quickly gets into his role, intimidating Yor with stories of SSS prisoners. When Yor declares her innocence, Franky tries to detain her but gets thrown to the ground. After Loid gets his answer, he and Franky follow their script, telling Yor that they misread the cipher and let her go. After Yor leaves, Franky confronts Loid about his guilt for doubting her and reminds him that people like them cannot get attached. In response, Loid tears off Franky's mask, to the latter's dismay, as he had hoped to get some girls with it, and Loid ironically tells him that getting women through deception is wrong.
=== Midterm Exams Arc ===
Franky calls Loid to tell him that he has fallen in love with someone. Uninterested, Loid turns around, wishes him good luck, and starts walking away. Franky threatens to sell Loid out to the secret police and receives a look of killing intent. Franky tells Loid he was joking and promises to make a smaller listening device for Loid in exchange for his assistance.
They stop by a coffee shop, where Franky tells Loid about Monica McBride, an employee at the cigar club on Fifth Street. Franky proceeds to divulge lots of personal information he has collected on her and receives a face of disappointment from Loid, who calls him a stalker. Franky complains that Loid researches others too, but Loid retorts that it is part of his job. He asks why Franky even needs his help if he has already gathered this much information on her. Franky loudly whispers to him that information gathering and analysis are two very different things and that he is only good at the former.
After some begging from Franky, Loid decides to help him out. Loid comes up with several methods on how Franky should practice, and they agree to have a practice date, with Loid dressing up as Monica as they have a conversation. Franky, feeling satisfied, thanks Loid and heads out to ask out Monica. However, when Franky gets to the club, he tries talking to her but stumbles over his words.
On the way to the bar, Franky runs into the Forger family on their outing. Loid asks Franky how it went, and he relays the excuse Monica gave for why she could not go on a date but adds that she promised to watch a movie with him someday. Reading Franky's mind, Anya gives him a consoling pat.
Franky sobs at the bar and asks for another cheap drink. However, he instead gets an expensive drink provided by Loid. They greet each other, and Franky asks why Loid is not with his family, who tells him that Yor is taking care of Anya. Franky believes that Loid just came to mock him, but Loid tells him that people like Franky and himself cannot afford to have feelings for others in their work. Franky yells at Loid since he has a wife and daughter, which Loid comments are part of his mission. Franky tells him that he is going to get drunk on Loid's tab, and Loid says he will join him.
=== Campbelldon Tennis Arc ===
Loid prepares to head out with Yor for drinks, and Franky comes to the Forger apartment to look after Anya and Bond. Franky plays with the two and appears to be enjoying himself. Loid sees this and decides to head out but is interrupted by a frisbee to the head. Franky expresses his irritation at having to babysit every time Loid goes out. Loid explains that he has to clear up the misunderstanding about his relationship with Fiona Frost to Yor. Franky tells him to do it at home, but Loid says there are certain things he cannot discuss in front of Anya. Loid pays Franky for his help, and Franky quickly changes his tune, taking Anya and Bond to the park.
Later in the evening, Anya waits for her parents to come back home. Seeing that they are late, she suggests they are "shacking up." Franky asks where she learned that from, and Anya says most of it was from Becky Blackbell. Franky then asks if Anya likes her parents, to which she replies that she loves them. Loid and Yor return shortly after, and Anya and Bond rush to greet them. Anya asks if they were out "smooching" but stops when she sees Loid with a swelled-up chin and an embarrassed Yor behind him. Franky bursts into laughter, asking if Loid got hit after putting some moves on Yor, which the latter quickly denies. Franky then picks up Anya, who tries touching Loid's chin. Afterward, Franky sits with the family in the living room while Yor serves tea.
=== Imperial Scholars Mixer Arc ===
Yor appears to be in a bad mood, so Loid asks her out on a date in an attempt to improve it. Since Anya is not allowed to come, he has Franky come over once again to look after her and Bond. At the door of the Forger home, Franky shouts at Loid, reminding him that he is not a babysitter, but Loid replies that this is important for his mission. Recalling that Franky wants to invent new gadgets, he hands him the check he prepared for him, which the informant happily accepts. After Loid and Yor leave, Franky tells Anya to head back inside and watch cartoons, which gives Anya the idea to shadow her parents. Franky enthusiastically agrees, wanting to see Loid's seduction arts in action. To hide from Loid, he and Anya get into disguises.
Franky and Anya shadow the couple and watch Loid fail to cheer up Yor throughout the date. Franky is gleefully amused by this, making Anya ask if he has a bad personality. Franky argues that he is allowed to make fun of Loid as someone who cannot get girls, which Anya calls pathetic. After Loid and Yor head into an expensive restaurant, Franky and Anya attempt to follow but get rejected due to their casual clothing and Anya's young age. Franky calls it a day, and they prepare to go home, but Anya stops after hearing an enemy of Yor plotting to kill her. She tells Franky they cannot leave yet, saying her family is in danger. Surprised that Anya cares this much about her fake family, Franky gives in, and they prepare to infiltrate the restaurant.
The pair get dressed in spy gear and enter the restaurant through the vents. Franky leads Anya to the dining room, planning to lower her down on a wire over Loid and Yor's table. Before he can finish explaining the rest of the plan, Franky sees that Anya disappeared from the vents. After Anya stops Yor's enemy from attacking her, she and Franky leave the restaurant to continue shadowing Loid and Yor, and while watching from the bushes, Franky asks Anya where she ran off. Anya then reveals herself from hiding after her parents talk about visiting a carnival, shocking Franky.
=== Cruise Adventure Arc ===
At Franky's tobacco store, Franky gives Loid a fake I.D. for Department Two of Doust Industries and the engine test results for a new fighter jet they are developing. Loid thanks Franky for the documents, and Franky reminds Loid that he is charging Loid for them. Loid asks about the pictures he requested of the members of an association. Franky informs him that it will take a little longer as his contact specialized in that intel has been eliminated. Loid is shocked and questions if the SSS got him.
Franky describes the rumor that the assassin organization Garden eliminated him. Loid is aware of the group but believes that half the stories about them were urban legends. Franky explains that they are real, and the group kills traitors under orders from the shadow organization. Loid is not surprised that there is an unofficial paramilitary organization. Franky tells him it is rumored that one of their soldiers can wipe out an entire military troop, but Loid dismisses him, leaving and telling him to get the pictures.
Franky stops him and asks Loid to help him with a job. Franky holds up a missing cat poster for Kopi, a male Nortblue cat. Loid is confused, so Franky explains that the cat belongs to a server named Kacey, who works at Franky's favorite café. Kopi had disappeared last week, leaving Kacey devastated. Franky looks at Loid with a serious expression, asking him to help find the cat so he can get Kacey's smile back and help them get together. Despite Franky's threats to stop providing intel and attempt to throw in a gun he developed that looks like a toothbrush, Loid walks away. Franky resolves to catch the cat himself.
Franky uses a payphone to call other informants to help locate the cat. He eventually gets a report finding a cat matching the description near city hall. As Franky approaches the location outside city hall, he encounters Yor, who is stepping out for a lunch break. Upon hearing the situation, Yor decides to help Franky find the cat. Franky installs a "C20 Feline-Form Listening Device" at points where cats congregate, with sensors to react to the sound of Kopi's bell collar. However, he realizes the cats have destroyed the listening devices, putting them out of order.
Franky prepares to use his next invention, the "Cat Nearness Inducement Prototype Decoy System," designed to release the scent of catnip to lure Kopi to them. Soon, a horde of cats arrives, lured by the smell of catnip, and Franky manages to spot Kopi. Digging through his bag, Franky tries to use the "Hyper Long Hand" to catch Kopi but fails as Kopi jumps out of the way. Next, Franky tries to use the "Camera-shaped Net Launcher" but fails to get within two meters of Kopi to successfully use it and ends up running after him.
Franky brings out his exoskeleton power suit to give him superhuman powers, but it requires 15 minutes for the battery to warm up the motor, so Kopi runs away towards a road. Behind Franky, Yor asks to borrow his exoskeleton power suit and easily rips out the back part, throwing it in front of Kopi to stop him. Yor leaps at Kopi when he stops and catches him. Yor happily waves at Franky that she caught Kopi. Franky thanks her but is stunned that the exoskeleton suit he spent ten years building is destroyed. He consoles himself that it is a small price to pay in order to win Kacey's heart. He returns Kopi to Kacey, only to discover that she already has a boyfriend. Franky wishes the couple all the best and leaves, crying to himself as he resolves to live for his work.
When Anya wins a pair of tickets to a cruise, which Yor will also be going on at the same time for work, the Forgers go out on their trips, leaving Bond at home with an irritated Franky to watch over him. The next day, Franky takes Bond out for a walk early in the morning and complains about having to pet-sit. However, after encountering a woman with her puppy at the park, Franky proposes that Bond become his dog. After the cruise, the Forgers return home, where Loid hands Franky, who seems to be complaining, a gift bag. After Franky leaves, the family communes in the living room over coffee.
=== WISE Arc ===
Loid has Bond undergo suppression and protection training and brings Franky along as the unwilling suspect and target. While he is provided with a bite sleeve, Franky gets pounced by the large dog. Franky yells at Bond, asking the dog if he has forgotten how much he has taken care of him, causing Bond to let go of his arm in worry. After Loid lectures Bond, Franky demands to know why he is playing the suspect, reminding him that he is just an informant. Loid does not answer the question and simply says he needs to train Bond to prepare for the worst. Loid decides to move on to scent work and explosive detection training, and Franky guesses that he will be the bomber.
When Bond suddenly becomes forlorn, Franky tells Loid that the training might be bringing back bad memories of Project Apple. He then suggests that Loid at least make Bond's training fun and to take him on a walk before leaving. Later, by himself, Franky fantasizes saving a maiden from bad guys in a new power suit, which inspires him to build another one. As he gets to work building this new suit, a spark flies onto Franky's hair, causing him to quickly panic as a bit of his hair catches on fire.
Looking for someone who can forge a state seal for a fake export license, Fiona approaches Loid, who directs her to Franky. At Franky's location, Fiona goes through all of his traps, eventually meeting the man himself. Franky immediately tries to flirt with her jokingly, and she almost leaves out of exasperation. Fiona names her request for a forged official seal, and Franky tries to get more details from her, saying he will get it from a friend. Fiona is unwilling to trust him and tries to get him to introduce his friend to her directly, threatening to have him incarcerated. She eventually acquiesces when he reminds her that she will not be able to meet with the counterfeiter without him, and he contacts him via the radio as a secret caller.
Fiona and Franky are waiting outside a bar where they arranged to meet with the counterfeiter. Fiona attempts to enter, but Franky stops her and convinces her to wear a disguise before entering. They change into disguises suitable for a club, pretending to be a couple. Franky is excited to be on a "date" with Fiona, who is wholly unenthused about the situation. As they enter, they are stopped by the bouncer until Franky reveals his identity. At the club, Franky greets his many friends, showing off his "girlfriend." Eventually, Fiona reaches her limit and threatens to kill him unless he stops. Franky apologizes before noticing the presence of his counterfeiter friend downstairs, and they approach him. Franky tries to greet him, but Fiona interrupts and gets straight to the point with her offer. She tosses a paper with her deal at him, but he throws it away upon seeing it and the deadline, walking away.
Fiona and Franky continue to follow him outside. Fiona points out two members of the SSS tailing them. The counterfeiter is shocked and accuses Franky of being careless. Fiona suggests it was his new clients that made a mistake. The counterfeiter tries to make a run for it but is too late to notice a man around the corner. Before he can get hit, Fiona pushes him down and kicks the man in the face, incapacitating him. Fiona grabs him as they run and suggests he take her offer as repayment for saving him from the SSS. As they pass a corner, Fiona expertly throws another man waiting behind the corner with a knife. The counterfeiter is speechless at her skill, and Franky reassures him that he can trust Fiona. Another man shoots at Fiona, and Franky throws himself at Fiona to get her out of the way while she throws a knife at the shooter.
Fiona tries to get them to another place to hide from the SSS, but Franky displays his knowledge of the area and suggests using a tunnel path instead. Fiona recognizes Franky's skills as an asset, while he says he could even hide from WISE if he wanted to. Fiona asks why he is on their side, but Franky says he is not on anyone's side; he is simply dissatisfied by the current state of Ostania and would rather rebel by shaking things up.
Later, Fiona meets with Franky at his tobacco stand. He hands her a copy of the newspaper, along with the forged papers she asked for. Franky asks if she was the one who called the SSS on them, but she feigns ignorance. Fiona asks Franky if he has connections to fine art forgers and safecrackers, suggesting she will return to him with another job. Franky looks briefly moved but refuses to work with her, stating that he will lose his friends with her methods.
=== Friendship Schemes Arc ===
Loid calls Franky to help him in handling Gerald Gorey, the director of Berlint General Hospital. When Gerald calls the SSS to report Loid as a spy, Franky intercepts it as per Loid's request. Afterward, he and Fiona enter the hospital disguised as undercover SSS agents to confirm Gerald's report. Gerald shows them Loid and the files he used to support his claim. The two pretend to arrest Loid, cornering him when alone and cuffing him. Loid is shocked at being handcuffed and banters with Franky, who just wanted to see his reaction. Fiona interrupts the two to remind them that Gerald is watching, and they resume their little act.
Franky shows Loid the false evidence while Fiona pulls Gerald from his hiding spot and reveals him as Loid's accuser. Gerald frantically says that he assumed Loid's rising popularity was because of a spy technique, which Franky confirms in his thoughts. Loid explains that, as the new hire, he was only working hard to fit in. Looking at the files, Loid points out how they were typed on a different typewriter than his. Franky says it has the font of an old typewriter, and everyone pinpoints it back to Gerald, the only one in the hospital with that kind of typewriter.
The situation quickly turns on Gerald, who tries to deny that he framed Loid, but Franky pulls out a fake gun and demands his name. After Gerald reveals his name, Fiona says he is on the hospital's surveillance list, followed by Franky citing his misdeeds, provided by guesses from Fiona and intel from Loid. Fiona decides that the one they should be taking in instead is Gerald, who cries out for her when he gets handcuffed. Before Gerald gets taken away, Loid stops the faux officers and, with fake tears, passionately defends Gerald, even asking to be arrested in his place. Gerald is touched by this act, while Franky pretends to be moved and decides to let them go, then leaves with Fiona. Outside, Fiona and Franky decide not to change out of their costumes, Fiona because Twilight made her the costume, and Franky because he likes how cool he looks.
=== Mole Hunt Arc ===
Franky arrives at the Forger home to deliver some things that Loid requested and complains about being his errand boy. Anya, having had her hair made shiny after Yor brushed it, suggests brushing Franky's hair as well. Yor says they cannot as no one would be able to tell who Franky was if they did, to Franky's shock. Anya and Bond then attempt to have Franky become shiny, which he resists.
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