Bonding

**Bonding** is the 9th chapter of Azure Luminosity.

## Summary

Gunvolt and Copen make their way into the auto-fabrication plant, but while doing so, Copen decides to ask what kind of coffee Gunvolt likes. Gunvolt was initially surprised by a seemingly random question, but he eventually tells Copen that he prefers tea. As the two continue, Copen then asks Gunvolt if he likes chocolate. Once again, Gunvolt wasn't expected a question like that, so he asks Copen why he wanted to ask a question like that. Copen tells Gunvolt about how the former told Lola he'd get to know the latter. Gunvolt tells Copen he's not necessarily a big fan of chocolate, before asking how that question came to Copen's head. Copen tells Gunvolt that he simply thought about his sister, Mytyl.

The two silently walk into a room filled with multiple boxes of energy packs. They both grab a box, but when they do so, Copen hears something and, upon looking at Gunvolt, notices the sound isn't a result of Gunvolt's Azure Striker and immediately realizes another Adept is within the area. He asks Gunvolt if the latter is also hearing something, and once Gunvolt realizes he does, both of them confront the Adept, who then attacks them and reveals himself to be Crimm. Upon seeing Crimm using his Septima, Detonation, Gunvolt immediately realizes Crimm was the one who destroyed Kohaku's neighborhood. As the battle continues, Crimm prepares to blow up both Gunvolt and Copen using a pair of Detonation's energy blasts. In an attempt to defend himself, Gunvolt sets up his Flashfield, and while it does block the blasts, it also electrocutes Copen, who was standing closer than Gunvolt had assumed.

Crimm decides to wait and watch Gunvolt and Copen argue. Gunvolt immediately attempts to apologize, but is cut off by Copen hitting him in return. As Gunvolt recovers, he tries to explain that his actions were an accident, but Copen tells Gunvolt about how the latter was most likely acting on a desire he isn't aware of. After thinking about everything he had done, Gunvolt asks why the latter hates Adepts. Copen doesn't know how to respond, and this allows Crimm to realize the fighting had stopped, so he decides to kill both Gunvolt and Copen.

Before he can do anything, Blade arrives, having been on a mission to kill him. Blade notices Copen and Gunvolt, realizing she has three of Sumeragi's targets within the same area, but before she can do anything, Crimm reveals that he's been waiting for Blade, before using Detonation to blow up the auto-fabrication plant's roof and causing it to collapse in an attempt to crush Blade, Gunvolt, and Copen under the debris. Crimm leaves the auto-fabrication plant by firing Detonation blasts to escape.

Gunvolt and Copen attempt to escape, grabbing a boxes of energy packs as they did so. Copen gets attacked by Blade and tries to escape, only for a piece of concrete to fall on top of him and knock him onto the ground. Blade prepares to kill Copen, but gets stopped by Gunvolt, who reveals his name after Blade asks and manages to push Blade back after a short battle. Blade is separated from Gunvolt and Copen by falling debris, and chooses to retreat.

Meanwhile, Gunvolt helps Copen get up as the two escape from the crumbling auto-fabrication plant, carrying a box of energy packs with them.

## Characters

* Gunvolt
* Copen
* Crimm
* Blade
* Lola (Mentioned)
* Kohaku (Mentioned)

## Trivia

* Due to two separate reasons, this chapter took an unexpectedly long time to publish.
	+ Due to Bulborb channel 3 being forced to close the tab he was writing the fic in on two separate occasions, he lost a lot of the content in it, and eventually experienced burnout from having to rewrite the chapter multiple times.
	+ Bulborb channel 3 was working on an Azure Striker Gunvolt shipping fic between Merak and Teseo for the majority of September, but decided to scrap it.