Let's begin!

Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos

As time progressed, the world finds more males who can operate an IS!

Enter Thomas "Tommy" Scott, a very energetic and friendly American high school freshman who somehow managed to activate and operate an IS. Without warning or anything else, he quickly became the United States Representative Contender for the IS Academy! He quickly gains a following as the world's second male IS pilot.

To him, this was a dream come true.

He has the chance to use giant robots!

With a private academy full of pubescent teenagers, giant robots, sport fighting, and literally an entire status quo against him, what could possibly go wrong?


Thomas Scott had lost any sense he had in his life.

And it all started with him touching something he really shouldn't have touched.

It seemed so innocent and childish at the time. He got lost in the high school building one day. Being a freshman, he wasn't used to the school's hallways and rooms. He got so lost, he wound up going into a room without a label.

It was probably a closet.

It certainly looked like a closet.

But he opened the door, only to find it was much, much bigger than that.

And there it was. An Infinite Stratos.

A. Giant. Robot.

How could Thomas not be geeking out?

Strange. There was only one academy in the entire world that trained IS pilots. Maybe they're making an IS training course? But, if so, then why was there only one IS? They'd have to buy them in bulk!

Besides, it wasn't like he'd be able to take such a course.

The devastating truth kicked him: Only females could pilot the IS. Because...

Why was that?

Why could only women pilot the IS?

Was it some sort of error that couldn't be worked out?

It's just a giant robot, so why could only women pilot it?

Did it have something to do with...physiology that didn't need to be mentioned?

Was the inventor simply trying to empower women?

Was the inventor trying to challenge the gender equality rule of sports?

Was that even a rule?

There were 2 reasons Thomas wanted to pilot an IS.

For starters, who doesn't want to pilot a giant robot? It's a giant robot! What's not to love?

Second, the sensation.

As a little boy, he wanted nothing more than the ability to fly. Heroes can fly, so why couldn't he? He wondered what it felt like, the sensation of feeling weightless, the wind pushing about as one drills right through it...it just felt so energizing just by thinking about it.

He checked his watch.

He had time to kill.

Time to touch everything.

If only women could pilot an IS, then it wouldn't matter if he fiddled with the controls for a minute...or three? Besides, no-one was around to tell him "no." And, he wouldn't be able to make it move to begin with.

Even if it was a childish fantasy...Thomas wanted for just one moment to feel that he, a boy in a world that told him he couldn't, could touch the stars.

He climbed up into IS controls, and positioned himself to pretend as though he was piloting the massive machine. He made sound effects as he imagined his was fighting a near-unbeatable foe.

Bam! Oh no! His opponent snuck up on him! he had to do something! Ka-pow! Hit 'em right between the eyes! Soften the baddie up...And boom! Finish the off with a German Suplex!

After half a minute, Thomas had gotten a little to energetic in his make-believe. He jerked his left hand...

...And suddenly, the IS's left arm came to life as it jerked its wrist and snapped its fist shut.

"WAAAH!" He screamed.

He jolted back in shock. Just like the fist, the IS responded and made him fall right on his rear. The result of this made a massive crash, which echoed through the room, and potentially beyond.

He was in so much trouble.

Scratch that, the noise definitely went beyond.

He could hear footsteps approaching.

He had to hide, but where?! The IS was about the only thing in the room! He had to ditch the rig, and-

The door flew open with a boom.

He was so dead.

There were two faculty women standing at the door. Thomas panicked, and tried to push the IS up.

"W-Wait! I can explain! It's not what it looks like!"

He paused to comprehend his statement

"Okay, it's probably exactly what it looks like. And I really can't explain-But PLEASE DON'T EXPEL ME!" He pleaded as he shifted the IS controls to get to his feet.

"Wait! He's...piloting an IS!?"

"Impossible!"

"What's going on!?"

Thomas had no idea what was going on.

"Please don't tell my dad." He whimpered.

He was going to be in so much trouble when his dad found out about this.


And that's the story of how Thomas's life changed.

But...That didn't help explain how he was transferred to the IS Academy, in Japan, the only place in the world that trained IS pilots in a school-setting, and moved with his dad to Japan in less than a week.

His only reaction was a simple, "Wot?"

Currently, He was in the Academy uniform, and getting lost in the hallways very early in the morning. Everywhere he went, he received curious stares from girls. It probably stupid to realize it now, but who'd thought that a private academy dedicated to training IS pilots would be virtually all girls.

"Another boy?"

Indeed, another boy? Was he one of a privileged bunch?

"He looks western!"

What did she mean by "looks?"

"He's so tall!"

He was only 5'9. He wasn't that tall. Wasn't 5'9 the average height for adult males? Or was that 5'7?

"You think he speaks Japanese?"

He did know enough to understand and carry a conversation. Just not enough to make a college thesis with.

This was getting him nowhere fast. Literally.

He needed help. And he had no clue where the directory was, or if there was one to begin with.

"You there!" A very commanding voice boomed from behind the boy.

Thomas jolted, only to find a faculty member in a business attire glaring him down with her arms crossed. She had black hair, an aura of extreme tension around her, and red eyes.

If he had to guess, she had...frustrations she couldn't work out, and a habit of being a little too rough with others if they were out of line. But something about her was familiar...

Instantly, Thomas deduced this would end one of two ways. Either with him getting a "tough love" scenario. Or, a dirt-nap after the teacher clocked him for doing something stupid.

In the day and age, he wouldn't be surprised if it was both.

"You must be the foreign transfer student. You're lost, aren't you?"

Thomas froze for an instant.

She KNEW! She knows what she's doing! She has expectations! And those expectations would crush him!

But...

SHE KNEW! She can help! Thank God for the human ability to understand!

"Y-Yeah," He said, pulling out a slip of paper to show her, "I'm in Class 1, but I have no idea where that is."

The lady cocked an eyebrow, and read the note he made for himself.

"I see." She said plainly. Her mood lightened up a little, with a small smile curling on her lips. "I'll take you there."

"Really? Thanks!"

She then delivered a devastating chop to his head.

"That's 'Thank you, Ma'am!' To you!"

"Y-Yes...Ma'am." He whimpered as he winced and nursed his injury.

He knew it.

Minutes Later...

The lady guided him to a classroom. There was another lady, whom had mint-colored hair and glasses, standing outside.

"Miss Yamada," Said the lady, "This is our new foreign transfer."

"Oh!" Said the new woman, "I'm Miss Yamada, welcome to our class! We'll get you introduced right away!"

She then entered the classroom. Thomas tried to follow, but the other faculty member stopped him.

"Wait until you're cued." She said.

He nodded, not wanting to say anything in case he may saw the wrong thing.

"Hello class! I'd like to invite a very special new foreign transfer student today!" Miss Yamada called from inside.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful pat on his shoulder, as though the faculty woman was shoving him, indicating it was time to step inside.

He walked as calmly as he could into the classroom.

He was met with a metric ton of curious girls...And a boy?

Wait! The boy was familiar. Could it be...?

"Focus Thomas. Time to showboat a little!" He thought to himself.

"Oh...Ohay..." Thomas had a habit of screwing up the "good morning" in Japanese. He cleared his throat, "O-Ohayo Gozaimasu."

He managed to get through it with only one pause this time. New record.

"My name is Thomas Scott. I'm from America." He recited flawlessly. One of the various but limited phrases he'd memorized. Other statements being "Where's the bathroom?" or "Dormammu I've come to bargain."

He was especially proud of that last one.

The class began an uproar.

"He's so cu~ute!"

"I got that a lot back in America." Thought Thomas.

"So manly!"

"Why thank you, person I never met before." Thought Thomas.

"He's like Orimura!"

Hel-lo!

Orimura was a name he'd recognize anywhere. Throughout his childhood, up until middle school, Thomas had a childhood friend in Japan: Ichika Orimura. They'd become best buddies almost right off the get-go. His dad was friends with Ichika's older sister, Chifuyu Orimura. From what his dad would tell him, his mother was Chifuyu's friend, and later became close with his dad after his mom disappeared.

Sadly, during middle school, Thomas was no longer allowed to talk to his friend. His dad suddenly said that he and Thomas were moving.

When Thomas asked why he couldn't talk to Ichika anymore, his question was met with "Because the Orimura family has a very important job from the government, so we can't meet them for a while."

Wait a minute.

Thomas glanced to his left, only to finally figure out why the faculty woman was so familiar.

It was Chifuyu!

That also meant that the only other boy in the classroom was Ichika!

It all made sense now!

"Thomas?" Ichika called.

"Ichika?" Said Thomas, wanting to confirm his theory.

"It's you!"

"EYYY!"

"Where have you been?"

"Where have you been?"

"Enough of that!" Chifuyu boomed. The two boys whimpered in fear. Even though Thomas had grown up, her ability to terrify him had yet to lose its impact.

"Scott, you can take the desk next to Miss Dunois." Chifuyu said as she pointed out his seat.

Thomas quickly rushed to the open chair and sat down without a word from his lips. His eyes attentive and panicked and his posture perfect. Everyone was still staring at him. Thomas had only been there less than half a day, and already things went by very fast.

And thus, classes began.


It didn't take very long for the highlight of the day to come: IS Training.

Besides, the trip to the locker room gave Thomas the time to catch up with his childhood friend.

"I thought you moved!"

"I did!"

"Dad said you and Chifuyu were working for the government!"

"Really!?"

"Yeah!"

"What about you? Chifuyu said that you went to another country!"

"I moved to another state!"

"No way!"

"Why is no one explaining what's going on?"

"I dunno."

Thomas and Ichika had filled each other in on what happened since they stopped talking. It appeared that both the people who raised them lied to them about why they couldn't talk anymore.

"So...You can pilot an IS?"

"You too?"

"Yeah. One moment I was horsin' around...and bam! I find myself in Japan."

It was at this moment that the boys noticed a rapidly-developing problem. They looked around themselves, only to find that they were boxed in by a massive horde of school-girls!

"This...could end badly." Thought Thomas.

Seeing as how they were the only two males in the world who could operate an IS, it seemed ridiculous to question why the girls seemed so awestruck.

"Uh-oh." Said Ichika.

"Hey, Ichika?" Thomas.

"Yeah?"

"Which way do you go when you're trapped between to invincible forces?"

"Where?"

"Sideways!"

Thomas snatched Ichika's wrist, and took off running down another hallway.

"And then anywhere!"

Thomas let go of Ichika, and the duo began to sprint down the hallway, leaving the amassing crowds in disappointment. The boys ran and ran until they finally got too tired to maintain their speed.

Just as they stopped to catch their breath, Ichika pointed out, "Oh hey, we're here!"

Thomas looked, only to find the locker rooms.

"C'mon, we need to get moving. We'll be late!" Said Ichika.

The boys quickly changed into their pilot uniforms, which consisted of a short-sleeve spandex shirt and spandex shorts.

"Question." Said Thomas.

"Shoot."

"Did they...?" Thomas hinted at a very specific area of his body.

"Nope."

Thomas paused.

"This is gonna suck."


Thomas and Ichika quickly got in line with the other students.

Some students wore pilot uniforms that had distinctly different colors. Assuming they had something the other students didn't, it would stand to say they had custom IS units. That is, he hoped he was wrong.

If he had to go up against a custom IS, he was so screwed.

"Alright!" Declared Chifuyu, "Today, we're going to gauge your ability to control an IS."

Thomas had a bad feeling about where this was going.

"Scott! You're in a training model, get in a familiarize yourself with the basics!"

Thomas raced to a vacant unit and prepped himself for whatever was going to happen next.

"Orimura! You're going to train Scott in a mock-battle. Try not to break him...too much."

Ichika then activated his own personal IS.

Wait.

Ichika has his own IS!? This was going to go so badly, so quickly for Thomas.

The IS was white with a few blue accents. It looked like an angel, for some reason. Worst of all, it had a laser-sword.

The worst kind.

"Tommy!" Called Ichika, "Just so you know, I'm not gonna hold back!" He said as he took up a sword-fighting position.

The American knew for a fact that Ichika wasn't messing around. Thomas looked around, in the hopes of finding some way out of the situation.

Unfortunately, all he found were curious stares of students, and the judgmental glare of his teacher.

Normally, he'd go toe-to-toe with Ichika any day.

Except, they were IS Pilots. Ichika clearly knew what he was doing. Considering the Japanese school-year system, Ichika most likely had been in an actual IS fight, and thus, had plenty more experience under his belt.

Thomas, on the other hand, had only used an IS once. He was just playing around, and the IS reacted. A stunt that landed him all the way here. He'd never went anywhere close to an IS prior or since.

"Roll with the punches, and aim for the bushes, Thomas." He thought to himself.

Thomas took a few moments to breath in, and out. His hands gently grasped the controls in the IS arms. The IS shifted, as though it were an extension of his own limbs, and moved almost as quickly as he did.

Almost.

It was a Training Model, after all. It was bound to be crappy.

He took a step. He closed his eyes, breathed in, breathed out. He closed and opened his fist, trying to relax and let the IS work properly. He could do this, He could do this, he could-!

"Orimura, ready?" Inquired Chifuyu, ready to call the start. Ichika nodded.

"Scott, ready?" She asked. Suddenly, Thomas took up a boxing stance.

"Go!"

Ichika got the first attack. He jumped into the air and flew right for Thomas. If he ended this quickly, he'd be able to help properly teach Thomas how to use an IS after classes. All he had to do was make sure Thomas couldn't fight-!

No-one counted on Thomas's speed.

Thomas snatched Ichika with both hands, and threw him away. Ichika's jets carried him through the air as he recovered.

Did Thomas even know how to fly? Or that the training model came with a weapon. He wasn't being fair to Thomas.

"This isn't fair!" Complained Thomas, "This guy's got a longer reach and a royalty-free lightsaber on me!"

"You'll figure it out!" Said Chifuyu.

"You're not helping!"

Ichika then came in for another attempt. This time, Thomas didn't counter, but began to use his fists.

The other students all watched in awe.

"There's no possible way this mere commoner could beat the likes of Ichika!" Sneered Cecelia Alcott.

"Kick his can, Ichika!" Shouted Houki.

Thomas had more than enough disadvantages, and lack of support was just the worst.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He thought.

Ichika's experience in both swordsmanship and IS combat quickly put Thomas on the ropes. After several slashes, Thomas's shield energy was knocked down by 25%. He had to think quickly.

He ducked, rolled, and did everything he could to stay out of Ichika's range. It was hard enough, since Ichika also knew how to fly in IS, and Thomas didn't.

"Zat ish my bride. Crush him!" Commanded Laura.

Ichika was taken aback by Laura's words. And let up to question what he just heard.

An opening!

Thomas seized his chance, and began to punch with the technique of every boxer he ever saw.

All that time he spent watching Battle Bots was finally paying off.

Thomas unleashed Three-box-combo to the body!

Ichika was stunned, reeling back only to have Thomas march right up and continue punching him relentlessly! Ichika reeled back as Thomas pressed his advantage. Thomas deployed the Training Unit's only weapon; a Katana.

It was better than nothing.

The boys began to exchange blows as they clashed with their blades.

Thomas was doing his best to make sure he could counter Ichika's attacks, rather than try to get ahead.

"Wha-!? But how!? Orimura had him on the ropes just now!" Questioned a student.

"It's simple," Said Chifuyu, "Thomas Scott was an incredible young kid. Even when he was little, he was capable of many things, reading on an 11th grade level, processing multiple things at once, solving puzzles and riddles that challenged many, proficient tinkering, fixing, figuring out how things worked, a photographic memory, and able to go toe-to-toe with some of the state's-even the nation's-greatest gamers. His only problem is he didn't really apply it to school-work so easily as he did with gaming."

She watched as Thomas brought an assault like no other upon Ichika, whom was barely able to counter.

"Bottom line? All he needs is to figure out how the controls work."

The students all watched with shock and awe as Thomas managed to pull himself together so quickly.

But Ichika was still able to one-up his classmate.

Ichika finally recovered. Thomas's attacks had put the IS down to 90% out of 400% shield power. He recomposed himself, and then finally countered Thomas's attacks. Thomas panicked, he still had yet to figure out the propulsion system controls, if Ichika got another hit in...

He'd have to figure it out quickly. And by quickly, he meant now.

He fiddled with the IS controls. Ichika came in for another attack!

Little did Thomas know, he got lucky. If Ichika had more shield energy, he could've use a Barrier-Disabling Attack to quickly end the fight, perhaps even an Ignition Boost. But Thomas had hit the IS enough that it would end the fight if he attempted either.

He'd just have to win by overwhelming Thomas.

Ichika then brought on a combo-attack of his own. Performing multiple attacks, and easily putting Thomas on the ropes again. This time, Ichika pummeled Thomas's IS, and forced the shield down to 50% power.

Thomas had to figure out the controls if he was going to win.

Students wondered if Chifuyu would step in, and end the fight with a draw. But she simply stood with he arms crossed, making a judgmental expression as always. The exercise was to see how well Thomas could pilot the IS...

...But if he worked out how to control the propulsion system, the IS wouldn't survive.

Thomas was barely keeping out of range. And frantically messing with every inch of the IS controls. Everything he tried wasn't working, this was very bad! If he had time and space, he could figure out the propulsion controls. But, if he got distracted now, the fight would be all over.

If that happened, he could kiss first impressions goodbye.

Ichika raised his weapon for a finisher. The wind-up gave Thomas exactly the opening and timing he needed.

Ichika brought his sword down upon Thomas. But suddenly, Thomas zipped right past Ichika, and got behind him. He then wrapped his arms around Ichika's torso, knowing full well how to finish.

"Bitch..."

He lifted Ichika up, and performed a demolishing German Suplex!

"...LASAGNA!"

The students all made an uproar at the sight.

Ichika's shield dropped to 0%, and de-materialized. The boy lay flat on the ground, still reeling from the suplex.

Thomas got out of the training IS, and fell back into a sitting position, exhausted and sweating. The two looked at each other, and began to laugh as though one of them just told a funny joke.

"That concludes the mock-battle. The winner is Scott!" Announced Chifuyu.

The other students, save Houki, Laura, Cecelia, Lingyin, and Charlotte, all cheered Thomas for his victory. Chifuyu simply chuckled when no-one was looking, still impressed by Thomas's inability to fly.

He needed a personal IS. If Thomas had gotten full control of the IS, he'd have destroyed it before Ichika had the chance to fight him.

Later that day...

Thomas and Ichika sat in the same booth during dinner, joking and catching up.

"No way!"

"I'm serious! 2K's making an annual Battle Bots game!"

"About time!"

"A game they should make is an IS game. VR if they could. That way, guys would have at least something close to experience with IS units. Besides, it'd be a little bit more fair that way."

"I guess."

"The next season of Professional IS Matches should be starting soon..."

"Man, I hope Noisemaker gets a rematch against Bombshell Beauty."

"Didn't the pilots get married? Coulda sworn I heard that somewhere..."

"Um, excuse me?"

The boys looked to the outside world, only to find a growing crowd of girls, and a girl with a camera, presumably for the school newspaper.

That was a thing, right? Did they do school newspapers in Japan?

"I'm here from the school newspaper! Is it alright if I take a photo of you two?"

"Sure!"

To Ichika and Thomas, it was an average photo. To the rest of the school, it was like they were documenting history.


A few minutes later...

Thomas and Ichika were walking back to their dorm.

"You're joking."

"She actually dressed up, talked, and acted like a boy."

"You live a strange life, dude."

"You can say that again."

Both were doing their best to ignore all the prying eyes that stalked them. Groups of girls all watched them enter their dorm room.

"They share a dorm!"

"No comment." Thought Thomas.

"That's where they live! That's handy to know."

Thomas did not want to know why.

"Think they sleep together?"

"...Wot?"

"That's hot."

"That's not."

"That's gross! Why would two guys sleep together?"

"Exactly."

The boys closed the door, Thomas made sure it was locked. Ichika changed into his pajamas, Thomas stepped into the shower. Ichika passed out in his bed. Thomas took a shower, put on pajamas, slicked back his bangs back over his head, and fell asleep around 9:55 pm.

Neither of them knew what tomorrow would hold for either of them.


A/N: Hi everyone! I wrote this story on a whim, just like every other story I write!

I'll tell you about Thomas this time.

Thomas and Ichika were childhood friends up until middle school. During their first year, Ichika is kidnapped by Phantom Task. After he was rescued, Chifuyu severed ties with Thomas's dad in order to keep them safe.

Thomas himself is 5'7, with dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes. He has an average build, and a high metabolism.

He's ambidextrous, and has a photographic memory. Unfortunately, he has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, which means he is unable to perceive the world as everyone else, and has an attention problem.

But he is able to mimic some actions he sees, allowing him to execute multiple fighting techniques. Although he cannot mimic all forms of hand-to-hand, he is able to perform on a higher level than most.

He's not entirely normal. At least, he's not the average child...

All he needs is experience.

I created a draft of custom IS Units, I might post it when the story ends.

Although I have plenty of ideas for all sorts of IS Units, I doubt I'll use many-if any-of them in American Idiot, since the story focuses on Thomas and his journey through the IS Academy-and, if I can ever get through all of it-beyond the Academy. I may not have enough room for so many custom IS Units, but I'll use them where they make sense.

I may-or-may-not have a crossover story planned for American Idiot as well...

Next time: Newtype Sensitivity!

With his first time in an IS Unit ending in success, Thomas begins to participate in the IS Academy! But when he's challenged to a duel, he needs to put his money where his mouth is!

Can the young boy spread his wings and fly? Or will he fail trying?

Leave a review! They're much appreciated and show that you care!