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''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6040679/1/Code_Geass_Mao_of_the_Deliverance Code Geass: Mao of the Deliverance]'' is a [[Code Geass]] fanfic by [http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1955982/kleptographer_of_alternates Kleptographer of Alternates], which [[Perspective Flip|details the history of]] [[Ensemble Darkhorse|M]][[One-Scene Wonder|a]][[Base Breaker|o]] , beginning with his abandonment by [[Draco in Leather Pants|C.C.]]. It primarily focuses on his desperate search for her as he first [[Walking the Earth|wanders around]]<s> China</s> Beijing, supporting his operation through gambling and blackmail, though [[Exact Eavesdropping|clues]] [[Telepathy|uncovered]] during his travels eventually bring him to Japan where his relation to early events in the series is revealed, shedding new insight on his subsequent actions.
Its portrayal suggests Mao to be a [[Teen Genius|brilliant]] [[Anti-Hero]] who's [[Love Makes You Crazy|love]] drives him to sacrifice everything (and anyone) in order to save [[One True Pairing|his beloved]] C.C. {{spoiler|from her [[Death Seeker|Death Wish]]}} so they can be together again. Forever. Whether or not he will actually succeed however...
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Action Girl]]: After Kallen unknowingly captures C.C., Mao ruminates over the fact that when he finds her, he won't be able to attack her, as she's a skilled fighter and his Geass won't help him predict reflexive muscle movements.
** He gives the same reason for avoiding Sayoko, who is also a martial artist.
* [[Adaptation Expansion]]: Much of the entire first half of the story, along with detailed explanations set in between [[Canon]] episodes. The ability of the author to take the core source material (consisting of about three episodes, a couple of cameos and a brief series of flashbacks), and create an engaging storyline that is both plausible and woven into established [[Canon]] very well, however, is rather impressive.
* [[Adult Child]]: Mao is still very childlike, despite physically being an adult.
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* [[Badass Longcoat]]: Mao.
* [[Badass Long Hair]]: Also Mao.
* {{spoiler|[[Back
* [[Batman Gambit]]: Because his [[Telepathy]] enables him to acquire intimate knowledge of anyone he wants, Mao often comes up with schemes that are dependent on people acting the way he predicts they will. He is ''very'' good at this. Unfortunately for him, his first attempt against [[Ron the Death Eater|Lelouch]] ends up failing, though just barely. Then later, Lelouch uses an even better one against him {{spoiler|though it actually fails as well}}.
** After Mao gives her an [[Anguished Declaration of Love]], C.C. {{spoiler|reveals that [[Manipulative Bastard|she’s been running a rather cruel one for some time, pitting Mao and Lelouch against each other in an attempt to pressure one of them enough to fulfill her contract]]}}. Ultimately, however, Mao ''still'' [[Love Martyr|doesn’t care]].
*** Also, Mao and C.C. come to realize that a [[What the Hell, Hero?]] speech Lelouch gave to C.C. earlier {{spoiler|was really an [[More Than Mind Control|attempt to manipulate her]] into killing Mao for him. Its [[Fatal Flaw]] is exposed when C.C. makes him think she’s deserting him, leading him to resort to another [[Batman Gambit]], [[Kick Them While They Are Down|using her presence to distract Mao]], in order to [[No One Could Survive That|make sure he’s dead]]. It ultimately [[Back
* [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]: Nunally reveals that Mao’s Geass ultimately stems from his desire to understand people.
* [[Berserk Button]]: Mao’s apparently include Code-R. Prositutes. Zero.
* [[Big Blackout]]: Mao engineers one of these in his escape from the Geass Directorate.
* [[Big Brother Instinct]]: Lelouch became a terrorist and started a war for his handicapped sister Nunnally.
* {{spoiler|[[The Big Damn Kiss]]: Mao and C.C., in C's World near the end. Subverted when Mao kisses her [[Spider-Man|upside down]] in the first chapter.}}
* [[Bilingual Bonus]]: In one chapter Mao starts shouting obscenities in romanized Chinese. Also an example of [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]], given the T rating. See also [[Foreign Language Tirade]] and [[Foreign Cuss Word]]s.
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* [[Bullet Sparks]]: Mao's shotgun has this effect when he turns it on [[Action Girl|Kallen's]] [[Humongous Mecha|Knightmare Frame]]. Justified as it's mentioned to be loaded with steel core ammunition, which would generate a spark.
* [[Butt Monkey]]: Let's just say Mao is prone to misfortune. All three of Mao's major schemes {{spoiler|end up failing}}, the last of which has [[Fate Worse Than Death|horrible consequences]]. Though events like getting kicked around by police officers, locked in an insane asylum for being at the wrong place ''at the wrong time'', and especially C.C.'s preliminary abandonment do make him [[The Woobie]]. [[Played for Laughs]] when he tries to fly to Area 11...and narrowly misses crashing into a building, gets caught in a ''frickin hurricane'', and almost wrecks in the landing.
** {{spoiler|To avoid a [[Downer Ending]], Mao's main goal, however, is actually realized, though not in the way he expected, well…not ''quite'' in the way he expected. Less of a case of [[Throw the Dog a Bone]] and more of [[The Power of Love]] though.}}
* [[Cannot Spit It Out]]: Despite the fact that she professed to love Mao many times while he was growing up, as shown in several [[Flash Back|flashbacks]], and the fact that she included it as a line in the(intended) posthumous recording she made for him, C.C. refuses to say it to him when he finds her again, instead claiming she was only using him all the way {{spoiler|till a tender moment near the end, where she finally drops it and admits the truth}}
* [[Chainsaw Good]]: Has to be seen to be believed.
* [[Chekhov's Armoury]]: Mao accumulates one of these as the story progresses.
* [[Chekhov's Boomerang]]: The ring Mao forged for C.C. in the first chapter turns out to come in handy in surprising ways on multiple occasions later.
* [[Chekhov's Skill]]: The training Mao received during his time with the Geass Directorate, such as learning how to alternate his focus between different groups of people, which he later uses to spy on Prince Clovis and General Bartley from outside the Viceroy's Palace to learn where they're holding C.C.
* [[The Chessmaster]]: Mao becomes this. Though Lelouch turns out to be even better, except when it comes to, you know, actually playing chess.
* [[Coincidental Broadcast]]: In Chapter 14, Mao turns on the television just in time to catch the broadcast of Zero's first public appearance with a mysterious capsule in his possession. {{spoiler|As it's same one he lost to Kallen's terrorists at Code-R with C.C. inside}}, Mao suspects that C.C. is being held by Zero and begins investigating him, jumpstarting the third [[Story Arc]].
** Also C.C.'s (intended) posthumous recording. Fragments that play often seem to relate somehow to Mao's present circumstances.
* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: In the epic shootout from Chapter 12, Mao displays a fast and brutal attack style, a poignant illustration of his single-minded focus. [[Mook]]s with [[Bulletproof Vest|Bullet Proof Vests]]? No problem. Just shoot them in the neck.
** However, he also seems to flirt with [[Combat Sadomasochist|Combat Sadism]] when dealing with a few particularly loathed opponents, most notably with [[Asshole Victim|Doctor Huai]], [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown|Rupert Deneuvre]] and, of course, Lelouch himself with Shirley.
* [[Cool Shades]]: Mao wears these.
* [[Cradling Your Kill]]: C.C. does this ''in a way'' to Mao at the end of Chapter 26.
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* [[Crucified Hero Shot]]: {{spoiler|When he gets shot by a [[Brainwashed]] police firing squad, Mao falls with his arms out and his legs together, reminiscent of the [[Rule of Symbolism|Christian cross]].}}
** And earlier when he's imprisoned in a psychiatric ward, he sweats blood, with Doctor Huai even comparing him to Christ.
* [[A Day
* [[Death Glare]]: Recipient's of Mao's include [[Dr. Jerk|Doctor Huai]], [[The Dragon|Rolo]], dozens of [[Too Dumb to Live|researchers]] at [[Government Conspiracy|Code-R]], Rupert Deneuvre, and [[Ron the Death Eater|Lelouch himself]]. Usually given just before he kills them in a [[Rain of Blood|particularly brutal way]], although in Denveuvre's case, he's already [[Extreme Melee Revenge|beyond dead]], and in Lelouch's, the best Mao can do is [[Scenery Gorn]] since Lelouch is communicating through a video screen at the moment. This is subverted in his treatment of Rolo, however, as he takes him down wearing a friendly smile.
* [[Death Seeker]]: C.C. reveals that {{spoiler|the contract she made with Mao is dependent upon him killing her so he can relieve her of her immortality.}} Mao refuses, arguing that he’s in love with her and needs her, which is why she abandons him. See [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]. Mao later seeks to kill Lelouch, C.C.’s new ally, in order to prevent him from fulfilling the same contract.
** {{spoiler|Mao also learns that Suzaku is secretly one of these, due to guilt over murdering his own father as a child.}}
** {{spoiler|Mao also becomes one of these when he approaches C.C. and asks her to [[Thanatos Gambit|help him commit suicide]].}}
* [[Death Trap]]: Mao engineers a few of these against Lelouch using his [[Teen Genius]]
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* [[The Dragon]]: Rolo to V.V. Mao also determines [[Action Girl|Kallen]] to be this for Zero.
** Suzaku later becomes this to help Lelouch save Nunnally though.
* [[Driven to Suicide]]: Mao strongly contemplates this option, before deciding he'd rather have revenge first. Also an example of [[Spurned Into Suicide]], as he is beginning to fear that C.C. might not really love him. {{spoiler|He later meets with C.C. and ends up [[Thanatos Gambit|asking her to do it]] for him.}}
* [[Dr. Jerk]]: ''Any'' of the doctors Mao meets in the hospital qualify, but ''especially'' Dr. Huai.
* [[Drunk on the Dark Side]]: Both Mao AND Lelouch suffer moments like this.
* {{spoiler|[[Earn Your Happy Ending]]: Despite Mao's several failures and the [[Grey and Gray Morality]] conflict, he is finally reunited with C.C. in [[Spirit World|C's World]].}}
* [[Either or Title]]: Several of the [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming|idiosyncratic chapter names]] have alternate titles included as well, most commonly [[Pun-Based Title|puns]] or [[Rule of Symbolism|symbolic allusions]].
* [[Elaborate Underground Base]]: The Geass Directorate is an entire city hidden underground beneath the Chinese Federation.
* [[Empathic Environment]]: The storm in the first chapter is the best example, but it appears fairly consistently afterwords as well if you watch for it.
* [[Even Evil Has Standards|Even Crazy Has Standards]]: On one of Code-R’s recorded video sessions, a scientist condescendingly berates a fellow for asserting that C.C. could be an alien, despite the fact that moments before he suggested that she had ''psychic powers''. Also counts as [[Arbitrary Skepticism]].
* [[Even the Guys Want Him]]: Side characters, both male and female, frequently ruminate on how sexy he is (or how awesome his clothes are). Like, for example, a hotel employee who teaches him how to use the computer and Prince Clovis' own security guards!
* [[Evil Counterpart]]: Mao comes to consider Lelouch this way.
** In fact the already noted similarities become even more striking in the story—both are [[Teen Genius|geniuses]], both consider the [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy|well being of a single individual]] their entire purpose in life, both [[Deal with the Devil|are given a Geass]] by C.C., both are extremely proficient in manipulating people, [[These Hands Have Killed|both express revulsion after shooting]] their first victim, both gamble to support themselves, and both excitedly revel when they realize they actually have the power to accomplish their goals. {{spoiler|And both make their exit with a [[Thanatos Gambit]]!}}
*** Their differences are complementary as well, however—Mao is physically superior while Lelouch is slightly mentally superior, Mao's intelligence is expressed through his skills in building, engineering, manipulating machines, and [[More Than Mind Control|almost hypnotic persuasion]] whereas Lelouch's is expressed through his prowess in strategy, tactics, and philosophy.
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*** {{spoiler|Ultimately averted in that, through a [[For Want of a Nail]] flaw in Mao’s plan and Suzaku’s timely intervention, Lelouch [[Foregone Conclusion|still overcomes Mao]].}}
* [[Humans Are the Real Monsters]]: Mao's basic outlook. Subverted in his view of C.C. Justified somewhat by the fact that the thoughts he tends to hear are usually depraved and bitter.
* [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming]]: Mao's name appears in all the chapter titles, preceded by a present tense verb, apparently based on Turn 15 of the show, translated "Cheering Mao".
* [[I Have a Family]]: Invoked by a guard named Alex when Mao [[Stepford Smiler|calmly explains]] that he needs to kill him in order to steal his I.D. Brilliantly rebuffed by Mao when he reminds him of all the [[Dark and Troubled Past|families he killed]] (including children) during the invasion of Japan.
* [[Ill Girl]]: Lelouch's sister Nunnally is blind and cripple. When he abducts her, Mao purposefully binds ''her legs'' just to infuriate Lelouch.
* [[Impossibly Cool Clothes]]: See [[Badass Longcoat]] and [[Cool Shades]] above.
** Of course, he does shed those when {{spoiler|they get shot full of holes, after which he becomes something of a [[Rummage Sale Reject]] thanks to the quick thinking of a kind nurse.}}
* [[I'm Taking Her Home with Me]]: Mao reserves a ''single-bed'' cottage in deep Australia so he can take C.C. there.
* [[Indulgent Fantasy Segue]]: Turns out that {{spoiler|Chapter 20}} is this. [[Precision F-Strike|Fucking]] [[Hilarity Ensues|HILARIOUS!]]
* [[Indy Ploy]]: Mao travels to Shinjuku in order to liberate C.C. from the Britannian military. About the only thing he plans for, however, is a shoot out and when he gets there he just happens to find a guard on break. So he decides to shoot him and take his I.D. and uniform in order to get into the lab, leaving us wondering what he would have done if he had arrived just a little bit later…
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* [[I Will Fight Some More Forever]]: Even when Mao is confronted by Kallen's [[Humongous Mecha|Knightmare]], he fires his shotgun at the damn thing, almost getting him killed when she retaliates with her rocket grapple.
* [[Jerkass Facade]]: Mao puts on one of these to intimidate his enemies, even though he's really a [[Troubled but Cute]] [[Adult Child]] on the inside...''mostly''
* [[Karmic Death]]: Mao tells Shirley that her and Lelouch's death would be this, though he himself muses over the fact he doesn't ''really'' care what she did and is just using her to take down Lelouch so C.C. will be spared from their contract.
* [[Kick Them While They Are Down]]: With [[Naive Everygirl|Shirley]], of course. He also receives this from Lelouch.
* [[Killed to Uphold the Masquerade]]: Mao creates (and summarily follows) a mental hit list for people who know about C.C. to eliminate them in order to keep her immortality a secret so that the government [[Properly Paranoid|won't come after her again]].
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* [[Let Them Die Happy|Let Them Die Horribly]]: Mao's favored method seems to be to [[Mind Rape]] them, give them a [[Hannibal Lecture]] about [["The Reason You Suck" Speech|The Reason They Suck]] and then either kill them himself or [[More Than Mind Control|get them to do it for him]].
* [[Literal Genie]]: Lelouch's Geass. {{spoiler|Mao survives Lelouch's [[Batman Gambit]] because of his poorly phrased command to the [[Brainwashed]] police officers to "shoot" rather than "kill"}}.
* [[Living Emotional Crutch]]: C.C. for Mao and a somewhat dark example at that, considering [[Stalker with a Crush|the lengths]] he is willing to [[A Love to Dismember|go to]] in order to retain her. Just her voice apparently soothes him like nothing else.
* [[Living Lie Detector]]: Mao's Geass enables him to do this. {{spoiler|Nunnally is also revealed to be able to tell when someone is lying and even view their memories just by holding their hand. She does this to Mao in order to prove to him he's not a [[Complete Monster]], but he has a [[Freak-Out]] instead from the ensuing [[Mind Rape]].}}
* [[Love At First Sight]]: Averted as a [[Flash Back]] reveals that Mao shouted that he hated the world and everyone in it, including C.C. (whom he had never met till then!).
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* [[Precision F-Strike]]: When Lelouch boasts how easy it was to deceive Mao with the monitor trick while [[Batman Gambit|he was distracted by C.C.]], Mao retorts in disbelief, “Don’t fuck with me brat!”, the only (English) use of the word so far. Justified as it’s a direct quote from the show's subtitle script.
* [[Properly Paranoid]]: Mao [[Lampshades]] plenty of schemes that he could perform to secure his goal along the way, but fears that many of them will expose C.C. to danger, especially when he finds her in the company of the highly-sought after terrorists, [[Badass Army|the Black Knights]]. Given the Code-R affair, he's got a point.
* [[Protagonist-Centered Morality]]: Despite the increasingly violent and exploitative acts Mao engages in as his quest becomes more desperate, he continues to excuse them by considering C.C. to be the only person that ''really'' matters.
** Lelouch is revealed to operate with the same basic outlook in regards to Nunnally though. He's a little more compassionate towards others, as pointed out by Nunnally - he puts himself at great risk to rescue Suzaku and the Student Council, though it also furthers his plans.
** C.C. also seems to have this for...um...[[The Unfettered|herself]].
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* [[Rapunzel Hair]]: C.C. has long green hair that Mao just ''loves'' running his fingers through!
* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]: C.C. Well, she's at least 717 according to the intro.
* [[Refuge in Audacity]]: The airplane Mao swindled is a bit too small to fit both him, his beloved C.C., his [[Briefcase Full of Money]], [[Wall of Weapons]], and [[Gun Accessories]]. After seriously pondering the issue, Mao comes up with the [[Sarcasm Mode|ingenious]] plan to use a friggin chainsaw to make said [[Healing Factor|immortal]] love interest ''more compact''.
* [[The Reveal]]: Not surprising, given the nature of Mao’s power and his personality. Most especially, he reveals that {{spoiler|Lelouch and Nunnally are [[Brother-Sister Incest|in love]] and Suzaku is a [[Death Seeker]] who murdered his own father}}, something that was only very subtly hinted at in the show.
* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: Played straight when Mao goes on one after watching several recorded experiments carried out by [[Government Conspiracy|Code-R]] on [[And I Must Scream|C.C.]], accomplished by [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|obliterating]] several roomfuls of scientists and culminating in the [[Unstoppable Rage|mutilation]] of a corpse with the handle of a pistol (he already used up all the bullets!)
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*** Actually, C.C. {{spoiler|used her vague assortment of abilities to break Lelouch's Geass}}.
** {{spoiler|C.C. also gives a playful one to Mao in C's World.}}
* [[Single-Target Sexuality]]: Mao for C.C. Justified in that he has no other options outside of her. Aptly illustrated when an over-eager prostitute attempts to seduce Mao...and gets punched in the face.
** {{spoiler|Also apparently true of Lelouch for Nunnally, and ''almost'' as [[Big Brother Instinct|severe]]}}. Canonically, it never comes up, but it's not hard to accept that Lelouch wouldn't be able to say no if asked.
* [[Smug Snake]]: Mao's opinion of Lelouch.
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** The first few chapters also contain the lyrics to songs that C.C. apparently [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|sang to Mao when he was young]] to soothe the effects of his Geass when they still lived in the city.
** Several [[Either or Title|alternate chapter titles]] are allusions to various songs as well.
** Finally, the author has the audacity to recommend that certain instrumental pieces be played while reading, from as varied sources as ''[[Code Geass]]'' (of course), the ''[[The Bourne Series]]'', ''[[Gundam Seed]]'', ''[[Death Note]]'', ''[[Doctor Who]]'', ''[[Fruits Basket]]'', ''[[
* [[The Soulless]]: Rolo is portrayed this way, interrupted by flashes of [[Stepford Smiler]], which genuinely [[Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth|creeps Mao out]]!
* [[Spell My Name with an "S"]]: C.C.'s name is accurately rendered "C.C." throughout but a [[Shout-Out]] to the dub version "C2" occurs with Mao's luxury hotel suite: "Floor C, Suite 002".
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* [[Sympathetic POV]]: Mao's, obviously, although it goes to great lengths to explore his moral decay.
* [[Take That]]: [[Word of God|According to the author]], the infamous Chapter 20 was born as this.
* [[Teen Genius]]: Mao not only has a natural aptitude for [[Gadgeteer Genius|engineering]] and building, from repairing broken machinery to devising elaborate [[Death Trap]]s, but demonstrates excellent deductive reasoning skills as he traces C.C.'s movements, evaluates geopolitical changes within Japan, and investigates Zero's identity. Of course, his Geass helps.
* [[Telepathy]]: His Geass power. In this interpretation, it <s> allows</s> forces him to penetrate the mind of anyone within 500 meters, including thoughts, sights, sounds, memories and presumably tastes, feels and smells as well, all the way down to the subconscious.
* {{spoiler|[[Thanatos Gambit]]: Mao secretly approaches C.C. asking her to help him commit suicide. After she finally agrees, he attacks Lelouch unbeknownst to her by abducting Nunnally and holding her hostage with a [[Fake Trap]]. Unexpectedly, however, Lelouch gets a chance to use his Geass on him and, as Mao flees, C.C. appears, ''seemingly'' to fulfill her earlier promise. But he wakes up in C’s World, however, and she reveals that she merely injected him with a chemical to deceive Lelouch into thinking he was dead because she [[Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other|really does love him too]]. Mao then reveals the entire thing was all a [[Xanatos Gambit]] to prove to C.C. that she loved him, take revenge on Lelouch, ''and'' be free of his Geass, with the understanding that [[Sadistic Choice|either outcome]]—(1) losing to Lelouch and thus in all likelihood being killed, perhaps by C.C. which would mean she really didn’t love him after all but would free him from his Geass, (2) defeating Lelouch but getting killed by C.C. anyway, thus sparing C.C. from being killed by Lelouch later by their contract ''and'' still being freed from Geass, (3) losing to Lelouch but being spared by C.C., proving her love for him and thus giving them a chance to be honest with each other about their relationship, or (4) defeating Lelouch and being spared by C.C.’s love, ensuring safety for the both of them and the ability to resume their [[Mayfly-December Romance|relationship]] without a rival contract. The second is what actually occurs, though to Mao it initially appears that the first has. The whole scheme also counts as a [[Thanatos Gambit]].}}
* [[These Hands Have Killed]]: Mao stares at his hands in horror after slaughtering ''almost'' an entire laboratory of scientists.
* [[Thinking Out Loud]]: Mao does this to differentiate his own thoughts from the others he has to hear. Played for laughs when several side characters question his sanity or he accidentally reveals information he didn't intend to.
* [[Too Incompetent to Operate a Blanket]]: Mao has to ask a hotel reception desk how to use a computer.
** Justified since he lived most of his life in the wild without one.
* [[Took a Level
** Justified somewhat because Mao's Geass allows him to know exactly what obstacles his enemies are hiding behind, when they have to reload, where they are aiming, and what their tactical strategies are.
* [[Trauma Conga Line]]: Pretty much the entire story. And it progressively [[It Got Worse|gets worse]] for Mao.
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* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: Mao gives a scathing one to C.C. in Chapter 23, confronting her on slowly doing to Lelouch the very same thing she did to him.
** Lelouch gives Mao one of these when he abducts Nunnally.
* [[When All You Have Is a Hammer]]: Subverted. While Mao uses his Geass for a lot of [[Exact Eavesdropping]], [[More Than Mind Control]] and [[Batman Gambit]]s, he also relies on his [[Teen Genius|Teen]] [[Gadgeteer Genius]] and [[Took a Level
** And don't forget his [[Briefcase Full of Money]] (he carries around eight ''hundred thousand'' in cash at one point!), [[Wall of Weapons]] (alright it's a closet but still), [[Gun Accessories]] and [[Cool Plane]], which is actually a light craft that he modified for transpacific travel.
* [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]]: Mao, though actually he’s described as "platinum" haired.
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