2015-02-25 - Fusion Returns! A Miracle Gathering! (Part Two)
| Title: Fusion Returns! A Miracle Gathering! (Part Two) | |
|---|---|
| Summary: The darkness is at its deepest - but that is when hope shines brightest. | |
| Who: Cure Melody, Cure Peach, Cure Berry, Cure Pine, Cure Peace, Cure White, Cure Black, Mepple, Mipple, Chiffon, Hummy, Candy, Tarte
| |
| Where: Tokyo | |
| OOC - IC Date: 30 May 2014 - 02/24/2015 | |
<Pose Tracker> Eas [None] has posed.
The clouds above have finally blotted out all brightness by the time the disaster's epicenter is found; all around, what was once road, or building, or even tree has become so much rock and dust. All along the path there have been half-sunken office buildings, tilting skyscrapers, abandoned cars, and more signs of ruin than can be easily counted.
It's spread far, now, but the crackling energy at the center can at least be followed after the battles to clear a path.
High above, gleaming with reflected light in flashes and bursts, a metallic figure floats in the air. As Pretty Cure arrives, he slowly tilts his chin downward... And melts downward, at first slowly and then like a meteorite crashing down from the heavens, a mass of liquid mercury that crashes against the ground and coalesces once again.
The form, now that it is finally in proper seeing distance, is humanoid; a man, some ten feet tall, with broad, angular shoulders and a smooth head, all made of silver that's dark in the dimness. The only color to him is the red orbs of his eyes, which now peer up and over the assembled Cures, still a detached observer even now.
The remaining buildings and parts of buildings ring this central crater, in which the source of all this now stands.
"Pretty Cure..."
"I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to come to me... It saves me the effort."
Violet energy arcs around him, bringing him into full illumination for the flash of a moment as behind him, the spectral clouds of familiar monsters rise like the back of a throne, purple and green and red and gray, all dark and all dim.
They fade, but he only grows, his arms expanding and his height rising only further. The only sounds are the crackling of power and the howling of the stormy winds.
"Soon, you will all become part of me."
COMBAT: Eas transforms into Fusion! COMBAT: Eas has fully healed herself. She is now ready to take on 7 opponents!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Melody [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
The warmth of crashing lightning, the light and smell of fresh purification, the resounding echoes of powerful music...all remnants of the previous battle have faded into the ever-spreading darkness. Cure Melody can't help but shiver, looking up at the gathering occlusion. It's...a lonely feeling. There's something dedicated to being the only thing in existence, and it feels almost like there's no one else left in the world.
Almost - but not quite. She's not alone - and the ringing of bells reminds her of this. Crystal fairies, red and orange, ring cheerfully near her - Dori in particular taking the lead, and pointing around. Cure Melody raises her head, taking in the others who have come with her here - everyone who bears the mantle of 'Pretty Cure'. She can't help but grin, for all that she's a little overwhelmed - so many other girls fighting the good fight! It's a wonder the likes of Minor Land even try to cause trouble!
...but that confidence is fleeting. Silver descends from the heavens, the towering nemesis standing alone in his arena. Or maybe not so alone - the echoes of youma past loom as an audience for this performance. Cure Melody takes a deep breath -
("It's not about the audience, Hibiki. Pretend they're not there - that there's just just one person you're playing for.")
- and takes one forceful step forward. "If trying to stop this kind of thing is stupid, then call me the number one idiot!" And then another, and another, and her footsteps become like a rapid drumbeat as she closes in. "That goes for all of us - don't act so high and mighty just because you're powerful! We're playing to our own tune - and I'm betting my pride on seeing you go down!" At the last moment, Cure Melody leaps - and unleashes a series of kicks, just as rapid as her running was, aiming for one of the monster's knees.
It really is getting tall, isn't it?...
COMBAT: Cure Melody has used Staccato Step on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Melody has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Cure Peach [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Pretty in pink, Cure Peach rushes along with the other Cures as they make their approach towards the epicenter. The fighting was already tough and there was no telling what awaited them there. But it was a safe bet to make that it was nothing good. They all would have to steel themselves to weather the upcoming storm and Peach was determined to what she can to help out as much as she could. Upon arriving at their destination, Peace stands momentarily dumbstruck by the sight before her. This certainly didn't look good at all. Ruin was everywhere.
And there was also -him-.
Pink eyes quickly scan the area for the source of the foreboding voice before she eventually spies the silver giant. Cure Peach quickly looks back to her Cure comrades before nodding to them in turn with her friends Berry and Pine being the last two. "We can do this." She promptly says in a matter-of-fact tone. "We can beat this guy and whatever more monsters he throws at us!" Cure Peach then beams a radiant smile at her fellows Cures before punching her left hand into the flat of her right palm. "Let's go!" And with that said, Peach turns and runs straight towards the silver man-monster.
Using her considerable speed to close the distance, Peach suddenly stops and places both of her feet next to one another. Cure Melody seems to be going for the knees so Peach is going to have to aim for something a little higher. The pink clad Cure then leaps high up into the air and attempts to punch the silver giant right in the gut with a one-two combination of punches!
COMBAT: Cure Peach has used Pretty Cure One-Two Punch on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Peach has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas fails to counter Cure Melody's Staccato Step, taking 18 Fatigue damage! Stagger applied to Eas! COMBAT: Eas's counterattack, When You Kick The Knee It Also Kicks You, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Cure Melody! COMBAT: Eas narrowly braces Cure Peach's Pretty Cure One-Two Punch, taking 5 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Peace [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
Cure Peace darts forward, with the other Cures! (and arriving Cures?), as she skids to a stop. Candy, at some point, was left behind- since perhaps something really, ultra scary was up ahead. Peace came to a full stop with the others and gasped a moment, hey---wait- this.. guy! Wasn't he...
With that Dark Pretty Cure? Yeah. She remembers. That weird young black 'Cure' and the silver being, with.... the Sunackies--- and the fan she made of one.
She looks to Peach and nods. "Yeah... I'm not... going anywhere with this guy!" she insists.
Peace isn't going to try to engage this thing in her traditional tirade.
Instead, she fires of a bolt of lightning from her location as she sparks like a dynamo, just for a moment.
"You can't just do this to the city!" she insists.
COMBAT: Cure Peace has used Precure Electric Shock on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Peace has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas narrowly counters Cure Peace's Precure Electric Shock, taking 3 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cure Peace is Psyched! Eas's Reverse ability activates! COMBAT: Eas's counterattack, Your Power Is My Power, partially gets through, doing 34 Fatigue damage to Cure Peace!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Pine [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
Seeing the city like this is like the nightmare you just woke from. Your breathing quickens, your heart races. Fear surges throughout every bit of your body. Right down to the trembling hands. And yet, there was no moment of awakening. It was all lucid, and horrifying. As Pine landed from a final leap into the cratered center of this catastrophe, she could only survey it, listen to the silence of all but the thudding of Legendary Warrior Pretty Cure boots on the ground.
She looks up at the silvery giant, though that gaze dips as he flows downwards and coalesces back into a humanoid shape, "You look like the one..." That attacked them, at Siren's direction, she doesn't finish, gaping at the display. And yet, everything that surrounded the silvery giant, it didn't feel like Siren, that Labyrinth, or even Poisony of Dark Zone could be doing this. Yet at the same time, it absolutely felt like they could. Her mind tugging her one way then the other on who to believe was responsible, then settling on the fact that it didn't matter where the blame lay if they couldn't stop this.
He speaks, and then grows to colossal size, eclipsing her, intimidating in every way. And yet she couldn't let that fear smother her. People were counting on all of them. Pine moves a leg back into a battleready stance despite being battleworn from the experience in the city, a hand sweeping over the ruined skyline of the city in a single chop. "All of this, was just to lure us here!?"
She looks sidelong at all the other Pretty Cure, at Peach and Berry in particular seeing so many of them garbed and ready for battle. It gave her solidarity seeing them. It gave her courage. Just like seeing Love and Miki in the clothes she made for them, dancing together gave her confidence to do her best.
Clenching her hands into fists, her gaze rises again to meet the titanic monster, "We'll definitely stop him!" She whispers fervently in reply to Peach, before asking, "Ready Berry?" She doesn't wait for a reply though, as she runs forward to get her start, then leaps high into the air, crossing her arms to lead with both elbows, as she drives herself bodily into the monster's mid-section, putting all her weight into it to deliver as powerful a 'body blow' as she could muster.
COMBAT: Cure Pine has used Pineapple Express on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Pine has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas narrowly braces Cure Pine's Pineapple Express, taking 7 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Berry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
The epicenter of the battle. The giant creature that towered over the city proper.
Cure Berry lifts her chin, and narrows her eyes - valiance in her gaze. Eyes narrowed - lavender ponytail falling over her shoulder. Berry stood with Peach and Pine, but in her heart, she stood with everyone here.
All of the Pretty Cure, standing together against this beast.
Alongside her friends, she advances, sparing a moment to give Pine a nod of her head, and a wide smile.
Before determination touches her gaze and heart again. Bounding forward, ducking - weaving - well. Everyone seemed to be selecting a part of the monster to strike. So Berry bunches herself up, leaps high, leaps tall, her gaze narrowing as she twists in the air... and tries a spinning backhanded punch set to strike at the nose of the thing.
COMBAT: Cure Berry has used Twisting Strike on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Berry has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas fails to dodge Cure Berry's Twisting Strike, taking 12 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit!
Cure Peace has reconnected. Cure Peace has partially disconnected.
<Pose Tracker> Cure White [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINYYYYAAAAAAAAA!!*"
The unmistakable cry of a little white and pink cat cuts through the air as Hummy arrives on the scene -- riding in style on the ruffled white shoulder of still another Pretty Cure. She's locked in place by the simple expedient of winding her little tail around the girl's neck, though that's mostly hidden from view by the latter's billowing, dark hair.
"YO! Y'ALL! THE CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED!" Tarte, being carried in her arms, probably means himself. He's got some kind of pink cloth sack in his paws. "Hey, wouldja put us down here, Pretty Cure?"
Both obligingly and gracefully she kneels, letting her passengers off at a safe distance from Ground Zero and the battle proper. "It was very nice to meet you, Tarte, Hummy. Please be careful," her soft, silvery voice implores. "I fear things may well get worse before they get better."
Then her knees flex, her weight shifting on a broken, half-melted chunk of concrete. She looks over at her black-clad partner, and takes her hand with all the surety and comfort that an instrument slides into the case made to fit it perfectly.
There's a lot to see in her brilliant blue eyes: concern for the state of the city, excitement, even awe, at the sight of all these other Pretty Cure. Most of all, though, is an almost serene readiness, an acceptance of what is about to happen.
They'll be together, and that's what matters.
As one, they leap into the fray.
"Emissary of light, Cure White! Please forgive our tardiness."
Despite the gravity of it all, a thrilled smile sneaks onto her lips and out of her gaze, drawn to each of the other Pretty Cure. There's so much to admire about each one.
* Ed. Note: Subtitled as "every(me)o(w)ne"
COMBAT: Cure White has used Unyielding Compassion on Cure Black. COMBAT: Cure White has used Unyielding Compassion on Cure Melody. COMBAT: Cure White has used Unyielding Compassion on Cure Pine. COMBAT: Cure White has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Melody accepts Cure White's Unyielding Compassion, taking 0 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Cure Pine accepts Cure White's Unyielding Compassion, taking 0 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Cure Black accepts Cure White's Unyielding Compassion, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cure Black is Cheered!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Black [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Wa-HAAAH HAA!"
Cure Black grapples onto the edge of a roof with one hand and two feet, the remaining forearm cradling the strangest baby she's ever seen. Clown-haired, with huge liquid eyes, the tiny fairy is wailing as Black levers herself up forcefully, catching enough air to clack down onto the roof and start jogging across it. "What's wrong?" she pleads. "I already checked your diaper... the Meat card didn't work..."
"Why would you try to feed meat to a baby-mepo?!" Mepple's little yellow face pushed from its pouch. "None of the cards will work anyway-mepo."
"Shh-shh..." Black urged, glancing behind her as a girder at a nearby construction site collapsed, surely under the assault of some monster. It hurt her to keep going, but the real problem was obviously ahead of her, not behind.
"Gii... giig... guh-HWAAA!"
"Calm down-mepo! How can your Precure fight when you are complaining-mepo?"
"She's a baby!" Black scolded, as she slammed into the ground on the opposite side of the building, collapsing into the impact with her knees, then springing into a run again. "You probably complain more than she does!"
Black jogs in place nervously as she reaches White's side. "Likewise, emissary of light, Cure Black!" she announces, bold and proud for a moment. Then she turns to White, nervous as any new papa. "Help! What do I do?" Chiffon is crying in her arms, and Black is grimacing her anxiety.
"Gya-a!" Chiffon burbles happily, spying Cure Peach hammering punches into the giant's belly.
"Oh, right!" Black hurries forward and waits where Peach is about to land. It's Berry who lands first, though, and Chiffon reaches for her.
"Purikyua!" Chiffon cooes, clapping her soft little hands. It seems to be the only word she knows.
"Sorry," Black says to Peach as she lands. She's ready to relinquish the fairy baby to either of her comrades if they reach for her. "I know this is pretty inconvenient... I don't know what to do though. Should I put her someplace?"
COMBAT: Cure Black has used Go Go Verone! on Cure White. COMBAT: Cure Black has used Go Go Verone! on Cure Peach. COMBAT: Cure Black has used Go Go Verone! on Cure Berry. COMBAT: Cure Black has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure White accepts Cure Black's Go Go Verone!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cure White is Cheered! COMBAT: Cure Peach accepts Cure Black's Go Go Verone!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cure Peach is Cheered! COMBAT: Cure Berry accepts Cure Black's Go Go Verone!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Cure Berry is Cheered!
<Pose Tracker> Eas [None] has posed.
Indeed, this particular silhouette has appeared before Pretty Cure before, before each of those present at different times ad in different places. But now, to the sound of tinkling bells over the silent ruin, he is /here/.
And our heroines aren't wasting any time.
Cure Melody makes it first, charging forward with a drumroll of kicks--and is fast enough to /keep/ hitting as he moves to counterattack with one rapid knee-strike. "Your 'own tune'..." he repeats. His red eyes cant towards the others, towards the bolt of lightning crashing towards him from Peace's powerful attack--
But he lifts one silver hand, which sparks as it takes the attack full-on and redirects it /back/. It simply courses through the arm and launches right back towards the yellow Cure. "How inane! You will not need such things. You will all become me."
It's here when Peach's one-two combination interrupts him, warping the silvery material of his abdomen with each strike, opening the gate for Pine's elbows to force the giant back a step--as Berry rounds out that trio, her fist spinning as Fusion turns to face her until it impacts with a crash and tilts his head to one size, ruined nose malformed by the impact.
This is the scene at hand when Cures White and Black burst onto the scene with missing important friensd of the Pretty Cure, including a very loud...
Well there's a lot of loud in the ones they brought.
Fusion's gaze shifts to them, even as it continues to lumber backward in the moment, focusing once on the very strange baby... and then upon the two Cures. "Still more of you. You have brought even more to me..."
Finally his backward movement is arrested as he digs one huge foot into the ground behind. "I did not seek only you," he finally answers. "I will absorb everything--this entire world." The energy building can be felt before it's seen; suddenly, violet turns to brilliant red as Fusion is suffused with power, rippling through its metallic form. Already large, its arms burst in size, its legs epand, its entire form explodes from merely gigantic to truly colossal proportions, black and red crashing outward to those in melee, threatening to crush them outright if they are not quick.
When the flash of energy dissipates, Fusion stands taller than buildings, immense enough to block out the sun if the clouds hadn't already done just that. Its maw is huge and fanged, its eyes giant pools of red--and it stares down, energy blasting along the ground towards Peace, then scything through as the ground itself bursts to move to Cure Black and Cure White from above, with no heed to their charges at all.
COMBAT: Eas has used It Just Got Worse on Cure Melody. COMBAT: Eas has used It Just Got Worse on Cure Peach. COMBAT: Eas has used It Just Got Worse on Cure Pine. COMBAT: Eas has used It Just Got Worse on Cure Berry. COMBAT: Eas has used The Eyebeams Have It on Cure Black. COMBAT: Eas has used The Eyebeams Have It on Cure White. COMBAT: Eas has used The Eyebeams Have It on Cure Peace. COMBAT: Eas has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Berry narrowly braces Eas's It Just Got Worse, taking 4 Fatigue damage! Cure Berry's Parry ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Melody narrowly braces Eas's It Just Got Worse, taking 9 Fatigue damage! Cure Melody's Block ability activates! Cure Melody's Parry ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Peace perfectly dodges Eas's The Eyebeams Have It, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Dodge! Cure Peace's Fade ability activates! Cure Peace's Flash ability activates! COMBAT: Cure White fails to dodge Eas's The Eyebeams Have It, taking 39 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Blind applied to Cure White! COMBAT: Cure Pine narrowly braces Eas's It Just Got Worse, taking 13 Fatigue damage! Cure Pine's Block ability activates! Cure Pine's Parry ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Peach narrowly braces Eas's It Just Got Worse, taking 8 Fatigue damage! Cure Peach's Block ability activates! Cure Peach's Parry ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Black perfectly dodges Eas's The Eyebeams Have It, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Dodge!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Melody [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Rebounding from the growing silver titan's knee, Cure Melody comes skidding to a halt. "That...what kind of talk is that?!" Peach, Pine, and Berry follow up, and Melody can't hide the grin that shows when the monster's nose is dented - though she glances back towards where Peace was. It might just be the five of them, but they'll have to give this their best shot...
The yowling of a cat catches her full attention immediately. "Hummy?!" For a moment, she casts her gaze around, trying to spy the small cat - breathing a sigh of relief when she spies the arrival of a white-clad Cure. Good, Rhythm made it- wait. That's not Cure Rhythm, that's...
The emissaries of light? She's never seen Cure Black and Cure White before, but they must be on the side of good - they're Precure, they're showing up to help, and Hummy trusts them!
Actually, considering Siren, never mind that last one.
All things considered, Cure Melody is a little awe-struck - the two new arrivals are confident, look tough, and seem to be great partners. She's a little jealous of how well they fit together, to be honest...but she grins to them all the same. "I think you're just in time! Great to meet you - I'm Cure Melody! Though maybe Hummy told you that part... Anyway, we're-"
Fusion seems to be in no mood to permit further explanations - and as he makes his grand announcement, Melody is forced to break off to confront the attacking monstrosity. She isn't as agile as Rhythm would be - instead, she just rolls with the hit, letting the storm carry her back. One beat, two - and she looks up, horrified at what this thing has become. "That...is this thing seriously planning to eat the world?!"
For too many reasons to count, that's not something she can forgive. Cure Melody breaks into a run - sprinting for a crumbling building. If this thing's just going to loom like this - then she'll have to go to it! Up from ledge to broken wall, higher and higher, aiming to get close enough to the looming face...that one more good leap can get her in range for a direct punch.
COMBAT: Cure Melody has used Precure Uppercut on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Melody has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas perfectly braces Cure Melody's Precure Uppercut, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Brace!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Peach [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
After landing her blows, Cure Peach nimbly back hand springs away and click-clacks back down onto her booted feet. Peach then flashes a quick grin to Berry and Pine as they both subsequently pummel the chrome giant. With the three of them and Cure Melody and Cure Peace, they stood a fighting chance against even the biggest odds! But these brave Cures would not have to fight alone as they are sooned joined by some timely reinforcements. Hummy, Chiffon, Tarte, Cure White -and- Cure Black?! "You all made it!" She calls out as she runs a few steps in their direction before waving her arms back and forth happily. With these reinforcements, they now stood an even -better- chance against this mighty foe.
Cure Black is smiled towards and Peach soon exclaims, "Chiffon! Are you okay?!" The young Pretty Cure instantly reaches her hands out to gently take Chiffon from Black. Peach smiles happily at the baby fairy before cradling her safely in her arms. "Thank you for looking after her." Peach says in utmost sincerity to Black before taking a few steps and one great leap to land near where White dropped Tarte off. "Tarte, look after Chiffon and make sure she stays safe! I'm counting on you." The blonde haired warrioress grins from ear to to ear as she now tries to give Chiffon over to Tarte. This was fight might get ugly and Peach had to make sure that Chiffon would stay out of the worst of it.
Peach now turns back towards their mutual foe. She points a finger most accusingly towards their towering foe. "Haven't you heard? The bigger you are, the harder you..." Peach trails off as their silver foe becomes building sized and launches a swift attack. Bringing her arms up in an X, Peach blocks most of the force of the attack, but it still pushes her back along the ground. "...fall," concludes Peach in a much weaker voice than what she had started with.
Cure Peach grabs the sides of her head and gives herself a shake. They are just going to have to punch that much harder to topple this creature over. "Berry! Pine! Let's stub his toe the Pretty Cure way!" The pig-tailed girl then leaps into the air before coming crashing back down to the ground with her fist leading the way in the hope that this big punch will help trip the big guy up.
COMBAT: Cure Peach has used Pretty Cure Fresh Punch on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Peach has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas narrowly braces Cure Peach's Pretty Cure Fresh Punch, taking 13 Fatigue damage! Cure Peach is Psyched!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Peace [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
Cure Peace leaps as fast as she can out of the way, and lands on her feet with a 'mpphhh!', as she winces a bit, as the blast rakes across the ground and past her. She frowns a little. "H-ey! You can't eat the world! WE LIVE HERE!" she says dramatically as she stamps her foot down. "I Mean, we all do! And not just us! Eating everyone isn't the way to do it!" she yells out.
There's WAY too many cool people and cool things in this world to let big bald and silver over here eat it. She looks over to the arriving Cures and blinks and smiles. Yesssss! More help! "Hi! Uhm-- we need help, yeah...." she admits sheepishly. "This guy is... something else...." she murmurs under her breath.
This thing just absorbed her lightning, so she sparkles with electricity, before she flingers herself so much like a bolt of lighting herself into the creature. Not the best of ideas, perhaps, but if this thing just EATS her lightning and sends it back... she needs a new plan of attack, so maybe ramming this thing will work best!
COMBAT: Cure Peace has used Precure Lightning Strike on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Peace has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas narrowly braces Cure Peace's Precure Lightning Strike, taking 9 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Pine [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
Despite being locked in the midst of a pitched battle, it was hard for Pine not to turn her head on her descent from the initial drive, just a little at Hummy's meowdorable call. It was hard to imagine any cat in the world being her favorite, and yet Hummy somehow managed.
She even managed to keep that smile at Tarte's reassurance, though she was quite content for him to stay a good distance from her. His feelings reaching her would be more than enough. And yet, it was the feelings of Cure White that touched her most of all.
Her compassion was as awe-inspiring as before, the words that had reached Mercury's heart from the Darkness. Her arrival only bolstered her feelings about their chances for defeating this almost insurmountable giant. Relief floods her as she hears Chiffon and steals a glance to catch the baby fairy in Black's arms, "There's nothing to forgive. Thank you both for keeping Tarte-kun and Chiffon-chan safe!"
She really should have been paying more attention however, as Fusion answers her question, she turns again to face him, an arm reeling back to try to deliver a follow up punch on her descent. She doesn't even have her arm half-way drawn back before malevolent energy surges all around her. Its all she can do to bear such power, as it casts her away like a leaf in a tempest.
She only manages to barely right herself in mid-air, landing upon wobbly legs that give out to send her to one knee, wisps of dark smoke wafting off of her. They couldn't fight this thing if they had to watch Chiffon too. Fortunately, Peach had already taken care of it, handing Chiffon off to their designated babysitter. With that done, they could definitely give it their all!
Pine gets up at Peach's call, exploding into motion as she rushes to flank the silver giant, "There's no way we'll let you do that!" Yet it was Melody's assessment of his plan that inspired the next statement, "The world isn't some sort of donut for you to consume!" As Peach strikes the ground, she leaps sideways to try to complement her teammate's efforts to topple the giant. Drawing her fist back she attempts to crash down on his right ankle with a powerful haymaker.
COMBAT: Cure Pine has used Pineapple Punch on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Pine has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas narrowly counters Cure Pine's Pineapple Punch, taking 16 Fatigue damage! Eas's Reverse ability activates! COMBAT: Eas's counterattack, The Foot Comes Down, partially gets through, doing 5 Fatigue damage to Cure Pine! Cripple and Stun applied to Cure Pine!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Berry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
It was impossible to ignore the smiles of the other Pretty Cure.
It was impossible to ignore the cheer of her friends arriving, whether they be of the fairy realm, or of this earthen realm. The punch connects, and Berry pushes off the creature as she flips back and away from it, her eyes flickering out towards Black and White. "Tarte! Chiffon!" she croons. "Thank you for protecting them, White! Thank you for protecting them, Black!" she calls, her call ending as her fashionable boots strike the ground. Eyes track the faeries - only so much as to watch Pine help them off, when the creature... attacks. Crossing arms above herself as the energy sweeps across them, Berry's arms tinged with a bit of pain, the young woman grimacing.
And flicking her arms open afterwards, following the sound of Peach's cry. "Right!"
Lunging forward with enough speed just to come alongside Pine and Peach proper, Berry spares a glance (and a smile) for Melody and Peace as well, before she narrows her eyes, and focuses in on...
Well, Pine was striking the side of the ankle. Berry would throw a punch, a punch, and twist around in a kick, aiming more for the upper portion of the talus.
COMBAT: Cure Berry has used Beautiful Battler on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Berry has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas fails to brace Cure Berry's Beautiful Battler, taking 28 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Cure White [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
At another, less stressful time, White might find Hapless Papa Black adorable, melt like butter into those frantic eyes, but right now she just feels strained, and it comes out as exasperation, animating her eyebrows. "Blacku, she's an infant on a battlefield, of course she's cr--"
*the burbling commences*
As relieved to be wrong as she is to see Black relieved of duty, White shuts up, and looks up, and up, and up, as Fusion explodes into something truly terrible. Her eyes narrow, blue meeting red in a defiant clash of wills. She doesn't hesitate to call him out then and there, glaring down her pointed finger of righteous indignation.
/After/ she politely returns the many greetings and gratitude levied in her direction.
"The pleasure is mine -- it's so wonderful to see so many other Pretty Cure!" These don't seem like Cure Teal or Cure Yellow. These aren't mere deputies. She can feel the candlelight connection in her soul right away, like calling to like. It's a marvelous sensation.
Only then does she confront Fusion:
"Why do you want to? And what gives you the right?"
The hairs on the back of her neck tickle as the power rises, and she really doesn't need Mipple's squealed warning to "Look out-mipo!!" She isn't thinking about herself. She isn't even thinking about Black.
She's thinking about the baby.
Her leg scythes down in a kick that chops a door-sized piece of pavement up, creating a momentary concrete barrier between the angle of the incoming eyeblast and the retreating mascots.
It is vaporized in an instant -- bomb beats rock -- and, as she is still recovering her momentum from impact, so is White, or so it seems for a long and horrible moment: once the awful energy clears, there is simply nothing there.
That is because White has just been blown through one nearby collapsing building -- observant allies might note the debris cloud -- and then another -- and then --
*CLACK*
Miraculously she gets her feet under her at the last moment, though smoke is rising from the tips of her boots to the heart in her topknot, and every inch of skin feels scorched and tight.
She lands horizontally on an I-beam (which dents immediately from the force, becoming a V-beam), in a construction area several long city blocks away, and looks up, her hair falling all around her as she exhales.
Then, wordlessly, she launches off and hits the ground running, back towards the fight. With every step she gains more momentum, and while she's generally the quieter of her pair in battle, there's a fire in her belly that demands release from her lips, a long, slow, rising kiai as she approaches friend and foe.
She needs to hurry -- her partner is waiting.
COMBAT: Cure White has started a combo targeting Eas!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Black [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"But she's really upset!" Black whines, still jogging in place, when White scolds her. If Black ever has kids, she's going to be a bit of a pushover, it seems.
Thankfully, there are a lot of Pretty Cure here for moral support. "Thanks for waiting, Cure Melody!" It's always nice when she doesn't have to guess which Cure they are, though Black seems to be really good at it. Nobody's ever told her she was wrong about a Cure name, after all!
Black's head bobs cheerfully at Peach and Berry. "You were doing the hard job! But now we can do it together!" To be honest, Black isn't positive that fighting's the hard job here. Good thing Tarte's around.
"That's not what being together is supposed to mean!" Black argues. "Everybody should be friends, but if they're all the same person, they're not friends at all!"
The eye lasers disagree, apparently. Black leaps onto a nearby lamppost, her hand clanging into it, and swings into her momentum, flipping up onto its top just as the laser mauls ground and post alike. It gets something else, too: Cure White.
Black gets very grave when she sees this, but she doesn't panic. Just before her lamppost buckles entirely, Black leaps into the nearest storefront facade, letting her powerful legs crunch down into a spring, and then rebounds right at Fusion while the laser is still going.
She kicks off the building with a twist of her shoulders, reversing in the air into a corkscrew that collides with Fusion foot-first. Spinning back to the ground, her chunky pink boots twisting a clean smear on the charred ground, she crouches and joins her hands in a cup-like shape near the ground.
At no point did Black ever look back during all this, but as soon as her hands form that cup, another chunky boot slaps into it, this one pale blue and white. Heaving with all her might, Black launches her newly returned partner straight up. This kick is identical to Black's, save for four important differences:
1) It is very elegant, easy to call dainty if it wasn't for the sheer martial precision behind it. 2) It has several blocks of running start behind it. 3) It has Black's muscle helping launch it. 4) It's completely vertical, aiming right up under Fusion's chin.
COMBAT: Cure Black has joined the combo started by Cure White! COMBAT: COMBO! Cure White and Cure Black have used Precure Double Screw Kick on Eas. COMBAT: Cure White has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Black has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas fails to brace Cure White and Cure Black's Combo: Precure Double Screw Kick, taking 89 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Eas [None] has posed.
Fusion does not turn to look even for a moment now at the fairies, after the barrier thrown up so quickly by Cure White is obliterated; he focuses his attention downward, inhaling gale-force winds as he prepares to unleash his next assault. The air itself is distorted as violet energy builds up--but then Cure Melody, tiny against the titanic figure before her, leaps up and up and up. The first building crumbles beneath her feet, but doesn't slow her ascent; her question rings out but Fusion does /not/ breathe out his response yet, instead eyeing her once again.
It's there that he has to pause, his arm melting into his form and bursting forth at the shoulder to block Melody's blow outright, giving her a metallic, huge target... but not the one she wanted. She'll have to find her own way down.
He's still not finished; his shoulders rise as he continues to prepare a cataclysmic assault, but a trio of Cures is already setting upon him. Under Cure Peach's fist, chunks of oozing shadow are slammed loose from where its 'toes' ought to be, halting the giant in place just an instant.
An instant is enough. Cure Pine comes from the side, and Fusion lifts its mighty foot to try to crush her and her attack--but it is too large to avoid it. There's a crack as her blow hits home, before the foot hits the ground with a deafening roar... and maybe with a Cure Pine, too.
Cure Peace, too, is already on her way back into the melee, crashing into Fusion's torso with arcing sparks even as Berry hits once (crack) twice (dip into shadow) and a third time which lands with a crunch. The sky thunders with Fusion's roar as the power he was gathering in that moment dissipates--for now. "I can," he rumbles, "And I will. I shall strip you of your useless and divided personalities, and you will become one within me. You will no longer experience the pain of being hurt by others..."
"Or of hurting one another yourselves."
Silvery ooze clumps all around Fusion's ruined ankle as he lifts it and /stomps/ it into the ground, generating a shockwave that sends rock and debris and dust hurtling for the Fresh cures in all directions from it, even as he stumbles backward to regain his balance.
"Friendship is irrelevant," Fusion intones with his deep, thundering voice even as Cure Black is suddenly, with a flash of light from the fallen streetlamp, spinning into his chest with an impact that forces him back another two steps against his unbalanced foot. "All will become one within me," he begins again, before his head is launched all the way back, chin powerfully snapped backward by Cure White's combination with her partner. The thundering roar starts once again as the gigantic creature reels, black and white blur all around it.
"Pretty Cure...!"
Still reeling backward as he regains his balance, Fusion does not do so alone. Both gigantic hands crunch into fists and crash backwards through the air, seizing the very wind itself as they seek to crush everything in their path between them and Fusion's chest.
The shadow falling over Cure Peace and Cure Black should show just where that path lies.
Even as his weight crashes into the city beneath, finally caught by his better leg digging into the ground, Fusion belches forth an absolutely titanic blast of red energy, scything through the air to catch the sailing Cures White and Melody.
But those were quick; even now, it is inhaling again to finish what it started moments ago.
COMBAT: Eas has used Twisted Impact on Cure Pine. COMBAT: Eas has used Twisted Impact on Cure Berry. COMBAT: Eas has used Twisted Impact on Cure Peach. COMBAT: Eas has used Semi-Sized Silver Slam on Cure Black. COMBAT: Eas has used Semi-Sized Silver Slam on Cure Peace. COMBAT: Eas has used Throw Out The Cure on Cure Melody. COMBAT: Eas has used Throw Out The Cure on Cure White. COMBAT: Eas has used Gathering Power on Eas. COMBAT: Eas has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas accepts Eas's Gathering Power, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Eas is Reinforced by Eas! COMBAT: Cure Pine perfectly dodges Eas's Twisted Impact, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Dodge! COMBAT: Cure Melody narrowly dodges Eas's Throw Out The Cure, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Stun applied to Cure Melody! COMBAT: Cure Peace narrowly braces Eas's Semi-Sized Silver Slam, taking 8 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Cure White fails to brace Eas's Throw Out The Cure, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Stun applied to Cure White! COMBAT: Cure Berry narrowly dodges Eas's Twisted Impact, taking 16 Fatigue damage! Eas is Psyched! Cure Berry's Flash ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Peach narrowly braces Eas's Twisted Impact, taking 9 Fatigue damage! Cure Peach's Block ability activates! Cure Peach's Parry ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Black narrowly counters Eas's Semi-Sized Silver Slam, taking 7 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Cure Black's counterattack, Sen no Sen, partially gets through, doing 15 Fatigue damage to Eas!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Melody [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Her fist strikes metal with a tremendous ring - E above high C, if she were to ask her father - and then Cure Melody begins to fall. In hindsight, this might not have been a fully-thought-through plan...but on the other hand... "I'm not going to let up - not while you're still threatening everyone! This sort of thing..."
She's falling towards a building as Fusion gets hammered by the Fresh trio, by Peace, by Black and White's spiraling combo strike - falling, furious as Fusion mocks the idea of friendship. Twists out of the worst of that cruel crimson light, finally coming to a halt on shaky rubble.
Her eyes come up to Fusion's imposing gaze, and her words match expression. "Irrelevant?! You think it's irrelevant? If friendship's so meaningless..." She clenches a fist, glances to the other Pretty Cure gathered - the trio, the duo, the solo - and then turns a challenging gaze on Fusion.
"...if you think we're all better off being one, then you've got another thing coming. Whatever our differences...all of us are here to stop you from having your way!" She doesn't have her partner, but she has friends old and new right here and now. Maybe this is the Harmony Power Hummy was talking about, maybe not - but her heart sings out that they're all in this together. Not the chord she's used to, but not a single note either! With a grand shout, Cure Melody leaps toward the silvery monster, fist pulled back to strike.
COMBAT: Cure Melody has started a combo targeting Eas!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Peach [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Chiffon's safety was still a major worry for Cure Peach. But thanfully, Cure White and Cure Black had been there to protect her thus far. Now it was up to Tarte, but Peach knew that he would do his best to protect his young charge. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiles back and offers the probably cowering Tarte a thumbs up before turning back around. As much as she wanted to be back there, she knew that this creature had to be defeated first to truely ensure Chiffon's safety.
Cure Peach happily jumps up into the air and lets out a happy cheer when she sees the combined Cures' efforts finally make a dent into this colossus' armor! But the mighty monster himself seems none too happy with the Pretty Cure toe smash and attempts to stomp them as a result. Thankfully, Peach is able to bring her arms up in time to mostly deflect the big piece of debris that was thrown her way by the shockwave of the stomped foot. But the sheer impact of this flying object is nearly enough to break through the fighter's guard. That was a close one!
When fighting magical and evil creatures such as this, Cure Peach is used to hearing them say all sort of bad things about all the good things that she cares about. But his line about friendship being irrelevant was too much. Cure Peach looks first to Berry and Pine before looking over at Black, White, Peace, and Melody. She knew some of these girls better than others, but that much was the -irrelevant- part. Whether a friendship is old and strong like hers, Berry's, and Pines, whether it is still fresh like her friendship with Black, White, and Melody, or whether it was just forming as it was with Peace, it did not matter. Every friendship is special; Every friendship is sacred "Friendship is great, it's amazing, it's what first brings us together and then keeps at each others sides!" Peach fiercely shouts back as she keeps two clenched fists at her side.
Cure Melody takes the lead in her leap, but what she plans to do reach's Peach's heart too. Sprinting forward, the young warrior takes a running leap into the air with a mighty fist reared back to strike. And just then, the growing feeling in her heart puts previously unspoken words in her mouth. Her heart speaks for her as she shouts, "Pretty Cure Collaboration Punch!"
COMBAT: Cure Peach has joined the combo started by Cure Melody!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Peace [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
Cure Peace eyes go wide as she throws her arms in front of her as she can't literarly belive the words this thing is saying as she's slide across the ground on her feet by the force of the blast, but she more angrily throws her arms out to her side. "Friendship.. is irrevelant!? Y.. YOU'RE IRREVVANT!" she snaps back in anger.
"You bring back my silly poster---- that my FRIENDS helped me make and then cry about it being irrevlavant!? THAT'S!... THAT'S STUPID!" she calls out as as she joins together with the rest of her fellow Cures. "We won't let this happen just because you want it!" she says angrily as she almost seems in tune with the other cures, echoing Peach's own cries of... "Pretty Cure, Collaboration Punch!" just shortly after!
COMBAT: Cure Peace has joined the combo started by Cure Melody!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Pine [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
There's a satisfying impact as Pine complements Peach's initial blow, just before the shockwave of Fusion's foot driving into the ground knocks her away with a shriek. She at least gets a satisfying glimpse of Berry's ~perfect~ follow up, but its hard for her to respond to it over the overwhelming haze of pain. She hits the ground hard once, and bounces, skidding backwards as she skips once like a stone across melted concrete, before her momentum stops.
Pressing her palms against the ground, she rises up, a pained gasp following as she looks up in a daze, her eyes going wide as the sight of Fusion's rising foot causes adrenaline to surge through her. Hurriedly putting her feet beneath her, she leaps as high as she can in the air. Its fortunate that the first slam of the foot knocked her far enough away that she is able to get just out of the way of the shockwave.
Even so, it is still a monumental effort for her to twirl about, and flip in the air as she avoids one giant hunk of concrete that breaks up into a shower of rubble, darting away at the last moment from a twisted half of a stop sign that threatened to careen through her. She lands with one final, graceful flip, breath heaving from the effort as she thinks on how close that was.
Only to look up as the giant calls a great deal of what she cares about, everything that is important to her irrelevant, and threatens to strip it away. And as scared as she is, it makes Cure Pine... /angry/. "People's differences are what convinces us try new things, even when we don't think its possible for usf! Our friends' belief in us inspires us to be believe in ourselves! They make us stronger than we thought we could ever be!"
She steals a single glance at Peach, at Berry, her passion not dampening despite letting out feelings she'd normally be embarrassed say publically, friends she has known since preschool, who inspire her every day. And Black, White, Peace and Melody, while she knew some better than others, they were new friends that inspired her in entirely different ways to believe in herself. Melody leads the charge, and all she does is smile at the pair, that smile carrying the weight of her affection for them both, before she takes a long running dash at Fusion. "There's nothing irrelevant about our feelings for each other!"
She leaps suddenly mid-run, fist clenched, her heart joining in a show of solidarity with the other Pretty Cure as she joins in the formation. Her fist drawn back at the ready, she calls out the feelings of belief in her heart for herself, for others given form. "Pretty Cure Collaboration Punch!"
COMBAT: Cure Pine has joined the combo started by Cure Melody!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Berry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
It was a bit like fighting an ancient god of old, perhaps.
The attack of the creature was immense. It sent her reeling one way - to smack against the side of a building, her nostrils flaring as she stumbles and falls. Like Peach, Berry's eyes flicker towards Chiffon and the others - but only for a moment. Berry did not know Cure White and Cure Black very well. But not only were they PreCures - they, like Peace and Melody, had an aura of /good/ around them.
And they could only do the same.
Peach's call - Pine's call.
Berry adds to it. "Our differences make us beautiful! They make us stronger!" she calls out. "Each and every one of us have something special about us. And together - seperate - we create a more perfect, wonderful world!"
Ducking low, Berry curls a fist at her side. Berry's lips purse into a tight, thin grimace. And like the others, she explodes forward alongside everyone else.
Like others, her voice rings true with the cry:
"Pretty Cure Collaboration Punch!"
COMBAT: Cure Berry has joined the combo started by Cure Melody!
<Pose Tracker> Cure White [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
In that moment where White's shoe fits into Black's hands as perfectly as Cinderella's foot into her glass slipper, she looks to the left and smiles radiantly. She's already burned and exhausted, seconds into this fight -- but she's glad to see Black, glad to be reunited, and that gladness makes it all worthwhile.
She is also, incidentally, glad to smash her foot into Fusion's chin, the rippling impact as satisfying as the feeling one gets when one really, brutally, systematically eviscerates an exam at school, earning every last point by fulfilling every last detail.
Up in the air, she finds Melody, and her smile remains (if less intense). They're swiftly parted, White prey to the eyebeams that the Suite Pretty Cure manages to avoid, and she makes another White-shaped hole in the ground as she falls down Fusion's back and onto -- into -- the ground on his far side.
'You will no longer experience the pain of being hurt by others... or of hurting one another yourselves.'
Of all the massive being's rhetoric, this is the first to strike home, relieving her of breath as surely as her impact from forty stories up. She bites her lip, tastes blood, and frowns, staring up at the marred sky and remembering a string of misunderstandings and difficulties that have plagued her entire life. So often has she accidentally wounded the ones she cares for most.
But the others are quick to remind her of the other side.
"Whatever our differences..." She lifts her chin.
"Friendship is great, it's amazing!" Her palms find the edges of her makeshift coffin.
"Friendship is irrelevant? YOU'RE IRRELEVANT!" She heaves herself out, scuffed knees-first.
"Our friends' belief in us inspires us to believe in ourselves!" She finds her feet.
"And together - separate - we create a more perfect, wonderful world!" She makes a fist.
A fist that wears a heart on it, one just like her partner's, only different.
After all that, there's really only one thing to say. Her voice rings clarion, silver and clear and in perfect unison with all the others.
"Pretty Cure Collaboration Punch!"
COMBAT: Cure White has joined the combo started by Cure Melody!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Black [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Fusion is the strongest foe Cure Black has ever fought. The beating he's taken so far without slowing down puts a little caution into Black's reckless heart, especially when he's able to resume the attack so quickly after White's whole body uppercuts him right on the chin. The shadow of his fists is massive at first, blocking out the sun, but it gets smaller and smaller as the fists descend. Wait, isn't Black right in the middle?
"Are you kidding?!" Black cries, her anger probably not the right response at the moment. "You think White makes me sadder than she makes me happy?" Black draws a shoulder back, her eyes going from orange to amber to brown as the shadow darkens around determined face. "Don't... even... JOKE!"
Black's fist rocketed up into one of the two descending hands, and the impact was powerful enough to slow its momentum so suddenly that it seemed, for a moment, to be floating upwards. Black's skinny arm vibrated like a toothpick under a bowling ball, and she grimaced as she resisted, holding the blow back. Then, unable to bear the pressure anymore, she tucked into a roll, sliding out just barely before the descending hammer-fist would have crushed her.
Even when they win, it doesn't really get them very far. Black trembles. Death is normally at stake in all these battles, and Black pays that little attention. This fate somehow seems worse, and Black's ever-vivid imagination works against her as she pictures it. Her flesh becoming mercury-like, as in their transformation, but this time, absorbed into this monster.
But all around her, other Precure arise, lifting into the air like dandelion seeds but falling like wasps, stinger-first. Is there one among them who doubts the power of friendship? Melody who trusted Black as her comrade at first sight, Berry who supported her fellow Fresh Precure and Ami alike with the same fierce love, Pine who was gentle even in battle, her own kindred spirit Peach, White who is Black's truest strength, and finally Cure Yellow, whose courage comes from a deeper place than valor.
What could be easier than to stand at their sides? Nagisa leaps to the attack, fist cocking back again, her arm no longer sore.
"Pretty Cure Collaboration Punch!"
COMBAT: Cure Black has joined the combo started by Cure Melody! COMBAT: COMBO! Cure Melody, Cure Peach, Cure Peace, Cure Pine, Cure Berry, Cure White, and Cure Black have used Precure Collaboration Punch! on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Melody has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Peach has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Peace has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Pine has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Berry has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure White has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Black has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas fails to brace Cure Melody, Cure Peach, Cure Peace, Cure Pine, Cure Berry, Cure White, and Cure Black's Combo: Precure Collaboration Punch!, taking 532 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cure Melody, Cure Peach, Cure Peace, Cure Pine, Cure Berry, Cure White, and Cure Black are Psyched!
<Pose Tracker> Eas [None] has posed.
Now, here at the center of this destruction, even the horizon seems darkened. The sky is blotted out, the ruin as Pretty Cure arrived only worsened over the course of battle. No other people are visible, not in all the wreckage laid out around the combatants. They are alone here, with one another and with Fusion, and with the little fairies not so far away.
Finally free of obstruction, Fusion's arms crash into its chest... and melt there, its whole upper body rippling as it reforms with fists at its sides. "There is no longer any need for something to 'keep' you together," the colossus intones, still all shadows and metal with its giant claws and huge, gaping maw.
The retorts come quick and furious, many voices shouting their hearts all to one rolling sound, but here Fusion does not stop to discuss any longer; he rears back, shoulders rising, to inhale power once again.
But Pretty Cure have more than only words for him; Cure Melody leaps, Cure Peach right after. Cure Peace joins, and Cure Pine's leap makes it a tide that Cure Berry rushes with. Even Cure White, from behind where she looked almost to be fallen after all, and Cure Black still made all of herself and not any mercury at all.
They attack from different angles, rather than all as one; their words overlap a bit, instead of ringing all at the same time. Each fist has its own distinctiveness from the rest...
But they /strike/ together, and crash against Fusion like against the ocean. His form ripples with the shockwave of all the power, and there is nowhere for him to go but to pool slightly right where he is, his feet collapsing in on themselves under the force of the combination. His body drips, seeming to fall apart all at once, until he is only a frame, a figure, a great shadow in the midst of the city.
There is silence, in those moments.
As if so slowly that time has stopped, but over within an instant, Fusion ripples back into solidity. Its arms clou over, darkness bursting from them like great distended muscles; its legs spin on themselves until they are coiled like the roots of a gigantic tree. His eyes flash red with anger.
"Impudence! Fools!" he cries out, deafeningly loud.
"I will absorb all! Now, silence! Become as nothing, and begone!"
This time all the more quickly, Fusion inhales, his great chest rising as he fills with power--and expels it downward, a torrent larger than a skyscraper of dark power that crashes towards the ground and churns everything in its wake, filling the very sky itself with crackling violet energy.
The end is surely here.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Eas has used Unstoppable Super Dark Beam on Cure Black. COMBAT: FINISHER! Eas has used Unstoppable Super Dark Beam on Cure White. COMBAT: FINISHER! Eas has used Unstoppable Super Dark Beam on Cure Berry. COMBAT: FINISHER! Eas has used Unstoppable Super Dark Beam on Cure Pine. COMBAT: FINISHER! Eas has used Unstoppable Super Dark Beam on Cure Peace. COMBAT: FINISHER! Eas has used Unstoppable Super Dark Beam on Cure Peach. COMBAT: FINISHER! Eas has used Unstoppable Super Dark Beam on Cure Melody. COMBAT: Eas has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Berry narrowly dodges Eas's Finisher, Unstoppable Super Dark Beam, taking 78 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cure Berry's Flash ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Pine narrowly braces Eas's Finisher, Unstoppable Super Dark Beam, taking 77 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cure Pine's Block ability activates! Cure Pine's Parry ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Peach narrowly braces Eas's Finisher, Unstoppable Super Dark Beam, taking 72 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cure Peach's Block ability activates! Cure Peach's Parry ability activates! COMBAT: Cure White narrowly dodges Eas's Finisher, Unstoppable Super Dark Beam, taking 59 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cure White's Fade ability activates! Cure White's Flash ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Peace narrowly dodges Eas's Finisher, Unstoppable Super Dark Beam, taking 53 Fatigue damage! Cure Peace's Fade ability activates! Cure Peace's Flash ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Black narrowly braces Eas's Finisher, Unstoppable Super Dark Beam, taking 58 Fatigue damage! Cure Black's Block ability activates! Cure Black's Parry ability activates! COMBAT: Cure Melody narrowly braces Eas's Finisher, Unstoppable Super Dark Beam, taking 65 Fatigue damage! Cure Melody's Block ability activates! Cure Melody's Parry ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Eas [None] has posed.
AN HOUR AGO
"This plenary session of the Fairy United Nations will now come to order," Tarte didn't say, addressing the solemn and composed rows of fairies as they sit primly in their seats around the table.
---
"HEYYYY'ALL! WE'VE GOT SOME REAL PROBLEMS ON EARTH!!" howls Tarte at the top of his lungs, struggling to be heard over Mepple and Mipple quarreling, Chiffon crying, Candy laughing and Hummy tunelessly humming while she chases her own tail.
Mipple tries to grasp the fleeing vestiges of her dignity as a Princess, but it's difficult because her face is scarlet with fury instead of her usual petal pink. She turns on her little stool to face Tarte and nods seriously, but with her current expression it feels more like impending doom. "This is a grave matter that we must take seriously-mipo!"
"I /am/ taking this seriously, you're the one making fun of me-mepo!"
"THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU-MIPO!!"
"Uuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh," squalls Chiffon, distressed at the conflict.
Candy makes her very best peekaboo faces at the baby to no avail. "Where did Candy go-kuru? There she is-kuru!!"
Hummy jumps up on the table, scattering paper everywhere. There was never anything all that important on the papers, but it still makes a mess. She wrings her paws. "We mustn't fight, nyeveryone, we've got a real cat-astrophe on our hands-nya!"
The room is surprised enough by her outburst that they actually settle down, and Tarte rolls his eyes gratefully. "As I was saying, y'all, the Precure are facing their greatest threat yet! We need to help them! If we all put our noggins together, maybe we can find a way, yeah?"
"YEAH-mipo/mepo/kuru/nya!"
"HEEHEE!!"
NOW
Since they arrived, Tarte, Chiffon and Hummy have been fiddling with... something, and at some point Candy seems to have broken away to go help them. They're on top of a nearby former skyscraper, which is now barely scraping eye-level, since most of it has sunk into the earth. Still, it affords the fairies a tiny amount of protection, and Fusion hasn't been all that interested in them anyway.
There has been a fair amount of inaudible-beneath-the-noise-of-battle grumbling about 'how to make it work,' and 'where is the button,' and 'don't point that in my eyes.' But finally...
"EEEEEE!!" Chiffon squeals with delight as a tiny rainbow pours out of the little pink wand she's holding. The others smile at the sight, and as their hearts unfold, their own Miracle Lights glow, then explode with light.
Now armed and dangerous, they wave them with all their might, and shout in unison (except for Chiffon, who merely burbles enthusiastically):
"GIVE THE PRECURE POWER!!"
The rainbows grow from pencil-thickness to wider than any single fairy's bulk, even Tarte's.
"GIVE THE PRECURE POWER!!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is this?!?" asks redheaded Shiho Kubota, still in her Juuban High School uniform, dragging brown-haired Rina Takashimizu by the cuff of her sleeve. "I don't know, don't know, don't know, but it looks totally awesome!!"
"DUDE, check out the LIGHT," Daisuke Chinen says to the other two-thirds of the Three Amigos. They scramble over rubble to see what's going on.
Seika Higashiyama, better known to Kanade as the Queen of Sweets, clambers up somewhat more primly, then bends down to give Waon Nishijima a hand. "My my, this looks important." "Yeah, TOTALLY!"
Irie-kun and Runa-san, two of Cure Peace's classmates, who work with their year's student council, follow their senpai up the rocks. "Wait for us -- we want to help too!" "There is something to help with, yes?"
The Precure fairies quickly distribute extra Miracle Lights into the hands of these civilians, and point at the battle going on, mostly high overhead due to Fusion's sheer size. "The Precure are fighting for everyone's future-kuru! Please believe in them with all your hearts-kuru!"
"Raise your Miracle Light and shout as loud as you can! GIVE THE PRECURE POWER!"
The kids look at each other, look at the post-apocalyptic wasteland, look at the silver colossus, look at the occasional bright flash of colorful light trailing from a magical girl, then raise their wands.
"GIVE THE PRECURE POWER!"
"GIVE THE PRECURE POWER!"
"GIVE THE PRECURE POWER!"
The rainbows unite and explode upwards in a gigantic column of golden light, one that briefly fills the landscape from horizon to horizon. It's beautiful, and wonderful, like being inside a firework as it goes off, and it brings with it a similar feeling of awe and hope and wonder.
They're fierce feelings, and with them comes strength and healing.
COMBAT: Eas has used MIRACLE LIGHTS! on Cure Black. COMBAT: Eas has used MIRACLE LIGHTS! on Cure White. COMBAT: Eas has used MIRACLE LIGHTS! on Cure Berry. COMBAT: Eas has used MIRACLE LIGHTS! on Cure Pine. COMBAT: Eas has used MIRACLE LIGHTS! on Cure Peace. COMBAT: Eas has used MIRACLE LIGHTS! on Cure Peach. COMBAT: Eas has used MIRACLE LIGHTS! on Cure Melody. COMBAT: Eas has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Peace accepts Eas's MIRACLE LIGHTS!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Cure Peace is Cheered! Accelerate, Empower, Surge, and Withstand applied to Cure Peace! Cure Peace is Reinforced by Eas! Cleanse! All of Cure Peace's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Cure Berry accepts Eas's MIRACLE LIGHTS!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Accelerate, Empower, Surge, and Withstand applied to Cure Berry! Cure Berry is Reinforced by Eas! Cleanse! All of Cure Berry's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Cure Pine accepts Eas's MIRACLE LIGHTS!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Accelerate, Empower, Surge, and Withstand applied to Cure Pine! Cure Pine is Reinforced by Eas! Cleanse! All of Cure Pine's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Cure White accepts Eas's MIRACLE LIGHTS!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Cure White is Cheered! Accelerate, Empower, Surge, and Withstand applied to Cure White! Cure White is Reinforced by Eas! Cleanse! All of Cure White's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Cure Peach accepts Eas's MIRACLE LIGHTS!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Cure Peach is Cheered! Accelerate, Empower, Surge, and Withstand applied to Cure Peach! Cure Peach is Reinforced by Eas! Cleanse! All of Cure Peach's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Cure Black accepts Eas's MIRACLE LIGHTS!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Accelerate, Empower, Surge, and Withstand applied to Cure Black! Cure Black is Reinforced by Eas! Cleanse! All of Cure Black's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Cure Melody accepts Eas's MIRACLE LIGHTS!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Cure Melody is Cheered! Accelerate, Empower, Surge, and Withstand applied to Cure Melody! Cure Melody is Reinforced by Eas! Cleanse! All of Cure Melody's debuffs are cleared!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Melody [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"Pretty Cure Collaboration Punch!"
The unified shout echos in the air, Cure Melody's spirits. For all her words, she hadn't expected everyone to follow suit so readily - but then again, that just serves as proof that everyone's hearts were united as one.
Their fists, too.
In the wake of the strike, Cure Melody lets out a triumphant shout. Everyone, together - meaningless her foot, this is the power of Pretty Cure!...and just as she's about to believe that the battle's done, the power of Fusion is revealed. "Wh- what in the world-"
Dark power strikes. A storm of violet violence, blotting out the heavens, hammering down on the Pretty Cure assembled. Melody cries out in pain - but she can barely tell where she is, let alone where the other Cures are. Let alone where her friends and family might be. Even with all their strengths combined...Fusion was still this powerful. What kind of chance did any of them stand to begin with? The end has come, and she tumbles into despair...
And then... And then, a light in the darkness. A familiar voice, if she can just place it...Waon. Waon's cheering her on? And... another voice she can remember as one of Rhythm's friends, and then another, and another... Cure Melody doesn't know everyone calling out in support of the Precure. But all the same...their wishes are heart.
Brilliant rainbow light surrounds Cure Melody, supports her as she climbs back to her feet. The darkness was everywhere - and yet the light is so much greater. Her eyes are closed for a moment, as she just basks in the warm, reinforcing feelings...and then they snap open.
"Everyone's counting on us - our friends, our families, people we don't even know...we can't let that be in vain!" Light shines in every colour, and the music Cure Melody trusts in echoes with it. Staves of music form from the golden light, swirling around her, ready to receive whatever melody lies in her heart.
"Resonate, the wild rhythm!" The pink-haired Precure positively beams with liberated joy - she strums one staff like it's a guitar, sweeps her other hand across another like it's made of piano keys, filling the measures with wonderful, powerful music. The notes blur together, gliding toward a climax - and the music writ in the air flies with the tune, winding round and round Fusion as Cure Melody grins wildly. "Scatenato Slide! FINALE~!"
An explosion of light and noise, ringing with all the hope that's been entrusted into the melodic Pretty Cure. None of them are alone, here!
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Melody has used Scatenato Slide on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Melody has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Cure Peace [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
Cure Peace leaps off from the creature as the attack seems to connect with quite some forcee! And in fact, for a split moment, Peace is all smiles! They did it, right!? This thing is falling apart! They stopped it!--- right?
Except it seems to reform... and respin itself, and it appears, in the end, all they did was make this thing ANGRIER.
"N--o--" she calls out as she tries to leap backwards, but that giant wave of energy is entirely too much for well-- ANYTHING to really handle well, and it wracks across her form- and it burns, and it's agony at it's core that causes her to fall to her knees.
This is pretty hopeless, isn't it? They just.... tore this thing apart and--it's still THERE.
BUt.. there has to be a way, right?
But then why can't she get up?
It takes something more perhaps than pure will this time, some magical hum, some magical rainbows.... from tiny, fairy wands, held by mascots---and friends! alike!
This feeling is.. well it's /awesome!/.
Peace gets up off her knees, and, though still not looking very great. And Shaking. Manages to Huff. "We... won't give up! We can't! See! Friendship--isn't silly! YOU'RE SILLY! So!----" she raises a finger skyward and----
"Pretty Cure----- Peace Thunder!" she calls out as she spins with determination, building up with energy, and unleashing a torrent of bright energy into the creature.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Peace has used Peace Thunder on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Peace has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Cure Peach [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Five fists, five hearts strike as one and deliver a sound thrashing to their gigantic foe. For a brief minute, Cure Peach is once again all smiles as she lands on the ground next to all of her friends. Her smile does finally disappear when she looks -way- up to see the colossus crumple. Instantly, Peach grins once more. They did it! Cure Peach runs directly over towards Berry and Pine in an attempt to pull them both into a great big hug. It may had been the strongest foe they faced yet, but they overcame this monster with the help of the other Cures and the power of their combined friendship. "Pine! Berry! Everyone! We did it!" Cure Peach was completely unaware of the creature known as Fusion slowly reforming behind her. And it is not until he booms his battlecry and launches his great beam that Peach turns around to fight on!
Her pink eyes go wide in sudden fear at the enormous attack that was heading straight for her and her friends. "Everyone, get out of the way!" Peach knows that she is is too slow to run herself, so she instead widens her stance, raises her arms, and grits her teeth. There was no telling whether or not she was going to survive this attack, but she would have to do her best to hold on for the sake of her friends and everyone else that this monster threatened. The beam hits against Peach's guard and then bats her out of the way like perfectly rolled bowling ball hitting the fore-most pin. Peach spirals through the air, smashes through one layer of debris, before flattening herself against a larger piece of debris behind that one.
It takes a long moment, but Peach eventually stirs. She uses every ounce of strength that she has left just to pry herself off the broken piece of buildinh and back onto the ground. This action causes Peach to fall not so gracefully and land face first onto the ground. But even then, the young Pretty Cure looks to see if her allies were alright, her precious friends. Peach tries again to summon the strength to move, but this time she can't find it. She's stuck where she was and unable to move, let alone fight any longer.And yet, Cure Peach refuses to give up. She places her two hands weakly to her sides and -pushes- herself up slightly. It was still a long way until she was standing, but she was making progress. No matter how much pain she was in, she couldn't give up on her friends! Not now, not ever!
And it seems that Peach's friends are not giving up on her either. A miraculous light fills the horizon and Peach fills renewed strength from her heart all the way to her finger tips. Peach pushes harder against the ground and lifts herself up higher so that she can get one leg up and then the other. And it only takes one last surge of strength for Peach to be up on her feet and ready to give this fight her all once more!
Standing tall in her heeled boots, Cure Peach raises her hands up and keeps them at a diagonal. "For the sake of everyone's happiness, let's Pretty Cure!" Peach now snaps a look at first Berry and then Pine. She knew that they both must be feeling just as she was now. They both had to know that it was time. Peach nods her head determinedly at each one before looking back at Fusion, the great foe before them. "Let's get our happiness." The Pretty Cure warrioress reiterates in a voice barely above a whisper as she musters everything that she has left into what is to happen next.
Peach's arms were already outstretched, so they do not need to travel far for her to clap her hands together above her head. CLAP! Her arms now drop to her sides. "Nasty thing, nasty thing, fly away!" Peach's arms raise up and then begins to form a heart in front of herself with her hands and her pinky fingers outstretched. "Pretty Cure! Love Sunshine!" shouts Cure Peach as a bright and colorful explosion of pink energy surges out from her to where it will hopefully join a similar explosion of blue and yellow!
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Peach has started a combo targeting Eas!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Pine [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
The force of their fervent assault is something Pine could barely believe. Was she actually a part of a force that did that? As she lands she picks out Berry and Peach over the battlefield, and hugs each in turn during the silence. Its just a quick little show of affection, before... the silvery colossus reforms in an instant.
Despair surges within her, as she realizes just the sheer magnitude of this foe over every other opponent she faced. How could she stand against anything that withstood that? Were all their efforts for nothing? Though gentle, Pine decides in a moment that they did not.
Despite Peach's warning, she feels there's no time for her to get out of the way. A foot slides backwards, as she straightens, taking up a strong stance to endure what comes next. Though known for her endurance, the great torrent of dark energy overwhelms her in a moment, as she's flattened against the ground before being blown upwards by the explosion, then striking the ground again, and rolling on the ground, the malevolent storm of violet energy too much for her physical frame.
For just a fraction of a second she swoons. And in the next, her eyes open, vision hazy and lidded. Introduced to new dimensions of incomprehensible pain the temptation to go back to sleep, to sleep forever becomes nigh-irresistable.
Just before her world would have gone dark again she hears it, the delighted squeal of a baby. It draws her to crane her neck just a little in that direction. The tiny sliver of rainbow light enters her vision, just before the exuberant cheers begin. Cheers for her, for all the Pretty Cure with her.
As she feels the hopes and dreams of the crowd, of the world empowering them to fight for everyone who could not.
And despite her endurance being far past her limit, she pushes up, slowly at first, on one trembling hand, to half-lay there on the ground, the renewed fire that the miracle lights had ignited within her allowing her to dig deeper than ever. It is Chiffon, and Tarte, and Hummy inspiring her. No longer a sliver, its light, as she feels the determination of the fairies to help in whatever way they could. As well as fairies she didn't even know, but decided in a moment that if... no, /when/ she survived this, she would meet them.
And then the people, the hopes and dreams of those who could not fight against this trategy trying to inspire those who could, She even feels like she can pick out familiar voices from the crowd, and despite that trio being somewhat baffling to her, it feels... kind of nice, to know they were cheering for her too.
Vision clearing, she looks to the brave girls around her, hearts united to defeat this great threat, and as she listens to them each saying their words of determination "They're putting all of their faith in us." A beat, as she decides to offer something of herself too, with a gentle-eyed smile, "The least we can do is make sure its well-founded."
She finally stands up, legs pushing past the pain that she feels, wobbling to face the giant even as Peach cries out 'Let's Pretty Cure!' Pine doesn't echo it, readying herself for what comes next, "Berry, Peach... let's think of dance lessons. Move, even breathe in sync." Slow bootsteps take her beside Peach and Berry, as she raises her arms above her head, "I believe in all of us!" A beat, as she whispers fervently, "I believe in myself!"
Despite their differences, no /because/ of their differences, the three made a great dancing trio. They move in sync despite their injuries, Pine clapping above her head with Peach and Berry, arms dropping to her sides in smooth movements, "Nasty things, nasty things, fly away!" Their differences shine through now, as even breathing in sync with the two, she forms a diamond with her hands in time with the spade of Berry and the heart of Peach, "Pretty Cure! Healing Prayer!" Yellow shimmering energy flies outwards to where it corkscrews around blue and pink, forming a shining beam of their disparate energies, meant to join the other Pretty Cure in vanquishing this threat.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Pine has joined the combo started by Cure Peach!
<Pose Tracker> Cure Berry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Loudness. Overbearing loudness and pain. Her world turning from a moment of brilliant togetherness to nothingness.
It was if the world had shut off the light.
And for one long moment. Nothingness. And then a breath.
Cure Berry pulls herself from where she had fainted - hand reaching out to steady herself against a wall with... another wave of dizziness. She tried to steel her heart, but it wavered. She lifts her chin up anyways, squaring her jaw. 'Peach, Pine' she wanted to call out - but her ears rang so loudly. It was if the world was silent.
But miracles can happen. Lights can shine on the grimmest of situations. And there. They did. Power effuses her body, and more importantly, her heart. She became more aware of the others. Not just her friends, but Peace. Not just Peach, but Black and White. Not just Pine, but Melody.
All of the pain gone. She smiles, almost a serene smile, before she looks up at the creature. And steps close to Peach.
*CLAP!*
Rainbow sparkles follow her fingertips. "Nasty things, evil things! Go away!" Hands start to hold blue, power effusing from it. "PRETTY CURE!" she intones, at the same time as her compatriots. "Espoir ~shower~!" And the bolt of blue lashes out to join the other colors, hoping to strike the threat.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Berry has joined the combo started by Cure Peach! COMBAT: Cure Peach has cancelled the combo started by Cure Peach. COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Peach has started a combo targeting Eas! COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Berry has joined the combo started by Cure Peach! COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Pine has joined the combo started by Cure Peach! COMBAT: COMBO! FINISHER! Cure Peach, Cure Berry, and Cure Pine have used Precure Triple Fresh! on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Peach has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Berry has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure Pine has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Cure Black [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Cure Black clomps down on the ground earlier than Cure White. She's a bit heavier, but Honoka once explained to her how that didn't matter when two objects were falling, not if they were the same shape and so on. It was such a ridiculous idea that it could only be Science, and so Nagisa believed it utterly. Still, here she is on the ground, with White still aloft for a few seconds. And death is coming.
Black's eyes widen at the sheer size of the beam. There is no question of fleeing this one, and defying it directly seems even more foolhardy. Her ribboned armor, her light-strengthened flesh. What are they compared to this continent of hate ripping the air?
White is still falling. Black makes a cup of her hands again, this one wider, taking both feet. She isn't sacrificing herself. She believes in friendship, she believes they can win this. But through a simple chance of physics, there's no reason for White to bear this pain, and no way for Black to avoid it. This time it's her who smiles at her partner, as she tosses her straight up again, to sail light as a feather, above the beam.
And as it strikes, Black faces it directly, clamping her forearms together vertically and letting the wicked energy howl around her, sizzling against her gloves and closed fists, her eyes mostly shut against the burning torrent. Her feet skid back slowly, threatening to hurl her back as Peach was hurled back, and soon she's forced to collapse to a knee, then both, only one arm protecting her face. Her cheeks are scrubbed bright by the heat, her orange hair rippling as if it were truly flame, now.
But just when it seems unbearable, suddenly the attack weakens. Too dazed to understand, Black merely endures.
And when it is over, she is alive, and clad still in her armor. Tiny pinpoints of hope dance, and Black feels their warmth in her chest, perhaps in her soul. She feels them in her bicep, too, which growls into a sturdy knot in her skinny arm as she tests it. She's almost strong again.
Kneeling next to White, she braces her partner's shoulder with one hand, and the other, of course, grasps her palm. There. /Now/ she is strong again.
"C'mon," she tells White. "Everybody's waiting for us."
Facing Fusion, Black's face grows grim. Beside Fresh Pretty Cure, and Suite Pretty Cure, and Smile Pretty Cure, she has no need for courage. "We won't let you down! Not the fairies, or our families, or our friends, or Tokyo! We are Pretty Cure! We ALL are PRETTY CURE! BLACK THUNDER!"
WHITE THUNDER!
Our beautiful souls...
...shall crush your evil heart!
A constantly shifting rainbow sheen moves across Cure Black as she lifts her palm, sparking energy beginning to build. She squeezes White's hand tightly.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Black has started a combo targeting Eas!
<Pose Tracker> Cure White [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
White's fist feels numb from the explosion of the girls' combined might, but she feels numb all over from Black's words. It's a fizzy feeling, like baking soda in water, her preferred analogy because the number of times she's consumed soda pop can be counted on the same number of fingers it would take to enumerate the times Nagisa has encouraged her in such a venture.
"You make me very happy, too," she says softly, as they fall alongside Fusion, but near each other. "No jo--"
In an act of true evil, Fusion's ENORMO-BEAM interrupts this heartfelt moment.
She's caught dead to rights; no way to reverse her way down, down, down, no time to handspring out of the way.
No way, that is, but Black, who does not surprise her instincts by rescuing her, but does surprise her conscious mind. Her feet is ready without her realizing it, her knees flexing, but her eyes, her eyes the last thing Black can see before the beam passes between them, are horrified.
She doesn't want to watch this.
She /won't/. She won't just fly out of the way and leave Black alone to endure.
Tucking her head, she rolls through the air like a corkscrew, and at the apex, pushes her arms in front of her. Swan dive.
Cure White crashes into the beam and dives through it, buffetted this way and that by energy and agony, until finally gravity finishes the work she started and gets her to the ground, hands-first.
There, she rips up a chunk of concrete and flings it behind her, to shield Black -- and winds up pressed flat against its top for the last few moments of the beam, unable to move.
She wonders if this is how they will die: separated by a half-meter-thick piece of road. The second half of the idea is strikingly more unbearable than the first.
But then it ends, and she finds herself still alive. It takes a long moment for her to peel herself off of the slab, but it's a moment in which she can hear Black's breathing.
It is therefore a moment of happiness.
In the following moment, she hears something else.
Shiho and Rina may be -- vocally and on-the-record, even -- Nagisa's friends before they're Honoka's, but their arrival and wholehearted, equally on-the-record support forces her to swallow a burning lump in her throat. The shouts of the fairies, including the one hanging from her belt in a little pouch, induce tears, quickly blinked away.
Her smile is happy, not sad. And it is for everyone. As the light of love buoys her, she twirls, feeling it enter her through her breath, pulse with her heartbeat, shine with her eyes. She reaches out a hand instinctively, and finds Black's.
"Yes," she agrees, the circuit completed with a wonderful spike of voltage across them, "It is time."
In a wide ring with the other girls, she listens to their praise of each other, their indictment of the enemy, their prayer of hope. Once again she finds it unnecessary to add more than has been said, doubly so because another incantation is beginning, with all the importance of unsheathing a live blade or taking the safety off of a gun -- not that she's ever done the latter.
They speak the words of Light that come both from within them and beyond them, the words that brought them together, and have kept them alive, time and time again. And as always, heaven answers, sending its power into her palm.
The rainbow between them and entwining them becomes gold, not unlike the Miracle Lights, but this time with black and white lightning exploding off of it.
Black does not squeeze, and have White squeeze back. They squeeze together, at the same moment, and White knows as she always does that even though this is a terrible power, a fatal, final power -- their cause is just. If she does not always trust herself, she trusts Nagisa.
This time, though, there isn't much to question.
"PRETTY CURE MARBLE SCREW!"
Light is all colors and none, and both components -- black and white -- explode out of their free palms, thrust forward and upward towards Fusion. There might be irony in the moment, though it denies it no gravitas, in that this is a power that comes from union. White or black alone would not be a force to reckon with at all.
But the two spiraling together, spiraling and enlarging, in a massive marbled cone that joins the other girls' attacks, becoming the last, framing colors of a final rainbow...
...it is the power not just of hope, but of friendship; not just love, but of life.
And like all of these things, it will not be denied.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure White has joined the combo started by Cure Black! COMBAT: COMBO! FINISHER! Cure Black and Cure White have used Marble Screw on Eas. COMBAT: Cure Black has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cure White has finished attacking. COMBAT: Eas narrowly braces Cure Melody's Finisher, Scatenato Slide, taking 24 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Eas fails to brace Cure Peace's Finisher, Peace Thunder, taking 120 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! COMBAT: Eas narrowly braces Cure Peach, Cure Berry, and Cure Pine's Finisher, Combo: Precure Triple Fresh!, taking 211 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Eas is unable to keep fighting! COMBAT: Eas fails to brace Cure Black and Cure White's Finisher, Combo: Marble Screw, taking 225 Fatigue damage! Eas is unable to keep fighting!
<Pose Tracker> Eas [None] has posed.
"What?"
Fusion lowers its titanic face to stare down at the magical girls below, only for a moment before it has to shield its eyes with a giant arm against the brilliance of the miracle light. Fairies, humans, all friends or those who /could/ be friends give it power, and being so close to it forces Fusion back even after he has unleashed such a terrible attack.
With a roar, as the light fades into the Precure, he starts forward once again, only to be met this time by a ringing cage of wild music. Melody's power rings round, and giant crimson eyes narrow.
"Do you think your disjointed powers stand any chance against me?" he bellows, and crackling violet energy sparks up around his whole form, an aura pushing back against the brilliant tune encircling him.
A blast of yellow light crashes against this barrier. Two colors.
As one, three join, pink and blue and gold in a brilliant display crash against the barrier. Five.
The barrier crackles, and Fusion flexes his arms, attempting to force his way past. "This--what is--
His barrier weakens, buckling slightly.
But the final colors come, the ends of the spectrum; white and black frame an incredible display, and all seven colors envelop Fusion entirely, a massive sphere of hope brightening until it suffuses everything with its light, too brilliant even to see any longer.
"How--How is this possible?"
Fusion's barrier shatters beneath the combined power of Pretty Cure, but it's almost as if the light comes now not just from the sphere but inside its occupant; the darkness balloons outward, growing thin and popping, once and twice and again and again as the great mass of power that is Fusion explodes into light.
The darkness is gone, and as the light fades...
It fades onto blue sky, fluffy clouds drifting lazily across the spring sun. The buildings stand tall and shining in the light; cars reflect light from their shiny paint, trees planted in the sidewalks rustle in the breeze.
So many different things shine out in the middle of the city that no one could count them all alone.
...But none of them here are alone.
