2016-01-14 - Terribad Timeout

Title: Terribad Timeout
Summary: During practice for the Sister Schools Sports Festival, Namakelder arrives and engages in his own Sports Festival.
Who: Lera Camry, Fuu Hououji, Cure Passion, Cure Sword, La Sirene du Nord, Cure Fortune, Fu Inubozaki GM: Kozue Kaoru
Where: Nishitama Park District
OOC - IC Date: Sep 23 2014 - 1/14/2016

<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

It's a perfect day for spending one's time at the park. Warm but overcast, with a light breeze that heralds autumn's arrival. Most of the open fields claimed by sports have sights one would expect, of teenagers playing baseball, football, and more... but one in particular has become a spectacle to behold.

A group that's comprised mostly of Infinity middle schoolers have claimed what is usually a football field, but the goals aren't set up, instead, they're making hobbled laps around the lines. Why? Because they're divided in pairs, with one leg apiece bound firmly to another person's. Falls aren't just commonplace, they've become frequent to the point of absurdity. All the while amplified comments sound throughout the park, "Good recovery! Now let's show some hustle! Where's that school spirit?!"

The 'coach' making all that commentary is a spiky haired blunette in an Infinity PE uniform which she's added her own little touch to. A white headband around her brow, tied in the back. She's standing near a bench with several other piles of equipment, including coils of thick rope, marked batons, fishing lines, packages of bread, and stacked tires. Watching the warm up race reach the finish line, she raises a megaphone to her mouth and flips it on to end that event, "That's enough of that for now. Good work everyone! Untie yourselves and take a breather."

This unconventional practice is just a glimpse of the spirited festivities to come between the Sister Schools and crowds of spectators have formed accordingly. While unannounced, park going students that want practice for more peculiar events have been permitted to join in... as friendly rivals!

Once everyone was untied and next to the bench, she lowers the megaphone and holds up five fingers, "Five minutes and then we'll set up the obstacle course. Everyone be ready to show me your burning spirit!"

Good natured grumbling ensues all around, as more than a few nervous looks were cast at the red packaging with decorative flames around certain One Hundred Fold Super Spicy Curry Bread! Something may be burning alright.

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Lera Camry might be a high schooler, but she was placed with the middle schoolers anyways for this three-legged race. The reasoning was, apparently, that 'she was too tall for both of them.' She isn't sure that she follows this line of reasoning, but she went with it anyways.

It didn't work out so well. Lera is athletic and has excellent balance and grace, to be certain, but she really wasn't used to three-legged races. The girl she was partnered with was much shorter, too, and the height difference...

...well, she has been falling a lot today. She came in somewhere close to last.

Now, with a five minute break, Lera takes off towards the other side -- ignoring the suspiciously hot-looking curry bread -- and starts to walk towards the sideline. She is looking for one person, in particular: a Juuban student. Also, her water bottle. She sighs, shoulders slumping. "Well," she murmurs to herself, "at least I won't fall--"

She hits a little hole and falls, face-first, into the ground with a whump! Lera's eyebrow twitches as she looks up and finds herself staring right at a pair of red tennis shoes.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

On the one hand, Fuu doesn't usually worry too much about the track-and-field events for sports festival days; she's usually more concerned with the archery meet, or with non-sports activities if archery isn't on the schedule.

On the other hand, when her classmates and juniors are so enthusiastic about making the best possible showing for Infinity at the upcoming Sister Schools sports festival, who is she to put a damper on anyone else's enthusiasm? Her archery skills aren't going to suffer for a little less practice, and she could always use some more practice at running and related activities ... although, she thinks as she unties her leg from her partner's, three-legged races aren't usually part of fighting the latest monster to crawl out of the shadows.

At least her glasses have survived a few tumbles - mostly because she knows how to fall down safely, *and* she has one of those elastic bands helping keep her glasses in place so they don't just fall off given the wrong set of inertial vectors relative to Fuu's head.

With her leg untied from her partner's, Fuu gets back to her feet, stretching her legs a little bit during the break. She's mildly (and perhaps morbidly) curious about what the curry bread has to do with anything ... but doubtless she'll find out. For now, Fuu looks around to see how her friends, classmates, and other acquaintances are faring; she's hardly going to be a champion on the track tomorrow, unless EVERY serious runner gets stricken with something horrible.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Cue one friendly rival here on the scene, in Juuban red instead of Infinity blue: one Setsuna Higashi, looking with seriousness upon the field as she turns back around to consider the warmup they just tried.

...She'd fallen about six times so far. Matching someone else's pace is hard...!

"Right!" Setsuna answers their announce, and finally makes her way back, just in time to look for--

"...Hi, Lera. I don't think you need to practice falling anymore." Beat. Further beat. ...then, she offers a hand up.

She hasn't even /looked/ at the curry bread.

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Kenzaki [None] has posed.

Makoto Kenzaki is not a student at any of the Sister Schools as of this time, so the practice activities have nothing to do with her. However, the park is open to anyone and everyone, and in between her busy schedule as an idol, she noticed news of the upcoming sports festivals. The Princess would like that; she always did like moving her body around, and she's always been one for public spectacles... It's a dim hope, but it's hope nonetheless.

A totally normal-looking girl in an oversized floppy white hat and red lensless frames watches the goings-on with a sort of distracted indifference as she meanders at the edges of the gathering. Truth be told, it would be nice if she could join in, too... but she doesn't have time for that. A stranger like her wouldn't fit in, anyway.

She tilts her head as curry bread starts coming out, not quite close enough to see exactly how hot it's labeled as being. What kind of sports event would need bread...?

<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

Nori Ankou has gone out for the athletic training here, not least so that she does not embarrass her school, but also for a lack of other clear things to do -- and a surfeit of school spirit. She had been teamed up with one of her contacts from the woodwind section of the Ohtori orchestra for the purposes of the three-legged race, but that girl has now ducked behind the bleachers, possibly from a surfeit of public attention.

This leaves Nori seated on the bench, taking sheer pleasure in simply not being on her feet or lashed to someone else.

She watches with benign curiosity as Lera takes her spill, but her attention is drawn slowly, steadily, but surely towards that ominous BREAD...

<Pose Tracker> Iona Hikawa [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Iona Hikawa has been mostly focused on her karate skills these past few days. In fact, she's dressed in it right now, having originally showed up to practice some of it herself. She's on her own and pointed away from the actual festivites, though every time she hears someone fall, she casts an wary eye back towards the track, in case one set of three legs decide to stumble their way into her own activity. For the most part, her karate practice is slow and methodical, though there's a swift uptick in speed every time she hears someone fall, almost as if she wants to get everything done before someone ultimately crashes into her.

When the call for a break comes, she sighs in relief and decides to join the group, walking over to the bench and taking a seat. When she does, she looks directly at the spicy curry bread. Just how spicy was that bread, anyway?

Iona decides she doesn't want any part of /that/.

<Pose Tracker> Fu Inubozaki [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Before the three-legged races even began, Fu had her eyes peeled for a certain stubborn transfer student whom apparently had decided to skip out on the races altogether. But no matter, she would simply have to round up her friends and pay a visit to Miss-Doesn't-Like-School-Activities later. This left the blonde-haired middle-school student paired up with one of her other classmates as her partner instead. The now three-legged duo did their best to keep up the pace, but it was not long before Fu's group also ended up butt-over-teakettle onto the ground.

Thankfully, they were soon saved by a certain blunette's megaphone which harkened the end of the practice. "Don't worry. As long as we try our best, we will do just fine." Fu says confidently to her three-legged race partner as she unties them and then proceeds to where the refreshments are. Oh look! There were a few people over there that she didn't know, but she did recognize several of her classmates and even the upperclassman that had joined them. Fu strolls on over with a bright smile on her face and says, "Camry-senpai, how did you do out there? I saw more of the ground than...." Sniff-sniff. Fu's suddenly hungry eyes settle on the fire-red wrapping of the curry bread that was being passed around. She also noticed a few of the hesitant looks on some of the other girls' faces. Whatever was someone like Fu to do?

The answer was simple; she was going to take decisive action. "Let me try one, I'm feeling famished from all that falling." Fu then attempts to aquire the nearest available piece of bread and take a big bite out of it.

<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

Several of the volunteers were carrying in football goal posts, sans nets. The packages of fishing line were being carried ominously away. With a hand on her hip, the 'coach' grins at Lera, "Well senpai. Looks like you're celebrating the 'fall' season in your own way."

But when Fu suggests she tries it because she's hungry... "Huh? You really want to try it? I mean if you're just hungry we've got sweet buns too... Melonpan..." And when she does, there's a heat her mouth so searing that Fu likely feels like she wants to spit flames. A torment straight from the deepest bowels of Tartarus that feels like it's going to last forever... unless she's really really used to horribly overspiced food that is!

The coach's eyes light up like she just got the best idea, "Sugoi! I get it! I like the way that you think Inubozaki-san! Maybe we should have everyone take bites as part of our training rather than leaving it up to random chance!" ... one of the assistants opens up a cooler and mercifully hands Fu a milk carton.

It's probably fortunate for everyone this line of thought is interrupted by the dapper gentleman approaching the sidelines at a sedate pace. "How irritating. How am I supposed to enjoy skipping out on work when everyone is being this noisy?" He does spare the girl in the floppy white hat a look, "What a lovely hat." It sounds like a compliment, but there's this otherworldly gleam to his yellow eyes that might make one think otherwise, "It doesn't look like it brings you much happiness though. Ah well." He sounds almost like he's letting her off.

He doesn't part the crowd of spectators, and he doesn't go around it. That's just too much trouble. One moment he's behind it and the next in front, uncaring that this was observed by someone he was speaking to.

Everything from the lax dip of the antenna in his hat to down to the spindliness of his legs gives onlookers the impression of a grasshopper. Namakelder puts a gloved hand to his mouth, allowing himself a brief yawn, before finishing his approach, clapping his cane down to the ground as he faces the coach, who's bending down to grab the remaining bread packages. "You there, why don't you take a time out? LET THE FUTURE REFLECTED IN THE MIRROR TURN TERRIBLE!"

Spreading his arms wide, he's encircled by countless coffin shaped mirrors. A blast of light, and the shocked girl is naught but a despair ridden visage inside a dark mirror, laced with ribbon binds. "COME FORTH - TERRIBAD!"

Emerging from the mirror is an enormous monster with dark and rubbery skin. Around it's forehead is a white headband, just over the top of its sharp opaque red glasses. Its arms are misshapen, giving one the impression of no joints, but simply thick fibers, that branch into five wiry fingers. Its legs are squat and black, while its feet are covered in red paper with fiery motifs on the side. "Terribad. Let's make this unsightly park a paradise." Screaming starts right away, spectators and students alike understandably panicked.

And just like that, colorful, odiferous, mold starts appearing everywhere. Namakelder, takes the opportunity to settle down in a misshapen dip within it, putting his booted feet up on a squishy pile. The middle of the field itself becomes the thickest mass of it, quickly eroding the ground until it collapses upon itself, becoming a decaying pit.

COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru transforms into Youma Form Timeout for Terribad!
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has fully healed herself. She is now ready to take on 7 opponents!

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

"P-Practice makes perfect, y'know?" Lera sputters, as she makes herself sit upright and rubs at her forehead. She remains sitting on the ground for a moment, though, before she clutches Setsuna's hand. She takes her help to hop to her feet. She fires a quick glower in the direction of the underclassman that made fun of her, though.

"That was pretty hard," she sighs. "I'm not sure I get it. We're not gonna jog like that often, y'know?"

She rotates her arms back, over her head, and stretches them out. She glances about, first at the curry bread, and then she looks off towards Makoto Kenzaki. She waves at her -- someone standing by themselves, after all -- but doesn't linger too long. The Midchildan looks back at Setsuna.

"Maybe I'll be good at the next one!" she declares, happily. "Like if it's a normal American sporting activity, like rock climbing or sword fighting or anti-grav--"

One of the underclassmen is approaching. She laughs a little awkwardly, cutting her statement off, and she turns to face Fu. "Hi, Inuzobaki-san! I, um, I didn't... do so great, y'know? Kinda fell a lot. Um, this is--"

She starts to motion to Setsuna, but Fu's attention is distracted. Lera's head tilts to the side and she raises one eyebrow. She must have been hungry, Lera reasons.

She may not be aware of the bread's true nature. Yet.

But then, Namakelder shows up. Her eyes widen -- she turns, glancing at him, and she cries out a warning. It comes too late; the Terribad appears, drawing from the curry bread, and that familiar mold begins to spread. She hisses, softly, before she glances at Setsuna. "It's them!" she says. "The ones that I fought, the time..."

The time before, when Setsuna told her about her guilty feelings. She can't be quite certain what the former Executive will decide. Lera can't make that decision for her. Hers, though, is easy enough: "...I'm gonna get in there."

She grimaces, before she looks back at Namakelder. She holds a hand up into the air above her head. "Soaring dreams, fiery love! Soaring Sky, SET UP!"

<Get Set!>

Light flashes up in a ring around Lera. Her coat appears, fluttering outward; the feather charm in her hair winks into existence. The tiny pen in her hand expands outward with a flash of gold, becoming a broadsword-shaped Device. Lera spins it down, pointing it towards the Terribad. "We're not gonna let you ruin the park with that... that /mold/! This is a nice place, y'know? And--and everyone was having a lot of fun, too!"

Lera leaps into the air -- then she goes flying with a burst light, in a straight line. She leaves an orange-red aura in the air, as she spins around, and slashes her blade hard at the side of the Terribad when she closes in.

COMBAT: Lera Camry transforms into Barrier Jacket Perihelion!
COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Line Burst on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Lera Camry's Line Burst, taking 11 Fatigue damage!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Much like she tends to avoid serious track events, Fuu also tends to avoid extra-spicy foods when she can. Her almost-namesake's enthusiasm for the curry bread (of doom) has her looking on with some trepidation; the fact that somebody brought milk to help wash the spices out of people's mouths is a noteworthy relief.

... And then somebody turns a Terribad loose on the field.

Putting the lie to her aversion to track and field, Fuu *RUNS* away from the monster and the spreading mold, sprinting until she's safely past the edge of the sports grounds, and continuing until she's clear out of sight. Just what any smart girl should do when a monster appears out of nowhere and a formerly-healthy field turns all moldy and dank and terrible, right? Of course, that mainly applies to smart, *ordinary* girls ...

"Belief becomes power ... winds, guide me!"

... and Fuu Hououji is not quite as ordinary as she looks. Once she's out of sight of the field and the other students, she ducks behind a conveniently-located public restroom to pull her jewel-glove out and transform. Then the Magic Knight of Wind starts making her way back towards the field, wondering how many other magical girls will have joined the fray by the time she arrives. Ideally, she'd keep her distance and rely on arrows and spells - but that's an approach which yielded mixed results against the recent swarm of Terribad appearances, and further, it depends on being able to SEE the target from range.

Fortunately, Terribads are generally pretty big, and that headband makes a convenient target to focus on. The Wind Knight pulls an arrow from her quiver, quickly taking a kyuudou stance as she nocks the arrow, draws back, sights along the shaft, and lets it fly ...

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji transforms into Magic Knight!
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Basic Archery on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Fuu Hououji's Basic Archery, taking 3 Fatigue damage!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

"...Oh! That was a pun, wasn't it?" ...In a delayed reaction, Setsuna beams at Lera, having taken a few extra moments to get the coach's joke. ...Though it seems Lera was less enthused about it than she was, causing the younger girl to close her mouth a moment after that. She glances Fu's way, too, though she doesn't recognize her personally. Even as she does, she answers, "I don't think they're going to have any American events like that."

...The deadpan delivery might make it worse, not better.

"Eh? Maybe I should--"

The bread looks pretty good--though the sudden explanation as if there's something wrong with this one gives Setsuna pause. Before she can say any more, though...

The dapper gentleman shows up. Shows up, and is then right /here/, all of a sudden, and in the next moment, everything changes.

"What--" Setsuna's eyes widen as she watches the strange mirrors, and listens to a chant not so different from one she's made before. She can feel that awful darkness herself as the monster steps forth from the mirror, taking half a step back as she stares towards it. Screaming starts--but she doesn't scream. Setsuna freezes in place. She can hear Lera saying that she's going to get in there, mentioning who it is, again, but in that moment, she can only stand amidst the growing chaos.

...But she remembers something else, something she'd decided already. And even if the others aren't here...

Her Linkrun is already in her hand. "Change!" Turning its key, she opens the device, pressing one o the buttons as she stares forward, "Pretty Cure! Beat... Up!"

Crimson light surrounds her in that instant, taking advantage of the chaos to transform, too. She falls, as if falling through the ground for an instant, but only leaps upward, the red glow forming into the pieces of her new battle attire in an instant. She lands on both heeled boots, clicking against the hard ground of where she's standing, hands already formed into a heart.

"The crimson heart is the proof of happiness!" She moves the symbol over the clover on her outfit, "Freshly ripened! Cure Passion!"

She's still for only half an instant, then, narrowing her eyes, pink hair flowing in a sudden breeze. "Everyone is working hard for this festival! ...I won't allow you to ruin their efforts!"

The others are already moving. Cure Passion steps forward, and leaps into the air, somersaulting forward before uncoiling to propel herself at the monster, outstretched fist-first. "Haaa....!"

COMBAT: Setsuna Higashi transforms into Cure Passion!
COMBAT: Cure Passion has used Passion Punch! on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Passion has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Cure Passion's Passion Punch!, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  

<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

The appearance of Namakelder draws Nori's attention, blinking a few times, before he addresses the coach.

Her lips turn down into a frown when he starts dropping remarks on mirrors. She turns and runs, along with some others, of course, because this seems like a disaster waiting to happen - she just doesn't take the same route as others. To her bag, which she reaches into, disturbing Batiste -- who had been curled up in a windbreaker, eating clam chips and watching a video on the OtterPhone --

And to clasp the Brazen Pharos firmly.

"Twinned in the mirror," she breathes. There is a shimmer of blue and black and silver -

"It must be something bad," Batiste remarks.

"Awful," la Sirene du Nord confirms.

The two of them round the corner, then, glimpsing the field -- Batiste's fuzzy brow furrows in confusion. He has little experience with mold, which does not make a big appearance in the Sea of Tears, what with the salt, the strange glaring daylight filtered through clouds, the regular scrubbings, and so on.

La Sirene knows what it is very well and lets out, eventually, a completely aghast squeal of disgust. "What are you - This - You're RUINING the field! Euwww!!" After some gesticulation in midair, she finally ends up orienting the Pharos towards the Terribad and gripping the lens control open to send a streak of that (hopefully sterilizing) black un-radiance forwards, perhaps to get some of this mold under control!

COMBAT: Nori Ankou transforms into La Sirene du Nord!
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has used Pieces of the Perfect Black on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Kenzaki [None] has posed.

When a redhead Makoto doesn't know waves to her, she waves back without thinking, then stares at the dark-haired girl next to her. Isn't that...? Oh, what was her name again? Setsu...? The fortune-teller girl. Makoto feels bad that her name has slipped her mind, considering she'd done her a good turn by telling that fortune for her. It was accurate too, albeit not in the way Makoto had hoped. And there's another girl, in a karate gi and a ponytail--that's the other fortune-teller girl, isn't she? She takes a few steps towards Setsuna and Iona (although they aren't together), thinking to thank them again, when an antennaed man in a top hat compliments her on her own hat.

Makoto stops short and stares at him, expression guarded. Possibly that's what saves her; he notes her lack of happiness and moves on, quite literally. He already looked suspicious, but when he outright *teleports*, Makoto understands even without recognizing him what's about to happen. Unfortunately, with him teleporting, she loses sight of him and whomever his imminent victim might be.

"Makoto!" Davi whispers from the phone in her pocket. "Let's slip away and transform!"

"All right," she murmurs, backing away from the crowd, then hurrying towards the treeline.

Her suspicions are dubiously rewarded. A moment later, Cure Sword makes the scene, leaping up into the air with the sun at her back, veering down towards the Terribad foot-first as mold spreads hither and yon, turning a brisk autumn day into an allergen nightmare.

COMBAT: Makoto Kenzaki transforms into Cure Sword!
COMBAT: Cure Sword has used Pretty Cure Kick on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Sword has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly dodges Cure Sword's Pretty Cure Kick, taking 11 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces La Sirene du Nord's Pieces of the Perfect Black, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  Blind applied to Kozue Kaoru!  

<Pose Tracker> Iona Hikawa [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Iona's still sitting on the bench, taking a breath and watching everyone else do the same. She sees one of the girls /go for the bread/. Now, Iona does have something of a loner streak, and she keeps herself aloof from other people's business...

But she feels like she really needs to speak up. She opens her mouth to do so when the 'coach' suggests they all do it.

Iona's mouth shuts closed and she gets up as politely as she can, making her way back towards her section of the park. She doesn't get too far, though, when Namakelder makes himself known to the students gathered here. Iona clenches her teeth and balls a hand into a fist. She really, really wants to just punch the general right this moment in his stupid lazy face.

He saves himself from this fate (and probably Iona herself from her own) by closing the mirror shut. Her odds of doing so no longer good, she ducks behind one of the random bleachers and pulls out her mirror.

The light of transformation comes and goes, and Iona checks out in favor of Cure Fortune. The purple-clad Pretty Cure dashes directly for the Terribad, reaching back with a fist and letting it rip on the monster.

COMBAT: Iona Hikawa transforms into Cure Fortune!
COMBAT: Cure Fortune has used Fortunate Punch on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Fortune has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to dodge Cure Fortune's Fortunate Punch, taking 22 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  

<Pose Tracker> Fu Inubozaki [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

After taking her bite of the curry, Fu stands there proudly with her hands on her hips. She playfully beams a smile at Lera and Setsuna and reports, "No sweat." Yes, no sweat just like the -actual- sweat that was starting to drip down the sides of the middle schooler's face. It does not take long before this burning sensation catches up to the rest of her body and she suddenly looks very flushed. But thankfully two things happen. One, an assistant hands her a milk carton and two, Itsuki and the others were not there to see her turn into a fiery tomato.

A watery eyed Fu downs the milk carton and short order just in time to see a rather dapper looking bloke appear out of seemingly nowhere. She grits her teeth together as she struggles to keep her eyes open to see what this ne'er'-do-well was up to! Well, this certainly was no Vertex attack, but she had to do something to help! Fu was not about to let this person endanger all these innocent people without a fight. Inugami, Fu's dog-like fairy companion, is seemingly of the same mind as he helpfully holds Fu's cellphone in front of her. She presses the center button on the cellphone and a bright yellow light soon erupts around the slowly recovering teenager. Adorned in a new uniform made up of different greens and yellows, a transformed Fu stands there with her right hand outstretched to her side. A massive sword that is easily two or three Fu-lengths appears and she easily rests the huge blade on her right shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she points her non-sword holding hand towards the Terribad. "I don't know who or what you are, but I'm not going to let you come close to Itsuki and the others!"

Fu decides to make good on her threat by dashing up into the air with her sword trailing behind her. She suddenly shifts her weight and comes dropping down out of the air at an alarming speed. The yellow clad swordswoman attempts to land past the Terribad, swinging her great sword as she passes in an attempt to slash the Terribad across its left side.

COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki has fully healed herself.
COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki transforms into Yuusha Fu!
COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki has used Hero Slash on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to dodge Fu Inubozaki's Hero Slash, taking 38 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has fully healed herself. 

<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

Namakelder, does offer an idle remark to La Sirene, "Ruining it? Hardly. When I see the indignation in your eyes become despair, you'll know how much of an improvement it was all along." A gleaming orange-red blade slashes the at the Terribad, whose fibrous arms whip inward to block. It doesn't seem like it can take a slash, but they certainly do, slapping Lera's fiery blade just a little off the mark it singes into already darkened skin. Another swipe, takes out the Magic Knight's arrow, though the Terribad shakes its limb after, having gotten poked.

Cure Passion's punch causes the creature to perform a more impressive acrobatic feat of leaping and acrobatically turning with the punch to make certain all its force doesn't hit center mass. Just in time for Cure Sword's kick. Already airborne, it's in a less than ideal position, it slaps it back down for the one two combination.

Just as La Sirene du Nord paints the field black. Some of the mold blackens, and disintegrates, but it hardly affects most of it. If anything the mold just seems to take this in stride and keeps on multiplying its mass. The Terribad on the other hand, gets its red glasses painted over black. Its limbs try to hastily wipe away at the lens, but to no avail as it stands back up.

Which leaves it completely open for Cure Fortune to score a decisive hit, her punch slamming it backwards into an abandoned goal post, which it topples over like someone pushed it over a waiting classmate. And while it's down, Fu's giant sword cuts a gouge in it's side. It's a notable mark to its flank which doesn't appear to be healing anytime soon.

Namakelder looks a little irritated by how quickly everyone showed up, especially Pretty Cure but mostly bored, resting a chin on a hand, "Why so hasty? I'd expect that of Pretty Cure but not the rest of you. Are you really sure you want to leap right into this? Maybe you should relax for a while instead. Queen Mirage may have ordered me to conquer this city but that doesn't mean we have to do this right now."

The Terribad's headband responds as soon as it's up, gleaming with green energy, before it appears to come off its head, even though the original remains. The glowing cloth expands out longways and seems to home in on people's legs with the force of a barreling car, before contracting to squeeze around them. Each one strikes at least two people, before tying off into devious knots that feel more like iron cannon balls from the sheer weight.

"If you're going to be so insistent, you might just regret it." All around, hordes of Kindabads appear as if they were standing behind the piles of mold all along. They aren't charging yet though. They're raising their fists in what looks to be jeers... and cheers. The Terribad on the other hand, leaps back a ways.

COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Three-Legged Discord on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Three-Legged Discord on Cure Sword.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Three-Legged Discord on Cure Fortune.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Three-Legged Discord on Cure Passion.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Three-Legged Discord on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Three-Legged Discord on Fu Inubozaki.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Three-Legged Discord on La Sirene du Nord.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lera Camry narrowly counters Kozue Kaoru's Three-Legged Discord, taking 18 Fatigue damage!  Lera Camry's Reverse ability activates!  Lera Camry's Tactician ability activates!  Tangle and Trap applied to Lera Camry!  
COMBAT: Lera Camry's counterattack, Aurora Bolt, partially gets through, doing 5 Fatigue damage to Kozue Kaoru!  
COMBAT: Cure Passion fails to brace Kozue Kaoru's Three-Legged Discord, taking 18 Fatigue damage!  Tangle and Trap applied to Cure Passion!  
COMBAT: Cure Sword narrowly braces Kozue Kaoru's Three-Legged Discord, taking 3 Fatigue damage!  Cure Sword's Block ability activates!  Cure Sword's Parry ability activates!  Tangle and Trap applied to Cure Sword!  
COMBAT: Cure Fortune fails to dodge Kozue Kaoru's Three-Legged Discord, taking 22 Fatigue damage!  Tangle and Trap applied to Cure Fortune!  
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord narrowly braces Kozue Kaoru's Three-Legged Discord, taking 10 Fatigue damage!  La Sirene du Nord's Block ability activates!  La Sirene du Nord's Parry ability activates!  Tangle and Trap applied to La Sirene du Nord!  
COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki narrowly braces Kozue Kaoru's Three-Legged Discord, taking 14 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Tangle and Trap applied to Fu Inubozaki!  

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Lera's teeth grit as her sword swings. Then, next to her, she hears something -- 'Haaa....!' -- and turns her head to the side in time to see Setsuna's punch strike at the Terribad with her sword. She grins at her, brightly, before saying: "Set--" She catches herself. It doesn't dampen her smile in the slightest. "Cure Passion! Y-You came to help!"

She gives the red-suited Cure a long look. For a split second, it's like she forgot she was in a fight. It doesn't last, though; the Terribad is right there.

She misses, of course, Fu Inubozaki's transformation. In fact, Lera glances around -- to see if she fled -- and then she looks forward again. She notices Yuusha Fu, lit up yellow and with a sword. She grins at her, flashing a thumbs-up in her direction. "It's called a Terribad! It's, um, big and spreads that mold stuff! We gotta stop it, so we can free the girl stuck in there! Then--whoomph!"

The tie slams into Lera, dragging her back -- and slams her into Yuusha Fu, catching them at the legs. Lera points Soaring Sky at it, energy dancing up the sword, and loosing as a bolt of golden light.

Unfortunately, Lera is grounded -- and her left leg tied to Fu's right. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" she yells. "I-I can barely do this! U-um--" She looks at Fu, then frowns, and nods her head. "We've both got swords... let's jump at it on three, and try to hit it at once!"

They can do that, right? Please, she thinks, let them be able to do that.

She waits for the affirmation, then starts counting down -- possibly in tandem -- with gritted teeth. "One! ...Two!"

A breath. "THREE!"

Lera leaps, hoping her timing is good. The girl goes airborne, twisting to the side. A magical circle appears in front of the two; when they go through, light bursts around it, and Lera chops her sword from one side -- leaving the other for Fu to strike from, like a pair of magical girl scissors. Her blade ignites, fire rushing off it.

As it gets in close with the Terribad, a fang of explosive fire shoots off the sowrd, and straight towards the monster in advance of her slash. <Inferno Slasher!>

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Three-Legged Discord, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji's Fade ability activates!  Fuu Hououji's Flash ability activates!  
COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Inferno Slasher on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru perfectly counters Lera Camry's Inferno Slasher, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!  Kozue Kaoru's Reverse ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Tactician ability activates!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru's counterattack, Terribad dislikes Smoke, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Lera Camry!  

<Pose Tracker> Cure Passion [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

No sweat...?

...Setsuna is going to remember Fu Inubozaki, all right.

But that's something for later; for now, Passion has to think about the battle at hand, rather than Setsuna thinking about something else. And so, as she charges in beside Lera, she finds to her surprise--it shouldn't be her surprise--that she isn't the only Pretty Cure here. But it's easy to be surprised given the circumstances: she's swinging hard, and one of those Cures happens to be taking advantage of the opening she hadn't even meant to leave. "Right!" she answers Lera, "Then we'll strike fast!"

Immediately, Passion leaps backwards through the air, trying to get out of the way in order to get a better angle for her next attack.

"Not right now!?--You can't be lazy at a time like this! I won't let up on you just because you don't know how to work!"

Passion crouches to start another attack--

The glowing cloth slams into her leg hard enough to stagger her, and the Fresh Cure stumbles just before she's abrubtly weighed down by something she can't quite understand, until--

She glances to either side, her senses awash in... purple.

"/You!?/" She gapes at Sword, and doesn't recognize Fortune at all. "Hmph--Don't think I've forgotten--" She grits her teeth. "Just try not to get in my way!" She looks to Fortune, "Come on! Let's go!"

Stuck by the ankle to /two/ Cures, Passion tries to move--but in practice, only serves to become unsteady. "You're the one who's going to regret this!" she shouts angrily at the servant of Queen Mirage before her, "On three! We can do this!"

...But she's sort of... Ignoring Sword. Even as she does her best to encourage Fortune.

COMBAT: Cure Passion has used The Crimson Heart on Cure Fortune.
COMBAT: Cure Passion has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> La Sirene du Nord [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

La Sirene moves her lantern aside - her finger pointing ahead. "This is disgusting!! Disgusting, ewww! Don't interfere," she tells Namakelder. "Inhaled mold is AWFUL for you. You could be giving everyone respiratory illnesses just before the sports festival!!"

Then the headband bursts forwards, aiming for the legs. "Magic Knight!" la Sirene calls out, leaping forwards to try and vault over that cloth - but it manages to get her right in the left leg, lashing around and hauling her back to earth, where she lands heavily.

THUMP. Her boot, in fact, sinks several inches into the ground. With a huff, she says, "This is nothing --" And attempts a step forwards, only to nearly topple forwards in her own right. "Gh--!"

Batiste, whose tiny paws are too small to be wrapped up, runs forwards, scampering up la Sirene's coat and to her shoulder. He says to the Magic Knight, urgently, "Don't let yourself be -- I mean to say, don't give up, just because your legs are bound. Remember, the true steps of motion take place in your heart. Coordinate your actions and find the rhythm you need to succeed!"

La Sirene's face contorts. Not with disgust at Batiste's hastily regeared encouragement, so much as at... at the /mold/ and the /headband/, this entire situation is rapidly becoming the literal, factual, objective worst!

COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has used Carpe Aonyx on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji accepts La Sirene du Nord's Carpe Aonyx, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Withstand applied to Fuu Hououji!  
COMBAT: Cure Fortune accepts Cure Passion's The Crimson Heart, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Accelerate and Empower applied to Cure Fortune!  

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

The Magic Knight of Wind leaps away from one of the flying headbands, twisting to try and dodge another one, and comes down next to La Sirene du Nord - right as yet ANOTHER length of cloth nearly knocks her right leg out from underneath her, en route to attaching it to La Sirene's left. Her bow and quiver vanish as she staggers, managing to recover some semblance of balance. "He's right, La Sirene-san," she points out to the magical girl of the ocean's deep mysteries. "Our powers and our abilities may not match up particularly well, but we've fought side-by-side often enough to know each other's capabilities, right? We can do this, as a team."

The Wind Knight loops her right arm over La Sirene's shoulders - mostly because trying to do anything ELSE with it will just bump into her partner, probably repeatedly, or throw both of them off-balance. "I doubt that monster is going to give us the leisure to find a good tempo," she adds, the first part mostly to Batiste. "Trying to keep a waltz time might help, though ... you *were* at those lessons, weren't you? The 'princess school' course ... ?"

She's no more fond of the mold and the monsters than La Sirene du Nord is, of course (common ground where one can find it, yay), but coordination *is* going to be key, and she's trying to focus on that to begin with.

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Favorable Observation on La Sirene du Nord.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord accepts Fuu Hououji's Favorable Observation, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  La Sirene du Nord is Cheered!  

<Pose Tracker> Cure Sword [None] has posed.

Cure Sword rebounds off her kick on the Terribad and lands nimbly to glare at Namakelder. "If you don't want a rush, then you shouldn't have come out at all!" Cure Sword declares, pointing a righteous finger at him. "Go back to the musty hole you crawled out of!"

Hordes of Kindabads make their appearance, though they don't seem to be attacking just yet. Sword narrows her eyes at them... but no time to lower her guard now. The Terribad flings green energy bands towards the magical girls, and she crosses her arms in front of her to brace the incoming strike... but it turns out she should have leapt for cover instead. Although she weathers the blow itself well, all of a sudden she staggers to one side, bumping hard into someone, attached at the ankle to... a couple of other Pretty Cures?!

The look on her face says it all.

But while Sword knows Fortune, and expects harsh words from her, Passion's displeasure comes as a surprise. She blinks at her twice when Passion nearly sneers at her. "...Do I know you?"

Cure Sword, it would seem, never got the bulletin about Eas becoming a Pretty Cure.

If she's being ignored, that's fine by her. She scowls and shoots back, "The same goes for you!" Then, trying not to fall flat on her face as Passion moves and just makes the whole group wobble like jell-o in an earthquake, she draws her Lovely Commune and sets a Cure Lovead.

"Shiny... Edge!!" she calls, sweeping her hand forward. It glows with lavender light, then shoots a pair of magical blades towards the Terribad with merciless intent. No pawn of evil will go unpunished under her watch!

COMBAT: Cure Sword has used Shiny Edge on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Sword has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Cure Sword's Shiny Edge, taking 6 Fatigue damage!  Cure Sword is Psyched!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  

<Pose Tracker> Cure Fortune [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Cure Fortune draws back after the punch and tries to get some distance before it tries to retaliate. She draws back her fist again. "Fortune..." However, one of her legs yank out from under her and draw her to the side. She looks towards her movement direction and sees... pink and red. And more purple further down. The Cure clad in pink, she didn't recognize. But the other one, she remembers, and her face darkens just a little bit. She looks away from the other two cures with a 'hmph'. Poor Cure Passion, caught in the middle of the two Purple Cures...

Which might make Fortune actually receptive when Passion tries to organize. There's a brief look to Passion as she tries to organize, but the sudden movements of Passion makes her leg move forward without her bidding, and she plants her free leg down to try and keep the Cure mass from moving too much.

This may make everything worse.

Fortune spins the dial on her brace. "Fortune..." She raises an arm, forming five purple stars. "Star..." The stars turn into rings. "Ring!" And with that, they fly off towards the Terribad.

Somewhere, on the bleachers, some of the mold rumbles and parts away, and in the wake stands Glassan. She is for some reason dressed in a jersy and shorts, and she's wearing her trademark glasses. The fairy waves two fans, one the ever-typical Japanese sun-flag, the other a purple star. "Go, go, Cure Fortune!" She yells to the wavering mass of Pretty Cures.

COMBAT: Cure Fortune has used Fortune Star Ring on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Fortune has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru perfectly braces Cure Fortune's Fortune Star Ring, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Brace!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  

<Pose Tracker> Fu Inubozaki [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

These new opponents seem very different from the typical Vertex. For starters, the transformed creature was 'created' right before her eyes using an innocent bystander and it physically looked far different than anything that she had fought before. And woah! Was that a Dark General commanding this creature?! This was just like the Hero Club puppetshow coming to life! But if that dapper fellow was playing the role of the bad guy, then that meant Fu was going to have to play the part of the heroine. Fu grins. She is just fine with this little role-reversal. "Yo! Dark General! I'm not going to let you get away with whatever it is that you are planning! I'll pummel you until you see the light!" She shouts with all the grandiose bravado she could muster for that moment.

Lera's timely explanation helps explain a few necessary things to Fu. She turns towards the transformed girl and nods her head appreciatively. "If beating this thing up will save her, then I'll do everything I can to help!" Fu replies just as the Terribad's strange attacks comes forth. The terrible blow might have been even worse if it wasn't for Fu's fairy showing up to block some of the blow. But it was still going to hurt for Fu to fly through the air and slam against Lera. To add insult to injury, they were apparently bound together which was going to severly limit their options.

But thankfully, Lera had a similar attacking style to her. Normally, she was the one taking charge, but this girl did look older than her. Also, she wasn't exactly in a position to protest too much since they were now bound together. "We can do this. Our combined girl power will easily overwhelm our foe!" With that said, Fu steels herself for the next manuever by switching her right-handed grip to a left handed one. It was going to be to difficult to swing right-handed from that side.

"One," begins Fu as she grips her massive sword tightly. "Two," continues the swordswoman as she begins to crouch slightly in preparation to jump. "Three!" She yells in tandem as she follows Lera through the magic circle and towards the Terribad. The yellow clad magic girl raises her sword now above her head and grins fiercely. Her sword suddenly enlarges so that it doubles in size and she follows through with a HUGE swing of her own to uphold her part of the scissor attack!

COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki has used Even Bigger Hero Slash on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Fu Inubozaki's Even Bigger Hero Slash, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  

<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

"Mostly correct. Except you don't have to do anything. None of you do." Namakelder comments at Lera's exposition, before giving Cure Passion a dispassionate look, "Of course I can. It's one of the privileges afforded to me for being a General of the Phantom EmpireWhy should I exert myself when the Terribad is ready and willing to do all my work for me? Shouting commands unnecessarily is such a waste of energy."

Out of the corner of his eyes he looks at Sirene du Nord, "Wouldn't that be delightful? See if you can get Pretty Cure-" A look at the trio, Cure Fortune in particular, "-to breathe a little more deeply, won't you?" An idle look is made to the Hero as she issues threats, and he just smiles like he's patiently indulging her, Oh? Wouldn't that be a sight to behold? I think not though.

The Terribad begins backpeddling defensively as the girls begin moving towards it, to make it harder on them. When Lera's flaming strike gets close, it throws a tremendous swipe, not wanting to get anywhere close to that blade that causes the slash glance off the shoulder, raising smoke. Wary of Fu's own sword in the follow up, its leg knees upward suddenly, and sparkles fly as it makes contact. The creature stumbles backwards, staggered by the strength behind it.

The Cures advance while it's off-balance, Namakelder simply smirks at Passion's dislike of Sword and their wobbly advance, "Such sweet discord. Wouldn't it have been better for you not to have gotten involved at all rather than making mockeries of yourselves? Then again it does save me the trouble of tracking you down later." The smirk is wiped off his face however the moment the trio get in close enough to score a hit, first from Sword's lavender blade to get a grazing hit. The Starburst like punch forces the Terribad to dig its feet into the field, then whip up both arms, before slapping downward suddenly just as the rings make contact. There's an explosion, a haze of smoke rising, then red glasses gleam behind the haze, giving the impression of anger.

In the aftermath, the knots tying the bonds to the Magical Girl's legs all unknot save for Fuu and Nori, who both still seem quite thoroughly bound together as a three legged pair...

Suddenly the arms of the Terribad drape downward, tendril like appendages ripping off the packages from it's feet. It's then that they can see that it's feet? It's made up of bread, bread of many different shapes and sizes. The creature presses down at its knees and leaps into the air, before waving it's legs wildly. With each motion, it kicks loaves of bread through the air as leavened projectiles of various shapes and sizes.

Many loaves just strike and batter each of the combatants relentlessly but eventually one aims for just inside of each person's mouth. There's nothing preventing them from dropping it, except for the lazy comment of... "I wouldn't drop it if I were you."

That is when the Kindabads make their move, all rushing from their places in the mold to take the field just in front of the Terribad. Some squat over down onto all fours, others leap onto the other's shoulders like cheerleaders forming pyramids, arms outspread to try to catch anyone advancing on the Terribad and run interference in this impromptu, living obstacle course.

COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Day old Stale Hail on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Loaf is all you Knead on Cure Fortune.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Day old Stale Hail on Fu Inubozaki.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Loaf is all you Knead on La Sirene du Nord.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Loaf is all you Knead on Cure Sword.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used One Hundred Fold Kare Pandemonium! on Cure Passion.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Lucky Sweet Bun! on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lera Camry accepts Kozue Kaoru's Lucky Sweet Bun!, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Empower and Surge applied to Lera Camry!  
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord fails to brace Kozue Kaoru's Loaf is all you Knead, taking 7 Fatigue damage!  Kozue Kaoru is Psyched!  
COMBAT: Cure Passion narrowly braces Kozue Kaoru's One Hundred Fold Kare Pandemonium!, taking 12 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Cure Passion's Block ability activates!  Cure Passion's Parry ability activates!  Blind applied to Cure Passion!  
COMBAT: Cure Fortune narrowly braces Kozue Kaoru's Loaf is all you Knead, taking 3 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Cure Sword fails to brace Kozue Kaoru's Loaf is all you Knead, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly braces Kozue Kaoru's Day old Stale Hail, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki fails to brace Kozue Kaoru's Day old Stale Hail, taking 17 Fatigue damage!  Stagger applied to Fu Inubozaki!  

<Pose Tracker> Cure Passion [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

"Is this some kind of game to you!?" Passion shouts at Namakelder immediately, "Getting power from someone else doesn't give you the right to act this way!"

The veteran of many shouted commands tries to organize with Fortune... But it doesn't work terribly well. Worse, Sword. "You--" Passion hesitates, "You don't need to know me! I remember how you treated Cure Pine!"

Their attacks work, though, and she's freed in an instant, breathing heavily as she stretches her now-mobile legs. "The only mockery here is you! You--"

She throws up her arms as the battery begins. She manages to avoid a number--until just one hits her straight in the face, forcing her to turn to the side, and involuntarily bite down on--

Hot.

She's not supposed to drop it. The rule is clear, and maybe out of some devotion to that by habit, or maybe out of stubbornness, she insists to herself that she won't--but the single bite /alone/ is already torture. Surely this must be some awful attack, not something anyone would /really/ eat.

Setsuna is rendered speechless in the moment, tears already flowing from her eyes at the sheet awfulness of the spiace. She can only barely see the blurring outlines of the Kindabads before her. She has to /win/. She can't be shown up by--

Passion /sprints/ forward, closing her eyes outright, and practically blurs. Relying on pure speed, she attempts to leap through outstretched arms right /past/ the Terribad--...Well, she's aiming /for/ the terribad--and striking out as soon as she feels it close.

COMBAT: Cure Passion has used Flash Feint on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Passion has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru perfectly counters Cure Passion's Flash Feint, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Critical Counter!  Kozue Kaoru's Reverse ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Tactician ability activates!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru's counterattack, Kindabad Obstacle Course, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Cure Passion!  

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

"C-C-Combined girl power...?" Lera repeats, softly, as they make their strikes. Her blade is batted hard to the side, her weapon raising upward. She yelps -- but the impact breaks the tie. Lera pulls away from Fu, glancing quickly in her direction. She nods. "I-I see watcha mean! But--but don't talk to them like that!" she says, turning to yell at Namakelder. "They're... they're all trying their best!"

Even if Passion yelled at Sword. Lera's eyes widen a little, when she hears why.

And, worse, loaves of bread are flying for them. Lera yelps -- and then one of those pieces of bread comes flying in towards her. Her mouth is open, and the resulting shot hits her mouth. She makes a face -- and bites down.

Then she tastes it. ...And takes a bite, but only one..

<Did... did you just eat gross battlefield bread?> Soaring Sky asks, sounding disgusted. <I--I think I would be sick. If I had anatomy.>

<<It was a sweet bun!>> Lera whines telepathically to him. <<I-It was really good, y'know?>>

<Lera, that's vile!>

Lera catches a sight of Cure Passion moving, with that likely very hot curry bread in her mouth (the conversation earlier today comes to mind), and sees her striking at the Terribad -- and moving past the Kindabads. She grits her teeth, then looks at Fu. She can't explain, but she can motion at the Terribad. Then, she bolts after the tear-streaked blur of Passion.

And a group of Kindabads, forming a pyramid, stand in front of her. Lera yells, with a loud but muffled cry, and does a sharp spinning kick right for their formation.

Lera tries to give a mid-air thumbs-up at Passion, but she can't quite call out at the moment.

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Sonic Kick on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly counters Lera Camry's Sonic Kick, taking 2 Fatigue damage!  Lera Camry is Psyched!  Kozue Kaoru's Reverse ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Tactician ability activates!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru's counterattack, Kindabad Obstacle Course, partially gets through, doing 29 Fatigue damage to Lera Camry!  Tangle applied to Lera Camry!  

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Loaves of bread go flying all over the place - and the Wind Knight and La Sirene du Nord are still joined at the leg, which seems a little unfair. They'll have to do something about that -

Except that the Wind Knight's mouth is abruptly occupied by a stale roll, making her go cross-eyed briefly. Plus a handful of those Kindabad 'mooks' (which are still dangerous in their own right) just got in the way of charging at the Terribad.

At least Batiste is starting to keep time for them, the little otter reciting a steady three-count. The Magic Knight of Wind lets out a breath, and focuses on the rhythm, her weight dipping slightly on the 'one' down-beat. She can't use her sword or her bow, she can't cast spells ...

Or can she? She thrusts her left hand forward, thinking the words that her mouth is too full to say, and tries to cast a Winds of Admonishment to sweep the Kindabads out of her and La Sirene's path ...

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Admonishment on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly counters Fuu Hououji's Winds of Admonishment, taking 9 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji is Psyched!  Kozue Kaoru's Reverse ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Tactician ability activates!  Trap applied to Kozue Kaoru!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru's counterattack, Kindabad Obstacle Course, partially gets through, doing 23 Fatigue damage to Fuu Hououji!  Critical Counterhit!  

<Pose Tracker> Cure Sword [None] has posed.

/Mockeries/? That definitely ruffles Cure Sword's feathers, and she glares at Namakelder just before unleashing her magical attack on the Terribad. It doesn't bring a smile to her face to see his wiped off his face, but there is a certain grim satisfaction there. She didn't *ask* to get attached to these /Pretty Cures/.

Cure Fortune, at least, is making less of a fool of herself than Passion is; Sword can appreciate how she's getting right down to business. Passion instead yells at Sword for her treatment of Pine, and-- "How can you remember something you weren't there for?" she asks, baffled.

The implications may hit her later. Sword is just too straightforward a human being.

As the ankle attachments dissolve, she falls into a roll to one side to get herself well away from the others. A rain of bread falls after, though, and she finds herself pelted until finally one regular roll falls into her mouth. "?!?" she utters, about to spit it out--but then Namakelder makes his comment, and she thinks she'd better not... just in case.

Instead, she races for the obstacle course of Kindabads. If they're going to run interference, then all she has to go is get them out of the way. She's called Cure Sword for a reason: straightforward and sharp. Magic once again pours from her Lovely Commune, but this time in the shape of a blade. As she rushes into the herd of Kindabads, it swishes and slices from side to side as she attempts to cut a path.

...So to speak. There's no blood here; this is a kid's show.

COMBAT: Cure Sword has used Glow Edge on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Sword has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Cure Sword's Glow Edge, taking 4 Fatigue damage!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  

<Pose Tracker> Fu Inubozaki [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Fu Inubozaki's bright glowing sword returns to its standard size after her swing connects against the Terribad. She shoots Lera a quick grin at their success one-two attack and her grin gets wider when she notices that their leg restraints were released. "Never underestimate girl power! We did it! Now let's follow through!" Fu accompanies her exclamation with a slight cheer using her sword-holding left hand. But this celebration is soon cut short as Fu gets utterly devastated by a barrage of day old bread. This time, not even Inugami can appear to save Fu from this onslaught. Knocked down to a knee, Fu uses her sword to push herself back up onto her feet. She's a little unsteady, but she's soon brandishing that great sword of her menacingly. "You'll....you'll have to do better than that!" She says half to her foe and half to herself. There was no way she was going to let her friends down!

The transformed green and yellow sword-swinger starts her assault by following after Lera and Cure Passion and it is at this exact moment that one last piece of stale bread finds its way to its target and lands in Fu's mouth. Blech! It was stale! However, even the most stale battlefield bread was nothing compared to the fiery curry bread earlier. Bread still in her mouth, she resumes her march forward through the obstacle course. She uses her sword to knock back the first few Kindabad, but a large pyramid of them loom before her. Fu views this obstacle before her carefully. Just how was she going to get past -that-?!

It was time for Fu to stop loafing about and get rye to it!. She takes a big step forward, plants a foot down, and spins low. As she comes out of her spin, she swings the flat side of her huge sword at the pyramid of Kindabads in an attempt to crush their hastily formed obstacle in one blow!

COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki has used Kneading to get Serious! on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Cure Fortune [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Suddenly, the binding surrounding Cure Fortune's ankle drops away, and she immediately leaps forward. But she stops briefly once she hears Passion complain about how the other Pretty Cure 'treated Pine'. She knows of a Cure Pine, yes. But she had never heard anything like that before. Is that what happens when Pretty Cure gather together, do they just descend into petty insults? Her face scrunches up again. Do they just not like to work together?

Turning, Fortune decides that the less she has to do with the other Cures, the better. She doesn't want to be in a situation like that.

Then the breadstorm happens, engulfing Fortune in its wheatiness. One of them even finds home and stuffs itself in her mouth. She moves her mouth around, trying to decide whether to eat it or spit it out. It doesn't taste bad, all things considered. Deciding to put that for later, her eyes narrow directly at the Terribad, and clenching her teeth as best she can (given that the space around her teeth is filled with bread), she jumps directly at the Terribad (hoping to avoid the swarms of Kindabads), trying to give it a swift kick to the face.

COMBAT: Cure Fortune has used High Fiber Kick on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Fortune has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Fu Inubozaki's Kneading to get Serious!, taking 9 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Fu Inubozaki is Psyched!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Cure Fortune's High Fiber Kick, taking 7 Fatigue damage!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  

<Pose Tracker> La Sirene du Nord [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

La Sirene's expression brightens. (Well, it remains dark and pale at once, but it's a figure of speech.) "Ah -- so I do - Then Batiste, if you will keep the time."

The otter starts to count off steadily. "ONE two three ONE two three ONE two three--"

Forward they go. And forwards, in front of them, are the swarms of the kindabads... as well as the obvious fact that they are not making very impressive time in this situation. She opens her mouth to call something out - and gets a baguette for her trouble, the loaf of french carbohydrate landing firmly in her mouth as she bites down, like it's an immense, wheat-based cigar. "Mrfgh!"

Well, she can remember worse breads she has eaten. She's about to spit it out when they get a reminder.

Gritting her teeth and drawing back her lips, la Sirene keeps moving forwards in time. Lacking the ability to call forth any words, now, with her mouth so full of delicious carbs, she raises the Pharos up with her freer hand and feathers her grip on the handle...

Casting a vast and flickering shadow behind the Kindabads. Perhaps it'll throw some of them off their games - it's certainly helping la Sirene's mood, which is otherwise rather down, between her restraints and her breadening.

COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has used Brockenspectre on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to dodge La Sirene du Nord's Brockenspectre, taking 10 Fatigue damage!  La Sirene du Nord is Psyched!  Diversion applied to Kozue Kaoru!  

<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

Namakelder smiles at Passion's indignation, "Someone is taking this rather personally. I'd almost mistake you for Cure Fortune over there, if you weren't..." He gestures, not just at her attire but her cheeks, red faced and flushed from the spicy Karepan, "...very red from something other than rage." Idly he remarks to Lera, "And their best just isn't good enough. It's still not too late to put your feet up."

Passion sprints, and like some Western football team the Kindabads respond, some of them shifting side to side, others charging at her. More and more and more all creating a mass which she just barrels through at first with her blinding speed, knocking them aside like ten pins, but with each one she strikes, her speed slows down just a little. Just enough, until a dozen or more all pile on her like they're tackling someone about to hit the Endzone. In the end, Passion reaches with her fist. And it barely taps the side of the Terribad that's tryint to retreat a step backwards, making contact right before the Kindabads pull her away.

It's taking all they have just to restrain her even this much. Lera on the other hand tries to kick right into the formation and she does in fact kick one Kindabad, it shrieks as it's sent spinning it right into the Terribad. Splattering against the bigger creature, it does its job. Which is the exact moment when all of its partners latch onto Lera, pulling her out of the air and pummeling her right in the middle of her thumbs up.

The Magic Knight's whirlwind again causes the Terribad to dig in its feet, the gale force winds making its arms and headband tips to fly backwards as if it were in a wind tunnel, Kindabads being swept up into the atmosphere as they're bowled aside. But what goes up... must come down. And they do, flailingly right on top of the Magic Knight. Some of them might even be flapping their arms as if to try to direct them that way, in vengeance.

By now, most of the Kindabads are 'Kinda' preoccupied preventing the advance of the others, which means only about a half dozen rise up to meet Cure Sword's challenge. Darting in she cuts through one, then another, shearing them aside until they disperse into motes of nothingness, right before the edge cuts into the Terribad at what must be its ankle. Both of its sinuous limbs grab at it, as it hops on one foot backwards, away from the gleaming energy blade.

Fu comes in behind her, getting rye to it, and takes out at least another half dozen that are cleaved in half for only a moment before they disperse. The mere pressure wave of her titanic blade in the wake of the swing is enough to cause the Pressure wave to lose it's balance on it's hopping one foot, causing it to crash into a bench. It feebly raises a fibrous limb to try to turn aside Fortune's kick from it's supine position, with limited success as it's struck in the chin, causing it's neck to twist.

Meanwhile, any Kindabads that are preoccupied with restraining or beating up any Magical Girls present see a shadow looming behind them. They pause long enough from fear to free them from this treatment. Some of the Kindabads even flee outright, Namakelder scoffs, "Tck. Jumping at shadows? No matter. Terribad, bring an end to all this foolishness. Let me see the despair reflected in their eyes when they finally realize what a mistake it was to challenge the Phantom Empire!"

And the Terribad certainly responds vigorously enough to seemingly belie Namakelder's sloth. It leaps high into the air, before landing... on the other side of the pit of mold that's in the middle of the field. It's limbs, like thick ropes extend across to the other side of it, before it splits four ways with its left arm to try to catch Lera, Fuu, Nori, and Fu within its coils and three ways with its right to try to attach to the three Cures.

... And then it begins to pull towards the pit of mold. Because it's split fewer ways with it's right, it's able to exert more force towards the Cures.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Kozue Kaoru has used Purikyua and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Terribad day! on Cure Sword.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Kozue Kaoru has used Purikyua and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Terribad day! on Cure Fortune.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Kozue Kaoru has used Purikyua and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Terribad day! on Cure Passion.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Terribad Tug on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Terribad Tug on La Sirene du Nord.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Terribad Tug on Fu Inubozaki.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Terribad Tug on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lera Camry narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Terribad Tug, taking 32 Fatigue damage!  Lera Camry's Fade ability activates!  Lera Camry's Flash ability activates!  
COMBAT: Cure Passion narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Finisher, Purikyua and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Terribad day!, taking 65 Fatigue damage!  Cure Passion's Fade  ability activates!  
COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Terribad Tug, taking 31 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Fu Inubozaki's Fade ability activates!  Fu Inubozaki's Flash  ability activates!  
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord narrowly counters Kozue Kaoru's Terribad Tug, taking 9 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord's counterattack, Les Mysteres, partially gets through, doing 25 Fatigue damage to Kozue Kaoru!  

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

"Don't talk about them like that!" Lera shouts, as she gets pulled down by the Kindabads -- and pummeled good, finally losing her bite of sweet bun. It falls, lost -- but it did its. Their blows hurt job. Lera grunts, briefly unable to see either Fu, Passion, or any of the other Cures. It doesn't stop her.

Her sword swings out in a circular arc -- and explodes with light, sending the Kindabads that had been on her away. It happens just in time for the Terribad's thick ropes to come shooting in. It grips her, then starts to drag her, hard.

<Gh! Careful!> Soaring Sky chimes.

"I know!" Lera yells. She digs her feet in, hard, heels dragging on the ground to try to slow the pulling. She glances back across the battlefield, taking stock -- and then sees Setsuna get hit. It brings the memory back, unbidden, when Northa's vines shot clean through her. It isn't nearly that bad.

She still forgets to breathe for a moment. Lera gets dragged a couple of feet, before she remembers herself. Her heels dig back in.

"Set--" She catches herself. This will take some getting used to. "Passion! You can do it! I-I know you said you weren't sure if you had any right to do this, but... but you've done your best, y'know? You can handle something like this! I know you can!"

The Midchildan mage glows for a moment. Then, the same red-orange glow gathers around Cure Passion, and infuses her briefly with a fiery aura.

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Soaring Dreams! Fiery Love! on Cure Passion.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Cure Passion accepts Lera Camry's Soaring Dreams! Fiery Love!, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Accelerate and Empower applied to Cure Passion!  
COMBAT: Cure Fortune narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Finisher, Purikyua and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Terribad day!, taking 52 Fatigue damage!  Cure Fortune's Fade ability activates!  Cure Fortune's Flash ability activates!  
COMBAT: Cure Sword narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Finisher, Purikyua and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Terribad day!, taking 37 Fatigue damage!  

<Pose Tracker> Cure Passion [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Passion feels... A little lost, frankly, amidst the chaos; she attempts to charge through the Kindabads, no retort immediately to mind for her at Sword's pointed question. She doesn't quite see Lera's encouraging gesture; she can't really see... Well, /anything/ right now, not Fu swinging out or the Terribad beyond a raw blur.

...But she'd find it easier, she thinks, if her teammates were here. Peach would know what to do.

"Of course I'm taking it personally!" Passion finally spits out, breathing heavily once she manages to let go the bread. She still feels the unsteadiness of being thrown back quite so hard as she was, but it at least affords her a chance to watch the others--and watch their success.

"Never! I--Gh--" The ropes stretch out towards her, the awful limb easily taking hold of her by the waist, pressing her arms to her sides. Struggling, Passion nevertheless is tugged forward, trying and failing to dig her heels into the ground in order to stop herself. She'd told /Sword/ not to get in her way, and now...

The struggle requires her to breathe in harder, and she finds herself coughing as she gets too close to the pit of mold. It /hurts/, to say the least, and she still can't see--

...But she can hear. She can hear Lera's words, and feel her magic, for once not working against her but /for/ her.

Cure Passion's eyes snap open. "I--I won't give up!" she says, blazing briefly with spectral flames. "Not--" She tugs back, and manages to free one arm, "here!" and forces the other free, barely still on her feet. She can't slow herself far. ...But maybe she won't have to.

"...Passion...Harp!" Conjuring her weapon, the Fresh Cure starts to play a melody on it, forcing herself to work at it--"Pretty Cure....!"

She begins to spin, trying to gain momentum to tug back, as hearts of red begin to spin around her, "Happiness.... Hurricane!!"

She doesn't stop spinning. She just hurls out her arm, jabbing the harp outward, and a torrent of cleansing magic crashes towards the mirror-double Terribad.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Passion has used Pretty Cure Happiness Hurricane on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Passion has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Terribad Tug, taking 41 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji's Fade ability activates!  Fuu Hououji's Flash ability activates!  

<Pose Tracker> Fu Inubozaki [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Fu manages to free herself from the latest round of dastardly traps by swinging her way through the Kindabads while on her way to the Terribad. But before she can get a good swing on her main target, it launches its next attack. The rope like appendage of the Terribad gets swung her way with a troubling amount of force behind it. Diving to the side, she manages to get out of the way of the initial slam, but only barely. From her prone position, she's unable to stop the Terribad from grabbing ahold of her and for it to start dragging her towards the mold pit. This was bad, real bad! Fu takes her giant sword and jams it into the ground. This action, while tiring, allows Fu to get back up onto her feet and have some time to contemplate her next action.

From her now standing position, she can get a good look at those still fighting this thing. It's too bad they didn't have time to regroup and hit this thing all at once. They were going to have to improvise.

Thankfully, improvising is one of Fu's many talents.

The blonde magic girl can feel the tremendous strength in which the Terribad was tugging at her with. But maybe she could use that to her advantage. What Fu is about to do might not be the most intelligent thing she has ever done. But this wasn't about doing the smart thing. This was about doing what she felt would keep her compatriots -safe-. But there was no way for to keep her fellow magic girls safe if her entire side was pulled into that mold. Fu suddenly knew exactly what she needed to do. "Everyone! I'm going ahead!" And with that shouted, she lifts her sword up out of the ground which allows the Terribad to fling her towards its side of the mold pit. It was this forward momentum that Fu was counting on. This was her chance!

Raising her giant sword above her head, Fu Inubozaki grimly smiles as her sword surges with yellow power and grows to atleast three times as big as it was before. "Take my attack that's full of girl power!" yells Fu as she draws her arms back even further behind her head. She then twists mid-air and brings her giant sword crashing down in a mighty swing! This swung blade attempts to cleave off the entire arm that the Terribad was using to drag Lera, Fuu, Nori and herself into the mold.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Fu Inubozaki has used Executive Power on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Fu Inubozaki has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

The Magic Knight of Wind finds herself free from both the three-legging and the bread obstacle - and just in the nick of time, as she gets yanked into the mold in an impromptu (from her perspective) tug of war. On the plus side, her arms and mouth are free now, and she had a halfway decent lungful of air on the way into the moldpit. She tries to hang onto it long enough to get her head above the surface again ...

"STORM-DANCE OF KAMAITACHI!!!"

And as if she's making up for lost time, she unleashes one of her most devastating spells, the sorcerous tornado lashing out at Terribad and any remaining Kindabads alike. She does what she can to keep the wrath of the storm focused on the central 'boss' monster; it's the main threat, and while the Kindabads are bad enough in their own rights, taking *them* out won't end the battle. Finishing off the Terribad is the only thing that'll put an end to the monster attack, and she knows it.

She also makes a mental note to try and track down the 'girl power' blonde with the tmassive sword, and exchange introductions - magical or mundane, or (preferably) both. Maybe she can handle the first before anyone goes their separate ways after this fight ... ?

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Storm-Dance of Kamaitachi on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Cure Fortune [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Cure Fortune lands from the kick, her teeth finally managing to bite down enough to seperate parts of the bread. She then pulls the largest chunck out of her mouth and throws the bread to the mold covered ground. She eats the rest, though. Not bad. But this attempt to dislodge the bread gives enough of an opening that Fortune is wrapped up by the Terribad's rope limbs. "W-What?!" She sputters as the limbs start to drag her towards the mold pit. She pulls her arms to try and dislodge them from the ropes. The ropes hold firm, however. She does her best to grab the vine with both hands and walk backwards. This does actually work, somewhat, as Fortune finds that while she's still sliding backwards, each step does briefly stop the pulling. But after each step the pulling continues, dragging Fortune further towards the pit.

Deciding that wasn't working, she tries to pull her arms out of the vines again. This time, however, the finally rip themselves free of the vines, and she looks directly at the Terribad.

Fortune spins the dial on her PreBrace. "Pretty Cure!" She sweeps her other arm in front of her, creating a cluster of bright stars. "Star Streaaam!" She swings her arm forward, sending the stream of lights towards the Terribad, hoping to fill it with relaxing light.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Fortune has used Pretty Cure Star Stream on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Fortune has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Cure Sword [None] has posed.

Cure Sword charges with valor towards the Terribad, magical sword gleaming in the autumn sunlight, even as mold spores grow across the field. The magic disippates, though, when the Terribad leaps high into the sky and lands on the other side of the pit of spores. Cure Sword doesn't have time to figure out what it's trying to do, and when Fortune leaps off to do her own thing and Passion is too occupied with her own fight to snap anything back, that's fine by her, because the monster whips rope-like limbs out at all of them, snapping around Sword's arms and jerking her forward.

Digging her heels in barely does any good; she just drags parallel lines along the dirt as it drags her towards the pit. She grits her teeth and pulls backwards against it, using her weight to make it a little easier. It's only a little; she doesn't weigh a lot. But...

She glances to one side at the other magical girls assaulted by the Terribad, one of whom (Fu) uses a sword twice as big as she is to charge forward and attempt to cut to the heart of the matter, as it were. Cure Sword can appreciate the direct approach, certainly, and she fixes a determined glare on the monster herself, then jumps up and over in a kicking cartwheel. Once the rope has loosened enough, she calls, "Davi!"

"Davi~!" her fairy partner chimes in return, floating up decisively before her. Sword grabs the Cure Lovead with her teeth, then plants it on the Commune, so that it radiates with brilliant light. They coalesce into lavender swords, around Cure Sword and in both her hands, as she shouts, "Twirl!"

Then, rather than *tugging*, Sword advances blade-first, all of her magical blades sweeping through the air as she twirls artfully along. If she can cut herself free, she'll attempt to jump up on top of the rope-like appendage and sprint up it, safely above the mold pit, over to the Terribad, and finish her dance choreography with a resounding, "SWORD DANCERRRRRR!"

COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Sword has used Twirl! Sword Dancer on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: Cure Sword has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> La Sirene du Nord [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

Those big ropy limbs lash out. One of them snaps round la Sirene's waist and she ends up getting her hands on it before she can be hoisted inwards into that HORRIBLE PIT full of the WORST THINGS EVER, where she will be converted into evil pencillin over the course of a thousand years! Or so she thinks. The Brazen Pharos rattles in her grip as she cries out in dismay.

And then -

There is only one problem with the Terribad's position.

By placing a grasping binder at la Sirene's waist level, which she's gotten her hands on, the Terribad has given her not merely a problem to deal with, /but something to propel her magic along./ Her eyes gleam with determination in a moment as she raises her right hand, breathing to herself, "Les Myster-es--" The momentary gurgle as the grip tightens.

She leans backwards and strikes downwards. "Come!" she calls. And silver light ripples round her -- except that with a tenndril of this sort she doesn't so much send a burst of inky-silver force at her target as send it /straight into/ what might well be part of the Terribad's own body! It's cold and stark and shiveringly delightful in a spooky way.

The counterstroke comes back up, aiming to send another burst - complete with an almost subterranenan bass /hum/ from striking this 'chord' and building its potency - downwards as she sees the Pretty Cure erupt and the swinging fist of Fu come down to try and get the Terribad into a state of /disarmament/.

COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has used Les Mysteres on Kozue Kaoru.
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Fuu Hououji's Storm-Dance of Kamaitachi, taking 12 Fatigue damage!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to brace La Sirene du Nord's Les Mysteres, taking 37 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to dodge Fu Inubozaki's Finisher, Executive Power, taking 99 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly dodges Cure Fortune's Finisher, Pretty Cure Star Stream, taking 48 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Cure Passion's Finisher, Pretty Cure Happiness Hurricane, taking 52 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates!  Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!  
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to brace Cure Sword's Finisher, Twirl! Sword Dancer, taking 94 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Kozue Kaoru is unable to keep fighting!  

<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

Namakelder watches closely, looking invested in this battle for the first time. "How pointless. Investing your efforts into something as meaningless as a Sports Festival. All of that hard work will amount to nothing in the end."

Winds buffet the Terribad from the Magic Knight, the Tornado swirling around the Terribad, causing it's arms to creak and strain to keep the tugging up. Whereas La Sirene strikes a chord that shifts along the rope and straight into the creature with silvery power. It's limb stills for long enough that Fu's sword cleaves it right off, with all the Girl Power she can muster behind it!

The taut limb, now severed entirely, causes the Terribad to howl out 'Saiiiiarkkkkk!' and lose its balance for a few crucial moments. A cluster of bright stars falls towards it, and the Saiark tries to dip to the side to avoid it. As if a true star had touched it, it cries out again, searing wisps of black as the dark magic holding it together is unravelled thread by thread.

Passion's Hurricane of red hearts cluster around it, swirling, and the creature's red eyes glimmer with something, "Nirva-" "Oh? No I don't think so. It'd be too troublesome to hunt you all down again." Suddenly those eyes brighten with malice, and its shoulders bulge. It seems like it's about to cast off all of their efforts.

Which is when Cure Sword rushes up the rope arm, slicing herself free in a single motion, and with a dancer's grace, cutting into the Terribad, causing the brightness to fade from its sunglasses. "-na." Starlight and hearts and spade sword converges and the energies meld together to cause the creature to burst apart.

A blue haired girl with her headband slumps down from the other side of her mirror, as ribbons unwind from it, the mirror disappearing shortly after. "Well." In the tone expressing awkwardness, like a gentleman that committed some Faux Pas at a soiree, as he rises to his feet crisply, "I suppose we'll have to wait a while longer to seal you all away. Cheerio." He tips his hat, but only a little from his brow, not enough to actually disturb his antenna. Then he disappears. The mold follows, the decay it wrought upon the field undone within mere moments.

... And Davi suddenly has the urge to sneeze.

<Pose Tracker> Cure Passion [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

"It's not meaningless! Just because you don't see the value in it doesn't mean that it isn't there!"

Cure Passion shouts at Namakelder, trying to convince him still despite... Well, everything. "It's not nothing! It's important to us! You'd see that, if you--"

...The dark magic starts to unravel. Passion tries to force her magic to work, as she sees it not working yet--

...but Cure Sword finishes the job. On the heels of the magic of those she recognizes, and those she doesn't. And Passion immediately turns, still breathing heavily, to glower at Namakelder. "Don't--"

...He's gone. Passion lowers her harp, and leans on a nearby tree. "...Already..."

...She ducks into the trees. A glance to Lera, and then she disappears into the foilage. ...It's not hard for her to do. She's got a lot of practice, after all.

...She just needs to de-transform, and get her head on her shoulders. ...But she's not exactly in the mood for fun anymore.

COMBAT: Cure Passion transforms into Setsuna Higashi!

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

"We won't let that happen!" Lera cries out, after Namakeldar tips his hat. She stands there, the decay unfurling around her, and she sighs as he departs. She looks down for a moment and shakes her head. Then, she sees Setsuna glance at her. The Midchildan hesitates a moment; there is a short nod.

She glances around at the others. She looks at the girl that she was paired up with, and flashes a smile at Fu. "Good sword work, y'know?" she says. "Keep it up! Ah, but--"

She glances at the direction Setsuna fled in. "--I gotta, um, do... a... thing."

<Smooth.>

"Quiet," Lera mutters at Sky. She takes a few steps, then darts off after Cure Passion.

COMBAT: Lera Camry transforms into Lera Camry!