2016-04-08 - Locks and Keys 1

Title: Locks and Keys 1
Summary: The idol Queen of the Harajuku Trendy District abruptly comes under attack by two very different monsters: one of Northa's Sorewatase, and familiar Jewel Drones which were once deployed by Precia Testarossa (believed to be dead). They're fighting over a singing Key that has emerged from her heart; magical girls respond, drive off both monsters, and Chitose claims the key for herself. This is also Jad Werke's combat debut!
Who: Love Momozono, Chitose Shiratori, Jad Werke, Kuniko Saito, Fate Testarossa, Endo Naoki, Setsuna Higashi, Lera Camry GM: Hotaru Tomoe and Honoka Yukishiro
Where: Harajuku Trendy District
OOC - IC Date: 04-08-2016 - 10-13-2014

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

There are as many reasons to come to Harajuku after school as there are students. There's the sale going on at Doll Heart, which has the absolute cutest gothic lolita attire in town, the finest lace outside of the bridal boutiques, and -- today -- the best prices. There's the skateboarding challenge spoken of only in friendly whispers, since it's not officially sanctioned, which sends daring riders alongside (and, to the bellows of police, sometimes in and out of) the rushing crowds.

There's the cram school that only opens seasonally for ninth graders trying to get into the best high school. Its location, on the third floor of a Hawaiian-style boutique (and barbecue) seems out of place until one remembers who comes here -- then it becomes a major attraction. Today is its opening day, and the queues are long; Hang Ten Admissions is first come, first serve.

There even happens to be a Sister Schools event today -- a sort of casual battle of the soft rock bands, which are politely taking turns setting up and rocking out on one of the busiest street corners. Whoever creates the best spontaneous dance party wins. Right now, Juuban's own Salt Wing is on, and from the looks of it, they're going to be a very hard act to follow.

And finally, of course, there's the core purpose of Harajuku itself -- endless shopping, swept along the slopes of fashion by the tides of fate (and people). There is no greater reason -- and it's why some people come here virtually every single day after school, allowances (or big dreams) permitting...

OOC: What are /you/ doing in Harajuku this afternoon? Please show us!

<Pose Tracker> Jad Werke [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

There is always a reason to be out and about, at least when you're someone who is basically trying to scrape by with only what you can put together. Jad is, as he often does in the afternoon and evening after school, working.

In this case, he's doing a sidewalk courier job - taking packages from store to store, helping people out, and generally giving a smile, a nod, and a strong back in exchange for a few yen here and there. It's not glorious, it's not a lot of money, but it does get him out and meeting new people. He's just finished carrying a fairly large stack of packages to the car of a nice older lady who gave him a whole hundred yen for a tip! And thus Jad looks at the coin for a moment, and dreams of delicious, delicious freeze dried instant ramen.

Raaaamen.

Really, the youma had been kind of quiet lately, so the Tuners just didn't have as many jobs of late.

But there is something more attractive than a hundred yen coin, and that's TWO hundred yen coins. And thus the blue haired young man is on the prowl again, looking for someone that he can offer his services as what is basically a pack mule. The concert is going strong in the distance, and he pauses for a moment to listen to the drifting notes that are echoing down the street corners.

Well, that was probably going to get people's attention - he might be able to find some work down that way. And if not, at least it was sounding entertaining.

And so Jad sets off. FULL SPEED TO THE CONCERT. And woe be it to anyone who's inattentive as he moves along the sidewalk in a rather rapid pace that might actually let him win a foot race with that Tsunashi guy.

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

Lera Camry is here on a mission: shopping for clothes for a date. Of course, a lot of that is window shopping; she has to judge the look of a place before she walks inside. She has brought one friend along for this nebulous journey. A friend she trusts absolutely; a friend who has been through difficult times and great trials with her.

She doesn't care that the friend in question is nine.

"Hmm, I'm not sure," Lera says aloud, as she stares at some winter apparel through a store front. "I know the jacket /looks/ nice, but it might not hold up under high altitudes, y'know? The last thing I want is to buy a nice new jacket, then one of the climbers above me hits hit with a crampon and RRRRRIP."

SHe makes the noise with her mouth.

Then she looks down at Fate. "Something... sturdier, I guess?" Her priorities with clothing might be skewed.

<For the record: she is always like this.> Soaring Sky opines. <Oh! There's that hungry boy over there. It appears he has been fed because he isn't rampaging in search of pie. Splendid!>

<Pose Tracker> Kuniko Saito [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

Kuniko Saito is here for the band. She is in fact leaning back against a wall, wearing a high necked lilac blouse and a pair of densely-weaved blue jeans, which she had kept in reserve for events such as this.

Now, of course, Kuniko isn't going to be completely without relevant content and she is probably justifying this SLACKING to either Chef, or the small niggling voice of Chef that lives in her head like an angry neurological rabbit, with the four pack of "musubi" from that Hawaiian barbeque. Mixed flavors and nothing local.

She already ate the Kahlua pork one, and is savoing the music as her hand drifts ever closer towards the next one in the little piece of folded cardboard for takeout purposes.

The topping of that is something Kuniko has not ever eaten.

This musubi - almost resembling a piece of nigiri sushi due to its wrapping of nori (though not Nori) - is topped with a piece of seasoned and grilled "luncheon meat." In mere moments, Kuniko Saito will eat Spam.

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

Setsuna Higashi has a lot to do these days! School of course is not the least of what she's thinking about; she still has a number of subjects she's not /quite/ satisfied with, and so of course she was tempted to go after that particular cram school in order to give herself a better shot. However...

Few things catch the eye of /this/ girl from Labyrinth like pretty clothes, and Setsuna for once was the one to excitedly take /Love/ out somewhere. Her enthusiasm is clear, even through her usual reserved demeanor. She's already changed out of her school uniform, to make it all the easier to try something on when she's here. Her clubs aren't meeting today. It's...

Well, almost perfect.

"Ah! Love! Do you see this one?" Standing right in Doll Heart at the sale, Setsuna holds up a delicate long-sleeved top. It's not the lolita style, but it wouldn't be out of place among ribbons or among fancy clothes. ...It's also a very lovely shade of red.

"And..."

The violet-haired girl has about four things over her arm at this point. She is absolutely delighted.

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [Infinity Institute (4)] has posed.

There's a difference between existing in Tokyo and living in Tokyo. The former was Fate's prior life, a life of focused tunnel vision. She'd only began to experience the latter in these past few months...

The variety of fashions and styles people in Tokyo wore was one of the few things she was noticing. And it was Lera Camry who tended to be her 'big sister' sort of advisor on these things. But today it was the other way around and she was eager to take the chance.

Fate stared through the storefront, dressed in simply a black button down blouse and white skirt herself. She sized up the selection, then stared at Lera, then back at the storefront, then at Lera's feet to make certain she wasn't really wearing climbing gear right now, before she looked up at her eyes again. "That's a pretty practical attitude. What about something in fleece? We could try a different color from your barrier jacket."

<We should find something that matches her hair, Sir.> "Or her eyes. I like that shade of brown." A beat, "I think buttons look nicer on a jacket, even if it's not as practical for climbing as a zipper."

Fate and Bardiche are glossing over what Sky is saying just because they both /like/ this side of Lera, but once Sky makes that announcement: <Pie Thief detected. Standing by at alert level: Yellow.> "Ah... isn't that a bit much, Bardiche?" Fate comments awkwardly, before giving the older boy a small wave.

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.

Chitose Shiratori is here at Harajuku today... well, truth be told, she's not sure why. She's taken notice of all the sales. However a lot of them don't really pique her interest much. Well, nothing that stands out to her, anyway. Well, Chitose did like the bustling of people shuttering around and doing their people thing, but she's been keeping to herself, today, having gotten out of school and having off from her job. None of the big sales really interest her, she's not very interested in cram school anymore, and... well, no offense to the bands but the last time she attended a party a forest went up in flames so her interest in extra-curricular activities are really low.

So, she's really here for crepes. She's standing near a crepe stand, having purchased a crepe, and is slowly working her way through it. What might be somewhat unnerving is the fact that throughout the crepe buying process, her head has been pointing in one specific direction, spending only a moment to look at the vendor and offer up payment. Ever since then, it looks like Chitose might be staring at a pole, with the back of her head pointed directly at the battle of the bands.

White Omen, the device situated on the back of her head, is breathing in the atmosphere, and enjoying the bands and their various songmaking. <Earth culture seems very spirited.>

"Yes, I suppose it is."

<Pose Tracker> Love Momozono [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

On the other hand, school is precisely the last thing that Love Momozono thinks about. She's here to go shopping, to later root for her classmates at the battle of the bands, find something good to eat, but most importantly, she's here to be with friends. Friends like the purple haired girl that was holding the red top in front of her. Hands on her hips, Love leans forward to take a closer look at the garment. She lets out a long 'hmmmm' before peeking overtop of it at Setsuna, and then back down at the top again. "I like it!" Love says as she passes judgement on Setsuna's selection. "Red's the color of passion and romance...."

Love grins ruefully now.

".....which makes it perfect for a...." The easily distracted auburn haired girl's eyes suddenly go wide. "d-a-t-e." She spells out in English with a giggle. The young Juuban teen then points to one of the other garments that Setsuna had draped over her arm. "But what about that one? There's something about it that I just really like." Love points directly at the predominantly pink top, of course.

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

"Something that... isn't green?" Lera asks Fate, looking down at her like she suggested a new, revolutionary science. One might think that she is joking -- but the sincere look in Lera's amber eyes suggests otherwise. "I-I mean... I could get, like, y'know--a red jacket! Or a blue jacket! Or a... a striped white and light blue jacket with bright pink spots!"

<You /could/ do a lot of things.> Soaring Sky offers. <But... perhaps not, hm?>

Lera grins down at Fate, purely happy for a moment. "But I could do a red jacket! I bet she'd like it if I wore a red jacket, too, y'know?" Lera asks. "And that one looks nice, too... you've got good ideas for this stuff, Fate!"

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
<SoundTracker> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UroYl6a0p7Y

"Oh my god," someone squeals, "It's the Queen of Harajuku!!"

Indeed it is -- the famous idol, Myary Nyamu Nyamu, flanked by reasonably low-key bodyguards, managers, and other staff, is taking a stroll down the boulevard where her career was inspired, incubated, and born. 'Queen' is a popular accolade amongst her many fans, but she actually has an official one, the "Kawaii Ambassador of Harajuku," bestowed upon her by the mayor.

It's not hard to see why. She isn't singing right now, but her mere presence more or less embodies everything the culture here is all about; the lighting seems softer, rose petals drift behind her, and her smile is not only unstoppable but inevitable, infecting faces all around her. If it was subject zero of the zombie apocalypse the world would be doomed -- but it would be an adorable death.

She's wearing her signature cat-eared hood, hot pink leggings, a bright yellow sweater-dress and matching boots which are platform in the same way that political parties /have/ a platform -- LOUDLY.

As she strolls her beloved street, people cheer but mostly leave her to enjoy her day, their own afternoon brightened by her surprise cameo.

---

Around the corner, in an empty, narrow and darkened alley, a woman smiles and whispers lovingly to something clutched in the palm of her hand.

"Go now, my dear one, and bring me the Key..."

Shoots and leaves sprout from between her slender fingers, politely (and wisely) avoiding her well-manicured, razor-sharp nails. In short order, a little tiny plant man, about six inches high, marches like a tin soldier to the street.

At which point he latches onto the clothing stand Setsuna was pushing through, and in a flash of horrible red light, becomes thirty feet tall instead, with a tough, viney green body, four limbs, a huge red eye, and ribbons, ribbons everywhere.

"SOREWATAAAAAASE!!"

If that wasn't bad enough, one of those arms lengthens, gargantuan in span, to bowl over Myary and her entourage. They're helpless to prevent what happens next; the Queen is slammed against a wall, there's another flash of light, this radiance less inherently toxic and more very, very, very bright, and then she's unconscious on the street and the monster is holding the source of said brightness. From a distance, it's hard to tell what it is, because it's something that a person could hold in two fingers, but its shine is unmistakably the same shine of Harajuku's smiles.

---

<< ALERT: WIDE AREA SEARCH SUCCESSFUL. KEY SIGNATURE DETECTED. SENDING COORDINATES. >>

The recipient of this message glances at the Device, and then gains a careless smile of his own. To say it drips with malice is like saying that rivers drip into the ocean. He types a few commands into a keyboard, then pulls up a viewscreen, sits back, and waits...

---

The crowds are screaming, both in grief and horror over the assault on their icon, and in fear. Many run, others stay, which is going to rapidly create a tangled crush of people.

Over this noise it is difficult to hear the other scream -- that of an engine -- until it's right on top of things. Like the plant monster, it is thirty feet tall and vaguely humanoid, but the resemblances end there. Where the Sorewatase is organic, this automaton is unmistakably mechanical, with a stoutly armored build, a massive sword, and a dodecahedral head. Each surface is implanted with what looks to be the shard of a gem, and there's a single, larger stone on the back of what would be a neck if it were a little longer.

Such a machine, a Jewel Drone, hasn't been seen since the battle at, and destruction of, a criminal lair known as the Garden of Time.

Three of the smaller gems glitter in a pulsing sequence, accompanied by a curiously musical tone, a rising arpeggio. It is question, demand. It doesn't wait for an answer...

...engines scream as it plows straight into the Sorewatase, knocking it into the nearby McDonalds. As the rubble starts to fall, this seems to break the crowd's will into pure flight. Tempting though it is to stay and record it on their phones, panic is winning the day.

COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro transforms into Jewel Drone Blue!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has fully healed herself. She is now ready to take on 5 opponents!
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe transforms into Sorewatase!
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has fully healed herself. She is now ready to take on 5 opponents!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Massive Jewel Headbutt on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly counters Honoka Yukishiro's Massive Jewel Headbutt, taking 20 Fatigue damage!  Cripple applied to Hotaru Tomoe!  
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe's counterattack, Roots of Darkness!, partially gets through, doing 22 Fatigue damage to Honoka Yukishiro!  Critical Counterhit!  Hotaru Tomoe drains 8 fatigue from Honoka Yukishiro!

<Pose Tracker> Jad Werke [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Well, there's a diversion from work! People that he knows! And Jad makes a hard turn, and comes pounding down the sidewalk towards the two girls. He's seen them around, but this seems like a good chance to stop by and say hello again. Certainly doesn't hurt to be polite, although... he had to admit, after that stunt with the ketchup back during the Octoberfest event, he did think that Lera was just a LITTLE weird.

Not that Jad had a lot of room to talk.

"Lera, Fate!" he states with a smile as he (almost literally) skids to a stop in front of them. It certainly is a pretty hard stop, but that's the sort of opportunity Jad takes when he is off to do something. "What brings you out here today? Just shopping, or...?" Something else interesting? Mysterious? Perhaps even exciting? He can always use some excitement.

There is, however, a flash of light from under his shirt as Schwartzritter comments from its place of concealment. <Ah good - we've found them. Commencing scan for additional pie. Beep.> the device comments rather absentmindedly. And Jad just looks at it for a moment, a hint which his device does not take as it adds, <Sadly there is no pie detected. Just a stodgy old golden device and the more interesting ones Lady Lera has.>

"...Schwartz, I don't think the commentary is that necessary," Jad comments.

They both cut off at the same time, and Jad's head snaps around as he hears something that definitely should *not* be taking place around here. "...what the-" he starts, and then throws a look to see what Lera and Fate's reactions are. He doesn't know this city all that well yet -their reaction will be telling, if he needs to worry about whatever is going on.

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

Lera glances, sideways, at the cry that a famous idol is here. Her eyes widen, a little, and she glances down at Fate. She is about to ask if Fate would like to try to meet her -- to possibly score an autograph -- when other factors conspire to intervene. Namely, some quite familiar vines form and surge up; they make Lera's lips part into a gasp of shock, because she remembers those vines.

She remembers when they had Love Momozono in their grip -- and when they killed Setsuna. It took a miracle to bring them back. She whirls, but doesn't spot Setsuna and Love's presence here yet. The screams and people rushing away stop that. "Fate, we have to--"

Then, something she didn't expect to ever see again drops down from the skies. A Jewel Drone, like the ones that Precia Testarossa commanded, is suddenly slamming into the Sorewatese. Lera looks down at Fate with wide eyes, before they narrow. She briefly locks eyes with Jad.

Then the crowds surge past. A flash of green and gold comes from up. "Soaring dreams, fiery love!" Lera yells. "Soaring Sky, SET UP!"

A moment later, Lera flies up into the air. Her green coat billows and flutters after her, as she scans the ground below. She looks down at Jad -- then she calls out: "I know you're a mage, but--be careful, y'know? Both of these things could get you killed!" Then she takes a deep breath, and looks back at Fate. "Don't worry, Fate. I'm with you, okay?"

Lera nods at her, pointing her broadsword shaped Device at the Jewel Drone. The blade splits in half -- and then fires a beam of golden light, tinged a fiery red at the edges. "Who the heck sent you!? How--how did you get here!?"

Because one answer feels impossible. Or, maybe, she just hopes it is.

COMBAT: Lera Camry transforms into Barrier Jacket Perihelion!
COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Aurora Bolt on Honoka Yukishiro.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
<SoundTracker> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHOZfD7mOUc

...Even for Setsuna, school's gone a little distantly to the back of her mind, thanks to Love being with her. "Hmmm?"

Besides, it's a very important question her best friend is pondering, and there has to be /something/ she has to say about it. It's very important! So Setsuna waits, and--and then glances to the side, very suddenly, a little red. "L-Love...!" Pause. "...You really think so?" Hmm. Maybe that /is/....

"Ah? Oh, really?" Setsuna grins, a little sparkle in her eye. "Maybe it's the color? It /is/ your favorite."

---

Focused as Setsuna is on her own moment, she doesn't recognize at first the reason for all the excitement just a little bit away. No, she just notices a cold feeling, like a knife in her heart, as red flashes behind her. She stops dead, right where she is--

And then the Sorewatase grows. The rush of its growth knocks her from her feet, sending her tumbling to the ground where she turns to stare up at the creature. "Labyrinth..." She shakes her head. "N-Northa...?"

She doesn't have to /see/ the flash of pink that's inevitably about to be beside her to know. Fighting down the feeling that first strikes her at seeing such a creature again, she's given just long enough to breathe as something even more surprising comes. The Jewel Drone--she never thought she would see one of these again. Never. Not after she...

A flash of memory comes to her mind, of the night at the Garden of Time, when she was ordered to lead a squadron of these herself. When...

"No!" The former Executive lifts her Linkrun. She casts her eye out to make sure Love is all right, after the crash, and then--

"Change!"

In moments later, with a burst of crimson light amidst the chaos, Cure Passion is standing, hands arranged in the shape of a heart, red eyes hardened again.

"Peach!" she calls, knowing that of all people, Cure Peach will be right there. That gives her enough--that gives her what she needs.

"Let's go!"

She doesn't bother looking to her teammate--she doesn't have to. Cure Passion ducks to the side, kicking off a building's wall, then off another close by. She leaps gracefully into the air--

And then casts herself down, springing off her hands to deliver a flying kick towards the Sorewatase's great, ribbon-bound eye.

COMBAT: Setsuna Higashi transforms into Cure Passion!
COMBAT: Cure Passion has started a combo targeting Hotaru Tomoe!

<Pose Tracker> Kuniko Saito [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

Kuniko's fingers close round that piece of Spam musubi and raise it upwards as there's a lull in the set -- and then there's a cry. "Nyamu? Oh, geez," Kuniko says, fumbling for a moment and firmly lodging that bite in her mouth as she scrambles with her phone to try and get it out, raise it above her head, and finds herself --

Biting...

Crisp! Salty! Too salty! Seasoned American style! Kuniko thinks as she bites into the Hawaiian onigiri, phone raised up high and taking a half dozen pictures in rapid succession, at which point Kuniko lowers her arm and starts reviewing her picture. The remainder of the musubi gets eaten as she sees - Oh hey is that Lera Camry and that Fate girl she heard about? Huh, some courier dude. Must be amazon. THERE'S Nyamu, she thinks.

That's picture #3. Picture #4 shows a horrible plant vine snapping out. Picture #5 actually captures the moment when the tendril bowls over Myary. Picture #6 is blurred but is probably a sign of bad things, Kuniko thinks, between all of the screaming in the background and the sheer size of what she's seeing there.

Her head slowly tilts upwards to see a creature of sparkling jewels with a massive sword come forwards and smash the green creature DIRECTLY INTO THE MCD'S.

Kuniko reaches back into the hip pocket of her fashion jeans. "Well crap," she says as she does, and it is only by the time that her hands are carefully washed in the sorcerous spaces of Mise-en-place (and her garb fully updated) that she starts to sweat what's going on -- it takes that long for such chaos to fully marinate her awareness!

And she's already swinging by the McDonald's. "Get out of there!" she shouts over the roar and clatter of injured building materials. Even a fast food restaurant, Burgermeisteresque as it may be... contains customers, and cooks too.

Kuniko looks up then. "Ah -- Pretty Cure! OF COURSE." She paps her open hand with her opposing fist. "If it's got an eye that big --"

SOON ENOUGH a scoop of Harissa paste, spread out onto a stale point of toast, is hurled upwards. It glitters with the ineffable purity of Terroir -- which, for a chili pepper paste, means...

"I hate to waste it," Kuniko mutters to herself, "but this is a crisis! Why are the two of these creatures here??"

COMBAT: Kuniko Saito transforms into Poissonnier Kuniko!
COMBAT: Kuniko Saito has used Harissa Pepper on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro perfectly dodges Lera Camry's Aurora Bolt, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Dodge!  Honoka Yukishiro's Fade ability activates!  Honoka Yukishiro's Flash ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

Endo shops! He'd probably never be caught in the anti-fashion that Harajuku is known for, but he does wear clothes. It's a proven fact. He's out to find more of them today, though the boy seems to have gotten distracted by trying on hats on a small stand outside of one of the smaller shops packed together on the street.

He puts one on. People immediately start screaming. He puts the hat back.

<ENEMIES. MACHINE--FAMILIAR. OTHER UNKNOWN.>

Endo watches wide-eyed as he turns toward the noise and chaos that follow, having to give his head a quick shake before he skitters behind the display. "Wah, I thought that thing blew up!" He digs around to find the ring in his pocket, gripping tight and hissing: "Stern, set up!"

There's a flare or ugly purple light, and then a more knightly Endo emerges, hustling down the street. "Wait, Stern, which one is the bad one?"

Endo hurries a few last steps before he bounds forward, whipping toward the drone and smashing his sword into it.

COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly counters Kuniko Saito's Harissa Pepper, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Stagger applied to Hotaru Tomoe!  
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe's counterattack, OM NOM NOM, partially gets through, doing 25 Fatigue damage to Kuniko Saito!  
COMBAT: Endo Naoki transforms into Barrier Jacket!
COMBAT: Endo Naoki has used Blueshift on Honoka Yukishiro.

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [Infinity Institute (4)] has posed.
<SoundTracker> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16EYG2-yK8E&nohtml5=False

Fate blinks her eyes rapidly as Lera gets so enthusiastic about the idea of such a simple change. A few moments later this delighted, small smile appears on her face as she nods and "Mmm-Hmms' every single one of Lera's suggestions. It's truly an idyllic day, that she gets to spend with such a good friend.

Jad approaches. And she's still smiling, "It's good to see you again." <Good commentary is important. Which is why yours is unwelcome.> "Please behave, Bardiche." Fate murmurs. But then...

A queen appears, regal in how cute she looks. But even beyond that, Fate sees her only with a filter of soft lighting and sparkles, the smile disappearing to be replaced by childish awe at her passing.

For one perfect moment there is only bubbles and gently floating rose petals and the light scent that drifts off of her.

And then that is interrupted, by the horrific plant and ribbon monster that slams that woman into the wall, as the monster pulls something of shining brightness out of them.

Reflexively, a 'stodgy old golden device' is brought into her hand a shining triangle. "Ready Bardiche?" <Get set! Barrier Jacket>

Lightning strikes her whole form, Fate becoming the epicenter of a yellow plasma globe as Bardiche shifts her clothing into a her dark barrier jacket, a cape fluttering down upon her shoulders, as Bardiche shifts in a series of clicks and clacks and clanks to become a polearm in her hand.

She flourishes it once, pointing it at the Sorewatase threateningly but... there's another sound, joining the terror of the crowd. Fate's head turns.

The girl instantly pales, gravity claims Bardiche, and he nearly falls from her hand, the blade cracking the concrete of the sidewalk, as Fate loosely holds onto him... and just stares at the mechanical monstrosity. The /familiar/ monstrosity. "Mother?" There are a lot of possibilities as to what's going on, but right now, that's the only one going through her head. Lera is trying to reassure her, but right now she doesn't feel particularly reassured. "I-"

People were in danger. But more importantly... Lera was attacking the thing and she wasn't about to leave her alone. "-I know. I'm right behind you Lera. Jad. Would you mind backing us up?" A beat, "Please be careful." She regains her grip on Bardiche, and instantly takes off, beocming a golden flash across the Harajuku Skyline. <Scythe Form> Bardiche shifts, sporting a curved blade of energy.

Lera is asking the right questions, but Fate... Fate is frightened of the answers. A murmur leaves her lips, barely audible against the rush of air as she flies, "Mother... did you somehow...?"

Fate circles roundabout the thing, trying to close in from just over it's right shoulder, trying to keep away from where it can bring that massive sword to bear, or where she'll be in the direct line of fire of the Sorewatase. And then... <Scythe Slash> She aims the scythe like blade down it's back, trying to scour it with the energy blade.

COMBAT: Fate Testarossa transforms into Barrier Jacket!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Scythe Slash on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly braces Endo Naoki's Blueshift, taking 4 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro fails to dodge Fate Testarossa's Scythe Slash, taking 46 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  
COMBAT: Jad Werke transforms into Barrier Jacket!
COMBAT: Jad Werke has used Tsunami Barrage on Honoka Yukishiro.

<Pose Tracker> Jad Werke [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Right, definitely not a good thing. When people go charging off to do battle with evil, you don't ask who it is or what is happening - you fall into step behind them and get into the action! Jad remembered his own folks, their joking admonitions that if you ever saw them running towards trouble, you should get moving the other direction. But Jad had always taken a different track - if someone was off to help someone, he'd be right on their heels. Because that was what he did.

"What, and miss out on all the fun? Let's get to work, partner!" he states, pulling the silver equal armed cross with its dark blue crystal insert from under his shirt. "Schwartzritter - Set up!"

He's already off at a run as a burst of aqua blue light erupts from the crystal, wrapping around Jad for a moment and obscuring him before collapsing down to form a heavy body suit with a flowing duster, the fabric a rippling blue green that seems to constantly changing and flowing as he moves. The metal pieces of his device appear from thin air, the jewel from Schwarzritter's storage form creating them from thin air as a pair of metallic greaves and gauntlets slam into place over his limbs.

Unlike Fate and Lera, Jad doesn't fly to the scene. He runs - and in between one step and the next, a burst of water erupts from the bottom of his boot, as Schwarzritter creates a streamer that shoots across the ground, arcs up along the side of a building in an unnatural manner to avoid the crowd, and then comes back down near to where the Drone Lera had attacked was hovering.

Jad runs along the ribbon of water, using the flow to enhance his speed to the point where he's able to keep up with the fliers - and then as he comes up and along the side of the building, he snaps his hands together, a triangular magic circle appearing under his feet. Six spheres of water erupt from the points of circle, orbiting around the blue haired young man for a moment as he comes rushing in towards the drone - and then he punches, one of the spheres sliding around to the front of his fist right before he does so. It's like launching a cannonball of water right at the drone, and Jad does it four times before he spins past the Jewel Drone, coming to a halt with his two remaining water orbs floating behind him.

It's not really 'back up' when you're on the front line, but whatever. Jad grins, and glances back at Lera and Fate. He didn't know what was going on, but they seemed to. "So, robot... drone... thing. This is new."

<Pose Tracker> Love Momozono [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Love Momozono treasured what precious time she had with Setsuna. They've been through so much together, true. But with everything that has been happening around them and in their lives, it sometimes made it difficult for them to go out like this, and simply hang out like two teens their ages would normally do. And so, she nods her head emphatically towards Setsuna when she queries back about if being a good look for her, and she is quick to turn a little pink herself when Setsuna calls her out on her color preference. Love Momozono flourishes a big grin at her friend. "Oh yeah! It really is!" admits the young girl bashfully. But all good things must come to an end as fighting giant monsters wait for no magic girl or boy.

The sight of the Sorewatase causes Love's usual cheerful grin to falter as the recollection of events past sweep over her. The timing of this was unfortunate, but they were Pretty Cure. They had a job that they must do. "We have to stop this before anyone gets hurt!" She voices aloud while attempting to grip Setsuna by her shoulders. The strength leaves Love's hands momentarily before saying in an almost whisper, "Before -you- get hurt again." She then shakes her head, drops her hands to her sides, and smiles at her fellow Pretty Cure once more. "But together, we can't be beat!"

Love raises her 'cellphone' up now, so that she can begin her transformation process. Her pink light joins the red light of Setsuna's as Love Momozono becomes Cure Peach. She sneaks a quick glance over at Passion before affirming, "The pink heart is the emblem of love, Freshly-picked, Cure Peach!" Passion leads the way and Peach is quick to follow. "I'm right behind you!" Her trusted friend and ally bounces off one wall and Peach does the same on the opposite side of the street. They criss-cross in the air before rejoining each other mid-air to form one mighty combined flying kick that is aimed squarely at the attacking Sorewatase.

COMBAT: Love Momozono transforms into Cure Peach!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly dodges Jad Werke's Tsunami Barrage, taking 7 Fatigue damage!  Jad Werke is Psyched!  Honoka Yukishiro's Fade ability activates!  Honoka Yukishiro's Flash ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.

Chitose and White Omen, a girl and her device, are just on their own, while the more biological member of the pair is busy eating. But relaxation is nice, this is nice.

Well, maybe not so nice as she turns her body slightly to more match her head's orentation. She might be getting a crick in her neck.

White Omen catches, well, sight of the new appearance of the Queen. <Chitose, who is that? She seems important.>

"Who?" Chitose turns her head to face her, and when her eyes scan the figure, she turns back away so she can subtly roll her eyes. This may be less subtle and in fact rather melodramatic. "Oh, she's some idol, the 'Kawaii Queen of Harajaku'." Chitose can't restrain herself from using the airquotes. "Just ignore her and don't make eye contact." She takes another bite of the crepe.

<Oh.> There's a pause before White Omen continues. <Why don't you become an idol? it seems like you'll be very popular.>

The sudden statement almost makes Chitose choke on her crepe. She gags and coughs for a moment, including the requisite pounding on her own chest. She makes other gacking noises before she turns back to look at him. "What? No! Idols are too fake. I wouldn't be singing much anyway, too much lip syncing."

It's about this point that things go seriously to pot, and monsters start to appear. Chitose whips her head to look at everything. The first thing she sees is the sparkling jewel-encrusted robot. Chitose... Chitose had never seen one of those before.

But more familiar to Chitose is the plant-themed monster with the ribbons. She has at least seen something like it before, back during the Okinawa trip.

White Omen is the first to speak. <That plant monster look familiar.>

"Yes." Chitose turns fully around to face the Sorewatase. "Well, you know what they say, if you know your enemy and you know yourself, you can win a hundred battles."

<Chitose, you don't even know what this is, do you?>

"We've fought one before, that's close enough, right?" Chitose shrugs, before she pulls off White Omen from her head, and in a flash of bright light she's now wearing her barrier jacket, and White Omen has shifted into his crossbow form, wrapped around her arm.

She immediately starts running. Unlike some of the others around, she doesn't bother with helping to extract civilians, but instead heads straight for the Sorewatase, firing off a few bursts of light at the enemy. Besides, the quicker it falls the less damage it can cause. Right?

COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori transforms into Barrier Jacket!
COMBAT: Cure Peach has joined the combo started by Cure Passion!
COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has used Light Bolt on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: COMBO! Cure Passion and Cure Peach have used Combo: Double Pretty Cure Kick!!, composed of Pretty Cure Fresh Kick, on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly braces Chitose Shiratori's Light Bolt, taking 2 Fatigue damage!  Hotaru Tomoe's Block ability activates!  Hotaru Tomoe's Parry ability activates!  
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe fails to dodge Cure Passion and Cure Peach's Combo: Double Pretty Cure Kick!!, taking 71 Fatigue damage!  Cure Passion and Cure Peach are Psyched!

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Debris and a fallen, gigantic pair of the Golden Arches makes it hard to see exactly how the Sorewatase responded to being bodyslammed by the Jewel Drone, but the writhing brown roots do not seem like a very good sign. A moment later, the Drone is tossed backwards, across the street, where it skids, lands, and takes to the air -- while the Sorewatase, now crackling with a little bit of extra energy that is still pulsing down the tips of those roots towards the eye, lumbers out of the Sorewatase-shaped hole in the McDonalds.

Whatever it is that they were fighting over -- the source of that pure white light -- is no longer visible. Either one or the other of them has stowed it deeply within themselves, or it fell.

It's then that those who object to these two agents of very different darknesses staging a kaiju fight in the heart of Harajuku (/over/ the heart of Harajuku, natch) intercept.

Lera may remember, from the Garden of Time, that these drones are wicked fast despite their size -- suitable opponents to train a young Fate -- but today it seems to be even wicked faster. One moment it's facing her, the next, in a blur, it's behind her... and thrusting downwards with a brutal, spinning backfist.

Into this fracas come Endo and Fate, one from either side. Endo scores a hit but the scratch is distressingly minor -- it hasn't sacrificed any toughness for speed, that's for sure. But Fate gets into the closest thing it has for a blind spot (which changes constantly, with that spinning, multifaceted head) and opens up a nice long rip down its back, an excellent place for other attacks to go. In response, it rings several dulcet tones of distress, then rockets upwards, higher into the sky, leaving a blast of lightning in its wake to crackle around Fate, Endo and Jad, the latter of whom's spheres of energized waters miss by /that/ much; if it hadn't suddenly decided to shoot from the moon, they surely would have impacted.

The Sorewatase screams -- for several reasons. First because Cures Passion and Peach have just threatened to put out its eye with their massive kick, which sends it tumbling backwards into the McDonalds, a suitable place to be served part of a fiery breakfast by the Poisonnier (accompanied by a modest buttkicking from Chitose, whose flashes of light mostly absorb into the veiny plant flesh, but leave little pockmarks behind). Perhaps unexpectedly, the monster eats it, sucking it up by the roots... which then, with a massive belch, explode flames outwards, back at the chef. Smoking a little, it gets back to its feet, each of its arms trying to grab a Cure apiece grab them and throttle them and throw Peach at Chitose, and Passion at Kuniko, respectively, but even sans girlish projectiles, there is plenty of rubble to chuck instead.

Only after all that does it leap into the air, attempting hot pursuit of the Jewel Drone -- who, a glint of white light suggests, made away with the source of their dispute. The lolita ribbons whir, becoming a helicopter rotor, propelling it onwards and upwards...

COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Spinning Jewel Backfist on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Ride the Lightning on Fate Testarossa.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Ride the Lightning on Endo Naoki.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Ride the Lightning on Jad Werke.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Venus Girl-Trap! on Cure Peach.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Venus Girl-Trap! on Cure Passion.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used A Throwing Cure on Chitose Shiratori.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used A Throwing Cure on Kuniko Saito.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly dodges Honoka Yukishiro's Ride the Lightning, taking 8 Fatigue damage! Fate Testarossa's Fade ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Cure Passion narrowly dodges Hotaru Tomoe's Venus Girl-Trap!, taking 16 Fatigue damage! Cure Passion's Fade ability activates! Stun and Trap applied to Cure Passion!
COMBAT: Kuniko Saito narrowly braces Hotaru Tomoe's A Throwing Cure, taking 9 Fatigue damage! Kuniko Saito's Block ability activates! Kuniko Saito's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Jad Werke narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Ride the Lightning, taking 7 Fatigue damage! Jad Werke's Block ability activates! Jad Werke's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Lera Camry perfectly counters Honoka Yukishiro's Spinning Jewel Backfist, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Counter! Lera Camry's Reverse ability activates! Lera Camry's Tactician ability activates!
COMBAT: Lera Camry's counterattack, Sentinel Flash, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Honoka Yukishiro!
COMBAT: Endo Naoki fails to counter Honoka Yukishiro's Ride the Lightning, taking 21 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Endo Naoki's counterattack, Asteroid Rush, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Honoka Yukishiro!
COMBAT: Cure Peach fails to brace Hotaru Tomoe's Venus Girl-Trap!, taking 34 Fatigue damage! Stun applied to Cure Peach!
COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori narrowly dodges Hotaru Tomoe's A Throwing Cure, taking 14 Fatigue damage! Chitose Shiratori's Flash ability activates!

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

Lera didn't realize that Fresh Pretty Cure was here until they make themselves known. Her eyes widen a little when she sees Setsuna descending, her foot aimed at the Sorewatese's eye in concert with Cure Peach. Her eyes widen, a little. Such teamwork...! "Passion!" Lera calls out, a moment later. "What're you doing here? Peach, too! Um--be careful, both of you! Y'know?"

It's said a little more pointedly, and with a little too much worry, to be the usual add-on that she pays no thought to. There is a question, this time.

She glances sideways at Jad, then, and shakes her head. "It's... a drone, powered by a Jewel Seed. It's a powerful Lost Logia," she says quietly. "It was... used by Fate's mother, in the Garden of Time. But, she's..."

Lera can't quite finish that. She just glances, sideways, at Fate and nods her head. She can also see that the drones are as fast as remembered -- and she is grateful, then, that only one is here. Her eyes narrow, slightly, before she sees the backhand coming. "Sky!"

The Midchildan raises her sword -- and a cross-shaped flash of energy explodes off it. The fist slams into it -- and the blow is /still/ mighty enough to hurl Lera back, tumbling over herself. She comes to a stop in midair, though, and wind gusting by makes her coat and long hair flutter.

She watches the drone take to the skies; then, she spots the Sorewatese lifting off. Lera's eyes narrow, slightly. "It's chasing after it..."

She shakes her head, before she yells out: "It's after the drone for some reason! Fate, Jad, let's--try to ground it, or something! And--and be careful, everyone!"

She soars ahead, then, flying so fast that she comes a blur. It takes using her flight spell to its maximum capacity, until there is a burst of water vapor in a parabolic shape after Lera, but she appears in front of the drone -- and yanks to a stop. She is already spinning in midair, Soaring Sky's blade ablaze with a fiery light.

She chops down hard -- and a jagged fang of fire leaps off, exploding down at the drone directly. Lera lets out a shaky breath -- the communicates with Endo via telepathy. <That second monster is dangerous too. It... um... killed Cure Passion once.> She is glad she uses telepathy; her voice doesn't crack when she does. <Be careful, y'know?)]>

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Inferno Slasher on Honoka Yukishiro.

<Pose Tracker> Jad Werke [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

There is only the brief smell of ozone to warn Jad that there's something bad coming at this point - and then the crackling discharge of lighting erupts from the drone. He snaps both hands towards, another triangular barrier appearing in front of him as he spins a shield of water out of thin air. The lightning discharges into it, and all of Jad's hair stands on end for a moment as some of the energy feeds back through the shield - not like he can create super pure water on a moment's notice! So there's still some conductivity. He looks back at Lera and Fate for a moment, resembling a koosh ball for a moment before he stops one foot to the ground and discharges the static, grounding himself once more.

"Right, so evil ELECTRIC attack drone. Filled with bad juju. And... other stuff that is really kind of just words that you'll need to explain later." Another glance though, and Jad considers both Fate and Lera - they both seemed a bit spooked, for reasons he really didn't understand. But in the middle of a fight wasn't a good time to ask, so... better to go straight in! Break the robot, and deal with the rest over a cup of tea or something else nice.

Like pie.

Mmmm. Pie.

Jad slams one foot backwards, a charge of water building up behind that heel before he launches straight at the Jewel Drone once more. He swings both of the water orbs around so that they are floating in front of his hands, bringing one around in a wide arc towards the front of the machine. It's fast, but he's also expecting the dodge - and he comes around with the second water bullet, launching it from behind. And with the drone trapped behind two different aquatic projectiles, the blue haired young man lands on the ground and raises one hand. Schwartzritter flashes on the back of his gauntlet, as Jad orders: "Well, I don't really know how grounded it'll be, but... lock it down, Schwartz!"

And the two balls of water explode into expanding nets, both aiming to wrap themselves around the Jewel Drone and hold it into place via applied water pressure and magic.

Mostly magic.

COMBAT: Jad Werke has used Tidal Bind on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly braces Lera Camry's Inferno Slasher, taking 18 Fatigue damage!  Lera Camry is Psyched!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro fails to dodge Jad Werke's Tidal Bind, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Jad Werke is Psyched!  Tangle and Trap applied to Honoka Yukishiro!

<Pose Tracker> Kuniko Saito [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

Peach, Kuniko thinks. Being who she is, she immediately starts thinking about a way to use candied peaches on some bitter vegetables in order to mix and balance, to bring delight to the palate even as --

WHACK!

It's a line drive up the middle! Kuniko stares dead ahead, seeing the form of Cure Passion come towards her.

The FIRST thing Kuniko does is put away the knife in her hand, and the SECOND thing she does is get struck in the chest by the barrelling form of Cure Passion. Her face contorts with momentary agony as old injuries spring up and scream at her, but between her arms already curling around in anticipation and the strength that her Mise-en-place gives her, she does not bowl over or even make more noise than a grunt.

But she does stagger back several paces... INTO the McDonald's!

As she lets Cure Passion down, Kuniko grunts, "There... are you alright?" After a deep breath it feels a little better, letting her turn her attention back to cuisine. Her focus splits between something and the battle immediately outside. "Tch... Chef was right... I eat that canned stuff once, and look at me; now I'm cooking at the McDonald's."

Kuniko exhales. "... That thing... it's a plant, right? I guess I can try to figure out some kind of way to carve it down to size, but that jeweled thing isn't anything I can even understand. Do you know more about it, Cure Passion?" Kuniko says, before she also adds, "Oh - and here -"

Her hand has a small rectangular plate on it. Three pieces of food rest on it. A strip of pita bread - a touch of sauce - a little rice, longer-grained than the usual Japanese sort - a shaving or two of pickled cucumber, and a small, glistening piece of fresh-carved shawarma-grilled salmon.

Kuniko picks one up. "I know it might be a bad time, but I can't see Cure Peach. But... you can." She tilts her head back and drops the bite into her mouth whole, which keeps her from making any more fear-induced bad jokes. Her eyebrows raise slightly as if in hope, but then her attention turns back outwards.

"I'll back the two of you up! I've seen what you can do!"

COMBAT: Kuniko Saito has used Shawarma Salmon on Cure Passion.
COMBAT: Kuniko Saito has used Shawarma Salmon on Kuniko Saito.
COMBAT: Kuniko Saito has used Shawarma Salmon on Cure Peach.

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

"Hey! Come back down here!" Endo shakes his fist as he bounces off the side of the machine, ignoring a warble of disapproval from his device. He can't, however, ignore the lightning flashing and arcing off the drone as it takes to the air.

<I'll be careful! You all be too!> Endo pings back to Lera and Fate.

Endo then does not be careful. Triangular, Belkan symbols whirl around his feet before he launches himself skyward, pointing Fallen Stern up and letting the device go rocketing off into the sky, dragging him with it, right toward the hail of lightning coming down. His plan, perhaps, is to sheer right through it on the way up.

It doesn't go as well as he hoped. The electricity burns down the sword and across his barrier jacket as he flies into it, sending him crashing back to earth. By the time he sputters, coughs, and gets to his feet the other monster is taking off and he decides to hitch a ride with that one. Sword is pointed upward and Belkan symbols flare around it as it jets forward, dragging Endo behind like a comet's contrail, a purple blur rocketing to impact into the side of the massive plant-thing.

COMBAT: Kuniko Saito accepts Kuniko Saito's Shawarma Salmon, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Empower applied to Kuniko Saito!  
COMBAT: Cure Passion accepts Kuniko Saito's Shawarma Salmon, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Empower applied to Cure Passion!  
COMBAT: Endo Naoki has used Asteroid Rush on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly dodges Endo Naoki's Asteroid Rush, taking 14 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [Infinity Institute (4)] has posed.
<SoundTracker> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjEVTwb5lZU&index=14&list=PLzofnEgDrhk7DAib_0fpEQDA0-RwtDEQo&nohtml5=False

It's a constant aerial dogfight to try to gain the upperhand with it's ever spinning head, but even though there's that satisfying rip across it's back, Fate doesn't feel particularly satisfied. After all, whoever was controlling the Drone was likely at a distance. She wanted answers. No she /needed/ them. Just as much as she feared them. That warred against her desire to protect her friends, and everyone here.

Arcing into a downward flight, Fate begins to shoot upwards to follow it, a spinning corkscrew of light as she spirals around an arc of blue lightning that's close enough to cause her hair to crackle with that feeling of static, the smell of ozone. It's too familiar... it has to be her mother's technology at least, but who? Who had that!? And... the only answer her mind came up with was her mother. There was no reason to suspect that anything could have been salvaged from when the Garden of Time fell within the cracks between dimensions.

Lera has a plan though, ground it, to keep it from getting away. She's a little wary of the Sorewatase though, which she senses leaping into the air. <I'll do my best Lera, Jad. Be careful on how we ground it. Endo, thanks for helping take care of the other. I...> Her anxiety radiates off of her as she rises up and up higher and higher in altitude, vying for dominance with the thing. <I have to know.>

And with that she swallows her fear enough to address it directly, "I know whoever is controlling this is watching." Fate's voice rings out, while it sounds out softly at first, it gains strength. "Mother. If it's you. Then I need you to know that I'm glad you made it back. That I want to see you. But as much as I care about you..."

She flies past it, coming dangerously closer and closer in each arc. Lera is slashing down hard from one angle. Fate moves directly above, waiting for Jad's nets to catch hold, then swings Bardiche backwards behind her, "...I can't let you have your way anymore." Holding Bardiche with both hands, she swings him forward with all of her might. <Arc Saber>

The energy blade of the scythe detaches, spinning downward like a magical boomerang at the thing. It attempts to drill right against it's armor. And then... "Saber Explode." The words trigger detonation of thunderous force fills the sky with smoke, gold and violet flashes lighting it up like a thundercloud.

COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Arc Saber on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro fails to brace Fate Testarossa's Arc Saber, taking 31 Fatigue damage!

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

"Love..."

Love did have the chance to grip her shoulders, in that moment. And while Setsuna isn't sure of the words to say herself, Love always seems to her to know. She focuses on that feeling. "...If I'm with you, I don't have anything to worry about, right?"

But that was moments ago, for all that it feels still happening for the red-clad warrior. Flying through the air in sync opposite her teammate, Cure Passion's heel impacts at the same moment as Cure Peach's. "Together!" Passion calls back to her treasured friend, and flips back with the impact, somersaulting through the air before she lands lightly down on the ground, her pink hair fluttering behind her. "I don't know what's going on, or--"

All the questions Passion had a moment ago--about bystanders, about what these things are doing here--these in particular--to begin with, and any response she might have had as she looked in surprise to Lera's presence, are interrupted. Passion shifts her weight and starts to spin on her heel as she sees a gigantic arm rolling in for her, but she isn't fast enough. The hand closes around her, and /hurls/ her. Tucking her arms in, she attempts to brace for impact...

But she's caught. Opening her eyes in surprise, the red Cure looks up at Kuniko. "...?" But there's no time. On the questions come, and while Passion doesn't know much about the Chef..

"I do," she answers. "About both of them. "It's a--" She hesitates. "The second is a machine made by Testar--by a powerful mage. I've fought with them before. But it shouldn't /be/ here. I thought--" Passion cuts off without explaining. "Don't underestimate either of them."

Kuniko hands her food, and it doesn't seem like the time. "I don't..." ...For Peach. That's all she needs to hear. Nodding firmly, Cure Passion takes the bite and noms it with absolute seriousness, her eyes widening as she does. "This is..."

"Right! You can rely on us!"

Taking the second piece, Passion leaps back upward, landing beside Cure Peach and handing it outward. "Peach, take this! I'm going after the drone--I need to know why it's here! It--it's not Labyrinth, but I've seen it!" She looks to Chitose, too, but in absence of anything to say, she takes off, counting on Peach--with a running start, she leaps up into the air, kicking off against a particularly high piece of rubble that crumbles beneath her feet. She reaches out for a vine, and uses it to hurl herself upward, somersaulting towards the drone carrying that light.

Lera's familiar magic flies nearby, a beacon for her, and Cure Passion drives towards the drone with a hard kick--

But it's a feint, meant to slip past the defenses she remembers, as she twists in mid-air to riddle the monster with punches in her passing.

In freefall, "Fate! I'm here to help, this time!"

COMBAT: Cure Passion has used Flash Feint on Honoka Yukishiro.

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.

Chitose frowns just a little bit as most of the bolts are absorbed into the monster itself. "That didn't work as well as I was hoping. What is that thing?"

"Hey." She looks down at her device, only noticing the beast picking up the two Pretty Cures out of the corner of her eye. "When Mom went back to Midchilda, she didn't leave behind an instructional video about how to fight plants, did she?" She looks back up and points White Omen at the Sorewatase. "All right, how about--"

Her thoughts are cut off when the plant throws the pink one directly at her. Unlike Kuniko who catches Passion, Chitose decides in a brief moment that her strength might not be up to the task of catching Peach and she tries to jump out of the way. While she manages to avoid the direct force of the attack, the Peach Missile manages to catch Chitose's shoulder, making the older girl stumble and fall to a knee. "Augh!"

She doesn't try to get back up, not yet. Instead, she takes aim at the plant monster, who seems to have started to take flight with... helicopter ribbons?

Stylized birds made of light are fired, flying towards the spinning ribbons. If they find their mark... they explode!

COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has used Thunder Dove on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro's counterattack, Single Jewel Punch, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Cure Passion!  
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly braces Chitose Shiratori's Thunder Dove, taking 6 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Hotaru Tomoe's Block ability activates!  Hotaru Tomoe's Parry ability activates!

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

In the air alongside Passion, Cure Peach felt at ease despite the magnitude of the battle before them. It just felt right, and it could only be better if the other leaves of the clover were there with them. But despite them not being there, Peach knew that Berry and Pine were with Passion and her in their hearts. And then there was also the magically powered allies that were right their fighting against these monsters alongside them. Most of the otheres were recognizeable, but some were more on the unfamiliar side. But familiarity really didn't matter right now. They were all in this, -together-.

The now blonde-haired teenager cries out when the Sorewatase grabs ahold of her and starts to crush her. She is then picked up and hurled helplessly through the air towards Chitose. Quite thankfully, the other girl is able to mostly get out of the way. The Peach shaped projectile continues on after clipping Chitose and she crashes into the ground hard with some debris and a lot of dust being kicked up. The young Pretty Cure warrior is in a lot of pain, but that was okay. She would rather get hurt herself than for others to get injured. "Are you okay? I'm sorry if I hurt you." She asks Chitose with some guilt in her voice before looking for a familiar flash of scarlet. But it is Passion who finds her. Her pink eyes go first to her friends and then to the confectionary delight that must be from Kuniko. She takes the offered food without hesitation and quickly devours it. Well, Peach had come to the Sisters event looking for tasty food. This was just not how she expected to have gotten it. "Good luck, punch'em extra hard for me!" She replies before nodding her head a little more seriously at her friend. "That's right, you have nothing to worry about. We're protect our happiness and everyone elses too!" The blonde Cure Peach says proudly before waving a fist in the air.

Cure Peach now sets her sights on the Sorewatase. She'll leave the machine-wrecking to Passion and the others. Peach had a Sorewatase to punch! She runs by Kuniko and offers a firm, thankful nod to her before taking a small hop and then a big leap towards the plant-like creature. "Hiyaaaaaah!" The pink-wearing martial artists cries out as she takes one last big step foward and throws a big haymaker towards her foe's leg, trying to knock the creature down to her height.

COMBAT: Cure Peach accepts Kuniko Saito's Shawarma Salmon, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Empower applied to Cure Peach!  
COMBAT: Cure Peach has used Pretty Cure Fresh Punch on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly braces Cure Peach's Pretty Cure Fresh Punch, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Cure Peach is Psyched!  Hotaru Tomoe's Block ability activates!  Hotaru Tomoe's Parry ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
<SoundTracker> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HR4hp_-kSI

Up in the sky, afternoon is beginning to fade into evening. The sun is closing on the horizon much like the girls are closing on the fleeing, fighting monsters, and with a similar effect of discoloration. Where the edge of the sky is turning orange, flashes of every conceivable hue soar towards the Jewel Drone and Sorewatase.

Lera's ability to get out in front creates something of a traffic jam. The Jewel Drone does not so much swerve around her as try to run her over, preferring to just let its armor take those plasma slashes rather than alter its trajectory and give the Sorewatase much chance to catch up. But then Jad removes that option; the nets of water swamp the Drone. It remains hovering in midair, and starts vibrating at high, sonic speeds, trying to break the bindings.

In the meanwhile, just to buy time, it shoots laserbeams out of each of the little jewel fascets on its head, which crowd the sky as they try to impale Lera and Jad from all directions.

There is something of a sawblade sound as magic wars with magic for control of the Jewel Drone's momentum, but there is also something... else, something that can be heard only very dimly, emanating sweetly from its closed fist.

"Maiya hee!"

It's music.

"Maiya hoo!"

Weird music.

"Maiya hohh!"

It's a cover -- the singer is unmistakably and perhaps unsurprisingly the Queen of Harajuku, backed by a peppy J-Pop beat.

"Maiya ha ha!"

As the song continues, it carries with it a strong sense of presence. That glimmer of light is obviously more than just a glorified ipod -- it's carrying something very fundamental, which makes Myary Nyamu Nyamu who she is.

It swells into the chorus as the Sorewatase catches up and bodyslams the Jewel Drone, which finishes the job the Drone had begun. Bits of water net fly everywhere as the two of them roll through the air, wrestling for whatever is going--

"Vrei sa pleci dar numa numa iei!"

--Endo arrives, and the twisting and turning complexity of that melee winds up sending him right past it, his sword catching a little bit of plant matter and making it all gooey, but it's not a solid hit.

"Numa numa iei -- numa numa numa iei!"

As the evil organic goo on Fallen Stern starts to sprout roots and eyeballs and generally threaten to grow all over Device and wielder unless they act quickly, Fate makes her statement -- which goes distressingly unanswered -- and then her hit, which is strong enough to tear the two monsters apart and further widen the gap in the armor on the Jewel Drone's back.

"Chipul tau si dragostea din tei!!"

The music sounds a little bit more muted now, almost like there are a bunch of vines in the way (as opposed to the clutched armored hand of the drone). But Cure Passion can still hear it as she whizzes by to further punish this flash from Fate's past -- only to find each of her punches perfectly counterpunched in a perversely beautiful martial arts midair slap-fight.

Finally the Drone loses patience with its assaulters, and tries to kick off of Fate, using the abrupt shift in trajectory to give Passion a /second/ kick, and that sends it, in a reverse of the previous chase, after the Sorewatase.

The idol is in the speaking section of the song now, and it's super squeaky and with a fabulous, unapologetic accent. It gets slightly louder, though, when in fabulous slow motion Chitose's bird-blast severs the ribbons over its head -- less competition from the rotor's roar.

"Alo! Salut! Sunt eu -- un haiduc!"

The Sorewatase starts to fall (and the music fades with distance).

The wind tears bits of it off, which would be a good thing except that these nasty blobs of greenery are (as Endo's already noticed) animated by malice, and they hone straight in towards Chitose, the source of its predicament, and Kuniko, whose sneaky salmon serving may have gone unremarked upon, but not unnoticed. Upon arrival, they start growing with all their might, trying to catch and crush the girls within roots and vines!

And the Jewel Drone dives at a desperately steep angle, trying to catch up before the Sorewatase hits Harajuku. It doesn't make it in time, despite its speed -- and instead, the plant monster doesn't so much hit Harajuku as /get hit/ by Cure Peach, a punch that leaves a nice large indentation in the leafy plant mass...

...and sends that mere glimmer of white light into full view as it soars upwards in the air at high speed, singing all the way.

"...numa numa iei -- numa numa numa iei!"

The Sorewatase responds in kind to Cure Peach, trying to slam roots into her; it hasn't quite noticed yet that it's lost its grip on what it came here for in the first place. But the Drone has sure noticed, and is already starting to turn.

By the sheer happenstance of where they are in midair, the only person who'll be able to get their hands around it first is Jadarian Beyerische Morten Werke. And then he gets to see what it is: a fairly normal-sized key, like an Earthly housekey or something. Except that it's made out of some kind of pink metal or crystal or something, and glowing like the dickens.

(And singing.)

That Drone will be on top of him in seconds.

COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Homing Eyebeams on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Homing Eyebeams on Jad Werke.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Double Jewel Kick on Fate Testarossa.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Double Jewel Kick on Cure Passion.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Blossom With Despair on Endo Naoki.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Blossom With Despair on Chitose Shiratori.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Blossom With Despair on Kuniko Saito.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Roots of Darkness! on Cure Peach.
COMBAT: Lera Camry narrowly dodges Honoka Yukishiro's Homing Eyebeams, taking 7 Fatigue damage! Lera Camry's Fade ability activates! Lera Camry's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly counters Honoka Yukishiro's Double Jewel Kick, taking 9 Fatigue damage! Fate Testarossa's Reverse ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Tactician ability activates! Tangle applied to Fate Testarossa!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa's counterattack, Defenser, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Honoka Yukishiro!
COMBAT: Jad Werke narrowly counters Honoka Yukishiro's Homing Eyebeams, taking 6 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Jad Werke's counterattack, Reverse Tide, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Honoka Yukishiro!
COMBAT: Cure Peach narrowly braces Hotaru Tomoe's Roots of Darkness!, taking 17 Fatigue damage! Cure Peach's Block ability activates! Cure Peach's Parry ability activates! Hotaru Tomoe drains 7 fatigue from Cure Peach!
COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori fails to dodge Hotaru Tomoe's Blossom With Despair, taking 29 Fatigue damage! Blind, Diversion, Exhausted, and Stun applied to Chitose Shiratori!
COMBAT: Kuniko Saito narrowly dodges Hotaru Tomoe's Blossom With Despair, taking 18 Fatigue damage! Blind and Exhausted applied to Kuniko Saito!
COMBAT: Cure Passion fails to brace Honoka Yukishiro's Double Jewel Kick, taking 42 Fatigue damage! Tangle and Trap applied to Cure Passion!
COMBAT: Endo Naoki narrowly braces Hotaru Tomoe's Blossom With Despair, taking 13 Fatigue damage! Endo Naoki's Parry ability activates! Diversion, Exhausted, and Stun applied to Endo Naoki!

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

Lera prepares herself for the drone to run her over; she may not be the greatest at science, but she doesn't need a complex understanding of physics to know the drone could plow her over. Then, however, Jad's bind spell yanks it backward, and then she stares down at it for a moment. She takes a sharp breath, until the jewel fires its laser -- and Lera drops down into a sharp, twisting turn. The beam rips through the trail of light left at her feet -- and nearly clips them.

The music coming from its fist is, really, something of a surprise. Lera's teeth grit together -- and then she starts forward, even as she sees Cure Passion shoot by. "Passion!" she yells. "Fate's... don't worry, y'know? We'll--we'll figure out where this came from! We'll--"

The two monsters slam into each other, entangled for a moment. When it breaks, they slam into the ground. Lera's eyes spot the little glimmer of white flying into the air, which she can scarcely make out, but she can see that it flies down towards Jad.

She knows, then, what's happening. They're both after that. Lera's eyes widen -- she sees, in the confusion, Cure Peach being lashed out at by the Sorewatese. Her teeth grit together, and then she accelerates; another sonic boom rips out behind her, as she comes at its back. "Peach!" Lera shouts. She doesn't know the girl that well; despite her involvement with Cure Passion, they've never had the chance to talk for long. She'll have to go with instinct. "I'll try to send it your way! I think they're after that little thing the drone just dropped!"

She comes spinning in -- and swings a mighty kick at the side of the Sorewatese. Soaring Sky adds: <It's a game of keep-away!>

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Sonic Kick on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly counters Lera Camry's Sonic Kick, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Lera Camry is Psyched!  
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe's counterattack, Massive Threat, partially gets through, doing 33 Fatigue damage to Lera Camry!

<Pose Tracker> Jad Werke [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

That's... lasers. Lots and lots of lasers. OK, so not only an evil electric attack drone, but one that shoots LASERS TOO? What had science and magic wrought this time? Really. LASERS.

Jad watches as the beams start to emerge from the Jewel Drone, and he doesn't have a lot of time to react. He pulls back one of his hands, another magic circle appearing around him as he involves Schwarzritter's power... and then punches one fist into the ground. There is a surge, the ground seems to buckle for a moment... and then a geyser erupts upwards, engulfing the blue haired young man just as the beams are about to hit. The rushing upwards torrent refracts all of the beams... for the most part. Because when Jad lets the water die down, its clear that he's been singed a little in a few places.

"Right-o. Lasers too. Pfeh." He's not amused. Really, there is NO WAY he thinks that it would be INCREDIBLY COOL to have some laser armed electric death drone at his beck and call, ready to go fly off and get soda and pie for him. THAT IS NOT A THING HE WANTED EVER. So he certainly isn't irritated that someone else happens to have just such a toy. NOPE.

"Fate! ...um, person I really don't know!" he shouts, looking at Endo. Lera's engaging the other monster, which seems like a great idea, except "Can you handle it by yourselves for a second?" Stepping back, Jad takes a wider stance - bringing up his magic circle again, the triangle rotating within glowing brilliantly. "Schwartz, pull it back in! We're going at this thing at full power!"

<Strength of the Tides.> Schwartzritter replies, the jewel on Jad's gauntlet flashing for a moment.

And then all of the water that had been launched everywhere by Jad's attacks begins to run across the ground. Holding out one hand, the young magician concentrates - the water flowing into a pool in front of him, swirling around and then moving into a swirling inclined loop running from one gauntlet of his barrier jacket to the other. Tiny lights flicker along the metal gauntlets and greaves of his barrier jacket, and Jad opens his eyes. "Torrent - Set!"

COMBAT: Jad Werke has used Strength of the Tides on Jad Werke.
COMBAT: Jad Werke accepts Jad Werke's Strength of the Tides, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Empower and Withstand applied to Jad Werke!

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

With the two of them, they're stronger than they would be alone. That's something Cure Passion learned on Earth. There are two other pieces, but...

But Passion owes something to Fate, here, and she tries to set herself as she fights. So, sailing through the air, she punches and punches--but the machine is too quick. It's all she can do to prevent its counterattacks from making it home, punching back and forth, red eyes set in concentration.

She thinks, for an instant, that she hears music--that she feels /something/...

The drone kicks at her suddenly, and Cure Passion's eyes widen again. She tries to bring up her arms in time, but can't; a robotic foot slams straight into her stomach. The music quickly fades from her ears, replaced by the rush of air.

A blur of red rockets back towards the ground, slamming hard into a wall that crumbles against the force of her fall, leaving Cure Passion dazed on the cold ground, stiff as debris falls around her.

There's a cough, as she gets the air back into her lungs, as she shakes her head slips on broken bricks. "I..."

There weren't any answers, yet. Not at that time. But...

A hand lifts up, and Passion drags herself back to standing. She's here, with...

"I haven't finished yet," she says, as she gets back up to her feet, casting her eyes out to see where the monster and robot must be.

She remembers, moments ago, and she can /feel/ that memory fill her. Stepping out from where she was, Cure Passion sets her feet, reprising her pose from moments ago, hands in a heart, eyes closed.

"The crimson heart... Is the proof of happiness! I won't fall behind!"

COMBAT: Cure Passion has used The Crimson Heart on Cure Passion.
COMBAT: Cure Passion accepts Cure Passion's The Crimson Heart, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Accelerate and Empower applied to Cure Passion!

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

Endo goes zipping past the plant and into the air-a place that he does not like to be. The addition of the rapidly-growing plant swarming over his sword and attempting to eat him makes things worse, and soon Endo is doing barrel-rolls and flipping head-over-heels as he soars uncontrollably upward, flailing at the plant attempting to consume him.

<CORRECTING COURSE.> It's near the top of his arc that Endo's device reorients itself, the sword pointing groundward again. Then it descends, purple light burning through the growth that engulfs it as they go down.

"Okaaaaaaaaa--" Endo's voice is a warbling trail of assent to Jad's request, fading as he descends.

Endo and Fallen Stern come down like a comet, rotating in near-controllable arcs, sending plant-substance spinning free as they drop in a streak of garish light. The impact point is the jewel drone now, the pair switching back to their original target and coming down with a huge, sweeping slash.

"AAAAAAAY!"

COMBAT: Endo Naoki has used Radial Velocity on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly braces Endo Naoki's Radial Velocity, taking 15 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [Infinity Institute (4)] has posed.

Music runs through the air, and Fate dares a glance towards the ground. The words... they don't make much sense to her, but still, she can't help but feel the passion in it from the one singing it. And as if on cue, Cure Passion is there, punching. "Set-" Hesitation, then, "Passion!" Hesitation then she asks her, "Do you... do you think it could be...?"

But the thing doesn't answer her with anything but a kick so swift that she already feels her hair raising Fate raises a palm, <Defenser> Golden circles of runes form a solid barrier, that begins to crack immediately from the mere force of the titanic kick, as if made from glass. While the force becomes a dull thud, it's still enough to shatter it just after the initial impact, and send Fate spinning backwards into the vertigo of uncontrolled flight from the shere force of it. "Nngh!"

And unfortunately, it seems like that's the only answer she's going to get. Sadly, all the robot replying with striking her does is reinforce the possibility that it could indeed be her mother. Images of better times... and worse as well, flashing through her skull as she's spun through the unforgiving sky.

It takes her a while to correct herself and even once she does, but the dizzying array of thoughts sucks the fight out of her all the more. Lera is telling her not to worry but she can't do anything but worry, "Lera. What do I do... what do I do if its her? I don't know if I'm... if I can..." She shakes her head, twintails blowing in the wind, squeezing her eyes tightly shut despite the danger of it, because she didn't want to cry, not right now. She had a home again. She had friends. People who took care of her, valued her, more than herself. She was rebuilding her life. But she still finds herself clinging to memories of her past.

<Sir.> Fate finds herself staring at the glowing yellow orb on her polearm, as the scythe blade of energy erupts once more, <You already know. Remember your resolution.> For a few moments, Fate merely stares at Bardiche, but really she's remembering certain things. That day on the bridge, hair ribbons exchanged. A promise made. Not just to that girl, but others besides.

Her eyes open, her head doesn't feel quite as dizzy any longer, "Right. I'll..." She sees Passion's state, and calls out to her, "P-Passion hold on just a little while longer!" Her eyes narrow with sudden determination as she finds the drone. It's coming after Jad and she hears his request, "...I can handle it."

In a sudden blur of speed, Fade arcs down in a parabola which is meant to send her past the thing as a distraction away from Jad, before she flips up and back and over towards it. She's like a buzzing bee around the thing, trying to constantly harry it, <Photon Lancer: Full Auto Fire>

Crackling spheres of gold and violet form over and under her, matching her in velocity. "Fire!" They blossom in explosions of gold and violet, peppering the thing, in particular, trying to aim for the cracks all of their efforts have opened in the armor.

COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Golden Flash on Honoka Yukishiro.

<Pose Tracker> Kuniko Saito [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

The savory taste of salmon, rich with the bounty of fresh and salt water alike, is enough to embiggen even the smallest of Cures! Kuniko feels a quiet pride as the two colorful girls snap out into battle, but she also still feels that whole 'terror of giant monsters' as well as the determination of protecting this city. So, well.

"A giant vegetable monster," Kuniko mutters to herself. "How can I do this. If I had a pan the size of Tokyo Dome I could just knock it in there, but if I'm doing that I guess I should wish for a maser tank too..." The thought of whether or not they can work a maser tank into the budget distracts her, being an alluring moment of consideration.

The singing is ringing out, but Kuniko's problem is that a gigantic slimy chunk of vegetation has just now SLAMMED into her, like Cure Passion but with significantly less earnest appeal and significantly more planty displeasure. Kuniko cannot help but absorb the /flavor/ of the thing even if she does not exactly take a bite. Because it's EVERYWHERE. Especially when it's GRABBING at her. It's like a horrid mix of kale and over-grown zucchini with a mixture of lawn clippings and a soupcon of raffelsia!

Kuniko grabs something. Crushes it in her palm. Grabs something ELSE and slaps it down with a faint savory sizzle. Pours something else from a vial and just as a tendril snaps out to try and jab her in her stomach she /slops/ some of the mixture out of a saucepan, /right at it/.

It is a scent that would make even the most vile vegetable delicious, if at a dark, dark price in sodium.

The mixture of three ingredients of ultimate savor!

"And there's more where this came from!!" Kuniko shouts as she stumbles to the side, almost smashing into a free-standing statue of Ronald McDonald.

<Pose Tracker> Jad Werke [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

It's at this point that Jad realizes that there's two important thigs happening. The first is that there is a small chunk of pink crystal flying at his face, and one hand snaps up to grab it out of mid-air right before it hits his face.

He fails that spot check, and it smacks into his face, which then leads to him reaching up and grabbing his FACE because he has no idea what this thing is. The blue haired young man looks down at the... key? Of some sort, and blink. "What the-"

And then looks up.

Oncoming drone. And he's not ready yet. "Awwwww swizzlesticks," he mutters, and braces himself for the thing to try and run him over!

COMBAT: Kuniko Saito has used Field Steam: Bacon - Kombu - Vinegar on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro fails to dodge Fate Testarossa's Golden Flash, taking 20 Fatigue damage!  Fate Testarossa is Psyched!  
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly braces Kuniko Saito's Field Steam: Bacon - Kombu - Vinegar, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Hotaru Tomoe's Block ability activates!  Hotaru Tomoe's Parry ability activates!  Stagger applied to Hotaru Tomoe!

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.

"Hmm?" Chitose looks over to Peach for a moment when the latter seems apologetic. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's not your fault, right?" She offers the Cure a smile before she turns back to the Sorewatase. Now, if she /did/ mean to randomly fly into her, that would be different. But she's been in fights before, she knows that people aren't responsible for their own actions when physics take over.

Speaking of physics, the sudden burst of greenry zooms directly at her, and while she takes to the air to try to avoid them, a few manage to find home and start their rooty enclosure. Roots creep over Chitose's arms and legs, and the only thing Chitose can do to try and get free is to struggle while the roots attempt to crush her.

While she can't seem to get free, all she has to do is get her arm into a position that points above it... and fire.

One bolt shoots out of White Omen, and if it arrives above the plant monster, it spins three times before it splits into many bolts that rain down on the leafy interloper.

COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has used Starling Shot on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe fails to brace Chitose Shiratori's Starling Shot, taking 23 Fatigue damage!

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

The blonde haired power-puncher looks visibly relieved when Chitose doesn't hold a grudge against her. She knew it wasn't really her fault, but she still felt bad about what happened. And normally, Cure Peach would be easily distracted by the danceable beat that the Drone was emitting. More accurately, Love Momozono would have been distracted, but Cure Peach is made of sterner stuff so to speak. She keeps her mind focused on why they were fighting and what they were fighting for. And Peach didn't have to look far to see examples of this. They were all around her in the forms of Lera, Jad, Fate, Endo, Chitose, Kuniko, and Passion. It is through their combined efforts that Peach maintains her strength despite being battered over and over again by the Sorewatase. Her plant foe's latest efforts results in her getting slammed into the ground again.

Peach is much slower to get up this time, and she actually drops to a knee after trying to take a step foward. From this position she can directly see Passion slam into the ground not too far from her. "Passion!" Peach cries out fearfully as she throws herself forward to get to her, but ends up stumbling. The pink clad warrior topples over, but she's not giving up yet and neither was Cure Passion by the look of it.. It was just about that now she hears Passion say an oath of determination and Lera shout Peach's name. Balling her hands into clenched fists, Love forces herself back up onto her feet. Now was no time to rest! She nods quickly to Lera as the other girl puts her plan into motion. Peach responds by jumping and throwing a punch towards the Sorewatase hopefully while its off-balance from Lera's attack.

COMBAT: Cure Peach has used Pumped Up Punch! on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe perfectly dodges Cure Peach's Pumped Up Punch!, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Critical Dodge!

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

NEAR THE GROUND

"SOREWATAAAAAAAASEE..." hisses the plant monster -- with tiny echoes from the smaller bits growing on other people, which would be a little cute if it wasn't /extremely/ goddamn creepy.

It doesn't really have a head, just that enormous red eye, though with the ribbons that were a helicopter rotor dangling down its back, providing the illusion of a cloak, it's easier to imagine that as it swivels itself to and fro, shaking the pain-kinks out of itself, that its head is a-shaking too.

But before it gets much of a chance to pull itself together, Lera and Cure Peach come after it in rapid succession! Or maybe it's had /exactly/ enough time, because as the Midchildan comes in with a blazing fast kick, it intercepts with more of those frustrating roots, which wrap around her leg. It spins really fast -- fast enough to get out of the way of Peachi's punch entirely -- and then flings Lera like a hammer, towards what's left of McDonalds. There's plenty of concrete to slam into, and some sharper edges, now, too.

Of course, there's also Kuniko, and she serves up a tiny slice of heaven. It's... weird, what happens next. The bits of veggie fade, all the color leaching out of them, until they're white and a little bit fluffy. Then they turn to dust and a bit of smelly yellow liquid, which seeps into the ground and disappears.

The main body of the Sorewatase howls in abject agony. It pushes past Peach with those arms, not trying to grab her but slam her out of the way, and then wholly charges the chef, trying to engulf her, to crush her to paste, to smear her out of existence. That red eye is a /slit/.

But just when it's getting overwhelming, Chitose makes it rain slender white bolts of light, which individually sting but en masse impale, first the remaining goop on the Midchildan, then the mass of the monster itself, and it staggers back, shooting an angry look -- and a pair of angry, lashing roots -- towards the one who got between it and its snack. A second pair tries to smash Cure Passion off her feet before its sworn enemy goes and gets any ideas.

It is actually possible to watch it realize, in that moment, that it's supposed to be worrying about something ELSE that the drone was, too, getting 'in between.' The eye widens... and widens...

...and, leaving a sort of remnant springboard of roots and vines, it explodes upwards, into the air, in a massive leap.

IN THE AIR

The Jewel Drone is coming for Jad -- and the key. Numa Numa's over, and for the moment it's quiescent, humming softly in the grip of his gauntlets. The strength of the tides is with him, but he can feel something else flowing through him, too, another power, not greater or lesser, just... different. It feels like cute candy and cute outfits and cute songs, like the rush one gains from the adolation of a roaring crowd -- and the weight of the responsibility to entertain them all.

The Drone's coming, but as it goes up, Endo comes down, with a mighty sweeping slash that solidly impacts the automoton's front, slowing its motion. It isn't emotional enough to be irritable about this interruption, but it does respond in kind, spinning in place to try to impact Endo and smash him towards the ground a lot harder than he was probably intending to meet it.

Then it's up, up, and a-Fate, yep, that's Fate Testarossa all right, and having spent the entire battle systematically opening up a weak spot on the back of its armor, she now detonates a massively nasty series of electrical orbs inside its form. There's a satisfying explosion, and what emerges from the black cloud has lost its first layer of armor entirely. What lies beneath is... strange. There's a great deal of open, sparking circuitry, but at the heart of the monster is its clear power source. The shape is familiar, a sort of diamond prism, but the color is all wrong, it's red. Those bits of blue Jewel on the exterior of the armor aren't powering it at all, are they? What /is/ that red stone?

There isn't much time to find out -- it sends another blast of blue light out of the jewel shards on its head, to chase Fate across the sky and hopefully away from its true target, but everyone gets to see that its source is /red/ energy, which travels up the wires, then passes through the blue emitters, changing color at the last second.

Jad's had time to brace himself, to summon power, and now that's going to be put to the test. The Jewel Drone accelerates the last thousand feet, becoming an all-too-familiar blur in the air, speed its element. It seeks to impact the boy head-first, a mobile battering ram of epic proportions... and all those arcs and sparks of electricity from its now-bared innards isn't going to make the experience any more pleasant, either.

COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Spinning Jewel Backfist on Endo Naoki.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Homing Eyebeams on Fate Testarossa.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Massive Jewel Headbutt on Jad Werke.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used A Throwing Cure on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used On The Move on Cure Peach.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Grow Strong With Sorrow on Kuniko Saito.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Roots of Darkness! on Chitose Shiratori.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Roots of Darkness! on Cure Passion.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Homing Eyebeams, taking 7 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Jad Werke narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Massive Jewel Headbutt, taking 27 Fatigue damage! Jad Werke's Block ability activates! Jad Werke's Parry ability activates! Cripple applied to Jad Werke!
COMBAT: Cure Peach narrowly braces Hotaru Tomoe's On The Move, taking 29 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cure Peach's Block ability activates! Cure Peach's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Lera Camry narrowly dodges Hotaru Tomoe's A Throwing Cure, taking 34 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Lera Camry's Fade ability activates! Lera Camry's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Cure Passion narrowly dodges Hotaru Tomoe's Roots of Darkness!, taking 30 Fatigue damage! Cure Passion's Fade ability activates! Hotaru Tomoe drains 12 fatigue from Cure Passion!
COMBAT: Kuniko Saito narrowly counters Hotaru Tomoe's Grow Strong With Sorrow, taking 34 Fatigue damage! Kuniko Saito's Reverse ability activates! Kuniko Saito's Tactician ability activates! Hotaru Tomoe drains 14 fatigue from Kuniko Saito!
COMBAT: Kuniko Saito's counterattack, Shawarma Knife, partially gets through, doing 8 Fatigue damage to Hotaru Tomoe! Critical Counterhit!
COMBAT: Endo Naoki narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Spinning Jewel Backfist, taking 24 Fatigue damage! Endo Naoki's Parry ability activates! Stagger applied to Endo Naoki!

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

Lera yelps when the vines grab onto her legs, then throw her bodily into the McDonald's. She smashes into the play area, crumpling a slide underneath her. Her back, her sides, and her legs hurt. She crumples to the ground, breathing hard, before she forces herself to her feet. Her legs wobble, but she shakes her head. She debates resting, for a moment. But only a moment, because a voice reaches her.

'What do I do if it's her? I don't know if I'm... if I can...'

Lera looks up into the air as she steps out of the shattered window at the front of the McDonald's, brushing shattered safety glass off herself. She shakes her head, then she looks at Peach. "I need to get up there, um--a girl named Fate needs me, y'know? I'll make sure Passion's okay, too. And make sure you're okay, or she'll be really upset--" She stops herself before she rambles. She flashes a little V-for-Victory sign at her. "We can do it!"

Then Lera takes off, flying back up towards Fate. Her amber-colored eyes search until they meet Fate's red eyes. "Fate, I know that... if your mom's really back, things get complicated for you, y'know?" she asks. "But... but even if she is, it doesn't change the things you've decided. It doesn't erase the friends and the memories you've made, y'know?"

"So..."

Lera looks at the drone -- at the crack, with the glowing red gem there -- and she nods her head. "Let's finish busting this open and get some answers."

COMBAT: FINISHER! Lera Camry has started a combo targeting Honoka Yukishiro!

<Pose Tracker> Jad Werke [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Rule number one - if the angry robot is coming to take something you've got, pass the hot potato! And so the blue haired young man turns, using a jet of water to launch the key in Fate's direction. <I don't know why it wants this - but it's probably better off in your hands!> he sends... just before the drone slams into him.

Jad takes the attack from the Jewel Drone head on. Almost literally, because it flies forward to crash into him with a considerable amount of force, knocking him upwards into the air. And it lifts him off the ground, even as he is accelerated away. He really, really does not like being up this high, it's just not fun, and he CAN'T ACTUALLY FLY. Oh god this is going to be such a mess when he finally falls down and thisstupidronejustisgoingtomakehisdayworseandworse-

Right, no time to worry about falling. Because it's not the falling, it's the hitting the ground that's the problem! So the trick is to make the other guy hit the ground harder.

But as the drone pushes him into the air, Jad activates his magic circle once again... and he grins. The swirling halo around him begins to contract into a single, ultra-condensed point of water. It glows brilliantly, and Jad reaches up to grab it out of the air, a surge of energy passing through his device, points of brilliant aqua light erupting from the joins. He brings his arms back, grinning. "Alright, we're set up. Let's do this, Schwartz! Full speed, full power!"

<Torrent Eruption!> his device proclaims - and Jad slams his arm forward, opening his fist to slam it palm first into the Jewel Drone. His magic focuses all of the compressed water into a single point - which has no way to go except straight through the Jewel Drone, if it can't evade the attack in time!

Key Status : Heading to Fate

COMBAT: FINISHER! Jad Werke has used Torrent Eruption on Honoka Yukishiro.

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

"I'm fine!" Passion calls back to Peach, "Nothing to worry about!" She tries to echo her words from earlier, but they fade as she watches Peach almost fall, too. There's clear relief in her eyes as Cure Peach leaps back into the fray. She starts to move, to take off in a sprint towards the others--but even as she sets her feet and launches herself forward, the roots burst towards her again. She grits her teeth and /leaps/, but can't hide her cry of pain as the attack still hits home, drawing crackling energy down her legs and sending her rolling towards the battlefield again.

It prevents her reaching the others like she wanted to, but gives her a view of the drone above, as Fate fights it. She hadn't been able to reply to Fate's question. She hadn't been able to give her anything. ...And yet...

As Passion stands, she shakes her head. "You really are so much stronger than you thought, Fate." It comes in a murmur, as she takes another beath. Already the creature is heading up to all of them. And that means...

Passion ducks down and uses her speed to her advantage, catching up quickly with Cure Peach, trying not to hold her side. The clover at her chest is still bright, still in all four colors, as she looks to the pink warrior. "Peach--"

She stands up straighter, a moment. "Trust me!"

Passion takes Peach's hands, clasping her fingers tight, before taking firmer hold. Then, she /turns/, suddenly twirling in place in a blur of crimson and white and frills, gaining momentum.

"Haaaaa...!"

She lets go, hurling Cure Peach straight up.

COMBAT: Cure Passion has used The Crimson Heart on Cure Peach.

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [Infinity Institute (4)] has posed.

Round and round she goes at speeds that would make smaller jets envy. As Fate zips on by the massive jewel drone, she catches a glimpse of red. She tries to get a better look, but she can't really make out the fine details while moving at this speed. She doesn't have time to contemplate that.

Because eyebeams are coming her way for one thing. She realizes right away from past experience that she's not going to get ahead of them, so she makes an abrupt stop in mid-air, "Bardiche." <Protection!> Shoring up the auto protection spells, rippling yellow energy covers her whole body, as the beams strike, energy bleeding off of it so much that she seems to disappear.

When she reappears... smoke is sizzling off every part of her barrier jacket. There wasn't even time to help Jad, because the thing was already moving at him with terrifying speed. "No! Stop!" It seems like he's okay but... "Wait, what? In my hands?"

She sees something flash through the air, what she saw with the Sorewatase earlier, that Jad later took possession of from the drone. arcing upwards... and Fate moves with sudden swiftness, hand outstretched to catch it. It looks... ordinary, other than the glow. But she's being trusted with it, so she keeps it enclosed in her hand like it's the most valuable object in the world. "I'll keep it safe."

There's a blur of motion and Lera is right there. Amber eyes meet red. But only for a second, because with what Lera's saying, her eyes flit away and she just bobs her head in a childlike answer to her first question. And to the second... "But what if..."

Sky has something to add though too. Why was the possibility that it's someone else more of a relief? Did that mean she wanted her mother d-?

Guilt jabs into her heart like a knife and twists, as every shred of whos he was denied that. But Passion... she's saying she's stronger than she knows? "I-" She didn't feel strong. She didn't. But for the people here... she'd try to be.

After taking a shuddering breath, "Thank you." And after a moment, "Both of you. I'll give you an opening. You bring it down Lera." Fate flies higher, because she knows how fast that drone can move, and with the Sorewatase too? "Arcus, Cultus, Aegeas!"

Runic circles form at her feet. It looks like a platform in the air despite being ephemeral. Golden mana boils off the edges of the circle like fire, as clouds darken directly overhead the drone, swirling out in a dark spiral that instantly swells over the tiny mage epicenter, "Heavenly gods who shine over all. Descend now as I guide you!"

The clouds flash with undeniable radiance, dull thunder roaring out as herald to what is to come. Fate holds Bardiche high, as lightning begins to descend, striking the full circumference of the circle. Two voices, both mage and device sounding in unison, "THUNDER!" <Thunder->

Fate swipes Bardiche down in a vicious one handed cut in the Drone's direction, "RAGE!" <-RAGE!> An obscene amount of lightning pours down from the sky like rain, upon the Robot. "Take it down Lera!" And maybe Fate's free hand clenches on the key extra hard.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Fate Testarossa has joined the combo started by Lera Camry!

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

<IT SEEMS MORE RESILIANT THAN BEFORE.> Fallen Stern notes this as it impacts the drone flying ahead, and then summarily bounces off, only for Endo to be swatted away like a fly. The knight lets out a cry of surprise as he goes tumbling back toward earth with the force of that swat, sent flailing once again.

Through his dizzying rotations he can see the shapes of his allies flitting back and forth, the two giant figures, and the ground below. Not only does he not want to let them all down, he does not want to BE down.

Endo's hand stretches out as he streaks past the rising mass of Sorewatase, grasping desperately at the blur of a leg, snatching handfuls of vines and whipping around like a wind-sock as he clings for dear life.

Especially since the vines have already proven likely to eat him. Still, Endo must make do with what he has, and is soon awkwardly attempting to heave his sword around and hack at the monster as he flails from side to side.

COMBAT: Endo Naoki has used Endo Naoki's Wild Ride on Hotaru Tomoe.

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

"I'll do that," Lera says, with a glance to the little key in Fate's hand. She nods her head, a slight smile on her face, before she turns; the teenager wheels around while flying in midair. She shoots off to the side as Fate forms those magical circles -- and then she summons down an incredible amount of lightning. She watches as all of it surges down, hurtling towards the same spot that Fate struck before.

She has seen that spell before. She has been its target before. She knows what to do; Fate's command is all that she needs. She shoots in, red-orange light burning a trail in the sky. She does a tight corkscrew, as she swings Sky up in front of her.

"Sky!" she shouts. "Set me up!"

<Preparing the breaker charges!> Soaring Sky chimes. A trio of magical circles forms in front of Lera, as the last slashes of lightning come flying past Lera. The teenager rushes through them, blitzing through each of the circles like they were rings -- and then she swings the sword back over her head. A wash of plasma flame crackles over the broadsword as she swings it back.

<ARC!>

Lera strikes the moment after the lightning does, swinging the sword over her head. The sword chops straight down at the center of it -- right for that red jewel and the exposed sections -- and then a colossal explosion erupts behind the sword, driving it down the rest of the way. Lera shouts, as she slashes down with all of her might.

"BREAKER!"

COMBAT: COMBO! FINISHER! Lera Camry and Fate Testarossa have used Combo: Thunder Breaker, composed of Arc Breaker and Thunder Rage, on Honoka Yukishiro.

<Pose Tracker> Kuniko Saito [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

Kuniko boggles for a moment as the vegetables de-color - which isn't too surprising, it's why you call it blanching - but then they... disintegrate into fluff? Her nose twitches.

"Why --"

Kuniko looks up then at that howling. "Uh oh."

The huge thing smashes towards her, and she stares down into horrifying monoptic disapproval. She reaches to the side, wraps her hands around a blade's hilt, snaps it forwards as she lunges forwards -- But Chitose saves her! And Passion! At least they save her from the real wrath. Her samurai slice upwards hits vegetable matter.

Kuniko herself hits the pavement. "Uff!"

Laying on her back, she can look up... at people leaping, soaring in the air. It's gorgeous, she thinks. Even if her head is swimming.

She pushes herself upwards and gets up to her feet, a little wearily. But there's a spring in her step. A certain joy. She can feel the energy and the light rising above her. "Pretty Cure's fighting for us... along with those magicians. In the face of that, I'm glad to make sure..."

Kuniko holds something out with both hands, and a weighty saucepan seems to slide out of a silvery shadow as it leaves the zone of Mise-en-place. It steams, fragrantly. "That these problems don't come back to haunt 'em."

Then Kuniko pours out the rest of that delicious broth on that springboard; she tilts it around, making sure it spreads out nice and good, even as slimy goo drips from the bill of her fisherman's cap. She's smiling all throughout, but it's one of those /determined/ smiles, even as that heartening steamy fragrance rises!

COMBAT: Kuniko Saito has used How To Greet The Carolers on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly counters Endo Naoki's Endo Naoki's Wild Ride, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe's counterattack, Insert Quarter To Keep Riding, partially gets through, doing 13 Fatigue damage to Endo Naoki!  
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly dodges Kuniko Saito's How To Greet The Carolers, taking 11 Fatigue damage!  Diversion applied to Hotaru Tomoe!

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

Peach sees the Sorewatase coming her way, and she knows that she won't be able to avoid it. So instead, she crosses her arms in front of her to form a big 'x' in an attempt to mitigate some of the force behind the blow. This doesn't exactly go to plan as she gets batted aside as if she was just an annoying fly. The pink clad Peach hits the ground once, tumbles over, hits the ground again, and then comes skidding to a stop with her back against the ground and her eyes skywards. This hit knocked the wind out of her sails as well as the mast that was holding her up. It was getting harder and harder for her to keep fighting, but she knew that everyone was still out there fighting! She was going to keep on fighting too!

The blonde Pretty Cure picks her head up enough to catch Lera's V for Victory. "We can do it." "We will do our best." Cure Peach's thoughts become one with Love's as she thinks now about Lera and Setsuna as she begins to struggle up onto a knee. She'll give it her all to protect their happiness! It's the least she could do! And this is precisely when a wounded pink-haired angel descends from the sky and arrives at her side. She returns Passion's look and nods her head strongly in return. "I do trust you," replies Peach implicitly.

Thanks to Cure Passion's efforts, Cure Peach is sent spiraling into the air after the Sorewatase despite the blonde warrior not having any wings of her own. Her strength, her wings were always in her friends and loved ones just like it is now. Gravity eventually slows Peach's ascent which is precisely where the Pretty Cure launches into action. Red may be the color of Passion and pink may be the color of Love, but together they are the colors of the heart. Peach crashes her hands together over her head with a thundrous CLAP. "Evil things, evil things, Fly Away!" The pink warrior begins to slowly fall back down to the ground just as she forms a heart with her hands over where her actual heart would be. "Pretty Cure! Love Sunshine! " shouts the battered and wounded Cure Peach which brings forth a bright and blinding burst of pink energy that seeks to purify the Sorewatase in its brightly colored light.

COMBAT: Cure Peach accepts Cure Passion's The Crimson Heart, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Accelerate and Empower applied to Cure Peach!  
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Peach has used Pretty Cure Love Sunshine on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe fails to brace Cure Peach's Finisher, Pretty Cure Love Sunshine, taking 151 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.

Chitose, having been mostly restrained by the bits of greenery from before, can't move fast enough to avoid the roots coming directly for her, and they too wrap around Chitose. This time, she even gets the fantastic feeling of her body and soul draining. It hurts, to be sure, but at the same time, after enough of it has happened... it eventually doesn't feel too bad.

Her struggles seem a lot less spirited, and at this point she just starts to fire at anything she can. The roots, the blossoms that had enveloped her before, and whatever else hostile she can point at on the Sorewatase, as she begins to float downwards towards the ground again.

That said, even all of that much may not even be enough.

COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has used Light Arrow on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe fails to brace Chitose Shiratori's Light Arrow, taking 18 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro fails to brace Jad Werke's Finisher, Torrent Eruption, taking 134 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro fails to brace Lera Camry and Fate Testarossa's Finisher, Combo: Thunder Breaker, taking 253 Fatigue damage!  Honoka Yukishiro is unable to keep fighting!

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

The key sings through the air into Fate's hand, which does not so much keep it safely away from all the fighting as it does send it into the eye of the storm. Fate's storm. As her feelings and her magic intertwine, that beautiful twilight sky goes black as pitch for several heartbeats.

Time in which Jad becomes a conduit for his own magic, which gurgles, rushes, roars through the gigantic automoton, invoking the sharp and awful smell of chemicals -- an ozone-scorch to the air -- as one of its legs shatters off entirely. All that water had to go somewhere.

And then the lightning comes. What scant protection the Jewel Drone had left was nullified by being drenched to the literal core, and it explodes through, shearing off an arm -- the arm with the giant sword, which it didn't seem to use at all today. Before the thunder finishes rolling in the wake of Fate's furious storm, Lera bisects the remains, which creates a monumental explosion...

...and not very much debris.

Indeed, the three mages have managed to reduce it more or less to a fine silver mist.

It seems that the many questions the appearance of this robot posed will not be answered by autopsy.

Not to be forgotten, however, the Sorewatase roars in pain as once again Kuniko infects a piece of itself with deliciousness, and Chitose's many small blasts disintegrate her restraints. That's right when Endo falls onto it, and for a long moment it's too distracted to do much about this issue -- and then all the vines on one side of it seem to come for the boy at once, battering and smacking and trying to knock him off, or at least make him thoroughly regret this overall course of action.

And then it faces its doom -- a fully empowered Pretty Cure. The glorious pink light pours through it, instantly reducing the speed and strength of its attack on Endo; it's not quite a mortal blow, perhaps because this creature is so much bigger and more horrible than the average Nakewameke. But it's the equivalent of a slam to the solar plexus, sending it reeling.

It's desperate, now. And it knows that it only has a few seconds to try to gain, and evacuate, the source of all this trouble: the key in Fate's hands. Endo's challenge becomes not avoiding the vines but simply hanging onto them, as the monster seems to intensify, drawing more tightly into itself, condensing its power.

Then it rockets towards the key, and the little girl carrying it, its eye flashing balefully, its vines seeking to rip and tear, its roots to impale.

The explosion of despair roars through the sky on impact, and it's a palpable feeling, heart-squeezing, soul-grinding.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Hotaru Tomoe has used Fuko Fury on Fate Testarossa.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Overwhelming Terror on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Overwhelming Terror on Jad Werke.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Despair Without and Within on Endo Naoki.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Despair Without and Within on Cure Peach.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Despair Without and Within on Cure Passion.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Despair Without and Within on Kuniko Saito.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe has used Despair Without and Within on Chitose Shiratori.
COMBAT: Cure Passion perfectly dodges Hotaru Tomoe's Despair Without and Within, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Dodge! Cure Passion's Fade ability activates!
COMBAT: Lera Camry fails to dodge Hotaru Tomoe's Overwhelming Terror, taking 34 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Lera Camry is unable to keep fighting! Lera Camry is Quipped!
COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori narrowly dodges Hotaru Tomoe's Despair Without and Within, taking 10 Fatigue damage! Chitose Shiratori's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Jad Werke narrowly braces Hotaru Tomoe's Overwhelming Terror, taking 10 Fatigue damage! Jad Werke is Quipped! Jad Werke's Block ability activates! Jad Werke's Parry ability activates! Jad Werke is Taunted!
COMBAT: Endo Naoki narrowly dodges Hotaru Tomoe's Despair Without and Within, taking 8 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Cure Peach narrowly braces Hotaru Tomoe's Despair Without and Within, taking 12 Fatigue damage! Cure Peach's Block ability activates! Cure Peach's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa fails to dodge Hotaru Tomoe's Finisher, Fuko Fury, taking 145 Fatigue damage! Fate Testarossa is unable to keep fighting!

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

Lera slows to a stop after she cleaves the drone in two. She turns, then, and looks up at Fate. She flashes her a bright grin -- and a little tired, after expending so much of her mana -- and then she nods once at her. She shoots her a quick thumbs-up. "Good job, y'know?" she says. "That was--"

She isn't looking down at the Sorewatase. She should be. The vines come shooting up at her, Lera's back turned to them, and she isn't paying attention. She is lucky that she isn't the direct target.

Because one of the vines shoots into her left shoulder from the back, then right out of the front. Lera's eyes shoot wide open. Her pupils shrink to pinpricks as she gasps sharply, her breath hitched with pain, and two matching ugly red stains spreading across her green coat. <Protection!>

Two shimmering, half-formed barriers flash in front of and behind the vine, slashing through it. Lera drops after that, slamming gracelessly into the ground and landing in a heap.

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [Infinity Institute (4)] has posed.

While there's a surge of exultation as the thing is defeated, there's also a twist of grief. The explosion didn't leave very much left... so... there's nothing with which to link to anyone.

Anyone at all.

But unfortunately for Fate Testarossa, she's been afflicted with tunnel vision this whole battle. Simply a hint, a glimmer, that her mother might still exist in some form or fashion was all it took.

The dark clouds are fading, as are most traces of her ritual magic. And she's tired. She almost doesn't see the Sorewatase until it's already there. Her crimson eyes grow wide, "Bardiche!" <Blitz Act->

A vine curls around a small leg before the spell can take hold. Others begin to tear at her barrier jacket, tearing through the rippling yellow energy. The small mage vanishes within the onslaught. Roots impale her limbs, and Bardiche puts up an effort there, trying to protect his master from mortal wounds even if it will cost him direly in damage he himself is taking. They glance off her away from her torso, her head, impaling limbs instead.

She doesn't even have time to scream.

Mercifully, it's not long before she loses consciousness. Her second to last waking thought that she was entrusted with the key, and failed to protect it.

Her last? A failure.

How fitting.

If the Sorewatase keeps ahold of her, then she hangs limply in mid-air, amidst the mass of despair infused vines. If it lets go... then she falls.

COMBAT: Kuniko Saito fails to dodge Hotaru Tomoe's Despair Without and Within, taking 15 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Kuniko Saito is unable to keep fighting!

<Pose Tracker> Jad Werke [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

The thing explodes into... well not even bits! Bits were more respectable than what was left here! But the Jewel Drone just blows up into a whole lot of pieces, and Jad lets out a whoop of delight. "Take that you rotten robot!" he calls out. And then looks around for a moment. And blinks.

"...well, it WAS going well until now," he comments, as he begins to plummet back down towards the ground. This was... unfortunate. Very, very unfortunate. Because now Jad is plummeting towards the ground... and what is worse, he gets a wonderful view of Lera and Fate getting attacked by that other monster that was coming from below.

"COME ON, WE BEAT THE STUPID DRONE! THAT'S JUST CHEAP!" Jad shouts, obviously rather upset by this turn of events. "Haven't you ever heard of respecting what other people are trying to accomplish! You... you... vegetable... monster... whatever you are!?!" Both Fate and Lera had been fighting something terrible, and this thing - this monster just oozing with malevolence and despair - had just leapt up behind them with the sort of cheap attack Jad could never stand!

Right. The dang thing had ahold of Fate. And with that sickening, roiling feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach that something bad was going to happen, Jad aims to do the only thing he has left to do at this point. He's gotta try and get Fate away from it, and so he uses the only weapon he has left at the moment.

Jad angles his descent and aims right for the Sorewatase, flipping over so he's coming down towards its face feet first. The only thing preceding his coming a single loud call of "BAAAAAAANNNNNNNZZZZAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIII!!!!"

COMBAT: Jad Werke has used Crashdown on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe perfectly dodges Jad Werke's Crashdown, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Dodge!

<Pose Tracker> Cure Passion [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
<SoundTracker> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvV7IUNra3k&nohtml5=False

Cure Passion comes to a stop, looking straight up as she sees Peach flying under the power of her throw. Peach--and Fate and Lera and Jad who she doesn't know yet, setting up that cascading flash of magic. On the ground, Passion hopes--and she sees /one/ of their foes simply evaporate, even as the familiar pink magic of her teammate draws her eye. She knows it's going to work. Except... Even Peach's incredible power isn't enough on its own. Passion, from down here, could only help so much. And she sees the Sorewatase rush onward. Her eyes widen.

"No! LOOK OUT!"

The wave of despair it sends is not something unfamiliar to Cure Passion. She's felt it before. She's already beginning to feel it again, watching in horror as so many seem to fall. Lera, with a vine impaling her shoulder. Fate, assaulted by its full might. Kuniko who helped her...

Lera. Lera, falling.

Passion squeezes her eyes closed an instant. She doesn't fail to /feel/ the despair. It seeps into her being, makes her blood run cold.

But it doesn't matter. Not now, not in the face of--

"I--I won't let you have them!!"

Passion doesn't have the spirit in her now to summon up her magic. So she doesn't; she lunges, rushing up, kicking off another building, and another, before handspringing to a rooftop. She sprints across, and /leaps/ with that running start, straight up.

She's a red blur in the air, sailing straight towards her foe. She knows Cure Peach is still up here. She knows it. She can see pink.

She can see red.

Her fist is out first. She rears back, with it, and doesn't notice her own shouting.

A flash of crimson light accompanies her, as she punches into the Sorewatase with everything she can hold.

All she can do is hope, as she puts her strength into that strike, and tries to the force of her swing carry her to take hold of Fate Testarossa.

COMBAT: Cure Passion has used Passionate Possession on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe fails to brace Cure Passion's Passionate Possession, taking 36 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

Endo is rethinking his decisions as he battles to escape grasping vines, skittering and attempting to find hand-holds even as the tendrils batter against his barrier jacket and attempt to dislodge him. His teeth are clenched tight, his heart lurching just as hard as his body does when it collides with Fate in an explosion of vines.

"Fate!" Endo cries out in concern, adding, "Lera!" He doesn't know Jad's name, or he'd probably call out to make sure he's okay too. From what he can make out of the other shapes of his allies, none of them are probably in great shape, and he's in desperate straits himself. "Stern-we need more room."

And then Endo lets go. When he does his device flares to life again, in synch and ready to be begin the spell as the knight turns up toward the mass of vines he's detached from. Belkan symbols form around him, spinning and tracing across the Device as Endo spins in the air, light burning across the whole of the sword as he heaves it around in the biggest swing he can manage.

Purple-black fire wreathes the dark metal, leaping off from the swing and forming a massive arc of energy that explodes outward and upward from its starting point, headed for the plant monster still in the air with intent to make spectacular impact.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Endo Naoki has used Debris Disk on Hotaru Tomoe.
COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe narrowly braces Endo Naoki's Finisher, Debris Disk, taking 47 Fatigue damage!  Hotaru Tomoe's Block ability activates!  Hotaru Tomoe's Parry ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [Infinity Institute (U)] has posed.

Chitose finally breaks free of the vines and roots! Instantly she takes flight as high as she can to avoid the plant and its tendrils and its roots. With her newfound freedom she takes a moment to breath deeply, get fresh air through her lungs and get some new oxygen through her body, especially her parts that were bruised from all of the roots. It's not helping with the tiredness or anything like that, but it's a start. Good enough, she guesses. "Okay," She says between breaths. "One more time." She points White Omen towards the Sorewatase one last time. "One more final time."

She watches the battle from her vantage points, and she starts to see some of the other fighters start to fall. A pang of regret does kind of fill Chitose, but only a little bit. After all, they knew the risks, right?

White Omen's muzzle expands significantly, and what's left of both Device and girl's energy charges up for one last shot. And with two words, simply stated, it fires.

A large, brilliant white beam of light lances out from White Omen, towards the plant monster, to try and pierce its evil heart. Or whatever passes for its evil heart. Chitose doesn't know for sure.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Chitose Shiratori has used White Ark on Hotaru Tomoe.

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

Cure Peach put everything into that last attack, her Love Sunshine. And while it did hit, it wasn't enough to stop the Sorewatase. This does not bode well for the extemely weakened Pretty Cure as she plummets back towards the ground. The only times a fight has gone on past a Love Sunshine, it did not end well for her. Even as she's falling, she's looking to see where her allies were and how they were doing. Peach can only barely make out the explosive aftermath of the Drone fight from where she was at. But their sucess there brought a smile to the falling Peach's face. What quickly destroys this newly formed smile is the Sorewatase's counterattack that seemed specifically aimed at Fate, Lera, and Jad. Her pink eyes go wide in horror as she can't do anything to help them. The sheer despair of this and the wave from the plant monster is almost enough to cripple Peach, but she maintains her conciousness for now.

The blonde warrioress hits the ground with a loud series of clacks as she tries to maintain her balance after that descent. Peach splays her arms out to prevent herself from toppling over and looks up now from the ground at the aftermath of it all. "No, no, no!!" She cries out when she sees Fate and Lera start falling in very bad ways, but then she notices that the casualties don't start or stop with them as Kuniko has fallen too. She had to trust in those still fighting like Passion, Jad, and Chitose that they could pull this out. Peach had already given this fight everything she had.

But there's something that she could attempt to still do some good with what energy she had left. Her pink eyes home in the falling Lera, up at Passion, towards the plant monster, and then back at Lera. With everything that she has left in her, Cure Peach sprints forth and leaps in a last-ditch effort to grab ahold of the earthbound Lera before she hits the ground.

COMBAT: Hotaru Tomoe fails to brace Chitose Shiratori's Finisher, White Ark, taking 109 Fatigue damage!  Hotaru Tomoe is unable to keep fighting!

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

As Jad falls juuuuust past the Sorewatase, which manages to jackknife itself in midair to avoid a repetition of Endo's Wild Ride, he gets to see what happens when a Pretty Cure punches with all her heart -- the remaining mass of the monster ripples from one end to the other as the force distributes itself through it.

It turns out to be a blessing in disguise, though, that he's not clinging to the plant monster, because instead the monster is in between him and Endo's immense blast of purple-black energy. The Sorewatase is losing coherence, now, sloshing and bubbling like superheated algae that's losing water fast.

When that final, single, perfect lance leaps from Chitose's crossbow-Device to pierce the creature, light pours from all directions as the impact shatters through the Soretase -- it, both like and unlike the Jewel Drone, explodes, leaving little behind besides a faintly plantlike residue. But the pink light of Love Sunshine is still pouring down, and everywhere it touches, things seem to mend themselves; the McDonalds is restored, the gouges in the street are banished, and injuries feel not quite so mortal in its presence.

The Key falls like a shooting star from where the Sorewatase had been, and lands in Chitose's hand. It is apparently unnecessary to return it to the Queen of Harajuku, who is already hopping to her feet, apparently unarmed, and pulling on the elbow of her fainted manager, trying to get him to take her to her next appointment.

But there's a distinct feeling that -- as with the mystery Drone -- there are far too many unanswered questions for this to be considered case closed...

TO BE CONTINUED

2016-04-08 - Locks and Keys 1

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