2014-09-09 - Feng Shui 4

Title: Feng Shui 4
Summary: Clover Town Street is being horribly vandalized! Can this cruel exploitation of the beloved strip of shops be stopped in time for the annual inspection by the local Storeowner's Association?
Who: Fuu Hououji, Sailor Mars, Dark Sailor Mercury, Soular, Setsuna Higashi, Cure Peach, Cure Berry, Lera Camry, Ren Aizawa, Endo Naoki, Nanoha Takamachi, Fate Testarossa, Sayaka Miki, Nadeshiko Fujisaki, Forever Sunshine, Japanese Cherry Blossom GM: Juri Arisugawa
Where: Clover Town Street
OOC - IC Date: 11 March 2014 - 09/09/2014

<Pose Tracker> Juri Arisugawa [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

Clover Town Street is a lovely suburban commercial district, where no building is more than two or three stories tall. Its main drag is veritably a pedestrian mall; trucks pass through it occasionally to resupply a shop, but it is firmly off the beaten path of cars, with many trees that are just starting to bud out with the first shoots of spring. There is no Easter Depaato here, no Searrs Superstore. Every shop is owned by a local family, and sells a specific product, be it candy, books, tatami mats, vegetables, kimono, fish, photography, or, simply, dinner!

It is especially busy in the late afternoon. The kids are out of school, parents on their way home from work. It's the perfect time to run errands. Conversation and laughter drift up towards the sky on a thousand threads of breeze; the scent of donuts from a stand at the nearby park blankets the nose, the air itself tasting soft and pure and just, just right, in a manner rarely found within Tokyo.

Standing on top of a water tower, a strange woman with long, pink hair bound up in a ponytail, clad in fantastic and vaguely medieval regalia, holds an ancient, dark tome out in front of her with one hand. The other hovers, palm extended, over a filled page. She is expressionless as she gazes out over the neighborhood, host to so many small happinesses.

<< Sind sie sicher? >> asks a disembodied digital voice, in German.

"Yes," she chuffs back, her low rumble a herald of the storm to come. "We must, for our Master." Come it does: energy pours out of the page and into her palm, the runes bleeding off as though washed by rain or torn by fierce winds.

Hurling the power as though it were a shotput, it smashes into the middle of the shopping district, creating an enormous, meteoric impact. Shards of concrete fly everywhere, the debris cloud veiling the crater for a long, terrible moment.

When it blows away, the runes have congealed into something like a cross between an outsized rhinoceros, a hairdryer, and Hell. Lifting its superheated horn to the sky, it bellows a roar never heard upon Earth, though not uncommon on the twin moons of Cassomir, where this memory once lived and roamed as a truly living being. That nuance, however, is much less obvious than the way that it starts grinding up pavement as it charges down the middle of the street.

It will only be with the intervention of love, friendship, and magic, that nobody gets trampled.

OOC: Welcome to Feng Shui 4! As in previous scenes of this TP, we have a bit in the room, currently named 'Clover Town Street', that will be in need of regular protection via +cover. If it takes too much damage, there will be serious post-scene consequences! We also have two targets tonight, Signum and the Rhinocedrell; feel free to Area attack them at will, zap between them as makes sense, and so forth. While you're welcome to focus on one or the other, if either gets ignored by the crowd, disaster will strike, and both of them are a lot more threat than any one or two girls can handle!

COMBAT: Juri Arisugawa transforms into Signum!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has fully healed herself. She is now ready to take on 6 opponents!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has fully healed herself. She is now ready to take on 5 opponents!
COMBAT: Cure Berry transforms into Miki Aono!
COMBAT: Erika Inagawa transforms into Forever Sunshine!
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji transforms into Magic Knight!

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

The first day of finals was about as draining as Fuu expected it to be: somewhat wearying but not fit to leave her too tired to do more than trudge home and nap until suppertime. And she had heard that a game shop in Clover Town Street might be worth checking - not for VIDEO games, though, but for tabletop gaming books. And while Fuu is much more a fan of video RPGs than tabletop style, she knows that the former owe their existence to the latter ... plus, she might get some good insight for her own projects.

She's just found the shop and is starting to peruse their selection when something sounds like it exploded out in the street; she hands a copy of Ryuutama to the shopkeeper and promises to return to buy it. Then she ducks out, takes one look at the slowly settling cloud of dust, and bolts around a corner in the other direction ...

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

Just a moment later,the Magic Knight of Wind steps into view - with a better view than she EVER would have wanted of the rhinoceros monster starting to barrel down the road. "I suppose we can't have that, can we?" she comments, drawing on her magic.

"Imashime no Kaze!!" the Wind Knight calls out, and the Winds of Admonishment gust into being, attempting to wind around Rhinocedrell and - if not bring it to a halt - at least try to apply the brakes to its rampage.

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Imashime no Kaze on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

And here Ami was thinking it'd be hard to figure out how to get any Misery Energy to take home. Someone else is doing the whole work for her!

As the monster begins tearing up the streets and people's perfectly good days are ruined, Dark Mercury raises her data diamond, doing her best to skim off the top. Part of being successful is putting in the work... but part of it is being in the right place at the right time.

Of course, this is pretty obvious, given she's now standing in the middle of the street -- and it'd be pretty easy to assume she's in on the whole thing...

COMBAT: Ami Mizuno transforms into Youma Form Dark Sailor Mercury!
COMBAT: Lera Camry transforms into Barrier Jacket - Dual Mode!

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

<It's up ahead! Whatever it is... it's big!> Soaring Sky's voice crackles in the air while Lera Camry runs atop some of the low-lying roofs of Clover Town. She hits the edge of a shop's roof and jumps -- soaring right over the top of it, and lands on the next with a crunch into the gravel. She turns her head, and sees the dust rising up, and clearing in time to reveal Rhinocedrell.

"What /is/ that thing?" she yells, raising her voice so it carries over the sound of the impact and destruction. "I've never seen anything like it before!"

<I'm not sure. Look up there. The woman with the book. She brought it here.>

Lera's eyes track up; she spies Signum, holding the book, and her eyes narrow. This is going to be complicated, she thinks. She spots the water tower, and decides to start with her, especially with Fuu showing up and going for the rhinoceros. Lera bolts, jumping off the edge of the building, and then hits the water tower's large railing. She runs straight up it, green coattails fluttering after.

She lets out a yell, as she runs up the side of the tower, her short swords held out to each side. Magic keeps her from falling while she runs up the rail. "Hey!" she yells at the mysterious knight; she leaps at the last minute, turns -- and then darts in a straight line towards the pink-haired girl, swinging back her right leg for a spinning kick at her face. "What is that thing, and why did you bring it here?"

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Spin Kick on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Errands. Yes, errands, that's definitely the best thing to be doing right now.

One dark-haired Setsuna Higashi is on something like those here on Clover Town Street, except instead of picking up bread or supplies she is spending time with others. Dressed in casual clothing, well out of a uniform of any stripe she wears mostly white, with a bit of red, as well, of course, as a familiar green clover necklace. She steps out of a shop slightly behind Love, quiet at first before , "Ah--wasn't that the one you were talking about?"

Perhaps she just happens to have a little more energy today.

"I'll go get in line!" she offers, stepping right on past Miki too with quick, athletic steps. Thus, she crosses the road first--though not with the usual safety habits one might imagine. Maybe she doesn't look both ways because it's a little street out here! ..Surely not because she never learned that habit.

But suddenly, there is a loud crash. "What--"

The impact sends the secret agent of Labyrinth suddenly to the ground, falling onto her side without so much as a pretense of balance, so completely unprepaed was she for the explosion. Dazed, those moments where the debris veil the crater pass along--

Which places her now right in the monster's path. Eyes widening, she moves to stand.

"Ah--" With a wince she falls back where she was, her ankle giving out in the middle of her effort.

<Pose Tracker> Sakura Akagi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

"Henshin! Cherry Blossom! Splash!"

A hand grips a perfume bottle with a flower-shaped cap. The hand sprays that perfume toward the body of Sakura Akagi, her transformation beginning. The spray of scent becomes the collar of a dress, then, a sash, which ties itself in a bow around the girl's back. A short skirt appears under the sash, first just glowing, but then tiny cherry blossoms appear to decorate it. The dress sprouts sleeves, long and elegant. Then sandals and socks appear, riding up Sakura's legs. Her hair changes from black to pink and earrings appear on her ears...

The flower from the bottle spins back toward her hair, locking the style in place.

Cherry blossom petals flow around Japanese Cherry Blossom as she appears on the streets of Clover Town. As with Fuu, it's the rinocerous youma that first catches her eyes, drawing her immediate attention. Her feet set down delicately right on the street as she stares it down. "Pink Blossom Wind!" she shouts at once, holding out her hands and blasting a flurry of petals toward the unusual foe. It is mostly, at this point, just distracting.

COMBAT: Sakura Akagi transforms into Japanese Cherry Blossom!
COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has used Pink Blossom Wind on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Ren Aizawa [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

This day of final exams for Ren has gone by pretty smoothly. She's in good spirits since one of them was Math. And she's very good at Math. Like, /extremely/ good. It almost feels like cheating considering the edge her mage-status gave her. But there's nothing she can do about that, right? Besides, no one has to know!

As a post-exam reward she's out eating ice cream with Nanoha -- and possibly doing a bit of window shopping. Both of them deserve a sugary treat for all of their hard work. Ren walks along beside the tiny third grader, halfway done scarfing down hers when all hell breaks loose. A giant rhino appears on the scene, made of something not good at all, and then begins rampaging down the street. The tenth grader stops, eyes wide and shocked enough to drop the rest of her delightful dessert on the ground at her feet. "W-What?!"

And then the magical reinforcements begin to show up, puncutual as always. Right. They'd better join in too then. She turns to Nanoha with a pained look.

"We're definitely getting more ice cream after this!" And then she grasps Souverain Heraut as golden sparks of light shoots up around her, leaving her clad in her barrier jacket once they fade, scepter in hand. She sees Lera leap in, but stays focused on the Rhino, not seeing Signum for now. Kicking forward she goes in close to deliver a hard bash upside the rampaging animal's head.

COMBAT: Ren Aizawa transforms into Barrier Jacket!
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa has used Imperial Slam on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight fails to counter Lera Camry's Spin Kick, taking 9 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight's counterattack, Shiden Issen, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Lera Camry!

<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

As the school year is coming to an end and springtime is coming into cycle, the burgeoning warmth of the sun on Reis skin puts a spring to her already brisk step. Rei is resolved to keep up pace with the seasons as they get about their business. The battered old broom of the Hikawa Shrine has grown too ragged for much more use. It is time to get a new one, and it will be found in Clover Town Street. A classic instrument, classically made for a classic task, could only rightly come from a classic place.

And right she was. A beautiful broom with a dark wooden haft and woven straw bristles all gathered in place. As Rei walks down the street she leans it against the poofy padding of her Ohtori uniforms shoulders. bouncing it very slightly and humming in her own head. Phobos perches upon her left shoulder, and Deimos bobs along with Reis gait on the broomsticks base. Just as she considers whether she should read on her walk back or enjoy the scenery instead, a whistling whoosh whizzes by. Phobos and Deimos both shoot into the air to caw in flustered consternation, the former giving Reis shoulder a nice scratch as she launches.

Whatever happened happened nearby, but the kicked up dust cloud chokes up much of the streets visibility. Coughing and squinting as the particles moisten her eyes, Rei centers herself..and feels the familiar and foreboding sense that dark forces are at work. Hoisting off her backpack and setting it and the new broom down against a shops outer wall, she takes advantage of the dusts concealment to transform then and there.

MARS POWER! MAKE UP!

Rei holds her red pen high as it spews sinewy fire forth, forming superheated discs that shimmer and convulse around her body, contracting in a flash of light and leaving Sailor Mars, the Soldier of War in their wake just as the dust begins to clearand a hulking demonic rhinoceros hurtles past her. Reis head whips around to track itbut stops just into the motion, something else catching the corner of her gaze.

"Ami?!"

There stood Sailor Mercuryor something that looks quite like her, standing in the street looking fairly unsurprised by whatevers happening. Rei hasnt seen her friend lately, but shes heard troubling things from Usagi and Makoto. She isnt about to take chances now.

Producing an ofuda slip and bringing it to her face, Rei tersely murmurs the nine words of power that make up the incantation.

"Rin!"

"Pyou!"

"Tou!"

"Sha!"

"Kai!"

"Jin!"

"Retsu!"

"Zai!"

"Zen!"

The limp paper straightens up and stands between her fingers, empowered by the chant. Raising her arm high and bringing it back and around, Rei hurls the paper straight at Amis face!

COMBAT: Rei Hino transforms into Sailor Mars!
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has used Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen! on Ami Mizuno.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell narrowly braces Fuu Hououji's Imashime no Kaze, taking 2 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji is Psyched!  Rhinocedrell's Parry ability activates!  Cripple and Trap applied to Rhinocedrell!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to dodge Japanese Cherry Blossom's Pink Blossom Wind, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Diversion applied to Rhinocedrell!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to counter Ren Aizawa's Imperial Slam, taking 34 Fatigue damage!  Ren Aizawa is Psyched!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell's counterattack, Rhino Hide, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Ren Aizawa!

<Pose Tracker> Forever Sunshine [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

"Transform! Forever Sunshine! Splash!"

With that little bit of English instruction and a spray of sunny-topped perfume, Erika Inagawa becomes something far greater - the manifestation of her dreams and memories, Forever Sunshine! Her glittering trousers and brightly colored vest, along with her tight wrapped oxhorn hairbuns, are joined now by a new piece of flare: a square-boxed sundial on a stout piece of rough-looking twine around her neck.

Pose!!

AND SO

Forever Sunshine has run alongside Cherry Blossom for most of the approach, and now that the Rhinocerous is in sight, she grimaces. "I hope that's not a real animal. They're endangered! If the bad jerks of the HEY ARE YOU A BAD JERK?" Forever Sunshine interjects towards the free-standing Dark Mercury, before getting back to her point: "If they're targetting endangered animals now... they'd become nothing but a memory before long!"

Forever SUnshine's fist clenches. "For the sake of all living things, I'll stop you in a way you can understand!"

"Oiiii!" Forever Sunshine pauses, calling a greeting to the familiar form of Fuu.

She then sinks to a three point stance, her free hand opening up her sundial's case. A deep breath, and a feeling like a summer wind on the beach... and the sundial gleams!

Forever Sunshine is engulfed in a sudden reddish-purple sphere of light. It smells sweet, of citrus and praline and memories of sundappled athletics. From within, Forever Sunshine - her voice now high and squeaky, damaging some of the intimidation factor - says, "OK now I'm gonna fight you in your own method! If you're a real animal, try to remember how it goes!!"

And with that, Forever Sunshine streaks forwards at approximately eighty-eight miles per hour towards the front of the Rhinocedrell.

Her plan is to slam into it.

This has the advantage of simplicity, at least.

COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has used Sunset Rushdown on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Endo had felt like rewarding himself with dinner after the mess of exams. Dinner that didn't come in a microwave, a bar-shape plastic wrap, or take actual effort on his part. So barbeque it was. That's probably what he reeks of when the pushes his way out of the building and into the street, beaming brightly at the door behind him before he's confronted with-

A hell rhinoceros.

He goes back inside.

The boy comes out again in a flash of purple light, this time through a window. Also transformed, done up in his own quasi-medieval outfit, the giant hunk of metal that is his Magical Device drug his wake. Right off toward the monster, intent on smashing its face in.

<HOLD. THERE'S SOMETHING HERE.> His device notes.

"Thanks, I see it! Seriousl--"

<NOT THAT. ABOVE.>

"Oh--yeah, that, I--wait what?" Endo nearly falls on his face as his head snaps upward, reorienting his gaze above. There is something there! "Yeah, alright, just a second!" He has to go past the monster anyway, so he might as well make the most of it. The sword comes around in a sharp arc, intending to carve a line across it as he makes his way toward the knight atop the building.

COMBAT: Rhinocedrell narrowly counters Forever Sunshine's Sunset Rushdown, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Forever Sunshine is Psyched!  Cripple and Stun applied to Rhinocedrell!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell's counterattack, Burning Horn, partially gets through, doing 7 Fatigue damage to Forever Sunshine!

<Pose Tracker> Nanoha Takamachi [Infinity Institute (3)] has posed.

Ice cream with Ren is not awkward at all. Not after the debacle at the theme park. Truth is it's a little weird, and Nanoha's cheeks are slightly pink as she whittles away at her ice cream.

Thankfully this time there is no hiding in the bushes, it is just plain ice cream, she is NOT SPYING ON SOMEONE ELSE'S DATE AT THE BEHEST OF SOMEONE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED.

Lera Camry.

So ice cream is nice, and absolutely nothing can go wrong. Except when everything goes wrong and ice cream gets interrupted by a sudden giant rhino beginning a rampage.

"A-ah?! What? Here? Now?" Her own look back to Ren is one of quiet understanding as she fingers the red gem bauble on her necklace. "--Raising Heart... Set up!"

<ALRIGHT MY MASTER.> The Device chimes, white-pink light suffusing the smaller girl's body and donning the protective white, blue, and gold dress of her Barrier Jacket, staff in hand. More ice cream is fine, but it's going to have to wait. With the monster-rhino in more direct sight, she also has not caught wind of the Wolkenritter knight just yet.

Wait until when she does, that'll certainly be awkward.

Nevertheless, she's on Ren's heels a blaze of pink light forming from the several glowing spheres she summons, unleashing them with a wave and a cry of "Shooooot!"

COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi transforms into Barrier Jacket!
COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi has used Divine Shooter on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Endo Naoki transforms into Barrier Jacket!
COMBAT: Endo Naoki has used Blueshift on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Endo Naoki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to brace Endo Naoki's Blueshift, taking 21 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to dodge Nanoha Takamachi's Divine Shooter, taking 9 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Love Momozono has fully healed herself.

<Pose Tracker> Love Momozono [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Love Momozono loved living down on Clover Town Street. Most of everyone who lived there knew each other and it was not uncommon for neighbors to routinely greet each other as they passed each other on the street. There were also so many cute and unique shops there that Love simply couldn't pass up any opportunity to share her love for Clover Town Street with two of her best friends. And so, a pink hooded sweatshirt and jean shorts wearing Love cheerfully accompanies both Setsuna Higashi and Miki Aono. It seems the trio was planning on having a happy and relaxing day!

But sometimes even the best laid plans go to ruin. Love smiles cheerfully and calls out to Setsuna when notices her take off up ahead. "Yeah! That's exactly the one!" The young girl looks just as ready to precariously run across the street when a sudden CRASH rocks Clover Town Street. The tremors from the impact almost knock Love off her feet and onto her rear end, but she is able to save herself at the last minute thanks to some precision arm flailing. This action gives Love the perfect view of theincredibly horrid sight of a charging Rhinocedrell which seemed to be heading straight for Setsuna! A look of extreme panic washes over Love's face as she quickly scrambles to action, sprints forward, and lunges forward to try to push Setsuna out of the way of charging monster. "Setsuna!" yells Love as she conducts this most desperate rescue attempt.

Everything was happening so fast and Love Momozono only had one thought in her mind, she had to save Setsuna.....a pity she didn't think to transform first.

COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has fully healed herself.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has fully healed herself.
COMBAT: Endo Naoki has fully healed himself.
COMBAT: Miki Aono transforms into Cure Berry!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa transforms into Barrier Jacket!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa transforms into Fate Testarossa!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa transforms into Barrier Jacket!

<Pose Tracker> Cure Berry [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

It was a wonderful day to hang out with friends. As it was, Miki was one to exit the shop behind Setsuna and Love, her hand lifting her cell phone from her pocket to her eyes, fingers moving as she tip-taps a message into the aether on it. This distraction didn't bode well for her soon enough.

"~Okay~," Miki replies to Setsuna in a sing-song message, her eyes focused in on her little screen.

The crash causes Miki to jolt - causes her to lift her eyes and glance across the street with worry. She had kinda 'seen' Setsuna dashing off out of the corner of her eye, so the worst case scenario in that situation was... well, it was terrible.

Not that the sight of the monster was any better. Miki stands up straight, the fright evident in her widening eyes, the way her mouth drops open. Not to mention the eek sound she kinda makes. Please. Let's not mention that.

"Labyrinth?!"

Even though she said such a word with /gusto/, it was said with a little question at the end of it, an upwards lilt of the tone that drew the little uncertainty she had in her tone. Well, her cell phone was out.

Shifting the purse she wears to sit more squarely onto her shoulder, Miki ducks back inside the store as the other customers go to the windows to gawk, ducking behind a display and lifting her Linkrun high... "Change! Pretty Cure... beat up!"

A handful of moments later, ~Cure Berry~ bursts into the scene, her eyes scanning around for... "Love! Setsuna!"

Berry's heeled feet start digging against the pavement, the young woman dashing towards the pair, her eyes locking on the creature, attention diverted only to glance towards the various lights and shows of the magical girls leaping to the rescue.

COMBAT: Cure Berry has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.
<SoundTracker> Eternal Blaze - Nana Mizuki(Nanoha A's Opening Theme) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auUFsvAtxKI

Between all the hustle and bustle of the shoppers on Clover Town Street. A lone girl stood indecisive, as she looked between two kinds of candy. A bespectacled shopkeeper looked upon her with a severe gaze the entire time she spent trying to choose between a Chocolate bar and a Lollipop. Eventually, after nearly twenty minutes of agonizing, she decides without much confidence, "Maybe she'll like this one..." Putting away the Lollipop, she hoists the chocolate bar onto the counter with a few yen pieces.

The shopkeeper continues to stare at her, now looking directly into the girl's scarlet eyes for a time before she says in a croaking voice, "We're having a special. You can have both." Eyes widening in surprise, Fate stares back for a time, "Really? I didn't see any..." The shopkeeper's gaze looked mildly peeved as she pointedly states, "Do you have a problem with this?"

A few minutes later, Fate Testarossa was out on the streets with both kinds of candy. Streets which were suddenly awash in terror as a Rhinoceros charges down them. <SIR. IT MIGHT BE HER.> Looking up at the imposing figure upon the water tower at Bardiche's urging, she saw the Knight with the pink pony tail. She looked much like a figure they had seen before. "Let's get out of here Bardiche."

Fate's feet started to carry her towards an alley. Transforming would be too risky, wouldn't it? But then, when almost there, her step paused, turning her head to look at the candy shop entrance. She could just turn her eyes away, ignore the pandemonium. It had nothing to do with her but... "Nevermind. Bardiche. Set up." There was no response, for a time, and then finally he chimed. <SIR. YOU'RE SURE?> There was no anger at him questioning, just iron determination. "Yes, Bardiche. Set up." <GET SET.>

Not long after, she's streaking through the air, like a flash of lightning. She stops short, hovering in front of the Pink Haired General. Bardiche was held in a readied pose behind her back, a scythe blade of golden mana shining from it. She faces her head on, treating her as a Warrior Mage. "Explain your purpose for being here." She doesn't wait for an answer. Instead... she spins Bardiche with a stylish flourish over her head, before charging straight forward to try to cut through her. <SCYTHE SLASH>

COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Scythe Slash on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Ami Mizuno perfectly dodges Sailor Mars's Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Dodge!  Ami Mizuno's Fade ability activates!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight narrowly dodges Fate Testarossa's Scythe Slash, taking 6 Fatigue damage!  Mystery Knight's Flash ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Nadeshiko Fujisaki [Ohtori Academy (5)] has posed.

Nadeshiko Fujisaki finds herself doing an awful lot of shopping on the Guardians' behalf; today is no different, with the little girl wandering down toward the market with a neatly-folded list in her hand. Behind her, floating imperceptible to most, there is her fairy companion Temari, who is marveling starry-eyed at the adorable displays that dot the market.

And then, less starry-eyed, at the eye-twisting monster rhino. "Nadeshiko!" Temari yelps, pointing, and Nadeshiko's head, ponytail and all, whips to see. "Youma," she murmurs. Her eyes cast around, scanning. By now she knows that monsters like this usually have summoners --

"Up there!" she calls out, pointing to the Mystery Knight in the sky. "I," she says, slowly, and looks down at her feet with crooked, unhappy lips. "I can't jump that," she says.

"Nadeshiko..." Temari murmurs, tentative.

"It doesn't matter," she says, taking a slow breath. "There's people in danger! Temari! Chara change!"

"Of course!"

There's a low POP and...nothing else happens. Except Nadeshiko pulls out a spear from literally nowhere, appearing with a flash of pink light and a dusting of sakura blooms.

The other thing that happens: "So I guess it's time to do some poaching! GA HAA HA HA!" Is that Nadeshiko bares her teeth in a threatening manner and then charge at the rhino, leaps into the air with a fairly graceful swan leap, and then drives a spear into its side.

COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki transforms into Chara Change!
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has used Unmaidenly Conduct on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell perfectly counters Nadeshiko Fujisaki's Unmaidenly Conduct, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell's counterattack, Rhino Hide, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Nadeshiko Fujisaki!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has adjusted her boss levels. She is now ready to take on 8 opponents!

<Pose Tracker> Mystery Knight [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

Green and pink-hued and scented breezes roll up the street towards the superheated rhinoceros-like monster, blowing and buffetting bystanders back out of the way in the nick of time. The beast itself is slowed, and stopped entirely, mid-charge, by the simple expedient of Ren Aizawa swatting it upside the head with her Device.

Steam pours out of its nostrils as it huffs its indignation, and as its extra three sets of burning red eyes open above the first pair, it may occur to some that drawing the beast's attention may have been more of a failure than a success. Its enormous head swivels to silently regard the oncoming Forever Sunshine; lowering it just a smidgeon, it ensures that the part of his body that she impacts is both pointy and on fire. As though in slow motion, it shakes out the ringing in its ears, the air whooshing with the heat of its passage, just in time to have spheres of Nanoha's pink light knock it onto its side. It would have crashed over completely if Endo and Nadeshiko hadn't been slashing and stabbing it respectively it from the opposite direction; no blood opens up, but ultraviolet sparks fly everywhere, and it bellows its rage.

Bellows... drops its horn... and charges forward, out of the pack of magical girls and directly towards Clover Town Street's beloved statue of one of its founders, Takamichi Yotsuba. Its tonne-mass legs crush anyone who doesn't get out of its way quickly enough.

Above, the strange woman with the book fails to transform the sword charm around her neck into a combat-ready Armed Device in time to prevent Lera Camry from kicking her in the face. She steps back, into midair, and cleanly avoid Fate Testarossa's scythe slash.

"No," she replies flatly to Fate's demand for an explanation, and her negation serves just as well as an answer to Lera's 'what' and 'why'. Saluting them both with her scintillating, ancient longsword Device, she's had enough of running. Lunging forward, she lays about with her weapon as though she were beating a rug -- with impossibly fine precision. They each get one hit apiece.

No rug could possibly retain any dust after such a perfect application of force. Glancing down at the chaotic battlefield, she frowns at the possibility that her summoned creature might be overwhelmed, and sends down a bombardment of faintly violet flames in support of its chaos.

COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Stomping Stompy Stomp on Ren Aizawa.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Stomping Stompy Stomp on Japanese Cherry Blossom.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Stomping Stompy Stomp on Forever Sunshine.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Stomping Stompy Stomp on Nanoha Takamachi.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Stomping Stompy Stomp on Nadeshiko Fujisaki.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Rhino Charge on Clover Town Street.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Shiden Issen on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Shiden Issen on Fate Testarossa.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Violet Violence on Cure Berry.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lera Camry fails to dodge Mystery Knight's Shiden Issen, taking 32 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly dodges Mystery Knight's Shiden Issen, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Fate Testarossa's Fade ability activates!  Fate Testarossa's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine narrowly braces Rhinocedrell's Stomping Stompy Stomp, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Rhinocedrell is Psyched!
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa narrowly braces Rhinocedrell's Stomping Stompy Stomp, taking 3 Fatigue damage!  Ren Aizawa's Block ability activates!  Ren Aizawa's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine covers Clover Town Street for Rhinocedrell's attack, Rhino Charge, taking it upon themselves instead!
COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi perfectly dodges Rhinocedrell's Stomping Stompy Stomp, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Dodge!
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine fails to brace Rhinocedrell's Rhino Charge, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Bind Break! All of Rhinocedrell's debuffs are cleared!
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki narrowly dodges Rhinocedrell's Stomping Stompy Stomp, taking 3 Fatigue damage!  Nadeshiko Fujisaki's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Cure Berry fails to dodge Mystery Knight's Violet Violence, taking 31 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom fails to counter Rhinocedrell's Stomping Stompy Stomp, taking 20 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!
COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom's counterattack, Petal Blast, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Rhinocedrell!

<Pose Tracker> Shun Minami [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

There are various reasons why Shun Minami comes to Clover Town Street with some regularity. Part of it is that it's on the way home from school; mostly it's because of something he doesn't discuss in mixed company. Today, after the first round of finals, he does a little light reading while seated at a table near the front window of a local cafe, leisurely sipping tea from a cup that's brimming with sugar cubes. Every so often, he looks up at the crowds pass by, observing humans in their natural state. As the sky darkens and street lights come on, he glances outside and up the street and happens to catch sight of a tall woman with a pink ponytail. He frowns.

A second later, that blast of thers impacts, and Shun is behind his table, which has been slung to the floor like a shield. The oversugared cup of tea is dashed on the floor, its semi-liquid contents splattered halfway across the room. As other people scream and begin to run, he cautiously pokes his head up to witness the monsters up the street, just as it begins to literally grind down it. Keen observation down the street show, among the magical girls that quickly fly out to take on the unknown adversary (or at least, Soular doesn't know her), certain people whom he recognizes--including Dark Mercury, taking advantage of the situation (Shun holds back a smirk), and Setsuna, collapsed on the street, unable to get to her feet, as the monster charges her down.

Shun is halfway to his feet before he notices Love and Cure Berry near Setsuna. Curious that only one of them is transformed. All the same, he reasons, both of them 'know' that he and Setsuna are 'cousins,' so if he doesn't react with an appropriate amount of concern and they happen to notice him, that might jeopardize their respective covers.

Therefore, if 'Shun Minami' isn't present, it's all right, isn't it? He'll leave this one to Eas.

Hurrying out the cafe with the others, Shun heads away from Clover Town Street along with the crowd, down a side street. At some point, he is no longer in the crowd, having ducked into a dark doorway, but since everyone's worried about themselves and their friends and getting away from the monster, it's unlikely anybody notices.

A moment after that, a young man clad in green and black steps up to the edge of one of the Clover Town Street shop rooftops, arms folded, faint smirk playing on his lips. An early evening breeze brushes through his long, silver hair. He doesn't try to attack anyone or summon a Nakewameke, seeming content to watch events unfold... for the moment. This means, for the moment, having his attention on the rhinoceros-like monster as it rampages and charges the magical girls at large in response to their initial attacks, as well as on Fate as she confronts that pink-haired woman who summoned it: an apparent conflict of interest that, while fascinating, is the impetus behind Soular staying out of the fight.

He prefers not to engage if he doesn't know what's going on. Best to observe first and get a grasp of the situation.

COMBAT: Shun Minami transforms into Soular!

<Pose Tracker> Japanese Cherry Blossom [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Japanese Cherry Blossom doesn't leap in front of the statue, but does try to counteract the rhino's charge with a burst of her own, blasting out another pink wind. This doesn't go so well for her, however, as a little sweet breeze won't be enough to stop it! It tramples her down, and she rolls into the street, falling over herself with a scream. "You... terrible brutish creature, you can't just destroy parts of this precious town! It has history!"

She gets back to her feet, leaping to steady herself, and pointing. "....And history, must be preserved! You'll be punished this time!"

But she still feels a little wobbly after that charge. Maybe she needs to work on her combat training.

But maybe she can get a hit in on it if she keeps her wits about her. She pulls a chopstick out of her hair, and it glows gold, turning into a powerful magical dart between her fingertips. She throws it at the rhino youma. It seems so strange, such a small dart weapon against such a big tough shelled monster. But the smallest strikes can sometimes find purchase and where there is a will, there is hope.

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Even Setsuna's had a chance to start to memorize a lot of these faces, though she doesn't greet them as readily as Love or move among them as gracefully as Miki. But, she's never seen Clover Town Street quite from the angle she's seeing now; looking up at the monster charging forward straight at her, she can see others moving, attacking--

And she can see Dark Mercury. Her eyes narrow, briefly, as--

"Love!?" Her attention whips towards her friend, who has now put herself in the middle of this danger as well--and, Setsuna notes, her eyes widened, has done so without even calling on her powers. Love reaches her, stats to shift her to the side, and then the flames are already on their way; all Setsuna can do is throw up her arms and look back to her side for Love, before she finds herself lifted off the ground entirely. Cure Berry has arrived just in time; the little scrapes don't make much difference in the ability of Berry to move her.

What she is is left speechless looking between the two of them. It might look like shock, or maybe pain, since she's still out of breath from the fall.

But internally, Why?

COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has used Chopstick Throw on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to dodge Japanese Cherry Blossom's Chopstick Throw, taking 17 Fatigue damage!  Japanese Cherry Blossom is Psyched!

<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

At almost the instant that Rei tosses her ofuda, Ami's eyes snap up; she sees it coming and sweeps an arm out, freezing the paper in its tracks. It falls to the ground and shatters, and in moments, Ami turns her attention to the sailor-suited warrior of Mars. A small smirk crosses her face almost instantly, and she puts her data diamond down, eyes levelling at the other Senshi.

"I knew I'd be seeing you sooner or later, Sailor Mars," Dark Mercury says, taking a long, slow breath in as she moves toward Rei. "I'd ask how you've been doing, but the truth is that I really don't care."

With a small scoff, she adds, "We were never really that close anyway, were we? It was always easier for you to act like you were above the rest of us. To tell you the truth -- the only thing that surprises me here is that you bothered to look at me at all." She stands with one hand on her hip, simply waiting for Mars's next move.

COMBAT: Ami Mizuno has used Surgical Wit on Sailor Mars.
COMBAT: Ami Mizuno has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Lera rebounds from kicking the mysterious woman in the face, doing a tight backflip to land on the surface of the water tower. Her eyes narrow, before she catches something, and then they widen.

"Wha--"

Lera sees the blur of golden light coming from her left, head snapping to follow Fate charging in. Her brown-gold eyes go wide while watching her, seeing the scythe slash downward. A faint smile crosses her face, before she catches it, and puts it back into place. "Fate! What are you doing here?"

<Focus on the mysterious mage you attacked. Please.>

"Oh, right, eheh," Lera laughs awkwardly, before she spots the glint of Laevatein. She takes a quick step backward, trying to get out of the way of the sword -- and it catches her hard in the chest, her opponent's skill far more than Lera gave her credit for. She hisses sharply, as her jacket has a long glowing slash torn in the front. It crackles with light and wavers.

The slash remains behind, glowing softly. "That Device..." Lera's eyes narrow. "You're going to get a lot of people hurt doing this! We can't let you do this, especially to a nice town like this!" she yells, before she jumps. She goes airborne, a Midchildan magical circle flashing under her feet; it looks a little like it throws her into the air.

<Rapid Skyfall.>

Lera comes down practically on top of the knight, chopping the sword in her left hand down; it leaves a blaze of plasma in its wake. She hits the water tower's top, again, and then she slashes the right sword out in front of her with a horizontal slash. Then, she crosses both up in an X-shaped slash.

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Rapid Skyfall on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars perfectly braces Dark Mercury's Surgical Wit, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Critical Brace!

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

The Magic Knight of Wind blinks, and leaps away from the rhino-monster's charge, ducking and rolling safely into an alley well before it reaches her ... and as she gathers her wits, her bow and quiver materialize. She emerges again, belatedly waving back to Forever Sunshine - who seems to be in remarkably good shape, she realizes, considering she's not only trying to bodyblock the monster, but *keeps* endeavoring to stay in its path in an effort to keep it away from that statue.

The Wind Knight has also taken notice, by now, of a face-off between two girls who, judging by their uniforms, SHOULD be allies ... and the throwdown that's manifesting in the sky as Lera-san and others take on the knight woman. This is turning out to be quite the free-for-all, isn't it?

The green-clad Magic Knight considers briefly, then nocks an arrow, drawing it back and taking aim at the pink-haired swordswoman. She has to give it a moment for her allies to be safely out of the way - but the opening presents itself, and she looses the shaft ...

<Pose Tracker> Cure Berry [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

The creature had arrested most of Berry's attention, but admist the colours and light and flash of magical girls leaping to the attack... the fire that the knight sends out catches her eye most of all. Especially as it arcs towards where Setsuna and Love were seated. Gritting her teeth in sudden determination, Berry leans forward, putting a little more ~oomph~ into her step to get the others out of the way in time.

If she is fast enough... she can pick them up and get them out of the way herself.

Like a bolt of lightning, Berry alights near, and lifts both Love and Setsuna, twisting her body to the side as if to shield them before leaping off again. The observant might notice the way she winces, but it went too fast - perhaps even for Berry herself to realize.

It was only when she just about... drops the two young women out of the road, onto the sidewalk, that she allows herself to cry out, sinking to her knees beside them both, bringing up a hand to touch her side - her clothes were spotless, but the flesh beneath - it felt seared, burned, sunburned. It /hurt/, but it is with a shuddering breath that Berry rises up to a stand once more.

"Love..." says Berry to the other. A beat, and Berry's face goes kinda wonky, her lips screwing up as her eyes close. "I mean, um... I think you should go check on your... um... parents," she says, slightly breathless. But then she turns her eyes towards Setsuna. "And if you could try to go someplace safer - Pretty Cure will watch out for you!"

That was said with a peppy voice and an exaggerated wink, Berry leaping up and away from the two, letting her eyes linger upon the two young women before she twists in her leaping flight... and arches around, hoping to kinda twist her momentum into a spiraling kick that will end up impacting the Mysterious Knight.

COMBAT: Cure Berry has used Perfect Dart on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Cure Berry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Basic Archery on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight narrowly braces Lera Camry's Rapid Skyfall, taking 11 Fatigue damage!  Mystery Knight's Block ability activates!  Mystery Knight's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight narrowly dodges Fuu Hououji's Basic Archery, taking 6 Fatigue damage!  Mystery Knight's Flash ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Ren Aizawa [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Ren's entire arm reverberates when she strikes the rhino, causing her to clench her teeth as it travels throughout her body. Wow! This thing is pretty tough! Must be that hide. Rhino's have thick hides to begin with. This one obviously has been pumped up to the max! And now it looks pretty angry...

"Heraut!" She raises the device in front of her right as it chimes out a response to her cry.

<PROTECTION!> And the familiar shield of gold materializes just in time to be met with the forceful stomp of the raging monster, which knocks Ren back onto the ground and shatters the magical barrier almost instantly. Thankfully it seems to have lasted long enough to protect her from truly getting stomped. She breathes a sigh of relief, unsure how her barrier jacket would respond to being stepped on. In a flash she's back up onto her feet, only to find more magical heroes and heroines have appeared on the scene. Including Endo. She smiles real big at him, though in truth he's probably too busy to notice.

<YOUR MAJESTY?> Souverain Heraut is wholly concerned with the fight. Ren snaps to attention, directing her device at the enormous stomping feet of the rhino.

<SPINEL COFFIN.>

A jet of golden light shoots out from the scepter after a moment is spent charging up, which attempts to encircle around the monster's feet and root it in place with crystals that grow and snake up from the ground.

COMBAT: Ren Aizawa has used Spinel Coffin on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight fails to counter Cure Berry's Perfect Dart, taking 36 Fatigue damage!  Stagger applied to Mystery Knight!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight's counterattack, Panzergeist, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Cure Berry!

<Pose Tracker> Forever Sunshine [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

From an exterior perspective, Forever Sunshine is zipping around like a squirrel in a nut factory - but from her pragmatic perspective, she is doing quite differently. She's the one at a normal pace - it's the /world/ that slowed down, relative to her perceptions!

She is running all out, of course, and so it is that the youma's turning head is something she can't avoid. She slams into it, rolling over the fire and pulling a face of momentary pain as her arm is singed - but this is not as bad, perhaps, as it might have been (even if it's releasing a scent of citrus oil in the air).

Of course, momentum means Forever Sunshine goes flying up into the air, doing a turning backflip. Again, from her perspective, almost leisurely. She can hear the slowed-down words of the outside world, and considers if she was really wise to try this out so soon into battle.

Forever Sunshine clenches a fist. "I don't have a choice -"

Landing, she turns to face the incoming rhino - and gets squashed underneath one foot with a comic burst of praline fragrance.

From outside, though, her squeaky voice peeps out: "hahahanowi'vegotyouwhere/i want you/"

She is then stepped on again. "ow"

BUT

The shimmering effect of reddish purple light around Forever Sunshine fades as she draws her magic back into her. Her knees hold onto the creature's leg as she murmurs to herself, "For the sake of the memories of this town... for the sake of everyone's hopes and dreams... for the sake of peace, and the liberation of all sentient beings, I have to do something!"

Her right hand extends, fingers curling together. "The fire's inside of me... And it rises! HORRYAH--"

Forever Sunshine lets go, bounces off the pavement, and rises up in a stone-crunchingly forceful uppercut aimed at the Rhinocedrell's majestic jawline! Enough force to throw the creature off its course - whatever else its thick hide allows - even if Forever Sunshine looks a little ragged when she lands, pausing to crouch and catch a couple of quick deep breaths!

COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has used Rising Sandalwood on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell narrowly counters Ren Aizawa's Spinel Coffin, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Tangle applied to Rhinocedrell!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell's counterattack, Blinding Horn, partially gets through, doing 4 Fatigue damage to Ren Aizawa!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell narrowly braces Forever Sunshine's Rising Sandalwood, taking 4 Fatigue damage!  Rhinocedrell's Parry ability activates!  Stagger applied to Rhinocedrell!

<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

Rei's brow furrows into a glaring scowl at the moment the prayer is stopped in midflight. She sought confirmation that Ami was possessed by the powers of darkness, and her friend had just used her powers to deflect what is harmless tissue to an untouched person. While the ritual would have been conclusive, Rei's willing to accept this as a confirmation unto itself with what she knows, and what she feels.

Placing a hand at her hip and planting her heel in the ground like a swordtip, Sailor Mars tosses her hair back before staring down her comrade. "Hello, Sailor Mercury. Though you're not /just/ Sailor Mercury, are you?" A rueful half grin comes to her face. "Something else I'm familiar with. Your petty taunts are meaningless, Fiend. I've dealt with your ilk before. Now, in the name of Mars, I will chastise you!"

COMBAT: Sailor Mars has used In The Name Of Mars on Dark Mercury.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Love Momozono [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Love Momozono is quite thankful that Miki was able to think straight in the midst of all the chaos. She had the presence of mind to transform -before- leaping into action and saved both Setsuna and her. Miki truly was perfect! Love gives Berry a slight, but still extremely thankful nod mid-flight. She won't forget this! Her pink eyes soon move from Berry towards Setsuna. "I'm so glad you're okay," blurts Love out quickly as they are dropped on the ground by Berry. She then reaches out and attempts to put her hands on Setsuna's shoulders. "Find somewhere safe to hide! I'm going to run for help!" She says quickly before turning right towards Berry and seeing firsthand the pain she cause her friend by acting without thinking.

The young auburn haired girl opens her mouth to say something, but immediately covers her mouth with both of her hands to prevent any intelligible sound from escaping as well as chance of her accidentally revealing's Berry's identity. A look of supreme determination appears on Love's face and she nods her head up and down at Berry's suggestion. She then looks back to Setsuna one last time before taking off for the nearby alley, her linkrun already being taken out of her sweatshirt pocket.

The 'cellphone' is flipped open and she quickly activates it while yelling, "Change! Pretty Cure- Beat up!" Pink light washes over Love Momozono and soon a long blonde pig-tailed warrior stands in her place. Despite the change in appearance, Cure Peach wears the same look of determination that Love Momozono had a moment before. It was time to get serious and help out all the others whom were already fighting the monster as well as its apparent summoner. "Let's Pretty Cure!" She shouts before crouching down and scanning for the first place to jump to. Love finds it, but pauses briefly to glance over her shoulder to see if Setsuna made it out okay before turning back around and LEAPING into action. She hops her way up to join Berry in attacking the Mystery Knight. While Berry attempts a kick, Peach will try to land a huge punch on their mutual opponent.

COMBAT: Love Momozono transforms into Cure Peach!
COMBAT: Cure Peach has used Pretty Cure Fresh Punch on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Cure Peach has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight fails to dodge Cure Peach's Pretty Cure Fresh Punch, taking 28 Fatigue damage!  Cure Peach is Psyched!

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Endo blurs past the Rhino, damage done. That's about all he's going to help out with that for now, various magical girls coming out of the woodworks to put his mind at ease about it. They've probably got this. He even spots Ren, just for a second as he flashes by.

But more important is that other knight. He takes a running bound up the wall of the building, then the roof, hitting the top of it and bringing his device about. He can see Lera already in action, and-that girl with the scythe. Apparently on their side today, and a few others. Which doesn't really stop him from pitching in.

"Hey! You! Stop doing...whatever you're doing!"

<ENGAGING. RADIAL VELOCITY.>

Endo rushes forward, the sword in his hands spinning the weapon around, lunging forward to bring it around in a sweeping arc toward the Knight. It comes a second time after that, spinning around and coming in low. The magic that propels his motion is clearly Belkan, sharp triangular symbols that coincide with his movements.

<A KNIGHT. THIS IS UNEXPECTED.> Fallen Stern sounds about as surprised as a machine can. It doesn't stop it from trying to cut its target in half, though. Professionalism first.

COMBAT: Endo Naoki has used Radial Velocity on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Endo Naoki has finished attacking.

Ail has reconnected. Seijuro Ginga has left.

COMBAT: Mystery Knight fails to counter Endo Naoki's Radial Velocity, taking 52 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight's counterattack, Shiden Issen, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Endo Naoki!

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.

The Knight's denial rings out just as Fate's scythe misses. Spinning away in a graceful manuever, she finds herself only barely equal to the task of dodging the Mystery Knight's first move. The ancient longsword cuts so close to her neck that she feels her hair part. That knight might be treated to the sight of the the younger girl looking shocked, for just a moment, before her scarlet eyes glare back with renewed determination.

This sort of battle is what Linith trained her for, wasn't it? Standing in the air once more at a readied pose, she doesn't even look Magical Cheeseburger Propane-chan's way, answering her question. "Why does it matter with an opponent like this before us? Can't you feel it? Now isn't a time for words." It was unusual, given her previous request for an explanation herself. Then again, Fate may have a bit of a double standard for explaining herself.

Streaking up suddenly in altitude, she stops overhead, waiting for her opening as Cheeseburger strikes, noting in her head that her swordsmanship is improving, and the gloriously beautiful Pretty Cure makes her entrance with a Kick. Fate doesn't know who she is, but even she turns her head to admire her the perfection of her attack. She continues to wait patiently, even as the other, familiar mage joins, she takes in his own swordsmanship. She hadn't fought him, but that might change soon, and she needed to know every detail she could gleen about his fighting style. Once clear, she spins Bardiche around herself, the blade spiraling out. <ARC SABER>

The golden blade of mana moves in serpentine motions, tracking and following the Knight, and yet moving chaotically at the same time. It drives towards her, and once it's close enough to her personal space. Fate's voice rings out clearly, "Saber Explode." Violet arcs of lightning form across it's surface as it reaches critical mass, moments before detonating.

COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Arc Saber on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Dark Mercury fails to brace Sailor Mars's In The Name Of Mars, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Sailor Mars is Psyched!

<Pose Tracker> Nanoha Takamachi [Infinity Institute (3)] has posed.

"Awah?"

A sudden CHARGING rhino is really not something Nanoha had expected to deal with today, and when the terrible beast regains its sense of balance, and bellows so furiously, she's left staring in shock for a moment, blue eyes widening as... It goes rushing. "WAH!"

That seems to be the general reaction, when the pink wings of light at her ankles flutter once.

<FLIER FIN!>

With an upward jerk she's carried out of the path of the charge, but that leaves the local infrastructure in danger. Ren has a good idea, and Nanoha is quick to follow on it. "Raising Heart! Let's try and stop it, too!"

<YES! RESTRICT LOCK!> The faithful Device chimes affirmatively, several bands of bright pink light forming to layer over Ren's spell.

<MASTER, PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND THE OTHERS INVOLVED HOWEVER.> She however chides, which makes the girl flush a little.

COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi has used Restrict Lock on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight perfectly counters Fate Testarossa's Arc Saber, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!  Mystery Knight's Tactician ability activates!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight's counterattack, Schlangebaisen, bursts all the way through, doing 66 Fatigue damage to Fate Testarossa!

<Pose Tracker> Nadeshiko Fujisaki [Ohtori Academy (5)] has posed.

Nadeshiko's high-flying spear work doesn't actually tear into the rhinoized youma very effectively, but she's pretty used to that. Chara Change isn't really a fighting form, so to speak; it's OK for it, but there's a reason they rely so much on Amu...Character Transformation is a whole other level, something Nadeshiko's heart quails at for the dissonance with Temari she can't overcome.

Outwardly this just means that she kicks off the edge when her spear dive doesn't do much but make it peel off, feet landing hard and her knees bending to catch her weight.

She whips her spear around in hand, considering the situation. Everyone's tearing off after the knight. "Stay here," she says to herself, rounding to put an eye back on the youma. This thing's just going berserk. Focus her efforts on that, for now.

Which she does; with a gutteral yowl she charges down the lane. But a monster rhino is faster than her! So what she does is plant one foot, and round with her entire body to PITCH her spear downrange, the air corkscrewing around the weapon with the force of her hurl. "SLOW DOWN AND GET BACK HERE SO'S I CAN SKINS YA!"

COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has used Naginata Throw on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to dodge Nadeshiko Fujisaki's Naginata Throw, taking 26 Fatigue damage!  Rhinocedrell is Quipped!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to brace Nanoha Takamachi's Restrict Lock, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Nanoha Takamachi is Psyched!  Tangle applied to Rhinocedrell!

<Pose Tracker> Dark Mercury [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Though Mercury winces a little at the accusation of being a demon, she doesn't back down from Mars. "You'd like it if it were that simple, I'm sure. 'Oh, Sailor Mercury -- she's so hapless and weak and she got herself possessed by a demon!'" She shakes her head, giving her eyes a good, hearty roll. "I'll forgive you your ignorance. For now."

Continuing to move toward Mars, she explains, "Labyrinth gave me something you couldn't ever hope to understand. I have a /purpose/ now -- a purpose that won't abandon me no matter what." For now, though, it seems she's done talking.

Instead, she throws out her hands in front of her, crying out, "I hope you understand, someday! Dark Sabao Spray!" Sure enough, there are bubbles -- but where before they were cool and fresh, they seem almost... oily, now. Unnatural. ... and kinda gross.

COMBAT: Dark Mercury has used Dark Sabao Spray on Sailor Mars.
COMBAT: Dark Mercury has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Mystery Knight [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

Lera's words evoke no outward response from the mysterious knight other than a slight thinning of the lips -- but inwardly, her grimace is rueful indeed. Those shining eyes, furious feelings, determination to protect others; it is, indeed, not so different from herself. Bringing her Device up in a sizzling arc, she slashes the bolts of Rapid Skyfall out of the air, though not without considerable effort on her part.

Leaping back, the Magic Knight of Wind's arrow passes sharply between the two of them, directly before her steady, unblinking eyes, as though in slow motion. It gives Cure Berry and Cure Peach plenty of time to clear the distance between them. "Laevatein!" she shouts sharply as the two approach.

<< Panzergeist. >>

A softly glowing barrier rises around her to take the worst of the Pretty Cures' kick and punch -- and shatters completely on impact, not even slowing her down. Signum throws a hand up in front of her face as she's blown backwards, skids across two rooftops, and manages to alight herself upon the railing of a third--

-- just in time for Endo to nearly cut her in half, driving her in a graceless backflip towards a fourth, just for good measure. Now she's standing atop the candy shop, on its roof.

As the wind whips her braids and pigtail behind her, it occurs to her that perhaps she shouldn't have sent that fire bombardment down there quite so hastily. Fate Testarossa is following up with that brilliant arc saber of hers, though.

"ENOUGH!" she snaps, flicking her wrist. << Schlangeform! >>

The blade separates first into five or six segments, wraps around the blast of energy, and snuffs it out of existence, then continues forward to lash out at Fate in an act of utterly brutal violence. It stretches impossibly, becoming a battlefield-scale whip. Every single barb is hungry to rend and tear.

This appears to be working, so she proceeds to continue the assault against all those attempting to stand against her. She cannot fall -- not now!

<< Schlangebeisen. >> The snake-form sword is somehow everywhere and nowhere, just like the Knight at the center of the storm. "Withdraw immediately, or I cannot promise your survival!" Clover Town Street itself is in considerable danger of harm, chunks of rooftile getting sucked into the bladestorm to batter people about.

Below, Japanese Cherry Blossom's chopstick-cum-dart streaks out like a golden bolt to take the pseudo-rhinoceros on the side. It's much too ponderous a creature to dodge. It has more success deflecting Ren's jet of golden light; slashing its horn downwards, it disrupts the bindings before they can get around more than one enormous ankle, and sends fire back the way they came towards the Midchildan-style caster. Forever Sunshine uses this distraction to close, and boldly uppercuts the beast, right in the kisser. It's rocked back by the force, but, its eight eyes narrowing as it sets itself against the attack, not all that far.

All eight eyes open very widely indeed as Nadeshiko's naginata penetrates, prompting another glass pane-shattering bellow of pain, right in the girl's face! And in this moment of distraction, Nanoha has little trouble setting up pink Restrict Locks around two more of its legs. It only has one free!

Said one lashes out at Forever Sunshine once again, attempting to bludgeon the Perfume Warrior Away... while its gigantic horn sizzles and pops with heat, then explodes into flame, flame which lashes out to engulf Japanese Cherry Blossom, Ren, and Nanoha!

COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Schlangebaisen on Endo Naoki.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Schlangebaisen on Cure Berry.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Schlangebaisen on Cure Peach.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Schlangebaisen on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Schlangebasien Angriff on Fate Testarossa.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Schlangebasien Angriff on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Schlangebasien Angriff on Clover Town Street.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Sworn Promise on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight accepts Mystery Knight's Sworn Promise, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Terrible Roar on Nadeshiko Fujisaki.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Reckless Endangerment on Forever Sunshine.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Burning Horn on Ren Aizawa.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Burning Horn on Nanoha Takamachi.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Burning Horn on Japanese Cherry Blossom.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom fails to dodge Rhinocedrell's Burning Horn, taking 34 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly braces Mystery Knight's Schlangebaisen, taking 34 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Sailor Mars narrowly counters Dark Mercury's Dark Sabao Spray, taking 9 Fatigue damage!  Blind, Cripple, and Stun applied to Sailor Mars!
COMBAT: Sailor Mars's counterattack, Searing Serpent, partially gets through, doing 7 Fatigue damage to Dark Mercury!
COMBAT: Lera Camry perfectly dodges Mystery Knight's Schlangebasien Angriff, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Dodge!  Lera Camry's Fade ability activates!  Lera Camry's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly counters Mystery Knight's Schlangebasien Angriff, taking 12 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Fate Testarossa's Reverse ability activates!  Tangle applied to Fate Testarossa!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa's counterattack, Defenser, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Mystery Knight!
COMBAT: Cure Berry narrowly braces Mystery Knight's Schlangebaisen, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Cure Berry's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine fails to dodge Rhinocedrell's Reckless Endangerment, taking 34 Fatigue damage!  Tangle applied to Forever Sunshine!
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki fails to dodge Rhinocedrell's Terrible Roar, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Tangle and Trap applied to Nadeshiko Fujisaki!
COMBAT: Endo Naoki narrowly braces Mystery Knight's Schlangebaisen, taking 26 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Cure Peach narrowly braces Mystery Knight's Schlangebaisen, taking 24 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Cure Peach's Block ability activates!  Cure Peach's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Cure Peach tries to cover Clover Town Street for Mystery Knight's attack, Schlangebasien Angriff, but cannot get there in time!
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa narrowly counters Rhinocedrell's Burning Horn, taking 12 Fatigue damage!  Ren Aizawa's Reverse ability activates!
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa's counterattack, Regal Crasher, partially gets through, doing 15 Fatigue damage to Rhinocedrell!

<Pose Tracker> Japanese Cherry Blossom [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

"Ah!" Japanese Cherry Blossom feels a bit better when her strike hits the huge creature, as it means that there's still hope, in spite of its violent bulk. But then a flame rushes out for her...

She tries to dive aside. But she fails completely, getting caught in the blast of horrible heat. She ends up on her face in the fire, feeling a little lost and hopeless for a moment in spite of herself.

She scrambles back up, but she looks tired already. "...Forever Sunshine! You ... may have to handle this one today! The fire..." She coughs a few times as fumes get into her. "It has me pinned down here! You've got this one!"

COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has used Team Encouragement on Forever Sunshine.
COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine accepts Japanese Cherry Blossom's Team Encouragement, taking 0 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Setsuna doesn't actually have the words to voice her reaction when Berry sets her down with Love, and finally makes clear that she was hit--the darker-haired girl didn't have the angle to see it, but even Berry, the one most suspicious of her, took injury to get them out of the way. She's spared having to say anything about it, however--

Though if either of them is particulaly observant right now--doubtful--they may see her lack of surprise that Berry would be so casual with Love.

The surprise shows up anyway. Go someplace sve, she says, with a wink, and then Berry's already gone, and Love's words are registering too. Still dazed, all she can do is turn her red eyes back to Love and then watch her start to go. "Love--!"

She's seen that look before. ...But, not from here.

For a moment she hardly even moves. She glances over to the confrontation building down the street, and involuntarily starts to reach to a pocket, for her data diamond, to show this thing exactly what it can expect for--

She stops, lowering her hand. It would blow her cover, and for what? Clearly she just isn't thinking straight. She only needs to wait it out. So, bringing herself to her knees, and wincing through the pain of standing, she uses the wall beside her to rest against to make up for her twisted ankle, limping down behind a little barrier to use as cover. Finally, she starts to observe. Fate; Soular, observing. ...Dark Mercury, fighting another of her old compatriots. And, of course, the warrior and her monster.

Don't think I'll forget this. But she doesn't say it aloud; instead, legs folded and ankle left out to the side without weight on it, all Setsuna Higashi can do is find her red eyes shifting between Cures Peach and Berry.

COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi fails to dodge Rhinocedrell's Burning Horn, taking 23 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Lera's slashes are met blow for blow, to her surprise. She /is/ a pretty good swordswoman, after all, but she never trained in the Belkan school of swordfighting (and would have you believe that she uses traditional American fencing techniques). She isn't ready for the defenses that the mysterious knight brings to the table. Each parry is met with a crackle of energy, when plasma blade meets sword.

She takes a step backward, breathing hard. That took something out of her.

Fate talks to Lera, and it makes the latter's expression falter for a moment. She remembers how angry she was when she left the amusement park. Maybe some of that comes creeping back in for Lera. "I guess not, but..." Lera frowns, then shakes her head at Fate. She has a point, she decides. This is not the time to ask questions, nor the person that she should ask questions to. "Let's do it, then!"

She starts running -- and then everything happens at once. Two Pretty Cures dash in (and she recognizes Cure Berry among them), and Endo. Then she sees the sword separate, into a chain-like blade, and sweep out around them -- and even down towards the town below. Lera opens her mouth, and lets out a shout as the edge of the weapon comes in for her.

<That Device! It...!>

"I know! But--how did it--"

She jumps up over it, leaping high into the air as the bladed whip slashes at where she had been standing. As she twists in midair, she catches the rhinoceros below, and sees the Perfume Splashes fighting it. Her eyes narrow, before she looks back at the mystery knight. She points her right sword down at the other swordswoman.

She heard the language that Device talked in. Her eyes widen, then, and she shouts.

"Where did you get that Device?" she snaps, more than a little heatedly. "Where do you come from?"

She drops down in a blur red-orange light, leaving a long, narrow trail after her as she slashes down with the outstretched sword and shoots right by the mysterious knight, her boots skidding along the tower's roof when she lands.

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Strike Soar on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Nanoha Takamachi [Infinity Institute (3)] has posed.

Doing her best to hold her bind spell down, the sudden crackling horn makes Nanoha look up.

It sprays fire.

"... Oh." Oh is right as she's engulfed. The flare and heat sears her Barrier Jacket and sets Nanoha yelpingwith a squeal of pain and surprise.

And flailing uselessly for a little bit.

<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

Mercury's words slide off of Mars without resistance, and she pays them little mind..but the word "labyrinth" is not one that she'll forget. Perhaps Luna might know something..in any case..

Rancid bubbles belch towards her with a grimy disposition. Rei's upper lip curls in minor revulsion..surely if Ami were in her right mind, she'd see the filth for what it is. Lifting her arm high in the air, a single glowing point incandescent light forms at her finger tip.

As she pulls her hand down, and then forward, the point stretches with her touch, painting a stroke of fire in mid air. As the motion finishes, Sailor Mars' hand stretches towards Sailor Mercury, and the fire launches forward. The flames grow in size and length as they travel, the tip of the column stretching wide to form a simple yet recognizable serpent's head, open with fangs extended.

The fire and the water meet. The steam between them smells faintly of burning tires, and a small measure of each attack reaches each combatant. Combat rages all around them, but Rei can't afford to divide her focus unless she's forced to. Ami's analytic, so Rei's glad that she made the first move. But they both know each other's abilities well..could one truly surprise the other?

Rei takes another ofuda in hand, differently marked from its predecessor. Rei holds it before her face, like the last, but this time the ruby in her crown begins to glow brightly, and the parchment with it in a matching crimson aura before the paper itself becomes indistinguishably red. There is no chant this time, for the power in this paper does not derive from mantra. If Ami is truly herself, then she will be unharmed.

Rei's arm snaps forward like a pitcher's, launching the gleaming slip towards her ally.

COMBAT: Sailor Mars has used Evil, Begone! on Dark Mercury.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi has used Catch Breath on Nanoha Takamachi.
COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi accepts Nanoha Takamachi's Catch Breath, taking 0 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight perfectly dodges Lera Camry's Strike Soar, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Dodge!  Mystery Knight's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Dark Mercury narrowly dodges Sailor Mars's Evil, Begone!, taking 23 Fatigue damage!  Dark Mercury's Fade ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

All the Magic Knight of Wind can do when the mysterious flying knight turns her sword into an insanely long bladed whip and starts lashing at seemingly *everything* is to hunker down, wrap the wind around her for what protection it'll provide, and grit her teeth. It really, *really* hurts ... but she's taken worse onslaughts than this.

It probably helps a lot that the entirety of the assault isn't focused on her specifically - but even so, that's a LOT of damage flying around, and it's a rather profound relief when the whiplike attack finally abates. The Wind Knight spares a glance skywards, sizing up the state of her allies, then surveys the situation at street level - which is probably where she's going to need to focus her attention. She may be a reasonably crack archer, but the aerial battle seems a little beyond her ability to pitch in at the moment.

"Mamori no Kaze!" calls the Wind Knight, casting a defensive barrier of wind around Forever Sunshine. It's rather belated, but hopefully it'll help her stay on her feet long enough to make more of a difference - and the Wind Knight *can't* overlook how daringly tanky Forever Sunshine's already been in this battle. There are others who look like they could use some help as well, but the Magic Knight of Wind can't split her attention THAT far ...

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Mamori no Kaze on Forever Sunshine.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine accepts Fuu Hououji's Mamori no Kaze, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Accelerate and Withstand applied to Forever Sunshine!
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa transforms into Barrier Jacket!

<Pose Tracker> Forever Sunshine [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Forever Sunshine stares down at the rhino's - eight eyes?

"Rhinos don't have eight eyes," she says, helpfully. "Are you a spidGUHH!!"

Without the help of her accelerating bubble, Forever Sunshine's guard was a bit down, and she pays for it, smashing into a concrete post and looking momentarily confounded, twitching as she feels her spine snap back chiropractic style! Fortunately, her protective memories of grace and style keeps this from being worse than 'ooh that'll smart in an hour'...

But it's debilitating. Even so, Cherry Blossom's counting on her: she can hear that friend's voice, and she rises back upwards, cracking her knuckles.

"Hey guys! Heads up. This is going to make you go faster!" she explains aloud. Sakura will doubtless know what's coming, but Forever Sunshine holds her sundial aloft, declaring to the rhino as she points towards it with one finger:

"Monstrosity can never -"

Wind whips around her, spreading around her summery fragrance with summary force! She beams up to Fuu, before her throat clears and she continues: "Monstrosity can never overcome the hopes of a nice little shopping street! Summer's warmth and light brings out the acceleration of everyday life, and it quickens the growth of plants and warm memories alike!"

That sounds good, she thinks, before she presses her magic out with some effort - the sundial sparkles...

And a huge shadow is momentarily cast outwards, crossing over Japanese Cherry Blossom, the petite yet furious Nadeshiko, and the barrier-jacketted Ms. Aizawa! A shining shell of red-purple magic engulfs them - within, the light of the world seems to become that perfect sunset luminosity, with long soft shadows.

Also, the outside world just got about three times slower. 'Gosh,' Forever Sunshine thinks to herself, 'I hope that won't throw them off.' She calls up to Fuu, "Sorry! I have to get the shadow on 'em!!"

COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has used Sunrise Shimmer on Japanese Cherry Blossom.
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has used Sunrise Shimmer on Ren Aizawa.
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has used Sunrise Shimmer on Nadeshiko Fujisaki.
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa accepts Forever Sunshine's Sunrise Shimmer, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Empower applied to Ren Aizawa!

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.

The segmented blade strikes at Fate like a serpent, shearing through her attack as if it were made of paper. Fate Testarossa is completely unprepared for this eventuality. Each segment cuts through her auto-protection spells as if they were less than paper, and she's cut from multiple sides. The force of the drive swats her around in the air like she's a mosquito before the Belkan Knight's power. A shriek bubbles out of her lips somewhere throughout all of it, even if it's somewhat muffled. Her attire is shredded on multiple sides, and she feels faint.

The Knight gives her no time to recover. The next assault comes almost immediately, and she lifts a hand feebly to try to reinforce her protective barriers. <DEFENSER> The rippling shield that forms holds, but Fate is driven downward, crashing against the rooftop of a shop, as concrete and mortar flies, draping her in a cloud of dust. When it clears she's in the middle of a crater, struggling to get up. <SIR. RECOMMENDING WITHDRAWAL.> It was the best advice Bardiche could have given in her state...

'One day. You're most likely going to encounter an opponent that is beyond you.' A lesson upon a verdure hill, draped in dappled sunlight, the younger girl's smiling face becoming more subdued as she regarded her cat-eared tutor with a more grave expression, 'What do I do when I do?' Linith's own smile was subdued, as if the thought of her charge battling such a person broke her heart. 'You're going to have to decide if the outcome matters enough for you to put everything on the line.' Looking down at her lap, Fate frowned, 'How will I know /that/?' 'You'll just know.' Fate screwed up her face at her tutor, 'That's no help at all Linith!' Linith just laughed, though there was no real mirth in it.

"Not yet." Her voice croaks, as she climbed to one knee. <SIR?> She couldn't tell Bardiche, with all of her heart that this was important enough to put everything on the line. Not like it was with the Jewel Seeds. She couldn't tell the spectre of Linith that it was worth it. "I'm a Testarossa." Instead she faced the image of her mother, seated upon her black throne in the Garden of Time. "We don't back down from obstacles in our way." She turns her gaze skyward at the Belkan Knight. "We remove them." It was comforting, to apply the instructions obediently, to fall back upon simple pride of her bloodline that her mother tried to impress upon her.

Rising upwards rapidly, a giant Midchildan circle forms in the air, ephemeral, though it looks tangible enough to stand upon. She holds Bardiche in front of her face perpendicular to it, closing her eyes. "Arcus Cultus Aegeas!" <PHOTON LANCER> "Phalanx Shift." Throughout the sky, numerous golden orbs with violet arcs of electricity played acros their surface, all suspended parallel to her. Then like some great Mage-General commanding a phalanx of Magical Soldiers, she spins Bardiche, before cutting him forward. "FIRE!" Suddenly, they lance forward in sequence, blanketing her target in countless small explosions.

COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Photon Lancer: Phalanx Shift on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight fails to counter Fate Testarossa's Photon Lancer: Phalanx Shift, taking 46 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight's counterattack, Panzergeist, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Fate Testarossa!
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki accepts Forever Sunshine's Sunrise Shimmer, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Empower applied to Nadeshiko Fujisaki!

<Pose Tracker> Cure Berry [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

It hurt. It still hurt. Focused eyes on the Knight that she just struck, Berry lands upon the road, and turns her toes inward. Up comes her arms, and as that snake form sword strikes out at her, she ~perfectly~ puts her forearm in the place where that twisting sword would cut her the least, the blow of it jarring down to the bone as that little rope between the knives strikes her there - and she ducks and pulls her arm away before the rest of it could whip around the arm.

It lashes again. Berry ducks down, and brings up her forearm again, the back of her mind worried about Love - but the front of her mind knowing she had to focus. Again. Again. Again.

She felt the bruises.

But when the flurry ended, Berry breathes out - a glance away to check on Peach, and the other apparent villains - Dark Mercury had managed to avoid her gaze so far. That left these two.

What Berry was ~hoping~ was that enough focus was on the Knight that her sudden shift of target to the youma would be sneaky enough to get a quick little punch in, Berry lunging to one side and trying to deliver a straight punch to the creature's flanks.

But well. We shall see about that.

COMBAT: Cure Berry has used Twisting Strike on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Cure Berry has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Endo's sword makes a pretty good shield, big as it is. The barrier it puts up helps too. But neither are good or fast enough to keep from getting several chunks of his barrier jacket and skin from getting lacerated by the other knight's own weapon. He lets out a hiss of pain through gritted teeth, light flashing and sparking wherever the sword touches his own device.

<IS THIS ANOTHER REMENANT?> Endo's device sounds like It'd like to know the same things Lera is asking. Except in that grouchy-reverb-German voice it has. <KNIGHT. EXERCISE CAUTION.>

"What are you-aaah, explain it after we're done!" Endo just does what he does best. The boy pivots, bringing up the sword again, rushing in on the wake of Lera's swords and the explosive blasts of Fate's attack. "No, YOU withdraw!" He'll wait until there's another gap in the mass of attackers, and fill it with himself. Himself and the blocky end of his Device.

COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom accepts Forever Sunshine's Sunrise Shimmer, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Empower applied to Japanese Cherry Blossom!
COMBAT: Endo Naoki has used Blueshift on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Endo Naoki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight narrowly counters Endo Naoki's Blueshift, taking 10 Fatigue damage!  Mystery Knight's Tactician ability activates!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight's counterattack, Shiden Issen, partially gets through, doing 13 Fatigue damage to Endo Naoki!

<Pose Tracker> Cure Peach [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Using the power of teamwork, Cure Peach is able to shatter the barrier in unison with Cure Berry. Yes! That was the way to do it! If they kept this up, their chances of saving Clover Town Street from destruction was getting increasingly better. But their mysterious combatant had some tricks up her sleeves. That whip like sword of her was being whirled around and Peach sinply couldn't keep up with it. The blade gets above and smacks her straight down into the ground, cutting at her as it does so. This mighty blow knocks the wind straight out of Peach. Her pink eyes go wide as she watches the sword continue to whip around, hitting allies and endangering the street and its residents storefronts. She can't let Clover Town Street be destroyed! Peach stuggles to her feet, but soon trips immediately afterwards. The blonde teenager face plants straight into the ground. Perhaps the blow had hit her march harder than she had anticipated.

But to add insult to injury, there was now no way that Peach could curb the whip-sword's furious attack. She was helpless to do much of anything from down their in the rumble. But, maybe Berry, can save the day again! "Berry! Don't let any of the homes here get destroyed! They will never get their happiness if that happens!" Peach implores of her friend as she once more struggles to get back up onto her feet. It was true though, Peach could not bear to see her home street be destroyed. They had to something, they had to win! They had to get their happiness!

Despite all of this, Peach also takes a moment to look around to see if anyone was still caught in the crossfire of the raging creature and its just as powerful owner. Hopefully the residents of Clover Town Street were able to get away and hopefully Setsuna was able to as well!

<Pose Tracker> Ren Aizawa [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Getting at least one foot snagged is better than nothing, Ren surmises. With her attack semi-successful she takes a moment to crane her neck up at the second battle the seems to be taking place. Her eyes widen. Is that a mage?! Was /she/ the cause of all this? Endo, Lera, and the others are engaging the mystery knight, and Ren wants to jump in and help. But Rhinocedrell has a bone to pick with her -- as he should since she's been beating him up. He gets off an attack in retaliation, and Ren has no time to block it, catching it right in the chest.

"Ooof!" It sends her skidding back, though she regains her balance before she can hit anything. "Ugh!" She shakes her head to clear it, vision readjusting in time to see further retaliation from the rhino coming her way. Wuh oh! Ren doesn't try to move out of the way. Instead she stands her ground and twirls her scepter, which produces a hail of superheated gems that zip off to meet the incoming firestorm. They're mostly effective, though the counter doesn't entirely protect her from the searing heat that washes over her. "Guh!" That /smarts/! She endures it though, happy to see some of the gems managed to hit back at the beast.

That's when she notices Nanoha didn't quite make it out of the way of the fire launched her way too in time. "Oh!" She rushes over to start patting the tiny mage down as best she can, extinguishing the flames before they can do further damage. Phew! "Are you alright?" She grabs Nanoha's shoulders and looks her over. Grr! That rhino is so going down! She lets go and spins around to face it again, eyes set and determined to do some serious damage. And that's when she gets a helpful buff from Forever Sunshine. Oh! She lets the summery fragrance wash over her, and she turns to smile in the Cure's direction. "Thanks a lot! I won't waste it!"

Indeed she won't! Spinning Souverain Heraut once, she proceeds to then smash the ground with the tail-end of the device. The bejeweled head of the scepter glitters before releasing a magnificent pulse of energy that spreads outward in waves that aim to cover the rhino and... well... hurt it.

COMBAT: Ren Aizawa has used Radiance Noble Aura on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Cure Peach has used Let's Get Our Happiness! on Cure Berry.
COMBAT: Cure Peach has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Cure Berry accepts Cure Peach's Let's Get Our Happiness!, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Cure Berry is Cheered!  Empower applied to Cure Berry!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to dodge Cure Berry's Twisting Strike, taking 7 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to brace Ren Aizawa's Radiance Noble Aura, taking 34 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!

<Pose Tracker> Nadeshiko Fujisaki [Ohtori Academy (5)] has posed.

Nadeshiko's naginata slams straight home, and she flashes her teeth indelicately in success. For a second. Then that howl blasts in her face, and with her light weight she's actually blown back a few steps, pushed against the concrete by the power of it. At the end of it she's a little winded, breathing heavier and her legs feeling like lead. Her composure rattled.

She grits her teeth, graceful as a goblin shark. Forever Sunshine's mystic light embraces her, lets her breathe more easily for a moment in the warm sunset light.

And then she does what comes natural: She screams right back.

COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has used Where Did You Learn That Language Young Lady on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to dodge Nadeshiko Fujisaki's Where Did You Learn That Language Young Lady, taking 12 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Rhinocedrell is Quipped!

<Pose Tracker> Dark Mercury [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Sure enough, the paper hits its mark -- and sure enough, it burns with the power of Mars's faith. She cringes as it touches her, shrinking back away from Mars; when she looks up, her expression is downright baleful. "Don't -- don't treat me like some common youma!" Dark Mercury says, seething in pain; she starts to rush toward Mars with the aggression that her newfound allies have managed to impart upon her.

She stays low, partially because -- well -- it hurts /really bad/ to be Dark Mercury right now, and she doesn't really want to expose herself to more ofuda. Partially, however, it's to give herself a little room to spring up and forward once she closes with Mars.

Leaping up amidst a wave of bubbles, Ami aims a jaw-shattering uppercut at Rei, crying out, "Dark Aqua Ribbon Upper!" This is the maneuver she used to lay out Sailor Jupiter right away -- how will /Rei/ fare?

COMBAT: Dark Mercury has used Dark Aqua Ribbon Upper on Sailor Mars.
COMBAT: Dark Mercury has finished attacking.

Akemi Tsukiyama has left.

<Pose Tracker> Mystery Knight [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

Signum glares at Fate's incoming barrage, and once again that ghostly glowing armor rises around her -- with about as much effect as last time. The incredible supply of Photon Lancerbolts overload the energy field all of a heartbeat later. The Knight plows out of the explosion, tumbling head over foot, holding her wounded side with her free hand. (Yes, free hand; that book of hers was presumably banished to some other dimension long ago.) She lands lightly yet, though, and offers 'Testarossa' a level nod. The sword-whip reforms into 'merely' a sword, a flash of light traveling from one end to the other.

One might have expected the strange Knight to refuse to offer any information about herself, as she has about her mission, but she is not quite so predictable. "I am Signum, Cloud Knight of the Sword, General of the Raging Fire," she intones stolidly, briefly saluting the questioning Lera with her blade as the Midchildan flies by, then catching Endo's blade on the backswing and halting it, and him, with enough force to jar them both. "What are your names, petitioners?"

Her stormy eyes flick between Lera and Fate, both of whom have asked much of her today, then over to Endo. She pauses in her assault upon their persons for an answer, apparently honorable enough to hear them out.

Below, the Thing From Cassomir is too busy struggling at its bonds to easily avoid either Ren's enormous energy bolt or Cure Berry's magnificent punch. They slam into it simultaneously, ripping it free of the earth. It goes flying up, up into the air, head and horns and eyes over energy-bound heels, the impact of the twin strikes sending ripples of force down its rhino hide from head to puffy tail. For good measure, Nadeshiko swears fiercely enough to scorch its hairy ears, which trail little tendrils of flame.

It lands hard, hard in the vicinity of the Perfume Warriors and Fuu, hard enough to send shockwaves out in all directions from its landing point. Shrieking its fury, it once again bows its head and charges -- past Nadeshiko, Ren, Peach and Berry, who risk being trampled -- and directly towards the one who's making it see red:

Setsuna Higashi.

COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Reckless Endangerment on Japanese Cherry Blossom.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Reckless Endangerment on Forever Sunshine.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Reckless Endangerment on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Rhino Charge on Setsuna Higashi.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has cancelled their attack on Setsuna Higashi. If there are more attacks that need to be +cancelled, please hold all +attacks until the process is complete.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Stomping Stompy Stomp on Nadeshiko Fujisaki.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Stomping Stompy Stomp on Ren Aizawa.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Stomping Stompy Stomp on Cure Berry.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Stomping Stompy Stomp on Cure Peach.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Rhino Charge on Setsuna Higashi.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Diplomatic Opportunity on Fate Testarossa.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Diplomatic Opportunity on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Diplomatic Opportunity on Endo Naoki.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars narrowly dodges Dark Mercury's Dark Aqua Ribbon Upper, taking 35 Fatigue damage!  Sailor Mars's Fade ability activates!  Sailor Mars's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Diplomatic Opportunity on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight accepts Mystery Knight's Diplomatic Opportunity, taking 0 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly dodges Rhinocedrell's Reckless Endangerment, taking 12 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji's Fade ability activates!  Fuu Hououji's Flash ability activates!  Tangle applied to Fuu Hououji!
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine narrowly braces Rhinocedrell's Reckless Endangerment, taking 17 Fatigue damage!  Tangle applied to Forever Sunshine!
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa accepts Mystery Knight's Diplomatic Opportunity, taking 0 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki narrowly braces Rhinocedrell's Stomping Stompy Stomp, taking 11 Fatigue damage!  Rhinocedrell is Psyched!
COMBAT: Lera Camry accepts Mystery Knight's Diplomatic Opportunity, taking 0 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa fails to brace Rhinocedrell's Stomping Stompy Stomp, taking 16 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Cure Berry narrowly dodges Rhinocedrell's Stomping Stompy Stomp, taking 12 Fatigue damage!  Cure Berry's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Endo Naoki accepts Mystery Knight's Diplomatic Opportunity, taking 0 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom narrowly braces Rhinocedrell's Reckless Endangerment, taking 19 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Japanese Cherry Blossom's Block ability activates!
COMBAT: Cure Peach narrowly dodges Rhinocedrell's Stomping Stompy Stomp, taking 3 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Cure Peach covers Setsuna Higashi for Rhinocedrell's attack, Rhino Charge, taking it upon themselves instead!
COMBAT: Cure Peach narrowly braces Rhinocedrell's Rhino Charge, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Cure Peach's Block ability activates!  Cure Peach's Parry ability activates!  Bind Break! All of Rhinocedrell's debuffs are cleared!

<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

Rei exhales air that she wasn't aware she'd been holding in her chest. That Ami was burned is undeniable proof that she is possessed. Now her bookish friend is barreling towards her with a bull's ferocity. Bending her knees in a slight crouch, Rei waits to see Ami's muscles tense for a lunge before leaping aside herself.

Rei pulls it off, but not as well as she'd hoped. Although the full blow doesn't connect, Ami's fist glances off of her, and the bubbles pop and burn acidic. When Rei lands on her feet, her hands clutch at her stomach as she grimaces in pain. Standing tall, she turns to face Mercury, gritting her teeth.

"Not some common youma? You haven't proved it yet, fiend. Give me back my friend or perish!"

Stretching out her arms, fire alights along them like an immolated scarf or a boa. Twisting at her waist in a quarter circle, she throws off the flames, churning forward like a snake-headed train with its jaws open wide for the fallen Sailor Mercury.

COMBAT: Sailor Mars has used Searing Serpent on Dark Mercury.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Japanese Cherry Blossom [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

The sundial! Cherry Blossom DOES know what that means. And she's braced for it...

Shadow and light falls on her, and then it's the magic hour all around her. Super speed is activated!

All she can do, however, when the Rhino charges her, is stand her ground. Fortunately, it's not focusing too much on her this time. Still, it clips her as it rushes past, the wind blowing her skirts and making her legs wobble as it shakes the earth beneath her.

"Cherry Blossom--"

And here, her voice already sounds weak, as she tries to summon enough power to make the retaliatory attack. Her words wobble. But then, she strengthens up:

"PETAL... SPIRAL!"

She holds out her hand, and a horizontal tornado of pink petals twirl and spin toward the Rhino-like creature, flowing from her fingers and bringing forth the scent of the oncoming spring.

Immediately then she takes advantage of the enhanced speed from Forever Sunshine to try to get off the road and leap to a building. Maybe she still has enough energy for one more rush after this!

COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has used Cherry Blossom Petal Spiral on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Dark Mercury narrowly braces Sailor Mars's Searing Serpent, taking 10 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

After she hits the ground, Lera runs with the momentum she built to keep up with herself. She slows, though, and turns to face the mysterious knight again, taking a deep breaths.

Lera looks sideways at Fate. She's worried; she saw the hit that the girl took, and how it almost brought her down. She frowns, her lips pursing, before she shakes her head. It isn't her place to tell her to retreat. "Fate," she calls out, "be careful! She's using a type of Device that..."

That shouldn't be here. She doesn't know how to explain that, though.

Her teeth grit, as Signum surprises her; she didn't expect her to share information, much less show some honor. It's not often that things like that occur. She lifts her sword up, focusing for a moment on her opponent. She takes a calculated gamble. "Lera Camry, from Rigate."

She points her sword at Signum. There is a moment's hesitation, a clear indication that she plans to attack, and then she launches herself forward. The plasma field around her sword shimmers, turning from burnt-orange to white tinged with gold at the edges.

<Aura Surge!>

She slams the blade at Signum. It brightens until it is near blinding, as she slashes diagonally at her.

"Are you from the self-governed area?"

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Aura Surge on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

And while the Wind Knight is trying to sort out where else she can be helpful, SUDDENLY RHINOCEROS MONSTER

And while she manages not to simply get outright flattened, Rhinocedrell's passing is still turbulent enough to fling her into an inconveniently close decorative thicket of something pointy and brambly, not to mention leaving her ears ringing so fiercely that she's having trouble being sure of her balance. The Magic Knight clambers back out of the shrubbery, picking a few twigs out of her hair, and shakes her head to clear it, counting heads all over again. She recognizes the girl with the naginata, and Forever Sunshine is looking substantially the worse for wear; she needs to attend to her own injuries as well.

"Iyashi no Kaze!" she calls out, the Healing Winds rising around her and soothing the worst of her aches and wounds - not a full heal, but it'll let her get back up to something like full speed. Then she directs the soothing breezes towards her allies, giving Forever Sunshine and Yakuzadeshiko some relief from the injuries that were slowing *them* down. It'll have to be enough for now ...

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Iyashi no Kaze on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Iyashi no Kaze on Nadeshiko Fujisaki.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Iyashi no Kaze on Forever Sunshine.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji accepts Fuu Hououji's Iyashi no Kaze, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Cleanse! All of Fuu Hououji's debuffs are cleared!

<Pose Tracker> Ren Aizawa [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Bullseye! Ren didn't plan to sync up attacks with Berry like that, but it's a pleasant (and welcome) surprise. Eeee, she just accidentally coordinated with a Cure! "Nice one!" She gives Berry a thumbs up, which means her guard isn't the best it could be when the rhino they just flipped through the air regains his bearings and comes charging at everyone near it.

"Gah!" Ren tries to erect a shield, but it's not fast enough. She's swept up under the stomping feet of the beast, shrieking in pain as she gets tumbles and smashed. When the rhino finally finishes rushing past, Ren is left on the ground, groaning. That was /not/ cool. Though at least she's isn't a pancake. Slowly she climbs back to her feet, full of cuts and bruises, her barrier jacket ripped in places. But she's ok. Really.

Her eyes fall on the second battle again, mind puzzling over the mystery knight again. Tenatively, she lifts off the ground and flies closer to where Endo, Lera, and Fate are doing battle with Signum. Switching targets like this out of the blue might be unorthodox, but...

<BURST!> Souverain Heraut reads his master's mind and sends out an explosion of golden mana energy that rips through the air towards Signum. Surprise!

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Endo finds that it hurts to stop with that much force behind him. It's a miracle he doesn't fall right over when his blade crashes up against Signums. "Uh-" He didn't actually expect her to stop. Nobody ever stops being evil when he asks, and he's literally tried it every time. It takes a few awkward seconds for him to actually process it.

"I, ahh, Endo?"

<KNIGHT.>

"Oh. Knight Endo," He corrects. "The..." A moment to consult his Device. "Meteor Knight." Yeah, that's it. He kind of glances down at his weapon, like he's trying to make sure. In the meantime he manages to make his face return to the sobriety it had before, mostly. "You need to stop that thing. Why are you doing this? Why are you here? What's that device?" It's all a big mess of urgent questions.

He probably won't notice he's supposed to move until it's too late.

COMBAT: Ren Aizawa has used Magical Burst on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Dark Mercury [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Throwing up her arms and doing her best to defend herself, Ami shoots back without hesitation, "Even if this weren't me -- you wouldn't have a friend to give back!" Her muscles stay tense as she tries to contend with the burning across her body -- just a little longer, she thinks. You can /assuredly/ outlast Mars -- you're better than she is, she tells herself. You /have/ to be -- or else what's the point of hanging out with Labyrinth?

Oh, right. Mobius-sama.

Raising her hands to the sky this time, Mercury calls upon the power within herself, crying out, "Dark Aqua Cutter!" this time; as her hands come down to her sides, a ring of icy blades starts to orbit her.

Then, within a split second, she's gone. It's unclear, at first glance, whether she's teleported or just run very fast -- but she stops for a second, either way, to Mars's side. She pulls herself into a runner's start -- and then she's gone again, stopping this time in fron of Mars again; then, when she whips her whole body forward the third time, she stops /in front/ of Mars, those orbiting blades threatening to cut into her!

COMBAT: Dark Mercury has used Dark Aqua Cutter on Sailor Mars.
COMBAT: Dark Mercury has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars fails to dodge Dark Mercury's Dark Aqua Cutter, taking 39 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.

Ragged breath after ragged breath leaves Fate's mouth, she feels completely spent, the Midchildan circle under her feet fading. Her small chest heaves as the cloud of dust clears, and she watches the general descend. The nod of acknowledgement caused some small swell of pride within her. It felt she was being recognized as the warrior that she was by someone who was extraordinarly powerful. She winces in pain however, as she puts a hand again to her own side, where Signum's serpentine attack had ravaged her.

The request for a name from Signum is reciprocated with a salute of Bardiche's cracked haft, "I am Fate Testarossa." There was more that she could add there, though her mother would not be pleased if she did. She didn't recognize what a Cloud Knight is, much less that Signum was Belkan. Ancient Belka could be relegated to a few short history lessons from Linith. It was an Empire she knew little about. Thus she doesn't understand the implications of Lera's warning.

She takes the brief halt to the battle to further catch her breath, before replying, "Whatever else her device might be, both of them fight as one. Such power and skill should be respected." From her salute, she holds out Bardiche, bringing him back into a ready position. She takes note of the fact that Endo was calling himself a Knight too, interesting. She doesn't attack immediately though, she holds back, warily, gauging her opponent during this respectful pause.

COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Respectful Pause on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Cure Peach [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Cure Peach manages to successfully find her feet again and just in time! The rampaging Rhinocedrell nearly turns her into a Peach pancake, but the blonde Pretty Cure manages to rolls out of the way just in time. She then whips her head around to see if everyone else managed to survive the brutal charge. But to Peach's horror, she realizes that they were not the primary target of this attack. It was Setsuna whom was the real target. "Setsuna! Watch out!" yells Peach at the top of her lungs as she explodes forward and leaps into harm's way once more.

With a loud CLACK, Cure Peach lands directly in front of Setsuna and charges -forward-. This may be the second time she lept to save her friend, but this time she was different. She was already transformed! Peach crosses her arms in a big X block and lets the monster impact against her. The monster was a mighty force and its charge was nothing to sneeze at, but there are times when a person can attempt to do wonderful things to protect those they care the most about. Peach succeeds in momentarily slowing the monster's charge, but there was no way she could hold it for very long by herself.

Thankfully, Peach is not alone in trying to stop this monster's charge. Others like Cherry were doing their best to slow and damage the monster while the remaining ones were fighting the lady who was behind all of this. "We can do this! We can still defeat them and save Clover Town!" The Pretty Cure warrior now does her best to hold up her end of the deal. With a loud -hyaaaah-, Peach attempts to push off the monster and quickly deliver a nasty uppercut of her own to the Rhino monstrosity.

COMBAT: Rhinocedrell narrowly dodges Japanese Cherry Blossom's Cherry Blossom Petal Spiral, taking 23 Fatigue damage!  Stun applied to Rhinocedrell!
COMBAT: Cure Peach has used Pumped Up Punch! on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Cure Peach has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Cure Berry [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

Cure Berry was equally surprised when her strike was joined by Ren's, launching the creature up into the air. Berry looks to Ren with equal surprise, and gives the other young woman a brilliant smile. "That was a great shot as well! I..." Berry's eyes widen as the rhino lands and starts to charge forward with equal ~gusto~. "Look out!" she says, darting backwards - still being clipped by the creature as it charges forward towards...

"Setsuna!"

Didn't she ask her to go someplace safe, didn't... "Peach!"

With one last glance back towards Ren, Berry lunges forward, gritting her teeth. Yes, Berry was attempting to slow the monster - it was with a weaving little kick as she gets near it, footwork reminiscent of a certain ~dance~ kicking up dust as that initial kick is followed with punch after punch, perhaps looking like a cross between a jpop dancer and a boxer. And at the very same time that Peach tries to uppercut it...

Berry was sliding towards her, to rise in ~perfect~ harmony with an uppercut of her own to support Peach's.

COMBAT: Endo Naoki has used Hi, I'm Endo on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Endo Naoki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine accepts Fuu Hououji's Iyashi no Kaze, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Cleanse! All of Forever Sunshine's debuffs are cleared!
COMBAT: Cure Berry has used Beautiful Battler on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Cure Berry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight narrowly counters Lera Camry's Aura Surge, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Mystery Knight's Tactician ability activates!  Trap applied to Mystery Knight!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight's counterattack, Shiden Issen, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Lera Camry!

Nanoha Takamachi has reconnected.

COMBAT: Cure Berry covers Clover Town Street for Mystery Knight's attack, Schlangebasien Angriff, taking it upon themselves instead!
COMBAT: Cure Berry fails to brace Mystery Knight's Schlangebasien Angriff, taking 31 Fatigue damage!  Tangle applied to Cure Berry!

<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

She doesn't show it, but Rei's heart falls a little as Ami so effortlessly shrugs off the heat. Whatever has stolen her has surely empowered her too. No time for worries though! Or a come back for that matter..too much focus is needed for that. Phobos and Deimos shriek as they circle overhead, and Mars prepares herself for the next move...

Only to find herself wide-eyed in surprise as Ami seemingly vanishes, along with her satellites of scimitars. Just as her mind begins to process, Ami appears at her side! Rei jumps back..and nearly bumps into Ami again! By the time the final attack comes, Rei is hopelessly confused and disoriented. The blades slice and dice at their full strength, knocking her to the ground.

Groaning in pain, Rei doesn't allow herself much time to catch her breath..pushing herself up to a seated position, blood trickles out of the corners of her mouth, cuts and bruises adorning her face and her arms. Bringing her hands together in a praying position, Rei sits as though meditating, chanting inaudible incantations. A luminous white fire flares up around Rei in a sudden moment, an ivory immolation radiating no heat. Seven ofuda slips rise from her body, sparkling like shooting stars in their own alabaster auras.

Rei speaks, her voice booming and commanding beneath the obvious signs of wear and tear that the battle has inflicted upon her. "Go back to the void from whence you came! By fire you shall be cleansed!"

Suddenly, they fly towards Ami in a corkscrewing column, hurtling towards her in sequence.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Sailor Mars has used By Fire Be Cleansed! on Dark Mercury.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Nadeshiko Fujisaki [Ohtori Academy (5)] has posed.

Nadeshiko's ferocious swearing literally scorches its brain. She grins, self-satisfied. "Yeah, that's right! Don't think you can outdo me with just a little horrible screaming from the darkest Stygian pit, sucker!"

Its solution turns out to be, if inelegant, rather effective: It just runs her the hell over. She throws up her naginata in a defensive screen, letting the wooden stick eat the worst of that stomp; it throws her clear across the field, but she manages to land on her butt and roll to a surprisingly agile stop rather than crater a wall, which she will go ahead and count as progress.

"Hey! Whoa! No! Cut that out!" Nadeshiko yelps, seeing it go to gore through a poor mundane. A normal girl'd be torn apart by that thing! Probably!

She chases, as best she can, but she knows she won't catch up in time to do anything to stop it, so she does the next best thing: She skids up behind its hind legs and tries to swipe hard across its flank. All she can do is wear it down by degrees, but...every little cut helps! "I SAID SLOW DOWN YOU DELINQUENT!!"

COMBAT: Mystery Knight fails to dodge Endo Naoki's Hi, I'm Endo, taking 0 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight narrowly dodges Fate Testarossa's Respectful Pause, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Mystery Knight's Flash ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Forever Sunshine [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Forever Sunshine has the faint feeling she's been taken for a Pretty Cure again. She considers this for a fraction of a second, and decides, hey: It's OK.

She breathes in and out before the creature STOMPS DOWN with abrupt force, knocking her off her feet. "Wahh--"

But before she can strike the ground, Fuu's helpfully buoyant and purifying winds wash over her, stirring some golden locks as she recovers herself. She wipes off her forehead, her lips thinning. Cherry's fading, she thinks. Can they finish it?

I don't have it in me to rush in, Forever Sunshine thinks.

She looks at her sundial. Unless...

But for now, she stomps the ground - and a ripple of fragrant mist ripples along that ground, stirring some dust and filling the air with a ripely tangerine-heavy scent. And it bursts up in a radiant glow of purple-pink light -- hopefully right beneath the rhino youma! (Rhiouma?)

COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has used Tangerine Storm on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Nadeshiko Fujisaki [Ohtori Academy (5)] has posed.

Nadeshiko's ferocious swearing literally scorches its brain. She grins, self-satisfied. "Yeah, that's right! Don't think you can outdo me with just a little horrible screaming from the darkest Stygian pit, sucker!"

Its solution turns out to be, if inelegant, rather effective: It just runs her the hell over. She throws up her naginata in a defensive screen, letting the wooden stick eat the worst of that stomp; it throws her clear across the field, but she manages to land on her butt and roll to a surprisingly agile stop rather than crater a wall, which she will go ahead and count as progress.

"Hey! Whoa! No! Cut that out!" Nadeshiko yelps, seeing it go to gore through a poor mundane. A normal girl'd be torn apart by that thing! Probably!

She chases, as best she can; the wind from the Magic Knight of Wind blows across her, releasing the rattling in her legs. She takes a breath in, deep and long, and looks for the girl. She may not be able to see Temari give her a BIG THUMBS UP, but Nadeshiko's glance and shouted, "Thanks!" may have to do.

She knows she won't catch up in time to do anything to stop it, so she does the next best thing: She hustles to skid up behind its hind legs and tries to swipe hard across its flank. All she can do is wear it down by degrees, but...every little cut helps! "I SAID SLOW DOWN YOU DELINQUENT!!"

COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki accepts Fuu Hououji's Iyashi no Kaze, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Cleanse! All of Nadeshiko Fujisaki's debuffs are cleared!
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has used Naginata Sweep on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight narrowly counters Ren Aizawa's Magical Burst, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Mystery Knight's Tactician ability activates!  Stagger applied to Mystery Knight!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight's counterattack, Shiden Issen, partially gets through, doing 16 Fatigue damage to Ren Aizawa!

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

The combat is ferocious--though when isn't it? Soular's attention moves from the various battles against the rhinoceros monster and its mistress, to Dark Mercury's duel against who Soular has gathered to be Sailor Mars, to Cure Peach and Berry's efforts to protect both Clover Town Street and their /dear/ friend. This is in particular during the monster's most recent attack, when it specifically aims to mow down Setsuna. Soular is expressionless, but he needs do nothing with Cure Peach there to land herself bodily in between the attack and Setsuna.

They do seem to care about her a lot, don't they? Setsuna apparently didn't move back far enough when she went back to watch the battle. Soular looks her way, and if he catches Setsuna's eye, smirks ever so briefly.

Then he looks back towards Dark Mercury and Sailor Mars. With all those strange papers she's using, and all the flames encircling her body, it seems Mars is about to try to end this encounter. How will each of them fare?

COMBAT: Dark Mercury fails to brace Sailor Mars's Finisher, By Fire Be Cleansed!, taking 111 Fatigue damage!  Dark Mercury is unable to keep fighting!

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

Setsuna is at least not directly in the fray, which is as close to away as she's likely to get for the moment. Or at least, this is true as she watches the others. It changes in an instant, as the ground near her shakes once again, rumbling her out of her cover point behind the little wall and back downward again. Looking up, red eyes spy its charge and widen again. With a wince, she slowly begins to reach for her pocket, hand outstretched--

And hears Cure Peach's voice. "--!" She stares as Peach makes the landing and moves into danger. ...There must be some other reason, some story behind this. It couldn't be the way Love always says it is. Even if she doesn't know it, Setsuna is--

She was told to get to safety, but now she's away from her wall and from the others closer to that end of the sidewalk. She looks to Berry once too, still in obvious shock.

...The one place she's barely looking at all is the battle between Dark Mercury and Sailor Mars.

<Pose Tracker> Dark Mercury [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Once again, Ami tries to back off, keep her arms up -- but unfortunately, Rei is just too much for her to handle. The chain of ofuda each stick to Dark Mercury in turn... and when they finish their efforts, she's so thoroughly battered that only perfectly normal schoolgirl Ami Mizuno stands -- well, lies, /now/, that hurt a whole hell of a lot -- in her place.

Slowly prying herself up off the ground, she takes a deep breath. For a half-second, standing amidst the chaos, she looks to Rei with a smile -- small, sincere, far from the shrinking hurt that she'd responded to the ofuda and the fire with before.

After a moment, however, something seems to click inside her -- and rather than go to Rei, she bolts away, as fast as her little legs will carry her.

Another day, perhaps.

COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to brace Forever Sunshine's Tangerine Storm, taking 22 Fatigue damage!  Trap applied to Rhinocedrell!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell narrowly dodges Nadeshiko Fujisaki's Naginata Sweep, taking 10 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Nadeshiko Fujisaki is Psyched!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell narrowly braces Cure Peach's Pumped Up Punch!, taking 2 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Cure Peach is Psyched!  Rhinocedrell's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to brace Cure Berry's Beautiful Battler, taking 24 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

The white immolation evaporates as the prayers find their target. Rei sways a little despite her seated position, and props herself up with a hand to the ground. She hadn't held anything, and now there isn't much left. But she stays awake, and stays upright.

She sees Ami stand, and smile. Such a simple and quiet thing. /Maybe it was enough../ Maybe she'd come walking right up to give Rei a hug.

Instead she turns, and runs, and tears well up in Rei's eyes, her chest rising and falling with a slow, ponderous breath to calm herself. Her eyes sting as their moisture mingles with the soot of the street. Wiping them dry with the back of her hand, she stands, walking to her broom and backpack. Each is fortuitously unharmed.

Scanning across the battlefield, she grunts again, a hand instinctively moving to her side. There's little that she can do..all the same, she can do something. The fell rhino isn't exactly hard to miss. Muttering the words of power, slowly and clumsily through her pinched breath, a shaky hand straightens true just long enough to fling a binding ofuda towards its pebbled hide.

COMBAT: Sailor Mars has used Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen! on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell narrowly dodges Sailor Mars's Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Analysis performed by Sailor Mars!  Stun applied to Rhinocedrell!

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Miki [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

Sayaka is plodding today, one foot in front of the other. There's a lot on her mind, and she doesn't pay any particular attention to where she's walking; she'll see the sign for the station, she's sure, but what comes in between isn't of any interest to her right now. She lets a kid run by, almost bumping into her knee. She lets a teenager and a woman in a hat run by too, with only a vague tug at her mind. It's only when the entire staff of a cafe run by in their aprons, glancing fearfully behind them, that Sayaka pauses and looks up.

An increasingly familiar but never-expected slurry of color and violence is sprayed across the street before her. Magical girls are battling an enormous rhino and, oddly enough, each other. Sayaka isn't sure she's not dreaming until she sees a fellow bluenette engulfed in flame, and painfully imagines for a moment that it was her.

"Ahh, ahh, ahhh...!" Sayaka begins to murmur, pacing back and forth, gesticulating vaguely, as if each person that passes by while fleeing might be Mami Tomoe, and she has to nervously check them over as they go. "Senpai, gotta find senpai..."

There's a great startling boom as Cure Peach impacts the rhino-beast, and Sayaka turns her head back. Why is she running from this? Isn't this going to be her job, as soon as she can think on it a little? She lets her aluminum bat slide from her shoulder, one corner clinking into the concrete with reassuring solidity. "Okay," she tells herself under her breath. "All you have to do is swing."

A lithe bronze bat is raised to the air, and shimmers into a distinct silhouette of sparkles. In two dimensions, this lovely bat swings back and forth, glitter trailing as if from a fairy's wand, and it shifts into a larger form, its top crenellating like a castle, or perhaps a wedding cake. With a sharp little magical smack, gold and other precious metals clink into place, decorating and reinforcing it, and a beautiful trail of Mami-yellow ribbons erupts from where the bat's love-filled heart would be, if it had a circulatory system. Rippling, they expand gloriously, then snap down tight and fuse into the bat, girding it with white.

Finally, with a chorus of angelic voices, a huge ruby appears in the sky, floating down from heaven with slow grace. As it reaches the bat, it abruptly is drawn to it, as if by magnetism, smacking loudly into place, gold filagree forming up around it to hold it there. An audible shine ripples across the entire sacred assemblage, and finally the bat is The Bat.

As an afterthought, Sayaka poses with it, still in her mundane school uniform.

"Hey!" she cries out, irrationally confident right now. "Let's find out if you're the first rhino who can catch?" And she tosses a softball up in the air, her whole body needing to lean into the weight of The Bat to swing it around in time to catch the ball and send it hurtling towards this giant monster.

COMBAT: Sayaka Miki transforms into Batyaka!
COMBAT: Sayaka Miki has used Slugger on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Sayaka Miki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell narrowly braces Sayaka Miki's Slugger, taking 2 Fatigue damage!  Sayaka Miki is Psyched!  Rhinocedrell's Parry ability activates!

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

Setsuna might not have been paying attention to the results of Mercury and Mars' battle--but Soular certainly was. From his vantage point, he sees the force of Mars' flames overwhelm Mercury to the point where even her transformation is undone. And that small smile she smiles, before she ultimately turns tail and flees... Soular's mouth is a thin, flat line as the edges of his eyebrows knit a hair closer together. There was something about that smile that seemed--off, in a way that Soular doesn't have the upbringing to describe. More like the smiles of the people of this world... not that many people ever smiled in his own. She recovers herself a couple of seconds later, but that it shook at all is cause for concern.

Mobius-sama's control is absolute. It must be absolute.

The Labyrinth executive's eyes slide from Mercury--no, Ami--over to Mars, battered and exhausted, but with enough strength to change foes. Did she not consider Mercury worth pursuing? Or else... Nonetheless, it's clear that Sailor Mars will be a dangerous foe in the future, in potentially all sorts of troubling ways. Soular makes a mental note to mark her.

<Pose Tracker> Mystery Knight [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

Japanese Cherry Blossom's determination pays off: the mighty Petal Spiral explodes onto the massive beast's side, knocking it off course, and it cannot hope to reach the top of a building, as she has. Forever Sunshine follows up with a brutal and sweet-scented blast of tangerine light, which knocks it further off to the right.

It is now facing a building. Specifically, the old photogropher's business, he who has taken pictures of the community for forty years. Every child's tenth grade birthday portrait hangs upon his wall.

Snorting a cloud of noxious disdain, the beast lowers its head and charges--

--only to be tripped up avoiding Nadeshiko's naginata, which has it now pointing towards the kimono store! It staggers forward, and--

--receives a double uppercut from Cure Peach and Cure Berry! It staggers backwards, nearly losing its feet entirely. All eight of its eyes have little swirly, dazed spirals within them, now, spirals which blink blearily as Sailor Mars' ofuda slips itself onto its forehead.

It shakes off the stun with a monumental force of will, the memory of its freedom come to light. With a huff, and a puff, it blows out flame. Fire, fire, everywhere, this time somehow more diffuse and more intense than what came from its horn, and so much more deadly.

The only thing that makes it /stop/ breathing fire is a fiercely hit liner, which rams its way right down its throat, where it lodges. Coughing and chuffing and hacking, it paws the ground and then finally hocks out the loogey with much lava-slime saliva. Can Sayaka catch as well as she hits?

Up on the rooftops, Signum nods at Lera's introduction, and sets herself to take the girl's attack head-on, apparently neither surprised by the assault nor offended by it. Names have been exchanged; now the battle can proceed. She takes Soaring Sky directly upon Levantein, splitting the force of the strike in twain. It ruffles her hair, but accomplishes little else.

Glancing over at Endo, she lifts her chin curiously, and lifts a single eyebrow so pregnant with consideration that it might, at any moment, spawn another half-dozen for good measure. "I am doing what I must do," she replies simply, firmly, "Sir Knight." If there was any sort of dryness in her tone, not taking his title completely seriously, it is so profoundly sublimated beneath a sheet of solid sonic ice that it cannot possibly be detected.

Turning, she takes Ren's burst of mana straight on as well, bisecting most of it with her blade and batting some of it back at the Earth-born mage with far greater force than it came in the first place.

"That was not well done," she criticizes rather clinically, as her sword once again becomes a barbed whip, in which entwines disaster. "You are fortunate that I am not here to hunt." Tempting or no, the Book is long gone, and unavailable. The purpose of today's mission was to avoid /having/ to hunt the innocent. Why bother, when an organization is offering her the guilty, freely volunteered?

<< Schlangeform! >> There are three syllables of warning before the storm once again comes home to roost. It slices and dices all potential threats indiscriminately -- except for Endo and Fate. They have not yet attacked, and so her offer to withdraw remains on the table. They may be spared, if they withdraw.

Otherwise? She cannot promise.

COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used And It Breathes Fire on Japanese Cherry Blossom.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used And It Breathes Fire on Forever Sunshine.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used And It Breathes Fire on Nadeshiko Fujisaki.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used And It Breathes Fire on Cure Peach.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used And It Breathes Fire on Cure Berry.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used And It Breathes Fire on Sailor Mars.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has used Lava Loogey on Sayaka Miki.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom fails to brace Rhinocedrell's And It Breathes Fire, taking 52 Fatigue damage!  Japanese Cherry Blossom is unable to keep fighting!
COMBAT: FINISHER! Mystery Knight has used Hiryu Issen on Ren Aizawa.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Schlangebasien Angriff on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has used Schlangebasien Angriff on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Mystery Knight has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lera Camry narrowly dodges Mystery Knight's Schlangebasien Angriff, taking 30 Fatigue damage!  Lera Camry's Fade ability activates!  Lera Camry's Flash ability activates!  Tangle applied to Lera Camry!
COMBAT: Forever Sunshine narrowly dodges Rhinocedrell's And It Breathes Fire, taking 33 Fatigue damage!  Forever Sunshine is unable to keep fighting!  Forever Sunshine's Fade ability activates!  Forever Sunshine's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki fails to dodge Rhinocedrell's And It Breathes Fire, taking 56 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Sailor Mars fails to dodge Rhinocedrell's And It Breathes Fire, taking 54 Fatigue damage!  Sailor Mars is unable to keep fighting!
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa narrowly counters Mystery Knight's Finisher, Hiryu Issen, taking 38 Fatigue damage!  Ren Aizawa's Reverse ability activates!
COMBAT: FINISHER! Ren Aizawa's counterattack, Gemlight Fusillade, partially gets through, doing 66 Fatigue damage to Mystery Knight!

<Pose Tracker> Japanese Cherry Blossom [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Japanese Cherry Blossom is getting ready to warm up another very powerful attack, rolling her hands back....

But a burst of fire reaches her atop the building! It stings her feet, burning as she trips over herself unable to get away. With a screech, she tumbles to the ground in a roar of flames!

She's not... dead, or anything, but she's very out of it when she falls back to the road. She can barely speak, holding her hand over her chest and breathing heavily. "It's..."

"...it's up to you now, everyone-- good luck...."

She collapses into the street, taking a little snooze.

COMBAT: Cure Berry narrowly counters Rhinocedrell's And It Breathes Fire, taking 15 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Berry's counterattack, Pretty Cure Espoir Shower, partially gets through, doing 22 Fatigue damage to Rhinocedrell!
COMBAT: Cure Peach narrowly braces Rhinocedrell's And It Breathes Fire, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Cure Peach's Block ability activates!  Cure Peach's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Sayaka Miki narrowly counters Rhinocedrell's Lava Loogey, taking 6 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Sayaka Miki's Reverse ability activates!
COMBAT: Sayaka Miki's counterattack, Behind Mami's Skirts, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Rhinocedrell!

<Pose Tracker> Ren Aizawa [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Right after her attack is launched, Ren feels a bit wrong about attacking out of the blue the way she did. Were they all trying to talk with the Mystery Knight? But Lera attacked so... it has to be alright, /right/? Either way, she's sure to have gotten Signum's attention now. Which probably -- no, /definitely/ -- isn't a good thing.

And it sure isn't. Signum mostly disregards Ren's attack, and even chastises her for it. The younger mage shrinks back some, being made to feel foolish in the blink of an eye. "B-But..." As if she can /say/ anything to change the knight's mind. No. She'll have to /show/ her.

And what better time to do that than now, with that totally menacing attack heading her way! Oh, and Signum has a sword too. Which would be neat if she wasn't trying to end everyone with it. "NO!" Ren cries out, and Souverain Heraut glows bright as a magic circle appears beneath her feet. Like stars in the night sky several little golden globules of energy wink into existence behind her, multiplyng at an alarming rate.

<READY.> Comes the smooth, mechanical voice of the device as Ren shifts to thrust it forward. "GO!"

<GEMLIGHT FUSILLADE!>

The spheres of mana all zoom past her, intercepting Signum's storm in a massive, dazzling arrays of explosions that resemble fireworks. Some of the knight's attack still manages to burst through however, and Ren yelps as pieces of her barrier jacket are torn away.

But she holds strong, regardless. The energy globules reach through to tear at Signum in a similar manner, bursting with sheer concussive force upon impact.

<Pose Tracker> Nanoha Takamachi [Infinity Institute (3)] has posed.

Things were a little touch and go there for a bit.

On the up-side, for a while there Nanoha was immune to ninja attack.

On the downside, as she may possibly, potentially, not confirmed nor denied, may be related to ninjas, being on fire is repulsive to her, thus causing a brief existential crisis consisting of patting herself down wildly and trying to put herself out. Then again being on fire is a problem for ANYONE.

After a smidge of time putting herself out, the singed and seared little mage does manage a thumbs up.

Nanoha Takamachi is not on fire (anymore).

Now that leaves her in something of a haze of trying to figure out where everyone is and what's still going on, and like a small shell-shocked soldier of love and justice, the child only now seems to be snapping back to reality.

<MASTER.> Raising Heart chimes, dragging her attention upwards. Ren has gone... Elsewhere, and only NOW does she realize that Endo, Lera and that girl are faced off against...

"A-ah... That's..."

<YES. IT IS ONE OF THE KNIGHTS FROM BEFORE.> Nanoha pales briefly, but her Device shoves her back into the moment: <FOCUS, MY MASTER! HELP TAKE DOWN THE UNICORN AND THEN MOVE ON.>

"R-... Right! ... Wait, unicorn?"

It is not Nanoha's fault she is a primitive savage earth child and her Device and like ALL OF HER FRIENDS are from space. Thusly steeled she shifts her grip on the staff in hand. "Just like we practiced, ready?"

<I AM ALWAYS READY FOR YOU.>

A wave summons several pink spheres, but they quickly re-form. Encircled by bands and rings of guiding runes of light, there are suddenly a multitude of them. Five. Ten. Fifteen, shifting their aim on minute calculations and she-- has to pause. Sayaka so audaciously wielding The Bat in all its glory makes her halt.

She looks at her Device.

<DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.>

"Eheh... Heh... Heh... Um..." Thusly back on track she waves her Device, giving the command to rejoin the efforts in at least helping stop the Rhino. She'll trust the others against the Cloud Knight.

"Shoooot!"

<DIVINE BALLISTICS,> Raising Heart chirps, flowing Mid-childan text scrawling elegantly across the staff's scarlet gem before unleashing the fusillade of pink.

COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi has used Divine Ballistics on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Nanoha Takamachi has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

"I-" Endo might have more to say, but things start happening. He hops backward when Lera comes in for her next attack, snapping out an indignant, "Hey!" Before Ren's burst of energy lights up the roof. "Aaagh, really!?"

He braces for the retaliation, barrier forming around him when the enemy device whips into action again. He looks briefly surprised when it doesn't come.

Unfortunately, he can't just sit back and let Ren and Lera get torn to pieces, nor whatever Signum is doing continue. Even if he's got an inkling she's more of a real knight than he'll probably ever be. The boy glances at Fate for a second, as if judging what she's going to do, and then he's taking a uneasy swallow and stepping forward again.

"Sorry, but I'm going to stop you."

<ENGAGING.>

And they do. He flashes forward, rushing to his opponents side in an instant. His wounds aren't severe enough yet to prevent him front wielding his weapon just as forcefully as before, the Device rushing toward Signum.

COMBAT: Endo Naoki has used Blueshift on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Endo Naoki has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Cure Berry [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

It was in the height of that punch that lifted the rhino that Cure Berry realized what was actually going on. Were they trying to destroy the town? Of all the times that destruction had been a side effect of their fights with various creatures... it seemed to her, belatedly, that that might be what they were coming after all along?

Briefly, Berry's brow furrows.

The pressure of landing strikes her knees, and that thought had already borne impulse into motion, the young woman dashing towards that mysterious knight once again. Like last time, she could focus - she could stare her down - she could lift her arms to hit the right spots, correct? That sword lashes out, and Berry raises her arm to intercept one of the ropey parts of the flail...

And cries out as she is cut instead.

That was the first in a series of miscalculations. Momentum gone, the flail strikes her again, and again - the soreness of the burn compounded by the sting of the cut, Berry closing her eyes as she is just about whipped by the thing.

It was with shaky legs that she stands up again after the storm, a stumbling backwards her first motion. The second was to look towards her friends - to look towards Setsuna, to look towards Peach. To see that firestorm start to fly towards her.

Determination enters Berry's gaze.

Clap. Sweat, perhaps from the heat, perhaps from the strain, beads on her forehead. "Evil things, nasty things, fly away!" she intones. Hands trace a pattern before herself, ending in the shape of a heart before her. "Pretty Cure... Espoir Shower!" Blue lances out, energy cutting a path through the fire and the flames, dampening the heat that trickles through her, but the fire saps her energy. Saps her mind, threatens to sap her spirit as her attack flies hopefully true - but...

Cure Berry sinks to her knees. Shoulders rising and falling with the effort to draw breath as the fire passes.

But the blue heart was the emblem of hope, and Berry's eyes turn towards Peach.

"Peach!" she calls, words sticking in her mouth. "Fight! I believe in you... /we/ believe in you!"

COMBAT: Cure Berry has used Never Give Up Hope! on Cure Peach.
COMBAT: Cure Berry has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

"Nnh!" Lera grunts, as somehow, Signum manages to parry her again. She begins to realize a simple fact: she is outclassed. This Knight is stronger as a mage and more skilled as a swordswoman, and can beat her strikes back. She seems equipped to deal with the others, too, and maybe even Fate. That begins to scare her. Her eyes widen, as she hops back -- with this many opponents, more people might be coming at Signum -- and that buys Lera a moment to watch what unfolds.

The sword unfurls into its whip form again, and her eyes widen. She sees the blade swing and whip across the water tower and beyond. Lera leaps; she does another jump over the blade whip, and barely manages to land upright. Her leg shakes, once, when it does. She looks at Signum and shakes her head.

"Here to hunt?" she asks, with a frown. "I'm sorry, but... I don't know why you're here, but you're hurting these peoples' homes! This can't be allowed to proceed! That monster has already attacked the town and hurt my friends!" She shakes her head. "Sky! Let's go!"

<Right! I'll prepare the pattern!"

Lera leaps into the air, magical circles in the Midchildan fashion appearing ahead of her -- and she leaps through the trio of them. She glows, a little, as she does. When she hits the apex of her jump, she does a sharp back flip, and comes down, her left blade held over her head, her right sword back over her shoulder. "Soar and--"

<Combination Crusade!>

"--STRIKE!"

Lera comes crashing down atop Signum. She slashes with the left sword, straight down, then pivots and stabs the right for her, before swinging the left back up. Each leaves a line of red-orange line in its wake; then, she begins rapidly slashing and striking, cutting rapidly at Signum until there's a blur. At the end, she twists around, and stabs her right sword forward. A lone point glows bright on the tip of the energy blade.

Then it bursts brightly, and fires an immense beam of light at Signum, point blank.

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

"Nnh!" Lera grunts, as somehow, Signum manages to parry her again. She begins to realize a simple fact: she is outclassed. This Knight is stronger as a mage and more skilled as a swordswoman, and can beat her strikes back. She seems equipped to deal with the others, too, and maybe even Fate. That begins to scare her. Her eyes widen, as she hops back -- with this many opponents, more people might be coming at Signum -- and that buys Lera a moment to watch what unfolds.

The sword unfurls into its whip form again, and her eyes widen. She sees the blade swing and whip across the water tower and beyond. Lera leaps; she does another jump over the blade whip, and barely manages to land upright. Her leg shakes, once, when it does. She looks at Signum and shakes her head.

"Here to hunt?" she asks, with a frown. "I'm sorry, but... I don't know why you're here, but you're hurting these peoples' homes! This can't be allowed to proceed! That monster has already attacked the town and hurt my friends!" She shakes her head. "Sky! Let's go!"

<Right! I'll prepare the pattern!>

Lera leaps into the air, magical circles in the Midchildan fashion appearing ahead of her -- and she leaps through the trio of them. She glows, a little, as she does. When she hits the apex of her jump, she does a sharp back flip, and comes down, her left blade held over her head, her right sword back over her shoulder. "Soar and--"

<Combination Crusade!>

"--STRIKE!"

Lera comes crashing down atop Signum. She slashes with the left sword, straight down, then pivots and stabs the right for her, before swinging the left back up. Each leaves a line of red-orange line in its wake; then, she begins rapidly slashing and striking, cutting rapidly at Signum until there's a blur. At the end, she twists around, and stabs her right sword forward. A lone point glows bright on the tip of the energy blade.

Then it bursts brightly, and fires an immense beam of light at Signum, point blank.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Lera Camry has used Combination Crusade on Mystery Knight.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to dodge Nanoha Takamachi's Divine Ballistics, taking 29 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Nanoha Takamachi is Psyched!
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly counters Mystery Knight's Schlangebasien Angriff, taking 19 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji's counterattack, Reppu no Ya, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Mystery Knight!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight fails to dodge Endo Naoki's Blueshift, taking 21 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Mystery Knight narrowly braces Lera Camry's Finisher, Combination Crusade, taking 30 Fatigue damage!  Mystery Knight's Block ability activates!  Mystery Knight's Parry ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.

<SIR.> Bardiche chimes as Fate watches the Cloud Knight General of the Raging Fire devastate the battlefield as if she were born and bred for war. She finds herself unable to look away at the fluid grace of her Device and her moving as one. She seems so serene, and yet beneath all of it, there was something as passionate as her title. There's something in Bardiche's inflection that Fate can sense, he's worried, afraid. And yet despite that, he doesn't recommend withdrawal. <ORDERS?>

Fate murmurs, "She seems so determined, and..." What else? Whatever she was about to say is lost as she shakes her head, her morose scarlet eyes. What Linith taught her to do in this situation was to ambush her opponent using her speed, to flank them. And yet that seemed so disrespectful against such a foe. She wouldn't do that if she didn't have a jewel seed. She didn't even have anything Fate desired from her in victory, or did she? Why did she even care? While her mother would urge her to win as a point of pride... she wouldn't have even wanted her to engage. She looks towards Cheeseburger Propane-chan, Ren, Endo, she certainly felt no loyalty towards any of them, even if they were nice nice to her.

Fate initially begins to move away, as a golden streak in the sky. She looks like she's going to retreat, but then she stops suddenly. <SEALING FORM. SET UP.> Bardiche's head folds back in a series of ratchets and clanks, steam releases, as it's head flattens out into an angulated spear. Three fins of golden mana erupt from behind him, and he takes on the appearance of something that looks /nothing/ like a glaive.

And then as a beacon in the sky, to signal to the Cloud Knight General that she's not going to retreat, as she deserves the respect of knowing where the attack is coming from, another giant shimmering Runic circle forms within the sky. "Arcus Cultus Aegeas..." Magic thrums through the darkened clouds forming above as the ritual spell begins, the smell of ozone blankets the battlefield. A storm is coming, but there was more than enough time to stop it.

<Pose Tracker> Nadeshiko Fujisaki [Ohtori Academy (5)] has posed.

Nadeshiko's swipe redirects the terrible elder-rhino adroitly. She lets her teeth gleam with evil delight, and watches the chain of smacking that befalls the thing. She thinks she sees an Ohtori student somewhere in her periphery, but before she can do anything about that, the beast is huffing, puffing, and blowing the world down. Nadeshiko can only scream, and not too far away she hears Temari wail in kind. She tries to lunge aside, but the fire is too much, and she just falls low, and does as she was taught: She rolls around like a maniac.

When the flame passes, though, she shoots up to her feet, spinning naginata furiously. "ALRIGHT THAT HURT! Do you know how expensive this dumb cape is!?" She wheezes hard, all bluster and little strength. Her legs are shaking. But...they're doing it. It looks grim. Half the rest of the group is down, but...

She grips her naginata, knuckles tightening on it. The others helped her a lot, girls who threw their strength behind her now fallen. She focuses that strength and anger, letting Temari's spiteful streak rage.

"Alright," she breathes, and her eyes snap open. "YOU'RE DONE HERE!" She plants one foot, and whips all her surprising strength into her weapon. It's a torpedo like the last time - but this time the air spins around it like a drill, the power of Nadeshiko's whole body put into the toss!

<Pose Tracker> Cure Peach [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Pink eyes go wide as a softball DINGS off the hard surface of the Rhino monster. The source of this attack is sought out and Cure Peach soon spies the bat-wielder herself. Was she a magic cure or a Pretty Cure too? The fabulousness of Sayaka's bat and her bravado atleast suggests this. But, this was no time to gawk any further! Setsuna and the residents and homes of all the Clover Town Street residents are in grave danger as long as this creature was still allowed to continue its rampage. And there was also the Mysterious Knight from before to deal with. But Love just had to believe in her fellow magic girls that they could handle her while the rest of them contended with this Rhino!

And tt breathes fire?!

Cure Peach is nearly caught awestruck as a plume of fiery doom is sent her way. Raising her arms up to defend herself, the young warrior jumps backwards and is very nearly engulfed by the flames. She is thankfully able to direct most of flames away from her, but her pink and white outfit is definitely a little singed. But, she was only singed and not burned! This was precisely the perfect moment that Cure Berry launches her espoir shower at the monster. Peach jumps up happily as the attack launches, but, when Berry nearly collapses, she soon becomes mortified. "Berry!" She calls out as she quickly starts to run over to her friend's side.

But it is Berry's own words that causes Peach to halt in her tracks. She believed in her. They believed in her. Berry was right! They had to win this fight. The people here believe in them to stop this monster and that's exactly what they need to do! She nods her head resolutely to Berry before turning to face the rampaging rhino monster. Peach crosses her arms in front of herself before bringing her hands together over her head in a resounding CLAP! "Nasty things, nasty things, fly away!" Her hands cross again in front of her before she forms a heart in front of her with her pinky fingers pointed outwards. "Pretty Cure, Love Sunshine!" A massive explosion of pink energy shoots out from Cure Peach towards Rhinocedrell seeking to engulf it in its storm of pink energy!

COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used My answer is: Arcus Cultus Aegeas on Fate Testarossa.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has finished attacking.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Nadeshiko Fujisaki has used Naginata Torpedo on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa accepts Fate Testarossa's My answer is: Arcus Cultus Aegeas, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!
COMBAT: Cure Peach accepts Cure Berry's Never Give Up Hope!, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Cure Peach is Cheered!  Surge applied to Cure Peach!
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cure Peach has used Pretty Cure Love Sunshine on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Cure Peach has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to brace Nadeshiko Fujisaki's Finisher, Naginata Torpedo, taking 73 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to dodge Cure Peach's Finisher, Pretty Cure Love Sunshine, taking 96 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

With healing magic dispensed, the Wind Knight finally has a moment to turn her attention back to the offense -

Or not. Incoming snakeblades *again*, and the Magic Knight doesn't think she can scramble clear fast enough; she already has an arrow nocked to her bowstring, and she pulls it back, gathering her wind magic. "Reppuu no Ya!" she calls out, wrapping wind around and behind the arrow to speed it on its way ...

It at least blunts the force of the mysterious flying knight's attack; that's always a good thing. Better still if none of it had landed, or her arrow had pierced the swordswoman's 'defenses,' but ...

Well. Things could just generally be worse. She needs to help stop them from GETTING any worse, though, doesn't she?

Another arrow is nocked and drawn back, and the Magic Knight of Wind turns her attention back to the rhinoceros monster, sighting down the shaft. She's well aware that even normal rhinos have pretty thick hide, and a monster variation like this one is probably going to be even tougher to hurt - but every animal has weak points, and there are enough eyes that she just needs to pick one, really ...

She's focused enough on simply making the shot that she doesn't gather the magic to make it another Gale Arrow - just one very careful, very precise bull's-eye ... or in this case, a rhino's-eye.

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Trick Arrow Shot on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to dodge Fuu Hououji's Trick Arrow Shot, taking 8 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Miki [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

The air time of her softball gives Sayaka a chance to gaze, horrified, as the rhino blares a withering gout of dragonlike flame upon the heroes of the city. They drop, one by one, these girls with more power in their pinky than Sayaka has in her whole body. They are, she hopes, not dead, because they are supernaturally resilient. But Sayaka isn't. Even a chunk of rock sailing away from these attacks that got through her shield could kill her.

She could contract right now, couldn't she?"

Her horror at watching the pain of these champions is cut off from a most unexpected source: her own softball. "Wow!" she hoots, all thoughts of contracts vanishing. "Guess rhinos really can catch, huh? Good job rhino! I'm out!"

But as the ball returns to the mound, it is inside a mound as well, one of miserably hot lava. Panic rises in her chest as she realizes what it would do to her if it touched her, and she reverses The Bat quickly, slamming its point into the sidewalk and willing it to maximum power. With a resonant thrum, a golden hemisphere shoves out from The Bat's ruby, and Mami's magic rises to meet the incoming projectile.

The impact is heavy, shaking Sayaka almost off her feet as the gentle magic turns to titanium hardness at the moment of contact. The lava bounces off and skids, hardening as it cools rapidly, along the street. Sayaka carefully releases the shield, panting her relief.

The rhino is enduring quite a pounding, and Sayaka's courage is restored slightly. "Okay, okay," she murmurs. "It has eight eyes, but that's probably just to be scary, how can you look out of eight eyes at once? He won't see you. Just go." And she does. Jogging along, keeping low in a vague effort at stealth despite her poofy Ohtori shoulders and brilliantly shiny bat, she approaches the terrifying hellbeast from its rear flank. She keeps thinking she's almost next to it, and realizing it's even taller than she thought. By the time she actually gets to it, it feels like a small building rather than a zoo animal.

But she's running, her legs are pumping, and the motion makes her brave. Mami-senpai just protected her, even if she can never, ever know about it. Can she let her senpai down? Just nail that thing with a good whap. Use the watermelon technique.

Bounding off her final step, Sayaka lifts The Bat over her head in both hands and swings it down hard, aiming right for the demon rhino's toenail. With the power of positive thinking, a grateful heart full of senpai, and the prettiest softball bat in Tokyo, Sayaka swings down at one of the only parts of the rhino she can actually reach.

COMBAT: Sayaka Miki has used Slugger on Rhinocedrell.
COMBAT: Sayaka Miki has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell fails to brace Sayaka Miki's Slugger, taking 16 Fatigue damage!  Sayaka Miki is Psyched!

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

Pink explodes across the massive rhinobeast's form, disappearing it entirely within a sparkling cloud of ever-shifting energy residue. Nadeshiko's weapon drills into Nanoha's blast zone, sucking up the debris-filled air and coming out the other side with an immense slice. In the same moment, the Magic Knight of Wind lets loose an arrow, and from the sound of its unearthly shriek, it has, indeed, blackened one of those eight eyes.

Revealed, the monster takes a knee, which cracks the pavement; pavement that is instantly healed in the passage of Cure Peach's Love Sunshine. The heart slams into it, not so much crackling as shimmering with the power of the girls' love of their community and the hope it brings them.

Then Sayaka's bat cracks its toenail, and it knows true agony.

---

Endo rushes in to force Signum back with a forceful strike, and she briefly locks eyes with him before tumbling away onto yet another rooftop. "I admire your resolve," she murmurs, in that moment, and her low rumble seems as serious as an oath sworn over a babe's cradle.

With another snap of her wrist, and of Belkan steel, Levantein once again reforms itself into a proper sword, just in time to intercept Lera's monumental assault. With every blow, she's forced further back; and she brings up her other hand to create a triangular, ancient Imperial shield to take the worst of the final beam. It shatters in the doing, but she's still alive. Still breathing.

In serious need of backup from the team -- but she promised herself she wouldn't let them sully themselves being part of this. One broken oath is bad enough; to work closely with this unsavory lot, to do their dirty work, magnifies the shame a thousandfold.

Still, it is shame she is willing to bear for the sake of those she loves.

Glancing up at Fate's storm, then down at Clover Town Street -- which is damaged, indeed, not beyond repair but certainly in /need/ of some repair -- she realizes that she's done enough to satisfy her half of the deal. Whatever happens to that summoned beast, she'll get what she came for.

"Perhaps we shall meet again." Under better circumstances, she'd like to tell these brave souls, but she knows better. She'd be proud to have them as allies...

...but knows they'll serve better as targets.

Splaying a hand in front of her, she conjures another triangular pink field -- this one, for teleportation -- and shimmers out of sight.

---

The beast's toenail, like its eye, sheds not blood but tiny runes of black light. It is a deeply weird vision, like a pile of writhing, strangely literate ants. But the runes are impossibly ancient, of no recognizable tongue.

They explode outwards, then congeal into a sphere at the tip of the creature's horn -- before blasting all of their might and fury at its torturers:

Freshly picked, Cure Peach! With the power of will, the Magic Knight of Wind! The brave and The Bat, Sayaka Miki!

...uh-oh.

COMBAT: Mystery Knight transforms into Juri Arisugawa!
COMBAT: Juri Arisugawa has fully healed herself.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Rhinocedrell has used Final Explosion on Cure Peach.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Rhinocedrell has used Final Explosion on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Rhinocedrell has used Final Explosion on Sayaka Miki.
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly dodges Rhinocedrell's Finisher, Final Explosion, taking 80 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji is unable to keep fighting!  Fuu Hououji's Fade ability activates!  Fuu Hououji's Flash ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

The Magic Knight of Wind allows herself a slightly satisfied smile as she sees her arrow jutting out of one of the rhino-monster's eyes; there are more powerful attacks she could possibly have used, but most of them aren't as precise as she wanted to use in the middle of the shopping district. She quickly realizes, though, that she doesn't have time to repeat the process for the other seven - or in fact, even for a second one. The 'flowing' of runes confuses her briefly, but the way they're coalescing at the tip of the horn -

She blanches and spins on her heel, trying to outrun the Rhinocedrell's counter-attack.

Not only does she not make it, but the blast **SLAMS** into her hard enough to make getting run over by a bullet train look like a gentle tap on the shoulder by comparison. Not that she can actually compare the two, of course ...

She won't be comparing much of *anything* until she wakes up, either. She's dimly aware of getting slammed through at least one wall before she fully loses consciousness, and eventually her body comes to a halt, sagging limply wherever it finally lands.

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

"Wait!" Lera calls out, left staring at Signum. Her hands shake as the Knight teleports away. She threw her best at Signum, and she parried it every step of the way. Despite that, she can't say she feels unsatisfied; even if she has serious issues with what Signum tried to do and real reservations if she could beat her, it was an honorable duel, and those can be rare sometimes.

Part of her is frustrated that she couldn't do more. Part of her is proud that, with her friends, she drove Signum off. Part of her wants to do it again sometime.

She shakes her head, before she goes down to a knee, breathing hard. Her Barrier Jacket flickers here and there, especially around the large gash that Laevatein cut through it. She feels for the mana she's been converting -- and can recognize she is nearly out. She looks down at the summoned monster, regretfully.

Then she looks at Fate, Ren, and Endo. "I think I'm out of juice, guys," she says. "I overdid it."

But there /are/ people down there, who can handle it. She can take solace in that.

COMBAT: Cure Berry covers Cure Peach for Rhinocedrell's attack, Final Explosion, taking it upon themselves instead!
COMBAT: Cure Berry fails to dodge Rhinocedrell's Finisher, Final Explosion, taking 110 Fatigue damage!  Cure Berry is unable to keep fighting!

Dark Mercury has disconnected.

<Pose Tracker> Ren Aizawa [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Souverain Heraut ushers out a pillar of steam, bejeweled head glowing faintly as it comes down from the major attack it's master just unleashed. <SHE IS GONE.> Heraut observes. Ren blinks. "What?!" And yes. Indeed, Signum is gone. Grrr! Ren makes a face. She /ran/? How dare she! What a JERK! She turns to look at Lera, Endo, and even Fate, disbelief and frustration wafting off of her in waves. "She ran!" Ren shouts. Hmmph! Although, that was possibly a smart move considering how outnumbered the knight was. "Who was she, anyway?" They'd been talking with her. Surely they got her name at least!

...And then she remembers the very big, very angry rhino rampaging down below. "Ahh!" She whirls around to look at the devestated battlefield. Magical girls are down for the count. Ren immediately kicks herself for abandoning that fight. They could've used her help!

<YOUR MAGIC LEVELS ARE TOO LOW.>

"But Heraut...!"

<I ADVISE AGAINST ANY FURTHER ENGAGEMENT.>

Ren bites her lip, knowing her mana levels weren't the best. But... she can do something else. "...Let's go Endo-kun! You can finish that stupid rhino off!"

Yes. This is a cheer. Embrace it.

COMBAT: Ren Aizawa has used Sovereign's Favor on Endo Naoki.
COMBAT: Ren Aizawa has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Sayaka Miki narrowly counters Rhinocedrell's Finisher, Final Explosion, taking 93 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Sayaka Miki's Reverse ability activates!
COMBAT: Rhinocedrell is unable to keep fighting!
COMBAT: FINISHER! Sayaka Miki's counterattack, Bayaka Returns, partially gets through, doing 14 Fatigue damage to Rhinocedrell!  Rhinocedrell is unable to keep fighting!

<Pose Tracker> Cure Berry [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

Those pink blasts arch across the form of the creature, and Berry breathes a sigh of relief - allowing her shoulders to slump in relief. Peach had done it. It wasn't often that she saw a creature that could withstand both her espoir shower and Peach's Love Sunshine. It had been a hard battle indeed, and she was finding this little slouch on the sidewalk comfortable, and...

The creature was still moving. She wasn't done yet. She couldn't be done yet.

Gritting her teeth, Berry picks herself up to a stand, and wobbles first one way and then the next, her eyes flickering across the battlefield. Many magical girls - cures, perhaps, lay fallen, and Berry bites her lower lip. They seemed to be one of the few left. One of the few...

That sphere begins to congeal at the tip of the horn, and perhaps Berry could sense the motion of its eyes - maybe the intent in its heart. With a brief glance towards Ren at the other's motion, Berry locks her eyes upon the rhino once more. With heeled boots thudding on the ground - with pushes of strength reserves she did not know that she really had, she starts to sprint. Sprint as she sees the rhino coalesce that sphere into a beam, and fire, and...

Berry lunges forward, hoping to push Peach out of the way. There was hope yet, she knew of it. And that might be in the form of her dearest friend in the world. The beam strikes.

It was oddly painless, even as she was lifted up and tossed head over heels, darkness infringing on her vision for the last moments of conciousness. She hears... nothing but the muted sounds that litter the battlefield. And she sees... Peach and Setsuna.

She wanted to open her mouth to tell them things would be fine. That they could win. That she believed in them, and would stand with them and fight with them. And she would.

No words came to her lips. Only darkness to her eyes as she impacts a building, her mind sliding into the void as her body slides to the street.

And she rests.

<Pose Tracker> Nanoha Takamachi [Infinity Institute (3)] has posed.

When the dust settles and the spells and light die down, Nanoha remains hovering overhead, surveying the work on the terrible eight-eyed rhino, hoping that was enough. Seeing the beast taken to knee is heartening but there are issues even in that. The runic symbols and swirling flow of terrible text makes Nanoha's eyes hurt. But worst of all is the sheer damage it's been causing.

The Knight of Wind-- Fuu- she recognizes, watching with a gasp as she's put through a wall. Berry is slammed aside in defense of another. Nanoha touches down to the ground, gripping her staff, and just starts pumping as much pink laser force as she can.

<Pose Tracker> Nadeshiko Fujisaki [Ohtori Academy (5)] has posed.

Nadeshiko's power throw releases all of its awesome strength, slamming into the thing's side. She wobbles on her feet, finding a tree to shove her shoulder against when the exhaustion hits her. All she can really do is watch, for now, catching her breath and waiting for the next move.

It's not too long coming. "Nadeshiko! It's coming!" Temari chimes at her, and Nadeshiko shoves away from the tree and starts to just /run/, trying to keep ahead of it by the simple video game logic of strafing to the side hopefully making her harder to hit. She flexes her hand, about to call her naginata to her - but she stumbles when that light erupts outward, seeing the light race not at her at all. "Ah, HELL," she grates out, and this time with a flash and a sprinkle of sakura blooms her naginata is back in hand. She's about ready to charge in, even tired and blasted as she is, particularly as she sees Cure Berry and the Wind Knight go sailing off from the force of that hit.

Then she slows to a stop, because magical things are happening.

<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.

Signum, Cloud Knight, and General of the Raging Fire makes a tactical withdrawal. Fate certainly doesn't think she could call it a retreat, not with how powerful she was. Not with how thoroughly she had controlled the battlefield. Fate feels ice within her breast as she considers Signum's words on meeting again. Ren's tirade though catches her off guard, even as she allows the storm to dissipate. The lightning and rumbling thunder recede first, then the clouds. Then magical circle vanishes as Fate continues to listen to her speak.

When she finally asks, 'Who was she, anyway?' "A true knight." Is Fate's answer, there's no edge of anger, it is just matter of fact. Her scarlet eyes sweep the battlefield, towards Cheeseburger, towards Ren, and Endo. Her rival battling the Rhino in the distance barely registers, even though she knows she's there amongst the magnificent Pretty Cure, Senshi, and other Magical Girls which had put everything on the line to stop the rampaging monster.

She looks almost feeble from the injuries she's taken, and yet there is strength in those eyes, conviction in her words as she addresses those near the site of Signum's battle "Just because we were technically on the same side this battle, you shouldn't think that this means anything. For all of your sakes, never appear before me again. I will have all of the Jewel Seeds, no matter what it takes." More golden Midchildan circles appear, as she readies the complex transfer Dimensional Transfer spell which would take her away from the battle.

<Pose Tracker> Cure Peach [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Cure Berry was not the only one to breath a sigh of relief when the Rhino monster is slammed in quick succession by a series of attacks by the magic girls assembled here. Cure Peach was hoping that -that- would have been the end of this nightmare too! This monster posed a threat to all the happiness, hopes, and dreams of all those who lived on this street. And this hit Peach at a very personal level since she lived here too! But the monster somehow survives the rounds of attacks. And before this really registers with Peach, the monster was already gearing up for some huge attack!

A look of half-surprise and half-terror appears on Love's face as the creature's attack barrels towards her. But at the last moment, she is shoved out of the way. This selfless act is enough to save Peach from the attack, but when the young girl looks to her savior, her heart sinks. "No! Berry! -Berry!-!" She yells quickly as she runs to her downed friend's side. A million things are going through her head, but nearly all of them revolve around making sure her friend is alright.

Her dear friend was unconcious, but she was okay. And despite this being in the middle of a fight, Love smiles from ear to ear when she realizes this. She said that she believed in her, but Peach let this happen. Hopefully, Berry can forgive her. Cure Peach now stands up protectively near Berry. "We can still get our happiness, I know it!" That rhino creature may still be around, but Peach was surely not going to let it get near Berry or any of the other downed magic girls! It was the least that Peach could do! Hayato Nishi has left.

COMBAT: Cure Berry transforms into Miki Aono!
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji transforms into Fuu Hououji!

<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.

She should be fuming, Setsuna reminds herself as another powerful fighter goes down against this unexpected enemy. She should be angry, setting her mind to work on how she can work her vengeance on this mysterious knight, remember her for later and bring all the power she knows as Eas driving down upon her. She could even be incensed that someone has set to hunting on /her/ territory.

What she will not under any circumstances admit is how she felt in the moments between seeing the Rhinocedrell charging towards her and seeing Cure Peach land to beat it back. The pain of her ankle is a temporary problem, one she downplays to herself as much as possible, but she tries not to think of that other thought replaying at all.

She's given something else without warning. Berry slides into her vision, where she was staring blankly at Cure Peach, pushing the other out of the way. "M--" She stops herself from calling a name that she shouldn't be able to link, but it's an even bet whether she could talk in the face of that stare at her in this moment anyway. Berry's looking right at her--and then is down.

While Setsuna can hear Peach's voice, suddenly, she can only stare from not far off at what's happened, the two Cures there.

...Setsuna opens her mouth, but doesn't say anything. Instead she finds herself watching Peach's protective stance, and that smile, from her position curled on the ground, supported by a hand.

<Pose Tracker> Endo Naoki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Endo's weapon lowers when the woman begins to retreat, the end of his device thunking into the ground when he loosens his grip. "I guess she's gone." Somehow he doesn't sound as satisfied as he could be.

He looks at Lera, at Ren, at Fate, the last garnering even a small pang of sympathy for the girl's wounds. Even if she's supposed to be his enemy, she still went out of her way to help in the fight for some reason. He'd like to say something, maybe ask her if she's okay, or offer to help, but then she's withdrawn again. In every sense of the word.

But Ren reminds him there's other stuff to do. He's sure the others have it, but he'll hang around a little while to make sure before he gets out of here. Endo Naoki has disconnected.

<Pose Tracker> Ren Aizawa [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Fate's warning is met with further frustration. That girl... Ren crosses her arms and frowns before turning back to the battlefield below.

Out of everyone Ren expects to take out the Rhinocedrell, it /wasn't/ a tiny blue-haired girl with an enchanted bat. Her mouth just /drops/ completely open when she watches this amazing spectacle unfold before her very eyes. "S-she...!" Yes. She did. She took it out. Eheh heh... Well, at least it's down! It can't hurt anyone else or cause anymore destruction. Great! She turns to look at Endo, Lera, and Fate, only /then/ regaining her senses. "Well... that was unexpected." Yet not at all unwelcome. Phew. She was worried there for a moment no one would have enough power to down the monster. "...She looks like a civilian. I wonder where she got that bat from, though? Maybe she knows magic?"

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Miki [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
<SoundTracker> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M9r6OuXyRM&hd=1

Sayaka's mouth twists first into a savage grin, worthy of her sort-of-teacher Kyouko, but quickly reverts to a more Sayaka-like glee. The transition to a Madoka-like nervous uncertainty, however, is even faster, as dark runes rise from the impact like birch bark thrown from the impact. The very air recoils from them, so forcefully that it drives into Sayaka's chest, bowling her over and sending her rolling. She scampers up to her feet and begins to flee, as the runes glower in midair, then rise to form a fel sphere above the monster's head. She pours on the speed, pumping her legs and reciting a litany of very mild curse words.

But as ridiculous as she feels, there's nothing funny about this. She can feel the power of this attack in the air around her, and wants nothing to do with it. When the sphere splits, it sounds like a mortar shell hit behind her, and a shockwave slaps into her from behind, making her stumble as she looks behind her to see what is coming.

A smaller sphere has fired like a cannonball from the larger one, with two other pieces heading off to other targets. But this one is hers. There's no time to think, no decision. If it wasn't shaped like a ball, Sayaka would have kept running, it would have ripped through her torso, and that would be that.

Instead she turns, catching The Bat with her free hand as she rotates. She leans away from it, twisting everything she has into the motion and slamming her enchanted weapon into the spinning death that is rocketing at her.

It connects. The Bat comes to a dead stop against it, feeling as though it were slammed into concrete. Sayaka's fingers are completely numb, but she is desperate for these phantom digits to hold on, and given that The Bat doesn't slip from her hands, it seems they are still listening to orders. The hell-ball is screaming into her bat, boring like a drill, with no intention of simply bouncing off. The lovely white coating is power-sanded off in a stinging spray, the metal beneath red-hot and melting. Sayaka is pushing as hard as she can on the handle, but the hell-ball is stronger, and it drives her out of batting posture, forcing one of her legs back to support her, her arms pushing closer to her body, the hateful energy scalding her cheek more with every passing second.

Her knuckles are growing red, blistering, and she can feel that pain and nothing else from her hand. The air she breathes is too hot for her lungs, but she can't stop gasping it or her arms will give out.

It's too late to contract now, but it's not too late to wish. Wish she was in Madoka's room doing homework, wish she had confessed to Miki, wish she had never gone against Mami's wishes. Wish she'd found something worth spending her life on, something better than a broken toenail.

That thought drags down her back like claws, and she half-growls, half-shouts in rage and frustration. She won't die here, and be found by Mami with all the evidence of her betrayal in her hands. She twists onto the ball of her rear foot and rams her whole body forward, pushing against The Bat. There's nothing. Nothing but a faint sprinkle of dying sparkles, as she hears a soft, brittle sound like an ice-covered lake starting to melt. The ruby. It's starting to crack.

That's it, isn't it? It isn't Sayaka's muscles doing this. It never was. Sayaka wrenches all her focus onto The Bat, pleading with it. The golden field sparks harder from where it's been driven back into the guttering drill-hole the hellball is widening, but does not otherwise respond. Sayaka's eyes widen, and she yells through clenched teeth, putting both body and mind to work. She pushes and pushes, even as the mere proximity of this attack wracks her weak mortal body. It has to be out of the park.

Suddenly, an explosion of force knocks her flat on her back, and for an instant she thinks she has lost, she has died. She blacks out for a second, but in the next, she sees the hellball returning back the way it came. The Bat lies in her numb, burnt hand, a concave wound melted into it, the ruby cracked. But she smiles, weakly, as she watches the ball go. And she whispers, in the softest little voice.

"Thanks, senpai."

<Pose Tracker> Juri Arisugawa [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

When the dust, sparkles, bombardments and lovebeams have cleared...

...the beast explodes into more of those runes, conveniently leaving no mess to clean up!

Well -- no organic mess. The whole area looks like it just suffered from a localized, intense earthquake, which will indeed be the diagnosis of the nightly news. Shelves have fallen, there are fresh potholes in the road, a couple of walls have collapsed, some merchandise has been damaged.

But this is nothing that cannot be fixed, with community, time, effort, and money -- money accepted by charitable donation from an anonymous benefactor who claims to be a big fan of modern art installations, one of which will be up on the newly-pristine streetcorner before the week is out.

And not a single soul needs a trip to to the hospital, thanks to the valiant efforts of the magical girls. These same souls now peek around doorways and emerge from alleys. Stepping into the sun, the cognative dissonance of how the champions of friendship and justice might have rescued them from a seismic event has yet to take hold; instead they gaze upon their saviors with an astonishing degree of fondness and trust.

Some cheeky tyke puts two fingers to his lips and shrilly whistles his gratitude -- the first drop from a bursting dam, an outpouring of increasingly joyous applause from the residents of Clover Town Street.