2023-03-30: (LIVE EVENT) - for your lonely heart
- Cast: Asciel Colette, Alouette Pommier, Yuta Hibiki, Dr. Hell
- Where: Orbital Ring - Neo-Germany
- Date: U.C. 0097 03 30
- Summary: Palau falls from the heavens, and the idol who claims herself Earth's defender sings her determination to stop it, [at too great a cost].
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
>I should've been more prepared.
available orbital assets (in position): 2x unarmed cargo freighters
available orbital assets (24h scramble time): Nike 3-7; 4x unarmed cargo freighters; experimental sonic disruption resonator; refractor satellite
available earth-to-space weaponry: n/a
estimated launch time for (promachos): 196h
>should've been more prepared from the SECOND Amuro Ray showed up. of course. obviously! Why here. Why now?
>for 3 years I have made it clear. 'we cannot assume the miracle will repeat'.
>tragedies have befallen the planet before. and yet here we are: tasked with repeating it, on exceedingly short notice, with our foe greater than before. what the hell am I going to do?
>everything I can.
)))ORBITAL RING: NEO-GERMANY
A mere 8 hours after the announcement of Char's return, and the imminent descent of Palau, space is cleared and scrambled to make way for a major event. News of a concert suddenly springs up en masse where proceeds will go towards anyone who loses loved ones or suffers injuries at Palau. At seemingly record speed, barriers are erected in the area immediately surrounding the replica of the Fernsehturm, its needle towering high enough that the peak extends past the ceiling of the Neo Colony's dome, one of many quintessentially German monuments adorning the outside of the lavishly decorated colony.
Countless trucks and trailers laden with AV equipment are established and hooked up around the city - six of them in particular getting very emplaced and tapped into primary power lines.
...there's a bit of public confusion at the event though. Many are geeeently guided to clear space for the venue - but it seems like people are having trouble actually....buying tickets, despite how quickly the concert was set up. Some complain that it's probably some publicity stunt and that a bunch of Britannian tourists are sure to be causing trouble. Others are leerier and more suspicious - they don't know anyone who's gotten a ticket. It's been 'sold out' from the moment it went up.
The hour approaches. The stage is eerily empty. Public officials are getting wary. And then, throughout all the city's speakers, a voice rings true.
""Everyooooone~ So sorry about the deception. It breaks my heart to make promises that don't quite match up to reality."" A lone figure walks up before the grand tower's plaza - a cyan-colored Arm Slave with a humanoid face, eyes closed, and...an honest-to-god giant robot guitar slung around its waist. Immediately, the public police are notified - a one to one match with the now-relatively established terrorist 'Atrytone'.
She takes her stand, pulling up a faux microphone that raises from the podium. ""None of the bands on the posters exist at all!~ However, if you sit tight, I do have a very special performance for all of you. If you don't know me, my name is Atrytone!~ A resolute aegis of the Earth. I will not settle for my song simply helping 'those who remain'. No...today, I am doing what Lynn Minmay did, and saving the world from destruction with the power of my song itself. Please, take a seat. . . and stay very far away from the stage.~""
Several of the emplaced trucks at the boundary's perimeter unfurl - hatches opening, deploying panels and antennae that begin to thrum...all aimed towards the Fernsehturm.
'Atrytone' takes a deep, miming breath -
And opens her song with a forceful, high intensity wailing on her 'guitar'.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QNaSMiZ_-o
�
The streets of Neo-Germany rumble and vibrate, as the sonic resonance weapons harmonize, and focus on the grand tower...each note Asciel plays culminating in that amassed vibration alighting, the Fernsehturm repurposed into a potent force cannon. It's unfocused and unsteady however - though Palau lies in that direction, it's as though it needs to be 'focused'. Tuned. Asciel's pitch shifts as the guitar shredding commences...and the beam gets tighter. Her intent is clear -
She intends to try annihilating the asteroid base here and now.
KTS: Asciel Colette has deployed in Plan-1056 Codarl-a 'Glaux'. KTS: Alouette Pommier has deployed in Guardienne Aviaire. KTS: Gridman has deployed in Sky Gridman.
<Pose Tracker> Dr. Hell has posed.
Everything's going to plan for Asciel. Everything's going according too all strategies. She'll sacrifice the public to use the Fernsehturm as a weapon.
A brilliant plan. One he might let unfold, if he didn't have to put up a mask. But Dr. Hell is here nonetheless...and as 'Atrytone' speaks, his frustration goes from carefully staged to legitimate. He allows himself to feel something at the mention of a name.
Standing atop a floating platform, carefully and deftly dodging any attack that may be tossed at him, Dr. Hell commands. And when he commands...
A streak of lightning rushes straight for the Glaux.
Or more accurately, a machine covered in electricity, with a sleek, asymmetrical frame and two horns coming out of its left cheek.
Dr. Hell broadcasts his voice to the public through his devices. "Do not fear, citizens of Neo-Germany! I, Dr. Hell, am here to give aid. Evacuate! I will handle this false miracle."
With a wave of the Staff of Bardos, Krimlis H3 charges, moving to crash straight into Asciel's machine horns first, electricity bounding off it!
"What she did cannot be done again. Don't you dare compare yourself to her."
KTS: Asciel_Colette has deployed as a Boss for 3 opponents. KTS: Dr. Hell targets Asciel Colette with Krimlis H3 Crash! KTS: Dr. Hell has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Asciel Colette blocks Dr. Hell's Krimlis H3 Crash, taking 1050 damage! KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 27260 KTS: Dr. Hell has engaged Asciel Colette! KTS: Dr. Hell begins a Formation attack! <Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.
People want to experiment on Tsutsujidai, and her residents, according to Kaworu. If the news had come from almost anyone else, the Neon Genesis Junior High Students could've talked Gridman into something at least adjacent to calm. As things are now...
The young Hyper Agent has barely rested since the news. Despite Kaworu's warning that these organizations would want Gridman exhausted and paranoid, he can't help it. Patrols around Tsutsujidai have gotten far more frequent, and Gridman has spent enormous amounts of time reading and re-reading Shuffle Alliance information on possible enemies. There are so many possibilities. Too many to prepare for.
But that isn't an excuse, to Gridman. What happened to Hass is already unacceptable. No one else will suffer.
While he's pouring through records, Gridman becomes aware of a Shuffle Alliance operation -- an important one. An internal war breaks out within his heart immediately. Stay and protect Tsutsujidai, or support his allies -- allies that have always supported him, and Tsutsujidai.
"We can be there and back faster than they'll know we're gone." Sky Vitter promises, a hand on Gridman's shoulder. "We owe them this much. Tsutsujidai wouldn't be here without Sayla Mass."
"G--go." Calibur murmurs, from a bar stool.
"I don't--" Gridman begins, his shoulders slumped.
Borr interrupts. "The three of us can hold anyone off long enough for you to get back here. Get going already!"
"And do not forget your coat." Max says, already holding it out.
---
Sky Gridman distantly watches Side 6. It looks peaceful, but that'll change soon enough. If anything goes wrong, he'll be there.
Space still unnerves Gridman. He doesn't like the weightless terror of the void. But this is something he can do -- maybe the only thing, for his allies. And he can't let them down.
"Gridman, something's up over there." Vit says, as a beam extends from the Neo-Germany colony. "Let's go."
"Right!"
The situation becomes clear as they make their way into the colony. Atrytone... Gridman read about her. Mysterious motives, but highly dangerous. And now, potentially jeopardizing the Shuffle Alliance's rescue mission.
"Stop! There are still people trapped in Palau!" Gridman shouts, as he soars up to the guitar-wielding Arm Slave. "What are you doing?!"
But the beam doesn't stop. And Atrytone isn't the only one present -- that's clearly Dr. Hell, another infamous figure from the Shuffle records. Why is he even here? And attacking Atrytone? What's his game?
"We can't worry about that now! We've got to stop that thing!" Vit shouts, flying them in closer. "Vitter Beam Cannons!"
As Sky Gridman approaches the Fernsehturm-turned-force cannon, the beam guns on his back come to life, firing a a barrage at Asciel. Gridman doesn't want to hurt anyone, but he's got to protect his allies!
KTS: Gridman targets Asciel Colette with Vitter Beam Cannons! KTS: Gridman has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Asciel Colette fails to evade Gridman's Vitter Beam Cannons, taking 3780 damage! KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 23480 <Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
It's the big day... Char's made his return public, and is marking the end in the name of Cosmic Law exactly how everyone predicted he would: a giant falling asteroid base. The Three Ships Alliance is on the move, and on-foot team prepares to rescue Sayla and hopefully purify Char himself.
Nearby the chaos in Palau, Alouette receives some additional strange readings. A kikaiju! And it's fighting a machine manning a cannon with enough firepower to blow the base and its people apart.
Even with so many eyes averted towards the brutal fighting in Palau as Char Aznable threatens to crash all miracles into oblivion, Alouette's perceptive to know a threat when she sees it. Sweeping the yellow cape into a pair of wings as she makes her grand entrance on Asciel's own stage, Alouette emits a single Program Ring in challenge. "Guardienne Aviaire, GGG Blue, deploying!"
Alouette finds she recognizes the voice performing, and her expression intensifies. "Asciel?" She asks incredulously. Her shock doesn't remain for long, however. "Well.. you did promise you'd find me a stage. I think this will do just well. Let's dance, shall we?" The Program Ring flies forth, attempting to jam the Arm Slave's sensors -- more accurately, tries to overpower Asciel's song with her own. "This star is going to shine so bright it hurts... and I will prove it to you!~"
As for the allies, Dr. Hell and his kikaiju are worrying... but she knows that kaiju, too, aren't all evil. Gridman is always a reassuring presence, though, and she's not surprised he too was perceptive enough to interfere. "Gridman! Let's fight together and put an end to this show!" She greets him, triumphantly. "Dr. Hell.. let's just say I'm keeping a close eye on you."
KTS: Alouette Pommier targets Asciel Colette with Jam!
KTS: Alouette Pommier has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Alouette Pommier jams Asciel Colette's sensors, reducing her accuracy.
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 23480
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
The arrival of the hero of dreams, and the villain of nightmares both countering this operation makes Asciel laugh to herself. Amalgam does have a 'no hard feelings' policy in case operations collide, but she does notice she's struck a bit of a nerve with Dr. Hell.
<"Well well well, Gridman.~ A nascent hero like yourself, forged in the fires of one girl's pain- I should have expected a pure hero like you. This is what we call a 'contingency plan'. Palau is already falling. If something is to be done about it, it needs to be now. Pray tell, you don't happen to have a precise plan for how we can recreate the miracle of the Axis Shock in harsher conditions handy - I'd appreciate it if a secure alternative were given to me. Otherwise, I will wish the heroes no doubt already assembling good fortune in their extraction operation, and urge them to hurry it along. Waiting on an ideal solution here is how you maximize the chances that nobody survives this. It's why Minmay sang back then, it's why I'll sing today.~">
The guitar wailing transitions to the first verse, and the huge beacon of energy steadies and minimizes from the Fernsehturm - the focus here is on calculating exact frequencies to get closer and closer to the goal of a focused enough beam to /aim.
kawaita kokoro de kakenukeru
I run past you with a thirsty heart
gomen ne nani mo dekinakute
Sorry, I couldn't do anything
itami wo wakachiau koto sae
you won't even let us
anata wa yurushite kurenai
share our pain with each other.
The bolts of thunder and light arc towards Asciel - and while she tries to elegantly dance around them, treating this entire fight like an on-stage performance - her barriers don't hold up, and her timing is off for the bridge, stumbling backwards with sizzling armor.
From various points on the stage, however, orb-shaped drones detach and move in a flowing harmony, swirling around Asciel's dance - and when she extends her arm out towards Gridman and Dr. Hell's kikaiju, the drones follow, synchronizing with the current sonic resonator's state and pulsing out oscillating, disorienting waves at the two to give Asciel some space.
muku ni ikiru tame ni furimukazu
In order to live purely
senaka mukete
I face your back and leave
satte shimau
without turning back
ON THE LONELY RAIIII-lll!!!
Asciel's voice falters as the Program Ring encircles her - it seems uncannily effective in this particular circumstance, the entire oscillation of the song thrown off balance at a crucial moment, the orange-eyes on the Arm Slave going blank. A fierce grimace crosses Asciel's lips in that uncanny valley way of hers, before - she ripostes, and bolsters herself, the Lambda Driver at her heart glowing in sync with her song. Pouring louder and louder, gripping her 'guitar' tighter, heels scraping along the stage floor.
watashi tsuite iku yo
I'll follow you
donna tsurai sekai no
No matter where you are in the
yami no naka de sae
darkness of this bitter world
kitto anata wa kagayaite
you will shine
koeru mirai no hate
and exceed the limits of the future.
yowasa yue ni
To prevent your spirit from being broken
tamashii kowasarenu you ni
because of your weakness
MY WAY kasanaru yo
you converge with MY WAY
ima futari ni GOD BLESS
Now GOD BLESS us all
The guitar shredding picks back up in earnest, and Asciel breathes out, seeming already somewhat drained, <"Looks like I've been unfortunate...or maybe not discretionary enough. Really, my judgment was rather impaired, taking something meant purely for pleasure out on a business excursion...Well, ~A~lou~ette~, I'll just have to hinge upon making sure you understand. Make sure you can FEEL my song and stay a good little audience member.~">
At that point - the strings on the 'guitar' abruptly detach, hurtling towards Alouette with a trajectory and material similar to a usual Slash Harken - aiming to wind and bind around the Aviaire in convoluted loops and patterns. ...This doesn't impact the actual guitar playing in the song, since it's a prop-weapon, and it's entirely predictively generated audio on Asciel's processors!
KTS: Asciel Colette targets Gridman with Musica Universalis Pulse! Can't find target.
KTS: Asciel Colette targets Dr. Hell with Musica Universalis Scramble! KTS: Asciel Colette targets Alouette Pommier with Epithymia Binding Entangle! KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 140. KTS: SP Regen activates. Your new SP value is 95. KTS: Asciel Colette has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Alouette Pommier has activated the Rouse Spirit Command. KTS: Asciel Colette anchors Alouette Pommier, forcing her into close range. KTS: Alouette Pommier parries Asciel Colette's Epithymia Binding Entangle, taking 3255 damage! KTS: Asciel Colette has engaged Alouette Pommier! KTS: Gridman has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Gridman charges into the attack! KTS: Gridman partially guards Asciel Colette's Musica Universalis Pulse, taking 2790 damage! KTS: Asciel Colette repulses Gridman, forcing him to disengage. KTS: Asciel Colette rattles Dr. Hell, making his next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Dr. Hell fails to Evade Asciel Colette's Musica Universalis Scramble, taking 3162 damage! <Pose Tracker> Dr. Hell has posed.
Dr. Hell triggers the radio. <"Were you alive when Minmay sang? Did her feelings ever reach you? Don't answer if you just heard a recording. You can't possibly live up to her image."> He remarks, as his robot is disoriented, the Kikaiju spinning around and letting off small streaks of static electricity.
The Kikaiju charges again, but she'll expect it a second time. This time, it whizzes to the right, flying back with a strike to the machine's limb.
And then, the platform turns towards Alouette's robot. <"Do not worry. If it makes you feel any manner of relief - I have no plans to allow this cannon to fire, or be hijacked, or any such thing.">
It probably doesn't. It's not implausible to assume he could turn it into a Kikaiju.
KTS: Dr. Hell has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Dr. Hell targets Asciel Colette with Krimlis H3 Flyby! KTS: Dr. Hell has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Asciel Colette rushes into the attack! KTS: Asciel Colette partially guards Dr. Hell's Krimlis H3 Flyby, taking 3362 damage! KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 20118 KTS: Dr. Hell has engaged Asciel Colette! KTS: Dr. Hell continues a Formation attack! <Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.
"Alouette!" Gridman calls, hope in his voice. "I'm with you! Let's protect everyone!"
There really are a strange amount of music-based villains lately, aren't there..?
'Atrytone' addresses Gridman, and despite the Giant's unmoving face, internally he scowls. "Don't talk about her that way. I won't allow it."
Both Gridman and Akane are more than their pain. They're connected to everyone because of the love in their hearts!
"I don't have a plan. I don't know anything about those Gundam miracles or colony drops. I can't understand them, and... I don't think it's right to leave everyone's lives in danger, just to hope for a miracle." Gridman admits, as he soars to hover at Guardian Aviaire's side.
He takes a breath. "But I believe in my allies. They saved my city, even though it took something like a miracle. If they think they can stop this -- that's enough for me! I'll give my all to buy them the time they need!"
Leina... Gridman won't let her face any more heartbreak. Not when he can fight!
Asciel's drones race toward Sky Gridman, and he soars away from Alouette, trying to keep her out of the attack. "Vit!" Gridman calls, relying on their mental bond.
"You got it, Gridman!" Vit soars straight at the drone, banking sharply to the left at the very last moment. It's almost enough, but the sonic pulse wings Gridman, sending him tumbling away.
With a grunt of pain, the Hyper Agents stabilize. "If we crash, we're going to hurt the colony. We've got to be more careful." Gridman says, as they rise back into the air.
"We've got to get her away from that cannon. You following?" Vit circles the battlefield.
Gridman nods. "Do it."
With a fierce cry, Sky Gridman charges Atrytone. Dropping down onto her, Gridman tries to wrap his arms around the Arm Slave, seeking to pull her away from the mountain and guitar both.
"You have to give them a chance!" Gridman shouts.
KTS: Gridman targets Asciel Colette with Sky Grapple! KTS: Gridman has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Asciel Colette successfully evades Gridman's Sky Grapple
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"I'll believe it when I see it, Dr. Hell." Alouette replies, stiff, in contrast to how she speaks to the idol. "But.. understood. I'll cooperate with your kikaiju, for the time being." There's no need to fight, if they currently have the same goal in mind.
"Mmm.. I don't think so, Miss Asciel. " Alouette responds, as Asciel recovers from her little Program Ring hack. "As long as that cannon stands, I'm turning this into a duet... whether you like it or not!" As Asciel prepares to weaponize the guitar strings, Alouette raises the broken arm of destruction. "EMISSION! Aile Rapier!" Some of the strings are successfully cut, but ultimately, Asciel's gambit is sucessful as Aviaire is tied and dragged forward.
"C'est pas mal..." She grins, as Aviaire finally cuts herself free. She's been forced in close quarters, but unfortunately for Asciel, such a position is all too dangerous when you're up against a fencer -- the broken rapier gleams pink as a warning of the destruction to come.
It pierces forth, in a vicious riposte, aiming to cut through not just the strings, but the entire guitar prop-weapon. "I'm with Gridman. As long as courage still exists in this world, our comrades will see this through!"
KTS: Alouette Pommier targets Asciel Colette with Riposte d'Aile! KTS: Alouette Pommier has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Asciel Colette fails to react to Alouette Pommier's Riposte d'Aile, taking 5280 damage! KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 14838 KTS: Alouette Pommier has engaged Asciel Colette! KTS: Alouette Pommier completes the Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
A little 'hoh oh' murmurs from Asciel's lips - she'd had 'Mr. Plutonium' as a potential rival or adversary on purely material grounds in the distant future, but to think she's struck a personal nerve like this. <"Isn't that adorable! The one and only Dr. Hell isn't even immune to the passion of music that Minmay left behind! I didn't need to be there to know how the world changed around her - hell, when you say that, I know I didn't even need to have ever heard one of her songs. Your statement is proof enough in my conviction. ...Wait, wait, I understand it now! You're making a song request! In the middle of a song I'm already singing, mind you! How ~rude~!">
When Dr. Hell's Kikaiju draws near - a pattern Asciel finds subtly familiar on some deep, inexplicable level - she can't exactly get out of the way, but she can brace herself, and plant both hands around the machine's front - one arm flashing out a laser blade and boring intensely, flashing into the Kikaiju's hull, even as her grip remains true. A microphone helpfully deploys from Asciel's framing head-set, purely for the aesthetic continuation.
todokete atsuku naru omoi wa
I send my now passionate feelings
genjitsu tokashite
They melt reality
Samayou
Suspended in the air
aitai kimochi ni
There's no reason for me
riyuu wa nai
Wanting to see you
anata e afuredasu LOVIN YOU
I pour my feelings into you, LOVIN YO-u-u-u-zzgh---
Whatever grip Asciel does have on Dr. Hell is swiftly broken, though - Alouette's impeccable form in breaking through her captivity, and Asciel's current...somewhat ineffective close-range power leaves her with a deep gouging cleave at the 'Epithymia' guitar, the song fraying and fizzling out. ...but only for a moment. Asciel's entire body heats up, and where strings were severed, new ones quickly form - made entirely of light and dreams, of Asciel's determination to see the show go on.
A grin, and a cheery, exaggerated wink fans towards Alouette, complete with a heart-emote-emitting blown kiss. Pointing towards her causes the Epithymia's 'strings' to surge outwards again, but this time they're far less tangible, whipping around as though animated of their own merit...and Asciel's next words are clearly directed right at Alouette in particular as the cords lash right at Alouette's heart.
semete utsukushii
Let's at least imagine
yume dake wo
Only beautiful dreams
egaki-nagara oikakeyou
As we chase after them
FOR YOUR LONELY HEART
Just in time, however, for Gridman to dive downwards. A plunge at that trajectory - when she needs to stay as close as possible to the Fernsehturm, and is in tight, close quarters with two opponents...the solution's obvious! Asciel's hands surge out, meeting Gridman's outstretched, embracing arms. Forearms caught-
Seeing that the hero doesn't intend to crash if at all possible, then, Asciel can safely use this leverage to leap over Gridman's head in a tidy front flip, landing on Sky Vitter and latching onto his surface - Gridman's elongated legs - with magnetized heels, and riding Gridman's trajectory out of the engagement zone, leading into her chorus and surfing her enemy in ways echoing Mic Sounders.
yamete uso wa anata-rashiku nai yo
Stop it, lying isn't like you
me wo mite
Look into my eyes
kore kara no koto wo hanasou
and let's speak of what will be.
watashi kakugo shiteru
I'm prepared-
kurai mirai datte
even for a bleak future.
tsuyoku natte
Become strong and you might
unmei kaerareru ka mo ne
even be able to change fate, you know.
MY WISH kanaetai noni
Though I want MY WISH to be granted,
subete wa GOD KNOWS
GOD KNOWS everything
Following Asciel are those orb-like drones, chasing after Gridman, but acting less to actually intercept him with each wave of sonar energy. Rather, they're trying to guide his flight path - to ensure Asciel stays in the radius she needs to keep, firing off juuuust enough to encourage a circular flight pattern around the thrumming tower as Asciel leads into the bridge - the final tuning period to secure herself full focus on Palau...
KTS: Asciel Colette has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Asciel Colette targets Gridman with Musica Universalis Shot! KTS: Asciel Colette targets Alouette Pommier with Epithymia Binding Near-Cockpit Hit! KTS: Asciel Colette targets Dr. Hell with LS-3303 Laser Blade Pressure! KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 154. KTS: SP Regen activates. Your new SP value is 115. KTS: Asciel Colette has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Alouette Pommier has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Gridman KTS: Alouette Pommier has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Asciel Colette rattles Alouette Pommier, making her next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Alouette Pommier fails to parry Asciel Colette's Epithymia Binding Near-Cockpit Hit, taking 3813 damage! KTS: Asciel Colette has engaged Alouette Pommier! KTS: Asciel Colette enervates Dr. Hell, reducing his Morale significantly. KTS: Dr. Hell blocks Asciel Colette's LS-3303 Laser Blade Pressure, taking 3850 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Asciel Colette's You Don't Have To Be Brave Anymore activates, causing Deject! KTS: Asciel Colette has engaged Dr. Hell! KTS: Asciel Colette begins a Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Dr. Hell has posed.
Dr. Hell has no more words for this foolishness. As the Kikaiju is stabbed brutally, he's frustrated, and he floats around, lifting the Rod of Bardos once more. As the kikaiju is released, it rebounds off a building...
And uses the building surface to launch itself forward, moving to become a deadly bullet against the Codarl and force it off the stage, if possible, grounding the larger machine's pointed feet. At such close rangnes, this may not hit, but if it does...ouch.
KTS: Dr. Hell has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Dr. Hell has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Dr. Hell targets Asciel Colette with Rebound Impact! KTS: Dr. Hell has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Asciel Colette retreats from the attack! KTS: [Spirit Defense] Asciel Colette's I'll Never Let Go Of My Light activates, and her spirit endures. KTS: Dr. Hell enervates Asciel Colette, reducing her Morale significantly. KTS: Asciel Colette fails to react to Dr. Hell's Rebound Impact, taking 6710 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Dr. Hell's Face Your Doom! activates, causing Jam L1! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Dr. Hell's I am Dr. Hell! activates, causing Deject! KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 8128 KTS: Dr. Hell repulses Asciel Colette, forcing her to disengage. KTS: Dr. Hell roots his unit, coming to a standstill and leaving him vulnerable.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Asciel's wink and blown kiss is at least a little aggravating - as she seems totally unbothered by the destruction and reconstruction of her 'Epithymia' guitar. The strings, rather than attempt to capture Alouette's heart, instead aim to pierce it. They lash past the Aile Rapier and uncomfortably close to the cockpit block.
Alouette's heart tingles, and in seemingly in response, Asciel may pick up on how the Faux GS-Ride, BioNet's earliest attempt at weaponizing the thoughts and feelings of its wielder, shimmers brilliantly.
Asciel's lyrics, too.. they mirror how she once felt. "A fine offer, Miss Virtual Sage, but I'm afraid you've sorely misjudged me if you think I'll let my heart remain in that loop of loneliness and dreams again." She raises the arm of destruction, and balls it into a fist.
"Phantom Ring PLUS!" She roars, emitting a Program Ring as the arm continues to spin and spin. "Instead, I'll show you what a heart with the courage to see tomorrow looks like! BROKEN PHANTOM!" It fires, the clawed fist aiming to pierce through her dance partner with the full extent of its broken energy.
KTS: Alouette Pommier has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Alouette Pommier targets Asciel Colette with Broken Phantom! KTS: Alouette Pommier has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Asciel Colette fails to evade Alouette Pommier's Broken Phantom, taking 5040 damage! KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 3088 KTS: Gridman successfully Evades Asciel Colette's Musica Universalis Shot <Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.
Asciel dances across Sky Gridman, easily avoiding his attack and making the Giant of Light look like a fool. Gridman cries out in surprise and alarm. Sky Vitter lets out a swear colorful enough to make even Borr proud.
"Stay calm, Vit!" Gridman calls, as orb-like drones come chasing. Coming to a sudden stop, the pair of Hyper agents soar in a staccato pattern, managing to to evade each one of them. With the drones chasing behind, Sky Gridman stops abruptly and rise straight up, glimmering bits of data left in their wake.
"This thing's on its last legs." Vit says. "Do your thing."
"Right!" Gridman brings an arm up, trusting Vit to handle evading the drones circling them. "For everyone... This is my all!"
Pouring all his remaining energy into the attack, Gridman ignores the blinking of the gem on his forehead. It's not important, all that matters is --
"Grid--"
Vit maneuvers them right above Atrytone. It's a clear shot..!
"--BEAM!"
Brilliant golden light shines from Gridman's Accepter, blazing through the open air of the Colony.
KTS: Gridman has activated the Detonate Spirit Command, reducing the Sky Gridman to 1 HP! KTS: Gridman targets Asciel Colette with Grid Beam! KTS: Gridman has completed their actions for the round. Usage: +barrier on|off This unit does not have a EN Barrier.
KTS: Asciel Colette Activates barrier generator KTS: Asciel Colette's Barrier Generator activates, negating 200 base damage. KTS: Asciel Colette blocks Gridman's Grid Beam, taking 6050 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Gridman's Telepathic Link activates, causing Insight L1! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Gridman's Mediumship activates, causing Nullify! KTS: Your unit's HP stands at -2962 KTS: Asciel Colette has been defeated! KTS: You're out of the fight. Consider using +eject to leave the battlefield.
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
>just a little more. My song will break the heavens if I give it more. My song will save the world if I give it all I have. My song will secure the future if I exceed my limits.
All it takes is a bit of coordination, though, to send Asciel plummeting through the sky. Standing atop Gridman was never going to get her too far - just one little twist later, and she's plummeting back towards the ground. The light at the Codarl's chest burns and thrums violently as she sings all she can mid-air - though falling like this-
-it adds to the melancholy in those words.
Ranata ga ite, watashi ga ite
You're here, and I'm here
hoka no hito wa kiete shimatta
all the others have disappeared
awai yume no utsukushisa wo
By sketching the beauty of our fleeting dream
Egaki nagara KIZUATO NAGARUUUUU-
we're just tracing our scars-!!!
A fist from the scion of the Braves collides with Asciel at the same moment as a bodily impact from the past's great villain - in this moment, even these two forces can be resolute in stopping whatever it is Asciel represents to them. A rejection of the paradigm that allows either of them to exist? Pummelled and battered as she's thrown wildly off course, spinning turbulently back towards her stage, Asciel's song gets more and more intense, the Epithymia set ablaze from the sheer heat she emanates, cyan hair fanning out wildly and lavishly. The tower must fire at any cost, no matter what. It's almost too late - it's only her spirit that can invoke this thing to smite Palau from orbit. To save the world. And so, instead of bracing herself. Instead of pivoting to obliterate those who oppose her-
>DAKARA-
>THAT'S WHY-
>WATASHI-
>I WILL-
...Asciel sings with the determination it takes to serve as Earth's spear of judgment.
-tsuite iku yo
-follow you
donna tsurai sekai no
No matter where you are in the
yami no naka de sae
darkness of this bitter world
kitto anata wa kagayaite
you will shine
koeru mirai no hate
and exceed the limits of the future.
yowasa yue ni
To prevent your spirit from being broken
tamashii kowasarenu you ni
because of your weakness
MY WAY kasanaru yo
you converge with MY WAY
ima futari ni GOD BLE-kbshghhhhhh-
At last, Asciel lands in a scorched crater in the Fernsehturm's plaza, her stage ruined - her body incinerated and smoking from Gridman's beam. The heat is too much to bear. The Lambda Driver fizzles out, Asciel glowing bright red all over, a dazed look in her eyes. Just like that. The moment she can't conclude her finale - the waves of sound tearing Neo-Germany's iconic tower as fuel for a weapon dreamed of madness subside...and everything...
<"...falls apart.">
The world's gone to chaotically colored static in Asciel's view. Sensors melted to slag. Emergency reports blinding senses of hearing. Even in a state like this- she can will herself a way to talk.
<"...the world rejects 'miracles', you know. That's why they happen so seldomly. You cannot 'hope' your way to salvation in the face of - kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk - overwhelming destruction.">
<"Fail a single time, and you never get to hope again.">
One arm reaches up towards the apex of the tower Asciel had turned into her emergency beacon of her own hope - the edges of her vision slowly restoring to normal. No matter what can be said of her - she certainly doesn't go down easily, though as cracked and crumpled as she is, she's in no position to keep on fighting. She can barely stand upright.
<"The expectation is that we assume hope and spirit will never fail. This, from fallible beings. I cannot allow Char Aznable to destroy the world simply because he has hostages as his trigger. I cannot allow it. I cannot allow it. I cannot allow it. I cannot allow it. I canno-">
Limping from her own wreckage, at a pace that almost certainly entails she'll be detained and corralled, Asciel repeats this refrain over and over and over until it becomes an almost mechanical sound . . . and over her own voice, she speaks, with a low-fidelity clarity of volume: <"Alternative required. Redirect towards: ||UNKNOWN R-POINT||. Mandated course of direction - Prevention of Palau's collision with Earth. Parameters have changed. Public order: provide direction towards extant collision-prevention operation. Assessed capabilities insufficient. Scan of amassed Earth forces unlikely to be capable of resisting asteroid impact. Provide additional data at once.">
And she simply...stands there, fuming with smoke, staring upwards at the sky - at the distant falling light, in a baleful orange, promising Earth's destruction.
<Pose Tracker> Dr. Hell has posed.
With Asciel defeated, Dr. Hell is at least respectful enough to listen to her speech. He used to expect it all the time! But he offers no rebuttal, because he's still fuming internally. Hostages didn't matter to him. All that matters is the endgame.
Instead...he turns towards Alouette's machine, tips his head, and flies off, his Kikaiju dashing after him.
<Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.
Asciel goes down. The Grid Beam does it's job. Her song is destroyed, though she still finds a way to keep talking.
Sky Gridman lowers, touching down next to the ruins of 'Atrytone'. Though his gem flashes insistently, he wants to give her the respect of listening to her final words.
A hand reaches toward the tower. Gridman takes it in his own, gently.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what you've been through to hate miracles so much. I can feel how much you love the world, and how much you want to protect it." Gridman's voice echoes with a metallic sheen, even as he speaks such human words.
As Asciel limps away, Gridman lets her go. He kneels on the ground near the wreckage.
"Gridman, we're out of time." Vit says, gently.
"I know. Just a minute." Gridman keeps watching Asciel. "I don't really believe in miracles or spirit or... any of that. I believe in people who have proven themselves to me. I believe in hearts uniting as one to save someone."
His gaze follows Asciel's, looking at the dire course of the asteroid.
"I've seen it work before. And it's going to work now. If it doesn't, you can blame me. And if you ever need a place to go... Think about Tsutsujidai."
"Gridman." Vit says.
"Alouette!" Gridman stands, turning to face his friend. "I'm sorry. I'm out of time. I'm leaving the rest to you! Thank you for fighting by my side!"
With that, the Giant of Light bursts into glimmering bits of data, leaving behind no trace of his existence.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
After making its grand strike, the Broken Phantom fist returns to its owner, as Dr. Hell's kikaiju and Gridman's signature beam attack in simultaneous fashion. Asciel's scheme is thwarted; the massive cannon will not be destroying Palau and its hostages.
"Courage isn't blind, Miss Asciel." Alouette offers to the machine fuming with smoke. "We discussed this before, don't you remember? The Oath Over Omega is just as fallible. Not in the way humanity is... but that's precisely why." She claims, rather cryptically.
"As long as Char Aznable holds to Cosmic Law, such a simple logic structure... he can't hope to win." Maybe it's just as much reassuring herself, as it's meant to reassure Asciel. But it lets her watch the horrid body of orange that threatens to crush the Earth with peace in her eyes.
Gridman's color timer begins to flash. "Understood, Gridman! I'll take care of the Neo-German residents from here. Thanks for backing me up. And... it won't be the last time."
Dr. Hell's a lot more complicated... a Brave fighting alongside a kikaiju is something entirely new. She can't say she's thankful to the Doctor.. but she can respect what he's done. Guardienne Aviaire offers a simple, yet understanding nod as he and his kikaiju make their exit.