2024-02-05: Eclipse of the Son

• Log: 2024-02-05: Eclipse of the Son
• Cast: Shozo (Portraying Yapool, Hokuto, and Rayblood), Guy Shishioh, Lina Lombardi, Gai Kurenai, Liam 7-020, Lucine Azul, Kaworu Nagisa
• Where: GGG Orbit Base, Yapool Dimension
• OOC-IC Date: 02/05/2024- March 0098
• Summary: Shozo has been lost for three months, and time is running out. Will the mission to rescue him end well, or drag our heroes into a nightmare beyond imagination?

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<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.

The preparation for the rescue mission has been hurried and stressful -- even with the assumption of time dilation, time is of the essence. Even disregarding valid compassionate reasons to rescue Shozo, the damage to the dimensional firmament caused by the King of Ruin is healing, and fast. Every moment makes it more difficult to mount a rescue operation.

The old man from before, Hokuto, stands quietly in the hangar, looking up at the small team of pilots and supporters assembled. He is holding a small tablet, and his kindly expression from before has become quietly grim. Occasionally, his eyes drift down to the tablet and the readings flashing across it, but his attention is clearly focused on Lina, Liam, and Guy.

"I... wish there was a better way for you all to make it through here. However, as I think has become clear, if there was a less painful way, it wouldn't be Yapool."

In the time since the initial plan was formulated, GGG psychologists have been discussing the various incidents and traumas caused by the Man in Black. Reports have been filed, coping strategies have been developed, but at the same time...

"It is my... sincerest regret to put you all through this again, but for the sake of that boy..." Hokuto says, eyes looking down.

"I need you to remember how he hurt you."

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        With a mission as intense as infiltrating another universe that not only happens to be sapient, but also is full of hate and specifically hates you--yes, you--there's a need for a lot of support. This is so even for, or perhaps especially because, such a relatively small team. Guy, Liam, Lina... All of them were touched by the man of Yapool (and yes, it should be taken in exactly as skin-crawling a way as it sounds), and so they have the best odds of making it to where Shozo is and coming back safely with him.
        
        But that doesn't mean they're in it alone. This has been primarily a GGG operation just because of the nature of how things have been coming along so far, but that doesn't mean it's of no interest to NERV at large. And while Guy may be in charge of this mission, or at least be the highest-ranking member on it, Kaworu is doing his best to help his friends--both on this side and that one.
        
        It's not just him, either. Many GGG and NERV operatives are lending their assistance in monitoring, transferring, relaying information (though that might become difficult, maybe even impossible, once they all transfer over into Yapool), keeping the portal open so they can return safely, and more. Kaworu is but one such operative. Alouette, Jana, Rikka, Akane, and more... All of them are doing their best to help make sure Guy and everyone come back with Shozo in one piece.
        
        As Hokuto regretfully instructs them and Lucine on what they need to do to make that, Kaworu watches from the video feed watching over the hangar and feeding into the support base. "We will make sure that it's worthwhile," he says quietly from the other end of a microphone, transmitting into the hangar. "Godspeed, all of you."

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina sits in her cockpit, already on edge even before the mission began. Her hand is to her chest, grasping a pendant on a chain. She had done something earlier that day that she hadn't done in a good while. Something she hadn't done since the day her father left her life.

         Lina Lombardi had prayed. Really prayed. Religion was mostly a matter of custom and tradition to her life rather than a legitimate spirituality, but considering who they were going up against, she figured she could use all the backup she got. Saint Joseph of Cupertino, hanging from her neck, would carry her words to God and hopefully grant her the strength to face the Devil himself.

         She shut her eyes tightly. Her father's lifeless face stared back at her, as it had every time she shut her eyes for the past months. She remembered the venomous words Yapool had told her, as they had echoed in her ears during every quiet moment. As her hand grips her controls, she remembers the Lombardi Custom, her father's mech, his pride and joy, a symbol of the Lombardi family itself, lying rusted in a pile of scrap.

         "There hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about what that bastard did to me."

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        This is Liam's first official deployment since the Man of Yapool dug his claws into his brain. To say he is nervous is an understatement; he is literally deploying into Yapool, a place where Yapool has encompassing influence. He's spent a long, long time going down the preflight checklist for both his Dilanza Sol and himself.

        There's a printed picture taped to the dash: himself and Lucine, smiling, in front of a bed of sunflowers. It's the same one he showed Leina and Lua. A reminder of who he is.

        "I understand," Liam says, and his eyes close behind his visor. He breathes, practicing the grounding exercises. His hands grip the armrests.

        The memories bubble up. Repeated rounds of EMDR and hypnotherapy have taken the edge off, but that doesn't mean they're /pleasant/. Being trapped in the Proto Helios in Nagoya, unable to make the escape he'd prepared for. Lucine's blood pooling on the Martian soil.

        Liam's fingers tighten. He breathes--in for the four count, hold for the four count, out for the four count, rest for the four count.

        Watching, trapped in a body that is no longer his, as he becomes a monster.

        "Ready," says Liam.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        Dressed in her Nergal flightsuit, Lucine pauses to adjust the pinned bun of hair while she still can, before she has to put on her helmet. Afterwards, she puts her helmet on and secures it, before climbing into the cockpit of the Dianthus. Secured there, Lucine traces the ring and index fingers of her opposite hand over the ring on her right hand, remembering the night of the Sheryl Nome concert and pulling her emotions back to that.

        At the same time, Hokuto asks the others to do the opposite. Lucine looks towards the units of Liam, Lina, and Guy; while it's easy for her to remember her own anger, she wasn't directly targeted. She can feel the emotions that swirl around those memories in degrees of familiarity; she has to remind herself not to fall back on that complusion to somehow smooth their emotions back. .... It's a thing she is working on in her therapy anyway, but that's an issue for another day.

        Looking back to her com as if it stood for Hokuto himself, Lucine is silent. Even if her senses unveil some of the truth of Hokuto and how he can be trusted, her general paranoia refuses to give up entirely. ".... This is... in service in helping access Yapool... right?" she asks softly, though she doesn't press further.

        Kaworu's voice reminds her of the times she did trust someone fully and entirely from that outset, and was rewarded with someone she knew she could always trust. Not only him, but the eyes of Jana, Alouette, Rikka, and Akane are there.

        She finally, slowly, pushes herself to trust the man with the kind aura. ".... Let me know if there is anything I can do," she adds instead. "... If not, I'll remain on standby."

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

Guy is in his ID Armor, Fused already - to PhantomGao. Betterman Rice had retruned Galeon of the past months ago to his proper point in time, and the Galeon of the present is still deep in regenerative torpor, his body half-formed and reassembling in its control cage. Normally, Renais would be the pilot of GaoFighGar now, but GGG has never been afraid to swap units around as needed. In this case, Guy is needed - and he will need a King of Braves.

"Don't worry about us, doc," Guy answers confidently. GaoFighGar has been through the wringer, but at least all the parts are here. Feeling the control pylons around his arms after so long fighting beside Galeon again is a strange sensation, but still, the machine does as his heart desires, arms crossed boldly.

As commanded, he turns his mind's eye back to the confrontation with Yapool, recalling the horrible thing in his office. The walls falling away.

A sky full of hateful eyes.

The Superhuman Evoluder shifts his neck until he feels a crack, suddenly impatient. "Ready."

<Pose Tracker> Gai Kurenai has posed.

Gai Kurenai is among the operatives preparing for the mission. He's mostly been involved in quiet talks with Hokuto when the advisor has a spare moment, and making sure the rest of the team are emotionally centered for what promises to be a grueling mission.

Now, he watches the Dilanza Sol, Dianthus, and PhantomGao prepare for this unusual sortie, and looks back towards Hokuto. "I'm going with them," he says, firmly. "In a place like that, they'll need all the help they can get."

He slips one hand into his jacket, waiting for the right moment.

<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.

The pain in the room is... tangible. An atmosphere of dread and anger permeates the air, as good people are made to remember bad moments, to steep in the trauma. The very air itself begins to tinge... red -- and that's when Hokuto presses his thumb against the tablet, and Dimensional Pliers rush out from the walls of Orbit Base, driving into the tint in reality and yanking it open.

Rather than the shattering that Yapool has inflicted on space during the Man in Black's incursions, this is a smooth, surgical tear, the world pulling back like a curtain to reveal foul, crimson space behind it. Hokuto looks up at the assembled machines.

"Go, now!" he bellows, as linear catapults spring to life, launching the assembled machines into the unknown.

No, not the unknown... the unknowable. The Yapool Dimension does not look the way it did when Lina had last entered. There is no mist obscuring writhing shapes here -- the horror is very, very clear, as Guy had seen. They are in something RESEMBLING outer space, massive, twitching planets and bloodred suns hanging in a hellish firmament, as pinpricks of light, cut through the darkness -- not stars, but eyes, darting and searching.

Even at this scale, however, the void is packed -- creatures anathema to natural life wriggle and stomp in quantities scarcely believable, cyborg horrors in numbers that would make the Vajra seem solitary.

And all of them are pointed in one direction, *ignoring* this new intrusion as they hurtle towards a flashing point in space, just a hair too far away to see details from, but close enough to fly to.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

        Lina's breath catches in her throat as the Nightmare finds purchase in the hellish sky. She wants to look away. She should look away. But she can't. Eyes forward, Lombardi. This is for the kid. "Looks like Dad's been doing some remodeling, hm?"

        She notices the flash that all of these creatures are flying towards, pushing her stick forward to boost the Nightmare's thrusters forward, pushing slightly ahead of the rest of the group. "Guess we've got our destination in sight! Quicker we get there, quicker we can get out!"

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

The way opens. "Right. Launching!" Guy calls. GaoFighGar is Final Fused already - with this unusual sortie, they need to do it with full power. But with a rift like this unstable, they had to be sure to bring his finest weapon with him.

"Wow!" GoldyDoubleMarg yells beside him, the faint green spray of Ul-Tech light allowing the double-barreled GoldyDoubleTank to hover over the unimaginable throng. "This place sucks!"

"That's why we're getting Shozo out as soon as we can," Guy affirms, GaoFighGar's own Ul-Tech wings extending to allow the second King of Braves to roar forward. "That light's got to be where Shozo is...we're not taking anyone surprise, if this place works the way we think it does. Hit hard and fast!"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

       "It is," Liam says, his voice soft. If Hokuto is correct--and there's no reason to believe he's /not/--Yapool's power still clings to him. It's a little like sympathetic magic, in old cultural treatises on magic (or perhaps terrifyingly real rituals, thanks Elisa). "We have to. And I... I want to show Yapool that he didn't break me." And he's not alone. They have one of the best Mission Control teams they can get, and they'll be there in spirit even in the likely scenario of Yapool cutting them off from communication.

       The Pliers break the wall. The catapult thunders. Liam's Dilanza Sol rockets forwards, into Hell.

       Liam's breath hitches in its throat. The Dilanza's cameras snap rapidly from one monstrous sight to another, and its head twists about. In an instant, it's whipped down its shields, and drawn its Beam Torch.

       "I read you, Chief," Liam says. He floors the accelerator, and lets the AMBAC handle the rest. "We're coming."

<Pose Tracker> Gai Kurenai has posed.

Gai's breath catches as the atmosphere changes in the launch room, the wanderer sinking into a ready stance. He draws the Orb Ring from his coat, palming it into his left hand and dropping his right down to the card holster on his hip.

The Dimension Pliers launch, grappling onto and opening wide the portal into the space of Yapool. Gai grits his teeth, reaching up to secure his hat on his head against the pressure differential, and takes another look back at the support staff. With a firm nod to Hokuto, he turns towards the rift, and leaps towards it with the Orb Ring out-thrust, disappearing into a swirl of light.

"Give me something with an edge, please!"

Blending the powers of Zero and Jack with his own, ULTRAMAN ORB: HURRICANE SLASH! materialises alongside the others within the Yapool space. He detaches the bladed Zero Sluggers from his helmet, combining them with an extension of light from his hand that forms a long haft, and the Orb Slugger Lance takes form.

GaoFighGar calls for them to press the attack, and Orb nods before launching into motion himself, a trail of light lingering behind him as he dives into the maw of hell itself.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

       For Lucine, sometimes being tuned to whether or not some emotions exist is like being tuned into the fact that a sound or smell exists: knowing that it will be there is the same of knowing for sure it will be there.

       She keeps herself ready, yellow eyes staring forward. "If that space's time is compressed... we will be back before all of you know it." It's a hopeful thought, for Shozo's sake.

       The door is opened, and the group of them are catapulted forward into a opened scar. On the other side, is a realm that resists being definable. Twitching, cramped, expansive, blood, always seeing, a razor wire universe.

       It feels that way too. Did Lina feel like this, when Yapool harassed her? Why did Lucine never think to check to see if other people were attacked?

       Lina's comment throws Lucine out of her grimly serious mood, and Lucine is grateful for it. "... I wonder if this is why Shozo is so fascinated with worlds outside... this must seem so boring to him in comparison." Her throat feels dry, and it's reflected in her laugh. However, the laugh is heartfelt, a memory of a time when she herself felt similar things.

       Guy urges them onward, and Lucine refocuses. "Roger that," Lucine replies. "... No hell is enough to box us in."

<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.

BGM: https://youtu.be/X_A4Y79f3FA?si=tMGteGiqTy-SfZKb

As the collected giants and machines follow the current of aberrations floating through space, sound and fury becomes audible -- an obvious impossibility in realspace, but not so here, clearly. What was a flickering pinprick of light becomes clear as a nightmarish fireworks show of weapons fire and chaos as *millions* of Choju fly around madly, spitting unearthly fire, launching rockets, hurling violence towards a single entity in the center.

The Ace Robot had been seen in rough shape before -- In fact, most people had first seen it when it was getting its head crushed by the Banshee. It had been a brutal sight then.

This was so much worse.

Panels have fallen away on almost all of the robot's body, its "skin" flayed away to expose sparking mechanical "bone." A chunk of the robot's face is simply missing, its mouth open in a way that seemed anathemic to the serene masks of the Ultras. An arm had been pulled off at some point in the recent past, and the Robot is brandishing it like a weapon, hurling and swinging it. Its Color Timer is ablaze.

And yet, it is fighting more fluidly than anyone who had watched the robot had ever seen, swinging and bending in three dimensions, hurling energy slashes and ripping apart choju that got too close with jagged, malformed fingers.

In the crook of its neck, curled up in the fetal position, is Shozo. His arm no longer looks human, the wicked blade that had been seen when he first cut his way to find his father during the first encounter with the Man in Black having seemingly spread, red thorns and carapace-like armor covering his limb.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

        A disgusting piece of shit robot for a disgusting piece of shit father. Fitting, Lina thought to herself. Well, as much as she could think to herself over the mental din this place was causing in her head. It felt like barbed wire was wrapping her brain. She focuses herself enough to notice Shozo on the robot's shoulder.

        "SHOZO!" Lina cries out, with the voice in her throat and the voice in her mind, immediately rushing forward as the Nightmare transitions into Battroid mode, calling out to the others.

        "Try to grab its attention! I'll see if I can get close enough to pick up Shozo and get him into safety!" The Battroid swerves to the left, making a wide circle around the Ace Robot and firing off missiles at incoming Choju.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

       Jeturk's promo materials wouldn't shut up about the reliability of its combat computers, even under the worst combat conditions. Is bringing their test unit into an intelligent hell dimension just giving them more ad copy? Liam doesn't know. What he /does/ know is that the targeting sensors start throttling immediately, lest they overflow and shut down from literal millions and millions of kaiju. After a few moments, Liam reaches out--straining a little against the force of his extreme acceleration--marks the key targets (Shozo, the Ace Robot, the rest of his squad), and orders the system to ignore anything outside a ten-kilometer envelope. It's a risky move.

       It also means Liam has to make his opening salvo count. "That's... that's been protecting him," he realizes, as he sees the horrible state the Ace Robo is in. He takes another risk, turns on the external speakers with the touch of a keypad. "SHOZO!" Liam screams. "WE'RE HERE!"

       Moments later, the Dilanza Sol's missile rack unloads, as Liam paints approximately three dozen priority targets and holds down the trigger. Every tube on the rack fires, sending cluster warheads into one of the bigger clusters of choju.

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

"Oi, oi, oi, there's no way he can keep that up!!" GoldyDoubleTank yells.

"So that's what's been defending him..." Guy murmurs. "We can't let him keep fighting alone! If he's protecting Shozo, give him time to breathe!"

"AW YEAH!!" Goldy roars, and the double-barreled DoubleTank lights up, twin streams of Ul-Tech light crashing down amid the monstrous Choju. Then he disengages the Ul-Tech engine to LAND, spinning out with Goldion-assisted force to send monsters flying with raw main strength. "SYSTEM! CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANGE!"

The orange double-barreled tank launches right back up into the sky, unfolding itself - the two barrels fire upward, legs and arms unfurl, and soon Goldy DoubleMarg is standing, one hammer forming his spine. But with the other he reaches out to catch the descending, smaller hammer.

GaoFighGar, meanwhile, roars out, "PROGRAM RIIIIIIIIIIING! PLUS!" as the central Ring Emitter fires out a rapidly spinning program-light ring, which GaoFighGar immediately fires out its fist through: "BROKEN! PHAAAAAAAAAANTOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" Guy roars.

It won't be the first time GaoFighGar has had to fight off enemies that sought to outnumber the stars - or punched holes in enemies nearly their size.

<Pose Tracker> Gai Kurenai has posed.

As Liam and Lina dive in directly, Hurricane Slash darts upwards, over the Ace Robot's brutal melee. Slugger Lance gleaming, the Giant of Light plunges downwards to clear space behind Shozo's mechanical guardian, before forming up with his back to it.

"Shozo," his voice calls out. "We're here. We're getting you out."

A blue, saurian kaiju, muscles crawling with red veinlike growths, swings a massive talon towards Orb, and he thrusts the comparatively diminutive Slugger Lance out, catching the bladed claw in the prongs of the bident. He grabs a secondary handle on the haft and pulls it back, once, twice, three times, each time blasting a bolt of light into the kaiju's limb from between the tines of the lance. Then he pulls the weapon back, spins it, and drives it into the kaiju's chest. "Get... away!" Another pumped blast from the Slugger Lance sends it flying backwards - right into the Dilanza Sol's missile barrage.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

       Closer and closer still they get to their goal. As they do, Lucine's mental image of Shozo as a sort of teenager rebelling against his dad is shown for the false narrative that it is.

       The Ace Robot Shozo is curled up on is a sorry sight, and Lina's first assumption, vaguely laid out in her suggestion to grab its attention, seems wise. However, Liam's read of the situation comes before Lucine could make that decision herself. Guy's assessment joins Liam's.

       Liam takes a risk in calling out on his speakers, and Lucine does the same. "... Shozo, hang in there just a little longer. We're here." She tries to get a read on Shozo's emotional state, but it's like trying to read a single melody in a room full of clashing noise.

       Deciding the best approach is to be a distraction, the Dianthus's back panels spread and extend outsides, glowing white and magenta like a colorful fishing lure. Lucine dials in to her strength, slicing through the nether space in a vexing, daredevil path, clipping and teasing past countless horrors.

       "... None of you can catch me," she whispers, riding high on her thrill ride. "I'll outrace you all."

<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.

As the Nightmare closes in towards the Ace Robot, it turns to face her, and freezes for just a moment -- a poor choice, as a particularly bold Choju rams past the Battroid, sending it spinning, and lunges at the robot, sinking its teeth into the wiring in its leg. Immediately the Ace Robot reels in pain --

And perhaps more concerningly, so does Shozo, SCREAMING and clutching his leg. A moment later, the robot's arm, wreathed in energy, swings down, beheading the mothlike beast, but the choju smell blood in the water, and began to swarm in -- even as Orb throws a Vakishim directly into their path, they simply drive through it, shredding it with their passage.

Thankfully, that advance is halted suddenly by the dozens of warheads from the Dilanza Sol, blasting the hellish monsters into bits of gore and scrap.

THAT is enough to finally make the horde notice that they've been joined by the others, and several of them turned to regard the five would-be rescuers, several roaring at Lucine as she makes her fly-by.

"Why, Shichinijuu, what an unwise thing to do," comes that same vicious voice that had tormented everyone, echoing all around them.

A moment later, a single tentacle bursts from the horde of monsters, puncturing clean through the cockpit of the Dilanza Sol -- and a moment later, it multiplies, tearing the entire machine into tatters stained with red.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuS3R3EgiKs

The Man in Black steps out of the horde, now the size of a monster himself, and retracts his mutated hand from the wreckage of the Dilanza Sol, wiping it off, and laughing.

"You sent five broken people to engage the endlessness of Yapool -- truly, the height of your hubris knows no bounds! I wonder what Choju I'll be able to make from your remains-"

The man's grin quickly leaves his face in favor of an annoyed grimace as the ruins of the Dilanza began to shudder and glitch -- and a moment later, it simply reappears, fully intact -- even with its ammo reserves back to full.

"...Oh," the man hisses, his annoyance turning into genuine frustration. "I forgot that you idiots have your damned *Courage.* I have to break down your spirits before I can break down your bodies, then." He clenches his fist, staring at it as it morphs and shifts into claws, teeth, snarling, bestial heads, then back to his gloved fingers.

"I'm fine with that. Just because you can't die until you submit doesn't mean you don't *experience the pain of death. And I'm very good at granting that."

As the Broken Phantom hurtles through a line of Choju, it glitches and disappears before GaoFighGar's arm is made whole again, as though the attack had never been launched. A moment later, a text transmission flashes across the terminals of all four machines -- matched with a similar understanding being delivered directly to Orb's mind.

Nothing can change in this space, save to become Yapool. Unless you give yourselves up to Yapool, he can't put you down for more than a few moments! You can win!

The sender is anonymous.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

        Lina immediately knows. "Shozo! I'll never give in to this bastard! We came here to save you, and I'm sure as hell gonna get out of here with you!"

        Stablizing the Battroid after the Choju rush, she thinks. She wondered...even if Yapool was this entire dimension, appearing to them as a singular entity should only allow him to focus his attention on so much, right?

        "Worth a shot! Circo Itano!"

        Lina slams at every button that controls every missile array, the Nightmare shooting off its entire salvo in every direction, hitting Yapool and Choju alike!

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

       In a sharp turn of the Dianthus, Lucine manages to see the exact moment the Dilanza Sol punctured straight through by a single tentacle, joined with many, many other tentacles like a witch's broom infection on an aster.

       There is no hope there; Liam died. Lucine felt that death. That red is Liam's.

       "...." The high whirlwind of Lucine's emotions sharply spiral downwards, the Dianthus careening faster, before it snaps straight into the Man in Black, now a massive kaiju.

       Loss, death. Snuffed out. Snipped off. Cut. Stopping. Ending. Off. Kill. Kill him. Kill. Kill. Make him hurt. Make him pay. Ruin him.

       Her momentum doesn't acknowledge the Dilanza Sol popping back into existence, or Yapool's words about courage and spirits. She's back in the same hole she was years ago, only this time, she knows what she's lost.

       Lucine shrieks like a banshee as the Dianthus poises its spear at the massive Yapool, aiming straight for one of his eyes.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

       Shozo's just barely close enough to discern clearly, now. Liam fixes an aux cam on him, and keeps it there as the last of the Dilanza's warheads streak through the void.

       "That robot," he says, eyes widening as he sees Shozo recoiling in pain. "It's linked to him?!" Is it protecting him because it's programmed to? Is it a vessel of Shozo's will? The thought drives in some distance between Liam and the rest of this nightmare. A sky where every star is a staring, hateful eye. Claws and fangs and barbs and blood. Flesh heaped upon flesh to make living viscera-worlds.

       "We have to get them both back to the rift," Liam says. He's breathing through his teeth. The Dilanza unracks its machine gun, and pours a torrent of beam fire into the horde that turns on Lucine--

       'Why, Shichinijuu, what an unwise thing to do.'

       "You," Liam says, venom in his voice. His perception of time slows. The tendril races at him faster than should be possible, and metal SCREAMS as it rips through his machine, the panoramic display bursting open. Metal shrapnel riddles him before the main impact. Familiar, mind-splitting pain ushers him into darkness.

       . . . b e a t . . .

       Darkness. The sound of a heartbeat. It can't be his? His heart is gore, splashed across an expanding cloud of debris. Yapool laughs.

       . . . b e a t . . .

       Broken people. Lucine screaming. She can't see him. Does he exist?

       ...beat...

       He can't see. He can see everything. He is scattered across this hellscape and still in the cockpit. Yapool's essence is so thick, everywhere.

       It doesn't know what to do with him. He's not Yapool.Beat.

       Surrender?

       No.

       In the next instant, Liam's back in his cockpit like nothing ever happened, his death quietly yet insistently reversed. "<No,>" he says, in Gaeilge. "<NOT GOING TO BE THAT EASY!>" Rather than dive at Yapool's central 'avatar', he jets for the group still harrying the Ace Robot. The Dilanza Sol unloads the entire clip into them, and at the same time, the missile rack unloads, /again/. "Lucine. Lucine, I'm here--!" The hail does not let up. Liam's lips twist as he braces himself again.

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

Goldy yelps a startled "WHOA!!!" as the tentacles tear the Dilanza Sol to shreds. But...

Rather than return, GaoFighGar's arm simply regenerates. The King of Braves flexes the fingers, contemplating. "Heh. So this is why you hate us so much? Of course. No matter how powerful you or your world are, you've tucked yourself away here...all you could do is try to strike at resolve. But you'll never break it."

GaoFighGar drops down into the horde directly, leg extended. "HYAAAAAAP!" Guy yells, then swings his weight around to sweep a roundhouse to knock everything in the vicinity low. "Our Courage...is something you can never destroy, Yapool. Come and try me!"

Meanwhile, Goldymarg drops his hammer for a moment and reaches toward a Choju - the things are double or triple his size, so what he could plan to do is a mystery...until he just grabs one and PICKS IT UP, the incredible strength of the Orange Brave letting him lift the choju entirely overhead and then simply HURL it hundreds of meters into its brethren. "YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT, GAOFIGHGAR!" Goldymarg roars. He grabs his hammer back up and it starts to blaze with Goldion light, and then swings it at the nearest enemy, instantly turning it into light.

<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.

BGM: https://youtu.be/9-Endf_gyo8

The Man in Black laughs, snatching the Dianthus by the spear and SWINGING it, into the path of the missiles from both Lina and Liam aimed directly at him, before throwing her into the Dilanza Sol, connecting with a loud CRASH.

Moments later, the damage to the Dilanza repairs itself -- but the Dianthus doesn't, the scorch marks, crushed metal, and bent spear remaining. Yapool grins wickedly.

"Oh, YOU were the easy one! I could have just gone after you the whole time, and dragged him down with you! Silly me!

Despite the relative breeziness of the Man in Black's demeanor, the battle is gouging MASSIVE swaths of Choju out of existence -- Lina's Circo Itano seems to uncannily strike at fuel tanks within the Choju, causing MASSIVE detonations that wipe out dozens of building-sized horrors at a time, while Guy and Goldymarg's assaults are literally *pulverizing* the creatures as though they were papier-mache.

Dusting off his hands, the Man and Black points at the Ace Robot -- no, at Shozo.

"I don't have to worry about your courage. His is almost gone." The Ace Robot has now also curled up into a fetal position, trying to protect Shozo as red light pulses from within his the arms of the robot, sobbing sounds audible.

"You left that boy for months. He held on for months. Seeing what happened to Shichinijuu just now did more to him than all of that time combined. We're almost back in control now, and all we have to do now is scrap you pathetic humans a few more times." The man flickers, and is suddenly ON GaoFighGar, ripping into its metal hull easily.

"Thank you for your sacrifices."

<Pose Tracker> Gai Kurenai has posed.

The Dilanza Sol is smashed apart - and reforms only moments later. Orb glides over to it, using his much more considerable bulk to cushion the mobile suit as it careens backwards.

"Liam. It's alright."

Orb's crystal eyes watch the Man in Black as he towers over all of them, even his own Ultra-Risen form.

"We have to get Shozo out of here. This is the only place where Yapool can change him... but the worst he can do to us here is kill us."

GaoFighGar and Goldymarg falter not at all in the face of physical harm, demonstrating Orb's point as he explains. "Steel yourselves, everyone! As long as we keep trying, we have a shot!"

Once the Dilanza is operating again, Orb once more approaches the damaged Ace Robot, fighting side-by-side with the mechanical imitation of Ultraman Ace. "Shozo, can you hear me? Don't give up!" The Slugger Lance dances with incredible speed, blades slashing and skewering choju and pushing them away from the beleaguered machine-giant.

'All I have to do now is scrap you pathetic humans a few times', the Man in Black gloats, and Orb glares.

"Count again!" He dives towards the Man in Black, plunging the Slugger Lance into him as it crackles with red and blue light. "BIG... BANG... THRUST!" He plunges the secondary handle on the spear forwards, and a shaped explosion of light bursts outwards from the polearm, engulfing the Emissary of Yapool.

"We can't stay here, Chief! We have to make a fighting retreat!"

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

        Lina's eyes sharpen into a murderous glare, wanting nothing more than to rip the Man in Black piece by piece with her own hands. But that won't happen here. It won't happen in him. Ultraman is right, they just need to get Shozo and get out. And the Ace Robot isn't fighting anymore. This is her chance...!

        The Battroid flies over to the Robot, holding its hands out, trying to be as nonthreatening as possible. Lina reaches out with her mind, with her heart.

        Shozo, it's Lina. I came to get you. Please, come with me. We'll take you back home.

        I need you to trust me, Shozo.

        I'm a Brave, aren't I?

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

       "I'm here," Liam says. In the moments before its charge, the Dilanza Sol reaches back, clasping Orb's finger with its much smaller hand. There's steel in Liam's voice. "I'm here."

       But Lucine might not realize, with the pain of her past heaped on her back. An involuntary gasp leaves Liam's throat as the Dianthus flies wild, and then SLAMS into the side of his machine. "Lu!" Liam shouts, as his machine twists itself back into fighting shape. "Orb's right! We have to get him to the portal!" The Dilanza Sol finally reaches the Ace Robot's side. Up close, he can see the brutal, unceasing punishment it endured to keep Shozo safe. Are they just... going to have to leave it here?

       "Come on, buddy," Liam says. The much smaller Dilanza Sol braces against the Robot's torso and sets the jets to full burn. A moment later, he puts in an override he's probably not supposed to have, and inches them into the redline. The inner surfaces of the machine's thrusters start to glow white-hot, and mechanical stress alerts ignite on Liam's console.

       Liam takes them as polite advice as he starts to push the Robot--and Shozo--towards the portal.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

       The world goes red. The Dianthus is, at its core, a speeding glass cannon, using evasion, speed, and a flexible system of close and far range combat to its advantage. Liam and Lina's missiles crash into the Dianthus, marring its back and the five 'petals' extending from it. Then, just as quickly, it's swung into the crashed remains of the Dilanza Sol, and Lucine's world briefly going dark.

       It's not a death, and that's a good thing: Lucine's perilous dip of morale might risk it becoming permanent.

       Blood tickles the side of her head as Lucine comes to, hearing words that make no sense, but feel so familiar.

       Gaelic. Liam's words, Liam's voice. All their voices, continuing on. On her radar, the Dilanza Sol is still there. Was it a trick?

       The damage to the Dianthus isn't reversing, but Lucine's morale is another matter, as Yapool taunts her, and boasts over Shozo's own waning courage.

       "... You... misunderstand me, Yapool. But... it may be something beyond you, to feel." Lucine straightens in her seat, sparing a gentle smile as she hears Liam's words, comforting her.

       "... It's.. not weak, or wrong, to feel the pain of others," she softly says. "... Whether it's literally, or figuratively. Shozo may hurt, but the fact that he knows what it's like to feel a connection to someone... and to feel loss... that is proof that he has inherited something beyond you, whether it's from you, or another source. If he is as timeless like an Ultraman... this would not be the first time he'll have to experience this. But with it... comes growth, and renewal. You underestimate him... and that may show your limits. You can never grow, while he will."

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

Giving Goldymarg his own hammer might have made him like TOO good for this circumstance; it's tough to justify System Changing to the DoubleHammer when they can fight so effectively split apart...

The Man in Black laughs boldly, and its fingers dig into armor plating like nothing, sheering the blue King of Braves asunder. Guy SCREAMS, the pain rioting through him as GaoFighGar ruptures. But...

...for just a moment, in a tear in the armor that shows the cockpit, even a bloody Guy Shishioh glares out with defiance. "is that all you have to say?" he says, as the fusion space fills with G-Stone light. A blaze of green reforms GaoFighGar in the strange rules of this space, and it immediately drills the man in black in the chin with a savage right hook. GaoFighGar stomps after him, looking intent to grab and pummel: "I met another man like you. A man who thought his power made him master of all he surveyed. He made a thousand of himself with the power of an entire universe."

"He's dead now. Him and everyone he sought to destroy us with. So I'll show Shozo. You're nothing to fear. The oath of our courage is endless!"

But rather than swing a fist down to smash further - he hears Orb's call. "Yeah," he says, and the Ul-Tech engines flare. "Goldy! Fighting retreat!"

"I heard 'im, GaoFighGar!" Goldymarg calls, and: "CLACKER!!" he hurls the Goldion Clacker from his smaller hammer forward, creating a wrecking-ball he can use to batter swaths of Choju away before he himself starts beating feat for the rift.

<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O41oV3AVbhI

As Lina reaches out, as Orb gets in close, to where the Ace Robot is protecting Shozo...

Something inhuman looks out at them. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/878370492992610334/1203928495110098954/ShozoMajin.jpeg?ex=65d2e0c9&is=65c06bc9&hm=4e61765413dfe205f0314c1132adca514a3ef2e24d526ac35d570493a8612f76&

The Man in Black laughs hysterically, even as he is struck by GaoFighGar's powerful fist. As the impact knocks his hat off...

He looks like Shozo. An older version of Shozo, to be sure, but now that his full face and features are exposed, it's impossible to ignore.

"You fundamentally fail to understand me, Evoluder. Do you think I don't know Palparepa? Do you think I don't know your triumphs and failures? They're nothing to me, Guy Shishioh. I have *already won*, because you will end before the war does. The boy -- what am I doing giving it personhood, the weapon -- is mine. I made it, and I have dismissed it of the silly notion of its own existence as a separate being. Your courage failed him, just like it failed Churyu, just like it failed Kamuy. That is my Hook to Pull the Universe, and nothing more."

The monster in red reaches a trembling hand out, his sword-arm pointed at Lina... Before his other arm attempts to hold it back. He suddenly leaps out of the Ace Robot's embrace, swinging his arms madly as he screams.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

        Lina shudders as she sees Shozo...what's become of Shozo...no, it's still him! She blinks away burning tears as she tries to tune out the Man in Black. She can't listen to him, she won't.

        The Man in Black wants them to be afraid of Shozo. The boy leaps. He wants her to fight back.

        She won't.

        The Nightmare's cockpit...opens. Lina takes off the helmet of her normal suit, letting her matted hair flow out, and stands up, holding an arm out to Shozo.

        "Don't be afraid. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

       Lucine tries to use the Dianthus to contribute towards pulling the Ace Robot towards the exit, but its contribution only leads to sparks and further damage from Dianthus's frame. "... I'm trying, but the Dianthus can't handle the strain."

       Lucine looks up, and sees the GaoFighGar's fist strike away that damned hat, exposing Yapool's face to them all. And Shozo, meanwhile, displays a look far more inhuman.

       Lina, Brave that she is, displays no fear.

       In her mind's eye, Lucine's Newtype senses display an alarm, a possibility that Lina is going to be hurt. .... and in that split second, she opts *not* to blare her warning, pressing her faith in Lina's decisions, as well as Shozo himself, just as she tried to believe in Hokuto.

       "Shozo, listen to Lina. I don't know what Yapool showed her... but she's still here, for you. Take her hand."
       
       This dimension's logic... is that why everyone is able to recover? She barely remembers the message that was said earlier... something about how they can't die here.

       That, in itself, could be a trick, but if their will contributes to their armor here...

       The Dianthus switches tactics, firing a barrage of swirling missiles towards Yapool's face. It won't pack the same punch as Guy's arsenal (no pun intended), but the intent is to temporarily 'blind' Yapool, if it's even possible. "We're taking him from your custody," she snaps. "He is no longer any of your concern."

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

       Liam has no idea if Shozo's remotely in control of himself, at the moment--after all, Yapool twisted his claws in Liam's own programming. Why couldn't he do the same to his own creation? "Shozo!" Liam cries, again, and his guts twist as he sees GaoFighGar take that hit--

       And in the next heartbeat, it's fine, because Guy Shishioh's courage is a beacon of hope in this hellscape.

       The Dilanza Sol rocks to the side as wiring in its left calf jet overloads. Liam scowls, and a second later, it's repaired itself. If they can just get Shozo off this thing, and into someone's cockpit, then--

       Shozo. That's Shozo. Liam's gaze flicks between two images on his display: the face of the man in black, and the red-armored creature Shozo's become. Shozo leaps. Liam throws his machine forward, putting its bulk between Lina's nightmare and Yapool's primary manifestation. He can act as a shield. The rest is up to them.

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

Yapool sure knows how to target even Guy - at his failures. Men who have died. Kamuy...and Churyu, too.

That face he shows... "So that's the face you choose...Or maybe you're stuck with it? Did you bind yourself to this?"

But still, Guy can only flash a snarl of a smile. "So you even saw the Trinary Solar System? I don't think we'll ever understand each other, you and I," Guy says. "Maybe you've heard of Palparepa...but you didn't learn a thing from him! Because however small an ember, I still believe in his courage! I believe in the people who care to protect him! So come on! Give me your best shot!"

It's a gamble...here, Yapool really can do a thing like that. But it might just force him to use resources he either doesn't have - or doesn't want to spend. That kind of trust is the sign of his courage.

Goldy, for his part, does his best to keep the throngs away from Ace Robo and Lina, firing the Clacker like a bullet downrange and sending beasts the size of skyscrapers sprawling with over-mass force. "I'll keep 'em clear! The rest is on you, Lombardi!!"

<Pose Tracker> Gai Kurenai has posed.

"There will always be others," Orb says, firmly, as Yapool taunts Guy with the finite nature of life versus Yapool's eternal nature. "There are others who match this courage and resolve even now."

His gaze turns to Shozo's transformed self, and he moves to reinforce Lina and Liam. "I can hear you," he directs his message to Shozo as he positions himself to catch the two pilots' craft, if need be. "I hear your cry."

"You don't want to be a monster, do you?"

From between and behind Lina's Ichinana and Liam's Dilanza, Ultraman Orb extends a hand.

"You can still choose. I believe in you."

<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.

Shozo seems to have a flicker of recognition as he lunges at Lina, sword raising nonetheless as he screams, unable to stop himself from going through Liam and striking her, Orb, *everyone* down...

A titanic shadow hurtles between them, as the blade, impossibly large, swings down like a guillotine...

And the Ace Robot is bisected at the shoulder.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAhGY3ylso0

Everything stops. Even the Man in Black turns, staring, as the gouge cuts cleanly through the robot from shoulder to waist, drifting apart slowly.

"...M-Mister?" Shozo whimpers, his monstrous body flaking away and blowing off him in the wind, until the child is there, no longer pretending to be an adult. Wide eyes, already welling with tears, herald trembling fingers, as the flickering eyes of the Ace Robot look down at his Boy.

"...Shozo..." a rumbling voice echoes through the endless space, as the robot slowly lifts his arm to pick Shozo up.

"Do not lose yourself to this darkness, my Boy. You have... You have given me so much in our time together. My memories were never mine until we made new ones together." Motes of warm, comforting light begin to float from the gouges and wounds from his body as his fingers begin to stiffen slowly.

"I never believed that I would get to see you grow, Shozo. I can only be grateful to have hopefully given you the chance to grow with others who love you."

Shozo's tears are flowing now, uncontrollably as he clutches the finger of the Ace Robot, who... smiles.

"I can only ask one thing of you, Shozo. Please..."

The Man in Black floats, slack-jawed, uncomprehending of anything he's seeing, ignoring the impacts of the missiles against him.

"...Caring for the weak. Helping each other in your times of need. Becoming friends, no matter where you may come from. Please... don't lose those feelings. Even if those feelings are betrayed hundreds of times."

The light is almost gone from the robot's eyes, and it begins to go limp.

"Your future will be a wonderful one. Please, enjoy it with others. I love you, Shozo."

And then, the Ace Robot is gone.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

        Lina, for her part, does not flinch at the incoming blade. She knows in her heart that it will be alright. As he and the Ace Robot speak, her own eyes well up with tears, falling down her cheeks as she blinks.

        Dammit, Lina...you never cry in front of people...why now?

        As the Robot goes limp, she once again offers an outstretched arm to the boy.

        Offering him help

        Offering him a future

        "Shozo. You're a good boy, I know you are. You're better than this place. Now come on..."

        She smiles, radiating a...green aura to all who can sense.

        "...Let's go home."

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

       The danger wasn't to Lina, it seems-- that, or the robot realized it and intervened. While placing her faith in the people there was the right choice, it doesn't feel that way to Lucine, especially as she wonders why she never considered the Ace Robot's own safety in it all.

       But that's a reflection on Lucine's need to 'smooth over' the bad, as if that was always the best choice.

       There's a pained grunt over the Dianthus's speakers. Lucine then clears her throat. She didn't think her earlier words would reflect something like this; the weight of those emotions shared between Shozo and the robot(?) that protected him are true. "... Your friend's right, Shozo. Just like you've done up until now... trying to protect and help us. You've only seen a small percentage of the world out there... there's so much more you can see. Hold your friend's words and memory in your heart... and step forward."

       She doesn't do anything to attack Yapool just yet; his shock may be the best opening they might have to escape. "... We won against the King of Ruin... And... Mr. Shishioh was reunited with someone dear to him. There's a lot to catch up on..."

<Pose Tracker> Gai Kurenai has posed.

The Ace Robot might not have a soul, but nevertheless, Orb feels his injury as keenly as any other dealt to a living being. His final words, however, have the Ultraman pull himself up to a floating attention posture, crystal eyes watching the machine duplicate of Ultraman Ace fade away with a stoic, respectful gaze.

Then, those shining eyes turn to Lina's machine, waiting to see how Shozo will react to her.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

       No, Liam thinks, as Shozo lunges. He's not in control, they'll have to grab him and /run/, of it's not too late, if he won't keep hacking them apart until--

       Something massive comes between his machine and Shozo. There's a horrible noise.

       The Dilanza Sol turns, and in its cockpit, Liam watches and listens. "Mister"... Mister's not coming back from this one. And Mister knows. Tears wet his eyes.

       "You protected him," Liam whispers. "...We can take it from--from here." His voice quakes a little. "Rest well."

       "Shozo," Liam says. His machine turns to the young man, now. "The rest is up to you."

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

For a moment, it all pauses. The shock of the impact strips away the thing that Shozo had become and brings forth the boy at its core.

Guy doesn't smile to be right. Because understanding courage is to understand the wailing heart that cultivates it. GaoFighGar's head dips, even with the Man in Black - the thing bearing the false face of Shozo nearby.

"OI, GAOFIGHGAR!" Goldymarg yells, and picks up a choju and literally throws it into space. "I GET IT BUT WE GOT PROBLEMS DOWN HERE!!"

"Right!" Guy yells, and GaoFighGar charges forward at speed.

If the way out is through, then he has to carve a path...for once those who will leave have found their courage again.

<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.

Sobbing openly, Shozo looks at Lina, Liam, Orb, Lucine, Guy... and reaches out with a trembling hand.

"NO!" the Man in Black screams, his form wavering with rage as the choju hordes match his bellow.

"You don't just get to go BACK! You're MINE, you little THING!" The entire space around them begins to quake, as every wandering eye in the firmament fixates on Shozo, the "planets" beginning to unfold into monsters bigger than the imagination.

"I'll never let you leave! I'll grind you all into the dust until the concept of thought has abandoned all of you! I SWEAR I'LL-"

"Silence."

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0bYOiqCQ5M

A single word rings out, close to the ear and from an impossible distance away. Everything freezes -- this time for real. Even the Man in Black is still, eyes wide with rage, but also... fear? Indignation?

Someone is sitting there, far away but within reach.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/878370492992610334/1202476471591899236/Rayblood1.png?ex=65cd987b&is=65bb237b&hm=e80809bcb953040b6a0065fb5f0803486585e0eff0310a1b118b30bfee6a5ca0&

Rayblood stands up, and steps forward. Nothing impedes him -- nothing dares breathe in his presence. Another step, and he is standing above Shozo, who stares up at him, tears silently falling.

"...What would you like me to call you?" the ancient tyrant says, his voice softer than expected. There is a long silence.

"My name is Shozo," the boy squeaks out, breathless.

Another silence, before Rayblood inhales, closing his eyes.

"...It is good to finally meet you, Shozo. My name is Rayblood. I am your... father."

"I know who you are," Shozo responds, quicker this time, anger in his voice. Rayblood nods.

"...For what it is worth, Shozo. I am... proud of you."

"...What?" Shozo murmurs.

"What?" the Man in Black hisses.

"You were... made of two monsters," Rayblood says, turning away. "Yapool and I know what we are. We cannot change -- even if we would like to. It would stand to reason that everything we create would be no better, and yet... Here you are. In the long shadow of our darkness, you have chosen light. I cannot truly understand it, nor you, but I am proud."

This time, the silence is awkward, as Shozo just stares at his father.

"To that end," Rayblood continues, "I would grant you a boon. Anything in my power. I cannot promise that I will be the father you need in the future, but in this moment I will do whatever you wish of me. Simply name it."

Shozo immediately looks to the fallen Ace Robot.

"...Bring him back-"

"I am sorry, Shozo," Rayblood interrupts. "The dead are my domain, but I cannot return this one to life." Shozo finally abandons his meekness and stands up.

"Why not?! He might have been a robot, but I know you can-" Rayblood holds up a hand, shaking his head.

"It is not that. As I said before, I am a monster. I cannot touch the light."

"What does that even mean?!" Shozo yells, tears welling up again.

"...Shozo, your friend died not as a robot. He found the Light in his final moments, and died as an Ultra."

Shozo's tears begin falling again as he looks down at the hand of the Ace Robot beneath him.

"I..."

"Sorry to interrupt," a familiar voice says, as Hokuto, the old man, floats into sight. "That's more my department."

Immediately, despite whatever power Rayblood has over the beings of Yapool, they all begin to thrash and scream, pitch and bellow.

"AAAAAAAAAAAACE!" the Man in Black ROARS, a vein popping out in his forehead and a blood vessel bursting in his alien eye. Hokuto merely chuckles, waving him off and causing him to break into a fit of curses.

"Yes, yes, you pathetic wretch, I'm in your space again. Quiet down." Hokuto walks up to Shozo, standing across from Rayblood.

"Hello there, Shozo. We haven't met, but I am a friend. I would like to bring Mister here back to my home and attempt to bring him back. May I?" That's why the Ace Robot's voice sounded so familiar -- he sounds exactly like Hokuto. The boy doesn't know how to react, simply nodding numbly at the old man's offer, and causing him to smile.

"Good lad. Let me say this -- I promise that you two will meet again." He then looks over at the others. "Ah, sorry -- please tell Commander Nagisa that I am going on sabbatical."

Shozo steps off the Ace Robot's hand as the pieces of the machine and Hokuto are wreathed in a glowing red orb of light, Hokuto waving goodbye before the travel sphere takes off, the choju horde baying angrily at it as it goes.

DAMN YOU, ACE! I'LL NEVER LET YOU GO, I'LL-"

"I believe I told you to be silent," Rayblood says again, and the Man in Black's face freezes, his eyes darting around in furious rage. "Now, as I was saying, Shozo... Any wish. Shall I help you escape?" he offers, hands arms crossed behind his back.

"Y-yes, please," Shozo says, nodding frantically. "Take me and all my friends back... back home," he asks.

"NO!" The Man in Black spits, forcing his jaw to move again. "I'LL NEVER LET ANY OF YOU GO! YOU'LL NEVER-"

"Shut UP, Inasha!" Shozo yells, balling his fists, and the Man in Black- no, Inasha- rears back like he's been shot.

"W...What did you call me, you little-"

"Your name is Inasha" Shozo continues, eyes glowing with anger. "That's your name! You're this awful little man who keeps taking from others because YOU can't be anything more than you are! You think I couldn't feel you in the hivemind when you had control of me? That awful, gnawing emptiness? You're pathetic, even for Yapool, and you just keep tormenting people instead of actually DOING anything!

Inasha is silent again, this time out of horror, as the Choju begin to turn to look at him, now.

"Yapool lost me because of you, Inasha," Shozo continues, a smile rising to his tear-soaked face as he realizes what is about to happen. "You failed Yapool."

Inasha looks around, rapidly shrinking as his malice fades into terror.

"No, I-"

Rayblood snaps his fingers, and Shozo, Lina, Guy, Orb, Liam, and Lucine are back in the hangar of the Orbit Base before they can see what happens to the Man in Black.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

        Lina, with barely any time to register what happened, stumbles a bit as the Nightmare is now firmly on solid ground, pulling Shozo into her cockpit before he can fall, as if that's a concern. She thinks it isn't.

        "Shozo..."

        She pulls him into a hug, letting go of her pride and sobbing in front of God and the Guard.

        "I'm sorry we took so long."

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

       Lucine looks up, bewildered at the exchange of events.

       This is a meeting long in the making, and one Shozo needed to see, in order to learn the truth about himself.

       Back in the real world, Lucine slumps in the cockpit; the Dianthus still retains the damage it sustained earlier, as did she.

       However, while the Dianthus's injuries are extensive, its pilot isn't; she's just very very woozy and bloody from an surface wound. She'll need to be checked for concussions, but she, like all the people gathered, managed to extract Shozo and survive.

       "... I'm going to need a break after all that," she murmurs as the cockpit manages to open. Removing her helmet, she looks down at Shozo and Lina, and smiles, rubbing the side of her head. "... Welcome back, Shozo. ... I imagine we'll all need a good checkup after that... The doctors here are very nice, though..." For now, though, she winces, and rubs her forehead. ".... Let's hope this doesn't reoccur anytime soon... My head's killing me..."