[Battle] Mecha Melee Mayhem - Part 3
WHO: Mint Blancmanche, Koji Kabuto, Shinji Ikari, Lily Davies, Rei Ayanami, Chris Lightfellow, Agrias Oaks, John Sheppard, Amuro Ray, Vega Obscura, Asuka Langley, Rhyss, Shinji Ikari, Kyosuke Nanbu, Maximillian Sterling, Roy Fokker, Sylvie Gena
WHEN: Saturday, October 7, 2006
WHERE: Kaiju Ravaged Tokyo
WHAT: Grand Mecha Battle!
WATCH FOR: Everything. This Battle was pure awesome in a cup.
Maximillian Sterling switches armor modes to Veritech Battloid.
The Excalibur is just too damn slow. Roy's used to speed on speed. Standing on the ground, all he can do is open fire, trying to destroy as many missiles as he can, but here's just not enough ammo for the missiles -- and the Excalibur collapses under the weight of the explosions and the collpase of a subway tunnel. The Destroid disappears beneath the streets.
There's a long pause, and then Roy climbs out from the hole, using the Destroid to lift him to street level before he gets evacuated to the viewing area. See, he's okay folks, yay~
Oh yeah! Koji's attack got the best of Amuro, after all. And, contrarily to what the title said, it did NOT kill him in lava! And this, kids, is why you keep your spirit commands for the boss. Koji has little time to gloat, however, and soon realizes that having one foot on your seat and the other on your control panel, posing and grinning like a madman, isn't really the best thing to do while you're still in the middle of the melee.
The heat wave, which Koji didn't see coming, causes a chain reaction within his robot. On his control panel flashes the word "OVERHEAT", and the chest panels in front of it bend in a shape they definitely should not normally bend. Small explosions from within it soon follow, and it quickly becomes clear that the oldschool bot has breathed its last rusty breath for tonight.
Koji mutters a curse word, drops back into his seat, then hits with his fist the button that lets the Pilder eject from Mazinger Z's head. "Nice shot!" Koji might have failed at showing his ultimate supremacy to everyone, but at least he reached his main goal of showing that sassy 'froed punk who's the boss! Oh yeah! Until the inevitable rematch, of course. The Pilder lands on a nearby safe building, its pilot fully intent on seeing who wins this one.
She was already badly damage, though her systems are still yellow. By rights, if this were a real battle, Sylvie would be running the hell out of dodge already, but the Metal Siren pivots, slamming its spear on the ground and taking a breather, leaning against it and watching the rest of the other robots go at it. She's also looking for a new target - after all, it wasn't as if she was going to die if her mech gets neutralized. She removes her helmet for a bit, wiping at the sweat dotting her face.
Watching Roy emerge from the Excalibur, she raises a mech arm to salute him.
So Amuro was down. Kabuto was down, and Roy was down. Who was next? Max and Rhyss were still going at it, so she'll leave them alone. The Alteisen was engaging Lily's, and Asuka and Mint were fighting, with Mint...well, getting kicked towards Rei's attack.
Grabbing her spear, she yanks it off the ground, hefts it up, and launches it towards Asuka.
Sylvie Gena hits Asuka Langley with her Not the Spear of Longinus attack.
Shinji Ikari blinks as NOTHING happens. "That...was a stupid idea..." Shinji mutters, hanging his head. "Can't do anything right...what was I thi-hurk!" Shinji's eyes widen as he feels his arms shuddering and his heart pounding hard enough that if the Third Child didn't know better, he'd think it was trying to break out of his chest. Ikari looks at his shaking hands, and suddenly they're not his hands, his hands are big and purple and...
Evangelion Unit-01 stands back up. The cracks in the armor and other wounds along its arms and torso seem, well, less there than before. Maybe it was less damaged that it looked a few minutes ago. Or maybe a quirk of the machine's mysterious ATField? Something like that, surely!
Shinji's eyes widen as he sees Unit-00 and Unit-02 double teaming Mint. He has, convienantly, either missed or blocked out Asuka's taunting the young woman that Shinji's found himself thinking of as something like a little sister. He doesn't want to get in the way of Ayanami and Asuka, but he really should...Shinji hates decisions like these...oh, wait, didn't Kyosuke snipe Amuro while he and Koji were RIVAL BATTLing? Shinji clocks the com. "G-guys, don't double team...that's not cool, y'know?" There. He did something, now he can run away from the conflict in peace.
Shinji and Unit-01 leap over the stadium, pulling out the mighty Magnalock Sword! The Third Child hefts the thing up over his head, goes "YARGH!", and takes a swing at the robot! Because I'm slow. Sorry.
Shinji Ikari successfully targets Shinji Ikari with his Okay, don't hit me. action.
Shinji Ikari is no longer stunned.
Shinji Ikari gets a glancing blow on Kyosuke Nanbu with his Slash attack.
Max moves his machine behind the nearest building with a thruster-powered leap, and starts running. As the vulcan beam unleashes its fury, it mows down the nearby buildings instead of the VF-1J; he keeps ahead of it, even as the rounds keep rushing out. He finally stops, though, behind a building that doesn't collapse, when the gunfire ends.
Max takes a breath. He needs some sort of trump card. Then, though, something occurs to him. Something Fokker did, once.
He rushes around the corner, the Veritech running right for the Dark Horn. The GU-11 gun pod blazes as he does, and it seems for a moemnt that he might go charging right up to its face. Just as he gets close, though, he hits the thrusters - and the Veritech shoots up as he yanks down the G-lever. Its nose folds out, and then the wings unfurl. The Guardian mode machine flies up and to the side, as he hits the trigger.
The remaining missiles on the Veritech Guardian fire away at once, as he goes flying away.
Maximillian Sterling juggles Rhyss with his Fokker's Feint combo.
Maximillian Sterling juggles Rhyss with his Fokker's Feint combo.
Maximillian Sterling juggles Rhyss with his Fokker's Feint combo.
Rhyss breaks Maximillian Sterling's combo.
Rhyss has been knocked out!
It's a dragon now, not a snake! It has wings and claws and everything!
It also just got stabbed by the Revolver Stake. The Ruby Drake twists and turns to free itself from the spike, and eventually manages it; it can't penetrate that deeply in simply because of the size differential between the two. She pulls up, slightly, seeing Shinji engage her target below.
"Meh," she says, after a moment of watching. She's already charged up the heat! "HEY SHINJI, MOVE!" she bellows, at the same time the Ruby Drake takes an incredibly deep breath of air.
It lets it out with a big, big blast of white-hot flame, a roiling beam that twists and turns. It's too bright for Lily to look at; she has her eyes all the way closed in the pilot's seat, and looking directly at it is not recommend. The blast dies down after about ten seconds, having boiled a patch of pavement and caused nearby streetlights to soften from the heat, whether she manages to peg Kyosuke or not.
Lily Davies hits Kyosuke Nanbu with her Brightflame Cannon super.
If Mint's face wasn't burning before, it sure is /now/- she shrinks further into her hamster costume. "Wh-what?! That's insane!!" the telepath snaps, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. There's too much going on for her to do anything but slip into denial mode. "And I do not /care/ how much you paid for him, that has nothing to do with--"
Her head snaps up as she belatedly spies the blue Eva /jumping/ into the air. Too much time spent getting uncharacteristically frustrated, not enough time spent on NOW. Gritting her teeth, Mint barely manages to jerk the Trick Master away from the sudden grasp- only to have Asuka kick her right back, allowing Rei to get a grip on those curved, fragile 'arms'. Double-teamed!
Flustered and generally unhappy, Mint's bunny-like ears flatten against her head- though she blinks as Shinji comes to her (verbal) defense. "It's just as he said. That is to say..." Her eyes glitter angrily. "Get... /off/ of me!" Keeping out of Rei's reach, the Fliers spin on their orbit to blast at the one-eyed Unit-00, having no problems firing down on such a large target even DESPITE their close proximity.
Mint Blancmanche misses Rei Ayanami with her Blue Blue Blue Blue attack.
The Alteisen lands after his aerial strike, turning to face the dragon...serpent...thing, he isn't very good at telling the difference. What he CAN tell is there's a big slash that just struck the unit, unbalancing the Alt as damage is reported from the side of the mech, and then warnings blare inside the cockpit. Fire engulfs the unit, causing massive armor meltdown and internal overheat. Sweat pours from the pilot's brow as he can't even activate the jets to escape, forced to walk out.
Thankfully the legs still work, but the red mech seems far far FAR worse than he was a moment ago. "Tch. I got careless." thinks aloud Kyosuke, as heat meters fade but the damage remains.
Weapons are still mostly functional, although the autocannon and magnabeam rifle is fried. Dashing into streets to avoid a second shot like that, the pilot looks at his radar as he moves to flank a unit similar to Shinji's signature but not quite.
It really isn't his intent to doubleteam again, but Rei just earned his sudden fury. Valor, Focus, Assail, all the cards are flipped, everything for one single shot. The Alteisen's internal splitmissile launcher fires, sending a hail of micro-rockets at the EVA that he uses as a distraction, the horn charged and the head used for a rising slash on the taller unit to juggle it up a little, followed by a Revolver Stake to the chest. The painted spot is avoided by a wide margin, but if the stake digs in, he empties the clip into the EVA, pounding for every round he has before tossing it away and discharging his claymores.
That leaves him breathing hard, one way or another. Lots of concentration and focus expended.
Kyosuke Nanbu juggles Rei Ayanami with his Trump Card combo.
Kyosuke Nanbu juggles Rei Ayanami with his Trump Card combo.
Rei Ayanami breaks Kyosuke Nanbu's combo.
Dang, that thing is fast! The Hybrid Vulcan begins to track the Battloid, but isn't able to land any solid hits. At least the buildings get some ventilation. The Dark Horn begins to turn, preparing to track down the Veritech for another folley. Of course, it goes high, and Rhyss is unable to dodge the incoming salvo of missiles. Explosions rock over the Zoid's body as it shudders... then collapses on its belly. Inside the cockpit, Rhyss narrows her eyes and reaches for one of the controls... then calms down and simply smiles faintly. No, not for here. She'll just relax and watch the rest of the battle.
Maximillian Sterling switches armor modes to Veritech Guardian.
Asuka isn't hitting Shinji. Truth be told, she's been mostly swapping off who she hits every single 'round' of battle. She thinks if she goes to pummeling Shinji now she'll never be able to steal his nose or be dominant again, he might become a punk with a sleeked back hairdo driving a motorcycle down the highway to neverwhere.
She says, "Okay, okay," to Shinji before---SPEAR IN THE CHEST! She grunts and coughs as her synch ratio spiked since that little fiasco before tugging the spear out of her body. She looks to Sylvie. Hitting her is sort of like hitting Roy, isn't it?
She charges, intending to stab Sylvie with her own spear! The Spear of Longinus might've finished Asuka off, but not this one!
"So who are you again?" She transmits.
Asuka Langley hits Sylvie Gena with her You need a hand? How about... A SPEAR? attack.
As EVA-00 is dumped from the back of the Trick Master, Rei immediately reacts: the AT Field rises, many of the blasts from the Trick Master dissipating harmlessly. The Evangelion steps backwards, then, under the onslaught, beaten back but not harmed --
The onslaught comes. EVA-00's head turns to face Kyosuke and his machine. The AT Field's geometry starts to reorganize itself, the incoming tiny missiles stopped but -
Not the horn. There's a spray of sparks as the special armor plating is cut into, but it is not burst. That is not what hurts. What hurts is the shaft of metal that pierces the Evangelion's breast, stabbing up and through it. It misses the entry plug... barely; the left panel of the cockpit displays snaps, sparks, and goes blank as that side is deeply dented.
Rei acts on instinct and the Evangelion leaps and twists back; the remaining assault does not touch EVA-00 as it lands in a staggered crouch some distance away. It does, however, slice neatly through the cable.
"A-ack!" Wow, that's a lot of fire, and Shinji is just plain getting out of the way of that nonsense. "S-sorry, Nanbu!" but he's already hitting Ayanami. Now Shinji's suddenly not sorry at all, and sort of wants to slice that robot's head off with his giant, magnet-powered sword. But, well...he doesn't want to be a hypocrite! Also, Asuka reads too many fanfics; Shinji might get sassy once in a while, but the boy doesn't have the mental stamina to try and be like that /all/ of the time. And who wants the hassle of motorcycle repair?
So, instead, the Third Child and his Eva hunker down, moving swiftly along the ruins of the city. Really, weaving through half-broken buildings like they were some kind of steel and concrete jumble and trying to catch sight of a faster, stronger target is sort of like coming home to Shinji. He waits for Sterling to make another pass...
And Unit-01 /hops/ into the air, pulling its legs out to try and trap the Veritech in a scissor kick!
Shinji Ikari stuns Maximillian Sterling with his its like a hug but with legs and blunt trauma action.
Stabbed. Sylvie manages to evade enough that the spear cleaves right through the joint in her arm. Her systems are blasting the alarm in her cockpit, but as always she ignores it. Her senses do pick up something in her staticky comm though, the mecha leaning back and both hands on the spear, gripping it tightly to try and prevent it from sinking into her circuitry further. She grits her teeth, she was on her last legs here. Gripping the thing tightly, she braces one heel on the ground, bracing herself.
"So, who are you again?" the Red Giant of Death inquires.
"Sylvie Gena," she transmits back, her teeth gnashing together. Her eyes slide to the right at her radar, and then to the other side of her console. Her target crosshairs manifest yet again on the screen at a flick of her fingers. "And you are?"
She presses the button on her control stick. Her short range missiles burst out from the panels of her mech, spiraling towards Asuka.
Sylvie Gena hits Asuka Langley with her Whoops? attack.
"Agh!" Max yelps, as the scissor kick comes in. He gets trapped, pulled down by the Evangelion's legs, and held in position. His eyes widen, and he begins hitting the controls in an effort to try to pull the Guardian mode machine free of Shinji.
Lily Davies did give warning!
The Drake continues to circle overhead, slowly. It isn't the /fastest/ flier in the world, or the most agile; Max's machine can fly circles around it. But it does stay up, and really, isn't that all we ask for?
Lily considers, having since reopened her eyes and taken into account the new battlefield. Kyosuke and Shinji and Rei look occupied. She decides to head down a ways, gliding toward Asuka and Sylvie. She can't spit flame so soon after just doing so - the Drake needs to cool down, too - but she /can/ fire one of the jagged spines that adorn the Drake's tail like a bullet. She isn't real sure whether she's aiming for Sylvie or Asuka, either.
Lily Davies flips a coin and gets tails.
Lily Davies hits Asuka Langley with her Shard Shot jab.
Asuka Langley flips a coin and gets tails.
Apologies are unneeded as this is the rules of the game. Fairness has no place in war, but at least it has a little spot in a mockbattle like this.
But Rei's attack hits Kyosuke harder than fire, sword and missiles. It hits him on his pride, as if this girl is saying he's not worth her time, or he's just too weak. Perhaps he's getting a bit too hotblooded about it, but the Alteisen pilot sees her stance and lack of a counterattack as almost insulting. Maybe she's just looking for an opening however...
Unfortunatly, he's too much on fire inside to really ponder this for too long. Emptying the used cartridges on the ground for the Revolver, the weapon reloads itself as Kyosuke charges forward, but this time activates lower thrusters to take to the air and uppercut the EVA, the stake aimed much MUCH higher than the painted spot.
He feels a little guilty on how close it got, deep down, and will probably express it later. Unfortunatly, right now the time is to battle.
Kyosuke Nanbu hits Rei Ayanami with his TURN TO ASHES-wait, that's vampires. Well, just have a long titanium stake up your torso again then attack.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "Ayanami!"
Ouch. Asuka Pain Pain time! "Asuka Langely! They call me the Red Devil because I kick Invader Ass!" She poses to brag and BAM and ... BABAM! Asuka's mech collapses to its knees for a moment and she breathes. Boy, she's sure glad she's used to the LCL because her body is burning all over from that series of assault.
She pulls up to her feet, turns towards Lily Davies--and the EVA flings itself for Lily's Ruby Drake--aiming to smash it repeatedly with its fists if it manages to drag it to the ground.
Asuka Langley juggles Lily Davies with her It isn't Margulis anymore, it's SYYYYLVIIEEEEEE GEEEEENNNAAAAAAAA!!! combo.
Lily Davies breaks Asuka Langley's combo.
The pain of the synchronized injury hits Rei a moment later; it has to make its way along lengthy strands of nerves. She lurches forwards in the seat, retching at the agony of it; she has had biopsies and been injured before but this is not something that brings her to the point of unconsciousness or to the ends of her endurance. It hurts, but it's a living hurt. She clutches at her chest (EVA-00's own hand raises towards the impaling spike) - and then her head spins suddenly, to look at the destroyed panel.
Something looks back.
you want to lose control, don't you?
"Yes," she says, into the silent wetness.
but you never did.
"I did," Rei answers, uncertainly.
that is why you're different. you always wanted to.
Rei doesn't answer.
"I," Rei says, and she is then cut off into a scream as something else pierces her, feeling something tear. The synchronization ratio, sadistically enough, spikes itself upwards. Rei leans forwards, is viciously sick - and then lifts her head, blue-gray hair hanging in her face.
EVA-00 rises upwards, shuddering around the impalements in its midsection. The single red eye glows for a moment.
It lunges, then, closing the ground between it and Kyosuke at an unsettlingly great speed. It leads with one reinforced shoulder; should that it, a hand reaches out, for that hateful, agonizing spike-launcher, to try and RIP IT OFF; if the fates, then, are kind, it is used as an instrument with which to bludgeon the enemy with rapid, jerking motions.
Rei Ayanami juggles Kyosuke Nanbu with her Ripping Your Arm Off And Beating You With It, If All Goes According To Plan combo.
Rei Ayanami juggles Kyosuke Nanbu with her Ripping Your Arm Off And Beating You With It, If All Goes According To Plan combo.
Kyosuke Nanbu breaks Rei Ayanami's combo.
Kyosuke Nanbu has been knocked out!
The Trick Master wobbles a slight ways away from the battles in progress and flies up higher, not looking to be in very good shape. One 'arm' and both 'ears' are bent out of shape, the lower right leg doesn't really /exist/ anymore, save for a wire-trailing stump, and the rest of the Frame it is covered in blackened, occasionally-sparking slashes. The only thing that IS whole is the little Angel Brigade emblem affixed to the side of the craft.
Mint Blancmanche takes a quick breath, before focusing on the battlefield in front of/underneath her- and throws the Trick Master into a dive, simply shooting two more spiraling long-ranged missiles at Sylvie's mech. Call it preemptive defense- Mint KNOWS that /someone's/ going to target a mech the size of her own /eventually/, so why not get the party started /first/?
Mint Blancmanche hits Sylvie Gena with her Close the distance! attack.
Sylvie Gena has been knocked out!
Shinji Ikari was planning on beating on Sterling a little, and then feeling guilty about the fact that he kind of enjoyed making the eternaly cheerful pilot sweat, just a tiny little bit. A nice, normal day out, you know? And indeed, Shinji does smirk a little on the visual, giving Sterling a little sallute.
And then he sees Asuka get /slammed/ by Sylvie and Lily at once. And then he sees that spike impale Ayanami. And then he grits his teeth, feels his eyes narrow, and wishes to God he could still blame the monster inside his machine for feelings like this.
Unit-01 compresses its legs slightly, and Shinji /twists/ mid-air, spinning the Veritech and himself into the nearest building. A Citibank office complex, Shinji recgonizes, and wonders if the universe is laughing at all this.
And then, when the smoke clears, he sees Ayanami go /nuts/ on Kyosuke, and can only say, "...well, damn."
Shinji Ikari critically strikes Maximillian Sterling with his Sterling, meet building. Building, Meet Sterling! attack.
Maximillian Sterling is no longer stunned.
The resilience of that mech is to be admired, but Kyosuke expected it. That girl is no fool, and she seemed to stray on the flanks of the engagement, never really drawing fire, never getting fully engaged.
Like a wolf stalking for a prey, in a sense.
The 00 unit' speed however exceeds everything he had expected. One moment it's far, next thing he knows it's grappling the Alteisen's arm. Screens and circuits explode inside the cockpit as the arm is ripped off, the Revolver Stake launcher smacking against the PTX-OO3C. Blunt impacts cause the Alteisen to step backward, and again, until balance is lost and it falls down on the street causing a crater.
Autocannon disabled, stake launcher ripped off, engine lacking power to even provide the slightest thrust to push himself out of there, the ATX pilot has no real choice but to admit he's down and unable to continue.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Kyosuke Nanbu says, "I yield. The Alteisen can't fight further."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Good show, Kyosuke."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari worried, "Ayanami, you okay?"
Asuka failed to take one thing into account: the Drake flies. Although one of its legs is practically wrenched off by Asuka (with an accompanying yell from Lily; she likes the psychomech's legs) it isn't pulled to the ground, and with frantic wingbeats, it ascends, glowing like a tiny red star.
Which turns to blue.
Also, the Sapphire Leviathan can't fly.
Lily Davies switches armor modes to Sapphire Leviathan.
Lily Davies gets a glancing blow on Asuka Langley with her Coming Down attack.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami says 'gwup,' which is, at least, a verbalization.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Asuka Langley squished under Lily.
Now was her chance. Sylvie was about to go hit Asuka while she was distracted with Lily when her radar shrieks a warning. Missiles, all over the place. With her heavy controls already damaged, she doesn't have her usual agility. The missiles strike her repeatedly, the Battroid pushing back at every hit until she collapses down onto the ground, leaving a pile of metal and a smoldering crater underneath her. Ouch. Ah well, at least her spear was still intact.
She whaps the controls a little bit with her fist. She hated losing, when she was always so used to winning. But oh well, she'll deal - a shot or two will cure what ails you, Nexx always said, so she'll go and do just that. Ah well, at least the Alteisen went down before she did, which impacted the street several feet away from her. Hah hah!
The smoking mech's chestplate angles open, Sylvie emerging and working her helmet off her. She shakes her ponytail out, tucks her helmet under her arm, and vaults off the cockpit while it was still high off the ground. With that height, she could easily shatter a kneecap or two on impact, but somehow, like ninja, she lands on the ground safely. Repair crews start coming in to cart the Metal Siren off.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Asuka Langley thinks Lily's mech is fat!
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Sylvie Gena says, "Damn, I'm out."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari, experienced at this, "J-just count to ten...try and l-lower your synch ratio a l-little...remember that you're, ah...you..."
Max gets his Valkyrie smashed through a wall - clean through a Citibank, as fate would have it. When all is said and done, he is left inside the rubble, a piece of the ceiling having fallen onto his Valkyrie. He grits his teeth, checking the damage readings - not good, but not the end of the world, either. Some systems are roughed up, to be sure, but he can certainly keep fighting.
He hits the thrusters and flies up, aiming the GU-11 gun pod down for Unit 01. He takes a deep breath, feeling a vague premonition of dread. He slums the weapon down at Shinji and opens fire - wondering if this is how their enemies feel when they face Shinji.
Maximillian Sterling gets a glancing blow on Shinji Ikari with his Point-blank Gun Pod attack.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker, starting to feel.. something. "Evas. Your statuses?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami throws up, quietly but distinctly.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Asuka Langley says, "I'm under Lily's butt!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "Guys, are you alright? If you need to pull out, just pull out, right?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "W-we'll be okay, Commander."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Lily Davies says, "You totally are not, it doesn't have a butt."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Lily Davies says, "This form doesn't have any legs!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Mr. Hamster-wearing Mint Blancmanche sounds dubious. "... if you're sure..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "...Rei. Do you want to stay in?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami sounds small. "Yes."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "You're sure?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker sounds distinctly worried.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami says, "Yes."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Very well.. keep in touch. All of you."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami continues in what may be a cheap lie, "The impacts surprised me."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Mr. Hamster-wearing Mint Blancmanche's ears twitch for reasons that might or might not be related to what Rei just said, but she says nothing.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Asuka Langley hopes it's not evil mini-Rei, wiggling noises.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Kyosuke Nanbu sounds rather amused, "That's a sweet thing to say Ayanami, but I'm calling your bluff."
[RADIO] To Mint Blancmanche, you radio: ...are you feeling something?
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari's eyes narrow, as he realizes there's only one way to save the day.
"The impacts surprised me," Rei says, her hair still hanging in the thick LCL in her eyes.
She jerks the controls back.
EVA-00 rears away from Kyosuke's machine, still holding its arm. It turns, then, internal power steadily declining, and looks towards the sight of the red Evangelion... which is promptly hidden from view.
That won't do.
EVA-00 lunges forwards, ripping part of the arm open - digging out a stake and holding it as an improvised weapon, letting the rest of the arm fall back - and leaping to put its mass behind that spike, trying to drive it into the Leviathan's back.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari makes a dumb joke, "Well, Ayanami, that last attack was pretty...disarming, at least."
Rei Ayanami hits Lily Davies with her You're between me and what's her name! DIE attack.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "/Ayanami/!"
[RADIO] To Roy Fokker, Mint Blancmanche radios: ...
[RADIO] To Roy Fokker, Mint Blancmanche radios: ... her mind is...
[RADIO] To Roy Fokker, Mint Blancmanche radios: It is giving out weird readings. I don't understand it, but... it is almost as if she's lying, it is not /deliberate/.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami sounds confused, which may be a first. "Am I - doing it improperly?"
Roy draws in a sharp breath, fear and a hint of panic in his eyes. Oh lord, Rei. "Sonuvabitch." he hisses, [[/Ayanami/!]] he snaps into the radio, looking over at his pilots before he starts to issue orders as fast as possible.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Rei.. I want you to stand down, hon. You did great, I'm proud of you.. but stand down. Please?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "S-sir, she's allright. Really. She and Asuka had, like, ten years to train...they don't go nuts like, um, I do."
As Rei is punching Lily's back, Asuka wiggles frustratingly underneath Lily's mech. The pain of being crushed by Lily's fat bot is like being sat on by Hedonism Bot Plus Giant Bender. Asuka Langely Soryuu considers her options. She can use this moment to get away and try to get a lucky rabbit's foot from Mint--or shall we say, Number 4--or she can try to tear through Lily to get to Rei and rip off her leg for good luck.
It takes a few moments to decide--but not that many as the sat on Unit 02 punches repeatedly for the psychomech's frame, trying to force it off with violence!
Asuka Langley hits Lily Davies with her You're between me and what's her name! See, Rei?! I can be rude too! NYaarrgh! attack.
Lily Davies has been knocked out!
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker frowns. Something stinks in Denmark. However. "...Shinji. I'm going to trust you."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Kyosuke Nanbu says, "Let her be Commander, the Alteisen can be repaired and I'm actually looking forward to see what she did on the recording."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Toji Suzuhara says, "Hey, I don't go nuts either. At least not yet."
As the Trick Master peels away from Sylvie's downed mech, Mint can't help but feel satisfied. The Angel Brigade IS invincible, after all~! ... though the sensible part of her mind quickly kicks the legs out from under her ego by retorting that the REST of the Angel Brigade isn't here, and that there are an awful lot of competitors left. Also, her Frame is in vast amounts of trouble.
This doesn't stop her from peeling away from Rei, even as she does that leap towards Lily. Besides, Mint DOES have a little something else to settle with Asuka~; the Trick Master once again opens fire with its Fliers. Nothing personal! Really!
Mint Blancmanche critically strikes Asuka Langley with her ]:D attack.
Asuka Langley has been knocked out!
Blast blast blast! Shinji barely notices the dull feeling of machine gun fire on his chest as he watches Rei /and/ Asuka get to 'The Eva's Eyes Are Glowing' level. Shinji's never seen either pilot get to the kind of intensity that, well, he gets to, but strangely enough the Third Child is not relieved. Oh man, oh man, there is /no way/ this can end well, and Shinji's seriously considering admitting to Commander Fokker that they might need to be seperated....
Unit-01's /shoves/ forward, seeking to push Max Sterling and his flying machine the heck away. "Sorry, S-sterling, we'll have to finish this another t-time!" Shinji whinces as he sees Mint damage Unit-02, and a thousand unpleasent possibilities make themselves known.
Even if he misses the blue haired flyboy, Unit-01 will begin rushing towards Rei and Asuka. Shinji just hopes he's being paranoid, here...
Shinji Ikari hits Maximillian Sterling with his Back Off Doctor Happy jab.
The shove backward throws the Guardian through the rest of the Citibank building. The wall comes crumbling down at the exit wound on the building, further gutting this particular office complex. Max doesn't let it deter him. He hits the thrusters and shoots upward, spiralling into the air, before he levels the gun pod towards his next target.
The Trick Master has to go. He opens fire, sending out a quick burst of 55mm gunfire in her direction - aiming for one of the main thrusters on it, in hopes of bringing the big spacecraft down quickly and efficiently.
Maximillian Sterling hits Mint Blancmanche with his Gun Pod! attack.
The Leviathan is, unfortunately, rather a sitting duck after landing. Asuka, on the front, batters at the Leviathan, and something cracks loudly. From the back, the spike penetrates cleanly, eliciting a massive shower of sparks (from what? there's no metal in there).
Battery damaged and with enough system damaged, the Leviathan shuts down, Lily snapping back to reality inside. "Damn!" she says - and it doesn't amplify. No power. The badly-painted yellow spot opens up after a few moments as Lily uses her personal radio to signal her loss.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Lily Davies says, "Damn! I'm out - nice shot, there. I think you guys broke the battery."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "You okay, Lil?"
"Killstealer! You couldn't hit me otherwise! Nyarggh!" Asuka cries as multiple lasers strike her EVA's frame seconds after the Leviathan goes down.
The EVA lies there and Asuka has no choice to radio signal her own loss as she lies inside her EVA for a while.
She feels bad for Lily, she was cool, but she threatened the Asukasaurus and had to be stopped! Pity she doesn't get a chance to rip off Rei's limbs.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Lily Davies says, "Yeah, I'm fine! Draogn needs repairs, though."
Rei's immediate impulse as the Leviathan falls aside is, of course, to move on. There's another there, after all. Hidden underneath. EVA-00 keeps its grip on the titanium spike as it rolls to the side, landing with two minutes and change of internal power remaining. The cyclopean head turns to look towards EVA-02.
In the dark and damaged entry plug, Rei's lips draw back for a moment. Good, the thought comes, although without words: it won't be resisting when you rip -
Rei jerks in the seat again, eyes squeezing shut in agony as the motion of the Evangelion stirs the impaling objects, which she had almost forgotten about. The degree of synchronization drops enough to make EVA-00 stagger.
Something flickers briefly in the entry plug; Rei does not notice it. Almost as a half-hearted afterthought, EVA-00 hurls the titanium spike in its hand towards the Trick Master.
Rei Ayanami hits Mint Blancmanche with her SEND SPIKE / SPIKE SENT jab.
Mint isn't quite aware of whatever history there might be between Rei and Asuka, and thus, isn't too worried about the former's rage; the Trick Master turns to engage Max's Veritech, just in time for it to eat Gun Pod fire. The telepath winces, and looks over her craft's status readings. "I won't be able to last much longer," she murmurs, readying her Fliers for-
CHUNK.
Mint can't really HELP but yell out one, short scream in surprise as the spike lodges itself at an angle through the thruster and right shoulder, piercing the Frame's fragile main body; alarms are almost instantly silenced as systems all over the Trick Master go haywire. Heck, she's almost about to CRASH, her remaining thruster and stabilizer can't take much more of this; there's only one recourse left to Mint, naturally.
There's a sudden flash of light, and the three Fliers are suddenly joined by about five more. ALL of them break orbit to fly all over the place, the laser-blasting bits swiveling to carve up anything and anyone they can find in range. It's an instinctive, last-ditch telepathically-powered effort: a Flier Dance.
And if it just so happens that Max was the only one in range, well.
Mint Blancmanche juggles Maximillian Sterling with her And it can even slice a tomato! combo.
Mint Blancmanche juggles Maximillian Sterling with her And it can even slice a tomato! combo.
Maximillian Sterling breaks Mint Blancmanche's combo.
Shinji Ikari cointunes to run, getting ever closer to the downed Eva-02 and the possibly still rage-filled Unit-00. The Third Child...just plain can't bare to use a weapon against Rei. "Ayanami..." Her plug's gone. Two minutes.
Unless she's Berserk. Its possible. She's...like him. She buries the pain. That thought makes Shinji feel even sicker.
He forces himself to smile. "Lets, ah, l-let the fliers finish it between them, okay? This is...s-supposed to be, ah..." Shinji pauses. 'Fun' seems like a word that's positivly cruel to use. "...not too s-serious. Becides..."
Unit-01 neglects to stop, leaping into a tackle-grapping manuver!, "...I'm s-sure Father would like it if you could, y'know, beat me." Shinji blinks. That was supposed to sound funnier.
Shinji Ikari hits Rei Ayanami with his Clinch Plus Issues attack.
The rapid-fire burst of lasers comes at Max. They pepper through much of his VF-1J; some chunks of armor rain to the ground below, leaving little bits of it scattered over the ground. He sucks in a deep breath, before he hits the afterburners and goes up - breaking away from the laser fire. His missiles are depleted, and his GU-11's ammunition will be emptied soon enough.
He flips to the nose lasers, and takes aim. Blasts of light fire out, aimed onto Mint's Emblem Frame.
Maximillian Sterling hits Mint Blancmanche with his LASERS attack.
Mint Blancmanche has been knocked out!
As EVA-00 is grappled, it begins to writhe. Perhaps it (or Rei?) is in pain; perhaps it's a reflex; perhaps Rei, really, just wants to win. The communication system has been damaged to some extent, so there is no handy skit icon to see Rei's pale little face in.
As it is gripped, the blue cyclopean head falls downwards. Red fluid oozes out from the titanium spikes. There is a moment of internal tension, and then it jerks forwards, suddenly!
Twisting around, the motion eased by its own leaking internal fluids, EVA-00 ducks and twists to wrap its own arms around EVA-01's slim midsection. There is a hoist that sends a great resonant creak through the Evangelion and a strange white-hot pain that is so substantial that it seems to float outside of Rei's mind, too much to really comprehend -
EVA-00 twists around, then, spinning and throwing the other Evangelion towards the Trick Master - of course, the Trick Master has fallen, but Sterling's craft is still in the area, and perhaps EVA-01 will be disturbed by the impact as well.
Rei Ayanami hits Maximillian Sterling with her Throwing Myself At You jab.
Rei Ayanami hits Shinji Ikari with her GEDDIT? jab.
Maximillian Sterling has been knocked out!
Once she calms down a little, Mint Blancmanche purses her lips, gaze flickering across the shuddering Frame's displays as the extra Fliers redock. Too many of the Frame's systems are offline; her missile launcher is just /down/, what's left of the thrusters are almost shot, she's down one rear stabilizer--
Max's shot takes out the Trick Master's other 'leg', the effect this loss has on its balance immediately visible. Make that TWO rear stabilizers down. Mint sighs and toggles her radio; once she's thrown in the towel, she busies herself with struggling to bring the Lost Technology relic down for a bumpy, not at all comfortable landing. Then... then, she stares as Rei sends Shinji flying at the Veritech, unaware that that was meant for /her/.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Mr. Hamster-wearing Mint Blancmanche sighs a little, cutting off a slew of NEW alarms blaring through her cockpit. " The Trick Master's down. GA-003, retiring from the fight."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "W-woah!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Maximillian Sterling says, "--huh? Uh oh..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Mr. Hamster-wearing Mint Blancmanche /stares/.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Shinji.. don't throw Max back. He's not a ball!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "W-wow...."
Shinji Ikari was expecting a lot of things. Kicks, punches, even a progressive knife cut for the jab about his old man. Shinji would deserve it, he /knows/ its a sensitive spot for Rei, but, damnit, it still felt good. What he wasn't expecting was, well...being used as a missle weapon. "W-woaugh!" Shinji shouts, as he leaves terra firma...
And smacks right into Max Sterling. /Ow/. "D-damn ship's like o-one big point..." Shinji grouses, rubbing the stabbing pain in his lower back in a vain effort to make it hurt less. And then Ikari catches something out of the corner of his eye-Sterling's engines are off. Damnit! Shinji freezes, for a heartbeat that feels like hours, as he tries to decide what to do.
In the end, Shinji follows his instincts. Unit-01 pulls its left arm around Max's Veritech, and its right arm below the machine, pulling it into a rough grappling hug cradely deal. Shinji closes his eyes, bracing for impact...
/Ow./ Shinji pants, his legs buckling as the machine tries to realign itself; Shinji steps out of the two craters his legs have made, still holding Max's plane in Unit-01's arms. The machine stomps forward...eyes glowing a fierce shade of white as the Evangelion seems murderously intent...
...on dropping Max's downed plane in the yellow zone. Shinji and Unit-01 both nod at their team mate, note that they have about three and a half minutes of power left, and stand up at their full height, looming over buildings and staring down at Unit-01.
The Evangelion makes a little 'come get some' motion, and waits.
The impact with Shinji is enough to throw Max's engines off. They sputter and die, and the impact sends him flying downward. His eyes snap wide open, as he starts trying to, at first, get the VF-1J online - before he finds himself in the hands of Unit 01. Max looks up and stares, seeing those eyes glowing brightly.
He swallows. This could be it.
Then, to his amazement, he is put down in the yellow zone. He slumps in the cockpit, but grins - and gives Shinji a cheerful thumbs-up.
"Once again," Asuka mutters--but does not add the phrase 'it comes down to Shinji and HIS MOMMA'. This is probably as close to End of EVA it's going to get.
Rei has 37 seconds of internal power remaining. The Evangelion is badly damaged and shudders slightly, slouching in a much less impressive way as it looks towards EVA-01. She breathes.
see, it's what that man loves.
what he cares for is in there.
you're just a way to keep it ready.
do you know?
do you know?
do you know?
At 31 seconds of internal power remaining, EVA-00 reaches to one of the spikes impaling its breast. It takes two seconds to wrench it out, with another gout of that reddish fluid. It takes one staggering step forwards.
I'm not a thing.
EVA-00 hurls the bloody steel spike towards EVA-01, and slumps forwards, landing on one knee and raising an arm to start digging the second one out.
Rei Ayanami critically strikes Shinji Ikari with her This Is Probably Symbolic, Somehow. attack.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Maximillian Sterling says, "Yeah! Thanks, Shinji!"
The irony here, at least on Shinji's part, is that if he had any idea about the conclusion Rei had just reached, he'd probably just break down from the happyness. Even if its a violent step, any step Rei Ayanami can take towards seeing herself as a worthwhile individual, and away from seeing herself as the disposable pawn of NERV and the human race's desperate need to survive, the better. But, if there's one thing neither child of Gendo Ikari could be accused of, its being effective communicators.
Shinji's eyes widen as the spike rips right through his ATField, and slams right into his chest. "G-guh..." His hands shake, his eyes water, and /still/ the unnatural rage won't come. Was it really him all along? Or...did the hell he experienced on that Zentraedi ship, that desperate fight to get Unit-01 to activate...
Did Unit-01 just trust him to handle things on his own now?
Either possibility terrifies Shinji, and so Shinji runs. He runs, and he runs, and he lowers his horn, and shouts "SETTLE DOWN, AYANAMI!", and anything to get away from the horrible choking hand of responsibility.
Shinji Ikari gets a glancing blow on Rei Ayanami with his Just Call It A Soul Train Baby attack.
EVA-00 manages to get the second spike out of its chest before it is gored yet again. Rei barely feels it, more due to nervous exhaustion of the most literal sort than any sort of endurance. It takes a certain, peculiar sort of situation to make ALL the pain NEVER stop. This isn't it, and nerves in her body have to reset before she can really start hurting again. It'll take a few minutes.
With 17 seconds of active time remaining, the spike is lifted up, and with 16 left, it comes down - swerving at the last moment to aim at the edge of one of those shoulder bindings, digging in deeper but aiming towards the armpit.
Rei Ayanami hits Shinji Ikari with her Trying To Avoid The Plug But Possibly To No Good End attack.
"Oh shi-" Shinji gets out before he feels a /big metal spike/ stab through his chest and get closer and closer to his heart. Unlike Rei, Shinji's synch ratio /hasn't/ dropped. He's feeling every bit of that, and just hoping that no one can hear his pained wail.
Unit-01's eyes, again, burn with the white fire.
"w-what..." A hand moves. "...t-the..." Another hand moves. "...h-hell, Ayanami?!" Shinji attempts to finish the clinch, lift Unit-00 up over Unit-01's head, and /slam/ it into the ground.
Shinji Ikari gets a glancing blow on Rei Ayanami with his SLAMWITCH attack.
Rei Ayanami has been knocked out!
EVA-00 stops moving after the impact.
For six sick, vertiginous seconds, Rei can't feel anything below her lips. She struggles for breath. The commands are -
Then the power runs out.
The power-down signal, of course, sends a 'I give up' signal to the control center. EVA-00 goes limp, rolling slightly to the side. The plug doesn't eject yet (but that's because it would get stuck in the ground.)
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari pant. Pant. Pant. "O-okay, um..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Shinji?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari pause. Blink. "...I, uh, w-won?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "You won!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Yep."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "...What'd he win?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Kyosuke Nanbu says, "It looks like it."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Sylvie Gena says, "Man. I had money on Max."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Mr. Hamster-wearing Mint Blancmanche says, "Congratulations, Shinji!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "Congratulations!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "I didn't bet on my pilots."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Lily Davies says, "I bet on me."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Maximillian Sterling says, "CONGRATULATIONS, SHINJI!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari whince. "D-dude, seriously, l-less caffene..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Maximillian Sterling says, "...huh? I haven't had any..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "We have to at least buy Shinji dinner!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "Right?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "I'll get him something special."
Shinji Ikari breathes.
This wastes about a minute of power. Not wanting Ayanami to blast out of the back of the Eva and break her neck or something, the Third Child has his Eva stoop down, and gently pick Unit-00 up, lumbering back towards the yellow zone. Shinji sighs a little, murmurs "S-sorry." over to Ayanami's com. She really wanted to win this, and he...
Why didn't he just, like, stop?
Maybe he is an animal.
Shaking his head, Shinji works on banishing the dark thoughts. They'll want him to be...if not happy, normal, at least. And no one deserves to deal with his crap right now. Unit-01 gently sets Unit-00 down, and Shinji and his monster stand back up. He doesn't make any kind of victory pose...just kind of standing there.
Once it's in the designated area, the plug signal repeats itself, and the plug is ejected with the usual hiss and spray of surplus LCL.
It has a big ding in the side. "Don't apologize," Rei says, quietly, over the comm.
She doesn't get out right away. Perhaps she is tired.
WHEN: Saturday, October 7, 2006
WHERE: Kaiju Ravaged Tokyo
WHAT: Grand Mecha Battle!
WATCH FOR: Everything. This Battle was pure awesome in a cup.
Maximillian Sterling switches armor modes to Veritech Battloid.
The Excalibur is just too damn slow. Roy's used to speed on speed. Standing on the ground, all he can do is open fire, trying to destroy as many missiles as he can, but here's just not enough ammo for the missiles -- and the Excalibur collapses under the weight of the explosions and the collpase of a subway tunnel. The Destroid disappears beneath the streets.
There's a long pause, and then Roy climbs out from the hole, using the Destroid to lift him to street level before he gets evacuated to the viewing area. See, he's okay folks, yay~
Oh yeah! Koji's attack got the best of Amuro, after all. And, contrarily to what the title said, it did NOT kill him in lava! And this, kids, is why you keep your spirit commands for the boss. Koji has little time to gloat, however, and soon realizes that having one foot on your seat and the other on your control panel, posing and grinning like a madman, isn't really the best thing to do while you're still in the middle of the melee.
The heat wave, which Koji didn't see coming, causes a chain reaction within his robot. On his control panel flashes the word "OVERHEAT", and the chest panels in front of it bend in a shape they definitely should not normally bend. Small explosions from within it soon follow, and it quickly becomes clear that the oldschool bot has breathed its last rusty breath for tonight.
Koji mutters a curse word, drops back into his seat, then hits with his fist the button that lets the Pilder eject from Mazinger Z's head. "Nice shot!" Koji might have failed at showing his ultimate supremacy to everyone, but at least he reached his main goal of showing that sassy 'froed punk who's the boss! Oh yeah! Until the inevitable rematch, of course. The Pilder lands on a nearby safe building, its pilot fully intent on seeing who wins this one.
She was already badly damage, though her systems are still yellow. By rights, if this were a real battle, Sylvie would be running the hell out of dodge already, but the Metal Siren pivots, slamming its spear on the ground and taking a breather, leaning against it and watching the rest of the other robots go at it. She's also looking for a new target - after all, it wasn't as if she was going to die if her mech gets neutralized. She removes her helmet for a bit, wiping at the sweat dotting her face.
Watching Roy emerge from the Excalibur, she raises a mech arm to salute him.
So Amuro was down. Kabuto was down, and Roy was down. Who was next? Max and Rhyss were still going at it, so she'll leave them alone. The Alteisen was engaging Lily's, and Asuka and Mint were fighting, with Mint...well, getting kicked towards Rei's attack.
Grabbing her spear, she yanks it off the ground, hefts it up, and launches it towards Asuka.
Sylvie Gena hits Asuka Langley with her Not the Spear of Longinus attack.
Shinji Ikari blinks as NOTHING happens. "That...was a stupid idea..." Shinji mutters, hanging his head. "Can't do anything right...what was I thi-hurk!" Shinji's eyes widen as he feels his arms shuddering and his heart pounding hard enough that if the Third Child didn't know better, he'd think it was trying to break out of his chest. Ikari looks at his shaking hands, and suddenly they're not his hands, his hands are big and purple and...
Evangelion Unit-01 stands back up. The cracks in the armor and other wounds along its arms and torso seem, well, less there than before. Maybe it was less damaged that it looked a few minutes ago. Or maybe a quirk of the machine's mysterious ATField? Something like that, surely!
Shinji's eyes widen as he sees Unit-00 and Unit-02 double teaming Mint. He has, convienantly, either missed or blocked out Asuka's taunting the young woman that Shinji's found himself thinking of as something like a little sister. He doesn't want to get in the way of Ayanami and Asuka, but he really should...Shinji hates decisions like these...oh, wait, didn't Kyosuke snipe Amuro while he and Koji were RIVAL BATTLing? Shinji clocks the com. "G-guys, don't double team...that's not cool, y'know?" There. He did something, now he can run away from the conflict in peace.
Shinji and Unit-01 leap over the stadium, pulling out the mighty Magnalock Sword! The Third Child hefts the thing up over his head, goes "YARGH!", and takes a swing at the robot! Because I'm slow. Sorry.
Shinji Ikari successfully targets Shinji Ikari with his Okay, don't hit me. action.
Shinji Ikari is no longer stunned.
Shinji Ikari gets a glancing blow on Kyosuke Nanbu with his Slash attack.
Max moves his machine behind the nearest building with a thruster-powered leap, and starts running. As the vulcan beam unleashes its fury, it mows down the nearby buildings instead of the VF-1J; he keeps ahead of it, even as the rounds keep rushing out. He finally stops, though, behind a building that doesn't collapse, when the gunfire ends.
Max takes a breath. He needs some sort of trump card. Then, though, something occurs to him. Something Fokker did, once.
He rushes around the corner, the Veritech running right for the Dark Horn. The GU-11 gun pod blazes as he does, and it seems for a moemnt that he might go charging right up to its face. Just as he gets close, though, he hits the thrusters - and the Veritech shoots up as he yanks down the G-lever. Its nose folds out, and then the wings unfurl. The Guardian mode machine flies up and to the side, as he hits the trigger.
The remaining missiles on the Veritech Guardian fire away at once, as he goes flying away.
Maximillian Sterling juggles Rhyss with his Fokker's Feint combo.
Maximillian Sterling juggles Rhyss with his Fokker's Feint combo.
Maximillian Sterling juggles Rhyss with his Fokker's Feint combo.
Rhyss breaks Maximillian Sterling's combo.
Rhyss has been knocked out!
It's a dragon now, not a snake! It has wings and claws and everything!
It also just got stabbed by the Revolver Stake. The Ruby Drake twists and turns to free itself from the spike, and eventually manages it; it can't penetrate that deeply in simply because of the size differential between the two. She pulls up, slightly, seeing Shinji engage her target below.
"Meh," she says, after a moment of watching. She's already charged up the heat! "HEY SHINJI, MOVE!" she bellows, at the same time the Ruby Drake takes an incredibly deep breath of air.
It lets it out with a big, big blast of white-hot flame, a roiling beam that twists and turns. It's too bright for Lily to look at; she has her eyes all the way closed in the pilot's seat, and looking directly at it is not recommend. The blast dies down after about ten seconds, having boiled a patch of pavement and caused nearby streetlights to soften from the heat, whether she manages to peg Kyosuke or not.
Lily Davies hits Kyosuke Nanbu with her Brightflame Cannon super.
If Mint's face wasn't burning before, it sure is /now/- she shrinks further into her hamster costume. "Wh-what?! That's insane!!" the telepath snaps, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. There's too much going on for her to do anything but slip into denial mode. "And I do not /care/ how much you paid for him, that has nothing to do with--"
Her head snaps up as she belatedly spies the blue Eva /jumping/ into the air. Too much time spent getting uncharacteristically frustrated, not enough time spent on NOW. Gritting her teeth, Mint barely manages to jerk the Trick Master away from the sudden grasp- only to have Asuka kick her right back, allowing Rei to get a grip on those curved, fragile 'arms'. Double-teamed!
Flustered and generally unhappy, Mint's bunny-like ears flatten against her head- though she blinks as Shinji comes to her (verbal) defense. "It's just as he said. That is to say..." Her eyes glitter angrily. "Get... /off/ of me!" Keeping out of Rei's reach, the Fliers spin on their orbit to blast at the one-eyed Unit-00, having no problems firing down on such a large target even DESPITE their close proximity.
Mint Blancmanche misses Rei Ayanami with her Blue Blue Blue Blue attack.
The Alteisen lands after his aerial strike, turning to face the dragon...serpent...thing, he isn't very good at telling the difference. What he CAN tell is there's a big slash that just struck the unit, unbalancing the Alt as damage is reported from the side of the mech, and then warnings blare inside the cockpit. Fire engulfs the unit, causing massive armor meltdown and internal overheat. Sweat pours from the pilot's brow as he can't even activate the jets to escape, forced to walk out.
Thankfully the legs still work, but the red mech seems far far FAR worse than he was a moment ago. "Tch. I got careless." thinks aloud Kyosuke, as heat meters fade but the damage remains.
Weapons are still mostly functional, although the autocannon and magnabeam rifle is fried. Dashing into streets to avoid a second shot like that, the pilot looks at his radar as he moves to flank a unit similar to Shinji's signature but not quite.
It really isn't his intent to doubleteam again, but Rei just earned his sudden fury. Valor, Focus, Assail, all the cards are flipped, everything for one single shot. The Alteisen's internal splitmissile launcher fires, sending a hail of micro-rockets at the EVA that he uses as a distraction, the horn charged and the head used for a rising slash on the taller unit to juggle it up a little, followed by a Revolver Stake to the chest. The painted spot is avoided by a wide margin, but if the stake digs in, he empties the clip into the EVA, pounding for every round he has before tossing it away and discharging his claymores.
That leaves him breathing hard, one way or another. Lots of concentration and focus expended.
Kyosuke Nanbu juggles Rei Ayanami with his Trump Card combo.
Kyosuke Nanbu juggles Rei Ayanami with his Trump Card combo.
Rei Ayanami breaks Kyosuke Nanbu's combo.
Dang, that thing is fast! The Hybrid Vulcan begins to track the Battloid, but isn't able to land any solid hits. At least the buildings get some ventilation. The Dark Horn begins to turn, preparing to track down the Veritech for another folley. Of course, it goes high, and Rhyss is unable to dodge the incoming salvo of missiles. Explosions rock over the Zoid's body as it shudders... then collapses on its belly. Inside the cockpit, Rhyss narrows her eyes and reaches for one of the controls... then calms down and simply smiles faintly. No, not for here. She'll just relax and watch the rest of the battle.
Maximillian Sterling switches armor modes to Veritech Guardian.
Asuka isn't hitting Shinji. Truth be told, she's been mostly swapping off who she hits every single 'round' of battle. She thinks if she goes to pummeling Shinji now she'll never be able to steal his nose or be dominant again, he might become a punk with a sleeked back hairdo driving a motorcycle down the highway to neverwhere.
She says, "Okay, okay," to Shinji before---SPEAR IN THE CHEST! She grunts and coughs as her synch ratio spiked since that little fiasco before tugging the spear out of her body. She looks to Sylvie. Hitting her is sort of like hitting Roy, isn't it?
She charges, intending to stab Sylvie with her own spear! The Spear of Longinus might've finished Asuka off, but not this one!
"So who are you again?" She transmits.
Asuka Langley hits Sylvie Gena with her You need a hand? How about... A SPEAR? attack.
As EVA-00 is dumped from the back of the Trick Master, Rei immediately reacts: the AT Field rises, many of the blasts from the Trick Master dissipating harmlessly. The Evangelion steps backwards, then, under the onslaught, beaten back but not harmed --
The onslaught comes. EVA-00's head turns to face Kyosuke and his machine. The AT Field's geometry starts to reorganize itself, the incoming tiny missiles stopped but -
Not the horn. There's a spray of sparks as the special armor plating is cut into, but it is not burst. That is not what hurts. What hurts is the shaft of metal that pierces the Evangelion's breast, stabbing up and through it. It misses the entry plug... barely; the left panel of the cockpit displays snaps, sparks, and goes blank as that side is deeply dented.
Rei acts on instinct and the Evangelion leaps and twists back; the remaining assault does not touch EVA-00 as it lands in a staggered crouch some distance away. It does, however, slice neatly through the cable.
"A-ack!" Wow, that's a lot of fire, and Shinji is just plain getting out of the way of that nonsense. "S-sorry, Nanbu!" but he's already hitting Ayanami. Now Shinji's suddenly not sorry at all, and sort of wants to slice that robot's head off with his giant, magnet-powered sword. But, well...he doesn't want to be a hypocrite! Also, Asuka reads too many fanfics; Shinji might get sassy once in a while, but the boy doesn't have the mental stamina to try and be like that /all/ of the time. And who wants the hassle of motorcycle repair?
So, instead, the Third Child and his Eva hunker down, moving swiftly along the ruins of the city. Really, weaving through half-broken buildings like they were some kind of steel and concrete jumble and trying to catch sight of a faster, stronger target is sort of like coming home to Shinji. He waits for Sterling to make another pass...
And Unit-01 /hops/ into the air, pulling its legs out to try and trap the Veritech in a scissor kick!
Shinji Ikari stuns Maximillian Sterling with his its like a hug but with legs and blunt trauma action.
Stabbed. Sylvie manages to evade enough that the spear cleaves right through the joint in her arm. Her systems are blasting the alarm in her cockpit, but as always she ignores it. Her senses do pick up something in her staticky comm though, the mecha leaning back and both hands on the spear, gripping it tightly to try and prevent it from sinking into her circuitry further. She grits her teeth, she was on her last legs here. Gripping the thing tightly, she braces one heel on the ground, bracing herself.
"So, who are you again?" the Red Giant of Death inquires.
"Sylvie Gena," she transmits back, her teeth gnashing together. Her eyes slide to the right at her radar, and then to the other side of her console. Her target crosshairs manifest yet again on the screen at a flick of her fingers. "And you are?"
She presses the button on her control stick. Her short range missiles burst out from the panels of her mech, spiraling towards Asuka.
Sylvie Gena hits Asuka Langley with her Whoops? attack.
"Agh!" Max yelps, as the scissor kick comes in. He gets trapped, pulled down by the Evangelion's legs, and held in position. His eyes widen, and he begins hitting the controls in an effort to try to pull the Guardian mode machine free of Shinji.
Lily Davies did give warning!
The Drake continues to circle overhead, slowly. It isn't the /fastest/ flier in the world, or the most agile; Max's machine can fly circles around it. But it does stay up, and really, isn't that all we ask for?
Lily considers, having since reopened her eyes and taken into account the new battlefield. Kyosuke and Shinji and Rei look occupied. She decides to head down a ways, gliding toward Asuka and Sylvie. She can't spit flame so soon after just doing so - the Drake needs to cool down, too - but she /can/ fire one of the jagged spines that adorn the Drake's tail like a bullet. She isn't real sure whether she's aiming for Sylvie or Asuka, either.
Lily Davies flips a coin and gets tails.
Lily Davies hits Asuka Langley with her Shard Shot jab.
Asuka Langley flips a coin and gets tails.
Apologies are unneeded as this is the rules of the game. Fairness has no place in war, but at least it has a little spot in a mockbattle like this.
But Rei's attack hits Kyosuke harder than fire, sword and missiles. It hits him on his pride, as if this girl is saying he's not worth her time, or he's just too weak. Perhaps he's getting a bit too hotblooded about it, but the Alteisen pilot sees her stance and lack of a counterattack as almost insulting. Maybe she's just looking for an opening however...
Unfortunatly, he's too much on fire inside to really ponder this for too long. Emptying the used cartridges on the ground for the Revolver, the weapon reloads itself as Kyosuke charges forward, but this time activates lower thrusters to take to the air and uppercut the EVA, the stake aimed much MUCH higher than the painted spot.
He feels a little guilty on how close it got, deep down, and will probably express it later. Unfortunatly, right now the time is to battle.
Kyosuke Nanbu hits Rei Ayanami with his TURN TO ASHES-wait, that's vampires. Well, just have a long titanium stake up your torso again then attack.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "Ayanami!"
Ouch. Asuka Pain Pain time! "Asuka Langely! They call me the Red Devil because I kick Invader Ass!" She poses to brag and BAM and ... BABAM! Asuka's mech collapses to its knees for a moment and she breathes. Boy, she's sure glad she's used to the LCL because her body is burning all over from that series of assault.
She pulls up to her feet, turns towards Lily Davies--and the EVA flings itself for Lily's Ruby Drake--aiming to smash it repeatedly with its fists if it manages to drag it to the ground.
Asuka Langley juggles Lily Davies with her It isn't Margulis anymore, it's SYYYYLVIIEEEEEE GEEEEENNNAAAAAAAA!!! combo.
Lily Davies breaks Asuka Langley's combo.
The pain of the synchronized injury hits Rei a moment later; it has to make its way along lengthy strands of nerves. She lurches forwards in the seat, retching at the agony of it; she has had biopsies and been injured before but this is not something that brings her to the point of unconsciousness or to the ends of her endurance. It hurts, but it's a living hurt. She clutches at her chest (EVA-00's own hand raises towards the impaling spike) - and then her head spins suddenly, to look at the destroyed panel.
Something looks back.
you want to lose control, don't you?
"Yes," she says, into the silent wetness.
but you never did.
"I did," Rei answers, uncertainly.
that is why you're different. you always wanted to.
Rei doesn't answer.
"I," Rei says, and she is then cut off into a scream as something else pierces her, feeling something tear. The synchronization ratio, sadistically enough, spikes itself upwards. Rei leans forwards, is viciously sick - and then lifts her head, blue-gray hair hanging in her face.
EVA-00 rises upwards, shuddering around the impalements in its midsection. The single red eye glows for a moment.
It lunges, then, closing the ground between it and Kyosuke at an unsettlingly great speed. It leads with one reinforced shoulder; should that it, a hand reaches out, for that hateful, agonizing spike-launcher, to try and RIP IT OFF; if the fates, then, are kind, it is used as an instrument with which to bludgeon the enemy with rapid, jerking motions.
Rei Ayanami juggles Kyosuke Nanbu with her Ripping Your Arm Off And Beating You With It, If All Goes According To Plan combo.
Rei Ayanami juggles Kyosuke Nanbu with her Ripping Your Arm Off And Beating You With It, If All Goes According To Plan combo.
Kyosuke Nanbu breaks Rei Ayanami's combo.
Kyosuke Nanbu has been knocked out!
The Trick Master wobbles a slight ways away from the battles in progress and flies up higher, not looking to be in very good shape. One 'arm' and both 'ears' are bent out of shape, the lower right leg doesn't really /exist/ anymore, save for a wire-trailing stump, and the rest of the Frame it is covered in blackened, occasionally-sparking slashes. The only thing that IS whole is the little Angel Brigade emblem affixed to the side of the craft.
Mint Blancmanche takes a quick breath, before focusing on the battlefield in front of/underneath her- and throws the Trick Master into a dive, simply shooting two more spiraling long-ranged missiles at Sylvie's mech. Call it preemptive defense- Mint KNOWS that /someone's/ going to target a mech the size of her own /eventually/, so why not get the party started /first/?
Mint Blancmanche hits Sylvie Gena with her Close the distance! attack.
Sylvie Gena has been knocked out!
Shinji Ikari was planning on beating on Sterling a little, and then feeling guilty about the fact that he kind of enjoyed making the eternaly cheerful pilot sweat, just a tiny little bit. A nice, normal day out, you know? And indeed, Shinji does smirk a little on the visual, giving Sterling a little sallute.
And then he sees Asuka get /slammed/ by Sylvie and Lily at once. And then he sees that spike impale Ayanami. And then he grits his teeth, feels his eyes narrow, and wishes to God he could still blame the monster inside his machine for feelings like this.
Unit-01 compresses its legs slightly, and Shinji /twists/ mid-air, spinning the Veritech and himself into the nearest building. A Citibank office complex, Shinji recgonizes, and wonders if the universe is laughing at all this.
And then, when the smoke clears, he sees Ayanami go /nuts/ on Kyosuke, and can only say, "...well, damn."
Shinji Ikari critically strikes Maximillian Sterling with his Sterling, meet building. Building, Meet Sterling! attack.
Maximillian Sterling is no longer stunned.
The resilience of that mech is to be admired, but Kyosuke expected it. That girl is no fool, and she seemed to stray on the flanks of the engagement, never really drawing fire, never getting fully engaged.
Like a wolf stalking for a prey, in a sense.
The 00 unit' speed however exceeds everything he had expected. One moment it's far, next thing he knows it's grappling the Alteisen's arm. Screens and circuits explode inside the cockpit as the arm is ripped off, the Revolver Stake launcher smacking against the PTX-OO3C. Blunt impacts cause the Alteisen to step backward, and again, until balance is lost and it falls down on the street causing a crater.
Autocannon disabled, stake launcher ripped off, engine lacking power to even provide the slightest thrust to push himself out of there, the ATX pilot has no real choice but to admit he's down and unable to continue.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Kyosuke Nanbu says, "I yield. The Alteisen can't fight further."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Good show, Kyosuke."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari worried, "Ayanami, you okay?"
Asuka failed to take one thing into account: the Drake flies. Although one of its legs is practically wrenched off by Asuka (with an accompanying yell from Lily; she likes the psychomech's legs) it isn't pulled to the ground, and with frantic wingbeats, it ascends, glowing like a tiny red star.
Which turns to blue.
Also, the Sapphire Leviathan can't fly.
Lily Davies switches armor modes to Sapphire Leviathan.
Lily Davies gets a glancing blow on Asuka Langley with her Coming Down attack.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami says 'gwup,' which is, at least, a verbalization.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Asuka Langley squished under Lily.
Now was her chance. Sylvie was about to go hit Asuka while she was distracted with Lily when her radar shrieks a warning. Missiles, all over the place. With her heavy controls already damaged, she doesn't have her usual agility. The missiles strike her repeatedly, the Battroid pushing back at every hit until she collapses down onto the ground, leaving a pile of metal and a smoldering crater underneath her. Ouch. Ah well, at least her spear was still intact.
She whaps the controls a little bit with her fist. She hated losing, when she was always so used to winning. But oh well, she'll deal - a shot or two will cure what ails you, Nexx always said, so she'll go and do just that. Ah well, at least the Alteisen went down before she did, which impacted the street several feet away from her. Hah hah!
The smoking mech's chestplate angles open, Sylvie emerging and working her helmet off her. She shakes her ponytail out, tucks her helmet under her arm, and vaults off the cockpit while it was still high off the ground. With that height, she could easily shatter a kneecap or two on impact, but somehow, like ninja, she lands on the ground safely. Repair crews start coming in to cart the Metal Siren off.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Asuka Langley thinks Lily's mech is fat!
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Sylvie Gena says, "Damn, I'm out."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari, experienced at this, "J-just count to ten...try and l-lower your synch ratio a l-little...remember that you're, ah...you..."
Max gets his Valkyrie smashed through a wall - clean through a Citibank, as fate would have it. When all is said and done, he is left inside the rubble, a piece of the ceiling having fallen onto his Valkyrie. He grits his teeth, checking the damage readings - not good, but not the end of the world, either. Some systems are roughed up, to be sure, but he can certainly keep fighting.
He hits the thrusters and flies up, aiming the GU-11 gun pod down for Unit 01. He takes a deep breath, feeling a vague premonition of dread. He slums the weapon down at Shinji and opens fire - wondering if this is how their enemies feel when they face Shinji.
Maximillian Sterling gets a glancing blow on Shinji Ikari with his Point-blank Gun Pod attack.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker, starting to feel.. something. "Evas. Your statuses?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami throws up, quietly but distinctly.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Asuka Langley says, "I'm under Lily's butt!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "Guys, are you alright? If you need to pull out, just pull out, right?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "W-we'll be okay, Commander."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Lily Davies says, "You totally are not, it doesn't have a butt."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Lily Davies says, "This form doesn't have any legs!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Mr. Hamster-wearing Mint Blancmanche sounds dubious. "... if you're sure..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "...Rei. Do you want to stay in?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami sounds small. "Yes."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "You're sure?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker sounds distinctly worried.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami says, "Yes."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Very well.. keep in touch. All of you."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami continues in what may be a cheap lie, "The impacts surprised me."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Mr. Hamster-wearing Mint Blancmanche's ears twitch for reasons that might or might not be related to what Rei just said, but she says nothing.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Asuka Langley hopes it's not evil mini-Rei, wiggling noises.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Kyosuke Nanbu sounds rather amused, "That's a sweet thing to say Ayanami, but I'm calling your bluff."
[RADIO] To Mint Blancmanche, you radio: ...are you feeling something?
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari's eyes narrow, as he realizes there's only one way to save the day.
"The impacts surprised me," Rei says, her hair still hanging in the thick LCL in her eyes.
She jerks the controls back.
EVA-00 rears away from Kyosuke's machine, still holding its arm. It turns, then, internal power steadily declining, and looks towards the sight of the red Evangelion... which is promptly hidden from view.
That won't do.
EVA-00 lunges forwards, ripping part of the arm open - digging out a stake and holding it as an improvised weapon, letting the rest of the arm fall back - and leaping to put its mass behind that spike, trying to drive it into the Leviathan's back.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari makes a dumb joke, "Well, Ayanami, that last attack was pretty...disarming, at least."
Rei Ayanami hits Lily Davies with her You're between me and what's her name! DIE attack.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "/Ayanami/!"
[RADIO] To Roy Fokker, Mint Blancmanche radios: ...
[RADIO] To Roy Fokker, Mint Blancmanche radios: ... her mind is...
[RADIO] To Roy Fokker, Mint Blancmanche radios: It is giving out weird readings. I don't understand it, but... it is almost as if she's lying, it is not /deliberate/.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami sounds confused, which may be a first. "Am I - doing it improperly?"
Roy draws in a sharp breath, fear and a hint of panic in his eyes. Oh lord, Rei. "Sonuvabitch." he hisses, [[/Ayanami/!]] he snaps into the radio, looking over at his pilots before he starts to issue orders as fast as possible.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Rei.. I want you to stand down, hon. You did great, I'm proud of you.. but stand down. Please?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "S-sir, she's allright. Really. She and Asuka had, like, ten years to train...they don't go nuts like, um, I do."
As Rei is punching Lily's back, Asuka wiggles frustratingly underneath Lily's mech. The pain of being crushed by Lily's fat bot is like being sat on by Hedonism Bot Plus Giant Bender. Asuka Langely Soryuu considers her options. She can use this moment to get away and try to get a lucky rabbit's foot from Mint--or shall we say, Number 4--or she can try to tear through Lily to get to Rei and rip off her leg for good luck.
It takes a few moments to decide--but not that many as the sat on Unit 02 punches repeatedly for the psychomech's frame, trying to force it off with violence!
Asuka Langley hits Lily Davies with her You're between me and what's her name! See, Rei?! I can be rude too! NYaarrgh! attack.
Lily Davies has been knocked out!
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker frowns. Something stinks in Denmark. However. "...Shinji. I'm going to trust you."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Kyosuke Nanbu says, "Let her be Commander, the Alteisen can be repaired and I'm actually looking forward to see what she did on the recording."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Toji Suzuhara says, "Hey, I don't go nuts either. At least not yet."
As the Trick Master peels away from Sylvie's downed mech, Mint can't help but feel satisfied. The Angel Brigade IS invincible, after all~! ... though the sensible part of her mind quickly kicks the legs out from under her ego by retorting that the REST of the Angel Brigade isn't here, and that there are an awful lot of competitors left. Also, her Frame is in vast amounts of trouble.
This doesn't stop her from peeling away from Rei, even as she does that leap towards Lily. Besides, Mint DOES have a little something else to settle with Asuka~; the Trick Master once again opens fire with its Fliers. Nothing personal! Really!
Mint Blancmanche critically strikes Asuka Langley with her ]:D attack.
Asuka Langley has been knocked out!
Blast blast blast! Shinji barely notices the dull feeling of machine gun fire on his chest as he watches Rei /and/ Asuka get to 'The Eva's Eyes Are Glowing' level. Shinji's never seen either pilot get to the kind of intensity that, well, he gets to, but strangely enough the Third Child is not relieved. Oh man, oh man, there is /no way/ this can end well, and Shinji's seriously considering admitting to Commander Fokker that they might need to be seperated....
Unit-01's /shoves/ forward, seeking to push Max Sterling and his flying machine the heck away. "Sorry, S-sterling, we'll have to finish this another t-time!" Shinji whinces as he sees Mint damage Unit-02, and a thousand unpleasent possibilities make themselves known.
Even if he misses the blue haired flyboy, Unit-01 will begin rushing towards Rei and Asuka. Shinji just hopes he's being paranoid, here...
Shinji Ikari hits Maximillian Sterling with his Back Off Doctor Happy jab.
The shove backward throws the Guardian through the rest of the Citibank building. The wall comes crumbling down at the exit wound on the building, further gutting this particular office complex. Max doesn't let it deter him. He hits the thrusters and shoots upward, spiralling into the air, before he levels the gun pod towards his next target.
The Trick Master has to go. He opens fire, sending out a quick burst of 55mm gunfire in her direction - aiming for one of the main thrusters on it, in hopes of bringing the big spacecraft down quickly and efficiently.
Maximillian Sterling hits Mint Blancmanche with his Gun Pod! attack.
The Leviathan is, unfortunately, rather a sitting duck after landing. Asuka, on the front, batters at the Leviathan, and something cracks loudly. From the back, the spike penetrates cleanly, eliciting a massive shower of sparks (from what? there's no metal in there).
Battery damaged and with enough system damaged, the Leviathan shuts down, Lily snapping back to reality inside. "Damn!" she says - and it doesn't amplify. No power. The badly-painted yellow spot opens up after a few moments as Lily uses her personal radio to signal her loss.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Lily Davies says, "Damn! I'm out - nice shot, there. I think you guys broke the battery."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "You okay, Lil?"
"Killstealer! You couldn't hit me otherwise! Nyarggh!" Asuka cries as multiple lasers strike her EVA's frame seconds after the Leviathan goes down.
The EVA lies there and Asuka has no choice to radio signal her own loss as she lies inside her EVA for a while.
She feels bad for Lily, she was cool, but she threatened the Asukasaurus and had to be stopped! Pity she doesn't get a chance to rip off Rei's limbs.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Lily Davies says, "Yeah, I'm fine! Draogn needs repairs, though."
Rei's immediate impulse as the Leviathan falls aside is, of course, to move on. There's another there, after all. Hidden underneath. EVA-00 keeps its grip on the titanium spike as it rolls to the side, landing with two minutes and change of internal power remaining. The cyclopean head turns to look towards EVA-02.
In the dark and damaged entry plug, Rei's lips draw back for a moment. Good, the thought comes, although without words: it won't be resisting when you rip -
Rei jerks in the seat again, eyes squeezing shut in agony as the motion of the Evangelion stirs the impaling objects, which she had almost forgotten about. The degree of synchronization drops enough to make EVA-00 stagger.
Something flickers briefly in the entry plug; Rei does not notice it. Almost as a half-hearted afterthought, EVA-00 hurls the titanium spike in its hand towards the Trick Master.
Rei Ayanami hits Mint Blancmanche with her SEND SPIKE / SPIKE SENT jab.
Mint isn't quite aware of whatever history there might be between Rei and Asuka, and thus, isn't too worried about the former's rage; the Trick Master turns to engage Max's Veritech, just in time for it to eat Gun Pod fire. The telepath winces, and looks over her craft's status readings. "I won't be able to last much longer," she murmurs, readying her Fliers for-
CHUNK.
Mint can't really HELP but yell out one, short scream in surprise as the spike lodges itself at an angle through the thruster and right shoulder, piercing the Frame's fragile main body; alarms are almost instantly silenced as systems all over the Trick Master go haywire. Heck, she's almost about to CRASH, her remaining thruster and stabilizer can't take much more of this; there's only one recourse left to Mint, naturally.
There's a sudden flash of light, and the three Fliers are suddenly joined by about five more. ALL of them break orbit to fly all over the place, the laser-blasting bits swiveling to carve up anything and anyone they can find in range. It's an instinctive, last-ditch telepathically-powered effort: a Flier Dance.
And if it just so happens that Max was the only one in range, well.
Mint Blancmanche juggles Maximillian Sterling with her And it can even slice a tomato! combo.
Mint Blancmanche juggles Maximillian Sterling with her And it can even slice a tomato! combo.
Maximillian Sterling breaks Mint Blancmanche's combo.
Shinji Ikari cointunes to run, getting ever closer to the downed Eva-02 and the possibly still rage-filled Unit-00. The Third Child...just plain can't bare to use a weapon against Rei. "Ayanami..." Her plug's gone. Two minutes.
Unless she's Berserk. Its possible. She's...like him. She buries the pain. That thought makes Shinji feel even sicker.
He forces himself to smile. "Lets, ah, l-let the fliers finish it between them, okay? This is...s-supposed to be, ah..." Shinji pauses. 'Fun' seems like a word that's positivly cruel to use. "...not too s-serious. Becides..."
Unit-01 neglects to stop, leaping into a tackle-grapping manuver!, "...I'm s-sure Father would like it if you could, y'know, beat me." Shinji blinks. That was supposed to sound funnier.
Shinji Ikari hits Rei Ayanami with his Clinch Plus Issues attack.
The rapid-fire burst of lasers comes at Max. They pepper through much of his VF-1J; some chunks of armor rain to the ground below, leaving little bits of it scattered over the ground. He sucks in a deep breath, before he hits the afterburners and goes up - breaking away from the laser fire. His missiles are depleted, and his GU-11's ammunition will be emptied soon enough.
He flips to the nose lasers, and takes aim. Blasts of light fire out, aimed onto Mint's Emblem Frame.
Maximillian Sterling hits Mint Blancmanche with his LASERS attack.
Mint Blancmanche has been knocked out!
As EVA-00 is grappled, it begins to writhe. Perhaps it (or Rei?) is in pain; perhaps it's a reflex; perhaps Rei, really, just wants to win. The communication system has been damaged to some extent, so there is no handy skit icon to see Rei's pale little face in.
As it is gripped, the blue cyclopean head falls downwards. Red fluid oozes out from the titanium spikes. There is a moment of internal tension, and then it jerks forwards, suddenly!
Twisting around, the motion eased by its own leaking internal fluids, EVA-00 ducks and twists to wrap its own arms around EVA-01's slim midsection. There is a hoist that sends a great resonant creak through the Evangelion and a strange white-hot pain that is so substantial that it seems to float outside of Rei's mind, too much to really comprehend -
EVA-00 twists around, then, spinning and throwing the other Evangelion towards the Trick Master - of course, the Trick Master has fallen, but Sterling's craft is still in the area, and perhaps EVA-01 will be disturbed by the impact as well.
Rei Ayanami hits Maximillian Sterling with her Throwing Myself At You jab.
Rei Ayanami hits Shinji Ikari with her GEDDIT? jab.
Maximillian Sterling has been knocked out!
Once she calms down a little, Mint Blancmanche purses her lips, gaze flickering across the shuddering Frame's displays as the extra Fliers redock. Too many of the Frame's systems are offline; her missile launcher is just /down/, what's left of the thrusters are almost shot, she's down one rear stabilizer--
Max's shot takes out the Trick Master's other 'leg', the effect this loss has on its balance immediately visible. Make that TWO rear stabilizers down. Mint sighs and toggles her radio; once she's thrown in the towel, she busies herself with struggling to bring the Lost Technology relic down for a bumpy, not at all comfortable landing. Then... then, she stares as Rei sends Shinji flying at the Veritech, unaware that that was meant for /her/.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Mr. Hamster-wearing Mint Blancmanche sighs a little, cutting off a slew of NEW alarms blaring through her cockpit. " The Trick Master's down. GA-003, retiring from the fight."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "W-woah!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Maximillian Sterling says, "--huh? Uh oh..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Mr. Hamster-wearing Mint Blancmanche /stares/.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Shinji.. don't throw Max back. He's not a ball!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "W-wow...."
Shinji Ikari was expecting a lot of things. Kicks, punches, even a progressive knife cut for the jab about his old man. Shinji would deserve it, he /knows/ its a sensitive spot for Rei, but, damnit, it still felt good. What he wasn't expecting was, well...being used as a missle weapon. "W-woaugh!" Shinji shouts, as he leaves terra firma...
And smacks right into Max Sterling. /Ow/. "D-damn ship's like o-one big point..." Shinji grouses, rubbing the stabbing pain in his lower back in a vain effort to make it hurt less. And then Ikari catches something out of the corner of his eye-Sterling's engines are off. Damnit! Shinji freezes, for a heartbeat that feels like hours, as he tries to decide what to do.
In the end, Shinji follows his instincts. Unit-01 pulls its left arm around Max's Veritech, and its right arm below the machine, pulling it into a rough grappling hug cradely deal. Shinji closes his eyes, bracing for impact...
/Ow./ Shinji pants, his legs buckling as the machine tries to realign itself; Shinji steps out of the two craters his legs have made, still holding Max's plane in Unit-01's arms. The machine stomps forward...eyes glowing a fierce shade of white as the Evangelion seems murderously intent...
...on dropping Max's downed plane in the yellow zone. Shinji and Unit-01 both nod at their team mate, note that they have about three and a half minutes of power left, and stand up at their full height, looming over buildings and staring down at Unit-01.
The Evangelion makes a little 'come get some' motion, and waits.
The impact with Shinji is enough to throw Max's engines off. They sputter and die, and the impact sends him flying downward. His eyes snap wide open, as he starts trying to, at first, get the VF-1J online - before he finds himself in the hands of Unit 01. Max looks up and stares, seeing those eyes glowing brightly.
He swallows. This could be it.
Then, to his amazement, he is put down in the yellow zone. He slumps in the cockpit, but grins - and gives Shinji a cheerful thumbs-up.
"Once again," Asuka mutters--but does not add the phrase 'it comes down to Shinji and HIS MOMMA'. This is probably as close to End of EVA it's going to get.
Rei has 37 seconds of internal power remaining. The Evangelion is badly damaged and shudders slightly, slouching in a much less impressive way as it looks towards EVA-01. She breathes.
see, it's what that man loves.
what he cares for is in there.
you're just a way to keep it ready.
do you know?
do you know?
do you know?
At 31 seconds of internal power remaining, EVA-00 reaches to one of the spikes impaling its breast. It takes two seconds to wrench it out, with another gout of that reddish fluid. It takes one staggering step forwards.
I'm not a thing.
EVA-00 hurls the bloody steel spike towards EVA-01, and slumps forwards, landing on one knee and raising an arm to start digging the second one out.
Rei Ayanami critically strikes Shinji Ikari with her This Is Probably Symbolic, Somehow. attack.
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Maximillian Sterling says, "Yeah! Thanks, Shinji!"
The irony here, at least on Shinji's part, is that if he had any idea about the conclusion Rei had just reached, he'd probably just break down from the happyness. Even if its a violent step, any step Rei Ayanami can take towards seeing herself as a worthwhile individual, and away from seeing herself as the disposable pawn of NERV and the human race's desperate need to survive, the better. But, if there's one thing neither child of Gendo Ikari could be accused of, its being effective communicators.
Shinji's eyes widen as the spike rips right through his ATField, and slams right into his chest. "G-guh..." His hands shake, his eyes water, and /still/ the unnatural rage won't come. Was it really him all along? Or...did the hell he experienced on that Zentraedi ship, that desperate fight to get Unit-01 to activate...
Did Unit-01 just trust him to handle things on his own now?
Either possibility terrifies Shinji, and so Shinji runs. He runs, and he runs, and he lowers his horn, and shouts "SETTLE DOWN, AYANAMI!", and anything to get away from the horrible choking hand of responsibility.
Shinji Ikari gets a glancing blow on Rei Ayanami with his Just Call It A Soul Train Baby attack.
EVA-00 manages to get the second spike out of its chest before it is gored yet again. Rei barely feels it, more due to nervous exhaustion of the most literal sort than any sort of endurance. It takes a certain, peculiar sort of situation to make ALL the pain NEVER stop. This isn't it, and nerves in her body have to reset before she can really start hurting again. It'll take a few minutes.
With 17 seconds of active time remaining, the spike is lifted up, and with 16 left, it comes down - swerving at the last moment to aim at the edge of one of those shoulder bindings, digging in deeper but aiming towards the armpit.
Rei Ayanami hits Shinji Ikari with her Trying To Avoid The Plug But Possibly To No Good End attack.
"Oh shi-" Shinji gets out before he feels a /big metal spike/ stab through his chest and get closer and closer to his heart. Unlike Rei, Shinji's synch ratio /hasn't/ dropped. He's feeling every bit of that, and just hoping that no one can hear his pained wail.
Unit-01's eyes, again, burn with the white fire.
"w-what..." A hand moves. "...t-the..." Another hand moves. "...h-hell, Ayanami?!" Shinji attempts to finish the clinch, lift Unit-00 up over Unit-01's head, and /slam/ it into the ground.
Shinji Ikari gets a glancing blow on Rei Ayanami with his SLAMWITCH attack.
Rei Ayanami has been knocked out!
EVA-00 stops moving after the impact.
For six sick, vertiginous seconds, Rei can't feel anything below her lips. She struggles for breath. The commands are -
Then the power runs out.
The power-down signal, of course, sends a 'I give up' signal to the control center. EVA-00 goes limp, rolling slightly to the side. The plug doesn't eject yet (but that's because it would get stuck in the ground.)
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari pant. Pant. Pant. "O-okay, um..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Shinji?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari pause. Blink. "...I, uh, w-won?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "You won!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "Yep."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "...What'd he win?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Kyosuke Nanbu says, "It looks like it."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Sylvie Gena says, "Man. I had money on Max."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Mr. Hamster-wearing Mint Blancmanche says, "Congratulations, Shinji!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "Congratulations!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "I didn't bet on my pilots."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Lily Davies says, "I bet on me."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Maximillian Sterling says, "CONGRATULATIONS, SHINJI!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari whince. "D-dude, seriously, l-less caffene..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Maximillian Sterling says, "...huh? I haven't had any..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "We have to at least buy Shinji dinner!"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "Right?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Roy Fokker says, "I'll get him something special."
Shinji Ikari breathes.
This wastes about a minute of power. Not wanting Ayanami to blast out of the back of the Eva and break her neck or something, the Third Child has his Eva stoop down, and gently pick Unit-00 up, lumbering back towards the yellow zone. Shinji sighs a little, murmurs "S-sorry." over to Ayanami's com. She really wanted to win this, and he...
Why didn't he just, like, stop?
Maybe he is an animal.
Shaking his head, Shinji works on banishing the dark thoughts. They'll want him to be...if not happy, normal, at least. And no one deserves to deal with his crap right now. Unit-01 gently sets Unit-00 down, and Shinji and his monster stand back up. He doesn't make any kind of victory pose...just kind of standing there.
Once it's in the designated area, the plug signal repeats itself, and the plug is ejected with the usual hiss and spray of surplus LCL.
It has a big ding in the side. "Don't apologize," Rei says, quietly, over the comm.
She doesn't get out right away. Perhaps she is tired.