1869/Kongou vs Lute

Kongou vs Lute
Date of Scene:	24 March 2015
Location:	Strait of the Americas
Synopsis:	The 4th Mobile Unit lays a trap for Lute to teach him a lesson about targeting Fleet Daughters
Cast of Characters:	188, 428, 637

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Kongou (637) has posed:
Wichita, Kansas
Earth 4040

    Through some unexplained disaster, all large animal life has disappeared from this particular version of Earth only a few short years ago. No bodies, no rot, just straight up gone. This left only the plants and insects to flourish in a world without people. However it hasn't been long enough for mother nature to outright take over, yet.

    The city of Wichita is in pretty good shape, cars parked all over. Even here at Four Flags Funland, the parking lot is nearly completely full of derelict vehicles. It just looks like everyone's inside on a particularly warm day. Though in this case the place isn't completely abandoned.

    A brown-haired woman occupies the ticket booth, seemingly helping a pair of young girls--early teens, at best, one with black hair and the other silver--with some park information. A few meters away, clearly not waiting in line, is a taller black-haired teenager with her hair up in twin pigtails.

    Isuzu has gone in disguise today. In place of her Miko-inspired Outfitting, her outfit consists of a white zip-up hoodie with a red ship patch on the chest, a pink striped white blouse, and red shorts. Hands tucked in the hoodie's pockets, she taps the sidewalk with the toe of one shoe while she waits, humming to herself.

    So yeah it seems like the park isn't particularly busy today, then again it IS tuesday.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Even as Lute walks through the abandoned town, he really isn't worried, at all. After all, it's Tuesday. Not a lot of people are out and about on Tuesday, anyways! And besides, he has more important things on his mind at the moment. Like the cute sounding girl he's going to see! He even took a bit of time to prepare and make himself look better! Minimal preperation, though. He's fairly attractive as is, after all. Mostly just making sure his breath was fine, and his hair was organized. He's in his normal outfit, otherwise.

     He casually has his hands in his pocket, smiling as he goes along. He'd be whistling, but he finds it a bit cheesy. Of note, though, six Pokeballs are still on his belt. So, it's not like he is going unarmed. Still, though, he is more or less completely off guard.

     He spots the girls, but then just sort of just stands around, looking. He thinks back, trying to remember the name. He'll just ask around, and see if any of the girls are her!

     "...Hey. Are any of you Isuzu? I'm looking for a girl by that name?"

Kongou (637) has posed:
    The two girls at the ticket booth glance over, but as soon as the name comes up, return their attention to the attendant behind the glass and resume their conversation. It's the solo teen who raises her hand, "Hey, that's me! I'm Isuzu, glad you could make it." Inwardly, she notes that the 'bait' worked without a hitch. Now to lure him in and spring the trap. Eyes closing, she leans forward a bit and pulls a hand out of her pocket, holding up tickets, "I already paid the fare, so we can just go right in!"

    Behind the counter, the brunette waves, "Hello! Welcome to Four Flags Funland." It seems the two girls she was helping have since moved into the amusement park on their own, the silver-haired girl holding a small model airplane in both hands while the older looking of the two points at things as they walk further from the gate and into the park.

    "Most of the kids are at school so nobody's here, we've got the place mostly to ourselves for now," Isuzu points out, "Except the oddballs like those two, I guess."

Lute (188) has posed:
     As Isuzu speaks up, Lute looks her over. He's actually surprised! She is, in fact, cute! He chuckles a bit, as he looks over her, "...Wow. You really /are/ cute. ...Beautiful, even. It's nice to meet you in person, Isuzu. I might as well introduce myself properly too, even if you know who I am. I'm Lute, real name, Logan Trieste. ...But, girls who like me can just call me Logan."

     Lute smiles a bit, completely unaware still. He walks along with Isuzu towards the ticket booth, listening as she talks. Well, this is a great date so far! He's so used to paying. He probably would've offered to pay, even, if she hadn't already taken care of it. And so, he just can relax a bit.

     "Well, I don't mind there being others around. ...Though, if you're shy, we can try to avoid them. But I have to say, this actually... makes me really happy. It's not often a girl asks me on a date themselves. I'm usually the one making the first move. Heck, you're the first girl in the fanclub who has had the guts to approach me directly."

     Normally, the first move one would make on a date is to try and hold hands. But, this is Lute. And, he is under the assumption that this is a fangirl. And so, suddenly, he reaches for her. His arms move, trying to wrap around Isuzu, unless stopped. And, if she /doesn't/ stop him, he'll move to kiss her straight on the lips, even dip kissing her a bit. This would last for a moment, before he lets her up. Unless, of course, stopped at any point during any of this.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Oh, stop," Isuzu looks away as the pair walks, waving it off. No really, stop. The charm is turning her stomach. The turn-away was to hide the look on her face that she knew she couldn't conceal. Once that's out of her system, she glances back his way with a mild shyness, "Ah, it's fine, though. Those kids are harmless."

    Folding her arms behind her back, Isuzu says, "I admit part of it was curiosity. I mean, we've heard all about the Great Lute where I come from, but some things seemed odd. Like, you're involved with some kind of navy now?" Looking towards him, she adds, "I thought you were a monster tra--"

    And then Lute goes for it. Too surprised to do much more than sputter, the cruiser girl is dipped and smooched. Her arms shoot out, flailing in surprise. A few yards away, that brunette from the ticket booth starts laughing into her hand. In front of the two, those two girls glance back at the commotion. The blackhair starts snickering while the silvertop just stares in some strange mixture of aloof fascination while twirling the propeller of her toy plane with a finger.

Lute (188) has posed:
     When Lute break the kiss, he stands fairly tall. Proud. This girl obviously did not expect this. Besides, despite his reputation, he has still only dated so many women. This girl gets a chance to be amongst them all. But, even with the kiss broken, he moves his arm in, to wrap around her waist a little. Perhaps a bit /too/ low. And, he'd slowly guide her further into the park, smiling.

     "Well. There is /one/ thing about the Great Lute most people don't get to experience. How great I am as a kisser. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me." He gives her a quick wink, before continuing, "...Anyways, where do you want to go first? Ferris wheel? Carnival games? Tunnel of Love? ...I'll leave it up to you. I mean, I'll have fun here no matter what, if I'm with you." And, he honestly means it! This is a pretty happy moment for him. He really appreciates girls that appreciate him.

     "...So, you're from around here? What's it like? I imagine this place is pretty far outside the Multiversal conflict. ...Not much happens in Kansas. I don't mean any offense by that, either. ...I came from a pretty boring place, too."

     But, he pauses, remembering something she said earlier. "And... Yeah, I've been wanting to help this navy. Sure, I'm a monster trainer, but. ...Their conflict is a really good one. Incredibly noble. They are basically just one big giant, happy family. They want to protect themselves. And they want their sisters back with them. So I'm helping them out, so that they can all be back together again. Back to their original form. Their /true/ form."

     He looks up to the sky, just staring. It takes him a moment to continue.

     "...They remind me of myself, too. I have another personality in my mind, and he fights for control for me. These Fleet Daughters, they're under the control of false personalities. I feel so bad for them."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    There's a moment when lips part that Isuzu wants to just void the entire content of her stomach, oil and all. She holds it in though and, as she rights herself, turns away as a shy girl would. Except instead of clasping her cheeks like one might expect, she's frantically rubbing her lips with her sleeve. Guh! The arrogance..!

    That's gonna be a full bottle of mouthwash.

    Swallowing her pride and her revulsion, Isuzu turns back to Lute with a more strained look to her smile, "Ah, is that so? A false personality?" Eyes opening, she leans aside, "How are you sure these Fleet Daughters are the fakes and the other ones are real? Could it be the other way? Have you met any of the other ones or do you just take their word for it? 'cuz that sounds biased, maybe. Gotta get both sides of it, right?"

    About thirty yards back, the ticket lady follows, arms folded loosely. In front, the silver-haired girl turns away. There's a sputtering sound and a puff of black smoke, followed by the buzz of an aircraft engine. Before long, the plane she was holding is now ascending into the sky, soaring over the otherwise empty midway of Four Flags Funland.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute still doesn't realize anything is up. He's not noticing the others, and is currently in a world with just him and Isuzu. He sighs, happily. She's so shy! He really must of made her day.

     But then, the talk about the Fleet Daughter's side of the story. This surprises Lute. And for the first time, he's questioning the situation a bit. But, he ignores it for now. She might just be curious. He reaches to grab Isuzu's hand.

     "...Well. I'm going to take the Abyssal Fleet's word for it. Plus, from what I've heard, all of them started as Abyssals. And, they can return to being such. They really care for eachother as well. The Abyssals are one big, happy, family."

     A pause.

     "...Besides, the Abyssal Fleet girls I've met are much cuter than the Fleet Daughter girls. Plus, they're a lot more likely to be kind to me. So, why /should/ I care about the other side of this? They're in the Union, so they'd want me dead on principal, either."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Her hand is taken and Isuzu resists the urge to yank it away. Instead, she just lets him hold it, hearing him out. She looks down, more thoughtful in how to proceed, and there's a silent signal provided. Given Lute is ignoring the other girls, he might not notice the metallic flashes as their Fittings materialize on their bodies.

    The ticket lady simply tears open her uniform to reveal the more distinctive modified miko outfit known as Kongou's favorite, while silvery light gathers behind her and spreads out to form the turret and mounting assembly of her Land Fit-Out. The two younger girls ahead simply stop. The black-haired one turns and manifests the same light, forming arcs of steel around her hips that form into arms. The final detail is the two Choujuucentihou-chan familiars that plonk down into their holders on either side. Beside her, Zuihou raises her hands, a bow materializing in them. When she reaches back, a quiver appears, from which she draws an arrow with an airplane-shaped arrowhead, while a shield shaped like an aircraft flight deck appears on her left arm.

    "Yeah, I thought you'd say something like that," Isuzu finally says. She pulls her hand from his, "You're so blinded by one side you don't care about the other side's feelings, thoughts, or aspirations. You're just out to force them to do what you want. That's fine, though. Since you already proved yourself wrong."

    That same light, silvery-white, flutters around Isuzu's hips and back, before winking into existance as a pair of hip-mounted torpedo launchers and the distinctive superstructure backpack. "'cuz I'm a Fleet Daughter and you were calling me cute and beautiful and junk from the start. And then in the same sentence you wanna kill me, so yeah-- You kinda sealed it: This isn't happening." One hand raises, though empty, and she swings an open palm at the side of Lute's face.

    "So sink yourSELF, you ignorant jerk!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute doesn't notice the others transforming until Isuzu finally reveals what she is. And then he is slapped. Hard. It takes him a moment to even look back at Isuzu. But, as he does so, a look of anger is on his face.

     "THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN. It doesn't matter what I said, did it? You're just trying to lure me into a trap! THAT'S IT. I don't care if it's fricking impossible, I'm going to sink all of you on DRY LAND."

     He grabs at the Pokeballs on him, and quickly looks at the others. Even the ticket girl is in on this? He's really in deep shit. He doesn't even have his Unown on him. But... Hrm. Ship girls. Metal weapons. Strategies come to him already.

     "I choose you, Arcanine! And, go, Tyrantrum!"

     He throws the two Pokeballs up, and the two Pokemon appear. The flaming dog, and the stone T-rex. But, because of the fact that Lute is completely being taken by surprise, odds are, he won't even have a chance to attack before Isuzu and the others attack.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Actually, it's because you've already tried to kill friends of mine," Isuzu states, reaching behind herself. She pulls out a strapped assault rifle with three gun barrels, her Land Fit-Out's 15.5cm main gun, "For the crime of existing, even. I mean, what did Kuma ever do to you? You just went out and attacked someone you didn't know because /that woman/ told you to."

    She clearly means Samar, there's plenty of animosity in her tone.

    At some distance, Zuihou draws her bow back and lowers it, planting her stance with her eyes closed. After a pause, eyes snap open and she releases the arrow... in the opposite direction that Lute and Isuzu are in. However, the arrow flashes and then splits apart into a flight of green-painted aircraft which promptly pull up and about, ascending as they come about on the trainer and his newly appearing pokemon. No sooner have the Suisei dive bombers taken to the air that Zuihou is drawing a second arrow, which splits apart into more agile Zero fighters who join the bomber formation in short time.

    It seems Akizuki is playing escort for the carrier, staying close to Zuihou and not going on the attack just yet. Her Choujuucentihou-chan turrets, however, swivel their heads (and thus, their guns) from side to side, on the alert for any air targets, while Akizuki herself stays focused on Lute and his pokemon.

    "<Denied!>" Kongou shouts from her own position. Lute is currently stuck between two formations of shipgirls, after all. Kongou pushes both hands forward, her turrets swivelling forward. When they fire, it's a window-rattling report and a huge cloud of black smoke--but it's not the trainer that's the target of the battleship's armor piercing broadside. It's the larger of his two pokemon, Tyrantrum, who's the focus of Kongou's barrage.

    And moments later, Zuihou's bombers bank into dives, then pull away once they release their payloads above Arcanine. Amidst the bombers, the Zeroes maneuver, escorting rather than attacking.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute is thankful that he isn't being targetted yet. The fact that his Pokemon are being hit instead doesn't bring him any peace. But, it does give him a moment to do something. He pulls out his Pokedex, and uses it to take a quick snapshot of each of the four. Even as he does this, he's giving orders, though.

     "ARCANINE! Fire spin, put a barrier around us! Tyrantrum, those planes are basically flying type! STEALTH ROCK!"

     The Arcanine is blasted by the bombs, chunks of its fur and skin being blown up. Luckily, most of Lute's Pokemon are trained to be fairly tough, and so he's still able to act. He'll need to be pulled out soon, but for now, he can provide the much needed support. He starts running circles around Lute and Tyrantrum, leaving a trail of flame in his path. This might also help seperate Isuzu from the others, at least for now.

     Tyrantrum gets the worst of the damage, though. The armor piercing barrage cuts into him, deep. It's all it can do to start shooting a barrage of rocks into the air from its mouth. These 'Stealth Rocks' start floating in the sky, all across the battlefield. Lute's hope is that, at least, this might stop the planes movements a /bit/. But, sadly, once they are out, the Tyrantrum promptly falls.

     Lute holds its Pokeball out. Returning it. And, he walks towards Isuzu. She slapped him already. It's time to return the favor. He lifts his hand, moving to slap her as /hard/ as he can.

     This might hurt him more than her if her body is as strong as steel.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Aircraft scatter as stones flitter up into the sky and start hovering there, creating a persistent hazard. However, the Fourth Mobile Unit's Anti-Air Genius is immediately on top of the problem. As aircraft scatter, bombers to evade and Zeros on the attack, Akizuki steps forward and away from Zuihou and points. The little sensor dish on her headband swivels, then starts rotating while he destroyer girl twists at the hip and thrusts her hand out, "Choujuucentihou-chan, clear the air!"

    Both turret-rabbit familiars squeak, then swing their ear-like cannons upward. What follows is an incredibly loud, steady staccato of gunfire from each turret familiar, alternating fire between their two barrels as they open fire on the swarm of hovering stones diverting Zuihou's aircraft. They work in tandem with the Zero fighters, though the attack still takes its toll. Small groups of fighters, smoking and damaged, swing back and dive low on their return to Zuihou herself. One of the bombers, unable to turn due to tail damage from a stone's impact, bursts into flames. As it spirals downward, the fairy pulls the canopy open and jumps out, drifting down with a tiny parachute.

    Arcanine does, however, succeed in isolating Isuzu from Kongou with a wall of flame, and shortly after also cuts her off from the other two. However, the light cruiser is far from defenseless even in close quarters. She simply stares Lute down defiantly as he approaches her. When he raises his hand to strike her, she lifts her weapon to block it, then twists it in her own hands in an attempt to tangle his arm up in the reinforced strap. Rearing back on one leg, the shipgirl aims a forceful snap-kick at the center of his chest. It'd probably break the arm of a lesser man, but Lute is no lesser man.

    "If you had a REASON, it'd be different! As it is, we all decided to teach you a lesson about picking your battles more carefully!"

    Kongou meanwhile, keeps her distance from the fire. Fire is dangerous to one with large powder magazines! However, keeping one's distance is exactly where a battleship is at her strongest. Baring her teeth in a grin, laughing to herself, Kongou tracks Arcanine's dashing movements for a few moments amidst the heat haze and flames it's created. Once her main battery has reloaded, the ship turns to show only two of her four-gun battery and directs her fire at the edge of the circle furthest from Isuzu, "Let me teach your friend a thing or two about fire they might not know! Ready! Aim! <FIYAH!>"

    There's no room for her to say anything else, as the blast of powder engulfs Kongou in smoke and thunder. These shells, aimed at intercepting Arcanine mid-stride, are not the armor-piercing Shinkaisen type 94 shells, but rather the high explosive fragmentary Type 3 Sanshiki, which burst on impact into showers of shrapnel and flaming magnesium rods.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute has a reputation as an incredibly powerful threat. Even physically, he has been known to rip through steel. But. Every single time he has done so, there has been a trick to it. Before his mind was set back to that of the world of Pokemon-2, and he thought he was of the world of Pokemon-6, he managed it through two methods. Ki, and gaining strength by mentally linking with his Pokemon. Now, though, he has but one way to fight on the same level as his Pokemon. That method is by merging his body with his Unown.

     It will possibly be a surprise to Isuzu, but as his arm is blocked, and twisted? There is a snapping sound. His right arm goes limp as he pulls away. And, he stares down at it, angered.

     The explosive shells hit perfectly, exploding right in front of Arcanine. As Arcanine loses control of itself due to the damage, its forward momentum causes it to fall, and slide along the ground. Unconcious. Lute swears under his breath, using his left hand to open the Arcanine's Pokeball, recalling it. He grabs for another Pokeball as fast as he can. He makes note of the Stealth Rocks being attacked. While they're helping some, he's still angry that it isn't completely stopping the air support.

     Lute clutches at the Pokeball. This Pokeball is pure black, with a red band. Anger fills his eyes, as he glares at the group.

     "GO, GIRATINA!"

     He throws the Pokeball into the sky. The legendary Ghost-Dragon Pokemon appears, flying up above. It flaps its wings, hard, and then lets out a powerful roar. A powerful pressure accompanies it, covering the battlefield. Giratina doesn't even take time to listen to Lute's orders. Instead, it simply attacks of its own will. Letting out yet another roar, a massive burst of Ghost type energy flies out in all directions. It is a painful, cutting wind of darkness, aimed to tear at all opponents.

     Lute frowns, looking at the group. Motioning with his one good arm. "I HAVE A REASON! It's not that hard to understand. It's a simple dream! ALL OF YOU. Fighting, under the SAME BANNER. You want to /kill your sisters/, and they just want you to COME BACK HOME! What better reason could one have?!"

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Isuzu deftly untwists her weapon to disentangle Lute's arm once -- to her surprise -- she achieves what she was trying to do. Wasn't he more resiliant than that? She quickly recovers her determination, fixing defiant eyes on him and leveling the triple barrels of her weapon on him. A secondary weapon, some sort of twin-barrel machine gun emplacement, also swings around to aim his way.

    "You don't even know what they are, do you? They're /slaves/ to rage and regret! They wallow in the past and refuse to rise above what they've become. Kongou, Nagato, all of us Fleet Daughters -- we've grown beyond our history, our hate, and our pain. Knowing that, who do YOU think is the 'real' personality?" Raising her weapon, she hisses, "It's because we want them to be /happy/ that we fight to show them how much more of the world there is when you can see with eyes unclouded by /hate/!" The line is puctuated by the three bursts from her weapon. Given the size difference, it's not much bigger than a rifle round, but there are three of them and they DO still explode.

    Akizuki pauses in her fire support for a moment, looking upward when Giratina appears, "...Huh." It throws out that wave of ghostly power, causing her (and all of the shipgirls present, really) to throw up her arms defensively over her face. Her CHoujuucentihou-chan gun turrets do the same with their little flipper arms, their gun barrels smoking. With her teeth bared, Akizuki glances back up at the ghost dragon with a tense noise, then looks down, "Choujuucentihou-chan! Jettison!"

    Seeming surprised at first, the bunny turrets blink, then close their eyes tightly. With a metallic ka-CHUNK noise, they both eject their smoldering cannon barrels right off their heads. One-handed, Akizuki snatches replacement barrels off her thigh, twirls them, and then jams them in the empty slots. Re-armed, the twin Choujuucentihou turrets swivel their guns up and open fire again. This time, they're ignoring the remaining stealth rocks. Giratina, instead, is peppered with ten centimeter air-burst fragmentary rounds.

    Zuihou, behind Akizuki, lets out a whine of her own, "My Suisei~... Air superiority is more important..!" While she draws a new arrow, a plane lands on the extended Flight Deck on her arm, which she ignores in favor of launching the squadron she's holding. It splits into a fresh wing of Zeros, who swiftly bank and ascend towards Giratina, guns blazing. The remaining Suisei dive bombers circle, ascending still despite being buffetted by the ghostly wave. Clearly damaged, the majority that hadn't been shot down by Stealth Rocks remain flightworthy, and simply continue gaining altitude while not attracting attention to themselves.

    "<Wow!>" Kongou exclaims, lowering her arms following Giratina's area assault, "I'll let them keep that busy--Time to assist Isuzu with the <Fleet Commander!>" Her cannons reloading, though, Kongou instead opts to pour on her speed, dashing in even as Isuzu opens fire. Coming in from the side, Kongou leaps to break through Arcanine's lingering wall of flames, her fist drawn back, "Great! Senkan!"

    As she descends, she rams her fist forward and down towards Lute's head like a hammer, "FIST!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     As the barrels fire at Lute and explode, chunks of his flesh and blood splatter around. He's still handling this better than a lot of people would, but obviously, he is not handling it well. He just glares at Isuzu. He's trying to hold back his pure rage at the moment. And, it's pretty tough to do. If he had his Unown, he'd probably just let it fill him. But, if he went on a berserk rampage /without/ actual super strength? It'd end badly.

     "Yeah, you're just denying who you are. But, oh well. Who cares. I'm going to sink you all anyways. You don't realize how much personality the Abyssal Fleet has. They're a /lot/ more human than you!"

     He grabs for another Pokeball. A normal red and white one. He holds it up, pondering.

     "...But hell. Maybe I'll sink you /now/. Maybe I can be the first to sink a Fleet Daughter on dry land. GO, TENTACRUEL! WRAP AND SURF!"

     He opens up the Pokeball, and the Tentacruel appears. It goes into action, trying to grab ahold of Isuzu with its various tentacles. It's aiming to spread her arms and legs in all directions, to limit her movement. And then, it unleashes a massive and continuous wave of water. Surf is a move that allows Pokemon to travel over water faster. But, it also can be used to attack with an actual tidal wave of ocean water. And the Tentacruel is trying to keep this continuous attack up, even if it'll extinguish the Fire Spin in the area.

     Giratina takes the shots much better than most of Lute's other Pokemon. The fragmentary rounds and gunfire tear at it, causing it to only release a mist of black instead of blood. Giratina seems unconcerned with its own damage. Sure, it'll build up, and knock him out eventually. But, he has to deal wtih the two attacking him. And Lute is in no condition to order attacks. It opens its mouth, aiming towards Zuihou and Akizuki with a single attack. A large Shadow Ball bursts from its mouth, flying towards the two. On impact, it will explode, probably even leaving a crater in the ground as it does so.

     And then, Kongou leaps in. Lute is hit, hard in the head. He has a bit of a concussion, his face is bleeding, and he's prone on the ground. He can move a bit, but he is obviously having trouble getting up.

     He is /really/ hoping that Juno shows up soon.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
A curious sound gradually becomes audible from up above, somewhere beyond the clouds. While it might seem to be coming from some kind of aircraft, it's not any sort of aircraft native to this place. It's a high sound, a steadily approaching whine, too high and regular for any sort of propellor or turbine that would be used in this place.

The ion drives of Galactic Imperial starships make a distinctive sound. This is hardly the high scream of a TIE fighter at full throttle; the engine sounds too large, and it has a slight oscillation that suggests two engines.

With an explosion of cloud cover, the Rogue Shadow swoops down from on high, shredding an otherwise placid cloud bank and screaming its descent. The ship is sleek, smooth, and predatory; purposefully plain-looking in spite of its aesthetic angularity.

It's also approaching straight for Lute, a modestly-sized transport of some kind, with slightly cockeyed, asymmetrical wings, and blazing blue ion drives. It swoops in a steep dive, slowing only when it has to pull its nose up to level off; a feat it executes with enviable agility. It slows to a halt near Lute, repulsors flaring that ion-blue as it hovers near to him. Which, hopefully, is far enough away from the enraged Fleet Daughters that they won't attack the Rogue Shadow. A slim hope, though, which is why its pilot is paying very careful attention to the instruments and sensors.

The clipped, cool tone of a woman issues from loudspeakers.

"Get your ass on the ship, Lute."

Short, simple, and to the point! If he's watching, he'll spot the belly hatch open and the entry ramp extend for him to get on, but it's a tense wait -- there's something reluctant in the way the ship hovers, as though eager to be off just as quickly.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Isuzu, caught by surprise, is hauled up and then caught in the pokemon's water spray. It's not quite the same as sinking in the sea, but it's still tough to breathe. Her boiler gutters when water goes down her Fitting's stack, spewing black smoke. Twisting, holding her breath as best she can, the cruiser girl brings herself as best she can until her hip-mounted torpedo launchers are lined up. With a hissing sound, a quartet of Type 92 Oxygen torpedos launch, slicing through Tentacruel's water spray and aimed right at the source of the Surf wave.

    Meanwhile, further out, Zuihou and Akizuki promptly dive in opposite directions just as the Shadow Ball explodes where they were standing. Akizuki tumbles, coming out of it on her backside, while Zuihou hits the opposing ground solidly and bounces, scraping to a halt. Her Fitting smolders, with holes smashed through her flight deck, "Uuu~... If my armor wasn't so thin..." The light carrier hauls herself back to her feet alongside her Destroyer ally, who seems to have gotten out of it in better shape.

    Kongou lands hard enough for her steel shoes to carve divots in the concrete pathway forming the amusement park's midway lane, standing over Lute's battered form. However, her attention turns immediately from him to Tentacruel, then raise to the incoming Imperial warship. Glancing towards the Destroyer, Kongou points, "'Zuki!"

    "Right!" Akizuki glances towards Zuihou, who backs off to tend to her flight deck and the squadrons of fighters returning to her. While Giratina was a challenge, this huge starship is a bit more than they're equipped to handle.

    And with Zuihou at a safe distance, Akizuki's body begins to glow with a silvery light, which expands out into a sphere around her until it encompasses the entire width of the street. There's an exploding noise and, when the sphere shrinks down, Akizuki has been replaced by a full size naval destroyer. The four long-barreled 10cm anti air cannons all swivel, presenting the Rogue Shadow with her full broadside, "While this Akizuki still has strength, I won't let you escape so easily!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute is glad that other things are distracting the Fleet Daughters. He is less glad that his Tentacruel is being blasted in the face by oxygen torpedos, and that there is now an actual full out battleship present. He is surprised. He didn't think they'd transform on land. But, Lute has other things to focus on right now. While they are distracted with the Rogue Shadow, he is working on righting himself. It is a painful process. He uses his limp right arm as support, and then pushes up with his left. Slowly, get gets standing. He starts running towards the ship, though there is a bit of a limp in his step. His legs took a fair amount of damage, after all.

     But, as he gets near the Rogue Shadow, he lifts his Pokeballs again, returning Giratina and Tentacruel. They've taken enough damage. He keeps stumbling forward, trying to get at least on the ramp. Hell, he is actually hoping Juno is going to close it the moment he steps on the ramp, letting him tumble into the ship. That'd be faster than him walking all the way in.

     He does glance back at the Fleet Daughters. Anger filling him. In particular, he glares at Isuzu.

     "...I /will/ sink you. I will sink /all of you/. The Fleet Daughters will join the Abyssal Fleet. Permenantly."

     And, as he says that, he coughs, some blood coming out.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
The ship is definitely reluctant in its use of repulsors, and there's an almost impatient whine to the engines. The Rogue Shadow waits as Lute drags himself with agonising slowness up to the access ramp. Its pilot's voice sounds through the loudspeaker again.

[I said get your ass on the ship! Save your bloody verbal sparring for another time!]

Barely is Lute in the hatch than the ramp retracts and the hatch eases shut, sealing with a hiss and magnetic thud. It might even cut Lute's threat off. And barely is that taken care of before a broadside slams into the side of the ship, actually sending the Rogue Shadow slewing sideways through the air.

Up in the cockpit, Juno squalls in alarm, nearly thrown from her chair as she reaches for the controls, cursing a blue streak as she fights to right the ship. "Goddammit son-of-a-/bitch/ I am /not/ being paid enough for this--" Her head whips around to bark over her shoulder, "Lute, you /OWE ME/ for this--"

The ship reels; scoring along the hull reveals that one of the sublight drives took a non-fatal, but still somewhat crippling, hit. It wobbles drunkenly as Juno tries to coax it up and out of range of the guns, but there will be more than enough time for Akizuki's guns to thunder another volley at the Imperial transport.

From the cockpit comes the sound of someone slamming a fist on the console. "Damn it! Come on...!"

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Today is the day that the Imperial undercover pilot Juno 'Blackout' Eclipse will earn her wings as a World War 2 Bomber Pilot. Or at least she'll feel like she did. Eight separate cannons, mounted in four twin-gun 10cm turrets, roar with rapid fire, a rumbling staccato of thunder that fills the sky with black bursts of shrapnel all around the Rogue Shadow as it makes its escape. Even as the vessel starts to move, the higher transverse rate on Akizuki's turrets permits them to follow the Shadow's escape more closely than she might like.

    However, the sum of it is that Akizuki is a ship on land and cannot move, while the Rogue Shadow is a starship in the air and can move. Eventually, she'll get out of range of those long-barrel ten centimeter guns. They're not exactly lasers, the range is noticably limited by comparison.

    And then out of left field, a 35.5 centimeter Type 3 Sanshiki explodes off the Rogue Shadow's port side, shattering into a cone of shrapnel, shell debris, and blazing magnesium rods trailing white hot flames. A second later, another one bursts in the air below, closer to the shields. Seems like Kongou is giving them a parting gift! But ultimately pursuit is impossible for the Fourth Mobile Unit on this kind of terrain and the gunfire mercifully stops for good.

Lute (188) has posed:
     As the ramp closes, Lute stumbles a bit. Though he is still talking some, he is currently working on crawling his way to the ship's medbay. He's going to leave a nice trail of blood along the way.

     and then he gets a better idea, which is basically throwing out a Pokeball, and having his sixth Pokemon carry him the rest of the way. Said sixth Pokemon is a Gardevoir, and he is carried in its arms, til he gets to the medbay.

     Lute is, currently, incredibly pissed right now. Which is probabl fairly reasonable, all things considered.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
The Rogue Shadow is more than limping by this point; it's trailing smoke from one of the ion engines, and the hull around the engine is somewhat crumpled. It seems to be intact, though, as nothing's exploded just yet. Exploding would be very, very bad and the passengers and pilot probably wouldn't survive the experience. Well, maybe the passenger. Probably not the pilot, though.

Of course, that's if the last shots fired don't make that a moot point anyway. The rounds lance straight for the ship, and the Sanshikis burst into flame and shrapnel, slamming into the hull of the Rogue Shadow and biting into its black Imperial finish. Once again the ship is knocked sideways and sent into a helpless roll, engines flickering out momentarily.

Up in the cockpit, the blast bodily hurls Juno forward and into the pilot's console with enough impact to suggest it's painful; dazed, she pushes herself upright again and rakes her hair out of her face, grimacing when the motion leaves a smear of blood from a cut forehead.

She ignores it, snarling and cursing again as she fights for the controls (which are now inclined to slew the ship into an absurd degree of yaw) and trying to get them out of range of those massive explosions (which they will not survive another hit from). Another one or two shots and there will be a gaping hole in the side of the hull, or a gaping hole where one of two sublight engines ought to be. Either scenario puts a considerable damper on plans of escape.

Raking now-disheveled hair away from her face again, having lost her cap somewhere in the tumble, Juno barks over her shoulder since the comm equipment is by this point useless.

"Stay there! We're heading for the I.N.S. Empirical, and you'll get your medical treatment in their medbay. From there you can be transferred to the Citadel, but the Rogue Shadow's not going to make it all the way back to the Citadel!"

She pauses, only long enough to flip switches, key in commands, and input her calculations. The cockpit's alarm klaxons are wailing at an even faster tempo by this point; something's wrong with the ship. Probably several somethings, after the battering it took. It was never made for sustained combat.

"Prepare for lightspeed in thirty seconds!"

When it comes, it's like the ship gets another boot to the side -- but this time because of the engines kicking in, and to the assembled Fleet Daughters, it lurches forward, seems to stretch for half a second -- and simply vanishes.