446/Imbalance of Power

Imbalance of Power
Date of Scene:	17 October 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Juuban Avenue - North
Synopsis:	Riventon is doing an experiment. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Sayaka Miki falls victim to it. (Parts of this scene were played before '(Apatite) ...For Destruction' so there's a little continuity weirdness.
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Mamoru Chiba, Hinote Kagari, Takashi Agera, Usagi Tsukino, Ikiko Hisakata, Ayana, Yomi Takanashi

---

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon stands next to a large, dark blue, crystalline construct of some form, which has dug itself into the street on this quiet lane in one of the little suburbs off Juban Avenue. Every so often it lets out a pulse of dark energy that ripples out through the area - and then returns to it, carrying stolen energy with it. Then the crystal structure emits a cloud of purple-black miasma, and a small scattering of circular black orbs which Riventon takes from a chute and then makes disappear within his lab coat. Whatever he's doing it's 1) definantly evil 2) not good for the local environment 3) stealing energy from the local area. Even the grass nearby is turning a dead brown - the construct seems somewhat indiscriminate in nature.

He turns to his associate slash bodyguard for the evening, a girl in a black dress, with striking green eyes and a massive scythe in her hands. "They'll be here soon, I'm sure. Probably in a big group. Are you ready?"

Another pulse of black energy ripples out into the neighborhood, and returns with its stolen energy.

Yomi Takanashi has posed:
    Deadmaster stands next to Takashi, looking slightly bored. Though to be fair, the tall, green-eyed Otherself almost always looks bored when she isn't in the middle of fighting someone, which is why Yomi usually keeps her 'put away'. This, though, was most definitely a situation for Deadmaster and not Yomi, though no fighting is going on just yet.

    The black-haired girl leans on her massive, black scythe, her eyes casually scanning the area. They flick back to Takashi when he asks her if she is ready. She simply nods- the Otherself rarely speaks. It's not that she can't. She just doesn't very often. She doesn't seem to think words are that important.

    She rests one clawed hand atop the head of a large black skull with glowing green eyes which is floating in the air next to her like some sort of macabre pet. It's about the size of a medicine ball. It seems to push into her stroking hand like an eager puppy.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Indeed, the pulses of dark energy haven't gone unnoticed. Even at a distance, the echoes of the dark pulses can be felt by those with magic, like magical girls on patrol. Tsukiko zig-zags through town, following the strength of the pulses as they get stronger the closer she gets.

The wolfgirl arrives nearby, landing onto the branches of a tree as she tries to take a look at what's happening. The two visible figure certainly don't look friendly, and the crystal certainly seems malevolent, especially when it processes the stolen energy into orbs. She knows that she has to do something, but fighting two villains at once doesn't sound like a good idea.

Perhaps some other magical people have noticed the dark pulses?

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari had a silly amount of things on his mind. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are anxious. Some are relaxed. He's looking at the ground. It's sidewalk and grass. Then dead grass. Then sidewalk has a few cracks in it. Then he sees.... forming cracks? Okay now he's looking up and straight ahead and around and something seems to be happening and it kinda feels /really/ bad like somethings tugging at his being. He's felt such things before. Energy draining.

Was something over there?....

One braclet clasp later. One henshin phrase and Guardian Hino was hoping through tree tops of the small suburb.

He'd arrive out of said tree, and frowns.

Unlike Cute Wolf Tsukiko, he has no particular qualms about taking on two people who are doing evil things. So he calls them out.

"Hello Mr. Black. I see this is how we spend our spare time." he says with just a hint of snark. "Was blasting young children in witch barriers not enough?"

His tone is just dripping with sarcasm.

Ayana has posed:
Cute Fox Inari (that's how she thinks of herself, today) lands on a branch next to Tsukiko, frowning at the magical pulses. "Youma?" she asks her friend curiously. She hasn't spotted the two figures standing by the crystal, yet. She reaches up to the fox-shaped onyx pendant around her neck, then draws it down. "Wand," she declares, and the device transforms into a fox-eared heart shaped wand. "I've got your back. Let's g--" she cuts off at the sound of Hinote's voice. "Mr. Black?" she asks, eyes widening a little. "Oh no."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Well, Sayaka wasn't exactly looking for trouble herself, although trouble always had a habit of creeping up on her somehow. She's just minding her own business, listenning to music on her phone as she walks towards said street..It doesn't help either that her mind is largely distracted, what with Kyouko mysteriously disappearing from her usual hangouts lately, and her recent chat with Mamoru.

    In fact, the blue-haired girl isn't too far away from the pulsing blue crystal in the ground, when it sends out another pulse of dark energy, enough that totally blows her off her feet. Gasping, and stumbling to one knee, she fights to catch her breath, not yet sure what's going on as energy is rapidly siphoned out of her.

    "U-ugh..."

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon turns to face Hinote. His outfit has changed since the last time they encountered each other, but that energy is unmistakbly Riventon. He reaches up, and pushes a strand of white hair behind his ear. "I can't remember who you're talking about. I blast so many nosy children who don't know how to get out of my way, it's easy to lose track." Without the shadow mask he once wore, it's somewhat easy to tell 'Mr. Black' is a teenager roughly the same age as Hinote. "And it's Riventon, now that Miss White and I have gone onto our seperate projects."

"So are you all talk, or do you want to draw that sword and try again - you know, actually, I'm really quite busy - I think I'll just let my associate here remove you from the locale." he adds, nodding to Deadmaster.

Since the Cute Wolf (and her ally, the Cute Fox) hasn't made herself known, Riventon stands by the aparatus still. Some of Sayaka's energy comes on the machine's next pulsing wave.

Yomi Takanashi has posed:
    Deadmaster visibly perks as Hinote's challenging words ring out. Her horned head lifts, green eyes snapping to focus on the knightly interloper, a small smile tugging at her lips as she pulls her scythe around in front of her. The black-and-green, grinning skull floats up next to her, beginning to orbit her in a slow circle with its face turned towards Hinote.

    She still doesn't speak, but when Riventon nods in her direction, she shoots him a glance, her smile widening slightly, and moves to place herself between him and the intruder. She shifts, holding her scythe diagonally across her body in one hand in a defensive posture, waiting for him to make the first move. Her steady green gaze seems to say 'come, if you are going to come'.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi is still sore from her battle with the Shark Monster (how scary!). It wasn't easy pinwheeling souvenirs! At least not with the ferocity she had. (Maybe ferocity isn't technically the right word for it. Exuberant? Terrified vigour? Oh well.)

She stretches her arms, using this as an excuse to not touch her homework. Maybe a nap? She sure is tired...

Before she can get too involved in a dream involving three guys, a weight drops on her head and wakes her up.

"Usagi, there's trouble!" Before the schoolgirl could ask for five more minutes, a sharp claw hooks on her nose. "Now!"

Usagi transforms and leaps out her window.

Before she even sees the scene, she feels it. A slight tug, making her even groggier than before.

This is very much not like the shark. She swallows, trying hard to be Brave, but the people before her are scary. "Luna..."

"It's okay, Sailor Moon. I'm here with you."

Sailor Moon sighs in relief as she creeps forward, too nervous to even make a speech. Reconnaissance. Right. That was plausible.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Guardian Hino is not feeling particularly well. It bleeds over into sarcasm. "I'm sorry, are you unable to fight your own battles?" he asks. The knight tsks. "I do not care, Mr. Black about your dealings with torrid women!" he explains. He does that sword out as he holds it front of him, palm to the blade. The gem in the hilt glows virlent red.

"Burning Ignition!" he calls out, a wave of fire bursting out from the blade and gem as it races forward toward's Riventon's henchskull.

Henchskull?

Wait what?

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
It's like a series of mountaintop signal fires: Luna detects the trouble and gets Usagi to henshin, Mamoru feels Usagi henshin and goes after her. A pattern of danger and response that's almost rote at this point--

--but the black-and-red-and-white figure of Tuxedo Kamen, though he knows precisely where Sailor Moon is, sees a familiar blue head down on the ground near a glowing crystal, crumpling. And Kyouko asked him-- and Kyouko's missing--

Before the thin boy in the formalwear's presence is even detectable, he's in motion, soaring over Sailor Moon's head in a blur. He's visible as a discrete object for less than a second, cape not quite having the time to settle to the ground where he's crouched next to Sayaka and scooping her up.

Then they're both gone in a fluttering of silk as Tuxedo Kamen leaps back up into the air and away.

A moment later, out of sight of the villains and up on the roof with Sailor Moon and Luna, Mamoru lands with the terribly familiar 'ta-tap' of dress-shoes Sailor Moon knows so well. He sets Sayaka down, audibly going 'shhhh' and crouching down, and he holds his finger to his lips and gestures for Sayaka to stay low and join him and Sailor Moon and Luna to peer over the edge.

"I don't know who the skull person is, but Riventon is really bad news," he whispers, lightly laying a hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder. "Sayaka-chan, this is Sailor Moon, and that's Luna. Luna, can you stick with Sayaka-chan for now? She knows about magic."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Cute Wolf Tsukiko gasps slightly as she watches the energy siphon out of the blue-haired girl. "We gotta do something!" she whispers to Inari. There's a sudden blur, which resolves into Tuxedo Kamen placing Sayaka next to Sailor Moon. One concern down, several more to go...

"There! Let's take down the crystal!" Tsukiko grins to Inari, then leaps out of the tree. The wolfgirl circles around, staying clear of the fight betwen Guardian Hino and Deadmaster. If she hurries, she might be able to strike at the crystal before any of the others know she's there!

Ayana has posed:
"No no no," Inari replies to Tsukiko, but the wolf-girl is already gone, leaping towards the fray to try and take out the crystal. She peers down through the trees at the fight between Hinote and Deadmaster, then shakes her head and jumps after Tsukiko. This fight is going to be the end of her. She's sure of it. "Tsukiko, we have to give him a chance to explain," Inari calls after her friend as she races to catch up. "I'm sure there's a reason for this. Something that ... isn't as it seems."

Yomi Takanashi has posed:
    Deadmaster's gaze narrows at the flame-wielding boy as he taunts Riventon, seeming to ignore her, or at least not to give her the same focus he is applying to her employer. This is somewhat annoying to the Otherself- sure, she may be here because Yomi works for Riventon, but not even respecting her enough to taunt her directly, well. That just won't do.

    Of course, then the Guardian sends a wave of fire rushing straight towards her, if only because she happens to be standing between him and Riventon and the evil energy-sucking crystal. Her smile grows. That's more like it! Of course, before the wall of fire can reach her, her floating skull buddy wheels around in front of her.

    The wave of fire smashes into the floating skull, but parts around it- there's not much to burn on a skull, after all, and Deadmaster is sheltered in its wake. Once the fire passes, she's already leaping forward, actually jumping up onto the floating skull, then launching off of it like a springboard towards Hino, her scythe flashing around in a wide arc as she aims for him!5r

Takashi Agera has posed:
While Tsukiko tries to circle (and 'inari' follows her), Riventon continues to talk for Deadmaster (who is as willing to stay quiet in this form as she is when she's just doing routine paperwork, he notes.) "That's very amusing, coming from you who I first met standing in front of another person. I think it's perfectly fair for my bodyguard to engage you, since you're someone else's bodyguard. Clearly, not worth my personal attention." he adds.

Yet another pulse rocks out from the apartus, and yet another small gem is taken from it and dropped within the depths of his Barrier Lab Coat. "I really expected more here by now, though." he says, to himself, but loudly. "Perhaps Tokyo's defenders are largely taking the day off? Did you not get the memo because your princess is an energy draining fiend at least on my level?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Guardian Hino is still bleeding sarcasm. He sounds kind of like how a hoity toity actor may sound like if there 'paraody' acting. This is on purpose. "I fight with her because her cause is just. I did not relish doing such things. I have never taken delight in hurting the innocent. I did what I had to do." he insists as Deadmaster comes flying for him. He takes a jump backwards and holds his sword out as he seems to dash forward, trying to crash-and/or-slice into the sky through to Deadmaster. He seeths a bit.

"but you.... that's all you live for, isn't it? Hurt. Pain. You act in selfishness and vile feelings. I do not think you actually love anything in this world."

"This makes me particularly sad." he says as he fights.

Yomi Takanashi has posed:
    Deadmaster isn't interested in Guardian Hino's excuses, or his rationales. She has little to no idea of what he's even talking about- but that doesn't matter to her. Yomi might be curious (and maybe she'll have questions for Takashi later, for she sees everything Deadmaster sees even if she doesn't directly control her Otherself), but Deadmaster lives only to fight, and now that she has been unleashed she throws herself into the battle with savage glee.

    A creepily composed smile remains on her face as she trades blows with the Guardian, scythe clashing against firey sword even as Hino continues to throw words past her at Takashi. She doesn't care. She spins her scythe with expert grace, deflecting a blow, then leaping back and throwing her hand out. Her floating skull zooms around from behind her, attempting to ram right into Hino like a large projectile even as the dark-clad girl herself dashes to the side to circle around while he is (hopefully) distracted.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka can barely think clearly; In fact, she just knows that at any minute, she's going to faint..What's going on? Before she crumples completely to the ground however, she sees a somewhat familiar blur of red and black, heading right for *her*.

    "Tuxedo Kamen-san?" She blinks up at him, but the words are barely out of her mouth, when Sayaka is spirited away somewhere safe..And deposited next to a girl with strange odango..And a cute black cat, undoubtedly, this one can talk too!

    But the one called 'Sailormoon' seems vaguely familiar. Hasn't she heard rumours of this particular heroine from here and there? "Wow, sailormoon!" She beams at the blonde, but realizing the danger they're in, she nods with a slight frown, acknowledging Luna as well. "Nice to meet you, Luna-san..So, what just happened?"

    Peering down below, she can see a fight is already happening, however, it seems that the crystal itself is the source of all the trouble. Ahh, it must have been draining her energy. Cerulean eyes narrow, peering around for a familiar flash of red hair. But she sees nothing. "I'm sorry, but I need to find Kyouko-chan. If she's caught up in this mess too, and she can't transform..I need to find her.."

    Of course, Sayaka's now up on a rooftop, and she's no idea how she'll get down there without super powers. If only she had binoculars, then she'd be able to scope out the area more easily..

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon nearly jumps out of her skin before her brain recognizes his presence. She is still tense, and only relaxes when his hand rests on her shoulder. She is not strong, but Sailor Moon is supposed to be. But is Sailor Moon allowed to at least be a little afraid of that big giant skull down there?

She offers the girl what she hopes is a happy, cheerful smile. Her voice is not much louder than his had been. "Hello, Sayaka-chan. Very nice to meet you!" The 'wow' helped.

Luna hops up on Sayaka's shoulder. "I can see better than you can. I could help look for her from a distance?"

"Sounds good, Luna," Tuxedo Kamen says distractedly, moving his hand from Sailor Moon's shoulder to take off his hat and reach in. He pulls out a pair of opera glasses and hands them to Sayaka. "I'm pretty sure she's not here, but you can look, as long as you stay with Luna. Moon, you pack a bigger punch than pretty much anyone here, you're going to have to go on the attack. I'll help you, you won't be alone."

Then he glances at Sayaka, hand absently moving once more to reestablish that connection with Sailor Moon, his presence reinforced by the touch, stabilizing, grounding. "After all this is done, I need to talk to you about her, we can pool resources and get the community moving to look for her. Sound good?"

Luna nods her head. "Cat eyes and opera glasses. Who needs anything else for surveillance?" She lightly fwips her tail against Sayaka. "Right?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
For her part, Sailor Moon is trying once again to Not be Scared. She even has a grip on a jacket now, and squeezes her eyes shut. There's a warmth, the same that protected her from thunder and bad grades, and while she does not take the time to wonder at how two completely different people could have that same safe warmth, she draws the strength she needs from it and pulls back, shoulders square.

"Right. That sounds like a plan." Deep breath, deep breath. She is not alone. Luna is there, and so is he.

Sailor Moon is able to smile more genuinely now, throwing in a wink for good measure. "It.s a date."

Luna was going to kill her later for this.

She bounds off the roof, hopping from ledge to shrubbery to ground. Right now, a speech would ruin their element of surprise if she isn.t already seen. Fingers to her forehead, she aims with her eyes for Riventon.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

A spin for momentum and then a hurtling piece of magic metal is flying his way!

On the other hand, Tuxedo Kamen was totally composed and serious and in control of himself RIGHT UP UNTIL THAT WINK.

Then his eyes widen behind the mask in almost comical surprise, face blushing fiercely. He rallies quickly, though, giving a firm nod, then watches in pretty much straight-up admiration as Sailor Moon dives in, no holds barred. He leaps after her, pulling his cane from within the folds of his cape and hurling it like a javelin in the wake of the tiara.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Cute Wolf Tsukiko skids to a halt. "Wait? Why do we need to wait, Inari? We need to stop the crystal from draining energy!" she states. "They got the blue-haired girl to a safer distance, but we need to do something about that crystal!"

The wolfgirl glances to the side as the attacks of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen fly towards Riventon. "We should go NOW!" the wolfgirl shouts, leaping forward feet-first towards the crystal in an attempt to deliver a powerful strike!

Ayana has posed:
Inari stares at Riventon worriedly, then tries to explain, "Because ..." But she's too late. Tsukiko is already kicking for the crystal. "Because he can turn me off," she mumbles quietly, out of Tsukiko's hearing. Taking a deep breath, she speaks, "Still Night, raise a barrier."

"Nateurlich," replies the small wand in her hands. The foxgirl's wand begins to glow, sending out a sudden pulse of magical energy that forms a powerful barrier around the neighborhood, protecting the normals and limiting the crystal's influence.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka rubs her head and blinks her eyes a few times, still feeling a little groggy. But for a mundane, she's pretty tough! She smiles at Sailormoon and Tuxedo Kamen, definitely sensing some sort of...Connection between the two of them. And..Was that a wink..And a blush? How..Romantic. She can only dream what it must be like to fight side by side with your love..

    For a moment Sayaka fantasizes about herself and Kyousuke, who is still in the hospital sadly..He might not ever recover, sadly..Then there's a brief flash of Kyouko in her mind..She blinks...Where'd that come from?

Laughing nervously, she thanks Kamen for the opera glasses, finding it a little amusing that he would carry such things around (Clearly he's some sort of opera fanatic!) and waves to the pair of them as they take off. "Alright, thank you..And good luck!"

    With a sigh, she pulls on the opera glasses, peering around for a certain red-headed girl, glancing down at Luna every so often. "Keep an eye out for a girl with a long red ponytail, about my age.." She's not sure if Luna's met Kyouko yet, but best to give her a description.

    Meanwhile, Sayaka cant help but be drawn to the sight of the fight going on below. A multitude of magical girls (and boys) have gathered below and are now combatting what seem to be the two main enemies on the field..Then there's that crystal. She shivers at the sight of magical bolts, floating skulls and other dangers..So this is what Kyouko-chan's world was like..? How..Frightenning, and yet strangely exhilirating..

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon looks around as the barrier is put up. He knows what those feel like - what they are, what they do. But it's a solution he hadn't considered being used against him. Which is a shame, really, because this is when the other peices fell into place. The heroes, of course, began to show up en masse, and do the natural thing - they attack the giant, energy draining crystal - or at least, Tsukiko does.

At least /that/ part still went according to plan. Just before she hits the crystal, a round shield of arcane energy automatically generates in front of it - and it's /that/ which her paws impact, rather than the aparatus. But then his device alerts him to the simply massive magical power of that tiara that's heading his way. He makes a calculated decision - very quickly - given the circumstances. With the barrier up, the device isn't going to pull much more energy, and he needs the energy he was using for the ward to protect himself, and join the fight.

Riventon diverts his energy into a heavy Round Shield to protect himself from that incoming tiara; he overcharges the device, causing it to spurt out a massive wave of negative energy - largely up, but also out and around - and he throws a small orb from within the machine at Deadmaster. "Take this and return to headquarters." he says, pointing up with his free hand towards the break in the barrier the explosion of negative energy caused. His other hand, of course, is holding the Round Shield against the Sailor Senshi's mighty attack, black energy contesting with her tiara to hold it back.

Finally the shield wins out, and the tiara clatters to the ground, the energy expended. He looks at Hinote, at Tsukiko, at Sailor Moon. Then, back to Hinote. "Well, it looks like you'll get that fight. This seems to be... almost fair. Still in my favor though. Got any more friends?"

Yomi Takanashi has posed:
    Deadmaster seems to be enjoying her duel with Guardian Hino, even if it's only just begun. But then Riventon is tossing one of the gems to her, the product of the crystal's process, and she has to pull back a moment, hand flashing out to catch it.

    The Otherself frowns as she holds the gem, then looks at Riventon. For a moment, there's the sense she might disobey- she's here to fight, after all. Fighting is the whole point of her. She doesn't /want/ to go back to base when there's a fight to be had, even if she's been ordered to.

    But.. Yomi has instructed her to obey Riventon. After that moment of internal conflict, she nods her head, though she's frowning, clearly not pleased. One last glance is cast at Hino, and then she turns and bounds away, leaping atop her floating skull where she balances skillfully as it zooms off between the buildigns, carrying her along with it and out of sight.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Guardian Hino blinks as Riventon hands a crystal off to that Youma(!?) and he gets to disengage it--- after of course, being slammed back a few feet by that ridicolous skull. He holds the sword forward. "No, you'll have to deal with me and Sailor Moon it semms~" he says.

He jumps forward, swinging the sword out---it ignites preswing as he tries to power through whatever defenses Riventon's got up.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
%rA wave of dark energy pulses through the air, and Sailor Moon is in front of Kamen before he can play Human Shield, trying her best to use herself as a buffer. It almost knocks her for a loop and she is this close to asking Motoki-nii-san for another milkshake, please...

(Fortunately she doesn't because that would probably not be Good for Identity keeping...)

Once she has her wits about her, Sailor Moon splutters. Her tiara! It just...thonked on the ground! Ooooooo, how annoying!

With a harrumph she is charging forward and slides in on her knees to grab her tiara. She hops back, considering her next move. Another found of tiara frisbee would be expected, but still, it's her greatest weapon.

"You pack a bigger punch."

Well, this may not be what he meant, but...

With a cry, she is charging forward, tiara tight in her fist.

"SAILOR MOON - um - BRASS KNUCKLE PUNCH!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's this look of 'OH GOD NO DAMNIT' on Tuxedo Kamen's face as Sailor Moon gets in front of him just in time to shield him from the blast-- his hands are at her back; it's too fast to do anything but shore her up with what he can.

With everything he's got.

And she's okay. She'll be okay. And he does give her everything he's got, willing his strength and his magic to bolster hers with whatever attack she's going to use next--

And there she goes! She's going! "You can do it, Sailor Moon! You're the--"

Moon Brass Knuckle Punch?!

No so like Mamoru's jaw drops and he watches this unfold, eyes huge. He has no actual idea he's suddenly yelling "AW YEAH!!!"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Cute Wolf Tsukiko presses as hard as she can against the unexpected barrier. While that doesn't make her strike break through, it does give her enough force to spring back the other way, landing on her feet near Inari. "The crystal can't drain through the barrier? Great idea, Inari!" the wolfgirl says, giving the foxgirl a beaming smile.

The crystal is no longer an immedite threat, the scythe-wielder has departed... the only thing left is to deal with the remaining foe.

Riventon.

Tsukiko dashes forward, aiming to get behind Riventon and try to box him in with darting kicks. The less he can move around, the less likely that he can avoid Sailor Moon's punch, right?

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon - Takashi - lives in a world that he understands. That world is made of statistics and planning, of prior experiences being used to make judgements. So the fact that Hinote comes at him with a flaming sword? That's expected; the magical boy wields a sword and so being in melee makes sense. He's seen the Cute Wolf fight before, and her darting kicks, her presence in melee - that's to be expected, too. That's why Hinote's sword meets a giant circular shield with arcane runes - and why the Cute Wolf's kicks and attempts to box him in are met with small shields or waves of dark energy to match thier own.

What he did not expect is Sailor Moon to charge in too. What he was not prepared for, was Moon Brass Knuckle Punch. Which is why, in the context of dodging away from Tsukiko, and diverting energy into a barrier for Guardian Hinote's flaming sword, a certain girl makes it through his defenses, and two blonde odangos with attached hair follow a fist with a tiara /wrapped inside it/. And it's why that is the hit that isn't prepared for, and that is the hit that slams into the side of his face. He'd have been ready for it - if not for the two others having his attention so close. Truly, it's a team effort.

But that's not the thought running through his mind as he actually staggers back, and instinctively creates a wave of dark energy to push all three melee combatants back and give him some space. A gauntleted hand comes up to wipe a smear of red off his face where it is flicked to the ground. The thought that he has is much simpler.

"Maybe I just have a really punchable face?" This is at least not something he actually utters.

Instead, he glares out at the people around him. He registers what happened, and he finds a target to punish. Not any of the three who have moved around him, but someone who's giving support. Emotional support that he's begining to understand himself as he discerns the source of energy. "Hmph. Do you even feel it all around you? Are you that out-of-tune? Do you feel that charge on the back of your necks? Ever since I released that energy into the air, I've had a home turf advantage." He raises his left hand. "Let me demonstrate."The actual air dims, and for a moment the area seems like it's covered in a thick, dark fog, with small purple motes of energy. This lasts for but a moment, as those motes erupt into massive bursts, spheres, and columns of negative energy - putting all of the combatants in danger. But the largest group of motes rush for Tuxedo Kamen, and the column of energy that erupts is massive enough that the sickening feeling that accompanies magical darkness can likely be felt for city blocks.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The charge at the back of his neck is something Tuxedo Kamen has learned to cope with in fights with those who wield dark energy. The negativity that comes with it is something he's good for countering -- it's what he thinks he's built for, made for: bolstering the flagging spirits and bright energy of those who truly fight, of those who stand against the darkness and dare not quail. He doesn't, he thinks, have much to give -- but he can give that.

When Moon's punch connects, his eyes light up, face wreathed in smiles. He's far enough away that he can't hear the conversational tone of the calmly angry Riventon, the warning telegraphed in the words about a demonstration. He certainly sees the air dimming, and that dims his smile, but not his determination. He certainly sees the fog, and nothing else -- it's like a reverse Shabon Spray, and that, that makes him nervous, because what you can't see coming can hit at any angle...

They say you never hear the bullet with your name on it.

Tuxedo Kamen certainly doesn't.

He doesn't consider himself a credible threat; Moon just went through Riventon's defenses, it stands to reason that the insult would invoke massive retaliation. A second of concentration and he locks on to the presence of her shining heart--

--he never gets the chance to take a single step in her direction.

In the darkness and explosions and bursts, somewhere between the spheres and columns of negative energy discharging everywhere, there's the agonized gut-level cry of a teenaged boy, which abruptly cuts off.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Guardian Hino is good at hitting things until they give out with flaming swords. It's a better portion of his actual fighting athestic. He can also punch and flick fire, but it's much cooler coming out of a sword in the end. He tries to keep up the assault- but some sort of blast flies out and it sends him flying backwards- giving Takashi space. He holds out his sword in front of him- flat side facing Riventon.

Though everything is exploding around him in darkness now---and /oh SHIT/... w..was that Kamen-san!? His mind immediatly goes to major thoghts---

    * The dude who stopped him and his friends insane plan to draining energy and running and getting them a better soultion just died.

and secondly...

    * Tuxedo Kamen is gonna come back from the dead and eat his face if something also terrible happens to Sailor Moon during this incident right now.

Everything is a torried mess of himself trying to avoid being blasted from all sides---- something sends him down to the ground forward for a moment- he isn't super fast. Shit.

He rolls to the right and uses his sword to prop himself up.

"TUXEDO KAMEN!" he calls out. "SAILOR MOON!" he calls out. Let's see if they're both still alive.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Wait. It connects? The punch actually works?!

Sailor Moon is torn between a victory cry and feeling really, really bad. She may want him to stop (she definitely does) but that doesn't mean she wants him to bleed!

An apology is halfway out her throat when his words chill her.

Home turf? (This is Tokyo...) ...demonstrate?

She barely dodges the attacks, feeling them ripple around her, some contacting against her, and owie, they sting! A lot!

She is on alert, ready to dodge more and seeing if the others are hurt and--

A sudden jolt through her body causes her to cry out in pain, but she isn't hit. Her scream is drowned out by another, and it's too familiar and too short and she almost blacks out and she's on the ground--

But she doesn't, she's still awake but he's not because otherwise he would be here!

Sailor Moon scrambles up, heart pounding in her chest as she runs back to where he had been, ignoring everything else. Is he still there?

He is!

She's on the ground beside him. "You're okay, you're okay."

But he's not because pale, and cold, and is he even breathing?

There's no blood, but there should be and where's the sword--

She chokes back a sob and sends a sharp glare Riventon's way. Then she can't, because everything is blurry and she has to get him away from here.

She struggles with his dead (no no no not dead just knocked out stop it) weight and realizes one important thing.

She is now completely useless here.

"I'm taking him out of here." Her words are choked and tight, but she doesn't really give a darn.

Maybe it isn't the best idea to announce her plans to the enemy, but the allies has a right to know.

She's bounding away, as much as she can.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, you're going to be okay."

She'll keep saying that, even if it turns out to be a lie.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Agility is very useful when explosions of darkness are going off all around you, but there are two situations that make it less effective:

    1.) Proximity to source, and
    2.) Quantity of explosions.

Unfortunately for Tsukiko, both conditions apply.

The wolfgirl does her best to avoid the detonations of darkness, but half a dozen bursts into the barrage a split-second delay in jumping results in her being sent off-balance by one shockwave, leading her to suffering a glancing strike by another column, and from there she gets tossed around like a pinball in a sub-table full of bumpers.

Between the waves of darkness and the ongoing percussion of explosions, Tsukiko can't keep track of the others in the fight. It's all she can do to cling to consciousness and hope that her friend Cute Fox Inari is avoiding the blasts better than she currently is.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's no answer from Kamen to Hinote's yell-- but Sailor Moon's carrying him, tiny as she is and tall as he is, and her answer and its tone probably say a lot more than the Guardian actually wanted to hear.

The black-clad figure is still and grey-pale in her arms as she leaps away: Riventon's gamble was exactly right.

Takashi Agera has posed:
If there is one good thing to be said about all of that, it's that the force of the attack seems to have blown away a lot of that black fog - after the attacks have connected and done their dirty work. This leaves Riveton standing in the middle of the street - albiet with some interesting designs and potholes torn into the scenery - and starting to walk towards Hinote and Ikiko - with the other two having taken a necessary retreat.

"That is an awful desperate cry out you just made there, 'Guardian'. Did you lose your bravado in the fog along with your allies?" He looks to Ikiko as she suffers from the after effects of the attack, too. "Come on, aren't you going to stand up? It's still two on one." There's something about his attitude, about his tone, that is colder and crueler than usual.

He had come here planning to fight, expecting to fight, but somewhere along those lines his plan had been set awry, and that same dark power that had made his attacks so strong has crept into his heart now - one cannot wield such powers, tap into such monsterous displays of savage darkness, without being affected by them - even if your heart is naturally black to start with.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Guardian Hino bites his teeth together--- okay. Sailor Moon is taking Tuxedo Kamen away. This is good. This is good because now he can focus on Riventon and not worry about mental debts he owes and his own bad feelings about past events. Except...Riventon seems to be weirdly overpowering suddenly. He doesn't really get this. Did he do something recently?

Hino frowns. "Yes, I happen to care for my friends. Don't you?" he asks in that icy tone he was using earlier.

He levels his sword and gives it a very powerful slash forward-----and throws it. It spins low--- lighting on fire halfway, and attempts to come upwards at a strike into Riventon.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Cute Wolf Tsukiko staggers to her feet, taking a step back from Riventon. She looks over at Guardian Hino, then towards where Sailor Moon headed off with Tuxedo Kamen. The draining crystal is effectively blocked thanks to Inari's Barrier, but Riventon is protecting it from further attacks. It would be hard for even a large squad to take it down Riventon, especially with the ambient aura of dark energy powering him up as it's doing.

And all they have is a handful of injured magical people.

The wolfgirl tenses, glancing around and waiting for an opening in Riventon's attention. Not to attack, but to flee.

Ayana has posed:
Inari continues to be torn by this entire exchange. Riventon's presence has complicated things for the fox-girl on so many levels. Especially when Guardian Hino is sending such powerful attacks Riventon's way. Does she defend him and risk her identity? After a moment, an idea strikes her: Cute Fox Inari charges forward with a sudden rush of speed, moving faster than Hino's sword. She makes an attack on Riventon directly, swinging her wand like a cudgel. "FOXFIRE ARMOR!" she declares, engulfing herself and Riventon in brilliant rainbow coloured flames that are harmless, but /look/ deadly. And she's managed to place herself between Riventon and the oncoming sword attack from Hino! Yes! It's the perfect plan ... until the sword strikes her in the back. Sure, that's what she planned but, "Hkkk," Inari grimaces, then stumbles from pain. Swords hurt.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon can't focus on Tsukiko now - or even on defending his little artifact - because there's a young boy engaging in conflict with him. Not just a conflict of power, but of ideas. He raises his hand to create a shield to block - and then there's another entrant. But... this one means different things. He would almost mouth 'what are you doing' as she dives into him, alight with fire and power. As Hinote's sword strikes her rather than him.

And now is where some of the truth of that war of ideas is laid bare - his heart still affected by the energy he channeled to unleash the torrent of attacks. And that's why he doesn't just back off - why he grabs her wounded form and hurls her away - like her movement, it likely looks more dangerous than it is. But he pushes her clear of the fight between himself and Hinote - roughly - because her worry isn't enough to make him back down now. And perhaps she can feel that wrongness in his spirit. It's also why he's not telling her to run away, not asking her what she's doing - that vileness in his heart urges him to continue forward.

And some of his own ideas are laid bare, even in front of her. "That's your weakness - you rely on other people to get things done. Aren't you prepared to fight on your own? For yourself? That's where power is. What you can do all alone, with nobody around, what you're willing to do for yourself." The same energy that channeled that fearsome attack has also, to a degree, brought the worst of Riventon to the surface, unhidden.

"So what if you can do things as a group? A group like yours is only as strong as its weakest link - and then when someone shatters that link, it all falls apart. But if you're strong alone - without allies - without friends - you can do everything without leaning on other people. And there is no weak link." he adds. "I have no weak link!"

He uses the space Ayana created for him to unleash a blast of black energy at Hinote. "But you? You couldn't even control a simple artifact." he adds as the burst of energy rockets out from his hand.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Guardian Hino does a little motion with two fingers. The sword comes rocketing back into his hand leaving an orange trail from that gem inset in the hilt back to his hand. He grabs it and holds it out in front of him---flat side forward. He frowns.

Something(?) jumped in front of his sword. Is that a girl? Didn't Riventon just go on about fighting alone? This feels wrong. Regardless---

"You don't?" he asks. He frowns viciously. "Can't win everything." he says. And then Riventon mentions an /artifact/ and this catches him off guard. He isn't... talking about?... That battery? Right? He frowns harder.

"That thing is more trouble than it's /worth/." he insists through his teeth. Yes viciously upset.

"Dog girl, I think you better get goin. I think it's better if we just leave this one so we can handle this jerk another day." he says- talking towards Ikiko.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Well, there's an opening, but it's certainly not the one Tsukiko was expecting! Her eyes widen as Inari launches what seems like a mis-timed attack, getting struck by the sword instead of hitting alongside it. And then Riventon throws the foxgirl away, probably making the injury worse--!

"Inari!" the wolfgirl yelps, her worry for her friend giving her enough of an energy boost to dash around the two remaining combatants.

Sliding to a halt next to the foxgirl, Tsukiko helps her up. "Are you okay? We need to get out of here before you get hurt worse!"

She shoots a brief glare at Guardian Hino, but right now isn't the time to explain the difference in canids. Next time, maybe! If there is one...

Ayana has posed:
Inari groans in pain as Tsukiko reaches her, then shakes her head clear. "That hurt," she mumbles. "Why'd he hit me with his sword? What a meanie." She frowns, then glances at Riventon. The worry in her eyes is more than a little evident.

~Stop this, Master,~ Ayana begs Takashi, mentally. But will even her thoughts pierce his energy-fueled haze?

"I can't leave while the barrier is up. If I do, the crystal will be able to drain energy from those nearby again."

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon smiles a bit. It is not a happy, or a kind smile. "So you're going to retreat, then? I've gotten what I came for - you can run if that suits you. I've no reason to pursue you." There's a pause as he looks back at his aparatus - it's been less-than-functional ever since he overloaded it, so it doesn't pose the threat to the civilans. "Maybe next time, you can save yourself the trouble and not even engage me."

There's a pause. He looks to the Cute Fox - and listens to what she says. But he doesn't react at all. "And maybe next time I'm working on an experiment, you'll be polite enough to stay out of the way, or at least smart enough to not want to end up like your incredibly over dressed friend?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Guardian Hino tsks. "No No. You mistake a retreat for cowardice. This fight serves no purpose except for one of us to fight until we die now." he says boldly. "I'll still attempt to stop you next time. You hurt people for /expermintation/." he seethes. "- and that overly dressed friend will be three times the person you ever are, Riventon." he says.

"Try doing something for someone else somtimes. Maybe you'll enjoy it!" he says with a crooked smile as he seathes his sword and then raises his hands claping them in a manner that creates a brilliant red flash of light from his location- enough to hopefully blindisde the dark energy scientist so he can escape without pursuit or parting blasts

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"We at least need to hide," Tsukiko murmurs to Inari. The lack of further pulses from the aparatus is promising, but neither of them are really in any shape to handle a fight if Riventon starts coming after them.

Guardian Hino's flash of light catches the wolfgirl by surprise, but she reaction is to close her eyes, grab onto Inari, and leap over a nearby house. The landing isn't graceful -- more of a crash, really -- but she does do her best to cushion her foxgirl friend from the worst of the impact.

"You okay, Inari?" Tsukiko groans, still blinking the afterimage of the flash out of her eyes. The jump bought them a bit of time, but she doesn't feel like they're safe yet. Not when they're only one house away.

Ayana has posed:
Cute Fox Inari yelps at the bright flash of light, then rubs at her eyes. She loses focus, and the barrier falls in the process, leaving an easy exit for Takashi and his crystal, if he wants it. "I'm okay," she says, rubbing her eyes to clear them. "In a lot of pain, but I'll be okay. You should go and get to safety. I can hide where he won't find me," she lies.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon reacts to Hinote's flare by putting up a round shield, thinking of it as an attack - which results in him getting the worst of the blinding light right in his eyes! "Agh~" is all he says, turning away all too late. He looks toward the equipment he brought, and turns his hand towards it - the crystaline equipment breaks away, shards flowing into his gauntlet, leaving nothing behind.

Then, still rubbing his eyes with one hand, he comments. "The fight would prove who of us is the strongest. Which, I think, is vital information. Even if I already know the answer, I like evidence." he adds. Then he takes flight, soaring out of the open barrier as the world shifts back to reality, and the massive damage done to the area in the barrier is revealed to have not affected the real world. And so, Riventon is gone.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Cute Wolf Tsukiko frowns worriedly, but doesn't push the issue. If Inari says she can hide, then the wolfgirl will just have to trust her friend. "Stay safe," Tsukiko murmurs, gently giving the foxgirl a big hug before darting down the alleys and lanes, heading away from the location of the fight.

Ayana has posed:
With everyone gone, Inari lets out a soft sigh. Takashi barely even recognised her, but at least she saved him from that sword. She winces in pain at it, then looks around to ensure no one is watching before shifting into the form of a black fox. The small creature stealthily slips under a bush to hide and recover from her injuries, and to think.