The two groups of heroes run across Touto, one across the streets and one across the rooftops, chasing down the Zoanthropes through the city.
The sun has set and the moon rises, as the street lights turn on, lending an austere white glow to their chase.
Kamijou Ai
Today was a normal night. As always.
You're sitting outside, enjoying the night air. Not that there's anything specifically enriching about the air tonight, but it's a lot better than inside. These books aren't anything special, just university reading (not that that was particularly hard, after all, not after you've thought about it). You seem a little bored; it wasn't like this was a challenge, really. University, really, wasn't about the challenge, but the knowledge and the opportunities given.
The broken remains of the robotic Tyrannosaurus rex fall from the sky behind you, exploding into shrapnel and so much debris. You don't even blink an eye, turning a page, even as a single piece of metal flickers through your hair.
Today was a normal night. As always.
Ah, yes, the robots. The latest attempt by Destron to enforce their rule over the neighbourhood.
Destron, the terrorist organization that had been plaguing Japan, was here in Touto. Not that they weren't anywhere else, really. You'd grown up hearing stories about Kamen Rider Astra, the urban legend, the real life Kamen Rider, the superhero who'd curbstomped his way through legions of Destron's men, whose final mission was stopping a missile from hitting Tokyo, who'd disappeared thirty years ago back in the Nineties. Interesting for a moment, but not your problem. You'd heard about Destron's attempt to do things in Touto; that convention, two years ago, where Kamen Rider Volt first showed up, throwing them aside and saving the whole convention centre. You didn't pay much heed to it at the time. Then they moved in, hoping to find the Rider that had given them so much trouble.
Destron's base was in your neighbourhood and you, Kamijou Ai, did not care all that much for them.
You've grown up with no challenge at all. School was never that hard, not after you tried. Sports, you'd beaten everyone in. Neighbourhood bullies, you made them give up after beating them to a pulp. Destron? Their combatmen were nothing, and you'd taught them many times that their robotic beasts didn't scare you. They tended to stay out of your way after the fifth time you blew their minion up, but once or twice, they tried their latest toy on you, and it ended the same way; their minion in pieces and you once more having expended no effort. Destron knew who was in charge here. It was to the point that their robot creatures were never set into this neighbourhood; it was more efficient to focus their forces on finding Volt than it was to deal with Ai.
They wished it was Kamen Rider Volt they had to deal with and not Kamijou Ai.
Today was a normal night. As always.
Then you see a group of people running past; two swordsmen, two girls, a spider-like creature clambering between buildings, running along walls, before slashing a delivery bike (one of those dumpling houses, known for good food). It was one of those Zoanthropes, from the news, you instantly remember. One had made the mistake of straying into your neighbourhood; it didn't last too long. And now another one had made that same mistake.
Today wasn't such a normal night. Hopefully.
Nam-Bong Cheol
Thirty minutes or less or it's free.
You were trying to make a quick delivery. After all, you have a reputation; one of the fastest and best deliverymen in all of Touto, for one of the best small eateries in all of Touto. The dumplings were legendary, on the level of the Kisaragi Grill steak, or the Yukihira House tamago gohan. Thirty minutes or the delivery was free, the manager said. And you never failed to deliver on time before.
You were making the first delivery of three, coming back out from the apartment building, wiping the sweat from your brow. Twenty-five minutes to go. Good. You're still on time.
Then a giant spider creature swipes the box off your bike, spilling dumplings all over the pavement, before pouncing off into the night. Just behind, you can see four people chasing it, two guys wielding swords, two girls chasing it behind.
More importantly, they just spilled all your dumplings on the ground.
Dumplings. Your works of art. Your favourite food, your pride and joy.
This.
Can.
Not.
Stand.
Akaiheiya Kiyo
The latest Zoanthrope attacks had convinced your 'father' of sorts (he was your creator, but you look up at him like a father, of course you did) to push for your early release into Touto. Indeed, the people at the Program had agreed; it was time that they stopped leaving the matter of the Zoanthropes to urban legends like magical girls, like Kamen Rider Volt, like Beat Fighter Sonata. You were pretty enthusiastic about the whole thing.
After all, it was a chance to prove yourself, to do what you were built to do.
So here you are, patrolling near the town, where disturbances have been reported, possibly of Zoanthrope origin. You don't see anything yet. It's a quiet night, after all, and there hasn't been a Zoanthrope attack since what are now classified as the Cetus and Capricorn Zoanthropes attacked on the same day. Mayor Hongo, after all, had been the one to contact your father. You even checked the rooftops, seeing if there was a Zoanthrope hiding up here,
Nothing yet. Nothing. You begin to wonder if there's any real disturbance here-
Then a giant, dragon-bat hybrid soars past you. Kamen Rider Volt, the Sun Crow and Graviton are chasing it (you know them from the news, after all). It's probably a Zoanthrope- no, definitely a Zoanthrope.
Here it is, your chance to shine. Will you take it?
Ragnar Lothbrok
This wasn't like in anime, performing stakeout.
You're on the rooftops, listening in for anything. Your bugs don't see nor hear a thing; not that you expected anything to appear. After all, the city's been quiet for a few days.
But it was a lot better in shows, a lot more glamourous.
It was your job, after all, to be the hero your powers could make you be. After all, why couldn't you become like the heroes on the news? One day, you feel, you could be the newest hero of Touto. Queen Bee might be your hero name. Or King Bee. You don't know. Hero names were hard. How did they come up with Kamen Rider Volt, of all things? Wasn't that unoriginal?
You're shaken out of your thoughts by the the very fast, bat-like Zoanthrope soaring past you and, of all people, Kamen Rider Volt and her buddies chasing it.
Now's the time for Ragnar Lothbrok to do his best.
Yui Akiyama
The rooftops of Touto are a pretty place to be at night, with all the lights and all.
The events of two days ago were pretty crazy; you and the others got separated in the chaos, but you wondered what came of the others you haven't seen since. Everyone got out fine, as far as you remember; even that girl who got knocked out was carried out by a few of the others.
But it was crazy. You wonder when something else is going to happen. Maybe that Maki girl will show up and invite you to go hunting Zoanthropes with her. Or maybe Agatha will recruit you to go find the undead.
And speak of the devil, if it isn't Maki, Amelie and Haruko, chasing a Zoanthrope across the rooftops behind you.
This is the perfect time for you, it seems. Luck was on your side tonight.
Time to get back in the mix.
Kamijou Ai, Ragnar Lothbrok, Nam-Bong Cheol, Akaiheiya Kiyo and Yui Akiyama may post.
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Topic: Rise of the Magic Girls: Rebirth [IC]: The Spider, Snake and Bat (Read 44043 times)