[RP] Justice Riders: Planetary Defenders! ==INVASION==

[lazyplague]

The Beach

Hayate saw the tiredness in Gohra's eyes. A reality set in for Hayate, "We're near the end, aren't we?" he thought out loud as well. Saying it, it felt a lot more sad. But this wasn't any time for moping, there wasn't anything left for Hayate to do, but try and finish this fight, so Gohra could do what he needed.

Hayate breathed, and stared into Gohra's eyes. "Gohra-san! This next punch is filled with all of my respect for you!" Hayate yelled, and then dashed forward, pulling back his fist for a full body impact.

[gotMLK7]

The Beach

Gohra smiled. "Ah, I believe there is an Earth word for this feeling...now, what was it..."

He braced himself.

"Ah...that's right."

Gohra charged forward, fist reeled back, run at full speed, eyes trained straight on Hayate's. As the two approached, he made his swing for the jaw.

"DITTO!"

[lazyplague]

The Beach

This was it. Hayate lunged forward, putting one foot forward, and another behind him. He had to make this shot count!

Hayate swung underhand, as Gohra's fist clashed against his jaw. He gritted his teeth and kept his momentum as much as he could. He aimed a swing straight for Gohra's stomach, and his vision started to blur again.

All he saw of Gohra at this point was a vague white blob, but he could see enough to finish this.

[gotMLK7]

The Beach

As Gohra's fist collided with Hayate's jaw, and Hayate's fist collided with Gohra's gut, there was a long second in which the earth seemed to stand still.

Eyes locked, teeth grit...the world seemed to wait with bated breath for the first combatant to fall.

The Hovercam that had begun watching the battle nearby had its cameras trained on this instant as well.

Amidst all the panic across two worlds, in this one instant, both froze in time and space for one single punch.


...


A black burst of smoke shot out from Gohra's back, as the tension within his body finally caved in. His fist lowered from Hayate's jaw, and his vision went hazy. His legs trembled just enough to collapse under him.

Too tired to continue, Gohra Kanorath fell to his knees.

[GuardianDreamer]

The Streets of Kyoto

So this was it, then. As soon as Charlotte heard Sevaline's voice, she immediately thought back to her previous conversation with Prim. Now that she gave it any degree of thought, Sevaline was likely to be an extremely difficult battle. Among the major threats still left, she was one of the Kalcions who made it apparent just how stretched thin the Riders were: Charlotte was optimistic enough to believe that they could win in a fight, but at what cost? In her mind, she pictured several Riders getting injured enough to the point that they couldn't contribute to the fight. Every single person they had was important in some way. She shook her head. The fact that Sevaline wasn't alone also made this more dangerous. Once she counted them, Charlotte could only imagine a Pyrrhic victory at best.

Kenshin must have realized this too, because he asked anyone available for a plan. Well. This was it, then. Her chance to try to prevent as many casualties as she could. Strangely enough she didn't feel particularly heroic as she got ready to voice her plan. Instead, she found it really funny how she was the one trying to give advice. ... She momentarily got caught up in a fantasy, an alternate vision of herself having never gone Renegade. But her decisions had been made, and that included the shaking of trust that had occurred. Thankfully, as far as Renegades had went, she was barely a blip on the threat scale. ... Maybe she'd make a more dashing hero than a villain.

"Our path is clear!" Charlotte suddenly spoke. Part of her excitement was to be dramatic. But part of it was to be loud enough so that people would have to listen to her, regardless of how they felt about her personally. Once her plan was in their minds, she hoped that it would be impossible to just ignore it. She owed it at least that kind of effort.

"If we're facing a tough opponent, a battle that would shake us when we're already relying on fragile strength... There can only be one answer! We don't fight!" Charlotte proudly declared. Was she recommending that they retreat or try to run past Sevaline? Both options seemed like terrible plans.

Then, without prompting, Charlotte finished what she had to say.

"I made a promise to Prim that their princess would come to no serious harm, and I'd like to keep my word on it. Think about this entire war and everything about Kalcion and human relationships. At the center of all our problems? Miscommunication! Chaos! People holding their cards close to their chest rather than sharing all that they know! A pressure to resort to violence. ... Even if we win this battle, it'll be a hollow victory. We should talk to Sevaline and try to communicate all we know. Prim told us several interesting things, after all. If my plan seems ludicrous, then consider whether it's really moreso than trying to win this battle through conventional means."

[lazyplague]

The Beach

In that moment, a burst of emotions erupted in Hayate's mind. Several spiritual locks were released, and somewhere in his consciousness, and understanding came to be. Hayate Kawaguchi felt an enlightenment, and in future endeavors, he would be bolstered by the feelings he let out in this fight. Hayate Kawaguchi's life became fuller.

But that is a story for another day. In the moment, Hayate really wasn't thinking about this at all.

Hayate didn't fall before Gohra, despite his small frame. It was strange, but perhaps the fact that Hayate had been training his legs a bit more recently explained this. His knees trembled. As Hayate watched Gohra fall to his knees, he accepted that he was allowed to fall again. He had brought Gohra to his knees, just like he had said he would.

Hayate fell forward onto Gohra Kanorath. He didn't completely fall over, he ended up leaning on Gohra's shoulder. It was by far enough to Hold Hayate's weight without much strain.

"Huh..." Hayate thought to himself, "This is it, huh? This is the last time I'll see you, isn't it?"

Hayate tried to say something, but all that came out was the blood that had pooled inside of Hayate's mouth. It dribbled onto Gohra's shoulder blade, and ran down his back slowly, leaving a glistening dark red line. Hayate felt a searing pain on his jaw. He didn't know if it was broken or what, but it was definitely, and a doctor would tell you this if asked, really goddamn not good. Gohra had done a number on Hayate.

Hayate wanted to give Gohra one last thing to remember. Hayate had a feeling the two would never see each other after this. And he wanted to communicate the last emotion lingering in his fading mind.

Love.

It wasn't a romantic love, or a sexual love. It was something like a tinge of admiration, and respect. There was a strong desire in his mind to just... Never let this scene end, even though Gohra had something left to do. He didn't want to let go.

Hayate wrapped his arms around Gohra's neck clumsily, and held on for a short moment, very tightly. As tight as the first time Hayate had gripped Gohra's body during their fights. Hayate's grip, even without the suit, was strong. It was the result of a lot of specific training.

This moment stood for a little bit. Just like the way the world stood still during their punch, the world stood still for this hug. A last showing of affection between people who truly understood what it meant to respect someone's strength. It would be beautiful, if Hayate's lips weren't dripping a strange combination of blood, spit, and sand that had somehow gotten into Hayate's mouth, as sand is adept at doing.

Hayate didn't attempt to speak.

Hayate's consciousness finally stared to fade, and the world around him faded into a deep blur, where colors mingled into a meaningless void, and reality simple just became nothing but an expression of a child's 4th grade landscape painting attempt. Hayate's eyes didn't close, as his grip weakened finally, and he slid off of Gohra's body, and he fell into the sand.

Hayate Kawaguchi in his final moments of consciousness, dedicated a part of his soul to Gohra. He thought to himself, hoping Gohra would understand:

"Good luck, Gohra-san. I will be there with you, and I'll keep you with me for the rest of my life!"

But he never would have said this, because his face was half in the sand, and blood was leaking out of his mouth, and a bit out of his nose.

Goodnight.

[gotMLK7]

The Beach

As Hayate collapsed onto the sand, Gohra chuckled to himself. Black smoke was starting to pour out of his wounds. The Titan Trigger was determined to kick into gear as a result of all the trauma he had built up over his time on Earth, almost like a self-defense mechanism. He could feel his blood boiling - his body simply refused to stay in his normal form anymore. Yet he refused to let it transform, at least for now.

"Ha...Hayate Kawaguchi..." Gohra brought himself back to his feet and weakly walked over to his opponent and friend. He sat down in the sand as he looked out towards the shore. Only about a a minute or two left before impact. Gohra did not want to lift Hayate in his injured state to return his hug, but he gently placed his broken, beaten hand over Hayate's own. A pool of black and red blood puddled together.

"You're young...and you have a long, long life to still live, young man," Gohra told the boy. "But me...I am finished here. I feel at peace. That was truly the most splendid battle I have ever fought in my long life...and this nuclear sunset is the most splendid place I could truly wish to die. I thank you, Hayate, for giving me the resolve I need. You are the most beautiful, and most honorable warrior I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Live a good life, so that you may hope to hold this peace in your own heart some day."

Gohra stood back up, struggling somewhat to do so. He took one last deep breath to soak in the beauty of the sunset. "You do not see skies like this at home...I hope humanity can cherish it for a while longer." He turned towards something else in the sky: that lone Hovercam, which had begun snooping on the battle halfway through. "You there!" he shouted to it. "I do not know who is in control of you, though I can only guess. You are not like the others, are you? Then, I have a simple request. Please honor it for me. I know this may be dangerous for you...but I have words I wish to spread. You can interrupt the broadcast, yes? Then I beg you...begin recording! For this is my last stand, and I will have my people see it!"

The Hovercam stared blankly for a moment. Then, a red light popped on. It began recording.

----

The Streets of Kyoto

Kenshin scanned his eyes across the lines of Kalcion mechs as he listened to Charlotte's words. They were all aiming their turrets of activating their blades in anticipation. He looked to the sky...theoretically, aerial Zords had an easy chance to escape, but less mobile Zords like Ray's or GiGi's would struggle.

Yet that idea echoed in his head. Don't fight...

"Guys, time's running out!" Wakana's panicked voice rang over the radio. "We don't have time for this!"

Kenshin bit his lip nervously. Sevaline's smug look from atop the roof was getting to him. With a deep breath, stuck on the brink between several doomsday scenarios, Kenshin made his call.

"Justice Riders, go-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kenshin's words were interrupted by a sudden loud, unexpected scream that seemed to echo throughout the entire city, if not the world.

"W-What the hell?!" he proclaimed.

"What the hell?!" Sevaline added, still speaking into her megaphone. "What in the crap was that?! The hell kind of noise pollution you jerks got on this dump of a planet?!"

"T-That wasn't your doing?" GiGi asked the general.

"Hell no!" she replied, almost offended. "Why in the hell would I-"

"ATTENTION, PEOPLE OF EARTH AND KALCION! I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY! SO LISTEN UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!"

The voice was starting to sound familiar. Sevaline scowled as she realized who it belonged to.

"...What is that idiot thinking...?"

The Kalcion broadcast that had previously placed Dexis's threat across the city and beyond was interrupted. Every screen in Kyoto was now displaying a new feed. In fact, every single Hovercam displayed it, as well. And even further than that - though those soldiers on Earth could not see it, that same video displayed on every single news station broadcasting on the planet Kalcion.

That video showed one man.

"YOU HEAR MEEEEE?!?!?!?!?!?! LISTEN CLOSELY, BECAUSE I REFUSE TO REPEAT MYSEEEEEEEEEEELF!"

Eyes across two worlds were trained on Gohra Kanorath, as he shouted out to two different people. His face drenched in blood but his eyes full of determination, he gave his message.

"I have sat back for TOO LONG watching two populations at the throat, ready to destroy one another! I was complicit in it! BUT NO MORE! I see my once proud people cheering for cowardly tactics like missiles and ambushes! Our history of preservation tarnished by a bloodthirst for invasion and power! I no longer shall tolerate such DISHONORABLE DISPLAYS! And so, I have MADE MY DECISION! Whether I am remembered fondly or not, I care not! These humans have proven something to me! WE ARE ALL JUST THE SAME! I do not care what happened to our king, or our technology! I have fought my greatest battle here, and have seen my most beautiful sights! These people do not deserve death at our hands, fellow Kalcion! But WORDS are HOLLOW! ACTIONS speak VOLUMES! I have no intention to stand here and MONOLOGUE about PEACE! For now..."

The camera panned away as Gohra's flesh began to morph around him, the smoke engulfing his body. A red, hot flame began to grow where his eyes once were. His voice now boomed - not just over the television, but all the way from across the shore.

"TO DIE FOR PEACE...WOULD BE A TRUE HONOR!!!"

----

The Beach

The missiles were fast approaching. A large fume of smoke and hot wind had formed at the base of the beach. The source of it began to move towards and into the ocean. The air fuming from it began to push slide Hayate's unconscious body away in the sand, and the Hovercam recording it struggled to stay even somewhat close by. The sand and water swirled around it, nearing a mini cyclone. As it stepped into the water, it began to form into a small typhoon. The smoke expanded further and further as the source got further and further into the ocean.

The first missile was frighteningly close now. It didn't seem like any Zords would be able to get past the mechs fast enough to counter it, and it was heading straight for a residential district. It sped forward...but as it approached the fume of smoke in the ocean....

"TITAN TRIGGER! RELEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!"

Out from the smoke was a large, bright fire. And out from that fire...a massive arm reached to the skies. The missile was fast, but this arm, black like obsidian but glowing with veins of pure magma, was faster. It extended upwards from the smoke, as tall as a Megazord on its own, and extended its hand towards the missile. It grasped the projectile with ease, clutching it in a fist that detonated the missile far before it could reach civilization. Though the hand was damaged in the explosion, it opened its hand and dropped the broken shrapnel of the missile that seemed so terrifying moments ago into harmless litter in the sea.

Another arm reached out from the smoke. And another. And one more. They pulled themselves up, and from the smoke, a giant figure formed. It was far larger than any previous Titan or Megazord, towering over every building in the city. Covered in flesh of obsidian and burning with veins of magma and a mane of pure volcanic fire, it looked not unlike a massive oni or tengu, lording itself over the planet as it stood taller and taller. Once it cast its shadow all the way across Kyoto, the warrior looked out over the sunset and the ocean one last time.

"THIS....IS...THE EEEEEEND!!!"

Gohra Kanorath, standing larger than the Leviathan itself, confronted the incoming missiles. Another one approached near his right, but with reflexes that seemed ungodly for his size, one of his four fists flew forward to meet it. His fist and the missile clashed, and the missile exploded on the spot. Metal and Titan flesh both crumbled into the sea, but the Titan still stood.

More missiles began to approach, at least four at once. Gohra did not flinch, even as they seemed to make an effort to swerve around him, likely guided by Dexis from the HQ. Gohra merely reeled back his fists once more and, with a quick flurry of blows, destroyed them once again. For every missile that came his way, a giant fist was there to meet it. Not a single one escaped his gaze. Though his flesh began to fall apart more from each explosion, he still stood.

After the initial volley of missiles, out from the clouds, at a higher angle, more began to arrive - going at faster speeds. It seemed Dexis was hiding his full hand a bit, and fully intended to bombard the Riders more than warned, likely to ensure their city was destroyed along with their Zords. The thought of this would usually make Gohra sick, but he was beyond such rage now. He was at inner peace. And the amount of missiles mattered not to him anymore - he would not rest until no blood was shed but his own. He rose two of his arms into the air, and with a loud CLAP, destroyed five more missiles in a single impact.

And it was all being broadcast upon both planets.

Between the footage of Gohra destroying the missiles, footage of Dexis began to glitch in and out of broadcast. Words of "What are you-" and "How DARE you", as well as "-shall PAY for this INSOLENCE" rang out as the doctor tried to desperately regain control of the broadcast, visibly losing his temper with each attempt, but he consistently failed. Somewhere on Kyoto Tower, a young girl was hard at work on maintaining that broadcast and filming that last stand, and she was not about to let her father ruin such an important moment.

The missiles were no longer attempting to swerve around Gohra's body. They were beginning to aim directly at him, like a firing squad from the heavens above. His fists the size of buildings began to fly into a blur as they swung around, destroying increasingly fast missiles. He missed some - he felt strikes and explosions on the chest, the leg, the jaw. He was crumbling apart further and further with each impact. Yet he still stood. He fought back against the missiles, ensuring that not a single one took him down, nor passed him. He would swipe three away with one arm, and grab and throw back a missile with another. And though his body was falling apart, he did not budge an inch.

On Earth and on Kalcion, people froze, watching in awe.

The last missile crumpled apart in Gohra's fist, and it became quickly obvious that Dexis had unloaded all they had prepared upon him. Yet the onslaught itself had not truly ended. It was obvious by now that Dexis refused to be humiliated by a commanding officer like this. A purple light twinkled in the distant sky...and that light swiftly struck down, in the form of a massive plasma beam, aimed directly at the Titan. The attack was clearly intended for a final destructive wave, a last resort should the Kalcion need to wipe the city off the map, yet it was being used here in petty desperation.

Gohra placed his four hands in front of himself and braced himself. The plasma beam slammed into his grip, flashing a bright, painful light over the entire city. Gohra pushed back against it, but his body was falling apart with every second that the beam collided with him. Yet almost miraculously, it did not pass him, nor did it obliterate him as it may any weaker warrior. He pushed back against it as hard as he could, and, with one swift motion, spread his arms out in an X formation, dispersing the blast in all directions into a flash of light. The beam scattered all across its length, and dissipated into the atmosphere harmlessly.
The Kalcion's barrage was no more. They had thrown everything they had, but not one attack surpassed Gohra Kanorath.

The Titan's arms crumbled and fell into the ocean, where they spread into ash, and the hot blood coursing through it dimmed and eventually extinguished. It all fell apart and evaporated into smoke, which in turn quickly spread thin and vanished. The heroic figure that loomed over everybody for what felt like an eternity, yet was only there for but a few moments, had already been erased as the sum of its damages left it entirely destroyed. Left floating in the ocean was the battered, destroyed body of one man, floating on his back, his body no longer usable. He smiled at the sky as his vision went hazy and his heartbeat slowed.

"And now...it is your turn. Everybody...it has...been...an honor...."

The broadcast cut off.

The missile threat has been defeated.

Gohra Kanorath's life has extinguished.

[GuardianDreamer]

Streets of Kyoto

It was perhaps another miracle of the universe that Charlotte would first attempt a peaceful solution before suddenly having to look at the person who most seemed to enjoy battle. But that was just about the only sly remark she had. As she looked at what was unfolding before her, she ran over all of the information she had about Gohra. It was a strange thing, really. Charlotte's own fighting style was at its most efficient when she fought like... Well, someone who was desperate and cornered. Quite the opposite of the honorable fighting that Gohra had been such a strong advocate for. Yet in that fight she had participated in, she had managed to pretend, just for a moment, that she could achieve that. And if feeling meant anything, then maybe it wasn't pretending. Maybe she had acted honorably during that battle, even if she hadn't in any other regard.

But this wasn't about her. As she observed the floating body of Gohra, numerous questions arose from her mind, yet none of them were heard by anyone else. She didn't even know where to begin.

Despite the loudness of what had just transpired, there was a quietness that Charlotte found noticeable. Not literal silence, but rather an emotional quietness. It was odd to say after watching someone die, but she was reminded of a clash of heroes, a moment that embodied everything about those participating in it.

She wasn't even sure what had provoked Gohra to take this action. If she was feeling more clearheaded, she might have remembered his rivalry with Hayate and speculated from there, but honestly, what most mattered was what he had left them all with. The mood was heavy, and she wasn't sure what to do.

First of all, she would try to prove to herself that things were still real, and that not everything was frozen in stasis.

"I don't think I'll ever understand warriors or heroes... But his message was for all of us to hear. And... That means something. I hope... He was happy."

[Trybien]

Streets of Kyoto

Engrossed in the combat with the Kalcion mechs, the Delicate Winter Melon rider barely noticed the missiles and the imminent danger to the less mobile zords. To an extent, he didn't mind the looming threat of death. In fact, to satisfy his own dark thoughts, he considered rushing forward and intercepting them with his own Monarchzord. Even if he was not able to stop all of them, there is no question that some lives would be saved by it. If he saved the precious lives of his fellow rangers, would Fuscia and Crimson remember him as a hero? His idea never came to fruition. Before he was able to change course to his ultimate demise, Gohra appeared larger than ever. He remembered hearing his voice saying something, but Kiko wasn't really paying attention. As the general intercepted the attack, Kiko couldn't take his eyes off of the truly heroic display.

"Why... why does this always happen..."

If it weren't for the fog that Kiko was trapped in, perhaps he would have chuckled and express surprise on the unexpected reverse heel turn performed by the late Gohra. Deep in his core, a shred of admiration existed; however, the sacrificial display of heroism only reminded him of his own lack of heroism. The crumbling figure that was the traitorous general of the Kalcion army mirrored the image of his master bleeding out in front of him. Kiko could not help but feel the weight of depression consuming him. But soon, the depression evolved into unbridled rage. How could he be so useless? If Gohra was going to come over to our side, this was the worst possible time. Maybe if he stopped the missiles first, Gohra would still be alive and helping us win the war...

Something even greater began to consume the kick boxer. Through his time at the dojo and his master's teaching, Kiko learned the importance of protecting and supporting your allies, be them underlings or superiors. Master Moshi epitomized this through his noble sacrifice to protect those riders who he didn't even know. Gohra did the same... He saved the lives of those he had been fighting this whole time... Despite all of this, the Kalcion army was quick to dispatch of him. He didn't turn his back on them, in fact he pleaded, pleaded to empathize with us humans. He never attacked them, or caused them any harm. All Gohra did was defend those he respected. Still, the Kalcion army had no need for a general with such strong convictions... Then there was Kiko, a nobody saved by a being who was part of the army killed who killed his master. The burning rage inside of Kiko boiled to the point of snapping. Since his master's death, depression and anxiety were all he felt. All of this time he was on edge came to a breaking point, and the Delicate Winter Melon rider lost all control.

"AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!"

Fueled with emotion, Kiko charged forward in the direction of the building Sevaline was on top of, firing lasers at the mechs in the way. Disregarding whatever danger he was putting himself or the other riders into, Kiko could only think of how he has been nothing but a failure. Even though this was likely not the time for him to prove his worth, he continued forward.

"KALCION SCUM! WHY DID YOU KILL HIM! HE WAS ONE OF YOUR OWN!... SCREW ALL OF YOU AND YOUR MEANINGLESS WAR! HOW DARE YOU TAKE THE LIFE OF A HERO, YOU HEARTLESS DEMONS!"

[Enthalpy]

Streets of Kyoto

Raphael, behind the curve as always, had only gotten in his Zord and with a decent awareness of the situation around the time Wakana (or would that be Mrs. Ichirou-sama...?) told them that time was running out. Unusually for him, there was some vague semblance of a plan forming. Something about his Zord's tail, but the scream interrupted his train of thought. (Also, why did that Kalcion general have a megaphone?)

The Kalcion general who needed no megaphone, Gohra, said words. It took a bit for Raphael to adjust to the volume and the tone of utter exhaustion. He was able to start following again just before, "I do not care what happened to our king, or our technology!"

Not even Raphael could miss what he was talking about. He was there at the Ruins, and he was there when Prim talked Charlotte into taking her to Rider HQ on behalf of that Sevy person. As much as Gohra liked his ACTION, words had a power too. It was only in words, after all, that a person could decide they had been wrong about something. And the words forming in Raphael's head right now were as follows: Prim... wasn't lying?

Raphael briefly considered that this was some elaborate double fake, but no. If it had been Vallick, maybe, but not Gohra. Unless Gohra was a deep under-- Nope. Not happening. He cringed. No way around it. If he had been left to his own devices, he would have concocted some way for this to be true, but part of Prim's manipulation. But it's very hard to think of such things when a giant fire-type Machamp is punching missiles and still standing until it faces a giant wave of plasma. Raphael could just stare. This was undisputable evidence of in-fighting and moral conflict among the Kalcion ranks. He wouldn't put it that coherently, but he might as well have.

It was as clear to him as his Rider suit that he had gotten something about these Kalcion very, very wrong.

Before he could continue his meditations more, the Delicate One went off to do something stupid. Lunging at the chainsaw girl without a plan, backup, or even a megaphone. A week ago, Raphael would have just sighed and waited for Kenshin to do something. But he couldn't help but remember the White Rider. Something about this "rash and self-destructive bloodlust" thing that Raphael had been witness to. It didn't exactly work out well.

Raphael used the Chamaleozord tongue to try to stop the Monarchzord.

"You brainless moron..."

Spoiler : Raphael Character Notes :

Raphael is the Invisible Rider and has likewise not been much of a presence, not talking with others very much. This has not been good for him. He has had some lingering discontent with the fact that there are so many renegades in the first place, and the events of the last few days have reinforced his concerns. He's seen Riders denounce the mission of justice without being removed, he's seen Riders callously disregard the fact that they've jeopardized national security, he's seen Riders openly flirt with the enemy, the renegade problem has been worse than usual lately... Although he hasn't made this known, he's been debating with himself whether, in the interests of justice, he should try to straighten out the Riders himself. He is the one who knows what needs to be done. He hasn't put much thought into how he's going to do this, but he intended to assassinate Prim and frame Charlotte during their encounter on Kyoto Tower. He was foiled by his own inattentiveness to scenery and tripped over a piece of gum.

While much of his silent fury has been directed towards Kenshin, seeing a humbled Kenshin after he lost his leg against Malchior has taken the edge off said fury. He hasn't even remembered that he was angry at Kenshin since he saw the dismembered leader. He has also been adamant about not trusting the Kalcion invaders... Well, as adamant as he can be. He has a tendency to forget what he said a few minutes ago when some "shocking" event comes along. At present, he's of the opinion that for the Riders who left, good riddance - they weren't true Justice Riders, and that as long as the crisis scenarios demanding split-second decisions lasts, he's okay letting Kenshin call the shots. As for the Kalcion defectors... We'll see!

[Trybien]

Streets of Kyoto

Whiplashed from the sudden stop unsettled the Delicate Winter Melon's stomach. It was probably for the best that the Raphael stopped him, but the shock from the unexpected inertia was not enough to snap Kiko out of his rage. Andrenaline pumping, Kiko kept up with trying to push forward despite being tethered to the Chamaleozord's tongue. If someone doesn't get through to him, this could get dangerous/

Spoiler : Kiko Character Notes :

Kiko joined in late in the game. Despite receiving his morpher early on, he laid low due to his duty to his dojo. Once the war came to a head, he knew he had to take action due to the many riders who were MIA. Once the evacuation started, Kiko donned the mantle of the Delicate Winter Melon rider for the first time and went out into the city to assist the fleeing public. Not too long after, he stumbled upon Malchior prepared to finish off a few young riders. With no other riders around, Kiko knew it was up to him to save their lives. Unfortunately, it was a very one sided fight, and Kiko was clearly not the victor. Tired of the fight, Malchior rose his axe up and prepared take the lives of the pile of passed out rangers. Before the Delicate Winter Melon could stop him, blood was spilt; however, it wasn't the young riders at the other end of the princely weapon. The real victim of the assault turned out to be Kiko's master, who gave his life to protect them.

This is the moment that broke Kiko. He had given up, pleading for Malchior to end him. The prince seemed hesitant, but after some biting remarks, Malchior was prepared to kill him. Satisfied with this result, Kiko peacefully waited for his death... though it wasn't meant to be. Before his life could be stolen, the Crimson Rider interrupted Malchior and commanded Kiko to leave with those who couldn't fight anymore. And so, Kiko transported himself and the passed out riders to the health bay and passed out. Now, he is dealing with the fallout of his first fight. Traumatized and damaged, Kiko is stuck in a loop of self-loathing and hatred. Now with the swift dispatching of Gohra by his fellow Kalcion's, the Delicate Winter Melon's future has suddenly become even more uncertain.

[GuardianDreamer]

Streets of Kyoto

Charlotte honestly wasn't prepared for time to feel like it had resumed. After Gohra's death, she felt as though everything was quiet and still, even as she paid her final respects and realized on some level that something had to happen next. All of this was to say that Kiko's attempt at charging the enemy completely caught her off-guard. If Raphael hadn't stopped him, Charlotte wasn't sure if she would have had time to respond. With the extra time now afforded to her, she could at least try to.

She was still too shocked by Gohra's death to find the idea of her having to resolve this particularly amusing. She took a few deep breaths, realizing that her own information on Kiko was limited. ... If only she had rejoined the Riders sooner. Still, silence was possibly the worst response. She had no idea if she was taking the right approach or not, but... She had to say something.

"Maybe you didn't hear what I had to say before, but I could never understand warriors or heroes. I doubt I'll ever be able to fully connect with Gohra's thoughts. But... As someone who has had the honor of fighting him once in the past... I think what you're doing here is more disrespectful than you realize. He gave us this chance so we could be free from the hatred and try to attain actual peace, not so we could further give in to hatred!" Charlotte, surprisingly enough, actually did begin to get a bit angry as she spoke her words... She tried to calm down. She needed to take her own advice. This wasn't the time to lose her cool, but hopefully that display of emotion would get through to Kiko...

[Alnar]

A JR App in the Year 2019?

Spoiler : What a Time to Be Alive :

Username: Cypher (that raw tuna's been waiting 6 years)
Character Name: Astera Knightley
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Appearance: Reference here. Standing at 5’8” with an athletic figure and average measurements, Astera is a plain-looking girl who doesn’t have much features that stand-out. Her and eye color are similar shades of black that go with her simple looks. She doesn’t have anything in particular that’d call your attention. Her hair is often tied into a long ponytail going down the back of her head. She wears a standard dark blue tracksuit with white likes and a black trim over a black shirt and white running shoes when teaching. Sometimes, she can be seen with her jacket tied around her waist.

For casual wear she wears a lavender turtleneck under a cornflower blue wide-collared sweater, black slim jeans, and sneakers.

Backstory: Astera Knightley has always sought to make a name for herself in life. A modest girl with an average background, she lives independently in a one-bedroom apartment and works as a P.E. teacher at some school. She was never particularly outstanding at anything growing up, all her grades were average outside of athletics, even then she never placed first in any competitions, if at all, and she’s never been at the center of something big. She does have friends, but their lives always seemed more exciting and fulfilling than hers. Compared to their stories, hers might as well be a side story, if not an amusing footnote at the end of a page. Despite her attempts to make something of herself, they’ve never really amounted to anything.

Her big break however, came when she had decided to join the Justice Riders. She believed that she could make a difference not only in her life, but to the lives of others as well. The Riders had always been known as a big, worldwide organization, whose many deeds and accomplishments have earned them the respect and praise of people. Astera thought that, if she could be a part of them, then she could do the same things as them and finally become something more than just a woman living life by the clock watching the prime of her life pass by.

Yet even when Astera was sworn in as a Justice Rider, it seemed she was nothing more than just a minor troop, a small cog in the machine that was full of individuals who were always in the spotlight. Riders such as the Crimson Rider, the Blue Rider, renegades such as Silver and Amber, even the Razzmatazz Rider, anyone could tell you who they were and what they did. Not one of them could tell you about the Cornflower Rider.

Then one day, during the massive invasion of Earth, she had been assigned to assist in the evacuation of the city. Just when it seemed she would just be helping in a minor event in the grand scheme of things, none other than Prince Malchior showed up to the scene. Thinking this was her opportunity to earn glory, an overconfident Cornflower Rider took him on, only to be vastly outplayed and tossed aside, losing her hand in the process. Now she is being tended to in HQ’s Medical Bay…

But her story would not end there.

Personality: If there’s anything Astera had, it was her confidence and her optimism. These are the things keeping her going, despite everything life had given her, or rather, everything it had not. She’s sporty and outgoing, spirited yet with little opportunity to use that energy. Often times she’ll find herself wanting something to do or be a part of. This is why Astera always gives it her all in whatever she does, even if she may not be particularly good at it. She believes that with enough determination, anything is possible. This trait of hers is a double-edged sword, while it allows her to push herself forward during struggles, she can also be overconfident and stubborn, causing her to mess up in critical moments.

Part of her however, holds a little jealousy whenever she sees the lives of others compared to hers. At her lowest, she can’t help but feel inferior to them, thinking that her life will never amount to anything more than just being an average, everyday somebody, even with her status as a Rider. Yet she keeps a firm grasp on hope, longing for the day when she’ll finally break free from this personal curse.

Rider Color: Cornflower
Motif: Knight
Rider Appearance: Astera’s Rider form takes the appearance of a lightly armored Knight, which is best imagined as a normal rider outfit strapped with pieces of armor. Her outfit underneath has a dark blue color with black accents, while the actual armor she wears has her signature cornflower blue color. She has a breastplate with pauldrons with a sapphire cornflower insignia emblazoned at the center of the chest area. Where before she’d wear gauntlets on both hands, she instead wears one on her human left hand while she only wearing a vambrace on the other. She has an armored skirt strapped to her waist by belts and a set of greaves guarding her legs up to her knees. Finely etched in a deep sapphire color on her pieces of armor are simple floral patterns.
Astera’s Rider mask is a knight visor that slides from the sides and connects at the center to completely cover her eyes of the device she wears around her head. The lower half of her head is completely exposed, along with the top portion of her head, where her hair is tied into a ponytail held fast by a cornflower pin.

Powers and Abilities: As the Cornflower Rider, Astera has enhanced strength and endurance that makes her a force to be reckoned with in combat. She makes keen use of her ability to give herself the upper hand when engaging her opponents. Astera has the unique power of artificially altering the density of any object she makes contact with. She can increase a target’s density to strengthen the forces of gravity acting upon it, or decrease it to accomplish the opposite. As long as she has made contact with her target, she can apply the effect up to a range of 5.5 meters (roughly 20 feet). The effect is stronger when applied to small areas/objects, and weakens the more spread out it is. For example, she could easily apply intense gravity to the human body, or greatly decrease the density of something like a motorcycle to make it floatier, but applied on something as large as a building and the effect is negligible. Her power is best used in close-proximity to the user, which is why Astera has great control over her own body’s density. She can use her power to momentarily make her strikes hit harder, or lessen her density to the point that she can practically float through the air.
Having lost her hand in a fight with the Kalcion Prince, Astera is now outfitted with a robotic hand. On her stubborn request, she’s had it made it so that she can fire a single-use laser from her palm before needing to recharge it during maintenance.

Special Weapon: Cornflower Claymore - Oh wait, that one melted away. She might need a hand getting a new weapon made…

Sapphire Shears – Astera’s new weapon is a set of sharp double-edged blades that each form one part of a large pair of garden shears. These blades offer great versatility in dealing with different forms of melee combat, as they can take many different forms so that she has a variety of ways to make contact at different melee ranges, especially since physical contact is central to her power taking effect. Astera can choose to wield each blade separately as one-handed swords, swing the blades around so she can wield them as bladed tonfas for close quarters combat, or combine both blades to transform them into a claymore that gives her more reach. She's able to channel her power through these blades as an extension of herself, anything her weapon makes contact can be affected by Astera's density altering powers. Her blades are primarily sapphire in color, with the edges taking on a cornflower shade.

As offered by Got, I hereby adopt the Cornflower Rider. She could use a hand getting back into the fight.

[gotMLK7]

Spoiler : @Alnar :

App accepted. Welcome to the Riders.

Spoiler : Note: Jumping in late :

So hey Alnar's here now, and his character isn't exactly new per se! What's up with that!

So I said this in Discord, but basically, to maintain forward progression and allow for a more complete RP experience through the end of the RP, I'm allowing people to jump in using some characters that were previously abandoned, so that they can join in and help but don't have to deal with making an entire new character and jamming them in. Alnar took the Cornflower Rider, who previously fought Malchior and lost her hand. There's also the Thistle and Maize Riders from that same scene available to take, and I've had at least one instance of an RPer offering a character they aren't using for someone else to join back in.

Basically, if you want in but don't have a character in the fray, let me know, and we can work something out.

Streets of Kyoto

Sevaline and all the Kalcion troops were faced away from the Riders, watching Gohra from across the beach. In that moment, Kenshin could have theoretically ordered a counterattack. It would have been tactically wise.

He did not, for he, too, was enamored in watching Gohra's final moments.

"Goddamn," Razzmatazz proclaimed. "Not gonna lie, that was kinda metal."

"To give your own life...to protect everybody else..." GiGi clutched her chest nervously.

"Gohra Kanorath..." Kenshin took a moment of silence. "You never seemed too bad a guy to me. I don't get how you think, but you have a beautiful soul. We're not going to throw away the opportunity you've given us to live..."

In that instance, Kiko's Monarchzord shot forward, only to be restrained by the Chameleozord. Kenshin slammed his hands down onto the dashboard and shouted out to his allies.

"Don't make rash decisions!" he said. "We've been handed a miracle on a silver platter! Gohra just turned the tables for us - our Zords and our city are safe because of his decision! We can't just run in without a plan and get ourselves killed now that this chance is in our grasp!" Though the others couldn't see it, he grinned confidently. "This situation has just turned around, friends. This is no longer an ambush during a time crisis. This is now a head-to-head clash."

As the Kalcion troops manning the mechs began to realign themselves after the dramatic scene they just witnessed, there was a clear sense of turmoil amongst them. They took their battle stances, aiming their turrets and prepping their laser blades, but there was a more...paranoid nature to their stances, obviously shaken now that their physically strongest commander has pulled an unexpected sacrifice, and they seemed to quickly realize that they were unlikely to beat the Zords head-on, even with the numerical advantage. They all seemed on edge, even if they were prepared to fight now that they had to.

Sevaline, however, kept her back turned. She still trained her gaze on where Gohra once was. She quietly tightened her grip on the megaphone, before slowly raising it back up, towards the horizon.

"YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!!!"

Sevaline suddenly screamed into the megaphone, seemingly at the Titan that was no longer there.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST GO AND DIE ON US, HUH?! BETRAY US AND ESCAPE TO HELL BEFORE I GET TO BEAT YOUR ASS FOR IT?! IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK?! ASSHOLE! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO THROW US INTO THE FIRE LIKE THAT! YOU BASTARD! JACKASS! JERKFACE! YOU...YOU...you..."

She seemed to be shaking a bit. And her voice grew weaker. More vulnerable.

"If...IF YOU MAKE PAPA CRY, I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOOOOOOOOUUUU!"

She quickly turned back towards the Riders. Though she was clearly fighting it back with rage, her watery eyes couldn't hide her true frustration.

"Don't just stand there like IDIOTS!" she screamed to her troops. "KILL THEM ALL, GODDAMN YOU!"

After a moment of hesitation, the Kalcion mech troops seemed to steel themselves. They all aimed their turrets towards the Zords, as Sevaline quickly leaped from the building rooftop, likely running to somewhere more optimal for her. The sound of a few dozen guns heating up echoed throughout the streets.

"Looks like it's combat anyway," Kenshin muttered. "Justice Riders! Let's sweep 'em up!"

With that, the mechs all opened fire, with a volley of laser blasts encroaching upon every side.

----

JR HQ Medical Bay

"Beh heh heh.....BAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAAAHAAAA!"

Amidst the turmoil of everyone who remained on the Justice Rider Medical Staff, Dr. Seymour Phineas watched a video screen in the corner of the room and laughed.

"What a CROC!" he chuckled. "Bastards are falling apart if their head honchos are already throwing themselves at rockets for OUR sake! And I can only imagine how many Megazords that behemoth woulda took if we actually had to fight it...TWO BIRDS, ONE STONE! WE'RE IN THIS FOR THE LONG RUN, FELLAS, LET'S MAKE IT COUNT!"

Injured Riders were being treated on every available gurney in the ward. Though the staff was all stressed, Phineas seemed absolutely giddy. He took the first instance he could to bring out everything he had ever worked on for emergencies like this. Prosthetic limbs were practically rolled out on tables for those who went to the Kenshin school of direct confrontation, and Phineas even brought out a rack of brand new weapons.

"Crimson no longer gives a damn if you stay or leave!" the doctor shouted. "If you just want a new foot and wanna ditch, fine by me and fine by him! If you're too weak to get up, don't bother getting in our way! But if you're already itching to dish out justice but trashed your weapon in the fight, then come one, come all! I've got experimental crap that I've been dying to see in action!" He rubbed his hand across an assortment of blades, polearms, and more as he passed a racket of questionably safe weaponry.

The doctor, overly pleased with himself and the situation surrounding him, crossed his arms and grinned near the exit of the Med Bay. "Any questions?!"

[Alnar]

JR HQ Medical Bay

And now... it is your turn. Everybody... it has... been... an honor....

Words from the broadcast echoed throughout the girl's hazy consciousness. The sounds of screams, panic, and confusion. She could barely hold a coherent thought down with each passing moment. She was in pain at first, she knew that much, but every time she fell in and out of consciousness the feeling had numbed until she was a strange feeling in her hand. Whether it was from the meds she was on or something rooted deep in her mind, she could not say. She could have stayed like this forever, just another individual amongst a sea of the injured. Who was she even? Did her name even matter? Would anyone care if she just did nothing? Would they care even if she did come back up?

The sounds of pure, giddy laughter cut through her thoughts like a knife. "Crimson no longer gives a damn if you stay or leave!"

Gee, thanks for confirming that.

Her eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the brightness of the room. She blinked hard, trying to remember what had happened and where she. That's right, she had been brought here after her fight. Though it felt like ages ago, she knew it had only just been a few hours since then. The scene played vividly in her head, like her brain had its own broadcast being shown in her mind. The smoke covering the city, the screams and cries of people trying to get to safety, and most of all... the lone figure that emerged from the smoke, Prince Malchior himself. It had all happened quickly, their fight was over before any exchange could be made, and she had been tossed aside like the cannon fodder she was.

She felt a strange pain in her hand as she recalled these memories. No, not her hand... but rather the place where there had once been a hand. She brought her right arm in front of her and sure enough, at the end of her forearm where her hand should have been was a bandaged stump. She would've cried, screamed, and yell at any other situation, but instead she felt this strange feeling of acceptance. It wasn't that of content, more like "Oh, I guess this happened". But even despite all this, the confusion, her defeat, the loss of her hand, she remembered something more important than anything else...

Her name is Astera Knightley.

Astera sat up in her bed. On habit, she had tried to steady herself with her right hand, only to wince as the pressured became applied to the stump that had taken its place. She shifted herself onto her left hand and gave herself time to regain her bearings. She had enough of her mind with her that she was able to hear and understand the doctor's giddy speech and the offer that came with it, to which she responded.

"Doc, would it even matter if I tried?" She said, her voice had a faint sense of defeat to its tone.