Perfection Aside: StrikerS on Vacation
This is an extension of the Pursuit of Perfection storyline, between the end of said story and its upcoming sequel Lyrical Magical War. It is recommended you have read Pursuit of Perfection beforehand before this story.
As the cool breeze passed the group, Nanoha stretched, trying to catch as much of it as possible with her athletic t-shirt and cutoff jean shorts. "Guah…" She sighed. "This day is the perfect end to our campout."
"Mnh." Fate nodded, similarly dressed, but her hair up in a tighter ponytail for safety's sake, as she hoisted a bag onto her shoulders. "We have Hayate-chan to thank for that." She lifted Nanoha's bag up so she could put it on.
"Where is she anyway?"
"Right here, ~desu." Rein sighed with a sweatdrop on her face. Soran was lugging four ropes over his shoulder with his mechanical arm. Turning around, revealed that his package was actually a hogtied Hayate.
"Come on! Let me go! It's only a half day left! I can head back to Section 6 and have everything ready for when you…."
Soran jostled her and she shut up. "Forget it. You're the one who granted this trip in the first place, and you're going to take this vacation just like the rest of us."
"Mou, Hayate-chan, this is the third day in a row we've had to do this, ~desu."
"Well, Yagami-daichou was always the workaholic." Erio tied up his boot against a stump and tapped his toe into it.
"Soran-kun, let her go now, okay?" Nanoha motioned.
"You sure?"
"I will queue a round of Restrict Lock." Raising Heart blinked on Nanoha's chest.
"Et tu, RH?" Hayate sighed as they untied her. "I'm outnumbered in the end anyway."
"You just don't know when to take a break, Hayate-chan." Fate helped her up. "Your body will run down again if you don't relax once in a while."
"I know, I know. But ever since I got the use of my legs back, I always felt I needed to do more to earn that privilege. Like I couldn't afford to be lazy."
"Speaking of lazy…" Soran thumbed to the final tent still up. "Who's turn is it to wake the girls?" Five index fingers pointed in his direction, and he slumped. "Great… thanks." He squatted down in front of the tent, thinking. Soran's signature smirk appeared and he stood up, retreating five more feet. Stretching his hands out Rainbow and Barrage appeared in his left and right respectively. He stood Rainbow up in the ground while his visor appeared over his eyes, highlighting two targets, the anchors for the tent. Letting loose two rounds, the stakes went flying. Picking up Rainbow, he swirled it around him as it created some wind. Pointing it straight ahead, the gale hit the tent, flinging it backwards, revealing the Subaru, Tea, and Caro inside. They instantly went into a panic as they woke up, their equipment and clothes flying everywhere. As it died down, their hair stayed whipped around and frazzled. "Morning ladies!" Soran said as his devices disappeared.
The mood instantly changed as three very angry stares turned straight at him. "So. Ran. KUN!" Subaru shook.
"Mgh!" Soran gulped as he turned tail, flying away with his Fin Fliers.
"Nah ah." Nanoha grabbed his ankle and slammed him to the ground.
"Oi nee-san!" Soran grunted, flipping over. He got a good look in her eyes. "No… you wouldn't!"
"Have at, girls!" She stepped aside with an evil smirk on her face.
"With pleasure!" Caro came in, divebombing him with Fried.
"GUAAHHH!"
Soran sighed through his fat lip and tilted his head to get the cold pack to shift back onto the lump on his skull as he carried Caro in his arms and both tents on his back as punishment. Caro seemed to enjoy the ride immensely as the other girls walked ahead as if nothing had happened. "Hell hath no fury…."
"Hmm?!" Tea turned back, her eyes hidden under her bangs.
"Hgk!" Soran tensed.
Her bangs lifted and smiled. "You know what we haven't done yet? Taken a dip in the river!"
"That's actually a good idea, Tea-san." Caro slid out of Soran's arms and caught up with them. "The minor falls are up ahead. We could go there."
"That might be kinda cold though…." Subaru thought.
"Well we could take a little time to bathe I think." Fate mused. "We have been out here for three days after all. Let's go."
Within a few minutes, they arrived at the falls. The beauty of the small waterfall and the pool it carved out below was soon obscured by a problem. "Eh? But I didn't bring a bathing suit!" Nanoha gulped.
"Come to think of it, neither did I…." Subaru clonked herself on the head, sticking out her tongue.
"Geez… I mean seriously how could you forget something like that?" Tea shook her head. "It's not like I can give you mine, since you're a smaller size."
"Though Nanoha-chan could wear mine, it would be a bit of a strain." Fate blushed.
"Um, actually Fate-chan, I'd probably burst it." Nanoha turned away in embarrassment. "I had a growth spurt recently…."
"Well that settles it then. We're going commando!" Tea raised her fist and dropped her bag.
"Ouh!" Caro and Subaru started to drop their gear and undress.
"Oh shi-." Soran grabbed Erio and dove behind a rock. "Oi! What the hell do you think you're doing in mixed company?!" He stuck his head out, his eyes covered.
"Auda? Are you still here, Soran desu?"
"Don't forget about me when I've been carrying your luggage! Tagu!" Soran shook his fist. "I hope you don't expect us to stay behind this rock the entire time!"
It was Fate's turn to smirk. "Of course not, Soran. Go right ahead and join us."
"Eh?" Nanoha, Subaru, and Caro's eyes widened simultaneously.
She winked at them. "You'll get to see your nee-chan's growth spurt up close. And I'm sure Subaru wouldn't mind. You've been dating for over a year and a half."
"We'll do it!" Erio yelled, and scrambled towards them. Soran caught him by the scruff of his neck and yanked him back. "Let me go! I want to see! I want to see!" He flailed around trying to break free as blood dripped down his lip.
Soran pulled out a napkin and shoved it in his face. "Plug yourself with that." He lifted his head back. "Yeah right! Like I'm gonna fall for that! And like I'm going to let this pubescent testosterone-filled shell get even close."
Fate nodded, motioning to Subaru. "You two get the two-person tent tonight." Subaru blushed bright scarlet. "Okay, Soran. You got me." She motioned all the women into the water. She herself entered, and dipped low, covering her upper assets. "You're clear Soran. Head back to the trail and we'll meet you there."
"Thank you!" Soran stood up, dragging Erio behind him, passed out from loss of blood.
"You had me really going there for a second, Fate-chan. Even if it is Soran-kun, we're only related in spirit." Nanoha sighed.
"I had enough trouble getting in here with all of you." Subaru curled up. "If Soran saw, I would have just died. The rest of you are so ample next to me."
"Speaking of ample, let me see this growth spurt!" Fate tackled Nanoha in a big splash.
"Agh! Fate-chan, not there! That tickles!"
"What's with this size? What have you been eating?!"
Everyone else let off an awkward chuckle as the married couple did their thing. Caro sighed. "Rein-san and I are like ironing boards though…."
"Desu…."
"I don't think that's the case, Caro-chan." Hayate came up to her. "It looks to me like you're starting to bloom. What do you think, Subaru?"
"Eh? Um, yeah you're right! Caro, you're going to need to ask Fate-san to take you bra shopping soon!"
"Really?!"
"Unh. Congrats Caro!" Tea clapped her hands together.
"DESUUUUUUUUUUUU." The water around Rein froze as she went into a gloomy state.
The frozen water brought something to Tea's eye. "Um…" She looked around at the surface around her. "Should the water be… yellow… like this?" She saw streams of it floating around them.
"Eh?" The girls stopped what they were doing, and Rein unfroze. They all started looking at the water around them for the yellow streams. Rein scooped up a sample in her hand and tasted it. "PLEAGH! Urine!"
"WHAT?!" The girls all scrambled out of the water.
"It's male urine…." Rein winced as she analyzed it. "It's Berkt DNA coming down from the falls!"
"KGH!" Nanoha grabbed Raising Heart and leapt, completely forgetting her clothes. She saw him zipping back up and divebombed him. "SORAN BERKT, YOU ASSHOLE!" She swung at him in midair, sending him sailing into the trees.
What she didn't see is Erio had been standing right behind Soran, wide eyed. "It's as if an angel just descended." He whispered before he passed out from another nosebleed.
"Eh?" Nanoha blinked, trying to figure out what just happened. When it clicked she covered herself and screamed in embarrassment.
Soran came to strung by his hands and feet to a pole, which Subaru and Tea were carrying, an apple stuck in his mouth. He winced at the bruise in his side. Unable to talk through his fruit gag, he activated his mental link. 'Um….' All of the girls whipped towards him. 'Judging by the situation… I'm in trouble for something.'
"Do you really not have a clue, Soran-kun?!" Nanoha snarled. "What was the last thing you remember?!"
'A pair of F-bombs tracking to target.'
Subaru's and Nanoha's fists slammed into his skull and he was out again, his head sizzling. "They're not that big!"
"Yes they are." Erio whispered under his breath, following behind Caro with his wrists tied up. Her eyes flashed red as she glared at him. "Eh?" Freid loomed up behind him and swallowed his head.
'Okay, look, I said I was sorry.' Soran was awake again, still tied to the pole, and that pole was now suspended over a pile of wood, which the girls were obviously making into a campfire. 'Guys, this isn't funny. I meant what I said. I didn't realize that the river was going downstream to you. I thought it was a different stream.'
"Here's some good flint." Caro handed a piece to Nanoha.
'Come on… you wouldn't cook me on a spit, right? Right?' They said nothing as they continued to build up more firewood. 'Okay, I get it. You're mad. But at least give me some credit. I did keep Erio from jacking off into the river. I mean that would have been worse, right?'
Suddenly a dozen eyes landed on Erio. "Eh? Uh? What?"
'I mean that would have been really bad. One spurt and you'd all have Erio to thank for your labor pains 40 weeks later.'
In seconds it was Erio on the spit, and Caro was squeezing Freid like a lighter. "Agh! It's not true! It's not true! Fate-san, I'm better than that, you know me!"
"Hormones can do crazy things, Erio-kun. It's what gave me these." She crossed her arms under her breasts. "I'm not sure what you'd do anymore."
He stared as her bosom went up and down with her breath, but quickly shook his head. "I'm not like that! I love Caro and only her! I'm sorry I was curious and aroused! Forgive me! Forgive me, please!"
"Well Caro?" Fate motioned to her.
Soon he was off the spit, his hands being untied by the pink-haired girl. "You owe me, Erio-kun."
"Well, I'm glad we all have finally settled things." Soran smiled, and a dozen eyes landed on him. "Hey, why am I getting put back up here again?!"
"Soran… do you really like Nanoha-san's huge F-cups?" Subaru sniffled.
"They're not F-cups! Why does no one believe me?!"
"Subaru, when something takes up your entire vision, it's pretty impossible not to look."
"They're not that big! Listen to me!"
"Takamachi Nanoha's bio-scan. Current bustline 44.5-F."
She slumped in defeat at Raising Heart's confessional. "That's it, I'm getting a reduction."
"What's my size, Soran?" Subaru sighed.
"37C. I know that because you told me. I don't peek into your laundry."
"Do you like them?"
"I love you, every part of you."
Subaru wiped off her tears and untied him. "Earn this, Soran."
"EBLUGH!" Tea leaned behind a stump. "GUALCH!"
"Tea-chan, are you okay?" Hayate blinked.
"Oh yeah." She stood up, grinning. "I just had a really massive wave of nausea pass over me for some reason. Must be all the sap in the air." Soran and Subaru sent a glare her way.
The sun had set on the campsite, their final day in the wilderness coming to a close. Roasting marshmallows on the open fire sent a sweet scent into the air. "I really wish Gin-nee would've come." Subaru looked at the stars. "She's always been an outdoorsy type."
"Yeah, but it's understandable why she refused." Soran poked his finger into the dirt and dragged it around. "She still won't say a word to me." Everything went quiet, and their faces fell. "It's not something that can be forgiven though. If that's her way of punishing me, so be it."
"Soran…." Tea stared at him, seeing his depression for the first time.
Rein twitched under the thick atmosphere. "Um… you know what we haven't done yet? We haven't told any ghost stories ~desu!"
"Grk!" Caro and Erio flinched.
"Now that's my kind of activity!" Nanoha grinned. Raising Heart floated up under her chin and omitted an ominous red light. She put on her extra-creepy face and started. "This is a story of the dangers of the forest…"
"… And if you ever hear a banjo start playing that tune… Run! Run as fast as you can back the way you came! Because any further and your guts will be his next strings!"
Hayate and Rein were trembling as Nanoha ended her story. Fate was enamored by her storytelling, but the rest had either incredulous looks on their faces or sweatdrops. Caro was the first to speak. "Um… just how long ago was that story created? Didn't they make a movie out of that?"
"Seven." Subaru shook her head. "I saw all of them."
"It was so predictable I just couldn't bring myself to be scared." Erio bowed. "Sorry."
"Marked for deletion. (Old)." Soran quipped.
Nanoha huffed. "Well I guess the classics just won't satisfy this crowd. Someone have a new one?"
"I've got one, Nanoha-san." Subaru raised her hand. Before she began, Mach Caliber emulated Raising Heart's maneuver. "If anyone's heard of the Butterfly Effect, this is the perfect story for you. It's about a girl who destroyed the world."
"…And when she finally returned to the present, there wasn't a hot dog to be found anywhere! All the pigs had died! One little mistake made it so that her favorite food no longer existed!"
Fried opened his mouth and let the cricket on his tongue chirp for a few seconds before swallowing it. Subaru smiled triumphantly. "Um, Subaru…." Tea put her hand on her shoulder.
"Hai?"
"WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT WAS THAT?!"
"Eh?"
"For starters, where's the world-destruction you promised?! She comes back and only pigs are dead and hotdogs don't exist?"
"But hotdogs ARE her world!"
"The real wiener here is you." Tea sighed.
"There are a lot of fallacies in that though, Subaru-chan." Fate nodded. "For starters, if she was able to afford to create a time machine, why didn't she just buy some pigs and raise them for food herself?"
"Not only that, but how'd she get back if she broke the time machine ~desu?"
"She uh… waited 60 years?"
"But then she would have already known that the pigs would have died." Erio pointed.
"Sorry, Su, but this one is a failget." Soran shook his head.
She shook her fist. "I'd like to see you do better Soran! I'll pay for the next ten dates if you manage to scare half the people here with your story!"
"I'll take that up." Soran smirked. "If I lose, I'll forfeit my morphing field time for the next month!"
"It's a deal then. Let's hear it."
Kiryu was out in dual-blade form without a cue and he stuck the glowing blades in the ground by his knees. Around him circled six balls of light. "Arc Shooter?!" Tea leaned back.
"It's just for ambiance." He said as the balls illuminated his face as they passed. "This story won't be pleasant, I assure you. It's about a prank that went horribly wrong…."
"Many many years ago, there was one college campus that boasted it would make the tallest dormitory in the world. Upon its completion, it was the most technologically advanced architecture in the world, down to its toilets and elevators. To boast, it moved one of its smaller dorm's students into it as a promotion.
"For most of the students, it was like a dream come true. Being able to live in the lap of luxury for free, with a beautiful view outside. However for one girl, it was not so. She was deathly afraid of elevators. Yes, elevators. It's not like she was claustrophobic, but the concept of the elevator scared her. Though she loved the rooms and the view, her room was on one of the top ten floors, obviously too far to walk up and down every day.
"Her friends at school worked hard to get her over her fear to no avail. She would never go up or down an elevator of any type without her best friend holding her hand. With that, she was satisfied enough.
"Then one rainy night, during a drunken party, the girl's best friend blabbed about the secret fear. She was a little tipsy herself, so she really didn't think it was as big of a deal. However the guys they were with came up with a half-baked plan. Two of the guys sneaked off to the dorm ahead of the girls and the third guy distracting them. When they finally arrived they were holding the elevator for them and waved them in.
"As the girl was guided into the elevator by her friend, one of the boys hit the Door Close button. The door hit her right as she was crossing the threshold. Now normally, the door would fling itself back open, but the two before had sabotaged the sensors. She was pinned, half outside, half inside, unable to push back the heavy door. She screamed in panic and fear as the guys just laughed. Her best friend chastised them, telling them it wasn't funny, and demanding they release her. The fools just blocked her, their drunken stupor keeping them from realizing that they were taking the joke too far.
"'I'm telling you to let her go! Push that Door Open button right now!'
'Oh no. Hey Childia, you like elevators now? You must considering how close you're snuggling against it! HAHA!'
'Bella, help me! I'm scared! Save me!' As she squirmed, her cellphone shifted out of her pocket, falling into the space between the doors.
'Let go of that button you damn bastard!' She dove for the button panel.
'No! Don't let go of my hand! Bella!' Then suddenly…"
Soran crushed one of the floating balls and they all went out. A sudden strong gust of wind blew out the fire. "The lights went black. A blood curdling scream echoed in their ears as the car was sent to the top floor. When the lights came back on, the elevator dinged, and the door slid aside. Half of Childia's body was laying in a bloody pool in front of the doorway, her hand still stretched out in desperation for her friend. With no one getting off, the door closed, revealing her bloody smear on the stainless steel. Bella screamed for what seemed like forever."
Soran re-lit the fire with Rainbow, Erio and Caro trembling and holding each other across from him. "The subsequent investigation found out that, beyond the sensor tampering, a bolt of lightning had struck the building, the excess energy accidentally activating the mag-lev that controlled the elevators. It was a one in a billion shot. However, the boys were still responsible for the circumstances that led to her death. The one of the three that actually did the tampering came forward out of guilt and grief, and pled guilty to keep his friends out of jail.
"Since he was a resident of the dorm, the judge allotted him time and a police escort to have his personal items moved into storage. Two policemen, two movers, and the boy, entered the same elevator that she died in. When the doors opened again, all five had their necks cut open. Logs show that the car never even left the ground floor, and that no one else had entered via security camera. And the cause remained a mystery.
"All was quiet for a year. Then on the anniversary of her death, the remaining two boys stepped into that elevator, and hit every button. Once it finally came down to the ground floor, both men were found dead, their necks broken in what appeared to be a double suicide. At that point, the rumors began to spread that the elevator and the building was haunted by the ghost of Childia.
"Nothing happened for many years. Then, on the fifth anniversary of Childia's death, Bella appeared at the sliding door. She had run away from her grief and transferred schools. Since then she had graduated, gotten married, and was about to give birth to her first child, a daughter. She came to apologize to Childia for her cowardice, that she should have been there. That she decided to name her daughter Childia after her. She entered the elevator and hit the button for her floor.
"After about three hours, the guard at the desk noticed that it hadn't moved from that floor, and called maintenance to fix it. Hayate-san, what do you think he saw when he forced open the door?"
"Ueh? Um…." Hayate was biting her lip. "I… I don't know."
SPLASH! "GYAAAAAHHHH!" A squirt of water from Soran's bottle hit Rein and she screeched, making everyone jump.
"Blood splattered against his face as the door opened! Bella's womb had burst and covered the wall in the baby's blood. But it wasn't just a splatter. The smears spelled a message. 'You let go.'"
Soran heard panting from all around him. Not even Rein reprimanded him for splashing her. "The managers had no doubt that it was haunted at this point. That one elevator had 11 deaths in it, all of them meaningless. The vengeful spirit needed to be purged. So they called in an exorcist.
"He was the best that money could buy. A professional that had exorcised for the most famous of companies, claiming he once removed 300 ghosts in one night. Knowing the risks, he entered the elevator and began his chanting. At every floor he would get off, and then on again, shaking his shaman's rod and calling for the evil spirit to be cast out. On the top floor, it halted, and all communication was cut. 30 minutes later, he came down the stairs to his attendants, his left side covered in blood, a chunk ripped out of him underneath his ribcage, taking his kidney and a portion of his liver. In his last minutes of life, he gave recollection of the event.
"On the way up, he had heard a cell phone's ringtone, however it was unlike any he had heard before. It was an ominous tone that stopped before he reached the top floor. Exiting to do his chant is when he saw it. Half the girl's face was nested in between the doors, staring at him. HRANGH!" Soran leapt up and plunged his metal arm through the fire as he made a fist.
"SKREEEEEEEEE!" Everyone screamed.
"The girl snatched a knot of his flesh with a demonic strength! The car echoed in her sobbing voice! 'Don't let go! Don't let go!' And despite the pain the exorcist plunged his rod into her eye! 'Foul demon, I release thee! Go to the place you belong!' Childia tore the flesh from his bone and retreated back into the dark shaft, her voice echoing. 'No! All will suffer for the pain I endure! Never let go! NEVER LET GO!'" Soran pulled back and sat back down, snuffing out the fire on his clothes. "So if you ever get into the elevator and hear a ringtone that isn't your own, don't ever let the car make it to your floor, and never look into the space between the doors. Because if anything like that happens…." Soran trailed off into silence. "NEVER LET GO!" The rest of the camp jumped backwards.
Soran picked up his water bottle and started dousing his metal arm, steam coming off of it from the time in the fire. "Ow. Ow. Ow." After it cooled off, he made a fist and surveyed the tally around the camp. Caro and Erio had fainted in a goodbye kiss. Fried was buzzing around the camp like a bat out of hell. Tea had her hand against her chest and covering her mouth, wide eyed. Subaru was locked up, trying to fight down her cyborg programming, her yellow eyes pulsing with alarm. Rein had retreated into a unison with Hayate, and they subsequently both passed out. And finally Nanoha and Fate held each other close, looking like they just found out they were kidnapped and about to be raped.
As the rest recovered, Soran quietly picked up Erio and Caro in a bundle and put them into a sleeping bag inside a tent. Next her gently rapped on Hayate's forehead. "Rein-san. Unison release, please." She slightly opened one eye and the diminutive girl appeared next to her. Gently placing Rein into her travel box and then doing the same for Hayate in her tent. After that he snatched up a spare graham cracker from the box and munched on it next to the fire. "By a landslide 9-0, victory goes to Soran B. Takamachi."
The next morning Vice picked them up in his helicopter. "Did you have a nice time everyone?"
"Oh yeah, we had a blast." Subaru raised her fist.
"If you guys are thirsty I've got some bottled water under your seats."
"Don't worry about that, there were plenty of jugs to go around." Soran stifled a chuckle as the commanders sent him an angry set of looks.
"Well strap yourselves in. We'll be leaving shortly."
"Ah, Vice-kun, let me help!" Tea went up to the cockpit with him. Everyone noticed the quick peck on the cheek she gave him as the cockpit door closed, but no one said anything.
In the air, the questions started to bubble up. "Soran-kun, where did you get that story?" Hayate was the first to break the ice.
"That? I made it up."
"Eh? No way. You made that thing up right on the spot?" Nanoha pulled her hair over her shoulder and started combing out the knots.
"Of course not on the spot, Nee-san. What am I, some super-utility player? I've had that one for a long time, I just never had the opportunity to use it. But it's all original."
"You have one sick and twisted mind then, Soran-kun." Fate shook her head.
"I'm pretty sure you knew that already." He stuck his tongue out at her.
"But thanks to that, I'm out a ton of money this month." Subaru sighed. "I really didn't think you had one in you, Soran-kun. But I underestimated you, so I deserve it."
"And with everyone rested and recharged, we can go back to work at full force ~desu!" Rein said as Section 6 HQ came over the horizon.
Soran and Shari were chatting it up in front of the elevator as the doors slid open. "Oh! Hold that please!" Nanoha rounded the corner, Fate soon to follow.
"Sure!" Shari smiled as she pressed the open button.
"Whew… thank you, Shari." Nanoha panted as she pressed the button. "Oh, hi Soran-kun."
He nodded. "Nee-san, Fate-daichou." He turned back to Shari. "I was thinking more on the lines of cargo. There any way we can add a few more compartments?"
BUH DEE BUH DEE BUH DEE BUH DEE BA DA DA DUM BA DA DA DUM DA DUM.
"I really don't think so. We've maxed out everything we can. I'll show you once the maintenance tube finishes repairing your arm."
BUH DEE BUH DEE BUH DEE BUH DEE BA DA DA DUM BA DA DA DUM DA DUM.
"Ok… but what are we going to do about expansion in the future?"
"Fate-chan, aren't you going to get that?" Nanoha said.
"It's not mine. I don't get reception in here."
"Neither does mine…"
BUH DEE BUH DEE BUH DEE BUH DEE BA DA DA DUM BA DA DA DUM DA DUM.
"Is that… coming from the roof of the car?" Shari asked.
"Oi…." Soran looked at Nanoha and Fate. "No way, right?"
BUH DEE BUH DEE BUH DEE BUH DEE BA DA DA DUM BA DA DA DUM DA DUM.
"Fate-chan… stop the car." Nanoha backed away from the door.
"But we're almost at our floor."
"Eh?!" She whipped around and looked at the readout. The elevator dinged and slid open. She quivered as she looked down the hall. "There's no way, right Soran-kun? Fate-chan?"
"Do you see me walking through that door?" Soran backed up. "I'm the one who made up the story and this is creeping me out."
Nanoha gulped and stepped forward. From between the doors a hand grabbed her arm tightly. In the night air, a giant explosion blew a hole in Section 6 HQ. Alarms went off around the base. As the smoke cleared, Shari was on the floor, dazed, her glasses cracked. Fate looked on quietly, Bardiche at her side. Nanoha was panting heavily, her hand still lifted up where the hole was blown in the side of the building. Noticing the hand still remained gripping her arm, she was about to scream again until she noticed the wires coming out of the wrist. Plucking it off, she examined it before turning to the final occupant of the car. "Soran-kun!"
His eyes went wide. "You just vaporized my arm!"
She snatched him up by his uniform cuff. "I'm gonna kill you, Soran!"
"Well, Sora-nii?" Soran was all wrapped in bandages, Vivio hovering over him. "How do you feel about it now?"
"Heh, the prank was still worth the punishment!"
"Then let's play horsey and see how you feel then!"
"I'll never yield!"