The Kingdom Comes Again

Chapter 7

I should warn you, the Senshi like to work alone. It is not that they are not capable of working with others, so much as they never have had to become used to working with other groups. They tended to be pulled into, or sent to deal with, extremely strange circumstances. They could communicate, and would share information quite fluidly, but if another group or military unit was with them, they tended to drop in effectiveness.

I personally think this is more a matter of training, or lack of training, then anything else.

The Senshi were all princesses, and were taught how to use their powers by their mothers, who were the Queens Senshi. This had been done since the rise of the Moon Kingdom, and the legendary demise of the Moon Empire, and since those original Senshi were, basically, freedom fighters they never adapted to having back up forces. Or course, they were also princesses, so that might have added to the problems.

Either way, try to ease your way in. Don't just jump into their battles, and don't ask them to jump into yours, at least not right away. While they will have to learn, you must give them the time to adapt. I leave it to you to figure out how to let that happen. I just hope you have the time to use this suggestion.

She was in the palace again. She had been here oh so many times in the past but never had she gotten used to it. The beautiful domes, the graceful arches, the Earth hanging in the sky like a blue oasis in the night...and the hundreds of dead Men, Women and monsters she had to step over.

The Palace belonged in a dream, but she was walking in a nightmare. But something was different this time.

Every time before, she had come to the center of the great hall, to find a painfully beautiful Queen lying on the ground before her throne, dead. A sad smile on her lips, though she couldn't figure out why the Queen would smile after what must have happened.

This time, the Queen sat on her throne and looked at her, her smile still sad, but somehow also happy. A paradox that only added to the dreamers confusion.

"Hello, Akane." Said the Queen, in a voice as beautiful as her face. "I am sorry I had to make you see all of this, but you had to know what is coming...even if only a small taste of it."

Akane shuddered as she looked around. "Coming? You say THIS is coming?" She yelled, or wept. She couldn't be sure which.

"No, this happened six thousand years before you were born." The Queen frowned, an expression she should never have, and a tear rolled down her goddess's face. "But that is the past. The future could be ten times this bad, if He wins."

Akane said nothing, not even daring to contemplate ten times worse then what she saw. She, like all school children in her country had seen pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the bombs hit. That was all she could imagine, and it horrified her more then she could say.

"I see what you think I mean, and no. Those weapons are terrible, but still, are not as bad as Him." The Queen stood, and reached out for Akane's hand, and led her out of the room, to a garden where the flowers had not yet wilted, and the earth floated free in the sky.

Akane smiled, in spite of her self, at the lovely sight, only to scream in horror as the earth its self seemed to die. "If he defeats your generation, the earth will be like you see it, I fear." The earth burst apart, in an explosion, and disappeared.

"What.." Akane gulped, part of her mind shocked that she could have a dry throat in a nightmare. "What can I do?"

The Queen smiled. "You can help my Daughter, and her Senshi, along with those others who have been in my waters..." A flash of light and they were standing on a cliff, overlooking Jusenkyo. "And you can tell them of his threat."

"Senshi? You mean those Sailor Senshi?"

"Yes, they are not 'Urban Myths' as you think of them. They are my Daughter and her Guardians, sent fore ward to your time by my own magic, in hopes of having a peaceful life." Serenity sat on a bench, and sighed. "Ironically that act freed Him from his prison, so I suppose I doomed them to a life of strife."

Akane hugged the softly crying queen. "I'll do what I can, but I have never met them? How would I find them? And why Me, and not one of your Senshi."

"You are the only one to fall into my waters, and survive." The Queen smiled at Akane. "You will meet them. In fact you already have, but you don't know it yet. Help them."

"Can you tell me who they are?" Akane asked, and the woman opened her mouth, just in time for the dream to shatter around them.

Akane smashed the alarm clock in a rage...then wondered why she was so angry. "Oh, I had that dream again..." she said, getting up. The details already fading from her mind.

And in a place beyond death, Serenity watched her, hoping for her to remember when the time came.

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Ranma thought about asking why Akane was so quiet, but decided not to poke a sleeping lion, and continued his own thoughts. They were about the Senshi, though he didn't know that. They were taking Martial Arts lessons from him and Akane, and he had to organize their training.

'Lets see...' He thought to himself. 'Setsuna to start with, since she is the easiest.' he thought, absently wondering why she seemed so confused when they all got there, after going to Ryoga's house. It seems she was expecting them half an hour before they arrived.

He shrugged, and thought about her skills. 'As a martial artist, she is one of the best trained I have ever seen. She knows almost as many styles as I do, if not more. Her problem is she's never learned to mix them easily. She is more in need of sparring and maybe a few monitored anything goes 'Katas'. Other then that, and the fact that her ki seems to be completely instinctual in control and unfocused, she is a solid fighter. She also has the feel of experience, so all I need to do is introduce her to some problems and make her fix them.'

'Makato is another story. She has focused in one or two styles, though they mingle well, but she isn't dedicated to it. She fights like a street brawler, though a very GOOD street brawler. She needs Katas and plenty of them. She could also stand a bit of meditation and focusing exercise. As strong as her battle aura could be, she will likely figure out the basic Ki tricks on her own.'

'Rei has the Training and Dedication, but not the experience. I bet she has been in plenty of fights, but she seems to have mastered getting out of the fight quickly, for some reason. I would understand if she had a Ki blast of some sort, but her Ki, while focused and well controlled feels to...peaceful. And ain't that an odd thought for a girl who can match Akane anger for anger.'

Ranma chuckled, just glad Usagi is Rei's preferred target. 'And since I brought her up, Usagi. She is one hell of a paradox. She is very graceful when she wants to be, but she seems nervous about moving. Her Ki is remarkably focused, but is completely instinctive in its manipulation, she dodges better then most people I know, and has the same habit as Rei of getting out of the way.' Ranma frowned. 'However, she did nail Kuno and Akane both with that kick, though it has the feel of a desperation tactic, though a well practiced one. The feel of experience is in her movements, too. Confidence would boost her abilities a hundred percent I bet, so getting the girls to stop calling her clumsy would help. Maybe Minako could tell me why they call her that, since I haven't seen her do anything clumsy since I met her, outside of understandable first time mistakes.'

'And now we come to Minako. Of the Group of them she seems the most balanced. All the other girls are stronger in some way or another, but she, while not as good as the best in any area, is equally good in all areas. I think she was even starting to figure out basic Ki usage while Ryoga explained it. She is going to be the A student in the group, if she can build the strength to lift that stupid umbrella...though now that I think about it, Ryoga doesn't rely on it, and his Ki abilities are a match for mine...His control might even be better, though I definitely have more Technique. '

And with the strongest link comes thoughts of the weakest. "Ami is a nightmare. She has NO skill what so ever. She can ANALYZE a situation like I can't believe, and once she learns something will likely be great in the Anything Goes, but she is so meek, and seems afraid of getting physical. Wonder how the heck she could be related to Akane. Of course, Kasumi isn't violent, and neither is Nabiki...Maybe Akane was switched with another baby at birth.' he chuckled at his own thoughts.

'Wish I had gotten a chance to spar with Mamoru, though. I bet he's the strongest in Hand to Hand of the group, but he wasn't sure if he wanted lessons. And I still want to know how he did the thing with the roses, too. And WHY do all of these girls seem to know what they are doing in a fight, if in an amateur night sorta way?'

Ranma shrugged. 'All their good points aside, the girls ain't gonna be ready for a fight for a while...glad they aren't the type to start one.'

Can you say, "Spoke To Soon?"

_____________________________________________________________________________________

That day at lunch, the group split. The Nerima gang staked out their usual tree, while the Juuban Crew met with Setsuna on the other side of the School.

Makato was very happy, while Minako was pondering the really heavy umbrella strapped to her back like a sword. The other girls were just thinking about the night before. "Man, Setsuna, those guys are good! I don't think I could beat any of them in a fight, and Ranma could give one of us a run when we are transformed!" Makoto exclaimed. "And from the way him and Ryoga were talking, I am not so sure about taking Ryoga-Kun either."

Setsuna nodded. "Actually, I don't know that anyone other the Uranus, you, or myself could fight them in Senshi form, and if the fight went 'All out' Ranma could likely beat almost any pair of us, barring Saturn or Moon not needing to be concerned about collateral damage. I looked into the past, and that was very, VERY hard for their recent history, and I still don't understand some of what I saw"

"Like?" Usagi asked.

"Like I have seen both him and Ryoga fire their 'Ki Blasts' and both of them could likely destroy a fairly large building in one shot. I know Ranma, with help of a being called Saffron, and destroyed a good chunk of a mountain."

"Whoa..." the Senshi said in Unison.

Usagi smiled. "At least they are nice and not our enemies. Might be fun to have allies for a change!" She then frowned, though it looked sly. "You haven't told Haruka about Ranma, have you? She will be after him like he claims Ryoga is, in like a minute."

Setsuna just chuckled. "Actually, she is gunning for Kaga." At their confused looks, she explained how Kaga...introduced himself.

Makato giggled. "Is he as cute as a fox, as he is human? I mean, he looks just like my old boyfriend!"

"And is engaged to an Amazon, so don't think that thought too much." Setsuna warned with a smile. "And yes, he is a very lovely example of a fox."

"Well," Usagi said. "I guess we don't have to worry yet, but let's wait before telling them who we are a little longer. I might like allies, but I don't want to risk anyone." The other Senshi nodded, all but Setsuna looking at her with a little bit of incredulity in their eyes. "So can we go eat now?" The bun-wearing girl said, spoiling the moment of dawning respect.

Of course, if she hadn't the screams of panic would have, so that's okay.

The Senshi ran around the small shed they were talking behind to find three youma standing in the middle of the soccer field. One had apparently dug a tunnel to that point and they had appeared out of the hole. The largest of the three, looking like an evil Jell-O mold, was spraying slime over the entire Varsity and Junior Soccer teams (they had been practicing against each other)

"And I was going to eat lunch!" The blond Senshi of the moon whined, even as she raised her hand into the air. "Moon Cosmic Power!"

"Mars Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

"Venus Crystal Power!"

"Pluto Planet Power!"

Lets just say the light show was very pretty and leave it at that.

Mars spoke up first. "Okay, Venus...You and I should go for the lizard looking one. He seems to be the fastest of the group and we can snipe him, and keep him pinned down. Mercury, Sailor Moon, Try to do something to the big one, and I think Jupiter and Pluto can figure out something for digger boy." She said, having the second most powerful Tactical mind among the Senshi.

Pluto, who likely had the MOST powerful, thought this sounded like a good plan and nodded. Her and Jupiter breaking off from the rest to try and start a close in fight with the clawed digger. As crazy as this sounds, if it can tunnel as fast as they both thought, it could be a pain to fight from range, like some sort of satanic jack in the box.

Mars and Venus ran in opposite directions from each other, "Flame Sniper's" and "Love Me Chain's" flipping out at their target in a classic crossfire pattern, trying to pin him down while Mercury and Moon figured out a way to deal with the biggest, who everyone instinctively thought was the most dangerous.

Mercury had already pulled her computer out and was scanning the Jell-O Mold from hell. "Sailor Moon, he is the strongest, but he isn't very powerful for all that. All you have to do is hit him once and he should be dust." She called.

With a "Right." Sailor Moon started the spin up on her attack..."Rainbow Moon...."

If your thinking this is all going to well, you would be right. The Senshi had all their ducks in a row and could handle three second rate youma without breaking a sweat. The fact that they forgot about the slime covered students was what got them into trouble.

Two of the students dived into Pluto, knocking the Senshi of Pluto off her feet. She cursed her stupidity, having fallen for the same assumption as the others. They weren't running for safety. Like they all foolishly thought, but going after targets. Sailor Pluto flipped one of the boys off her, but at the expense of taking a couple of strong punches to the head from his partner.

Jupiter was a little better off, having seen Pluto get jumped she managed to dodge the three aiming for her, and caught one with an uppercut as he went by. He fell like a sack of potatoes, but was quickly replaced by two more, giving her a total of four. "Damn!" The green Senshi yelled, retreating up the hill, defending from their punches as well as she could.

Mars and Venus quickly changed their targeting plans, Mars hitting kids with Ofuda left and right, while Venus whipped out her 'Venus Love Me Chain' and used it to sweep the soccer players feet even as they approached, making sure to keep the magic to a low level.

Mercury tossed up an old fashioned 'Bubble Blast' and grabbed Moon on the way to the other side of the bank of fog. She almost made it safely, but for one thing.

She had forgotten about the smaller youma, and found one waiting for her outside.

This time, it was Sailor Moon who grabbed Mercury, and tossed her to her side in a feat of strength no one, including herself, would have expected. This left her open, however, and the lizards backhanded claw smacked into her stomach, cutting the Fuku and knocking her several feet away. Stunned but basically unhurt, Sailor Moon struggled back to her feet. This is where she noticed the Soccer players had caught up with all of them, and were quickly surrounding them with virtual walls of flesh, the youma content to let them do the fighting.

The monsters plan would have worked really well, too. If they had attacked somewhere other then Furinken High.

"Katchu Tenshin Ameriguiken!"

"Buksai Tenketsu!"

Suddenly Minako and Sailor Moon were not as hard pressed as they could be. Ranma had headed right for the blond girl, noticing she had drawn most of the Soccer players, and two of the Youma, while Ryoga went for Minako, since he knew who she was, and wanted to defend her.

"FOUL DAEMONS!" Kuno soon joined the fray, and whacked the Digger Youma with his boken, doing a hell of a lot more good then anyone would have expected, stunning the youma.

Of course, this wasn't the sort of fight the three martial artists were used to. Huge numbers of drones attacking in unison? Not normal fare, even for a Nerima Grade Martial Artist. Well, MOST of them anyway.

Akane rounded the building and EVERYTHING changed. She hit the crowd around Jupiter like a tsunami, and the boys went flying, all to the screams of "Stupid Perverts!" Akane was through the mess in seconds, only to hit Pluto's group just as hard. Yes, in normal circumstances, Akane was not the best fighter in Nerima any longer. In an out right grand melee brawl, however, there was NO ONE better.

Ukyo blinked and admired the cruel, senseless brutality of her sometimes friend, then launched her own attacks. Her spatulas winging into the bulbous eye of the Jell-O mold monster, the ugly creatures orb exploding as it screamed. It started healing immediately, but served as a fine distraction from its slime spraying, preventing the infection of any Martial Artists.

Sailor Moon wasn't out of the fight yet, herself, and taking the time Ranma bought her yelled "Moon Tiara Magic." For the second time in a weeks time, needing the speedier attack, launching the spinning disk at the Lizard Man, yelling in dismay when he dodged it.

"Man, I thought this day was way too quiet!" Ranma yelled, punching and kicking aside the Soccer players, not losing ground but not gaining much, either. The fact that he sounded happy bothered Moon just a bit.

Ryoga, with Minako's help, had cleared her crowd up, and was following her into Mar's crowd. Minako had told him not to, pointing out his wound, as she ran off, but he couldn't let her go alone. 'She's going to be angry with me, too.' He thought. 'Then she will dump me, before I even really get to know her, and then I will be back in the living hell that is my life....' The ever-depressed boy bellowed as he despaired. "Shi Shi Hokodan!" And the Digger Youma, which had slid behind Mars, screamed in pain as the sphere of heavy Ki hammered it. The youma would have really screamed if he knew it was smaller then usual.

Ranma smirked, having seen the attacked launched, and never one to back down from a challenge, even a self-construed one, yelled "Moko Takibasha!" The Lizard Man got to feel the pain of projected Ki as well. "What's the Matter P-chan! In too good a mood for a real blast!" The pig-tailed boy yelled across the field.

"Um, is it a good idea to insult him WHILE we are fighting?" Sailor Moon asked, cracking a soccer player on the head with her spiral heart moon rod, knocking him, well, to the moon.

"Oh, definitely...Watch!"

The fanged boy in question was glowing, anger adding to his depression. "I'LL SHOW YOU RANMA...SHI SHI HOKODAN!" He yelled, hammering the Digger youma again, knocking it back several dozen feet, and stunning it.

"THAT'S THE RYOGA I KNOW!" Ranma laughed, returning to the fight satisfied that Ryoga was pissed off enough to do his best.

"YOU ARE ALL NUTS, YOU KNOW THAT?" Moon Yelled.

Ranma just grinned.

Kaga and Hinako came running around the corner to find this scene, stopping in shock at the sight. "Holy ****" being Kagas comment.

Akane grumbled about Ranma and Ryoga showing off at a time like this, and charged into Mercury's gang, her arms a little tired, but in a satisfied way. The going was slower, this time however, and it took a few extra seconds to get to the hard pressed Senshi of Ice, who had taken a few hard blows.

"Thank you..." She said to Akane, who shrugged, and Malleted the boy who came near her.

"No problem.... Oh. Ooops."

"What?"

Akane giggled, embarrassed. "I just squished Kuno...and he was on our side. Oh well."

Mercury just blinked.

Kaga had finally shaken off his shock, and was just about to join the fray when Hinako squealed in anger, waving her little girl arms around in a fit. "Ohhhh...I hate Delinquents and I hate Monsters, but Delinquent MONSTERS I CAN NOT STAND." a five yen coin appeared in her hand "Happo Five Yen Shiatsu!"

"WAIT!" Kaga yelled, not sure that was a good idea.

The beam of Ki draining energy struck the Lizard man dead on, and he literally withered away and dusted before everyone's eyes. "Oh, well I suppose it was a good idea." Kaga said.

Then Hinako hissed, next to him. Turning he found a reptilian version of Hinako's adult form and sighed. "Yep...bad idea. I knew it the whole time." He dodged the claw strike.

Sailor Moon, with Ranma's help keeping it clear, and Ukyo keeping the Slime Monster pinned in its spot, finally got off her shot "Rainbow Moon Heart Ache!" She yelled, driving a massive spike of pure Light magical energy into the Monster. The creature screamed and exploded into so much dust and debris.

Ranma actually stopped, in the middle of the fight and yelled "THAT'S WHAT YOU CALL AN ATTACK?" Then pausing, and looking at the crater he decided, MAYBE she could call it whatever she wanted. 'After all,' He thought 'I keep yelling about chestnuts burning...'

Kaga managed to dodge another swipe, the claw hitting the wall and some sort of control panel resting on it. "Okay, don't want that to hit." He muttered, absently wondering what the controls were for.

When the sprinklers kicked on EVERYONE got to find out, and Kaga-fox realized he was in serious trouble...and couldn't curse about it.

P-chan, aka Ryoga was just thankful Akane was facing the other direction as he began pulling his patented Pin Ball Pig Attack, actually doing more to clear away the soccer players fighting Mars then he had as a human.

Ranma-chan, however, just grinned. "Hey, this could work!" She yelled as she doubled the speed of beat down she gave the soccer team. Sailor Moon just watched this with a soft "wow" of awe.

Setsuna turned to scan the field of battle, noting Jupiter at a hole, gesturing wildly. "Oh hell, The Digger got away! Mercury, can you track it?"

"Got it, I am on it." The blue haired Senshi yelled as she chased off after the subterranean threat, Akane following her, instinctively. Jupiter and Mars (Now free thanks to P-chan) soon on their heels.

Pluto would have followed except the woman who had absorbed the Lizard beast had Kaga in hand, and seemed to be planning to eat the fox, even as it was gnawing on her wrist. Sighing she yelled, "The rest of you follow that one, Sailor Moon, help me with HER!"

"Right." And the bulk of the Nerima wrecking crew and Sailor Senshi were soon on their way to cause some mass property damage.

Pluto charged in and delivered a vicious staff combo on the Lizard Teacher, knocking her away from the fox, grabbing him and jumping away. "NOW SAILOR MOON." The words not even all the way out as the "Moon Healing Escalation " hit As the girls magical healing attack hit Hinako, purifying her body and returning her to childlike innocence...or at least form.

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"He's coming up over there!" Mercury shouted, pointing to a corner of the intersection the small army of Super Humans had come to.

Ranma just smirked, while Minako frowned, holding P-chan. Akane was still oblivious to the pigs being there, as the water main Mercury HADN'T noticed burst, sending streams of high pressure water right into the crowd of Senshi and Martial artists.

Most of them were knocked off their feet right away, but Ukyo was a little farther back then the rest and saw a shot. She took the shot.

The Youma screamed in rage as the spatula spun into its hide. It wasn't hurt much, but it still stung, so it charged the chef, tackling her.
"Oh HELL!" Ukyo screamed, drawing two small spatulas from her bandolier, not having time or room for the Mega-spatula on her back. She was barely able to keep the claws off of her.

"UCCHAN!" Ranma yelled, and he charged the beast. "Katchu Tenshin Ameriguiken!" And with a hundred small sonic booms he pounded the monster off his old friend and into a wall. Then he hissed in pain as one of it's claws found his shoulder, ripping furrows of blood thought he yellow silk shirt he was wearing.

Ranma and Ukyo jumped back as the monster slid out of the hole it had made in the wall, but this doesn't mean it got a break, Not when the call of "Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!" Was called out from the roof above, from Tuxedo Mask. "Venus Crescent Beam" "Jupiter Oak Evolution" and "Mars Flame Sniper!" Soon followed.

The Monster disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Well, that was different." Ranma said, out loud.

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The Nerima gang came trooping back to school, sans Senshi who had thanked them and then jumped away (With the still un-noticed P-chan, since Minako wouldn't let him go.) and came back to find Kaga-Fox sitting next to his clothes. The Juuban girls soon walked around the corner, looking around as if they didn't know what had happened, though Ryoga in tow should have been a clue.

Of course, your average Nerima Martial Artist wasn't all that quick on the subtle clues, so no one commented. Ukyo just assumed he got lost in the chase and found Minako by some dumb luck.

Setsuna walked over to the Fox, which no one else had noticed change (At least in their civilian ID) and clucked her tongue. "Kaga, how dare you run around the school naked like that?" She said, the girls giggling around her.

"Wait, that's Mr. Kaga?" Ranma asked, not having been told he was a Jusenkyo victim, too. The Fox nodded at the red haired girl, looking sheepish.

"And where is Ms. Hinako? I thought she was with you?" Setsuna smirked. "Something about you giving her a lollypop?" The fox gave the Green Haired Woman a dark look. She just giggled. "Let's get you to the teachers lounge. Oh, and you all missed it, the Principal told everyone to go home, since there was a Monster attack."

She didn't say this verbatim since the Principle had added "if'n you'se all are the sissy boys and scardey girls..." She figured it didn't matter since the school had cleared out in second's after that. Setsuna did find the fact that none of the student's seemed BOTHERED by a monster attack a little disconcerting.

The fox just snarled at her, not able to say Nabiki had carried the girl to the infirmary. Setsuna picked him up and started for the Teachers Lounge. "See you all tonight, at our lesson." Setsuna called over her shoulder.

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At the hospital, the conversation a half-hour later wasn't so pleasant, though none of the Senshi or Nerima Wrecking Crew could know that.

"I am sorry, ma'am. When that creature hit him going through the sewers, he hit a pipe sticking out of the wall. It seems to have caused him permanent brain damage, akin to a lobotomy. I am so very sorry." The doctor said, speaking to a weeping wife. Her husband is, or was, a sewer worker. He had been in the wrong place at a very wrong time.

"But...isn't there anything you can do?"

No, but I can, woman. The dark emperor said with an evil, disembodied laugh. The laugh didn't stay disembodied as the Dark King took over the brain dead mans body, healing the damage, but shredding the remains of his mind in the process, sending his soul on to whatever next life he had waiting.

The Doctor and wife both gasped as the man got up, now visibly unharmed. "Thank you, doctor, but I don't think you know what you were talking about." The Evil Man said, touching him on the hand lightly, and pumping dark energies into him, making him forget what he was seeing, or more accurately planting the need to destroy all evidence of it and forget about the events of this mans case. The double purpose of priming his heart to explode in about an hour was a secondary pleasure.

Looking over the dead mans wife, he nodded to himself, reveling in that simple feeling. 'She is not unattractive, and I will need an heir when my empire is rebuilt. She will do for a consort, for now.'

"Come wife, let us go home." He said, His eyes glowing black for a moment. He smiled, thinking there were other, feelings, he wished to enjoy. She never noticed the glowing golden Moon on his forehead...or the symbol of Pluto nestled in the curve.

AN: And now the beast is loose, so to speak. Things are really going to heat up now. I also know that, apparently, the tools needed for sailor moons Healing attack was supposedly destroyed. To be honest she is going to need it, and I see no reason why they couldn't have fixed the rod, or found another way to do the attack by now.

And please, Remember to Read and Review.