AN: I do not own Touhou Project, it belongs to Team Shanghai Alice, aka ZUN.
Since I have yet to receive any replies to literally ANYTHING at the time of writing this, I am going with the fighting game style combat, in order words, unless the plot demands it, there will not be large scale spell card fights… and since this is the chapter involving Yukari, expect trains.
Without further ado, let the gates open.
Prefectus Cerasis Blossom
(Perfect Cherry Blossom)
(Phantasm Stage!)
(Stage Start!)
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Not only does the PCB arc have only THREE STAGES, but it ALSO SKIPS THE EXTRA STAGE?!
WildMath55: That's even worse than EoSD, I have to admit. Plus one from me.
Sin Count: 270
Sue Cirno Count: 36 (unchanged)
Percival Count: 6 (unchanged)
Back at the Scarlet Devil Mansion everyone from the team who had participated in the incident, the snow having melted around the mansion and the forest and the misty lake slowly unfreezing.
Marisa blinking a few times as she looked around, seeing she was in the library in the Scarlet Devil mansion. Reimu had been sat in a chair, still knocked out while Meiling was standing next to her and Alice, Sakuya sitting in a chair while Remilia and Patchouli were unfazed by their sudden appearance.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Reimu is still knocked out? What a joke.
WildMath55: I imagine H-Reimu will be disappointed in her FI counterpart. Very, even.
Sin Count: 271
Sue Cirno Count: 36 (unchanged)
Percival Count: 6 (unchanged)
"I take it your mission was a success." Patchouli said, no looking up from her book as Remilia had focusing on a black board, and messing with chalk, trying and failing to draw something, only managing to make stick figures and arrows.
"You could say that, we beat the crud out of some ghosts, blasted a team and I guess that's that." Marisa said, taking a seat. Alice rolled her eyes and stood next to a shelf as Meiling sat down, nursing some of the cuts she had received during her bout with Youmu.
For the next few minutes, all was silent, save Reimu starting to snore and Remilia scratching on the chalk board, so a sudden yelping and the sounds of panic from fairies and Koakuma drew attention since Marisa wasn't the one causing it.
"Is that Cirno? Or Flandre?" Marisa asked, not letting the sounds of screams and explosions get to her as she waited for one of the two to show up. "I don't think it's either I can't hear any Kyus or Cirno yelling." Remilia said, to which everyone suddenly got a bit worried.
"I'll go see what it is, come on Sakuya." Meiling said, walking away with Sakuya following her. For the next few minutes the explosions continued, and everyone paid them no heed… until Sakuya was suddenly sent flying into a bookcase, nearly hitting Patchouli.
"What the heck was that!" Marisa shouted, Reimu suddenly waking up from the noise. "Wa happened?" Reimu mumbled quietly before seeing she wan in the library, and hearing the sounds of explosions, decided not to ask. Meiling suddenly skid into the meeting area, having been sent backwards by a tremendous force, everyone turning towards the source… and Marisa and Alice gawking at seeing the Cat girl from earlier standing there, her hand glowing with power.
"Isn't that the girl that was attacking you from earlier?" Marisa asked Alice, the dollmaker nodding. "I swear she was not this powerful, considering we drove her back with ease." Marisa said, not noticing the glazed over look on Chen's face.
"Something's not right, look at her face, it's like she's being controlled or something." Alice said, everyone observing the girl, who despite being threatening had yet to make any moves. "You are smarter then you appear Daughter of Makai." Someone said, prompting everyone, even Reimu to look at the dark area behind Chen, hearing foot steps.
Chen moved over, allowing the mysterious person to show herself, her white hat, which was clearly hiding ears given her nine tails behind her. The White and Blue trimmed dress see was wavering along with her yellow hair showing a clear picture that everyone took in. "Who the heck are you?" Marisa was the first to act, recovering her wits as Reimu turned around, looking at Ran from her chair.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: This is NOT how empowering a Shikigami works! The master does NOT turn her Shikigami into a mindless puppet to power her up. The Shikigami is STILL lucid while powered up!
WildMath55: I concur. Pretty sure that is how possession works instead.
Sin Count: 274
Sue Cirno Count: 36 (unchanged)
Percival Count: 6 (unchanged)
"Ran what are you doing here. It's winter and we just solved an incident, don't you have something more important to be doing for Yukari or something?" Reimu asked nonchalantly, everyone baring Ran turning around to gawk at Reimu.
"Wait you know her?" Alice asked, pointing at Ran, who clearly wasn't happy. "I've worked with her when Yukari doesn't have the time or is just to lazy to visit, now what are you doing here Ran?" Reimu responded, then asked.
"I'm mainly hear because SOMEONE nearly blew up Chen, I don't take kindly to someone who tries to blow up people I care about." Ran spat, her anger mainly focused at Marisa and Alice, who's eyes quickly went blank as they realized just how badly they had screwed up.
"Please don't do this in the library, it gets enough usage out of Cirno and Flandre constantly fighting in here, and Marisa's theft attempts." Patchouli said, going back to her book as she tried to avoid the situation. "That can be fixed." Ran said, a gap opening under Alice and Marisa, who didn't have time to fly as they fell through, Ran and Chen falling into another gap, leaving the group alone.
"Think they will be fine?" Meiling asked as Sakuya got up and rubbed her head. "They'll be fine, at worst Ran will just rough them up a bit for hurting Chen, hopefully…" Reimu said, sounding a little bit worried.
"What is worse then that?" Patchouli asked, wondering what had Reimu so worried, since she never sounded worried. "Yukari getting involved." That quickly shut up everyone in the room who had encountered Yukari before, that being Meiling, Remilia, Sakuya, and Reimu.
"However that is I hope it doesn't come to that if you are so worried." Patchouli deadpanned. "You really need to get a crash course on just who Yukari IS." Reimu said, sounding more serious then she had anything Patchouli had seen her.
Marisa and Alice floated back to back in the pocket dimension Ran had dropped them into, Marisa without her broom as Alice took stock of her dolls quickly as Chen and Ran showed up. "I assume you understand why you are here?" Ran asked, cocking her head at the two girls.
"For one, she attacked me first." Alice said, referring to Chen, the glazed over look on the nekomata's face not faltering. Ran looked at her for a moment before releasing her hold on Chen, the little shikigami shaking her head as her own will returned to her. "What happened, nya?" Chen asked, slightly confused as Ran looked at her.
"Chen did you attack someone, and then coming crying to me because you lost?" Ran asked, Chen sweating bullets in an instant as she tapped her fingers together, not meeting Ran's gaze. "Maybe…" Chen muttered, Ran closing her eyes and sighing.
"Well there you have it, this is all one big misunderstanding, WOAH!" Marisa started, and then suddenly had to duck as Ran threw a large orb of Danamaku at her. "You still hurt Chen, so don't think your off the hook, at the very least, I shall give you a fair fight." Ran said, taking control of Chen again as they floated next to each other, Marisa and Alice going back to back.
BGM: PCB Ran's Theme: A Maiden's Illusionary Funeral ~ Necro-Fantasy
The fight started with Chen spinning in midair, Ran giving her a solid push forward as Chen started spraying danamaku while she was spinning. Marisa yelped and ducked as Chen pasted over her, throwing a potion bottle at the spinning Chen, the bottle going wide as Chen circled around with her spinning, coming back for another dive bomb on Marisa. Alice saw this and threw a doll in front of Marisa, the doll holding a lance and charging, catching her side while she was spinning and sending the nekomata spiraling.
Ran followed up by dashing forward as Marisa, who as she was without a weapon forced to dodge ran's strikes. "This is not fair!" She cried as she pulled a bottle out of her pocket and shoved it into Ran's face, the kitsune having a few seconds as Marisa sped away to go wide eyed as the bottle exploded, sending her back a little bit.
Chen got up and siding up next to Ran the kitsune and nekomata choosing to fire off some danamaku before speeding at the duo, Alice throwing out an array of dolls that firing collectively on the two, Ran dodging as Chen got hit among the spray of bullets.
Marisa had backed off behind Alice and had pulled out her Hakkero, charging it up as Chen charged at Alice, the dollmaker magician dodging as Marisa shoved the Hakkero in Chen's face. Despite her glazed over look, Chen looked surprised for a moment as she was sent flying by the point blank Master Spark, getting back up as Ran teleported behind Marisa, kicking her hard and sending her flying, before teleporting to Marisa destination and hitting her with her tails, sending Marisa into a downward spiral in the infinite pocket space.
Marisa caught herself as Alice directed her squad of dolls at Chen, the small dolls pulling out large lances from somewhere and flying at the nekomata. The catgirl flew away from the pursuing dolls, turning around to fire danamaku at them, sending the dolls retreating back to Alice as she turned around once more, a doll in front of her glowing red. Chen only had enough time to pull her arms up as the doll exploded, sending her flying at Ran, who caught her.
Marisa had decided to get creative and pointed her Hakkero down, firing off a weak Master Spark to propel herself skyward, at Ran and Chen. The two did not have the time to get away as Marisa smashed into them, propelling past them with the Master spark behind her scorching the two, practically disintegrating Ran's hat and Chen's hat.
Chen glared at the laughing magician, having Chen spin again and sending her after Marisa as Ran turned to Alice, the dollmaker having set up a new array of dolls, smirking at Ran. Ran ran calculations in her head as to what Alice could be up to as a small click was heard beside her, a second explosive doll going off behind her, propelling her at Alice.
Alice kicked Ran high, sending her into the doll above her and that dolls sent her flying at the other doll, trapping Ran in perpetual motion as Alice threw out more dolls. Ran stopped herself quickly, blasting the four dolls as Alice came up from behind her, sending out a small army of dolls at once with lances, ripping the back of Ran's clothing as she was sent spiraling.
"For all the power you seem to have, your not exactly putting up a good fight." Alice said, looking at Ran smugly as her veritable army of dolls floated behind her. "A Skikigami is weaker, when they are not following orders." Ran said, floating back up to Alice's level glaring at her. "Then get your boss, you wanted to challenge us, and I am not afraid." As a large explosion went off behind Alice, loud laughter coming from behind her as Ran looked wide eyed behind Alice, she smirked. "And I doubt Marisa is scared either, despite you depriving her of her main weapon."
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: I don't see how Marisa is deprived of her main weapon. The dialogue doesn't even match the story. This fight makes it clear that the Hakkero is her main weapon.
WildMath55: Once again, inconsistency.
Sin count: 275
Sue Cirno Count: 36 (unchanged)
Percival Count: 6 (unchanged)
Ran glared at Alice before teleporting away, leaving Alice alone with Marisa, who was dragging the knocked out Chen behind here. "Any idea how to get out of here?" Marisa asked, holding up Chen by her collar, the nekomata sticking her tongue out despite being knocked out.
"I assume we will have to win the next round, that Ran person when to go get her boss." Alice said, not scared in the slightest. "And who would that be?" Marisa asked.
"Yukari is WHAT!" Patchouli shouted uncharacteristically after Reimu's crash course. Not surprising as Yukari legitimately had her scarred, and knowing Marisa's tendency to get in over her head, things could quickly go wrong for her and Alice.
"Like I said, she's basically Gensokyo's creator, and kinda my boss. And she's so powerful because of her ability to manipulate boundaries, that her skihigami, has a shikigami." Reimu said, completely serious. "I'm guessing that Ran is the first skikigami and Chen is the second one." Patchouli asked, Reimu nodding.
"So basically, Marisa and Alice are screwed..." Meiling said, more of a statement then a question. "More then likely yes, but they'll be alive… I hope." Reimu said.
"Ran… do you mind explaining to me, why you woke me up and more importantly, why you fought someone like Shiki's daughter, AND Marisa both at once, despite knowing just how powerful they are." Yukari said, sitting on her bed, glaring at Ran, who was looking down at the floor.
"They hurt Chen." Ran gave, simple and to the point, Yukari not happy with her. "We'll be talking about this later, but for now, we have to deal with those two, and I expect you to follow orders this time, got it." Yukari said as Ran gained the same glazed over look Chen had.
"Yes Lady Yukari." Ran said as Yukari got up, pulling her Parasol out of a gap and quickly putting on a purple one piece and her hat, gapping herself and Ran into the pocket dimension Alice and Marisa were in.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Say...why shove Sakuya and Reimu out of the Phantasm Stage? They could help. And Reimu could have a nice banter with Yukari. God knows these two need to talk some more.
Omega E The Reader: Something tells me Marisa & Alice are his favorites…and I hate it.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Me too.
WildMath55: Me three.
Yasei Sugaku: Me four.
H-Reimu Hakurei: Make it five.
Omega E The Reader and Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: WildMath!
WildMath55: Ehehe... Sorry, Omega E, OverLord.
Sin Count: 280
Sue Cirno Count: 36 (unchanged)
Percival Count: 6 (unchanged)
BGM:
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Did the author really try to use a link?
Omega E the Reader: Yeah and we don't really know what theme song it is. I prefer to just put the theme song's name in there, and have people look it up and then play it while reading my stories.
WildMath55: Definitely. I see Xover did the same thing like you, Omega E.
Sin Count: 281
Sue Cirno Count: 36 (unchanged)
Percival Count: 6 (unchanged)
Marisa was slapping Chen, the cat girl meowing as Alice and Marisa glared at her. "What do you mean you can't get us out!" Marisa shouted in Chen's face, the three of them currently stuck in the little pocket dimension. "Lady Ran hasn't taught me how to work with gaps yet, nya." Chen said, Alice and Marisa just continuing to glare at her before dropping her, the cat girl floating while rubbing her cheek as Yukari and Ran teleported in.
"So the boss lady shows herself, come on bring it on, we got things to do!" Marisa said, enthusiastic about getting started, Alice smirking a bit as well. Yukari frowned a bit before giving a smug grin. "So you really want to fight me? So be it, but might I ask something before we get started?" Yukari asked. "Name's Marisa Kirisame lady, the ordinary magician!" Marisa said, with more pride then she should have. "Ordinary magician, then how would someone so ordinary beat my Shikigami?" Yukari asked as a rhetorical question, she already knew, not they they knew.
"It's just her moniker, Alice Matrigold, the seven colored puppeteer." Alice said, rolling chuckling a bit as Marisa pouted. 'Honestly these two, you'd think they were an old married couple.' Yukari thought, trying to avoid rolling her eyes at the duo. "I hope you are ready, for my great Phantasm!" Yukari said as both sides took position.
Ran got in position in front of Yukari, spinning in a similar manner to Chen before her as Yukari batter her with her parasol, Ran shooting more danamaku, focused on Alice instead of Marisa. The dollmaker magician dodged to the side, as Marisa fired off a magic missile in ran's flight path, Ran stopping before colliding with it, the missile flying right past her.
Ran floated opposite of Yukari, the two firing off a barrier of danamaku, Chen having recovered and joining the fight, firing down the center at the trapped duo. Marisa and Alice going back to back, faced with their three opponents. "This is far from fair…" Marisa complained. "Then let's uneven the odds." Alice said, smirking as she threw out Shanghai, the semi-sentient doll going after Chen with a sword far to large for her, the nekomata and the doll engaging in combat. But Alice didn't stop with just Shanghai, sending out a myriad of dolls to assist her and Marisa, each of them armed with a different weapon, from swords to lances, to bows and one even had what appeared to be a musket. The dolls went after Ran, forcing the shikigami to fly off as the army of dolls attacked her, leaving Yukari alone against Marisa and Alice.
"Now that's just unfair." Yukari pouted, sitting on a gap… somehow. "Hey your shikigami started it first, it's only fair that I be allowed to do so." Alice retorted. "Is anything really fair when fighting me, after all with the snap of a finger." Yukari said, snapping her finger, Alice and Marisa suddenly feeling very weak and vulnerable. "I can manipulate the boundaries of strength and weakness… starting with you." Yukari said, opening a gap in front of her, several sign posts flying out of it.
Marisa and Alice tried to dodge, but cureently to weak to get away far enough, Marisa getting slammed in the stomach by one of the sign posts as Alice tried to put up a trio of dolls to erect a barrier, her eyes going wide as the dolls floated lifelessly in the abyss, resulting in her getting smacked in the side by a sign post.
Ran and Chen floated next to Yukari, with Alice's magic gone most of her dolls now lifeless, only Shanghai clinging to what little magic Alice had to stay active, floating back to her owner. "What… What are you?" Marisa asked, genuinely scared. As Alice held Shanghai close, the little doll even holding fear in it's own eyes.
Yukari spun her parasol, and cocked her head as she opened it above her, looking at her victims. "I am Yukari Yakumo, the Youkai of boundaries, and the creator of Gensokyo, and the one who maintains the great Hakurei barrier, as well as the one who started your little friend Reimu on her path." Yukari said, letting the fear and implications sink into the two helpless girls in front of her.
"By Kami… we're screwed." Marisa let out… a far cry from her usual boisterous self. Alice was to scared for words, only clinging to Shanghai harder as the little doll tried to do something other then be useless, it's emotionless face betraying its inner thoughts and threats at Yukari for scaring her creator.
"But I will let you go if you can beat me in a duel, after all, you are two of Gensokyo's strongest? Are you not?" Yukari stated, snapping her fingers and returning Marisa and Alice to their former strength. But the fear did not leave them at what Yukari had just done. How powerful a force they had screwed with.
"This is bad… we need a plan." Marisa said quickly, so low only Alice could hear her, or so she thought as Ran caught the conversation with her ears, her mind transmitting their plan to Yukari. "All I got is trap and spark… think we can handle that?"
"At this point, no, but its all we have." Alice mumbled to Marisa, the two of them getting into position as Shanghai floated next to Alice, holding her large sword and waving it threateningly at Yukari, who cocked her head at the semi-sentient doll's antics. 'To think her goal has been to create a sentient doll, and already this one is slowly becoming just that, should be interesting in the future.' Yukari thought looking at Shanghai with interest.
Omega E The Reader: So what do I think of this fight…
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: I think Reimu and Sakuya's help would be more than welcome.
Omega E The Reader: I can agree on that matter.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Now would especially be a good time for them to intervene. But since we all know that won't happen...
WildMath55: That sucks. Once we got Percival +3, OverLord, Yasei-kun and H-Reimu will join this EWW.
Sin Count: 283
Sue Cirno Count: 36 (unchanged)
Percival Count: 6 (unchanged)
BGM:
Omega E The Reader: And yet another usage of a link.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: When will the author learn?
Sin Count: 284
Sue Cirno Count: 36 (unchanged)
Percival Count: 6 (unchanged)
Chen and Ran charged at Alice and Marisa, Yukari standing behind them unmoving. Marisa and Alice throwing danamaku at the two shikigami, but the simple shots were dodged as they kept coming. Shanghai flew in front of Alice and Marisa, swinging her sword suddenly at Chen, knocking her off course as the doll engaged her, leaving Ran alone to face the duo.
Alice threw out several dolls with shields, blocking the charging shikigami from getting at the two girls, Marisa throwing a potion bottle over the small wall, it exploding next to Ran, knocking her into the shield wall as it broke away, Marisa charging forward and kicking Ran in the face, sending her sprawling as Alice send the dolls after Ran, to try and pin her down from all sides.
Ran got up before the dolls could get to her and snapped off some quick spells at the dolls, her eyes widening even in her controlled state as the dolls turned red and sped towards her, exploding and knocking Ran out from the massive blast.
Yukari frowned as she witnessed this… this wasn't what they had planned, did they have a backup or were they just that in sync. 'I guess old friendships do last long.' Yukari thought as Chen was thrown across her vision, Shanghai chasing after the B.N.C (ballistic nekomata Chen).
Alice and Marisa now only had Yukari to deal with, and even they seemed to know she could beat them in an instant. But where was the fun in that. Opening a gap behind her it closed on Yukari, effectively making her disappear as Alice and Marisa went back to back, scanning the area for wherever she could have gone.
Yukari appeared underneath them opening a gap to her 'other' pocket dimension, where she kept her stuff, a large train shooting out of it and making a really loud horn sound. Alice and Marisa when wide eyed and looked down as they saw the train shooting up at them, dodging out of the way as a gap opened after they dodged, the train coming from a different gap that kept in the same lane they were in.
For the next few minutes Marisa and Alice would play 'dodge the oncoming train' as Yukari watched with amusement as the two of them kept panicking and dodging the train. Yukari deciding to be a bigger troll, adding in a second train for them to try and dodge, both of the girls panicking at the two oncoming trains.
While Marisa and Alice kept dodging the trains Shanghai was fighting Chen, but to call it a battle was nothing, as without Ran giving her orders and Yukari busy, Chen was as weak as when she had first attacked Alice, the semi-sentient doll easily pummeling the nekomata. To call it a battle was insulting as Chen had curled up into a ball as Shanghai floated above her head, kicking Chen. 'Bad kitty.' Was what Shanghai thought repeatedly at Chen, continuing to kick her into submission.
Marisa and Alice had finally had enough, Mairsa pulling out her Mini-Hakkero and charring it as she dodged, flying next to Alice as she flashed the Hakkero at her. Alice nodding as she recalled Shanghai, the doll had finally stopped kicking the unconscious Chen and floating in front of Marisa as several dolls flew behind her.
"Try this on for size lady! DOLL PRISM SPARK!" Marisa shouted, finding courage as she fired into Shanghai's back, the little doll splitting the master spark into four beams of light once more, splitting them between the supporting dolls as they instead surrounded Marisa, facing outwards on four sizes, each of them firing a weaker master spark in a different color of red, green, blue and yellow, the sparks ripping the trains in half midflight, as the one in front of Marisa fired at Yukari, the gap Youkai frowning and opened a gap behind her, swallowing her as the spark past over her location.
Omega E The Reader: Now then. What do I make of this new move, Doll Prism Spark?
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: It took two chapters to name it. And there is still no sign of combos between Marisa and Reimu.
Omega E The Reader: More on that. I actually like the concept of a combo move and I think those combo moves exist in Touhou.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Such a shame that the author doesn't go much further than Marisa with Cirno or Marisa with Alice.
WildMath55: Heck, I actually adopt the combo of Reimu and Marisa in Fantasy Maiden Wars series, especially Trichromatic Lotus Butterfly and its Shin/True variant (in which both of them go all-out and blast their opponent with multiple spell cards, declared in succession!)
Sin Count: 299
Sue Cirno Count: 36 (unchanged)
Percival Count: 6 (unchanged)
Marisa and Alice panted as they heard a slow clapping behind them, a chill going down their spine as they turned around, seeing Yukari sitting on a gap behind them. "Bravo… I'd expect nothing less then that from the Daughter of Makai and the Evil apprentice." Yukari said in sarcasm, referencing Marisa and Yukari's lives before the spellcard system.
Yukari turned serious for a moment before addressing the two. "If you have used that on anyone else, they would have lost… which you did on my friend Yuyuko." Yukari said, Alice and Marisa going completely white eyed as they feared for their lives. "But you won, so I'll let you out, but word of advice, don't mess with me or my Shikigami again, or try to harm Reimu." Yukari said, Marisa and Alice nodding extremely fast as Yukari gapped them out of the pocket dimension, leaving her alone with two broken trains, two knocked out shikigami, and doll parts, Yukari sighing as she gapped away back home with Ran and Chen, she would need to get some new trains later.
End BGM
Marisa and Alice fell into not the library, but into Vaati's shack, the poor teen only having a few moments to gasp as the two girls landed on him, Cirno having a brief moment of panic as the inside of the shack froze a bit more then usual, dropping the temperature to very low.
"Nice of you to drop in…" Vaati coughed out as he past out from the pain of the two landing on his back. Marisa and Alice panicking a bit as they got off him, Cirno also panicking even more as they checked him over.
Both of them sighed as they felt his back wasn't any worse then usual… not knowing that was because he couldn't feel it much anymore. Getting Cirno to calm down was another matter.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Why did Yukari gap them in the shack?
Omega E The Reader: I literally have no idea.
WildMath55: ... I don't think this is Mayohiga, either...
Sin Count: 300
Sue Cirno Count: 36 (unchanged)
Percival Count: 6 (unchanged)
When Alice and Marisa retuned to the Mansion with the knocked out Vaati in tow, they would never express their newfound fear of Yukari, thankfully no one pressed them on it.
AN: Welp that was a thing. I told you there would be trains, notice the plural. Also Digital cookie to a guest who guessed the answer was Kamina from Gurren Lagann who was in the 'Art of hot-blooded-ness' book. Next up is the IaMP arc, which will be longer, and more actioned filled. And what's this? And new challenger besides Cirno? You'll find out who later.