That brief yet familiar wave of weightlessness seizes Yumi as her vision fills with white. It's a bizarre sensation, but it's one that she's accustomed too. That, and after various occasions of improper transfers, it's more a relief than anything else.
Automatically, she bends her knees as her feet strike the ground, extending a hand in front of her to keep herself from pitching forward. Her eyes snap open just in time to see Odd and Aelita drop down in front of her. The lavender platforms of the mountain sector loom before them, the distant spires of inactive towers fading off into the distance.
She straightens, and as they do as well, she speaks firmly, "Let's not waste any time."
There isn't any protest to that. When Yumi takes off towards the activated tower, the other two follow in her footsteps, Odd quickly overtaking her with his cat-like gait.
As anticipated thanks to Jeremie's hurried warning, their welcoming committee comes into view. From behind a rugged rock formation blocking their path of travel, two Megatanks roll forward. One screeches to a halt and exposes its vulnerable core, red sparks flashing around its center as it begins to build up energy, as the other swiftens its speed and barrels towards them.
Exchanging a nod with Odd and Aelita, the three scatter; the Megatank takes a wide turn to pursue Odd. A glance over her shoulder shows Yumi that he's easily keeping a fair distance between them, as he's long been dropped onto all fours for the quick escape. Even so, the Megatank is closing the distance fast, but any caution that Yumi wishes to deliver gets cut short by the tell-tale pause of the other Megatank's charging.
As her attention snaps over to the Megatank, she calls, "Aelita! Get down!" Its core is positioned directly at Aelita, and Yumi's hand immediately darts to the fan folded at her side. Aelita doesn't even look as she dives blindly forward, hitting the deck just as the wall of crimson light lashes out from the divided Megatank.
Once the energy recedes, Yumi, with her signature battle cry, casts the fan and arcs it straight towards its core. The blazing scar of light left on the target symbol signifies a successful hit, and the prompt explosion of the creature afterwards draws a triumphant, "Yes!" and a fist pump from the geisha.
With that done, she rushes over to ensure Aelita's wellbeing, angling her head to the side a tad to check on Odd's progress. The ominous rumble of the other Megatank's rolling had yet to come to a halt, and as expected, she finds Odd leading it in a random pattern of zigzags and circles.
"Okay, okay, Eleanor, I get it, you don't like me!" he cries, exasperation evident in his tone. Apparently tiring of the game of cat and mouse, he lunges for the boulder from which the Megatank had revealed itself and scales it in a quick pull-up motion with his claws. As he reaches the top, the Megatank opens itself up and begins to draw in energy.
"Take this!" Loading his wrist, Odd takes aim and fires a laser arrow. It bounces off of the metallic shell of the monster, missing its target by a wide berth. With a yelp, he leaps to the side as the Megatank fires its charge, his feet skidding perilously close to the edge of his perch.
For a moment, as she helps Aelita to her feet, Yumi considers diving into the fray, but Aelita gestures frantically in the direction of the activated tower. "We don't have time for this!"
Torn for only a second, Yumi nods her assent and takes off, Aelita's footsteps sounding off the ground in her wake. She looks behind her one last time to check on Odd before he can disappear from view, and she just barely catches him launching himself off the rock towards the Megatank with his wrist ready to fire.
As they turn the corner onto a narrower path, the tower encapsulated in a menacing, scarlet aura approaching, an explosion behind her signifies a successful assault. Odd's exclamation of, "Some girls never learn when to quit!" only proves the victory further.
Yumi's almost surprised when the rest of the journey to the tower remains uneventful. She was almost certain that a squadron of hornets would assail them in their endeavors.
Even so, as Aelita sets a hand on the base of the tower and eases her way into it, there's nothing. Yumi lingers warily outside, eyes scanning the terrain.
Odd races down the path after them, uncontested. It's too easy, isn't it?
"Jeremie?" Yumi knows that if anything were wrong, he'd be the first to let them know, but she can't help but seek reassurance at this point.
There's no response. Her worry shoots up to the roof.
But behind her, the tower's aura shifts from red to blue.