Kirika and Shirabe were both smiling, as they looked at the repaired pendants around their necks. "The Igalima and Shul Shagana have been repaired and upgraded (dess)!"
Elfnein nodded. "I improved their capabilities and installed the Ignite Module. And of course..."
"The Airgetlám has been restored too." Maria finished.
"Rather than repair it, I installed a whole new converter." Elfnein said, handing the pendant to her. "I added a neural pass-through, so you should be able to use it."
"I can wield Serena's legacy once again…" Maria said. "I want to use this light to make myself stronger."
"Oh, and these are for you." Elfnein added, turning to Rui, Maia and Shuri. "I've taken the liberty of fitting your transformation Proto-Gears to be akin to the pendants that the Symphogear-users normally wear." Elfnein said, handing their Proto-Gears back.
"Whoa, nice and stylish." Maia commented, as she slipped on hers. "Heh, now we all really match as twins."
"Now that you've acquired these new powers, it's time for a special training session." Genjuro said.
"Special training?" All the girls asked. Chris had a look of dread, while Hibiki and Shuri looked pumped up.
"In preparation for your next battle with the Autoscorers, it is imperative that you master using the improved Symphogear and the Ignite Module." Genjuro said. "We also need to pick up some research data from the heretical technology lab near Tsukuba. You should take this opportunity to steel your bodies and souls."
"I'm up for special training anytime!" Hibiki said, excited.
"We won't let you down, Shisho!" Shuri agreed, equally excited.
Maia had a look of curiosity on her face. "Wait, Tsukuba… that would be…" The older Kazanari's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas. "Uncle, do you mean…?"
Genjuro nodded. "That special training program."
"Are you serious?" Maia asked, smile widening.
"I am always serious."
"Ha ha ha ha! Yes, YES!" Maia shouted to the heavens, practically shaking SONG HQ with her voice. "I've been waiting so long for this!"
As Maia manically cackled, many of the girls were suddenly dreading what this special training was, if it caused Maia Kazanari to lose what they presumed was the last of her sanity and class.
The FIS trio had arrived at the "training grounds" before the others, and were setting up. Well, Kirika and Shirabe were.
Maria was reflecting on the actions she took until this point of her life. Everything that happened from the night she falsely announced herself as Finé, up to Hibiki taking the Gungnir for herself.
I want to be strong… I want the power to stand against the whims of fate and the enemies I face. I've fought for that power for so long.
"Hey, Maria!" Shirabe called.
"What are you doing, dess?" Kirika asked, holding a beach umbrella.
And my quest to find that power… She took off her sunglasses, looking at the beautiful beach before her. Has led me here!
(Insert Hadaka ni Natte… Natsu by Yoko Hikasa)
"Well, you three got here fast."
They turned to see Maia walk up to them, grinning.
"We thought we could help by setting things up, dess!" Kirika said.
"But Maria didn't help much…" Shirabe muttered.
"Ah, sorry about that!" Maria apologized.
Maia looked at the three long and hard, looking up and down.
"What are you doing?" Shirabe asked.
"Maria Cadenzavna Eve…" Maia said, in the most serious tone possible.
"What? What's wrong?" Maria asked, wondering if there was a situation.
"... 2 trillion points."
"...what?"
Maia looked at her friend's rather seductive black and red bikini, with an orange and white skirt. She didn't need to look below to guess what was underneath that detachable part of cloth.
"Kirika Akatsuki…" Maia looked at the blonde girl's two-piece of green, black and white. "85 points."
"Dess?"
"Shirabe Tsukuyomi…" Maia observed Shirabe's modest pink one-piece. "2 points."
"...jiiiiiiiiiiii." Shirabe just stared at Maia.
"Maia, what are you doing?" Maria asked, though she knew exactly what the older Kazanari was up to.
"I'm rating the swimsuits." Maia said, grinning. "I don't know if we're ever gonna get a chance like this again, so I gotta do it now."
"What's the score out of, dess?" Kirika asked.
"Out of 100." Maia confirmed.
"So mine's a passing grade, and Maria destroyed the score, dess!" Kirika cheered.
If looks could kill, Maia would've been dead hundreds of times over from Shirabe's stare.
"What about yourself, dess?" Kirika asked.
Maia herself was wearing a two-piece bikini of dark blue that was slightly more modest than Maria's. It was quite alluring, though they assumed Maia did so to help move attention away from the scar on her arm.
"Well, I can't rate myself, so-"
"Ooh, if you bump up Shirabe's grade to a passing score, can I help you judge, dess?" Kirika asked.
"You know what, sure." Maia said. "Shirabe gets a 50 now."
"Yes! That's a lot better, isn't it, Shirabe?" Kirika asked her friend.
"...I suppose." Shirabe said. Her glare lightened up, but didn't go away.
"I'm gonna have to borrow these." Maia said, quickly snagging Maria's sunglasses.
"H-Hey!"
Maia slipped on Maria's pair of sunglasses, while Kirika slipped on her femme fatale superspy glasses, before turning to Maia and rating her.
"65 points, dess!"
"Huh?!" Maia said.
"Looks nice, but you're lacking in some areas, dess!" Kirika said, indirectly shooting Maia's pride in the throat. "Oh, and I would've given you 75, but you made Shirabe's score that low, so…"
"Okay, that's fair." Maia agreed, before they heard the others come. "Eyes open, my student. The main event starts."
"Are you seriously dragging Kirika into this…?" Maria asked.
"Oh hey, you set things up for us!" Hibiki said, running into view with the others. "Thanks, you guys!"
Hibiki was wearing a yellow two-piece bikini with frills and orange flowers.
"Hibiki-san!" Kirika said.
"90 points." Maia rated.
"Come on Elfnein, you look fine." Miku asked, walking forward in a simple white one-piece with lavender on the neck straps.
"Miku-san!"
"75 points."
"I'm… not sure if this works for me." Elfnein said, fidgeting with a modest blue and pink two-piece that covered most of her chest.
"Elfnein!"
"60 points."
"Nah, you look great." Chris reassured her, walking up in a red two-piece with a bikini top and skirt.
"Chris-senpai!"
"100 points."
"The air feels nice here, and the water looks clean." Shuri said, walking behind her sister in a color-reversed version of her sister's swimsuit, but with a slightly frillier skirt.
"Shuri-senpai!"
"Also 100 points."
"This is a private and well-maintained beach, so it's naturally kept under good maintenance." Tsubasa explained, in a rather tight bikini that was a lighter shade of blue than her sisters, that was a bit more revealing.
"Tsubasa-san!"
"70 points."
"And last, but not least…"
"Yeah, this place is pretty nice." Rui said, walking up behind Tsubasa. "Dunno why people can't keep nature like this anymore."
She looked around at the others, who were all staring at her.
"What?"
"Rui… why are you wearing that?" Tsubasa asked.
The older Tachibana was wearing a large black hoodie that went halfway down her legs.
"Uh… no reason." Rui said, slightly blushing.
"Again with this?" Miku sighed, before speaking in an almost mother-like tone. "Rui, you're going to catch heatstroke like this."
"I'm perfectly fine." She said, though her face was quite flushed thanks to the heat.
"You're sweating bullets." Shirabe observed. "You could have at least worn a white hoodie."
"Come on, Oneesan." Hibiki said, before grabbing the bottom of her sister's hoodie. "You can't be the only one not having fun."
"W-Wait a sec! Hibiki-!"
In one swift movement, Hibiki pulled off the hoodie to reveal the swimsuit Rui wore underneath. It was a black two-piece that hugged around her figure quite nicely (if not a little tight). She wore a long black skinny scarf around her neck that went quite well with the rest of her swimsuit.
"Rui-san, dess…"
"The winner!"
"Wait, is that what you were doing when spouting all those numbers?!" Chris yelled.
"Hey, you all won!" Maia grinned.
Chris slowly pulled out her pendant. "Prepare yourself."
After Hibiki had convinced everyone not to kill Maia since today was a day they could relax and have fun, their "special training" truly began.
Hibiki, Miku and Elfnein ran into the ocean, splashing each other and playing in the water. Chris decided to relax on an inner tube, floating around peacefully. Kirika and Shirabe were building the best sandcastle they could ever imagine with Shuri's support. Tsubasa and Rui watched them from a distance, while Maria looked out at the ocean. Oddly enough, Maia was missing, though she made herself known quite quickly.
Chris was just leaning back in her flotation device, before she noticed a shadow above her.
"Look out below!"
SPLASH
Chris got a faceful of seawater as she was sent tumbling out of her flotation device. Maia rose out of the water with a cheeky smile. "Was that refreshing?"
"Oh, you want refreshing?" Chris asked, before splashing a wave of water into Maia's face, causing the older Kazanari to sputter. "I got plenty more where that came from, Senpai!"
The two entered an intense water fight, which only escalated when Hibiki decided to join them, with Miku at her side.
Tsubasa and Rui watched the chaos unfold and simply sighed at the typical antics their sisters and Chris got up to.
At the technology lab, Ogawa, Jeanne and Fujitaka were looking at what appeared to be a golden glowing orb of some sort.
"What is this?" Fujitaka asked.
"We were able to reconstruct this image from the data Professor Nastassja left behind at the Frontier." The scientist managing the orb explained.
"A ball of light…?" Ogawa said.
"You could say that. We've nicknamed it the "photosphere."" The scientist said. "The real thing is much larger, approximately 40 million times the size of this model."
"Mom left behind that much…?" Jeanne said.
"Just what is this "photosphere"?" Fujitaka asked. But he didn't get an answer, since there was none to give.
Jeanne crossed her arms, as she and Ogawa walked outside to call and give their report.
"Are you alright?" Ogawa asked her.
"Not entirely." Jeanne said. "Mom managed to leave that behind, but we don't know what. And with the size being that large, I'm not sure we'll ever find out. If I don't know, then Maria, Kirika and Shirabe won't know either."
"I'm sure we'll figure things out." Ogawa reassured her. "SONG's done this sort of work many times before."
"I can only hope so…" Jeanne said, tapping her foot.
"You do seem a bit distracted." Ogawa noted. "Perhaps I should have suggested to the Commander that you could've gone to the beach too."
"Well, I believe that collecting the data Mom left behind should take a higher priority for me, personally." Jeanne huffed, crossing her arms and turning away. "Besides, you probably just want to see me in a swimsuit."
Ogawa choked momentarily, before clearing his throat and calling Tsubasa.
"We've collected the data." Ogawa said. "How's your training going?"
"They've got a hell of a course lined up for us!" Tsubasa almost shouted. "It never ends!"
Both Ogawa and Jeanne raised a brow in confusion.
Back on the beach, the girls were actually just playing beach volleyball. Maria and Elfnein were on one team, while Tsubasa and Chris were on the other. Maia was sitting on the elevated chair to referee the game, while everyone else was cheering them on.
"I'll call you back later with the full story." Tsubasa said, before hanging up the communications link.
"Tsubasa-san sure is serious about this." Miku noted.
Hibiki laughed. "We're supposed to be taking it easy before the real deal, but…"
"Hey! Bring it!" Chris shouted, her competitive spirit taking over.
All four of them gained determined looks, as Maia blew the whistle to start. Elfnein tossed the ball up and jumped for the serve… only to miss and fall into the sand. Maia whistled again to indicate the missed serve, as Maria picked up the volleyball.
"Why can't I do it?" Elfnein asked, upset at herself. "Theoretically, I know how to perform a strong serve, but in practice, it's completely different."
"You don't have to push yourself to copy what you've seen others do." Maria reassured her. "You can hit it from below, like this."
She did an underhand serve to show an example to Elfnein.
"I'm sorry." Elfnein apologized, though Maria leaned down to her.
"Even a weak serve is enough to get the ball moving." Maria said. "The important thing is to just be yourself."
"Okay! I'll try!"
WHOCK
The two of them looked to see Maia was now facedown in the sand, off of the chair as most of the others were panicking. Chris was turned away with her arms crossed.
"What happened?" Maria asked.
"Uh… your example serve to Elfnein made it over the net." Rui explained. "Maia counted it as your point since she had whistled to indicate the re-serve, and Chris got a little irritated because it happened when you were talking to Elfnein, thinking it was time out or something. And then Maia made a comment comparing the volleyball to Chris's-"
"You don't have to explain any further." Maria said, seeing Tsubasa and Shuri pull Maia onto their shoulders, a very red ball-shaped mark on her face. "Though, I'm pretty sure that hitting the referee would be an instant red card."
After getting the volleyball game back on its feet (with Rui taking up the referee role) and ending it with a very close game, they had more time to have fun in the sun. After a while, they were all just relaxing on the beach, laying down in the shaded beach chairs, or simply on the sand underneath the sun.
"Somewhere along the line, this turned into actual training." Shirabe commented.
"Whose fault was that, anyways?" Chris said, laying on her stomach. "Things got serious all of a sudden."
"You were the one to get competitive first." Maia reminded Chris, though the latter was too tired to make a quip in return.
"I'm glad the weather's nice today." Elfnein said.
"It's because a typhoon just passed through here yesterday." Miku said.
"It's our good karma, dess!" Kirika grinned.
"So, is anyone else hungry?" Hibiki suddenly asked as she sat up in the sand.
"Oh yeah, we should get something to eat, huh?" Rui said.
"This is a government-owned private beach, though." Tsubasa said.
"It's not open to the public, so there are no beachside shops either." Maria said.
"And we can't just call SONG to deliver us food." Shuri said. "So in other words, we'd have to go ourselves. And it's a long walk..."
Almost immediately, the girls knew what they had to do if they wanted something to eat. They'd have to settle it like mature adults.
"Losers go on a food run! Rock-paper-scissors!"
They all threw forward their hands to reveal what they had chosen. There wasn't a piece of paper in sight, with practically an avalanche of rocks from nearly all of them. The only exceptions were those that chose to utilize the signature cutting tool, which unfortunately would shatter against the stones chosen.
Kirika, Shirabe and Maia had all thrown scissors. Tsubasa did as well… though not the way one imagined, instead using her index finger and thumb. Hibiki burst into laughter at the sight. "Tsubasa-san lost with the weirdest scissors I've ever seen!"
"These aren't weird!" Tsubasa defended herself, while slightly blushing. "These are cool scissors!"
"Well, technically that's a gun in rock-paper-scissors terms." Rui clarified with a smirk. "Though A, that's generally considered illegal, and B, we can't have you steal Chris's schtick."
"Get your own material, Senpai!" Chris teased.
"The severing weapon…" Shirabe stared at her own scissors.
"...severely lost, dess." Kirka groaned.
"Don't just buy junk food, okay?" Maria told them, now that it was determined who would go. "Get something to replenish our electrolytes and minerals too."
Tsubasa looked down at the "cool scissors" of hers that had failed to bring her victory, before looking up just in time as Maria placed her own sunglasses on her.
"You're a celebrity, so wear these out there." Maria said with a smile.
"You're almost like a mother, Maria." Tsubasa commented.
"Oh, and Maia?" Maria said, without turning around. "You'd better not try anything funny. Make sure that they don't only buy junk food."
Maia rolled her eyes. "Yes, Moooooom!" She sarcastically snarked, making sure to put extra emphasis on the last word.
The four losers of rock-paper-scissors walked out of the convenience store in the closest city, having found success with their food run. Maia was carrying a large bag of drinks, while Tsubasa carried a watermelon. Shirabe and Kirika were carrying plastic bags with the refreshments that Maria had requested… along with a bag full of sugary snacks.
"Kiri-chan, you just bought your favorite junk food after all." Shirabe sighed.
"Call it a perk of the job!" Kirika grinned. Tsubasa let out a small chuckle, while Maia smirked.
"Oh, I get it." Maia said. "Maria's exact words were "Don't just buy junk food," so you're buying the junk food with everything Maria asked for."
"Exactly, dess!" Kirika said proudly.
"Loophole abuse. I approve." Maia said. "Tell you what, if Maria blows a fuse, I'll explain it to her and take most of the blame."
"Really?" Kirika asked. "You're the best, dess!"
"Heh, leave it all to big sis!" Maia winked.
"Am I just chopped liver, neesama?" Tsubasa asked her twin, as they all laughed.
Though that went away once they came across the city's local shrine. It was heavily damaged and torn up, which could easily have been passed off as typhoon damage. A couple of boys as well as a worker from the convenience store were looking at the destruction.
However, the girls noticed there were frozen chunks of ice littered all around the area...
Hibiki and Miku stood by the water's edge, letting the waves occasionally wash over their feet as they looked out at the clear blue ocean. Rui was sitting a little further down, letting her legs feel the water.
"Coming to the beach with you all is like a dream come true for me." Miku said.
"Um…" Elfnein walked up to the two. "Aren't we supposed to be training?"
"Heh, you're so responsible, Elfnein-chan." Hibiki said, smiling.
"The Ignite Module harnesses the power that makes you go berserk, and it has a triple-layered safety mechanism for extra protection, but it's still a very dangerous ability!" Elfnein said.
"Oh, so there is some kind of FullFull RabbitTank Bottle." Rui said.
"That's why you need training to keep it under-"
They were interrupted with a burst of water rose from the ocean. Standing atop the geyser was a familiar blue Autoscorer.
"Garie?!" Elfnein shouted.
"Having fun? Made enough summer memories?" The Autoscorer taunted, while in a ballet pose atop the water.
GUNGNIR! AUTHORIZED
"Like hell!" Chris shouted, as she and Shuri ran up, while holding up their pendants. Rui had already strapped on Kagutsuchi and inserted her Proto-Gear. Shuri followed her lead.
ICHAIVAL! AUTHORIZED
RELIC BATTLE MODE; READY
"Killter Ichaival tron~"
"Henshin!"
KAGUTSUCHI: GUNGNIR MODE
OKAMI: ICHAIVAL MODE
(Insert TRUST HEART by Ayahi Takagaki)
Chris and Hibiki had donned her Symphogears, while Rui and Shuri entered Relic Battle Mode. Chris started off with an array of crossbow shots at Garie, who dove towards them. It ended up being another one of her watery illusions, as she reappeared behind the girls in a burst of water, knocking them back.
"Maria-san!" Shuri shouted. "Get them to safety!"
Maria nodded, before running off and guiding Miku and Elfnein away. Garie noticed this, but the others got in between them.
"Are you acting without Carol's orders?" Hibiki asked.
"Who knows?" Garie grinned, before she shattered multiple capsules in the sand, summoning hordes of Alca-Noise.
"Take the Alca-Noise out before they spread too far!" Shuri ordered, as she shot down several in the sky.
Rui smirked, punching a fist into her hand. "I see you don't remember the makeover I gave you. How about a refresher?!"
While Hibiki, Chris and Shuri took care of the Alca-Noise, Rui weaved in between them, rushing towards Garie. She threw several punches and kicks, but Garie dodged all of them, keeping a distance.
"Do you really think I'd be that stupid to stay up close?" Garie snarked. "Perhaps I'll return the favor!"
She shot several shards of ice at the older Tachibana, who dove out of the way. Skidding to a stop, Rui looked back at Garie, who was smirking at her.
"If you're playing keep away, then I'll just have to get closer!"
She rushed at Garie with her fists, as Chris fired off several missiles that destroyed the Alca-Noise in the air.
Tsubasa took off her sunglasses, as she and the others spotted the explosions from afar. "What?!"
"Don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me, dess!" Kirika said.
"You kidding me?" Maia groaned. "We couldn't have a normal beach day?!"
"We have to hurry!" Shirabe said.
While the three of them ran on ahead, Tsubasa turned to the sole adult. "It's dangerous here! Get the children to safety!"
Tsubasa had honestly expected the man to ignore her and save his own skin, but he simply nodded. "I understand." He turned to the kids. "This way!"
She watched as the men led the kids towards the Noise protection shelter. She smiled at seeing that not every adult was selfish and cowardly.
Garie was barely dodging Rui's punches and kicks, feeling the wind behind all the strikes.
"It's over!" Rui shouted.
She flipped into the air, and aimed her feet. They shot red lasers, which struck Garie in the chest, creating a red cone. With a shout, Rui dove at her opponent with incredible speed.
CRIMSON SMASH
To her surprise, Garie took the attack dead-on, before falling. Rui landed carefully, taking a brief breath. She walked over towards Garie, only for the body to turn into water.
Shit, that was another illusion?!
Rui quickly held up her fists and turned around, waiting for Garie to strike. All she saw were Hibiki, Chris and Shuri fighting the Alca-Noise.
"Where did she go?" Rui said, backhanding an Alca-Noise. "...wait, don't tell me…"
She paled, knowing where Garie went. There was only one wielder that hadn't fought the Autoscorers.
"Shuri!" Rui shouted. "She's not after us!"
Shuri shot down another Alca-Noise, before coming to the same conclusion. "Hibiki-san! Oneesama! Take care of the rest!"
Hibiki and Chris nodded, while Rui and Shuri dashed off towards the forest.
"Found you, useless user!"
Maria was staring down Garie in the forest. The eldest of the girls kept her arms out, keeping Miku and Elfnein behind her.
"I've had enough of chasing after you!" Garie shouted, skating forward with a blade of ice on her wrist.
Maria ran forward to accept the challenge, before speaking a holy chant.
"Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron~"
Garie's strike missed, only cutting a few strands of Maria's hair. The Autoscorer's eyes shrunk, before Maria slugged her in the face.
(Insert Ginwan Airgetlám by Yoko Hikasa)
Garie was sent flying from the blow, as Maria's fist glew white with power. Armor materialized on her arm, before the rest of her body was clad in it as well.
"A silver… arm…?" Garie said.
"Maria-san!" Miku shouted. "What is that?!"
"The holy Airgetlám…" Elfnein said in awe.
Garie managed to recover, twirling around and gaining her smirk again. "Well, I hope you won't disappoint me like last time!"
She tossed out several Alca-Noise capsules, summoning the monsters. Maria was unfettered by the threat, as she drew out a knife, which had a trail of more blades. She launched them all forward.
INFINITE†CRIME
They shredded apart the first wave of Alca-Noise, as Maria ran in with a knife in her hand. With graceful swipes, almost like a dance, she easily took out any Alca-Noise that attempted to attack her.
The LiNKER I took for training is working. She thought. This is my chance!
"The Autoscorers attacked?" Genjuro asked.
"Yes. The Gear users were split up." Ogawa reported. "Maria-san is facing Garie alone."
"Without even testing her new Gear?" Genjuro said. "The Ignite Module is a double-edged sword… don't go too far…!"
"Rui-san and I are en-route to Maria-san's location." Shuri said. "We'll provide support."
Maria swung her blade out, as it unraveled into a long chain blade. The Whip-Sword severed apart all of the Alca-Noise in her way.
EMPRESS†REBELLION
"Woah, looks like I might lose this one!" Garie said, putting her hands on her face in mock shock, before laughing. Maria rushed at her and slashed, only for Garie to gracefully spin out of the way. "Just kidding!"
She smashed a chunk of ice in Maria's face, knocking the girl to the ground, as her blade stabbed into the dirt. Miku and Elfnein gasped in shock, but Maria got back up.
"You're strong, but…" She reached for the crystal on her chest.
"Hm? But what?" Garie grinned.
"I'll finish you with this power!" Maria declared as she stood up. "Ignite Module! Bakken!"
She clicked her crystal, pulling it off and holding it up.
Dáinsleif
The crystal sharpened, before impaling her through the chest. Maria screamed in pain from the surge of dark power, being forced to lean down.
"I'll kill... the weakness... in my heart! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Maria threw her body back as she was surrounded by the dark power of the cursed blade, but she didn't achieve the power she desired.
"Oh my." Garie said, her voice a mix of both surprise and disappointment.
Maria lurched forward, roaring at Garie with a monstrous reverb.
She had gone berserk.
She lunged forward with powerful swipes, but Garie gracefully dodged the predictable attacks with a sneer on her face.
"She's just a rabid beast now." Garie muttered, let down.
"Oi! Miku! Maria! Elfnein!"
Rui and Shuri had arrived onto the scene. Maria smashed her fist into the ground, missing Garie again.
"She went berserk?" Rui said.
"She was taken over by the sword's curse…" Shuri murmured.
Maria kept on clawing at Garie, who dodged all of the attacks with ease.
"No, no, these wild attacks won't do at all." The Autoscorer said, before stopping Maria's assault by grabbing her face. "Sing for me, like the idol you are!"
She threw Maria into the ground, sending her crashing through the Earth towards Rui and Shuri.
"Maria-san!" Shuri shouted, as the others all watched in horror.
"Did you really think you could become strong through desperation alone?" Garie asked, wiping hands with a handkerchief. "You're such a letdown, useless user."
She held up a red crystal, before breaking it at her feet.
"Hey, you two." Garie smirked. "You'll probably have more fun with her than I did. Bye~"
She disappeared in a flash of red, as Maria roared, still berserk. She slowly turned her head towards Rui and Shuri, her breath raspy.
"Shit…" Rui turned to Miku and Elfnein. "You two! Get away from-!"
The older Tachibana was cut off, as she got clawed across the chest and was sent crashing through several trees.
"Rui!" Miku shouted.
Maria was about to charge forward, but a shot to her shoulder stunned her. With a shout, Shuri unleashed an array of energy blasts from a chaingun, blasting Maria off her feet and into the ground.
"Sorry, Maria-san!" Shuri shouted, as her gun shifted into a pair of crossbows.
The younger Yukine fired an array of small crossbow bolts, but they all broke upon Maria's body. The berserk user jumped into the air to pounce upon Shuri. She quickly transformed the crossbows into small shotguns, before unleashing two close range blasts at Maria.
There was an explosion cloud, and Shuri narrowed her eyes to try and find Maria. She didn't have to, as Maria dropped on her, wrapping her claws around her throat.
"Ggh!" Shuri was pushed against the ground, wincing against the pressure being put on her neck as cracks started to form on the dirt.
"Shuri-san!" Miku shouted.
Shuri could feel herself starting to black out. She felt a bone in her neck start to crack, as blood dripped out of her mouth. No…
No…
NO.
"Get… off…" Her eyes flashed red. "ME!"
With a shout, Shuri threw Maria skyward, before rapidly firing her guns, launching the berserk user higher and higher… right into the path of Rui's attack.
"SEIYA!"
With three rings of red, yellow and green, Rui dropped upon Maria, slamming both of her feet into her back.
Scanning Charge
They both crashed down into the ground. When the dust faded, Rui was breathing heavily, while Maria had been transformed back to normal. Rui took several steps back, wiping her brow as she helped Shuri up.
"Hey!" Chris ran up to Maria's fallen form, as she and Hibiki arrived. "Wake up!"
"Maria-san! Maria-san!" Elfnein cried.
Maria's eyes fluttered, before she opened them up. "I couldn't win… but what did I lose to…?"
"Oneesan?" Hibiki asked. "Are you two okay?"
"Just a few bumps and scrapes." Rui said, holding her bruised chest. "I'm fine."
Shuri put a hand to her neck, and was shocked to find that she was perfectly fine, aside from the blood that ran down her mouth.
What was that…?
Garie reappeared on her podium, the other Autoscorers waiting for her.
"You certainly put on a show." Leiur said.
"Just a brief detour from my mission." Garie said with a shrug.
"Are you mad that you're the only one who never broke any pendants?" Micha teased.
"Shut up!" Garie yelled, Micha having hit dead on the mark. "That's why I targeted that failure!"
"You certainly gave it your all." Phara said. "I should make my move soon too."
Garie grit her teeth, before looking up. I won't let you be first.
The girls had all regrouped at the beach house, with Fujitaka, Ogawa and Jeanne joining them. Maria was the only one absent in the room. Chris was helping Rui with the damage she had received earlier, wrapping bandages around her chest.
"Even without their master, the dolls still attack." Tsubasa said.
"They always have the upper hand, so why do they keep retreating without finishing us off?" Shirabe asked.
"Now that you mention it, that's a good point, dess!" Kirika said.
"Yeah." Maia agreed, crossing her arms. "Something doesn't feel right."
"It's so hard to get a read on them…" Chris said, as she pulled the bandage tight.
"Ow! Chris!" Rui winced.
"Sorry!"
"I'm worried about Maria-san too." Miku said.
"When you get taken over by that power, everything in your mind turns black." Hibiki said, remembering how it was for her. "You aren't able to think straight anymore."
They all took in Hibiki's words. Shuri put a hand on her neck.
Everything in your mind turns black… that happened to me earlier when I fought Maria-san… what does that mean…?
Maria was outside, leaning against the beach house with a bandage wrapped around her head. I had my life spared by a doll? How pathetic. I can't believe I was too weak to overcome the sword's curse.
She clenched her fist.
I need to become stronger.
She was brought out of her thoughts, as a volleyball bounced past her. Elfnein ran up to grab it.
"Sorry. I was trying not to bother everyone." She said.
"You're not a bother." Maria reassured her. "I'll help you practice."
"Thank you!" Elfnein said.
Elfnein served a ball over the net, but she felt something was off. "This is weird. I still can't do it properly."
"...you know all kinds of things, right, Elfnein?" Maria asked. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"
Elfnein held a ball, ready to try and answer Maria's question.
"What does it mean to be strong?"
"...isn't that something you taught me?" Elfnein asked.
Maria raised her brow, about to inquire further, before there was a large burst of water on the beach. Standing atop the geyser was Garie again.
"Hello there, useless user!" She called down.
Maria quickly got between her and Elfnein, before tossing off the bandage around her head.
"Maria-san…" Elfnein said, concerned.
"Will you sing for me this time?" Garie asked.
Maria clutched the pendant, gritting her teeth.
"You'll be fine!" Elfnein encouraged. "I know you can do it!"
"Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron~"
(Insert Ginwan Airgetlám by Yoko Hikasa)
Maria donned her armor once more, brandishing the blade.
"If you want to prove you're not useless, do it through combat!" Garie yelled, throwing out crystals that shattered to summon the Alca-Noise.
Maria ran at the Alca-Noise, slicing them apart as easily as she had done earlier. None of them proved to be a threat for her.
Atop the building, Phara watched it unfold, before throwing a rose and disappearing.
Fujitaka received a notification from his laptop, before he pulled it up. "Alca-Noise detected!"
The girls all looked up, before running out the door with no hesitation. Rui hit the doorframe once as she put on her shirt.
"Maria-san and Elfnein are in a pinch, dess!" Kirika shouted as they rushed to the aid of their allies.
But once they left, both Ogawa and Jeanne felt something was off. They ran into the hall, looking in both directions.
"Was it the wind…?" Ogawa said.
"What's wrong?" Miku asked.
"Nothing… I hope." Ogawa said, still looking around.
Jeanne narrowed her eye. I could feel my blood run cold earlier. What happened?
Dozens of daggers pieced the Alca-Noise, destroying them one-by-one. Maria charged at Garie, as the Autoscorer unleashed a stream of water. Maria used three daggers to create an energy shield to block it. Garie simply responded by turning up the water pressure and size, working around the shield and slowly freezing Maria in ice.
Strong… I have to be strong!
"Maria-san!" Elfnein shouted.
"Strong…!" Maria lifted her arms, shattering the ice, but falling to her knees.
"You're just too weak!" Garie scoffed, raising her arm to attack again.
Maria's hand slowly went to the crystal on her chest.
"Far too weak to use that power, I would think." Garie said.
The Autoscorer's words made Maria hesitate. "I'm still weak… How can I become strong…?"
"Maria-san!" Elfnein shouted. "You just need to be yourself!"
"That's right…" Maria picked herself up. "I am weak."
Garie's expression changed from smug to complete and utter bafflement.
"Elfnein made me realize that even if I can't get stronger, even if I might be weak, I'll still be myself. That is true strength." Maria said. "Elfnein doesn't have the strength to fight, but she acted bravely in the face of danger and brought hope to us all."
She put a hand to the crystal on her chest.
"Elfnein, just listen!" Maria called. "This song is an ode to your courage! Ignite Module! Bakken!"
Dáinsleif
The sharpened crystal pierced her chest. But this time, her breathing was more controlled, despite the pain.
In the past, every time I panicked, I clung to another lie. She opened her eyes. That's it! If being oneself is true strength...
"Maria-san!"
"...then I, in my weakness, will overcome this curse!"
(Insert Ginwan Airgetlám (IGNITED arrangement) by Yoko Hikasa)
The monstrous aura faded away, purging itself as Maria's armor sharpened and darkened. She drew her dagger, which had taken on a more sinister shape.
She had achieved her true Ignite Module.
"Weakness is strength?" Garie repeated. "At least try to make sense!"
She threw several more Alca-Noise crystals, but Maria was ready. She mounted her knife onto her wrist, before aiming it at the Alca-Noise. She unleashed a stream of blades that shredded them to pieces.
Garie grinned. "Good, good!"
She skated forward, only for Maria to cleave her in two. Garie's body turned into dozens of bubbles, which Maria continuously popped with the blade launcher on her wrist. One large bubble materialized behind her, which popped to reveal Garie, perfectly fine.
"I'm going to be the first-"
Maria dashed at her, throwing a punch with the blade in her hand. Garie created a shield to block the strike. She smugly grinned, but Maria's knife glew as she slashed through the barrier and shattered it. Garie's smirk was wiped off her face, as Maria delivered a swift uppercut to her jaw, launching her upwards. Maria flew after her, getting above the Autoscorer before creating a massive armblade and rocketing at her.
She slashed right though Garie, bisecting the Autoscorer in two.
"I'm going to be the first!" Garie cried out, cracks forming on her face. In a burst of blue, she went up in an explosion.
SERE†NADE
Maria landed on the sand, taking a few breaths.
"Maria-san!"
She looked up to see the others all running towards her.
"You beat an Autoscorer?" Tsubasa asked.
Maria was kneeling on the sand, having just finished explaining what happened. "It would appear so."
"That is your strength, Maria-san." Elfnein said.
"Or maybe it's my weakness." Maria said, turning to the girl. "Either way, it's the power of being myself. Thank you for making me realize that."
Elfnein smiled and nodded. "Of course!"
The girls remained unaware that they were being watched. Standing atop the beach house, Phara rematerialized.
"Well done, Garie." Phara said. "I've gotten what I've came for."
On her tongue was a data chip.
Night had fallen, and the girls were all setting off small fireworks. They were all laughing and having a good time.
"This is gonna be a big one!" Chris said, lighting a larger firework with a gun-shaped lighter.
"I'm glad Maria cheered up." Shirabe said, as she and Kirika were holding identical sparklers.
"Now we can return to Tokyo with our heads held high, dess!" Kirika said.
Chris picked up more sparklers, as Tsubasa looked up at the night sky with her hands on her waist.
"This certainly was a fulfilling training session." She said.
"...are you serious?" Chris asked.
"Heh, it sure was." Maia chuckled, a small nosebleed on her face as she remembered the swimsuits, before Shuri kicked the back of her legs.
"Fulfilling's the word!" Hibiki said. "How about we fill our stomachs next?"
"You're always hungry, aren't you?" Elfnein noted.
"Hmm, there's a grill back there too." Rui remembered seeing one in the beach house earlier.
"Yo, barbeque?" Maia said. "I'm totally down for that."
"In that case, we have one option." Maria said.
They all nodded, knowing what they had to do next.
"Losers go on a food run! Rock-paper-scissors!"
There were enough scissors to supply an elementary school. The odd one out was the two pieces of paper that belonged to Hibiki Tachibana and Maia Kazanari.
"Just had to be yourself and choose paper, huh?" Chris said, laughing at Hibiki.
"This is what I get for doubting my fist…" Hibiki grumbled.
"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Maia shouted as the others laughed. "I'm the only one that lost twice in a goddamn row!"
"I'll be nice and tag along." Miku said.
"I'm going too." Rui said. "I gotta check if the ingredients are fresh."
"Really?" Hibiki said, smiling at her best friend and sister.
"You two are lifesavers." Maia said, letting out a breath of relief.
"Well, it would be a lot to carry for two people." Miku said, taking Hibiki's hand as they started to walk.
"Thanks Miku!" Hibiki laughed. "But let's not run in the dark!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
"Hold on, don't leave me behind!" Rui shouted, chasing after them.
"You know… I feel like I'd be intruding if I went with them." Maia said. "So maybe I should just stay-"
"Go." All the others said in unison.
"That's no excuse, dess!" Kirika piped up.
"Alright alright! Sheesh!"
They had arrived at the convenience store again. Rui had already gone in with Miku, but Hibiki and Maia found themselves distracted by the vending machine.
"Whoa, check it out!" Hibiki said. "You can't get this mushroom juice in Tokyo! Oh, and salted spring onions with natto? Ooh! This one is anglerfish flavored!"
"Who knew a convenience store would have all this?" Maia said. "Oh wow, there's mixed ramune flavors too!"
Deciding to let Hibiki stay focused on the vending machine, Maia was about to head on in, before she saw someone familiar walk up; the convenience store worker that they had run into earlier today.
"Man, I hope I didn't miss my shift with that…" The man said, fixing his hat.
"Yo, worker guy!"
The man looked up at Maia. "Oh, hello again."
"Appreciate that you took time out of your day to give us a helping hand." Maia said.
The man laughed. "It was nothing. Happy to help."
Hibiki froze up at the voice. She slowly turned to look at him. "There's… there's no way…"
"Huh?" Maia turned to Hibiki. "You know this guy, Bikki?"
The man's eyes widened at seeing Hibiki. He was about to speak up, before Rui and Miku walked out of the convenience store.
"We ended up buying a lot more than we thought." Rui said. "So we just bought both of the meat-"
Her words died in her throat, seeing the man. Miku gasped in surprise at seeing a familiar face.
"Rui…?" The man said. "Is that… you…?"
The older Tachibana twin dropped the bags she had been holding, several of the glass containers shattering on the ground. The only one that seemed to notice it was Maia.
"Hey, what's going-?"
"Dad…?" Rui said, voice trembling.
The silence was deafening.
"Dad?" Maia repeated, stunned.
Without warning, Rui broke off into a sprint, running as fast and far as her legs could take her. For a moment, Maia heard the softest of sobs as she ran past her.
"Rui!" Miku shouted, running after her friend.
The man now identified as Hibiki's father sighed, pulling his hat down.
"We were looking for you." Hibiki said, walking up to her father.
The man turned to look at his daughter, regretful expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Hibiki."
"I know." Hibiki took her father's hand. "I missed you, Dad."
Maia could only stare in the direction her best friend had run off.
"Rui…"
Rui had run so far that she could feel her legs starting to give out. But she didn't care at this point, she just had to get away…
"Rui!"
She tried to keep running, but her legs failed her. She fell forward, and would've painfully hit the pavement, if not for Miku grabbing her arms. Miku gently helped her down onto her knees.
"Why…" Rui asked. "Why did I see him again?"
"Rui…" Miku said quietly.
The older Tachibana started to laugh through her tears. "Ha ha… It's some kind of sick joke, isn't it? He sees the failure that he left…"
Miku pulled Rui into a hug.
"I'm here, Rui." Miku gently comforted her friend. "Let it all out."
Rui sobbed into Miku's shoulder, unable to hold herself back any further. Her tears stained Miku's shirt, and her cries broke the silence of the night.
A/N: You have no idea how long I was waiting to do Maia's swimsuit rating joke. For those that don't know, it's a reference to the skit from Tales of Vesperia. It was nice to write the girls simply relaxing (well, for the most part).
I hoped you guys enjoyed the breather beach episode, because it's time for the family issues arc. Yaaaaaay. Although, with how that end scene panned out, let's just say that things aren't going to be identical to how they happened in canon.
Feel free to leave a review or edit the TVTropes page. See you all next time.