[center][h3]Tora, Poppi, and Big Band[/h3]
Level 9 Tora (47/90) Level 8 Poppi (117/80) Level 4 Big Band (6/40)
[b]Location:[/b] Al Mamoon Northwest - Obelisk Temple
Primrose’s [@Yankee], Fox’s [@Dawnrider], Yoshitsune and Sora’s [@Rockin Strings]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1220 and 577[/center]

Though he’d only just avoided a surprise Night Ode from the newly-arrived Primrose, Dante seemed determined not to give either Tora or Poppi a singular moment to breathe. He left the dancer for Earthquake to deal with and rushed the pair down. A barrage of pistol fire buffeted Tora’s Mech Arms as Dante ran in, and when he got into range closed the distance that remained with a Stinger. The point of the demon killer’s sliding thrust went right between the Nopon’s high-tech cestus, and only a quick ether barrier from his fast-acting partner prevented a stab between his eyes.

“Too close!” he yelled in surprise, but before he could even try to wrench the Rebellion from Dante’s hands the sword shrank back into the hilt and transformed into Osiris, a scythe of angelic silver. It swooped in from the side in a crescent arc, striking the Mech Arms again and again in quick succession. Tora pulled back with his left wing while continuing to defend with his right for a counterpunch, but instead of slugging Dante in the stomach, his enemy interrupted his attack for a backward dodge, and Tora’s blow swept through empty air. In the moment he overextended himself Dante struck back, hooking the blade of his scythe around Tora’s own weapon to yank him off his feet. “Meeeh!” he cried as he got swung overhead and into the ground on Dante’s other side, separated from his blade companion.

With her Masterpon in trouble, Poppi jetted into action. She zoomed forward with a jet-propelled spinning crescent kick, followed by a roundhouse into afterburner side kick. Only the round connected, and even then just into Dante’s shoulder, and as he dipped out of the way of Poppi’s last attack he grabbed her by one of her metal twintails and rammed the barrel of his shotgun, Revenant into her back. The blast of demonic shrapnel blew through Poppi’s chest, stunning her momentarily even as her ether furnace began to repair the damage. Without Mercy Dante unleashed his scythe’s Prop technique, juggling Poppi on its blade.

Tora leaped up from behind him with his Mech Arms raised for a double overhead smash, his face an uncharacteristic mask of rage, but Dante deftly dropped Poppi in favor of a quick elbow to Tora’s chin. As he turned his weapon changed from angelic scythe to [url=https://i.imgur.com/lII8Gba.png]demonic fists[/url], and Tora only barely moved his weapons in time to block the dizzying Slam that squished him into a sitting position against the ground. Dante charged Eryx for an uppercut, sure that it would be the finishing blow, but Tora had other ideas. With a cry he forsook his guard and unleashed a sideways blast from the tip of one Mech Arm. The burst of force spun him like a top, allowing the other arm to sweep his foe’s legs. Dante belted out a colorful swear as he went down. Tora sprang up, but rather than press his luck he ran to collect Poppi. The decision spared him a blow from Beast’s hammer from behind, and with her sprinted away from both enemies toward the back of the dungeon.

They turned to see Dante on his feet, dusting off his coat, and Beast next to him. Though panting from exertion already, Tora did his best to stabilize Poppi on her feet. “Poppi! You okay!?”

Bit by bit, the orange glow of converted ether mended the bullet holes in her chassis. The blade gave a slow nod. “Yes, Poppi self-repair routines online. Still, Poppi think mode change good idea. Mech Arms not suited for this fight.”

Dante gave a cocky grin, enjoying the lull in the battle. “Grasp at whatever straws you like, toots. You’ve got nothing on me.”

His casual manner infuriated Tora to no end. “Meh, meh, meh! Buttface jerkypon very sore loser!”

“You didn’t beat me,” Dante told him, shaking his head. “And you never will.” He rested Rebellion on his shoulder as he waited for Tora and Poppi to make their move.

In the brief standoff that followed, Tora and Poppi stood firm with defenses raised, ready to pivot toward either opponent. Even Dante was taking the chance to catch a quick breath. But in that space the duo caught a glimpse of the obnoxious Earthquake menacing their friend Primrose. Made to look tiny and frail against the mountain of angry meat in front of her, the dancer seemed hard-pressed. Tora couldn't forsake her--neither as a defender nor a hero. "Primrose!" he called, afraid enough for his friend that he was willing to risk a charge right through the opposition to protect her.

Primrose thrust a hand in the direction of Tora's voice, a palm held out to signal he not move towards her. "I've got this," she told him, staring down Earthquake with a glare to match his leer. She didn't seem intimidated, instead she was almost emboldened by the large man's taunts.

Her confidence reassured her friends completely. “Good show, Rose-Rose!” Tora called back. “Mess that fattypon up! As for us….” He gave Dante his best death stare. “It time we stop messing around. Poppi QT Pi, let’s go!” His companion shifted to her final form, Variable Saber at the ready.

Dante did not look impressed. “That one again? You two swing that thing around like a kid trying to hit a piñata. If you’re still playin’ games, I might as well finish this now.”

“Things turn out different this time!” Tora grinned. In smaller voice he addressed Poppi. “This guy too fast for fighting normal way, meh. Need fight together!”

A worried look took over Poppi’s face. “But if we do that, Poppi can’t shield Masterpon. And besides, we have only one weapon.”

“Not so,” Tora whispered. “Listen…”

Just a moment passed before Dante got annoyed. He summoned another new weapon, [url=https://i.imgur.com/oyauCTs.png]Kablooey[/url], and with a shout of “Alright, enough yapping!” fired a dart of demonic energy between Tora and Poppi. They recognized what it must be in an instant and split up just before Dante detonated it. Smoke and stone shards flew as the explosion went off, shaking the whole dungeon.

The next moment, however, the two burst from the haze, Poppi boosting forward while holding Tora by one swing. She spun around to launch him at the opposition, saber blade extended, in a blue laser whirlwind. Beast rolled to the side while Dante jumped over, and as Tora lost his momentum the demon killer brought out [url=https://i.imgur.com/u3HWirB.png]Ophion[/url] to snatch his opponent where he stood and reel him in. “Try blocking this, tons of fun!” His weapon transformed to Arbiter, and its cruel axeblade came down to cleave through Tora’s desperate attempt to slash him and split the Nopon like kindling.

Instead Arbiter came down on the Drill Shield, barely leaving a mark. “What? You had…!” Before Dante could say another word the shield’s center opened to shoot out a Boom Biter. The explosion went off point-blank, blasting Dante away. Beast charged in to take over, but Dante wasn’t done just yet. As he flew Poppi Alpha rocketed up behind him, and with the full weight of this form’s armor behind it, drove her elbow into the demon killer’s spine. “Poppi returning favor,” she said flatly, raising her claymore above her head in a reverse grip. “Regret in next life.”

[hr]

[center][hider=Level Upgrade - Big Band]
New Power Acquired: [b]Even the Sky Ain't the Limit[/b] - In a marvelous display of ASG's technological prowess, Band can reconfigure his lower body into a [url=https://i.imgur.com/6OhfQZw.png]rocket[/url] and blaze through the skies. He can't sustain it for too long, and he can barely turn after blasting off, but it's still an effective tool for travel. For slower, more precision flying he must deploy the inner rockets into Timpany Drive position, although the strain of flying like this gives him only a few seconds for maneuvering
[/hider][/center]

Although he planned to corral Es toward the bottom-right corner of the dungeon in an effort to keep her away from the other fights unfolding throughout the place, Big Band’s adversary practically did the job for him. The short swordswoman displayed no emotion one way or the other, but if she preferred the one-on-one fight he was aiming at, that was fine by him. That just left the matter of actually fighting her, which was a task much easier said than done. Es came to the table with a strong hand, the complete package of speed, strength, and even reach given the size of her zweihander. Though she enhanced her swordplay with just one magical trick, it soon became apparent as they traded blows why she needed no other. The magical crests that her sword left in its wake threw off the rhythm of the fight completely, making her that much harder to deal with.

But if she expected the detective to be easy pickings, she would be disappointed. Any big, slow fighter who stood the test of time invariably piled up experience fighting smaller, quicker enemies, and with Band about as big and slow as they came, he was just the man for the job. He wouldn’t stand still and allow himself to be pressured into an endless vortex of defense until she finally slipped through. Instead he took the fight to her. Brass Knuckles allowed him to armor through careless hits and make her think twice about just throwing things out. His five thousand pound dropkick provided a lot of threat, both when Es tried to jump in over his Brass Knuckles or Giant Steps, and because he could spring forward after landing to close the distance. When inevitably put on defense, he tactically opted to take hits that he knew couldn’t lead to full combos just to get back to neutral. Being tough had its advantages.

Of course, he still only got a couple hits in. But when you’re Big Band, a few hits is all it takes.

[i]There![/i] Though slashed, battered, and bleeding, Band saw his chance. After managing to land a combo, Es went for a quick and dirty reset to start it all over again. Her mistake was to approach from the air. He’d been saving a special something from the outset for just such an occasion; she had no idea what she was in for. “Beat!” As he angled himself upward, halves of an enormous tambourine shot from the front of his coat to clap shut on Es’ torso like a vice, and her overhead cleave failed to connect. The clamor of the cymbals rang out across the dungeon, filling the air with jingle jangles as they filled Es with Sound Stun. “...Extend!”

She fell limply in front of him, and Big Band got to work. A magnificent array of instruments, from the triangles and trombones to the clarinet, oboe, and organ pipes, deployed to hammer his foe in harmony. The brassy beatdown culminated in an Air Mail Special, and after the saxophone uppercut popped Es skyward, Band finished things off in style. “You’re gonna get beat!” A ring of six rocket-powered timpanis deployed from his undercarriage, and with each smack of a drum a soundblast both blasted Es and sent him higher into the air. All too soon it came to an end and the two fell back to earth. Band landed on his feet, but Es did not.