Insert Coin to Continue...!

[actuallyselfish]

[1]

A few weeks after the destruction of the Ladies' Good Men, and a week after the final fight with the Kijin, Dido tightens her grip on the controls, eyes narrowed, teeth bared.

"I can't give up now!" She declares. "I won't despair! If I stand by justice, and keep moving forward, a way will open up! I know it will–Aw Fudge! Fudge! C'mon! Fudge! That combo's broken! This boss is OP! Cheap! Hax!"

On the arcade game's screen, Dido's Qipao-wearing character twitches helplessly in the throes of hit-stun, then flies back across the stage. "K.O.!". The boss character, clad in a sharp business suit and fish-crested gladiator helmet, folds his arms and laughs."Pathetic! You're ten years too early to beat me!".

Dido's bloodshot eyes twitch. "I'll wipe that grin off your face!" She shouts, fishing quarters from her pocket.

For god's sake, someone drag her away!

[2]

[Private Chat, locked to Mizuki]

"Yo, 'Zuki!" Dido pops up on your tablet screen, shadows under her eyes, a grease stain on her chin. "Could I ask you for a favor?"

[3]

[Private chat, sent to Ken, Hetepheres, Sarah and Peola]

Dido pops up on your tablet screens, looking chipper and extremely energized. "I challenge you to hand-to-hand mecha combat!"

Comments

Next tag move to Airfield?

[not_a_prize]

[Peola gave Dido a small smile and put a firm and reassuring hand on the mechanic/pilot's shoulder.]

I've got no problems with that. Just be ready to get shaken up a little and I'll meet you there.

Yup!

[actuallyselfish]

"Yeah!" Dido says pumping a fist. "I'm shaking right now!"

[Timeskip!!!]

ShelLancer's standing out in the airfield by the time you march Regalis Filia out the hanger bay.

"Thank for doing this, Peola!" Dido crackles over the radio. "Let's keep this nice and friendly. Wouldn't want to damage our mechs before a mission, after all! Alright...new OS booting up, running in parallel..."

ShelLancer's arms slide smoothly into a boxing stance, and its knees bob up and down in steady rhythm.

"Come at me when you're ready!"

[not_a_prize]

Friendly. Got it.

[That was all the warning Dido would get before Regalis Filia dashes towards the ShelLancer full tilt, its scarf billowing in the wind and its pilot letting out a battle cry!]

[actuallyselfish]

ShelLancer's legs bend. It hops into the air toward the charging Regalis Flia, aided by the firing of retro-rockets. As it falls back to earth, its arm snap out in two rapid boxing jabs towards Regalis Filia's head unit.

...for a mechanic with little combat experience, that was some fast maneuvering!

[not_a_prize]

[Indeed. The thing to remember though was that Peola had far more experience in the field of mechanized hand to hand. When the punches are thrown, Regalis Filia switches from running to digging its feet into the ground, leaving a grinding trail from its momentum before it ducks under the punches - both of which scrape close by its head, had Peola been a bit slower she would have taken a hit right to the face there - before lashing out to grab the ShelLancer's arms.]

[actuallyselfish]

Oh crap, grapple! ShelLancer triggers its Shell Boost and dashes straight back.

It stops, then moves straight toward you, then stops, and takes a single step back.

...looks like Dido's trying to lure you in? Not a bad plan, if it wasn't so obvious.

[not_a_prize]

[Which was why Peola also backs off, assuming a defensive stance and pulling off the Regalis Filia's scarf - simply wrapping it around one of her machine's hands while letting it rest across the back of the other.]

C'mon Dido! Are you just going to sit back and hide in your shell?

[actuallyselfish]

"Heck no!" Dido replies. ShelLancer advances directly torwards you, then drops down, thrusts one leg out, and spins, trying to sweep you off your feet with a low kick.

That's a pretty advanced move, especially for an amateur pilot without a motion capture harness! How did she manage that?"

[not_a_prize]

[Which ended up catching Peola off guard. See... the thing is with instinctive fighters that have empathetic abilities is that they use their sixth sense to pick up on tells from their flesh and blood opponents. The fact that Dido had possibly programmed that move meant that-]

GAH!

[-the kick succeeded and sent the Regalis Filia in a sudden crash to the ground. Ouch.]