Another girl wanders the streets under a blue hoodie, watching the crowd and eventually stumbling upon a girl with her hand stuck in a TV, approaching slowly she speaks up and waves Um..? Hello!? Having some trouble there?

A black haired man in a sharp suit wanders the store, a grin on his face as he casually looks around for a moment. Hmm... Maybe a new TV? He'd glance through them for a bit before spotting the girl he'd seen around that train... Putting her hand in a TV. "Woha! Is that some kinda special power of yours!? I've never seen a TV do that before, but hey there's all kinds of crazy things around huh?" Yes sound casual and friendly, as though such strange events no longer phase him at all... Upon seeing her face however, he'd look rather concerned. "But hey, you okay? I realize not everyone has seen the... Weirder side, of this city."

Soon a boy around the age of 8 was walking in the mall, just hanging around, hoping to get some peace when he saw the girl who looked scared Wakui would run up to the girl "Are you ok?"

Omitting his usual entrance behind a bank of fog, a large man enters a particular shopping center. Ahead of him, by a few feet, was a pair of black orbs. He slowly followed the orbs as they seemed to roll towards some businesses, yet stay away from others. "You lot better not be pulling my leg. If we don't find anything, you'll be put on an indefini- hm?" As the man began to call out the orbs, they stopped. Where they stopped was right in front of the door to a certain electronics store. With a wide grin now upon his face, the man would proceed into the store after retrieving the orbs and placing them in his coat. "Let's get to work."

The girl turns to see the small group gathered before her, obviously a little startled by the amount of attention she garnered in such a short time. She took a while before actually saying anything, her breathing had become a loud panting, her eyes darting around all over the place. "W-What do you want? Y-You saw that? I'm not crazy right, you saw that happen?" She stares at the young boy before her, tilting her head. Hey, haven't I seen this kid before? No, probably just a coincidence. Maybe at the gym with the bug girl? There's a lot of toddlers around who look the same. A-And who's this guy in the suit?! She backs up a little close to the TV in her panicked motions, trying to figure out what to make of the situation. "H-Hey, I know this sounds really weird, but you ever watch a random channel at night and see something weird happen? Like some random person, maybe someone you recognize crossing the street every so often, and they do something super weird before it cuts back to normal?"

Wakui looked at the girl and put putting his finger on his chin for a moment before his eyes widen for a moment before they were normal "Aren't you that girl that was in the GYM when you were question a girl with powers?"

Mmhh! With all of my eyes! Uh, try not to fall in yeah? It isn't going to be fun if you do! Aitome watches carefully as she tries to figure out what to do, watching before answering the girl again Weird channel? I uh, don't watch TV! But it definitely isn't normal! Try to stay calm alright? With hope you'll get out of this in no time! Just stay hopeful!

Saw that? Of course, he did, he's got eyes after all... Unlike so many other people around here, most just want to ignore the mess and live normal lives. "Once upon a time, I'd have just ignored it like everyone else! But now... Well, I am a public servant, after all, aren't I? Yeah, I saw it, and if anything else happens you can count on my help!" As for this channel... Well, he can't say he's heard of them, but after everything, he's seen up to now? Nothing feels too absurd to take seriously anymore, vampires, living flames, magical items that control natural disasters... "Can't say I have, but if you have I'll hear it out! Name's Mizui Namiko and hey, if we're gonna go inside a TV or something then I'm up to it!" And GYM eh? He's heard of the place but never been, maybe he oughta change that soon... For some reason, it feels like someone is watching but he can't place that either. "Anyways, uh hey kid? I'm not sure what you can do, but if we're going in there I'm kinda not okay bringing someone so young into it. It's my job to protect people and all, so I'm gonna warn against going in. Even more so for someone this young. That having been said, if you do go then I'll help!" He'd then clap his hands, looking over at Ai with a curious expression. "And wait, you know about what happens if someone falls in?"

Her eyes darted to the side, hearing what sounded like a ball bouncing. Not important, focus! She shakes her head and blinks at the man in the suit, putting a hand to her chin. A public servant? That sounds kinda fishy... could be a number of things really. She steps back a little further, edging awfully close to the TV. "Hope? What am I hoping for, that whatever is happening just stops and I can go about my day normally? Sorry sweetheart, but that doesn't look like it's gonna happen..." She takes one more step backwards, and that's all it took for the clumsy girl to stumble right into the massive screen behind her, shrieking as she dived head first into the black void of a monitor sitting ever so still. Within a moment, the white rings that had once appeared on her hand were covering the entire screen, her presence nowhere to be found.

"..." Sighs "Well then, as a healer I have to make sure she is ok... and by the looks of everyone I guess were all going to be following her." Wakui backs up before walking up to the tv before putting his hand on the tv to see if it would "eat" his hand

The man curses and reaches into a briefcase he'd had in his hands, he'd pull a belt from the thing and place it on his waist. Jumping in after Sana without even a second thought as he tosses the case down on the ground, he's got nothing else in it and frankly, he doesn't care if someone takes the thing at this point. "DAMMIT! WELL I GUESS IT'S TIME TO BE A HERO, OR SOMETHING!" He'd leap in with a roll, eyes darting around as he stands up in whatever area of this madhouse he's been pulled into. Hands placed on the front of his belt, which happens to have a dark blue flask on it.

Aitome gulps as the girl takes a step back, trying to calm her down before she falls in completely and cursing, turning to the rest of the party and rubbing the back of her head before taking a deep breath Yeah.. I know what happens when you fall in. They face their deepest fears and insecurities personified in a shadow. If they can accept their shadow they will survive and gain. But the chances of them doing it on their own.. It's slim at best. We have to go in after them and help them. Alright.. It's time to change fate! Here we go! Following H2O, Aitome jumps in while drawing a shortsword off her back, this destiny isn't decided yet!

Sensing the chain of events kick off, the man rushes into the fray with an outstretched hand. "Snake: Armed Mode!" The small orb that was hiding behind the main group burst to life. It began to unravel into a long black body with a larger head and beady red eyes. Its body then began to split open and form chains all the way down to its tail. The man grabbed the tail as it lunged past him and dove headfirst into the TV.

As the group enters the TV, they'd find no traces of Sana anywhere. Instead, they'd find themselves in front of a large, fairly traditional Japanese building, extending quite far backwards in terms of length, the air contaminated with a distinct crimson coating the sky. The doors to the building opened, as if welcoming the newcomers into the building, the back wall of the first room now being visible. On the wall would be a series of decorative masks, and a large plaque on the wall with the words 'Mori Traditional Bunraku Theatre' etched into the metal plating. At what was clearly a concession stand, a woman stood, any sort of human features visible would be replaced with pitch black, a big white mask over where her face would be. "Ah, new visitors? I trust you're here for today's show! Lucky for you, the [Director] is feeling generous, and the first ten members of the audience will enter without fee!"

Audience huh? Sounds weird as hell. Heck, given what he knows of places like this they'd most likely be annoyed by people showing early if anything... Hmm, maybe the girl doesn't know too much about it herself? Given what Ai said that seems likely, and who's this guy with the weird snake chain. "Alright, who's taking the lead here? I may like to mess around a lot and all, but when it comes to something like this I'll take it seriously... Considering what sword lady said, I'm guessing failing at this kills the person who's 'shadow' it is right?" He'd pull the cork off his flask, a grim look covering his face as water rushes from it a blur of motion and begins to form a suit of dark blue armor with black accents, a stylized diver's mask taking shape as the helmet. "Kamen Rider H2O, rushing to the rescue." With that, he'd begin walking forward and darting his head around. No sense to let his guard down after all.

Aitome falls flat on her face and gets up, rubbing her face and sheathing the blade as she approaches the figure with a strange look. Trying to communicate with it before following H20 Um hello? Could you direct us to the director? After speaking to the shadow Ai turns to H20 with awe for a second before shaking it off and responding Yeah.. Uh! I've never been known as a leader! I'll let you take care of that yeah? I'll just do what I do alright? Ai then turns to [redact]lib and waves to him Oh hey! Nice to see you swing around Caycay! I'll be good to have you around!

Adjusting himself midair and landing by taking a knee definitely looked better than it felt. The pain reverberated throughout the man's body before finally going numb. "He made this look a lot easier. Well guess that's the joy of having more than one piece." Grumbling to himself, he finally stands up. This was certainly an odd situation, but hey, nothing wrong with playing at being the hero once in a while. Seeing the strange man transform before his eyes was another oddity to add to his collection. So that's what the waterlogged hero looks like out of suit. "Alright. If the Director is being oh so hospitable, then who am I to decline such benevolence." Hooking his current weapon into his pant pocket, he walked through the main door and towards the concession stand. "You got anything to drink? I'm pretty sure the show is going to work up a sweat." Finally noticing Aitome, he groans. "For the last time it's... a moot point. I'm glad you're doing well Aitome."

The shadow tilts her head, gesturing to the doorway to the group's left. "I'm afraid the Director is not going to be taking any visitors before the show. Please take a seat at your leisure and await the show. It shall be starting quite shortly. If you have any concerns, please voice them after the performance." There was something quite fishy about her insistence on the matter, especially heard in the terseness of her voice. But for now, the shadow was not hostile, gesturing quite politely to the inside of the theatre. "Enjoy the show~!"

"Huh. All I wanted was a Nastea or a Rad Bull. Didn't have to be such a bi-" Oh right there's kids here. "Fine. Thanks for nothing." The man reluctantly turns from the concession stand and makes his way into the theater proper. He can't help but be slightly mesmerized by the intricate detail the TV world was capable of. It had a more solid presence compared to what he was familiar with. This new experience was exciting for him and the wheels of his mind kept turning as he sat down in the front row.

He'd walk forward, getting out of the shadow's earshot before looking to the rest of the group as they walk in. "I don't like sitting around, feels too risky. But what other choice do we have here? I'm open to suggestions, but for now, this seems to be the only flow that we can move by..." He'd sigh and search for a seat, looking around the room and finding a set of 3 that are currently empty. Upon taking it he'd wave Ai and... Caycay? No that can't be right, the girl's name is Aitome though. "Anyway, you seem to know more here than I do Aitome. How about you, uh I'm sure your name isn't what she said. Either way, what can I expect from these shadows? I'm just assuming they're not generally made of fire, unlike what I usually fight."

Oh great. This so called hero is wet behind the ears. "Shadows are a barrel of laughs! They always keep you guessing! Just keep an eye out and enjoy the show~!" The man let out a brief sigh before checking the contents of his coat. It would be pretty silly if he didn't have the tools needed to not die. "Kalib, by the way." He spoke once more after assessing his kit. "Pleased as punch to meetcha, Water Boy!"

Hmm, alright then! Better wait for the director, no use not watching the show, it might give us some nice information! No issues on my end! Smiling brightly she begins to walk down the hall according to the directions given, turning to Kaycay and nodding as she continues down Yep yep! The world is always a little chaotic but I'm doing what I can as the hero of hope! All together nothing will stop us! Er, at any rate it's good to see you as well! Eventually she reaches her seat near H2O and hops in before responding, reminding herself that not everyone has been in the TV world Oh, right! We've barely introduced ourselves! But yeah, you got it right! Aitome Korichi! I.. Have a habit of getting names wrong! I'm sure I'll get it right eventually if you correct me enough times! Onto more pressing matters though.. Shadows.. It's hard to define! They can really range from anything to doing anything, so keep your wits about you! Especially watch out for a shadow that looks like the girl we saw earlier! That's going to be key in rescuing the girl! Ooh! So his name is Water Boy! Nice to meet you!

As the group all took their seats, or at the very least entered the seating area, the curtains would open wide, revealing a dark stage that was impossible to see anything on, until the bright stagelights all shot up, showing Sana on stage, looking even more scared than before. Suddenly, a voice could be heard from the speakers, sounding distinctly like Sana, but there was a noticeable difference, the voice sounding totally deadpan. "And now, let us start what you have all been waiting for! Before us you shall see a sorry girl, a poor girl, a woman so lost and hopeless, she's even fooled herself!" Sana stood there motionless, unsure entirely of what to do. She didn't bother trying to run, there was likely a reason for her not trying to run.

He'd tighten his grip, curling his hand into a fist and looking up at the girl. Part of him, the part that's him really, is saying to rush up there... But that wouldn't be smart, not the path of least resistance. And water is nothing if not able to find the best way to flow. So in spite of what Mizui might do, H2O simply watches closely and nods to his newfound allies. "Hmm, Water Boy is not quite my name but I don't take any offense to it. H2O, Water Boy, Mizui Namiko, it's all a way to keep who I am straight in the end. As for these shadows, I shall do my best to keep your advice in mind... Assuming they take shape based on the theme, we can expect to fight puppets in a place this."

The man wasn't really caught off guard by this sudden turn of events, however he was intrigued. This was his first time seeing a shadow of this nature through his own eyes. A grin tried to work its way to the surface, but seeing Sana's face sobered his mind a bit. Grumbling out a quiet growl of discontentment he began to grip the arm rests on his seat. This whole hero thing definitely cramped his style. "Shhhhhh! Quit gabbing before you get us all washed up!" He turned to H2O and whispered at him...with chutzpah.

Aitome nods to H2O before the curtains open and Aitome turns her attention to the stage, watching the girl from earlier on the strange, weak and vulnerable, she grips her shortsword and readies herself, but seeing the others hang back she grunts and sits tight, holding onto her seat hard as her knuckles turn white Grr.. Not yet Ai.. Not yet..

The voice's tone took a sudden change as another woman stepped on stage, looking oddly familiar. She had a series of masks on her belt. When she steps out of the shadows, her complexion would be none other than Sana's own, a distinct set of yellow eyes glaring from her face. She stares at the audience, then towards Sana, standing beside her. Suddenly, she puts on a mask, easily recognizable as a hannya mask, her tone completely shifting to a hostile, almost grizzly malice. "Welcome to the show, dear viewers! I, your director, have come to you with an unconventional performance this time. Why you see, before us we have our most advanced form of puppetry yet! A girl, who seems fully human, fully animate blissfully pretending that she can be like her peers. Like she wears a mask at every moment of every day!" Sana herself, staring at her Shadow, seemed to raise a brow, stomping her boot on the floor and yells! "Hey, quit saying that bullshit, none of that is true! And why do you look like me...? Y-You're nothing like me!" She took a step back, screaming aloud! "YOU'RE NOT ME!" At that moment, the shadow lifted her mask, wearing a crooked scowl. She raised her hand upwards as suddenly, black gelatinous blobs arise from all around the audience, white stitched masks barely attached to their surface. After about seven of them appeared, they'd all charge towards the group, squiggling arms violently thrashing about!

Wakui got up from his chair and soon stood on top of the chair Wakui takes out his short sword as he soon jumped chair to chair to get to where the rest of group is so that he could be a good support for them

Mizui just sighs, water already taking shape around the man as it rushes from the flask on his belt and quickly takes the form of a set of tendrils behind him. "Seems as though we're finally being welcomed, and I presume that her shouting how the thing is nothing like her leads to bad news for us," Despite his words he's entirely focused on the fight, water rushing out to take on the worm of a wall that splits their foes and allies right down the middle. It's only about 5 inches deep, but it'd still make moving past a tough time if Mizui didn't allow you to. 4 on his side, and 3 for Kalib. With that, he'd send a rushing jet of water towards one of the shadows, sharp edges on it moving at high speed and aiming to slice in before rushing around the field and trying the same on the rest of his foes. Even as H2O himself rushes backward to gain more ground between them.

Sensing the shadows begin to form as the woman raises her arm, Kalib stands from his seat. "Seeing it up close is really something else. These Shadows are truly quite fascinating. But goodness me, are they ever lively!" The man reaches into his coat and pulls out two black orbs while his eyes take on a malicious glint. He tosses the orbs at his feet before speaking. "Rabbit and Rabbit: Armed Mode!" The orbs would unfurl and reveal themselves as pitch black rabbits before turning into a cloud of smoke and covering Kalib's shoes. The smoke would coalesce into a pair of black greaves with a bunny motif and beady red eyes at the knees. Giving a few quick hops to adjust to his new power, Kalib rushes towards the remaining 3 shadows. He quickly grabs Snake Chain from his right pocket as he comes up on the first shadow. "Let's see you pop! Venom Bind Hostage!" The snake's eyes would glow an ominous purple as Kalib whipped the chain forward. The chain would begin to extend and wrap around the first shadow several times before having the snake bite into it.

"Do you not grow tired of that loathsome facade you wear so often? Why bother trying to hide what you truly are?" Sana's shadow removes the previous mask, instead replacing it with an onna-kei mask, her voice shifting into a motherly singsong as she stepped closer to Sana. "Embrace yourself. Discard that act you keep so diligently. Show how empty that skull of yours is!" The shadows themselves didn't prove much of a threat, as quickly as they appeared, most of them were dispatched safe for a few. Mysteriously however, each of the shadows' masks remained on the floor, as the now three remaining shadows growled and shrieked in their demented voices, grabbing and collecting the masks of their fallen brethren and attaching them to their jelly-like form, each mask nearly doubling their size. Sana grew more distressed, falling to her knees and holding her head with a mixture of frustration and agony. "L-Leave me alone! I-I never wanted this... I-I just want to go home!" "The more you resist, the more it'll hurt. Be a dear and comply?" Almost as if corresponding with Sana's distress, the shadows began slamming and thrashing their arms around, flinging chairs across the entire room, crushing some others as if they were tin cans, all the while clawing for the group, specifically Mizui, as the water blasts at the very least proved to irk them quite a bit. One of the larger multi-masked shadows slithered and writhed towards Kalib, a new arm appearing from its core in the shape of a fist and flinging itself right towards him at a surprising speed, but there was still time to react!

Seeing the shadow form pop out, Aitome pulls a sword out as she jumps out of her seat, attempting to dodge the things coming for her in the air before crossing her arms as ice begins to form around her hands, after a second she has multiple spikes of ice around her, letting go of them and dropping them fast and furious on the blobs! Upon impact the ice spikes try to dig themselves in before shattering and letting a small explosion of nuclear energy out. After being in the air for so long it is only natural she has to come down, falling down behind one of the water walls and conversing Mm! Don't hold back! The shadow can take quite a beating! The most important part is getting them to accept it though! Aitome then yells out to the girl from earlier, time to see if luck be a lady tonight! Hey! I know we just met and being open to a bunch of strangers is going to be hard! But wearing a mask isn't a bad thing! Everybody does it! It's what we use to endure hardships! Nothing good will come from you running from your problems!

Wakui had no clue what to do. so he looked at Sana "Miss Sana! Listen to your shadow or the girl that looks like you. She's telling the truth, if you want to help us not die you need to accept that things you don't want to accept. If you don't then something bad will happen!"

"A composite type?! It gets stronger the more heads we take off... it could almost be called a hydra!" Pulling the chain back after dispatching the first shadow left Kalib too distracted to notice the incoming fist. However, the snake's eyes flashed once more and it lunged at Kalib's chest with a considerable amount of force. Staggering backwards, Snake was left to take the brunt of the punch and Kalib was knocked to the ground with the back end of the strike. The small creature would look up towards Kalib before bursting into a cloud of smoke and fading away. "Hey now... you seem to be a little bit too excited..." He'd slowly rise and adjust his glasses so the glare hid his eyes. "Let's put you in your place... small game mooks should learn to die." The two pairs of red eyes on his knees begin to glow a bright orange as Kalib seemingly disappears. With a rush of sudden air, the shadow would be able to look up and see Kalib's figure coming down with an axe kick. "Bunny Bomber!"

He's got no time to play with the minions. So rather than simply attacking them normally again, he'd recall the wall of water between himself and Kalib, rushing it to... Wait a moment, ice. It would hover near the ice for a moment, growing frozen before rushing back into his flask and suddenly freezing the whole thing. The belt itself would begin shouting. [FLOW SHIFT!] [THE FROZEN DEATH!] [ARCTIC FLOOD!] The man's armor grows cold, so very cold to anyone near it and yet still perfectly comfy to Mizui himself. Along with all of his water turning to floating ice that hovers around the ring. With that, he'd quickly surge the ice forward, shaping it into a series of sharp and tough blades that rush at the shadow nearest him and aim to stab into its masks, if they hit the blades would then attempt to tear them to bits with sheer force and letting out cold energy to weaken their target. "I know not who you are, but I do realize that whatever this shadow is it wants your scorn. Draws power from that the same as I draw power from my flask, do not give your foe more to work with. Even if denying them that requires great effort."

The shadow's form caves in under Kalib's bunny boots, its dark ooze splatting all over with its masks being scattered across the room. Before its fellow compatriot could arrive to retrieve its masks, it was turned into a big gelatinous pincushion by Ai's spikes, causing the second shadow to burst into bits. Finally, the last of the large shadows would freeze up the moment one of its masks was damaged, almost withering and melting away without much resistance. Sana, meanwhile, gazed at the group members throughout the audience, blinking a few times in confusion before looking at her shadow. It was obvious how much she abhorred looking at the thing, despite being for the most part a mirror image of herself. "T-There's no way! There's nothing to run away from! You don't exist, none of this is real! This is all a big mistake!" Suddenly the humanoid shadow's own mask cracks, revealing the twisted expression underneath. Now, its voice was reduced to nothing but a cackle, its own shape starting to malform and expand, the previously recognizable face that it wore now disappearing, instead wearing a helmet with the masks that were previously at its belt. Its body was now replaced with what looked like a metal skeleton, covered in a traditional samurai's do, and bolstering a massive blade with multiple dents and serrations on its tip, looking much less like a sword and more like a poorly trimmed garden. "Finally, the true extent of my power! For all to behold! Ahahahahah! I've never felt so alive!" The shadow's helmet turns clockwise, revealing the devil mask once again. It raises its massive blade, clearly readying to strike Sana, no matter what connection her life might hold to its own.

Nngh.. I've got you! Hold on! Rushing up to Sana, Aitome puts away the shortblade in her hand and instead crushes a card to summon forth a white fox that howls as loud as it can, casting the entire theater in a green light to buff up the parties speed! Using this new agility, Aitome draws a katana off her back with runes engraved all over the blade, running in front of Sana to defend her from the sword strike by parrying the shadow's blade with her own, trying to hold it there with all her strength or to push the blade away You have to wake up! Not accepting yourself is the same as running away! You can't hide from your own shadow! The only thing to do is to face it and be more then your demons!

The force of the impact would cause the pair of greaves that Kalib had equipped to come loose, reverting to their orb forms. "You both did well. Get some rest." Retrieving the orbs and placing them in his coat, Kalib turned his attention to the spectacle before him. His lips curve into a wicked grin as the same glint comes back to his eyes. "And so the target appears. It's hunting time!" Reaching into his coat once more, Kalib produces a larger black orb with some sort of inscription upon it. The glyphs glow and fade with a dim red light. Each pulse similar to that of a heartbeat. Seeing the creature begin to strike however gives Kalib little time to act. "Releasing restraints!" The glyphs would begin to glow faster. "Releasing limiters!" The glyphs begin to glow brighter before seemingly burning off of the orb. "Release the beast! Awaken Amou!" Thrusting the orb into his chest, a large black cloud would erupt from his back. The cloud would quickly dissipate as a large humanoid arm with massive hands and gnarled claws swings from within. This reveals a very tall, grotesque humanoid being with a slack jaw and piercing red eyes. "Do it now." The tall creature quickly turns its head to face Sana's attacker. And then it begins. A shrill screech pierces through the air and would begin to reverberate around the blade in an attempt to use sonic force as a barrier to halt or slow the sword.

Dammit, this whole thing is getting a bit dicey... And what's there to do but try and slow it down? The sound will help with that line of thought. But there's something more to be done for it. And he'd tap the button on his belt with a smirk under his mask. [FLASH FLOOD NOW!] [CONTROLED FLOOD ZONE!] H2O pulls the flask off his belt and holds it high up in the air, icy water that would chill whatever it touches down to the bone rush from it in a huge wave that flows above without touching the ground at all. After a moment, it would aim to take hold all around the shadow in a huge circle. FUll of water and if it struck true it would, in fact, maintain that shape for quite a while, the ice-cold water keeping shape and even freezing in a snap if their foe aimed to attack out of it. On the other hand, anything his allies tossed through would be allowed to pass, along with the water hoping to freeze down the shadow's legs. H2O simply watches, bent down on one knee for a moment and out of breath. "I suggest coming up with something, I cannot be sure of how long this will last in the least bit. Even so, hopefully, my little trick shall be of use."

As the shadow brings down its blade, its swing is brought to a grinding halt, not only by the sonic waves of Amou, but Ai's parry sends the shadow reeling back, if only a little bit, all the while it would remain ill prepared for the sudden coating of water, freezing its legs in place. The shadow turns its attention away from Sana, at least for now, its horrific mask only proving a more terrifying sight than before. "A puppet who outlives its use is nothing but a toy to be discarded, along with the rest of its kind! Perish!" The shadow lifts its mechanical right arm, a sudden burst of energy appearing in its palm. Pure curse energy swirled in its grasp for a few moments before it raised its hand upwards, the ball of energy dispersing into tendrils that seemed to seek out the group! Sana meanwhile, was dashing for cover, leaping off of the stage and ducking beneath a set of chairs.

Tendrills of shadow... And he's sure as hell not doing any more water for a bit, not if he wants to keep the target locked down. "Go ahead and hit me, but it'll take more than this to kill a Rider." The tendrils slam straight into him, sending H2O flying backward even as he keeps his eyes and power focused upon the prison of water his foe is now trapped in. At this point, he'd aim to freeze the water around its hands and arms, though with the side effect of spreading his focus and making the whole thing a bit weaker than when he'd been only keeping the legs in place. Even so, he'd have a bit more left. He'd shout out towards the girl even as he does this. Despite the gashes along his armor. An icy tone clear in his voice as he speaks calmly, yet not kindly. "You seem like the sort of person who wants to be something special, call it a gut feeling but I know how that goes... What you're seeing now? This is the reality of what that's like, being a Hero, having 'powers;, it's not some game for fun. And if you can't even accept your own faults, then you've no right to hold that kind of power... If you want one of these 'Personas', then I'd suggest taking a long hard look at what's being said by that other you."

"Amou can't stop all of them. Damn, sometimes I wish I had his powers. Regardless, Amou to the front!" The beast began lumbering forwards with its arms swaying to and fro. His body taking the brunt of Kalib's tendrils with little response, however its skin would show several lacerations. "Hang in there Amou." Kalib would then turn his attention to the boss once more. "Huh. A rather dismissive view of puppets. Perhaps run of the mill laymen would fit that bill, but the most exciting puppets are the ones who cut their own strings! Rebels against a world of conformity! I would gladly watch puppets like that dance through life! And whatever our friend here struggled with, I'm sure she'll turn out just fine." He turns to see the girl ducking beneath her chair fort. "Or not. Mad scientist intuition errs on the chance of failure, but uh... here's hoping?" He ruffles his own hair in annoyance before facing the boss again. "I'm not good at this good guy deal! So just die like a good shadow! Amou, Feral Claw!" With a bestial laugh it begins to lumber towards the Shadow at speed. As it approaches, the long gnarly claws begin to glow bright red and grow in size. Amou would swing its arms in an X at the Shadow's when it got within a few feet.

!!! Korumi this is on you! Upon noticing the tendrils a shift happens as a blaze of red takes over Aitome, taking a more aggressive stance, she places the katana in front of her with one hand and draws a second short blade over head, to form a sort of semi circle with her arms, with both these blades ready, a burst of holy energy fills the katana as the runes on it glow white, with everything ready Aitome attempts to cut through and dispell the tendrils by using holy, running forward to meet them dead on! Using the katana to cut it in half before slicing the pieces to ribbons woth the short sword! It's imprecise and crude however as the point of the attack is to get closer! Letting some slip by the hit her in exchange for speed! While doing so she yells to the fleeing Sana in a more aggressive tone I thought you weren't going to run! Stand up and fight! Face yourself! Nothing will change if you hide!

The shadow's tendrils retract into the ball of curse aura as the shadow lifts its hand, the curse energy forming into what was obviously a massive shuriken. Seeing as nothing else it was doing seemed to be working, what better way to annihilate the opposition than cutting them to bits! The shadow's mask turns to one final face, a pitch black expression with seemingly no malice, or sympathy, only emptiness, its expression blank. Finally, the shadow tosses the massive curse shuriken, seeming to cause chairs and carpeting to start gravitating toward the spinning ethereal blade. Sana stood herself up, blinking a couple times and sighing. She almost seemed like she was just going to continue running, until she took a step towards the stage again. While she still wasn't quite speaking to the shadow, she was getting much closer to it despite how dangerous that might be. Finally, she yelled out to the group. "I-I don't think it has much fight left. I-I don't want to see this thing... I don't want to know that what this thing says is true... but the fact of the matter is I can't turn away from it. I've hid this deep down for too long." Almost as if on queue, the shadow's shuriken begins to weaken just a bit, but still proving quite dangerous to anyone who would be caught in its rotation.

"A cornered beast is always the most dangerous." Kalib laughs with not so subtle touches of malevolence as he adjusts his glasses. Again the glare masks the intent his eyes hold. "Sorry to say there's always someone bigger, and you're looking at him." Kalib merely turns his left hand up and snaps his fingers. "Amou, stop the blade so the others can finish the job. I already have all the data I need from you. No need to make the others jealous. Show me Feral Claw once more with gusto!" With a shrill roar the creature rushed to meet the shuriken. And like before its claws grew into massive red blades that it slammed against the shuriken in midair. "Hold fast, Amou! Get mad! Get hype! Give it your all!"

Don't want to see this thing? Very well then, the man leaps up into the air. Rushing away from the shuriken despite its best efforts to slam into him. "Very well, time for the finisher but first." [THE BLAZING DOOM!] [BOILING!] The water around his foe suddenly shifts in temperature, going from cold to red hot in moments as H2O raises his fist up and speaks with vigor. "TIME TO END THIS ONE, NOW!" [FLASH FLOOD WARNING!] [FINISHING MOVE, BOILER MELTDOWN!] The water all around his foe burns even hotter, turning into steam in places and suddenly shifting into the form of blades, the burning hot water would aim to slice into the Shadow and rush all around, no longer being so large as to cover the whole body but instead moving what's left with great speed and force. Finally, it takes the shape of an old-school boiler and just as promised, melts down with an even greater heat than before all while slamming itself into their enemy. H2O himself is once again out of breath, even more so than last time. "This needs to end quickly! Otherwise, I might just boil away entirely over here!"

The shuriken begins to pull Ai in, realizing this, Aitome jumps back and slams her katana into the floor to prevent her from getting closer to the attack, with her body away from harms way for now she concentrates, letting energy flow through her and letting it all be stored in the katana, her hair going blindingly white instead of red. With sword in hand I shall be the one to cast away the darkness of despair. With this blade in hand I shall be the one to shine a ray of hope on this world! With this weapon in hand I shall vanquish you! Almighty Hope! Now that the blade has all of her energy stored within, she picks it out of the ground and slashes it across the air to send a wave of magic directly at the black mask to hopefully destroy and stun the shadow! Yelling out to Sana as she does so! Now's the time to change your fate! No more hide and seek! It's up to you now!

Amou was quick to dispel the shuriken from the air, removing any sort of threat from the situation quickly, allowing Sana to get just that much closer to her shadow. The automaton's form was quickly withering away, with Mizui's water eroding at the shadow's armor. Finally, Ai's sword slashed the shadow's mask right in two, causing the skeletal structure to collapse and dissipate, revealing only Sana's shadow sitting there, defeated. "You know I think I get why you... we, were so mad. We were mad that really, all I did my whole life was pretend to be someone I'm not. To pretend that I could be like any of my friends, experience joy the same way everyone else did. But it's not so bad being different right? Sure I don't feel the emotions they do, that doesn't mean I can't be there for them. I... I guess what I'm trying to say is there's nothing wrong with who I am. Who we are." She extended her hand to the shadow, only for it to stare back at her, donning a blue glow until eventually it disappeared, leaving only a blue card with the same aura behind. "Sorry you all even had to deal with this. I'm not even sure I know your names a hundred percent and here you are saving my life from... me. Let's go. There's no use staying in a place like this." She offers the group a faint smile before trotting down the stage, walking slowly towards the exit of the theatre. What seemed like such a bubbly personality just faded away, but not leaving quite an empty husk, instead leaving a woman with far more self realization than before.

Aitome watches with a huge smile on her face as she sheaths her weapons, getting giddy watching the shadow disappear before jumping into the air and throwing a fist bump Aha! One more fate deterred from despair! See everybody! We can do some good after all! After taking a second to calm down, the bright neon white leaves Ai, what remains is her regular dull white hair and eyes as she takes a deep breath, wipes the sweat off her brow before responding Hehe! It's no big deal! Really! If you really wanted to know the names Ai! Aitome Korichi! The Warrior of Fate! Changing lives is what I do! After all nobody should fall to an ill suited destiny! Hehe! At any rate I should be leaving! Got lots to do! I'll see all of you around! Aitome then takes her blade again and cuts a rift into reality before disappearing into it

Kalib turns his head away from the girl as she gives her thanks. His face was hot with embarrassment and he wore a small smile. "Hmph. It's not like I did it for any reason..." Shaking his head, regrettably leaving it a few shades redder than he'd have liked, he approaches Amou before following Sana out. "You're really something Amou! I wonder what other powers you've got for me to play with~?" With a playful lilt to his voice, he turns his back to the creature. "Contain the beast! Activate limiters! Activate restraints! Slumber Amou!" The creature's eyes would flash red before turning into a massive cloud of smoke and slamming into Kalib's spine. With a hand on his chest, Kalib would pull a large inscribed orb as the smoke finally disappears. His face was twisted with pain but he quickly moves past it as he places the orb in his coat. "Whew. That's a lot harder going the other way..." He takes a final moment to catch his breath before following behind Sana. "She's got a good head on her shoulders. Definitely worth keeping an eye on!" With a quick whisper to himself, he catches up to Sana. "By the way, Kalib's the name and punching things that are bigger and badder then me is my game! The pleasure is all yours I'm sure! Heh!"