KAIJU FIGHT #1

[synfluxmods]

KAIJU FIGHT #1

CONTENT WARNINGS: thalassophobia, natural disaster, drowning, body horror, violence, blood & gore.

▶ 001. SEAS THE DAY.

On the morning of the 1st, sirens will blare, forcing every Outsider and Neo Tokyo civilian awake. While it hasn't been activated for a while, every citizen within the city knows this alarm all too well - it wails through the city whenever a Kaiju has been detected, ordering everyone to return to their homes immediately and stay there until they receive further information. Outsiders gazing at Neo Tokyo will see the armored city in its full technological splendour for the first time today. Once the civilians have returned to their homes, machinery within the buildings will work like clockwork, sinking each and every LILITH-augmented building beneath the ground. Just in time, too, because the waves are starting to roar again, crashing beyond the shore and flooding the city once more. Observant Outsiders may note that not every building has been modified. The older ones remain standing, vulnerable to the impending flood. Does anyone live in those buildings? The answer is yes, but that's not a priority at the moment.

Every Outsider will receive a summon, ordering them to prepare for battle. The Kaiju has been identified and located. It's show time.

"Angels of LILITH. We have located the Kaiju coming from beyond the sea. A full mission brief including the information we have gathered will be sent to you immediately. For now, make your way to the bay where your transport will be waiting. Be prepared for anything, but mostly, be prepared to swim."

Waiting for the Outsiders at the bay appear to be ... expensive-looking, personal yachts? This has to be a mistake, right? It's no mistake. Through intel LILITH has exchanged with international companies, it appears that this particular Kaiju has a fondness for overturning civilian yachts, and there's no better way to attract it than to leave it its favourite bait. The goal is to attract these Kaiju towards the boats and then attacking.

The ships may look like they're outfitted for a fancy yacht party. In fact, some exploring down below deck in the lounging room, one may find caviar on fancy ritz, oyster tower, little finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off and bougie smelly cheese that nobody in LILITH's pay grade can identify. On another table, there is fancy ramen spoons filled with microgreens, crystal jelly vinegarette, and a thin slice of parmesan cheese. Some further looking may find some fine aged wine, but you're not here to drink and party, you're here to fight a Kaiju! Right? Right.

Despite the fact everything about these yachts just look like... fancy yachts... they are actual warships that are mounted with naval artillery such as swivel guns, missiles and torpedos. Spears, harpoon guns and fishing nets can also be found and used if an Outsider is more comfortable getting extremely close to the monsters. There's no time for a proper seafaring course, so Outsiders will be given a quick run down on how the controls work, and be sent on their way. They will also be given a special jewel-like implant that attaches to the skin, right along the forehead, and told to wear it if they need to go into the water. "Don't worry about it," the LILITH crew says. "But it'll be one hell of a ride if you use it."

Alongside the crew, Seok Dang seems to be also assisting (?) though he's gotten a hold of the reception food down below. Did he smell like fine wine? Possibly. But that's definitely a fancy, half eaten cracker in his hand. He's also got on a bright, neon life preserver. Maybe someone doesn't know how to swim.

"WHOOO HELLA YEAH, MOTHERFUCKERS. Don't know how to swim? Don't'cha worry. Daddy Dang has got you covered. I know CPR! I give the best CPR! 💖 I'll rescue ya. TONIGHT, WE BALL!"

Nobody uses that phrase anymore, but you know what? You do you, SD.

▶ 002. WHALE WATCHING.

Minutes into their ship's course, the boats will rock violently, as if those already violent waves have somehow come alive. There is something in the water! The mission brief would have been shared with them sometime during their trip, but maybe Outsiders want to pull up on their implant the image and debrief shared once again now that there is some action. The orca-like Kaiju trying to reach the shores of Neo Tokyo is called Shachimon, and she's been the cause of the violent waves and flooding we've seen for the past few weeks. Alongside of her and are her children orca who love to mimic everything their mother does. The biggest one, the matriarch of the pod, is over 60 meters in length - large enough to swallow a boat whole. The younger ones are smaller but just as ferocious, spanning from the size of a car to the size of a bus. The youngsters are a size small enough that they can leap out of the water, sometimes crashing down onto people and ships. Beware!

Shachimon will be fighting to knock over boats, or climbing on boats with their amphibious legs. Once they get their hands on humans or Outsiders, they pull them into the water, tearing them limb from limb to feed. Their control over the waves are no joke, either. With a powerful swing of their tail, they can conjure up tsunamis capable of overturning ships. The matriarch, if left to her own devices, seems bent on submerging Neo Tokyo to make food of all its citizens.

█ █ █ MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET
NAME: Shachimon
HEIGHT: Younger whales are 4 - 18 metres. The matriarch is 60 meters in length.
WEIGHT: 1500kg - 5000kg
CLASS: Highly dangerous.
LOCATION: Large bodies of water
ABILITIES: Use of sonar to detect any water movement. Fast swimmer. Very sturdy body thanks to all that whale blubber. High intelligence - commonly works together as a pod to take down prey. Capable of creating tsunamis that overturn boats. The largest Shachimon can sink a city if not stopped.
WEAKNESS: Electricity (since it will be inside water), dissection, spearing its eyes or blowhole. Loud vibrations within the water can stun or confuse it.
EXTRA NOTES: Dislikes and will attempt to overturn civilian yachts. Carnivorous, eating marine life and human flesh. Sadistic personality, may play with their food prior to eating.

█ █ █ MISSION OBJECTIVE:
✖ Lead the Shachimon away from the shore.
✖ Extermination of Shachimon in the water and if they reach the shore.
✖ Protection of nearby fishermen's boats and civilians within those boats.
✖ Teamwork to destroy the matriach Shachimon.
✖ Bring back specimens (live or deceased) for research purposes.

█ █ █ ATTACHED PHOTO:

As a note, Outsiders who wish to remain on land and help civilians there may do so. There are waves flooding the city, and some of the smaller, quicker Shachimon will have made it to shore. They will need to be taken care of before they can terrorise the city.

▶ 003. OCEAN GEMS.

Shachimon are most deadly in the water and their go-to strategy is to pull others into their turf, where they have the advantage. That's where those jewel-like implants come in. These implants, called OCEAN GEMS, when attached to the skin, temporarily modify the body. Once activated, nanobots will invade the bloodstream and alter the user's lungs, giving them a set of breathable gills. Their legs will also be altered, giving them fins and the tail of a fish. This is a recent invention by LILITH ever since the first Shachimon was spotted a few years ago, and the technology is still experimental. This means that the transformation process will be significantly uncomfortable, feeling a bit like being asphyxiated and having your legs sewn together at the same time. Deactivating the gem and turning back feels just as uncomfortable, and being experimental technology, it can take a while before the user can successfully revert back. Those who want to fight in the water and lack any weapons or abilities that can be used can request Seok Dang for a weapon. There's a limited supply, but they will be given a special trident. Directly driving the spear into one of the kaiju will electrocute it, giving a higher chance for higher damage. These tridents will be handed out to those who want to use their Ocean Gem and ask.

It's up to Outsiders whether they want to use this new technology or not. Being able to fight the monsters on their own terrain is certainly an advantage, so LILITH would highly encourage it.

▶ 004. MEDICAL BAY.

Healers and those with medical experience will be placed on the warship with a red flag on it. Dr. Spim & Alex will also be present on this ship to assist any major injuries to both LILITH and civilian fisherman alike. This ship is bigger than the others, and while stocked up with the same artillery, it is also stocked with beds and medical supplies. This will be the Outsider's naval medical bay during the siege on the Shachimon and all injured Outsiders or civilians will need to be transported there. This ship will also need to be protected heavily, because once the Shachimon catch on that all the injured, vulnerable prey are being transported to the larger ship, they will start to target that ship in particular. Characters that need immediate medical help should be transported to this ship via a dataportal. Each yacht has a dataportal that can teleport anyone instantly to the medical ship. The dataportals are also located down below deck to prevent them from getting damaged.

▶ 005. THE CALM AFTER THE STORM.

It's a bloody, soggy and gruesome battle and the seas' waves begin to calm down, the sea filled with kaiju carcasses. LILITH's clean up crew is working hastily to collect these corpses, but with the Outsiders' occupied and recovering from their fresh battle, help is limited. Search and rescue scavenges the sea to find any civilians who didn't make it or may need medical help. Meanwhile, the valiant teamwork and effort has paid off. After many hits from many different weapons, artillery, natural abilities, etc. the matriarch kaiju has been downed and sank to the bottom of the ocean floor. LILITH's team will work to retrieve the massive carcass, though it will take awhile. Those who put in notable effort will receive praise and a little extra payout. Outsiders will see an instant transfer of funds to their account: 340,000,000 KRYPTOS. This is roughly about 2500 USD.

The intense battle will have lasted several days and Outsiders are free to go from land to sea as little or as often as they like. It is all over, though, and Outsiders will be called to return to the MAIN BASE for rest and recovery. LILITH will also be searching for the rift where the kaiju came from while Outsiders recover. A message from an unknown voice will pop up an hour or so after all Outsiders have returned to the MAIN BASE. Outsiders may use this time to socialize in a commons area, wash up in the showers, get a meal in the cafeteria or rest.

"Good work."

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our first Kaiju log! All prompts are highly encouraged but OOCly optional. ICly, characters can choose to fight in the ocean, on the ships or stay behind on land and protect the city. At the end of the siege, characters who accepted an Ocean Gem will be asked to return it. It's experimental technology, so LILITH will need to do more tweaking before they can properly release it. Outsiders who use the gem may have whatever fish tail they like, as long as it is a sea creature.

Feel free to NPC your characters' fights with the smaller kaijus. The main fight with the Shachimon matriarch will be determined via a HP-based system (See below).

Please note that all tags in this log count for 2 reward points each. Ask any further questions below!

Below is also the month at a glance. We understand the CALENDAR has been a little inconsistent, but the mod team is sorting all of this out. Expect a FEEDBACK POST this month as well so we can check in with the playerbase and make any adjustments to the game. This log, even if the time stamp says JANUARY, will count for FEBRUARY AC.

FEB 1st: Kaiju Fight Log in LOG COMMUNITY
FEB 15th: Text Post in NETWORK COMMUNITY
FEB 25th: Mod posted MEME COMMUNITY; FEEDBACK POST is live.

Thank you all for being a wonderful and understanding playerbase!

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Comments

[lifeprice]

[ Shaking his head, Aki hesitates for a moment. He already knows this is going to get him into trouble with Denji, so... In for a penny.

Carefully, he passes over some of the napkins, wincing a little as he feels the heat of the coffee against his skin. ]

It's taking a little time for the nerves to settle. It was still a little awkward during the mission, but it worked well enough.

[ Especially the rocket launcher. ]

[cranekin]

(He frowns. He isn't quite sure what to make of this. Normally, he'd be disappointed even if it isn't totally unexpected. But he senses something... he doesn't like that sword very much.)

Maybe it's for the best. (That that sword is nameless.) Names are powerful.

(An old, traditional belief. You can do a lot with a name if you have one.)

I'm Tsurumaru Kuninaga.

(He introduces himself with his name which most already know by now.)

I was forged in the Heian era and was once quite renowned. ... Though, no one seems to recognize me in this era.

[the_fourteenth]

[Raidou tries to be as gentle has he can, circumstances aside. He's so very glad he got this healing upgrade, no matter how horrendous the process was. He's already used it so much already, and will continue to do so. It's not the fastest process, but even a few minutes should make a marked difference in Tsurumaru. Or so he hopes.

Having to continually be touching people has been a bit of a trial, though. He'll get used to it. He shakes his head at Tsuru, smiling ever so slightly now, glad he's still conscious.]

Just hold still, and I won't. I can fix you up a bit.

:smirk:

[domitrix]

( the impact of the corrupted ishmael rocks the unsteady boat, forcing kafka to brace herself and realign her balance atop the brine-soaked deck. from what she noticed, it seems they're of a similar element - which might be tricky considering how fond it is of scattering especially with all the salted water.

magenta on turquoise sparks and lights up the surrounding greys, her own lightning meeting hers when parrying the projectiles to force most of it elsewhere. offboard, into a younger orca - anywhere that wasn't her or the flooded floor.

not that she gets all of it, the stray few she's not quite fast enough to redirect flares an angry bright when it meets the deck. she's not going to say it doesn't hurt, every muscle of her being protests at being forced to press on regardless of their current state, but she's not about to stop either.

she knows it won't work, she can feel how feeble the threads of her spirit whisper are even now, but it's worth trying. )

Ishmael, listen to me.

( the soft drone of a string plucked, there and gone again. madness drives those in its clutches beyond reason, beyond hearing, but she doesn't need her ability to draw focus. )

Ignore everything else.

( but it's not the corrupted other she guns for, not until pushed, driving her heel into another orca when it gets just a little too close. can't it see she's doing something important? )

Come back to us, won't you?

[blastedass]

[They don't know what's out there. There's no cowardice in viewing the unknown with skepticism in this particular circumstance. But beyond that, there's a fucking war going on behind them and they can't take the luxury of indulging in their aquatic freedom. What kid doesn't dream of flying through the skies or swimming uninhibited through the sea?

There's plenty of excitement right here and Bakugo turns back to the ships, glancing at the dead creature beside them as he passes it. The brood mother is going to hate all of them for killing so many of her children. Then again, what fucking mother forces her children into a battle knowing there will be casualties? ... Hunt or be hunted, huh.]

Doubtful. They wouldn't have brought the entire fucking pack into the bay if they were going to lead us somewhere. [He doesn't put these creatures' pack mentality in that category. Gang up, eat what you can, get out when full. He hasn't seen any sort of herding, baiting, or other kinds of hunting so far.] This had better just be some hunting shit.

[domitrix]

( the delay is more than enough to ignore any claims that he's fine. from what she's seen of him, his reflexes are most certainly better than this.

come along, then. there's little hesitation in the way she reaches for his collar to tug him along into the medbay with her. he can try to fight back or swat her away, but she doubts he could do much about it in his current state. some part of him at least seems to recognize that he's in need of some care if he got most of the way here.

she'll even urge him to sit on one of the cots, taking him by the jaw to force him to look at her so she can gauge attentiveness. an easy-going smile will greet him when he finally looks at her. )

Obviously because I'm stunning.

( a dry comment, but not lacking in the slight lilt her voice takes to. a joke, but not a self-deprecating one. she's comfortable enough with herself not to think otherwise. )

I need you to stay awake this time. Can you do that for me?

[cranekin]

(Ah, there it is. He can feel something. Something that makes him feel nicer but unfortunately for Raidou, his new power will eventually hit a limit.

No matter how hard he tries, he won't be able to get rid of the dull ache, the way his skin feels so uncomfortable to be in, or how he feels like he's breathing through a wet cloth. But still, he feels better. A little more comfortable in his skin and able to catch his breath just fine for now. It's enough to help him think a little more clearly, the shock of being tossed about earlier passing,)

Save your energy, Raidou-kun. "This body" is fine.

[blastedass]

Don't fucking "finally" me when you're the one who told me to go! [he does think denji's referring to the kaiju. he is not surprised to find out denji is referring to people. bakugou's not one to talk about that either, since he likewise has very limited patience for people who are getting in the way of hero work, whether that means they aren't clearing their asses out as fast as possible or interfering via trying to do their jobs in a shit manner. case in point, dynamight's instantly yelling at people to secure the fucking doors so the injured and hiding stop tumbling out on the deck and getting in the way. hell, the ones falling out should be the ones barricading the doors! RIP THE DOORS OF THE HINGES THE REST OF THE WAY AND PUT THEM HORIZONTALLY ACROSS THE DOORWAY, YOU IDIOTS!! DOES HE HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS?!

dynamight cusses loudly when the smoke reveals an entire horde of kaiju tearing towards them. what the fuck is this?! what happened to the others guarding the ship?! he instantly charges forward, focusing more on explosion-augmented punches and strong kicks to knock the creatures over the side of the ship. can't focus on killing them. right now, it's only ringing these fuckers out before they can do more damage to the ship. (why the fuck were you toying with them in the first place, denji...)

speak of the devil, he's here. well, half devil. dynamight finds a chainsaw-topped head leaning over his shoulder, peering at the work done. quick stitches, disinfecting medical glaze, soft gauze, firm bandage, then wrapping the area in warm bandages, all padded by one of the medics using the healing tech to help with internal damage. he's not worried about the external shit. some blood loss isn't going to kill him. some. his shoulder still aches like a bitch and his range isn't going to be as wide or fast without fucking up the previous work, but... sometimes you can't worry about that crap.]

Which is better, kaiju or devil? [snappy question, but since chainsaw man's being a fucking chatterbox, why the hell not? dynamight snatches a nurse by the collar and hauls her backwards while twisting around and slamming a vicious explosion into the charging kaiju's face. it more redirects it than sends it over the railing, much to his annoyance, but the woman's safe and that's a better outcome. he releases her and a quick shout gets her panicking butt back inside. the kaiju bodies littering the deck make it harder for everyone to move... and they're getting bigger as the small fry are cut down.

two left. he takes his stand, eyeing them down as he moves beside denji.] Get ready to go for their legs. I'm going to stun them. Cripple them as much as you can in the meantime. And close your eyes for a second.

[with that, dynamight cups his hands together, finger barely touching, and charges up a large, hot explosion between his palms. but rather than release a massive concussive force, this one is more a blinding flash of light and harsh clap of noise. the vibration pulse races outward, crashing into the monsters' sonar, while the light pierces lidless eyes. it's on chainsaw man for this capitalization.]

[lifeprice]

[ Aki has met the katana devil and the Chainsaw Devil - in a roundabout way - so people sharing bodies or being linked to weaponry isn't a shock to him. His life was focussed entirely on hunting the physical embodiment of the Gun Devil too, after all, so there are few things that would surprise him.

Forged makes it sound like Tsurumaru is the sword itself, which, if the way he's treating the blade is to be believed... It makes complete and utter sense. Leaning back in the chair, he sighs softly. ]

You are the sword? Or the sword is part of you?

[ He tilts his head, watching. ]

... That's why you needed to empty it? The water in the scabbard was drowning you?

[1797]

[Ren responds with a thumbs up, before he drops to the ground in one slinking motion that doesn't quite align with physics.]

Nice aim.

[It's almost a little jaunty, brazen when there isn't another threat to immediately swoop in. Though Ren isn't so incautious to ignore their surroundings; his eyes casually sweep along the shore, lingering where a kaiju could potentially ambush them.]

They're faster than they look on land.

blade, honkai star rail.

[sparse]

( ooc. feel free to leave me a blank comment and i'll write you a starter! )

ᴋᴀғᴋᴀ.

[sparse]

[ Ren makes quick work of the smaller orcas that manage to make their way onto the boat. His blade is sharp and swift, digging into the flesh of the creature when it is within striking distance. Its cries are ignored by the swordsman, and when many more follow up to avenge their fallen ally, they're taken care of just as quickly and without much fanfare.

He's always been good at that, killing things before they become a problem. Even more so when someone is counting on him to get the job done.

Once the last monster falls, he turns to Kafka. His expression remains neutral as always. ]

That was the last of them. Was there anything else?

[ He doubts she's having trouble handling her batch of creatures, but… ]

[cranekin]

(Sword on his lap, he pulls back the sheet he's been using to dry it and reveals it completely. It's longer than a standard katana and the blade has a clear, graceful curve to it.)

This is me. (And he folds both hands neatly in front of him,) And I am this.

(They're both the same.

He shakes his head,)

A sword can't breathe. (He taps the blade lightly with his finger,) But I can feel it.

Imagine... trying to breathe through a cloth that can never dry. It's possible but uncomfortable. But every day... slowly... slowly... it becomes harder. Your body becomes weaker, you grow stiff, and start to rust. Finally, you become filled with holes until you can't take another breath.

(And he lets out a light laugh,)

Ah! Just thinking about it... it makes my skin crawl. (And he rubs his arms as if trying to show he really is getting the heeby jeebies thinking about it.) The sea is scary!

[blastedass]

[Bakugo has to remind himself of similar things, despite it pissing him off. A dead hero can't protect anyone. A crippled hero only hurts their own ability to save others. If they have the time and ability to make themselves better off to protect, isn't that their duty as well to do it? Right now, there's a lull. They have other companions fighting. It's hard, but trusting your allies to cover for you, even if for a little while, is part of what being on a team is. A lot of Aizawa's admonishments to Bakugo over his pride and self-reliance come back to his mind now. Irritating, but... appropriate.

That bratty little groan earns a glare, but Bakugo says nothing as he works to clean the wound. Yuji's lucky he didn't lose his leg, but he's made of tougher shit than an orca bite. However the fuck that happens. When the sorcerer doesn't show any real effort to do the whole healing self thing (maybe he doesn't have to hold his own hand to make it work internally), Bakugo lets the issue drop. They're both tired. Pushing him harder will only wear Yuji out more. Better to let him rest while he deals with his injury.]

Then just rest for a few minutes. [He could also take the time out, not pummeling his arms with repeated explosions and taxing his sweat glands. The aching is starting to go away as he does less stringent work, fingers unfreezing. Each twitch has him back off for a second to let the jump of pain pass, then gets back to it, not wanting to take more time than they need.] You remind me of my classmate. He fought through his injuries too. Hated to rest and heal after getting fucked up.

[Granted, Midoriya fucked himself up a lot of times...]

[1797]

[Unstoppable force meets immovable object, except the unstoppable force just picked up the immovable object. Ren isn't as surprised as he could be by the leaping—it's not completely out there for a Persona-user—but he watches the shachimon surface behind them with an air of utter bemusement. He killed a god and for what???]

The rest of me is getting treated like a sack of potatoes.

[It's less his dignity and more his mile-wide independent streak. Though he does hiss and press a hand to his face when the waterscape blurs.]

I think [he says, very helpfully,] I'm going to throw up.

[eyescar]

Woah, okay, hang on.

[ Yuji skids to a halt, slamming a hand out to get himself steady against the edge of the yacht before he breathes out. The last thing that he wants to do is have someone throw up all over him, so...

Leaning down, he puts Joker back onto his feet, hand resting on his back. ]

Over the edge?

[domitrix]

( it's her preferred type of 'clean up' mission anyway.

the last of his pack drops before hers with a heavy thud, meanwhile she's taking all the time she needs with hers with a raised hand to heed him to stay for a moment rather than taking the kill from her. it would be easier to let him, but she has something else in mind for this one.

her cuts are careful, avoiding viscera as much as she can while starting its exsanguination with a cut where she estimates a major artery would be. it's a slow and cruel death, but it'd make for a better sample this way.

by the time it finally falls, she flicks her wrist to rid her blade of its blood, and turns to ren with a small smile. )

We'll be carrying that one back.

( 'we'. )

Toss the rest overboard and I'll steer us back. Come meet me when you're done.

[the_fourteenth]

So long as we can keep pulling together like this, I think we can. We just need to stay prepared.

[Raidou looks a little concerned when Yuji pulls that move, hoping he's not too run down himself to help him.]

Ah, is it working?

[the_fourteenth]

[Raidou looks a little confused, but won't take the advice of saving his energy. Not if it'll help.]

You're not fine. Can you stand up? I'd like to get you to the medical ship.

[eyescar]

I'll keep working hard on it, for as long as I need to.

[ Shaking his head, he nudges him gently. ]

No, you're doing fine. It's just deeper than I thought it was.

[1797]

[The abrupt stop almost makes Ren lose his cookies then and there, but he manages to cover his mouth and keep himself from retching until he's leaned over the ship railing. And there it goes.]

...What a waste.

[Sure, most of what he just barfed was yacht food, but also it was expensive yacht food.]

Sorry, I get carsick. [He rly just compared Yuji to a car. Even though getting yeeted by a whale is also certainly a factor.]

[the_fourteenth]

They've been working quite well together to gang up on boats.

[Some team effort on apart of the kaiju. He thinks they're a little more clever than Bakugo is giving them credit for.

Raidou slows his pace down to keep an eye on the area.]

But the more we keep from getting that far, the better off those on the shore will be.

[He stops, frowning when he finally catches his eye on some movement in the water. Two of the smaller ones are headed their way, sticking close together to make up for their lack of size. "Small" being relative when they're both around 5 meters in length.

Raidou readies his spear. He'd rather face them now then try to swim and get caught by his fins.]

Incoming.

[eyescar]

[ Reaching out, Yuji rubs his back gently, awkward. Maybe his healing touch will help...? Or he'll just make Ren feel awkward. ]

No, it's fine. I think anyone would feel a little queasy after all of this.

[ Anyone other than Yuji, who seems to be weirdly taking this in his stride. ]

Are you feeling better? Ready to go?

[blastedass]

They've noticed that's where the food is.

[No different than other predators swarming an area they know prey resides. It's like orcas trying to tip ice floes and wasps raiding bee hives. He's not dismissing them as stupid; he's more categorizing the kind of hunting they're doing.

None of them have been pushing boats together or feigning injury to attract an Outsider's attention, for example.]

Aa. If the big bitch's kept from going ashore, we only have to deal with a few getting to land.

[Seems the majority of them would prefer to keep where she is. Bakugo pauses as the other merman does, narrowing his eyes on the approaching kaiju. Tch, bringing the fight to them, huh...]

I'll blind them, then we strike. [Before charging up another explosion in his hand. Concentrating the beads of sweat, building up so they're not getting pulled off by the water.] Close your eyes.

[And right before those things are on them-] STUN GRENADE! [KA-BLASH!! Light and a shockwave detonates in the water, less to make a concussive explosion of fire and heat, and more focused on the light and sonic boom.]

[1797]

[So, spoilers about Ren getting half his face torn off... But he gets better.

While the shachimon being intelligent has plenty of downsides, the fact they also know when to back off and regroup really is its own kind of benefit when everyone needs a break. Ren rolls and massages his neck, taking a chance to lose some of the tension in his shoulders.]

I took a nap earlier.

[He isn't even joking; his sleep schedule is so fucked my dude.]

And I'll get a second wind before I have to take another one, if I'm lucky.

[Thank you, Dr Maruki. But Bakugo isn't wrong; Personas can burn through physical and mental stamina at an alarming pace. While Ren has amassed enough experience that he doesn't need to be too stingy with their skills, he also doesn't have his usual backups if he miscalculates. Regardless:]

Either way, I can cover you for a while.