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!

code

Comments

Manjoume Jun | Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Team Brimstone)

[thundercrashes]

seas the day

[Well then. Guess it's finally time to see whether or not any of the training from simulations has paid off, or if he's about to end up getting killed instead. He's fine-tuned some of his projections with the ocular implant for creating Duel Monsters that seemed to work during simulations in distracting the fake kaiju in them, but now it's a matter of whether or not it'll actually work on the real thing by comparison...

It doesn't feel particularly confidence inspiring that the plan is to put them all on boats, he thinks, so there's a good chance that the kaiju might even ignore his distraction attempts entirely and just slap him right off the deck. Sure, he knows how to swim, and he has in fact worked on his own physical training on the side, but at the end of the day he's still a human, ocean gem jammed against his forehead and pointy trident potentially getting shoved into his hands not-withstanding. As such, he has absolutely zero appetite for the food below deck, and instead looking at the naval artillery on the boat and trying to pay attention to the quick lesson of how it's supposed to be used. At some point, it seems to occur to him that he probably looks a little too pale and nervous to be here, especially after a passing glance in a reflective mirror, so there's a chance someone might actually catch him giving himself what appears to be some kind of pep talk to calm his nerves--]

One, ten, hundred, thousand, Manjoume Thunder. [And then, in Japanese] Ichi, Juu, Hyaku, Sen, Manjoume Sanda.

[He does this one or two more times before patting his face, and then just like that, he's prepared and ready to do this. It's still cold as hell outside, so if there's any slight twitch of anxious nerves that tries to make his fingers shake even after this, he'll just blame it on that.]

whale watching

[Once it's go time, Manjoume does in fact have the sense to not be anywhere close to the sides of the boat or in a position where he can be easily tossed overboard--he stands as far back from the kaiju as one can be while on these boats. He's taken a position where he can watch them and study their movements so that he can then see where is the best spots to aim for are, and when someone appears to be in danger of getting struck at, he projects a Duel Monster to appear to distract the kaiju instead. Some Duel Monsters are small and annoying colorful little freaks that flitter about directly in front of the eyes to get the kaiju to turn toward them just long enough for someone else to strike the kaiju while it's distracted. Others are dragons, which he primarily uses for the mother kaiju to be projected flying about at a distance of the world's most annoying keep away game by comparison to distract her with.

The downside however is that he can't project too many at once, as well as all of them having to be within his own direct line of sight since he's using the ocular implant. Otherwise it gives him a headache if he's pushing the hologram capabilities of the implant too hard, so he tries to stick to only using it to help his fellow fighters that appear to be in a pinch long enough for them to recover, or aim for another spot to attack while the kaiju is momentarily distracted.]

ocean gems (cw: momentary drowning/body transformation description from ocean gem)

[Eventually, however, it seems a kaiju, whether it be the mother or one of the children, somewhat figures out that the source of those weird flickering monsters is coming from this direction where Manjoume is. Or maybe they're just done playing games. Either way, Manjoume very suddenly gets thrown off his feet sideways, whether that be from the kaiju hitting the boat, or something actually hitting him directly, hard enough that he goes completely overboard and disappears into the water below.

It all happens a little too sudden for him to properly react, to remember to use the gem on his head, and thus for a moment he does in fact sink and flail, making the mistake of trying to breathe only to inhale seawater and choke. He's suddenly reminded of that time when he was fourteen, having run away from school on a stolen boat, only to end up causing it to sink and nearly drown. The only thing that had saved him was Ojama Yellow, having sensed him somehow out there in the ocean and getting the headmaster of the nearby school to send the submarine out that saved him. But this time, the little Duel Spirit isn't here to shout and flail in front of his face to get him to slap a hand out and swim back up for air proper.

As such, he may need some help, at least for someone to keep him from drowning long enough to change into a more useful merform here instead. Once he does remember to use it, or perhaps someone slaps the gem on his head and causes it to activate or what have you, he spends a few seconds in sheer agony, because it seems God has a particular hatred for Manjoume Jun specifically today as instead of the sensation of his legs being sewn together, it feels like someone is taking a chainsaw to his legs to split them apart in half, and then those halves into halves, wriggling flesh until it smooths out and takes the appropriate appearance and feeling of octopus-like tentacles. Because a dramatic guy calls for a dramatic merform via an octomer, apparently.

But once he's finished shifting, he'll be using that trident to live up to his moniker of "Manjoume Thunder" and aim for trying to electrocute the damn thing that knocked him into the water.]

medical bay/the calm after the storm (cw: emeto)

[Once he's able to leave the water, whether that be due to a kaiju getting downed or getting redirected to go back on land to help others while other people continue the underwater fighting, there's the agony of feeling his body change back to human, tentacles being stitched back into the shape and form of proper human legs. At first Manjoume thinks he just needs to lie here long enough until he can stand again, but even once he does in fact have legs to do so on, when he makes to push himself upright... he proceeds to vomit up seawater, as if his body suddenly just remembered the water Manjoume had foolishly ingested by accident when he first got knocked overboard, and as such he does not in fact make a quick and cool recovery so much as a very embarrassing pathetic one as he chokes to try to breathe again.

Aside from that, though, he has some cuts and bruises, and while he can't really tell if anything is broken, he probably should go to the medical bay anyway just to be safe, so feel free to escort or catch up with him there later as he's being bandaged or given proper fluids to rehydrate after the near drowning experience. Manjoume is a particularly stubborn guy though, because as soon as he thinks he can stand without wobbling, he attempts to leave so that he can take part in any search and rescue attempts: he needs to make up for how uncool he was during that one part of the battle by at least looking out for and helping any civilians that got caught up in this mess, right?

There's just one problem: it seems that the ocean gem he had been using isn't done messing with him, because despite having torn it off, there's a side effect in the form of his legs not in fact staying together as normal human legs, as when he tries to walk out the door, they suddenly split back apart into tentacles, knocking him back on his ass as they flail about uselessly and knock stuff over, and the staff giving him the news that he might have to deal with that for a few days until it wears off.]

You gotta be fucking kidding me...

[Help him get back up into a proper place to sit and rest? Or maybe let him attempt to struggle out the door anyway rather than rest--half octopus or not, he still can at least help at the beach if needed to go back into the water to look for any civilians that drifted out to sea, right?]

wildcard

[feel free to wildcard your heart out here, whether that be something before, during, or after the battle with search and rescue or when this dumbass is supposed to be resting? you can hit me up on plurk at wailords or PM this journal if there's anything you wanna ask or do for plotting purposes, and he also has his inbox here if desired!]

seas the day

[gundemn]

[ It's Elan's first time on a boat and he's not enjoying it. First giant monsters ruin snow, now giant monsters ruin luxury yachts. His visit to earth is going great, and he's thrilled to be cornered into piloting his mobile suit again.

He comes up on deck to listen to the artillery demonstration and walk off some of the apprehension, and it looks like he's not the only one. Though for Elan, it doesn't show so much on his face. He's used to grinning and bearing his way through and his attitude seems almost nonchalant as he leans against the ship's cabin wall to look out over the sea. ]

Feeling nervous?

[thundercrashes]

[... Oh shit, did this guy overhear him peptalking to himself? At the question, Manjoume quickly scoffs and runs a hand through his hair, attempting to appear the picture of ease again when he responds.]

I'm fine. Why, are you feeling anxious yourself or something?

[It's fine, he can just do the "no you" strategy and redirect attention away from himself and towards Elan instead, right?]

[gundemn]

[ Not the 'no you' strategy. It actually works to get under his skin, Elan can hide it but it doesn't change that man-eating monsters are terrifying to him. He doesn't know why he's in the minority when it comes to not wanting to die a horrible death. Or, well, he'd thought he was the only one before running into the other boy, who is obviously putting on airs. If they both feel the same way, they should just give up the pretense and connect over it, right?

If only. ]

It didn't look that way to me. As for me, I'd say I'm more annoyed than anything!

[ He's grinning as he says it though. ]

[thundercrashes]

[If Elan had been a fellow student at Duel Academy, he might not have put up the front at all, but for now, the people of this world are still strangers to him, and thus he defaults to acting tough.

He does, however, raise an eyebrow at the other's words.]

Annoyed, huh? Why is that?

[gundemn]

Don't you think it's unfair of them to make us fight their battles?

[ He didn't sign up to risk his life for someone else's cause. That, and he's resentful they're forcing him back into piloting Pharact. The most surprising thing is that some Outsiders seem quite eager about the prospect of fighting giant monsters, or at least don't feel a shred of fear. Cannot be him. ]

[thundercrashes]

Yeah, it is.

[He crosses his arms, leaning back here as he frowns.]

It would be one thing if they had the courtesy to at least ask first before tearing all of us away from our lives at home, but instead we have to put up with this bullshit instead. [He sighs, as he concedes to admit--] So yeah, I can understand being annoyed about it, because I am too.

[gundemn]

Exactly. They can try to disguise it as a heroic mission, but it doesn't change their shady practices.

[ Bullshit is right. It isn't as if he had much waiting for him back home, but he still had the choice taken from him. That makes him not want to try so hard to carry out the mission on principle. ]

The worst part is, they'll continue to get away with it.

[thundercrashes]

Not unless all of us actually do something about it.

[There's a pause, before he sighs, looking in the direction of where the ocean is.]

But right now, the goal is survival, and in particular, surviving whatever the hell is about to happen today with these kaiju.

[gundemn]

How would we do that while escaping detection?

[ If only it were that easy. So long as they have implants inside them, even if they could organize some form of resistance, Synthia would be onto them. The other guy's right though, what's important is surviving the battle in front of them. No point thinking about the future if they won't live to see it. ]

But I don't disagree. Right now all we know is what's in the brief. You've got a plan?

[thundercrashes]

More or less: I've figured out how to use the ocular implant to create holograms of monsters that can be used to distract the kaiju, and then those who can actually fight them head on can take the opportunity to strike while the kaiju is distracted.

[He's also made sure to pay attention to the lecture about how the harpoon guns and such on this ship works, just in case.]

[gundemn]

[ Well that's a fairly different approach from the usual hack and slash methods he'd been expecting. It's good there are people like him thinking things through. ]

Playing support, hm? Wise choice when you're feeling uneasy.

[ Still, Elan can't help but prod at him. ]

[thundercrashes]

Says the guy who also looks uneasy being here.

[He ain't letting the pot get away with calling the kettle black here, so to speak.]

What will you be doing, by comparison?

whale watching

[blastedass]

[Hot breaths. Heaving lungs. Cold air stabbing through his throat as he swallows it down and goes again. Another explosion. Another. Another! Hotter! Faster! Stronger! The more he fights, stronger he becomes, his Quirk feeding off the sweat building on his skin. The cold weather and frigid seas stand in direct defiance with his power as the kaiju against his goal. Fuck them all. A raw yell of anger pumps him up once more as he drives his hand into the side of a Shachimon- KABOOM! Scorching air sends it flying in a trail of smoke before it crashes into the sea to struggle against the explosion damage. Bastard. He drops from the sky, pops an explosion below him to bounce upward slightly, and lands on another yacht. Then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. It's endless. As much as he crows about his own prowess, Dynamight recognizes there's absolutely zero chance that he would've been able to handle all this on his own. The single kaiju mother? No sweat! ... proverbially. But all of this together makes him admit to LILITH's need for an entire army.

And his own allies among the Outsiders. It's hard to keep track of them out here. Not like they're all wearing specific flashy uniforms, and their implants aren't plastering up a "map" of the area with teammates-as-dots zipping around it.

... something's zipping around though? Dynamight grips the railing of the ship and peers out into the swelling ocean. A smaller Shachimon's batting at its face as three... very disturbing creatures flutter around its eyes and- What the fuck?! (Who the hell wouldn't get distracted being mooned by tiny red bikini briefed bottoms?) Maybe it's going to die out of sheer revulsion?

Cha-chunglglgl... Or by the massive chained harpoon that just fired nearby from a fucking ballista. Dynamight turns and finds-]

So you actually do know how to aim, Sawblade Hair.

[Manjoume's here? He's got guts.]

[thundercrashes]

[An argument could be made that Manjoume isn't doing the same kind of physical work that Bakugou is doing by comparison during the fight here, but he can still feel sweat forming on his own brow, mostly from pushing the ocular implant to its limits at the moment, but also from when he does need to very quickly side step a potential attack. He can't track everyone's movements, but he can at least pay attention to the people sharing the same boat as his... and Bakugou, who is hard to ignore with all of the explosions he sets off.

Even though Bakugou is often not even on the same boat as his, the other boy's outfit and flashy moves stands out and so once or twice he catches sight out of him out of the corner of his eye, before quickly redirecting his gaze back forward, especially once the kaiju start getting more aggressive and angry at all these attacks and distractions trying to hold them back from sinking the boats they're after.

He heard the other boy land on Manjoume's own boat, but doesn't actually pay attention to him until Manjoume realizes that one of the kaiju is too close to the side of the boat Bakugou is standing on, and thus directs the projection of Ojamas to buzz about the kaiju's eyes like annoying bees long enough to aim and fire the ballista at it. The kaiju lets out a scream and crashes back down into the water, causing Manjoume to give a sigh of relief.]

Wouldn't be here if I wasn't even capable of at least that, Birds Nest.

[Manjoume quips back, but notably doesn't actually look proper at Bakugou just yet--he doesn't take his eyes off the kaiju that just got harpooned, making sure that it's not about to surge up and strike again just yet the second he takes his eyes off it.]

[blastedass]

[He figures Manjoume has skills beyond dueling, but hadn't put ballista aiming as one of them until he got to see the duelist firing off some rounds. Though Bakugou's not going to admit it, having the other guy behind some solid metal machinery for both offense and defense makes him feel better about Manjoume being out here rather than back on shore and away from the fucking "you will drown" boat fighting.]

What'd you fucking say?! [WHY THE HELL IS EVERYONE GIVING HIM NICKNAMES?! THAT'S HIS FUCKING SHTICK! Even though he's raging at Manjoume, Bakugou's not entirely removed from the kaiju, making sure it's not going to clamor back up. Though now they have a dead kaiju on the harpoon, with the chain still attached. Tch, he eyes the chain and ballista, then the orca-like creature bobbing in its own blood.]

Start reeling it in. I'll get it off before it's too close.

[Then blasts over the side of the ship and down towards the monster floating in the water. They can reuse the harpoon easily, but they don't need this dead weight (literally) clogging it up.]

[thundercrashes]

[Hey, its only fair when you decided to address him as "Sawblade Hair" here...]

I think you heard me well enough. Unless your explosions have caused you to go deaf or something...

[Is this really the time for petty gripes at one another...

However, he doesn't tell Bakugou to fuck off or that he can't tell us what to do. Manjoume does in fact take his words seriously and turns his attention to the ballista, attempting to begin reeling the harpoon back in. It's not particularly as easy as firing it, now with a heavy deadweight speared through the harpoon at the end, but he assumes that Bakugou will have that particular issue taken care of here in a moment...]

[blastedass]

[Cause your damn hair looks like a stupid buzzsaw...]

Shut up and die! You got work to do!

[That wasn't a question you're supposed to answer, Manjoume! That was a rhetorical threat to give him a chance to decide on keeping his mouth shut! Which he did not. Too bad there's no kaiju goop lying around to pitch at him... Another time then.

He has his own work to do. Which involves landing atop the kaiju's corpse Manjoume is reeling in and working on raining smaller explosions around the flesh to blow it free of the harpoon hook. Sorry for the extra weight in addition, but soon enough, that's a small price to pay for when the whale's carcass comes free and the chain begins to reel in much faster. Bakugou manages to jump free before he goes underwater, then retreats to the ship again and Manjoume's station to watch the harpoon's draw in.]

There's three more to the west.

[thundercrashes]

[Manjoume rolls his eyes at that remark, but once the heavy kaiju has been removed and reeling the harpoon becomes much easier, he doesn't really have any further insults or gripes to make.]

Thanks for removing the dead weight. [He says, when Bakugou returns to the ship, before looking in the direction of where the other boy has indicated. Manjoume narrows his eyes a bit, studying their current movements as he speculates out loud.]

Three of them, huh... in that case, I could distract them with a larger projection of one of my dragons rather than a smaller monster this time. In fact, we could even try to lure one away from the other two and bring it down like we did this one, but it would require making sure the other two are already distracted as well, so that we don't end up with all three of them coming right at us...

[blastedass]

[Bakugou grunts at the gratitude, merely accepting it as he takes point beside Manjoume's gun and faces out into the choppy waters. At least it's choppy just from the mass of monsters, not because they have to deal with inclement weather along with this bullshit. It could be a fucking storm out here, but it's simply cold and clear.

He narrows his eyes as Manjoume plans the course of attack. Yeah, the distraction could work, but as he said, just luring one away would leave the other two free to do as they please. But if these three bastards are coming at them together...]

They're smaller than the last one. Don't distract them. Use your monster to lure them close. I'll keep them caged in and focused into a straight line. When you get the shot, take it. You should be able to skewer at least two of them in one go.

[It's risky, but he's opting to put his trust in Manjoume's aim and the artillery gun's sheer power. Bakugou intends to get the three close enough that the duelist will have a better advantage in aim, but it's going to cut down on Manjoume's timing. Despite the tone and statement, he waits for the guy's agreement, rejection, or compromise to the plan.

They have a minute or two for discussion.]

[thundercrashes]

[Manjoume considers the idea, glancing at Bakugou, and then back at the waters where the kaiju are waiting, and then back at the artillery gun.]

... Okay. The timing is going to be tight, but if you think you can get them to form in a straight line when coming towards us, then it's worth taking the shot.

[He takes a breath, and then--]

Summoning Armed Dragon, Level 7.

[Suddenly, a new projection appears, in the form of his Armed Dragon, albeit in a much more impressive form than the smaller one that Manjoume had shown him before back at the hot springs. He doesn't give it orders: it's not the real thing after all, just a hologram based on his memories of his faithful dragon, it simply leaps off the boat and takes off towards where the kaiju are at to begin drawing their attention.

For his part, he carefully stands close to the artillery again, but keeps his eyes forward toward the kaiju rather than looking at the gun or at Bakugou again.]

When you're ready, I'll start having the dragon coming back toward us for them to follow.

[blastedass]

[Having got the agreement, Bakugou watches Manjoume summon again. A new dragon this time. Increased level, huh. With even more blades apparently. It really does look like a bunch of buzz saws got swallowed by a dragon. That or one fused with the saws. Guess his nickname for Manjoume works on two levels now.]

Don't let them touch the dragon until the very end. [They're smart enough to realize it's a distraction if they go through it. Bakugou jumps over the railing and blasts himself towards the approaching creatures. He aims to work in tandem with Armed Dragon, putting physical impact against the kaiju while the dragon distracts them with its presence.

And if he opts to "hide" within the dragon just to keep the blasted beasts confused as to whether to Duel Monster is an actual threat or not, that's just tactical bonus for him. Dodging in and out of the fight also keeps the three kaiju at the surface of the water, trying to get either Bakugou or Armed Dragon while the pair draw them closer towards the boat. All the while, the hero's working to keep them as lined up as possible as they move, attacking one in the front before bouncing overhead to slam at the one in the rear, coaxing them into having to watch their front and back and thus stick in the line.]

[thundercrashes]

[Watching Bakugou work in tandem with his illusion of Armed Dragon is honestly impressive. Amazing, even: he watches from his position at the harpoon's rig here, and while he is still concentrating on lining his shot, he still kept but be a little awestruck.

It's a shame, honestly, that he isn't able to summon Armed Dragon in the proper manner he normally would have. Or that the person that gets to look cool alongside his dragon is someone with a terrible personality like Bakagou, but otherwise, he genuinely thinks this is cool.

Albeit, he does have to be very careful, because he doesn't want to end up accidentally spearing Bakagou instead if he doesn't aim properly, and so he forces himself to focus again rather than continuing to stare. As soon as it appears that the kaiju have formed a perfect line down the middle, and that Bakugou is not in the harpoon's path as they approach closer and closer, he counts to three, before his dragon suddenly fades from sight. At the same time, he immediately fires the shot to try to catch these kaiju on the end of a harpoon like the last one, hopefully while the kaiju are still confused wondering where the dragon suddenly went to even think of moving out of the way.]

[blastedass]

[Bakugou won't say it, but he's giving Manjoume credit for managing to direct his Duel Monster even amid the chaotic battlefield. Explosions, waves, monsters, Bakugou going this way and that, and the guy is keeping Armed Dragon from being touched and thus giving the ruse away. Not to mention each glance over shows Manjoume is still lining his shot up.

Someday, he hopes Manjoume will be able to properly summon his monsters. Whether that's recovering his tech or cobbling together a working substitute from the tech available here. He's curious to see how they work, the cards Manjoume's talked about, and so forth. It sounds rather interesting for a card game.

Bakugou slams one last explosion against the kaiju's head, knocking it back into the line, and then jets backwards, putting space between himself and the creatures. At the same time, Armed Dragon vanishes and in that moment of recoil and confusion, Manjoume takes the shot. The power behind the ballista-like harpoon gun is no joke and with the rush of its heavy metal harpoon and rattling chain, the shot spears clean through two of the kaiju's heads. One through the eye and the other up the jaw.

Right as the third one looks to dive, Bakugou jets into being behind it, charging an explosion in his hand, and crashes it against the monster's skull. One solid explosion blasts the shachimon forward, cramming its head into the barbed end of the harpoon and skewering it alongside its brethren.]

GIVE IT SLACK!! [These three are going into death throes and he doesn't want Manjoume or the gun getting ripped over the side of the boat.]

[thundercrashes]

[Manjoume very quickly attempts to make the chain connected to the harpoon go slack, as there's a very loud sounding groan that the boat suddenly makes from the weight of not one, but three Kaiju speared on the other end of the harpoon now, going into death throes and threatening to drag the boat down down into the water with them.

He very nearly loses his footing--he is a rather light-weight guy after all--but just barely manages to cling to the side of the harpoon gun before he can go tumbling onto the floor or off the side of the boat.]

Damn, these things are heavy...

[Not that he's really all that surprised, what with them being large whale monsters.

However, this means he's now distracted with trying to not fall off the boat and keeping an eye on the harpoon mechanism that he isn't really going to be paying attention to anything that takes the opportunity to come up on the other side of them...]