The only thing I can do is buy time. Even if I teleported away, then Uzume would be worried sick about me! And Thunder Rocket would probably tell everyone that I kidnapped, um, myself, and that would also be bad! I couldn’t do that to Uzume, anyway or to Mie for that matter…and what happens if they try to ‘deprogram’ my poor little monster addict? It would be such a horrible experience to her!

I’ve seen Thunder Rocket fight before. She loves to make these taunts. But I think I’m pretty doomed anyway. Even if I run, she’ll probably damage the tank and ruin this poor aquarium! I’ve texted Suzuka-chan and I can receive texts mentally from my phone in compression space, but she hasn’t gotten back to me yet…

For the sake of the whales and the squids and the precious Kagoshima Aquarium and all its future lesbian dates, I have no choice. I have to fight!

I have at least a bit of a plan. Thunder Rocket’s reflection field protects her against magical energy attacks. If Laplace were here, we actually could use one of her massive coilguns, but sadly there’s no way she’ll get here on time.

But I do have one attack I can do.

Before Thunder’s drones strike, I let loose a bundle of tentacles! A high-pressure (and very pleasurable 🖤) blast of ink goes for each of them, and for Thunder’s face, and…

pretty much fizzles as her Yata-no-Kagami boils the ink into nothingness on impact.

Sorry, mama, papa, but I believe I’ve earned the following swear word: fuck.

“See? Fair’s fair.” The ground crackles as Thunder poses again, before leaping forward alongside her funnels! “Now I have no reason to hold back! Let’s rock, Akuma!”

As Thunder Rocket leaps forward to attack me, all I can say is: “I’ve made a huge mistake.”

Without a doubt, the Valkyries of Tanegashima are the strongest magical girls in raw battle potential. Pure power. Other magical girls are more varied, more clever, more useful once the battle is done…but to battle the massive, powerful kaiju that threaten the Tanegashima Space Centre in an effort to cut off humanity’s path to space, the Rock Lobster have honed their abilities to match that threat.

And Thunder Rocket is by far the strongest of the three.

That is. To, um, make a long story short…

boof

Big mistake! Big mistake! Even with my new acrobatics skills, I can’t keep up with Thunder Rocket’s attacks!

At first, Thunder tried to attack me at range with her funnels, but I can reverse the polarity of her electric attacks back at her, and even reverse the discharges. I may be new to this magical battle thing, but I already have a few tricks up my sleeve.

But that didn’t work for long.

Right now, she’s battling me with her fists and her feet! I’ve seen her kill kaiju with a single blow! I-if she uses a Goddess Finger on me, I’ll be toast!

“J-just…wait! Just wait!” I yell as I’m thrown back, the acrylic window behind me creaking from the impact. Between me and the kaiju, this aquarium and Mie are both in grave danger! “I-I’m getting in touch with someone who can find out how to get in the tank! L-let me –” I stagger away from the tank, spraying ink all over the ground. I-it’s too much!

“I’m not letting you get your ink inside that tank! No chance!” Thunder raises her hand, and it starts to crackle. “I’ll finish you off with a single blow. After all, this hand of mine glows with an awesome power!”

H-how can she be so dumb?! Seriously! S-she can’t think of anyone but herself! If only my tentacles could grip her properly without her breaking free! S-she’s like, even her muscles have muscles! She’s so hot, I want to jam my tentacles inside her, but she’d probably just bite them! I can’t even get my ink inside without her making it boil away with her anti-energy barrier!

“Its burning grip tells me to defeat you!”

W-when I said online ‘I want Thunder Rocket to Goddess Finger me’, this isn’t what I meant! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!

I-it looks like there’s no way out! I’m sorry, but whoever’s watching this, please forgive me! I-I’m too cute to die here! I think, I think my only way is to teleport out, no matter the consequences –

snap

A snap of the fingers echoes through the empty cafe. From one of the entrances emerges a figure…a figure that can only be a magical girl.

“Planning to destroy this aquarium, Thunder Rocket? And here we are, the woman of the hour, Maledicta herself.” W-wow, she’s kinda cool, actually. She’s wearing a magical suit and tie, and her hair is such a dark blue it’s almost black…she’s kinda ‘hard boiled’, if you know what I mean.

“What?” Thunder’s hand is still crackling with energy as she looks toward the interloper. “You…wait, you’re that indie chick that just appeared, right? Whose side are you on, anyway?!”

“I’m just a concerned third party, honestly.” The suit-clad magical girl shrugs. “I felt a kaiju appear here, so I snuck in, but it seems like you two got here first. Just let it be known…” She raises her finger…w-wait, is she doing finger guns? I-isn’t that a bit too chunni for how cool she’s trying to look? “I’m not just about to let some musclehead destroy the aquarium to save the aquarium! Let the shadow of love be cast upon your misdeeds…

“So says Knight Dusk!”

K-knight Dusk…so the rumors were true! There really is a new indie magical girl around! This is pretty lucky, but…but why is she on my side? Can I really trust that she’s going to challenge Thunder Rocket? She has a weird aura, she might even be the real ‘leaderess of evil’!