[X] Dealt with this now. Baron would be dancing now if Madoka was right, and it should only take a look at DJ Sagara's show to find them.
Team Baron's usual beat was playing, as Madoka, Homura and Hitomi looked up towards the stage.
The team itself was arranged in a sort of horizontal pyramid arrangement, with four dancers in the back row, two in front of them, and then team leader Kumon Kaito taking the front of the stage. Madoka was kind of embarrassed by the fact that she couldn't remember any of the names of any of the other Team Baron members. Come to think of it, if she tried, she probably couldn't name anyone but the team leader in each Beat Rider team.
Turning to the side, Madoka took note of Homura's reaction to seeing Team Baron. Again, the Magical Girl was having an odd reaction to seeing a team dancing. Though, rather than the outright hateful look she was giving Team Danza, her look here was more of...
...Well, she seemed conflicted, her facial expressions shifting several times in a few seconds as her eyes darted back and forth. She'd stopped breathing for a second as she laid eyes on Baron, and her skin paled. But at the same time, her eyes had lit up, slightly, and she seemed... Almost like she was a bit happy? Like she was scared, but not enough to hide some kind of...
Argh, it was hard enough just trying to read Homura's expression, how was Madoka going to guess what that was supposed to mean about her opinion on Team Baron from here?
"...Are you going to come up, Homura?" Madoka asked the Magical Girl. "Or are you just going to stay in the crowd again?"
Homura looked back at Madoka, and took a moment to consider it, before shaking her head.
"I-I'll stay." Homura decided, but didn't elaborate.
Madoka nodded." Okay, then."
The dark haired Magical Girl nodded back, and gave a timid smile.
"Good luck." She said, in a small voice.
"Let's do this, then." Hitomi decided. Madoka took a moment to make sure that the Driver was still attached to her waist, and the Strawberry Lockseed was still in her hand.
...Her hand was shaking, she noted.
Well of course it was. She was about to take on Baron. Even with everything Homura had demonstrated about the Driver, she was about to take on the strongest Beat Rider team, led be the strongest Inves Game player, when Madoka herself had never done anything but watch from the sidelines. Worse, if Homura was wrong, if she could be hurt even when using the Lockseed, then...
"Madoka." Hitomi said, distracting the pink haired girl from her thoughts. "Are you okay? It's not too late to back out."
Taking a deep breath, Madoka looked up.
"Let's just do this." Madoka decided. "Get it over with."
Hitomi gave Madoka a look that she couldn't quite identify, then smiled.
"If you think tou're ready, then let's go."
She walked to the side of the crowd, on the usual path to the musical machine box thing. Madoka followed a step behind the green haired girl, trying not to let her nerves show. She didn't know if her emotional state would have an impact on the Driver, but she didn't want to show weakness in front of so many people. If she went up there like she was ready to take on Baron, then froze up in front of everyone? That was an embarrassing enough thought that Madoka was tempted to just lie down and die at the thought of it.
But no, Homura was believing in her. Madoka wanted to be a good example for someone relying on her, prove that belief wasn't misplaced to herself and to Homura both. And to do that...
Hitomi stepped up to the speakers, and pulled out the disk playing Baron's music. The tune cut out with a record scratch, and Madoka heard the familiar voice playing over the radio of DJ Sagara's show as Team Baron turned to look at her.
"What's this?" The DJ's voice asked again. "Oh my, folks. I hadn't expected this match to be like this. Team Berry has stepped forward to challenge Team Baron... But where is Miki, their usual battler?"
Ignore him, Madoka thought to herself. Ignore the crowd. Focus on the here and now. Focus on the Driver on her waist, the Lockseed in her hand, and Kumon Kaito standing in front of her.
"I will admit." Kumon spoke, as he stepped forward. "I'm surprised. I had expected that I would have to come and find you."
Madoka was already sweating under his gaze, as she tried to think of how to respond. Her heart was pounding, and it wasn't until Kaito's lips twitched into a smile that Madoka realised she hadn't responded in a few seconds. The leader of Team Baron continued, taking control of the situation.
"Your usual fighter is missing." He noted, briefly. "Too afraid to face me?"
"Believe it or not." Hitomi started, stepping forward. "The Inves Game isn't the most important thing in the world to everyone."
"So you chose to face me without her." Kumon noted, as he reached into his jacket, presumably to get his Lockseeds. "Then, shall we see if you have the strength, to allow your friend her priorities?"
His hand emerged from his jacket once more, holding three Lockseeds, each marked with the image of an acorn.
The holographic ring opened between the two teams, and Kaito carefully pulled open the locks on all three Lockseeds. Three rips appeared over the sky, and three smaller Inves burst forth.
The rest of Team Baron moved back, giving Kumon space, and one member disappeared behind the stage, as Madoka stepped forward. Kumon raised an eyebrow at it being Madoka who approached to challenge him, and she held up the Strawberry Lockseed as she looked him in the eye.
He met her gaze, as if challenging her, daring her to face him, and for a second, Madoka almost faltered. Her eyes darted to the side for a second, towards the crowd.
Homura was at the back, looking up at Madoka.
She could hardly let her down now, could she?
Looking back to face Kaito, Madoka popped open the lock on the Lockseed.
STRAWBERRY
There was a murmur of shock that rippled through the crowd, as the booming voice echoed and the rip appeared above Madoka, and a reddish-pink helmet hovered above her head. The girl stepped forward, into the ring, as she started to act without thinking. If she thought about this too much, her nerve would break, and this would all be for nothing.
Placing the Lockseed on the open slot in the Driver on her waist, Madoka closed the lock on it once more.
LOCK ON
And then she reached for the blade-like switch on the belt, pressing it down. The Lockseed opened, with the image of a Strawberry cut in two on each side of the opening, as the voice continued it's announcement.
STRAWBERRY ARMS: SPARKLING SHUFFLE
The helmet slammed down on Madoka, and the girl almost winced as it came to a shop on her shoulders, before realising that it hadn't caused her any pain. In a flash, she was clad in some kind of armoured outfit, similar to that of a Magical Girl, but covering her entire body. And then the helmet around her head unfolded, from the size and shape of a comically large strawberry, leaving the smaller helmet it had created under it around Madoka's head as the rest of it folded down into additional armour around her shoulders and chest.
There was more of a murmuring whisper from the crowd, and Madoka took a conscious effort to ignore it. Instead, she focused on the sudden weight on her arm, and looked down to see a kunai in her hand, with the handle sized just long enough to fit in Madoka's grasp, and a slightly longer blade with the image of a strawberry on it.
She heard a hiss, and looked up just in time to see the three Inves rushing her. They were all the smaller versions, but the sudden shock of it made Madoka step back. The first of them reached her, grabbing her leg, and Madoka bashed the end of the handle of the kunai she was holding against the holographic monster. It stumbled, and Madoka kicked her leg, throwing it against the holographic wall. It bounced off, and crumbled to the crowd.
The next Inves up close reached Madoka, and jumped for her Driver, for her Lockseed. She swept her hand again, backhanding the Inves away, and the third Inves backed away. Madoka watched it for a moment, noticing the change in aggression, and circled it for a moment.
That was...
Well, it was something. She'd just batted away a pair of Inves like it was nothing. Was this how strong most Magical Girls were?
Out of the corner of her eye, Madoka saw the Inves standing up again, and realised belatedly that just kicking or hitting them weren't going to eliminate them.
...Was she going to have to stab them to make them stop? Madoka wasn't sure about that. Inves didn't really bleed in the Inves Games, but it still felt...
...Well, it wasn't as if they were self aware. It'd be like stabbing a plant. That screeches in pain and fights back. It'd be fine.
Madoka charged, heading towards the one Inves she hadn't hit yet. She felt some kind of impact at the back of her hand, like some kind of pebble hitting the gauntlet around her arm, and her head turned reflexively to look at the source. The Inves leapt up and grabbed her hand as she looked back, and as she jerked her hand away to try and shake it up, it's tiny hands were able to pry open her hand just enough to make her drop the kunai. Eyes wide, Madoka threw the Inves down, crumbling it into the ground, as the other two Inves closed in.
Raising her arms protectively around her head, Madoka waited for a second, ready to bat away the Inves that came for her.
The kunai hit the ground, and exploded into pink light. The explosive force threw Madoka back, with her poor footing, and she stumble for a bit before standing again.
In the three other directions, the Inves were on the ground again. Madoka stood, ready to fight them off again, and closed her hand into a fist to better throw them away. A pink light glowed in her hand for a moment, and another kunai appeared in it, before she heard a zipping sound.
Three cracks had opened, and slowly, the Inves stood up, before leaping back into the forested world behind the rips. The holographic ring vanished, and the three Lockseeds in Kumon's hand ripped free from his grasp.
Madoka looked up in surprise as they came for her, and the kunai in her hand vanished into pink light as she reached upwards. The first two, she was somehow able to catch, but the third hit her helmet, causing her to stumble back a step as it tumbled to the ground.
The crowd laughed, and Madoka felt her checks heat up.
...A-At least they can't see her face and see how embarrassed she is, right?
"And we have a victor!" DJ Sagara declared. "Kaname, from Team Berry! And what another interesting new trick up Team Berry's sleeve. I wonder what their secret is?"
Madoka quickly picked up the Lockseed on the ground, and folded up the Strawberry Lockseed on her Driver. Her armoured vanished in a flash of pink light, and she kept the Strawberry on her belt as she held the three Acorn Lockseeds in her hands.
"Well, we can hardly leave this new trick unnamed." DJ Sagara declared. "A Beat Rider from Team Berry has developed an Armoured form... So why don't we call it Armoured Rider Berry!"
Hitomi rushed forward, smiling, and took two of the Lockseeds Madoka was holding.
"That was amazing!" Hitomi declared, her eyes shining. "You were great, Madoka!"
"To the untrained eye, perhaps." The voice of Kumon Kaito scoffed. Madoka turned to look at the leader of Baron, who himself was looking behind him, as his team gathered again.
"You got distracted in a battle." Kumon continued. "And you never used the blade intentionally. Your grip faltered. You used your weapon in an inferior manner and did not understand it enough to avoid your own blast."
"...What is your point?" Hitomi asked, her voice cold.
Kumon looked back at Madoka, ignoring Hitomi completely. "This power of yours is impressive, but the user leaves much to be desired. If you are unable to find the resolve to fight to the best of your abilities, then your strength will falter, in time."
Madoka took a step back, and Kumon turned away.
"Exactly what I mean." He continued, a tone of disgust in his voice. "Find the strength to stand up in the face of adversary, or in time, the resources won't be enough to protect you from a stronger conviction."
Without waiting for a reply, he walked away. The rest of Team Baron followed him a moment later, and the last member reappeared from behind the stage as he did so.
...He was right, Madoka realised. She hadn't gone straight for the blade on the kunai, and even with the power she had, her victory had come from sheer chance. By an accident. Perhaps she would have won even if she didn't drop the kunai, but...
"Ignore him, Madoka." Hitomi decided. "He's just a bully, upset that he lost. You did great. And I'm sure Sayaka would say the same thi-"
There was a ring of the phone in Madoka's pocket, and the two girls jumped at the sudden noise. Looking out to the crowd for a moment as the voice of DJ Sagara continued to talk on his stream, Madoka noticed she was still getting some stares, and stepped off stage to take the call.
...That was Sayaka's number, Madoka noted. Had she seen the fight on Sagara's show?
Answering the call, Madoka passed the remaining Acorn Lockseed to Hitomi, and put the phone against her ear.
"Hel-"
"WHAT WAS THAT?" Sayaka shouted, making Madoka jump. "You- But I- Strawberry- Did Akemi give you that? How does that work? I... What?"
Madoka listened for a moment, before taking a breath, and trying to come up with an answer.
[X] ...This was going to be a conversation they should have face to face. Sayaka should be visiting the hospital right now, they could meet her near there.
[X] It shouldn't take long to explain everything to Sayaka. They could talk about it over the phone, and Madoka could clarify in person later on.
[X] ...Sayaka was visiting Kamijou right now, wasn't she? Madoka didn't want to distract her. She could explain when Sayaka was done with her visit.