1254/The Academic Dishonesty Bros.

The Academic Dishonesty Bros.
Date of Scene:	09 March 2024
Location:	Sports Pavilion
Synopsis:	The Academic Dishonesty Bros Plagi and Ariasm are selling essays behind the bleachers! Unfortunately for this conjoined youma... nobody liked that. Sailor Mercury, Sailor Jupiter, Tuxedo Kamen, Pulp Noir, Hope Witch, and Rocket Girl Red join forces with Sunbreaker to bring down these cheaters!
Cast of Characters:	Beryl, Madoka Kaname, Ami Mizuno, Makoto Kino, Amanda Faust, Hinote Kagari, Mamoru Chiba, Hinoiri Kirara

---

Beryl has posed:
It's lunchtime at Radiant Heart Academy, and the majority of the school is occupied with either getting lunch from the cafeteria or enjoying their brought-from-home lunches in their classrooms. It's a beautiful, if chilly day (around 58 Fahrenheit/14.5 Celsius), so it's only a few brave souls who have decided to take lunch at the Sports Pavilion bleachers.

With the weather as it has been, the Sports Pavilion is generally pretty deserted... which is one reason a certain enterprise has taken up residence here. That's right - at lunch time, in the back of the bleachers, students in the know and with cash to burn can find one of two students eager to engage in a little quid pro quo.

"I heard the essays are really good," a girl with long, dark teal hair is telling a small group of students as they walk out of the Sports Pavillion's main building. They climb down the large staircase, and the wind carries her voice farther than she may intend. "And it's not too much, either. Twelve hundred yen for your first and you've got a perfect score. They only go up to two thousand for the second and any after, and I mean, doesn't that sound pretty good?"

"It sounds too good to be true," one of the students says doubtfully, "Besides wouldn't we get caught?"

"It's not like anyone handwrites an essay these days," the girl says, "It's all printed. Besides, do you really think our teachers care as long as they get something to grade?"

"When you put it like that," a boy in gym clothes laughs, "Alright, so how do we find these cheap essays, Thalia-san?"

"Well, I saw Plagi-kun hanging in the back of the bleachers earlier today - why don't you check it out?"

Conversations like this have been happening all over campus for the last few days, whispered from student to student - some in scandalized tones, others with eager complicity. Those who claim to have used the service have proudly whispered about their much improved grades between yawns. So far, the teachers don't seem to have noticed... though given how tired many of them seem lately, that's probably no surprise.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka having no less than five hatched Chara (well, four and one X-Chara) around at any time means that at least one of her little fairy friends would catch wind of this. When she notices that Saotome-sensei is spending more time yawning and less time complaining about how her latest date went, the pinkette starts getting a bit worried. Sio, being the sharp business fairy she is, took the most interest in it. Gretchen, meanwhile, just started getting fussy over the idea.

    "Don't you dare buy an essay, Doka!" flailed Gretchen. "You're better than that!!"

    Madoka winces at the implied accusation. "I wasn't going to! But... I'm a little worried about my classmates."

    Thus it is that Madoka Kaname, Sio, and Gretchen are snooping around behind the bleachers, looking for suspicious persons selling essays. Each of the fairies are hiding within the bottom halves of their respective eggshells, suspicious eyes peeking over the jagged edges as if that somehow makes them less noticeable, darting between cover as Madoka casually advances.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Such rumors had easily reached the ears of one of the top students. It wasn't that she was looking for such things herself--NEVER!--but that she was often easily overlooked still due to no one expecting she pays much attention while working away at her desk diligently.

Ami had soon found Makoto intent on fixing this travesty of academic cheating.

"Really, can you believe it, Mako-chan? Selling plagarised essays! Profitting off of fakes! It'll ruin the whole grading system, not to mention it'll mean the students that try to pass them off as their own *aren't going to learn the lessons!*" Because surely that was the worst travesty of it all.

"We *have* to get the evidence and stop them once and for all!"

Ami was rarely so fired up as she was right now while marching her way toward the Sports Pavilion with a hand raised in a fist of rightousness that was, presumably, meant to be coming down on the heads of these twin brothers profiteering off of other students.

Ami Mizuno, Sailor Mercury pretty guardian of love and knowledge, was on a crusade.

Makoto Kino has posed:
All things being equal, Makoto would have preferred to be enjoying her lunch right about now... But there's academic dishonesty afoot, and Ami would not be denied. In any case, Makoto Kino dislikes cheaters almost as much as she dislikes bullies. Ami didn't have to do much persuading to recruit her friend to the cause.

"So," she says, striding along in Ami's wake to the Sports Pavilion. "What's the plan when we find them? I mean, guys who think this is okay to do in the first place aren't going to stop because someone asks them nicely..."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy isn't in the loop about this sort of thing at all, but she's heard some of the other more academically-inclined students who found out about it get all indignant, and you know, isn't busting up a cheating ring the kind of mundane meddling and excitement she never really got the first time? Besides, mundane excitement would be a nice break from constant youma attacks...

    She gravitates towards the righteous ranting of the other of the Amies, just sort of, staring at the bluenette as she reflects on this for a moment.

    Good grief, is that what I sounded like whenever I got all righteously indignant? A vision flashes in her mind of the time she followed a bully home from the bus stop to complain to their parents. She shakes her head. Best not to think of that...

    She approaches Ami and Makoto. "They're not going to listen because this is high school. No future employer or even college is going to care that much about such indiscretions. If high school was actually supposed to prepare you for the real world, the school wouldn't be ignoring or expelling them, it would be lauding their initiative and business sense and holding them up as examples to follow."

    The redhead sighs. "And, that's messed-up too, but obviously... it's like, are *you* gonna stop studying if someone just complains that you're a stick in the mud? Even if they have a point, maybe you've missed out on something, you have a point too, right? If your friends want you to go out more and try things they have to encourage that, *not* discourage what you're good at now."

    Amy stretches, holding her hands together over her head. "If you want 'em to change their ways, you have to show them that they'll have more success with a different path. That they can get the things they like doing something else. And if there is no better path for them... well, that's a problem with the system, not with them."

    "...Gods, I hope they're not *also* secretly selling AI grading services to the teachers..."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari was curious about the selling of illicit Essays. So thusly, he's investigating. That's what he does. Tracy, the detective chara next to him, as he sort of tip toes around the bleachers after overhearing a hot tip. "I wonder if this is secretly some evil plot." he says.

"Sometimes kid, a cheater's just a cheat." says Tracy.

"Ah." he says.

He sneakily tries to avoid suspicion.

Tracy starts humming Axel F.

Beryl has posed:
At the back of the bleachers, under the shade of some trees at the far end of the Sports Pavillion's border, is a folding chair, a small table, an even smaller lockbox, and a backpack. The student in the Radiant Heart Academy uniform sitting in the folding chair is... the most Guy of all time. Anyone who looks at him will definitely find themselves thinking - yep, that sure is a guy. Black hair in an every day sort of haircut, unremarkable face, dark eyes, even the uniform is neither exceptionally messy or exceptionally neat. Average in everyway.

Just Some Guy energy locked and loaded.

Standing next to the table, is another Guy, this time a slightly taller and thinner version, but still without any exceptional traits. He's not especially tall or especially thin, just Slightly More So than the other guy.

They really are just, the Most Guys of All Time, and currently, there's another student in a Radiant Heart Academy uniform with them, someone with an awkward nose and a shaggy haircut, his uniform tie loose around his neck. A guy, but not Some Guy. Personality exists here.

With Amy potentially distracting Ami and Makoto for the time being, it's Madoka and Hinote who get close enough to see money exchange hands, and a test handed over. The Slightly Taller Guy notices Madoka first, and pushes away from the table, heading towards Madoka.

"Hey," he says casually, "Can I help you with something."

The boy exchanging money yelps behind him, quickly folding up the test he's bought and scurrying away, racing down the line of bleachers. Don't look! Don't see his shame!

The shorter one laughs. "Good thing he handed over the money first."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno just pauses as Amy approaches to talk to them, staring at the girl a long moment as she states her case about how the world is so unfair, and how such miscreants should be *lauded* for doing what they were doing. The fist she had clenched lowers to her side.

"You may have given up on caring about fighting for the right things, but I haven't! Either do something HELPFUL for once, or go gargle ice!"

Lifting her head high she stomps past her to continue on toward her goal. "Come on Mako-chan. The plan is to catch them on camera so that we can report them to the student body council, teachers, and the press if they won't pay attention. The school is not going to sit by and risk their reputation being publically shamed."

A pause comes from the bluenette as she realises they'd missed their chance at getting an actual exchange on camera because Amy had held them up. A huff of breath is exhaled sharply. "--Honestly is she working *with* them?"

Madoka... she knew Madoka a bit, and she didn't seem the type to do anything illegal, but maybe this would be the chance to make up for missing the first one. Her phone is already out tucked carefully in her hand so that the camera points forward, angled up to actually get the faces of the students on film while the majority of the phone itself is hidden behind her hand.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Sio overhears what Amy says and floats closer to the red-haired Puella, still sitting in the bottom half of her eggshell. "Okay, so, you're not completely wrong? The problem is that if you're gonna do shady stuff like this in the real world, you gosh darn cuddly well better not get caught! They're sloppy, and that's inexcusable in a different way." Standing up, she puts one foot on the edge of her shell, causing it to lean towards Amy. "More than that? Unless you've got some severe nepotism working in your favor, anyone who does your job for you is a threat who could potentially replace you. There's no value in learning how to be useless. Life is rarely fair in the short term, but there is always a price for lackluster performance. Even if the underperformer isn't the one who has to pay it."

    Madoka, meanwhile, is putting on a thin, longsuffering smile as if the impulsive behavior of her fairies doesn't bother her. Weren't they trying to be sneaky? Also why do they use 'cuddly' and 'uncuddly' as expletives? Does Sio really have to argue with someone who is kind of Madoka's war buddy at this point? "Sio-chan," stage whispers the Chara Bearer. "Focus on the mission."

    As Doka is noticed and approached, she casts a sideways glance to Hinote and then looks back at Some Guy. At first she's startled, but then as she looks at the fleeing customer and everything else here she starts to piece together what exactly is going on. As she's trying to find the words to confront them with, Sio decides to speak up again. "Chara Change! Become someone who will tell these losers off!"

    Madoka starts speaking with an uncharacteristic amount of fire, and not of her own accord. "What kind of racket is this? Are you selling test answers here?! Unbelievable. You cheated not only the test, but your customers. They didn't grow. They didn't improve. You gave them a shortcut and they gained nothing." Madoka dramatically points at the culprit, rage fueled by her Chara-Change. "Yours is a hollow victory. Nothing is risked and nothing is gained." Crossing her arms with a frown, she concludes, "It's sad that you don't know the difference."

    A moment later, Madoka regains control and starts hiding the blush on her face. To Sio she whispers, "Was... was that a meme? Did you really make me use a meme as a justice speech?!"

    The business-suited chara proudly declares, "It was beautiful! Never be ashamed to speak truth to jerks!"

    "But a meme?!" whimpers Doka.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Ohhhhkay," says Makoto, sidling her tall frame in between Ami and Amy before this can escalate further. "Let's just stay focused on what we might actually be able to do in the space of a lunch break, okay? Getting them on camera and letting the school's guidance counselors sort things out sounds good to me... especially if we wanna have any time to eat before break's over."

She sticks with Ami as they near the bleachers, in time to listen to Madoka's speech with an expression of admiration. "I doubt they care about anything except getting other students' money in their pockets," she murmurs, not loud enough to carry, "but that was pretty good."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy didn't say they *should* be lauded, she was saying society is messed up. She winces at Ami's chastising. It hurts because she thinks Ami is righter than society. The red-haired Amy stops in her tracks, lowering her gaze to the concrete of the path.

    One of Madoka's charas points out that the real-world lesson is to not be sloppy and get caught. Amy just sighs to Sio.

    Makoto points out that they need to focus on what they can do now.

    But that won't change anything. Only people who want to be good care about that sort of thing. All they'll see is that 'good' people are the ones hurting them and getting them in trouble... But she doesn't say it. Ami telling her off really took the wind out of her sails.

    Is... Madoka quoting a movie at them?

    A memory flashes through Amy's mind of being a teenager the first time and trying to tell others off by pointing out they were behaving just like that Star Trek episode where the Enterprise crew find a society of only kids and their immaturity is a problem.

    Amy cringes at the memory.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari shoots Madoka a look when she chara changes and grows a solemn expression. He feels that, knowing exactly what that feels like as he nods once.

Tracy gasps as he points. "THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!" he says. And Hinote Kagari tenses a little, "Maybe we outta let the teachers handle them." he says. "I'm not apprehending some guy." says Hinote.

Tracy narrows his eyes.

Hinote Kagari lifts his hands up and goes over towards Madoka to help confront the guy. "Look. Cheating. Isn't cool. Why don't we all go to the counselor's office and discuss this." he says.

Beryl has posed:
Madoka used Justice Speech! The cheaters were ... baffled?

In fact, for a long moment, there's jsut silence - but then taller Some Guy blinks and the shorter Some Guy just laughs. "Ariasm, can you believe this? Come on, who cares about improving? Who cares about growing? And for the record, we are not selling tests."

"Yeah," Ariasm says proudly, "We're selling essays. Y'know, as study tools for people to learn from. So really, you're the one who doesn't want people to learn and grow, right Plagi?"

Plagi, the shorter Some Guy, nods like a bobblehead. "Yeah, that's right! We're just out here, trying to help our fellow students study, and you come around saying they should what, suffer without any help? Who cares about victory! We're just making a buck and they're getting to study."

They both cross their arms over their chests, like smug jerks.

And then some other kid (Hinote) comes along and suggests talking at the counselor's office, and they both scowl.

"No way," Ariasm says gruffly, "So why don't you two beat it?"

There's even more people coming up now, and Plagi raises his voice, "Hey, if you aren't going to buy a study guide, why don't you amscray?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka narrows her eyes in sad disappointment at the two Suspiciously Generic boys. Whatever cringe she may feel at her fairy's behavior, at least she's not as embarrassing as these two idiots. She crosses her arms and frowns at them, saying, "I think you know that's not true. You're giving a flimsy excuse to justify your actions, but you have to know no one here is going to buy it. Who are you even trying to trick? Yourself?"

    She glances over to Amy, Hinote, Ami and Makoto. They've got plenty of witnesses here, as well as an admission of guilt. "We're not letting this go. You said your names were Plagi and Ariasm? Are those your real names?" Madoka pulls out her phone, being a lot less discreet about it than Ami is, and starts taking pictures of the cheaty pair's faces. "Have I seen you at this school before? What class do you go to?"

    Gretchen, meanwhile, is still hiding around the corner of the bleachers and watching this unfold. Sio has her arms crossed and is giving the two a stern look despite the fact that a pair of mundanes shouldn't even see her.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno flashes a quickly apologetic glance to Makoto when she tries to intervene by stepping in the way of her wrath. She'd already moved her attention on at least. This wasn't the fight she came to deal with today--Was it even going to be a fight? Maybe not. It didn't matter, she was here to at least stand up for what was right. At least she got their 'confession' on tape.

Lifting her phone up she quickly taps to save that video clip with a nod. "Thank you for stating out loud precisely what you were doing. A straight up confession ought to be plenty of evidence."

Proudly she points at them only to wag her finger. "You two are done for now!"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
"GIVE 'EM THE NUTS, KID!" yells Tracy in Hinote's ear.

Hinote Kagari points dramatically. "Right. You're caught, give it up." he says. Glad he's dealing with a mundane problem today and nothing magical. Hinote Kagari gives a smug look. "Look, you're out numbered , so this is over today for you anyways." he says. "So why not make it easier on yourselves." he says.

Tracy nods along. "They're gonna do a whole nickel." he says.

Hinote Kagari wonders why they're doing a one whole five American cents not getting the Noir term this time.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto knows her role here - as soon as Ami has the video saved, she strides forward, moving between Ami and the pair and beginning to come up alongside Madoka. Not quite advancing on the two Just Some Guys with their weird-ass names, not quite... but she's definitely looming. Making full use of her intimidating height, folding her arms in front of her chest and glaring at Plagi and Ariasm without a word.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy hears Plagi and Arism, and a different fire starts to burn in her. She strides forward, pointing. "No. You may be able to get away with this, but you don't get to claim the moral high ground. We know what you're doing. If we can't stop you, take the win. Don't try to rub it in--"

    Oh, damn. Ami actually got them on a recording! Amy runs to get between Ami and the brothers, at Makoto's side so they can't easily snatch the phone. "See? Hoist by your own petard. Damn poetic. Now don't make it worse for yourselves. Seriously. The school's probably gonna give you a talking to, maybe suspend you for a few days. Don't dig yourselves deeper."

    She doesn't turn, but to Ami she adds, "That goes for you too. Take the win, get the recording out of here before you make the same mistake!"

Beryl has posed:
Plagi and Ariasm scowl in sync at Madoka for pointing her phone at them, Plagi standing up from his seat, Ariasm reaching out to snatch Madoka's phone away - but then Makoto is standing in front of them, and then Amy too, and they're -

"Looks like we're going to have to kill these kids, Plagi," Ariam says, shrugging off his uniform jacket.

"Damn," Plagi sighs, shaking his head, "That was not the plan, bro."

Wait, what?

They definitely said that though, and Plagi comes around so the two of them are standing side by side. They're nowhere near tall enough to loom over Makoto, but the taller of the two can at least look her in the eyes. "You shoulda just let it go. Cause we're the Academic Dishonesty Bros, and we never let anything get in our way!"

They grab hands. Shadows broil from their joined palms, spreading over the two until they're covered in a case of darkness that bursts to reveal -

A tall, tall youma with grey skin and pointy ears in a trench coat, Ariam's face poking out of the stomach. The two arms actually using the jacket try to grab Makoto - and two more burst out from within the jacket, to try and grab Amy. If they succeed, the girls will be tossed aside.

"In the name of our Great Leader, we won't stop until every human succumbs to the evil of Plagiariasm!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Someone tall and black-haired with good grades and a complicated love life is running. He, up until mere moments ago, was eating his lunch in a hurry. He runs, hoping he's not too late to catch the rumored cheat-writers at their fell scheme. It's late enough in the lunch period, in fact, that he henshins on the way in order to get there faster. Earth Prism Power, Make Up!

Absolutely unrelated and another bare moment later, something else happens: a strange hush falls on the rained-on pavilion and the bedraggled day.

Far away and above, there's a ta-tap of dress shoes lightly hitting the topmost bleacher, barely audible to any but the sharpest ears. A fraction of a second later, inexplicably, there's the sound of castanets!

FWIP!!! A rose wings its way clear to the lock box, stem first, and buries itself impossibly deep and with tremendous force through the lid, through the money, through the entire box, and pins it down to the surface underneath it.

There's no spotlight, but there might as well be, because the sudden ringing clang of one boy's dress shoe stomping on that top bleacher is enough to draw attention. Handsome and intimidatingly overdressed, masked and with a cape billowing in the rainy wind, Tuxedo Kamen stands tall and glares downward, opening his mouth to start a justice speech of his own, when suddenly there's fire--

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Fire. Suddenly... fire. There was fire *everywhere*. Surrounding the sparkle skirts. The civilians. The *youma*. From the opposite side of the bleachers, Sunbreaker was there. One hand was up, against the bleacher's poles. And she looked furious.

""You... dare..." she asked. For a moment, the youma might think she was here to help them. Ha ha ha... no.

"You dare... to come to MY SCHOOL... and... distribute... your fake... *pathetic*... enchanted tests?"

Many of them here had seen her angry before. But those? Those were akin to light embers compared to the raging inferno she was at the moment.

"A test... is not... just for a grade. A test is to show your superiority. To prove your WORTH! To *fake* one? You might as well not even *exist*."

The fire in her hands was burning so hot it was shifting from red, to yellow, to white... and then to blue... And finally a very, very dark purple.

"To come to *my school*... and fill these halls with your... with your... foul... vile... falsehoods... to sell... people... sheets... to make them FAKE their own VALUE! They might as well NOT EVEN EXIST! But then... then you come... and you do it with MAGIC?!"

The flames around her, they were blazing so hot that the fire could be felt by all. She held up her left hand and all of the rest of the flames were absorbed back into her. "But I'm merciful. I'm fair. I'm just here to ensure you know... there is no tomorrow for you, youma. Because if the sparkles don't get you... I will. And I will be *nowhere near* as kind."

As a member of Obsidian, she wasn't supposed to interfere... to attack the youma. But oh. Ohhhhh she was going to shatter that rule if it looked like there was any chance of them getting away. And even with the fire drawn back to her, all of the girls could feel it from across the way.

She then glanced to any non-henshined girls that remained. "You may leave. You probably shouldn't see... what's about to happen. This. Won't. Be a problem. Any. More." Not ominous or anything.

The moment Hinoiri had heard anything about cheating, especially considering how hard she'd been pushing herself? She'd been mad.

But when she'd seen what was going on... well. She'd nearly henshined in rage as it was. Having moved juuuuust out of sight, henshined and then made her entrance. She was a teensy tiny itty bitty little bit mad. Could yah tell?

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Kill these kids? What? Did they really just say that?

    The Academic Dishonesty Brothers? "Did you seriously--"

    She's not expecting this. She's grabbed and tossed aside.

    Which, like, ow? But also, there's suddenly a Puella Magi in the ground with a rifle-looking thing in her hands firing rocket-propelled bullets at the youma.

    They threatened to kill kids, after all.

    And then Sunbreaker's here with her own rant.

    "I knew you had some good in you... I just wish we could talk things over one of these days!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka hears the word kill and suddenly her blood runs cold. Not that she fears for her own life from a couple of mundanes, but because she might actually have to kill them in self-defense. That's... not really want she wanted to get into today. Maybe if she tossed them into her Labyrinth for a few hours they'd chill out, and Amy wouldn't have to waste any magic.

    Then they suddenly turn into a horrifying youma and suddenly the thought of fighting them gets a lot easier. Well, sort of. It's going to be an actual magical fight instead of an easy mahou vs. mundane pushover, but at least she wont have to worry about her guilty conscience. If she has any trouble sleeping tonight, it'll be because of the stomach face.

    No, wait, actually it'll be because of the sudden fire that engulfs THE ENTIRE AREA. Madoka doesn't even wait for the injustice speech. She doesn't think she has time to. "Gretchen! Like we practiced!"

    The dark fairy encloses herself within her X-marked blacked eggshell and flies towards Madoka. She snatches it out of the air and holds it in front of her. "My Heart: Unlock!" she shouts as henshin magic surrounds her. There's a bright flash, ribbons of light and stars, and after it all clears there stands Hope Witch.

    Madoka doesn't mess around when Sunbreaker is here, even if she seems to be temporarily on their side.

    Thrusting one hand into the air, she shouts, "Wake Labyrinth!"

    Suddenly the landscape changes again. Well, in a subtle way. It seems to waver, ripple and twist; and once it's done everything just looks... slightly off. As if reality was cut out of wrinkled pieces of stock paper. Madoka's own take on Barriers or Zero Time.

    A black branchbow appears in Madoka's hand. "For those who can't fight, just run. We'll handle this."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno takes a step back preparing to put more distance and safety between herself and the 'brothers' when Makoto steps in front of her. They were already going for Madoka so her own phone was liable to be next. Another button is pushed on it to upload the file to her computer where it would be safe from grabby hands. It would still take a bit to transfer though.

Then Amy joins in front of her as well causing her expression to grow grim and determined once more. Before she can go anywhere though they transform into the most awful horrible youma-- "Plagirism fiends!" She KNEW there was evil behind this situation somehow! Just maybe not this sort.

The rose slicing through the air to impact with the lockbox is the last she sees before taking the 'advice' of the others to turn and run for the end of the bleachers. Out of sight where she could transform-

If not for the fire that suddenly surrounds them all.

At least no one was looking her way right now with everything going on. The shift of reality as Madoka summons her Labrynth is just the last bit she needs to be able to duck behind a corner (paper though it may seem.)

"Mercury Power, Make up!"

Phone forgotten in favor of her henshin pen she quickly changes to someone who can help more than Ami Mizuno.

The ice blue Sailor Mercury leaps, and lands on one of the bleacher steps to point a gloved hand toward the youma.

"I may not get along with Sunbreaker but I agree! This dishonesty is going to end here and now! Sailor Mercury fights for Knowledge, and Love! Douse yourself in water and repent!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
And then, of course, all hell breaks loose. As it so often does.

Makoto was honestly not expecting the transformation either; she only gets enough time to shift her stance, shoulders squaring and one foot sliding just a bit back, as the youma emerges from its roiling shadows to grab for her with its two upper arms.

It's almost too bad Sunbreaker is occupied with her TOWERING FURY, because she'd recognize what happens next: the youma seizes Makoto, and Makoto snaps out both arms to grip its too-long forearms in return. Her weight shifts, lightning-fast; she drops her shoulder, ramming it right into Ariasm's face where it peeks out of the trenchcoat, and she lets out a wordless yell of kiai as she heaves with all her considerable strength.

Beryl has posed:
Plagiarismu (yes, that's their name) is pretty pleased with themselves for throwing Amy.

And then there's a rose through their money box (and it's not that they care about money, they are a youma, they only vaguely know what it's for, but it's theirs), and then there's fire and then there's -

Well, and then their feet leave the Earth as they are heaved up and over, slammed into the dirt with so much force that when they see the strange paper-like effects of the world, at first they think it was the collision.

The only good news is the rocket powered bullets miss, careening instead to crash against the ground in neat explosions as Ariasm groans about his aching nose and their entire body goes ow.

"Hey, what the hell," they complain, "Why are all these people showing up?!"

They were just cheating! Just selling a few tests!

"Humans love cheating! We didn't have to do anything but set up shop to have these kids pouring in, all eager to buy our tests!" The towering two-youmas-in-a-trenchcoat rises to their feet, throwing all four arms up in fury. "Stop getting in the way! Humans! Love! Cheating!"

The bookbag on the table explodes in a storm of papers, and Plagiarismu slaps down their hands in the air. The papers come flying at everyone!

"Feel the wrath of papercuts!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker turned an angry gaze to Amy. "What? What does this have to do with being *good*?! You think just because I'm a villain I can't care about doing my best on tests? Or, what, you think we all have to cheat, is that it? You think you sparkle skirts are the only ones *smart* enough to get top of your class? Is that what it is? NO, BITCH! I've been top of my class for years AND I do it while kicking all of your flanks because, unlike SOME of you, I'm not *satisfied* just being mundane and *basic*. I've never cheated on a test in my *life*! I'd sooner *die* you judgmental YAK! And I STILL consistently score perfect grades! Even here I'm top of my class and easily at the top of my grade! And I do it while NOT being good!"

Well... at least lately she'd been consistently getting perfect grades. When she could take the tests.

Then turned to glare at Mercury. "Repentence might save them from you, but it sure as Tartarus isn't going to save them from ME!"

Then... Then Makoto... earned a nod. At least now she understood what that weird thing that happened to her that one time was.

"And now you DARE to ATTACK ME with tests?!" Aaaand there was the rage, again. She flicked her hand up and released a blast of fire at the ones coming at her, turning them to ash to drift on the wind... then... Flicked a hand. A wall of fire would form between them and the civilians. What? Sparkles could handle themselves. She was just... monitoring. Not helping. Monitoring.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Well-- that justice speech of Sunbreaker's was really good for all that it was a little too much on the injustice side to count as one-- Tuxedo Kamen can't at all be displeased for the showy preemption. What he can be displeased about is his choice of target. Of course it was the papers...

And yet, still, he sticks two fingers in his mouth and whistles a cheer for Makoto. "Hey SUNBREAKER! THAT was a yeet!!" the boy yells, then drops down into the melee with his cape up shielding his face, and there-- there's Makoto, still out of henshin after having suplexed a youma, and he wings his cape up to cover her as well-- from the papers and the heat of the wall of fire, but mostly from Sunbreaker's sight. "Quick go go go--" he whispers, ducking his head for a second, then letting his cape fall as he gets a nasty papercut on the side of his face.

In supreme irritation, he lets fly a rose at the youma's bookbag, trying to shut the barn door after most of the animals have already run out.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Humans love cheating?

    I mean, she cheated to get this body, didn't she? And this power. Amy can't really talk...

    Sunbreaker sure has a lot to say, though! Amy Can't get a word in edgewise until the rant is over and then just shouts, "I'M SAYING THAT DOING YOUR BEST HONESTLY IS A VIRTUE, YES!"

    And then... "No! Turning the power of a Paper Master against us... it should be on the side of the people who read books!" Amy objects.

    Setsuna would get it.

    Papercuts *suck*.

    But, y'know. They hurt much more than they are actually damaging.

    And Puella Magi don't have to feel pain if they don't want to.

    Amy rises, a bit unsteadily, and just. Slowly walks forward towards the Plagi Arism brothers. Aiming for center of mass and firing more rocket bullets.

    "Mercury, I tried this already. Arguing with that youma at the hot springs. Some of them are not capable of understanding anything outside their purpose, apparently. Also, they don't even go to school. So it's kind of pointless to tell them to stop cheating."

    Despite herself, she starts speaking to the brothers again. "Humans love easiness. And safety. That's the culmination of millions of years of evolution. It's part of who we are. It doesn't mean it's all we are."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Hope Witch watches with mouth agape as Makoto literally just throws a youma. That's... a new one, especially for someone out of henshin. "U-um... be careful!" she calls out. For a moment Madoka feels a bit hypocritical for warning Makoto, considering how her own mahou career started.

    Things escalate, and quickly. She's glad she put up her Labyrinth just in time to contain most of the environmental damage that is inevitably about to occur here. Would Sunbreaker's fire burn normal ground? Would rocket-propelled bullets? Would magic roses? Doesn't matter right now.

    "I think I'm starting to see what she and Sharpsong-chan have in common," mutters Witch, after hearing Sunbreaker's objections.

    The papers start flying, and Madoka holds up her bow to try and block the attack which... doesn't work that well. A few pieces of paper get stuck on the branch bow itself, but a lot of them get past her weak defense and start nicking her all over. A moment later and a wall of green magic grass-shaped paper appears between herself and the youma, giving her a temporary shield. Taking a step back, she aims her bow upwards and fires a shot of pink magic which arcs into the air and falls back down towards Plagiarismu. A few more shots follow as Madoka keeps trying this indirect fire approach. If one looks at the bleachers, they can see the many-eyed angelic Familiar that is spotting for her.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Repent is what Sailor Mercury said, but she'd also said 'douse yourself in water' and frankly that seems to be more of what she's after right now. While Tuxedo Mask hurries in to help cover Makoto, and Sunbreaker starts flinging fire, she similarily throws an attack of her own.

A few quick steps are raced up along the bleachers to launch herself off the back of it in a leap that shows no hesitation. At the apex of height her arms cross over her chest to fling open wide with a cry of, "Sabao Spray Freezing!"

Glistening, watery bubbles spill forth spraying toward the head (the top one) of the plagirism youma from above. The bubbles don't cause the mist that obscures as Sunbreaker had seen before, but instead they seek to freeze what they might impact with. Each bubble pops with a loud *crack* of ice breaking.

Makoto Kino has posed:
It's a magic trick! Makoto flashes a grin at Tuxedo Kamen's cheer, just before the cape whooshes out and flares wide in the air to cover her... and then settles, apparently over empty air. Makoto Kino has disappeared.

Which is to say she used the cover of the cape and the haze from Sailor Mercury's freezing bubble spray to combat-roll to cover, where she can finally whip out her transformation pen.

"Jupiter Power - Make Up!"

Moments later, Sailor Jupiter comes barreling into sight from under the paper cut-out bleachers. "Sorry I'm late!"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari vanished when things started going south, running away, perhaps smartly.

Pulp Noir, who's appeared in a speedy flash, looking like some noir detective, replete with fedora and trenchcoat appears, lollipop sticking out of his mouth as he says.

"Ya got moxie, kid, but you ain't got no smarts. It's like many on one now." he says dramatically as he arrives helpfully under the flurry of papers, mostly avoiding them deftly, like walking between big papery raindrops as he rears back his right arm.

And tries to mean left hook the bottom face of the youma.

Beryl has posed:
With the sound of castanets, the bookbag is slammed shut, the rest of the essays trapped inside. No! Their weapon! Their only weapon! While some of the mahou bleed, it's not enough! Especially when Sunbreaker burns away the rest of the tests!

"Great Leader," Plagiarismu cries out. "Don't forsake us!"

And then they're shot in the gut with rockets and go stumbling back - into a field of bubbles that freeze their upper-half, leaving the upper face frozen in an expression of pleading.

The lower mouth cries out.

"Brother! Don't leave me! I don't know what to d-OOF!"

Left hook to the face! Boy does that hurt! The youma stumbles back, secondary arms pinwheeling to regain balance, but with it's entire upper half teetering...

It goes down on it's back, writhing like a turned over beetle.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker rolled her eyes. "What, so you think only good guys have virtues now? I am the best so of course I'm going to *do* my best! What kind of ridiculous standard is that?" she asked. "And of course arguing with youma doesn't do anything. They're not sentient, they're like making a roller derby car and then calling it an all terrain vehicle! They're just enough to get the job done!" she snapped.

She then glanced to Kamen and... interesting. "The yeeting technique, is it? I see..." she... did not see.

And then Mercury did the attack that, frankly, made her cringe. Because it did *not* end well for her last time it was used and she was like... she still had memories... Also, that punch. You know what, though?

"You know, it's almost a shame later I'll have to crush all your flanks. It's almost kind of fun to watch this happen to something else for a change."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Hope Witch can't actually see through the defensive wall she's made, but the biblically accurate spotter sends her a small string of Witch Runes. After a moment, the runes gain Japanese subtitles: The Enemy is vulnerable.

    "Now's our chance!" calls out Madoka, hopping a step back and nocking an arrow. A pink flame ignites at the top of her branch bow as she draws back, her pink magic projectile growing with each passing moment. When she releases it into the air she shouts, "Blossom Blaze!" because for some reason it's more fun to name your finisher attacks. Just because Mami is evil now that doesn't mean Madoka's gonna forget her advice.

    The arrow splits into many and, for a moment, saturates the area around the youma. Each arrow explodes with magic, creating a pink sparkly dust storm that has a few dark clouds mixed in.

    Peeking out from behind her green wall, Witch asks, "Did we get them?" She secretly hopes that Sunbreaker doesn't jump in for Round 2, but the thought does cross her mind.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy just kind of slumps, staring at Sunbreaker with mouth agape. "I AM COMPLIMENTING YOUR POSITIVE QUALITY. I respect it, even in an enemy. Is it that insulting that a good guy respects something about you without being forced to?" She holds her arms out to the side, palms out toward Sunbreaker. "That's why I want to sit down and talk, and come up with a plan that gets you home without hurting people and without just leading to you immediately fighting whoever banished you in the first place!"

    Amy blinks as her attention is just. Completely sideswiped by a random thought she can only ask now:

    "...Why do you think Swiftwind is a god?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Pulp Noir watches the monster take a fall as he kisses his fist. Mwah! Power right in the kisser.

"Take the dive, kid." he tells the youma, as he draws his (water)pistol from inside his coat and spins it before, aiming it downwards, and firing two strong shots downwards, two powerful jets of water firing out from the pistol as he aims to help the youma not get back up again as he says. "Wait."

"That flying horse is a god?" he asks.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The boy in the cape and mask grins as Sailor Jupiter makes it to the fight, and he reaches for her as soon as she takes up her stance. "You're just in time!" he crows, and he puts his hand on her back and floods her with golden power to back up her own. "Yo Plagiarismu, I heard you like youmas in your youmas, so I gave Jupiter an attack to put in her attack so she can grade while you degrade!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Sailor Jupiter takes in the sight of the youma, half frozen, flailing helplessly on its back.

"Wow..." she says. "Now I almost feel bad for it." A beat. She grins over at Tuxedo Kamen as he touches her back and she feels that golden power rushing into her, energizing every nerve. "...Almost."

With a bit of a doubletake, she recognizes Pulp Noir from the last time. "Nice punch, Detective-san! Might wanna back up off them a bit now they're down - it's gonna get loud and bright!"

The lightning rod on her tiara sparks and crackles, a peal of thunder rolling through the Labyrinth as Sailor Jupiter crosses her forearms, hands grasping at threads of electricity.

"You fail! Supreme... Thunder!"

With a thunderous BOOM, a column of lightning rushes down onto the youma, scintillating in pale green and brilliant gold.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Sailor Mercury comes out of her leap into a crouch with one hand out in front of her for balance. Giant leaps were something she wasn't as practiced in as she once may have been. Thankfully she was made of sturdier stuff than her civilian self.

Smoothly she rises up to her feet watching as the half-frozen youma topples over. Even though it seems he's beaten, she hops back a few steps to be more in line with Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Jupiter so that she's at least in line with her allies.

They all were of course, but it never hurt being able to keep the majority in her vision so that she doesn't risk becoming an issue herself.

"I think that's plenty of repentence from me at least," she hmphs quietly with a grin. It was Jupiter's turn. That would *definitely* leave a lasting impression.

Beryl has posed:
First there come the arrows, and Plagiarismu cries out in pain as they fire down upon him, shattering the ice, at least, but at what cost! At what cost?!

The cost is lightning.

KRAK-BOOOOOOOOM!

When the blinding flash of light has passed, there's a little pile of ash, swiftly blowing away, where the youma was, now a circle of burnt area in the Labyrinth Barrier.

Hey, there's still a lockbox full of money though!

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker was doing pretty good, all things considered. The cheater was being punished, it wasn't HER. She didn't actually get involved, but she made her stance *clear*. No chea--

... Wait. What?

She turned to Amy. And her eye twitched. "What. What is even wrong with you? You lot can't help me ascend, first of all. I know, I've tried. Second of all, I need to do it, not you. It doesn't mean anything if I don't do it. Third of all--"

She just threw a lightning bolt of fire at Amy. Not full power. But it'd likely hurt if it hit.

"He's a FRIEND! Not a GOD! Why would you even SAY THAT? He's an alicorn! I mean, sure, he might be a god compared to most of you people, but he's just awesome. I swear sometimes. What is WRONG with you humans? I just... ugh! Screw this, I have a test to study for. YOU SHOULD ALL BE STUDYING TOO! Ugh, this messed up my study time as it IS! It's hard enough to crush that Mizuno girl WITHOUT these constant interruptions!" She turned and just disappeared in a puff of fire. ANGRY fire.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka takes a moment to look at the youma ash blow away, then turns around to look at Sunbreaker and try to gauge the likelihood that they'll get set on fire today. When SB vanishes, Madoka winces sympathetically at Amy and runs to her side. "Are you okay?"

    After a moment she looks around, realizes that they're still in her Labyrinth, and just says, "O-oh... let me fix the um... landscape." She closes her eyes to concentrate for a moment and suddenly the Labyrinth wavers and ripples and fades away. Now they're back behind the bleachers.

    Madoka doesn't really spare one thought to the money. It wasn't hers, and she doesn't need it. Whether that's a sign of her virtue or her privilege isn't something she chooses to clarify at the moment.

    Sio comes out of hiding returns to her side, and Doka cups the little fairy in her hands. Looking around at the others, Hope says, "Well... that escalated quickly." After a moment, she realizes something. "...Where's my phone?" Did she drop it? Was it grabbed? Oh gosh.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Err," says Tuxedo Kamen, wincing. He doesn't run forward, since Hope Witch did already, but he offers, "You need a hand with any burns before we go back to lunch?"

In the meantime he takes off a glove and reaches up to gingerly touch-- then heal-- the papercut on his face. Because why would anyone stay injured.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Sailor Mercury stares after Sunbreaker with a look of absolute confusion as she blinks rapidly. Her hands clutch to her chest uncertainly, and she looks over to the others, then back to where Sunbreaker *had* been before yammering and running off.

"Beat... Mizuno? Oh dear." That meant she was in the same grade. That meant she had COMPETITION. "I think I should get back to studying, too. Lunch will have to wait."

Amanda Faust has posed:
Amy hops out of the way too slow, with the lag of not feeling pain. She still winches and cringes, *expecting* it to hurt.

    Clothes are charred. Skin is burned.

    Clothes reform. Skin regenerates. Burns aren't cute.

    "That's what the other 'sparkle skirts' told me! Wait, alicorn? Isn't that--? On this world, it's the word for a unicorn's horn." She dismisses her weapon, and taps her forehead. "What's it mean to you? ...Aaaand she's gone." Amy sighs.

    And Madoka's at her side. Amy looks down at herself. "...Papercuts are minor, but painful. If no one here is a healer, I bet I can regenerate them without much trouble..."

    Where's Madoka's phone? Amy just reaches into her pouch and pulls her own phone out, tapping phone, contacts, swipe, swipe, swipe, Madoka.

    Mercury is concerned about Mizuno-san. "Yeah, she's one of the geniuses in the Computer Club. Do you know her?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Ah--Mercury!" Sailor Jupiter looks aghast. "You can't just skip lunch! You need fuel to study!" Jupiter is promptly chasing after her fellow senshi, determined to make sure that Ami eats something before lunch break is over.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka hears that Amy needs a healer, and then points out, "Um... I think Tux-kun can. Speaking of..." Hope looks down at the few cuts she managed to get, but then she hears her phone ring from... somewhere.

    She looks down, and her pet eldritch horror is at her feet, holding up the phone as an offering. She kneels down, gives it a pet on someplace that doesn't have any eyes, and says, "You need to go home!" before banishing it with a lacey white portal. "Thanks, Red," she says, before putting her phone away.

Beryl has posed:
In the various teacher's rooms, there are sudden, poofs of dark energy, as essays turned in by desperate students suddenly lose the tinge of dark energy that made them appear to be top notch essays. The teachers who review them later will shake their heads - who would think students would be so silly as to turn in essays that said nothing but PLAGIARISM over and over?


==Whoo spooky timeskip later whoo==

"Plagiarism?" The voice is cool, the tone forboding. Queen Beryl sits in her throne-like office chair and stares down at Thetis, who bows low before her queen.

"Your majesty... we collected a small but significant portion of energy before the youma was discovered..."

"Plagiarism?" Beryl repeats. "That was the best that you could come up with?"

"Well... the cruise ship operation is coming along nicely, but it's taken more resources than initially expected... I thought cutting a few corners would allow us to remain on target..."

"And what did you learn from this, Thetis?"

A small metal lockbox, pierced with a rose, is produced.

"Cheating prospers -"

"Where did you get this?" The cold disinterest is gone from Beryl's voice. She reaches for the rose, her eyes hungry, her voice a snarl.

"It... it was thrown by one of the enemies we encountered, my queen! A boy in a tuxedo and mask!"

There was a long silence, as Beryl held the rose in her hands, the long stem caught between her fingers.

"Find that boy. I desire a word with him."