Saturday Morning Menace (Tokyo Witches Substory)

[manic]

El Presidente #1

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As El Presidente sipped sparkling wine from a pilfered bottle in the safety of his own Republic, he realised that he was facing a rather difficult conundrum. The Arrancar had planned to carve out his little corner of Hueco Mundo with raw materials stolen from the human world while hoping diplomatic efforts would buy him enough time to get a living world wood business going: The Espada might control the Mint but he would control the Gold Mine so to speak, but he'd run into two problems.

The first was that these spiritual anchors which allowed non-living things to keep their form in the land of the dead weren't exactly up to snuff: The bottle he was drinking from was distorted as though the glass blower had the hiccups that day and the booze itself wasn't great. The second was that the events had proven that any intervention in Japan would provoke a response, potentially from Quincy of all things! If he wanted to survive to see the HDRLHM succeed, he needed to have better view of what opposition there would be to... expansion.

To that end he gathered his cabinet of Hollows (after they had finished consuming the last one for their musical ineptitude) and set a course for Japan once more. "Is my musical accompaniment prepared?" The snakelike dictator asked as he stepped out into the morning air.

"Yes, El Presidente. All ready once we begin, the strike force has already obtained the necessary!" A toad-like hollow bowed before him.

"Excelent. Then begin!" Mateo declared, snapping his fingers as the Hollows below activated their stolen speakers, blasting a menacing orchestral tune out to the busy public park "Citizens of Tokyo!" El Presidente began, amplifying his voice to be heard throughout the area "Your sovereignty is now that of the Hollow's Democratic Republic of Lower Hueco Mundo. Rejoice! For you are now in my domain as the greatest political experiment in the afterlife!" Yes. That ought to get a suitable response. Now all he had to do was sit back and watch the assembled Hollows do a bit of menacing to see who bites.

[Gaz]

Kin #1

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Saturday mornings, a time for students to head to school for clubs or catching up on some of their classes. In this case Kin was just a little late, she had no reason to be there, but her parents always made her go in. Though how long she was actually in the school for her studies was never specified, and Kin always liked using those kind of loopholes… as long as she didn’t wander home too early.

And for that reason, the young witch was wandering around one of the local parks when a wave of spiritual pressures rippled out of a tear in space. A man with a broken white mask stepped out with a bunch of hollows. One of them was holding a boombox?

Then as it pressed play a Pouch Monster theme started to play, specifically the team for Squad Tank. The humanlike one started a speech and greeted the citizens of Tokyo… all six of them. Five of which did not see or hear him or his Hollow friends and carried on milling about their daily lives. This left just Kin stood there dumb struck. The girl was standing there in a bright blue and white pair of trainer shoes, thigh high black socks that left some space between the denim shorts she wore. Her pale pink shirt was baggy and had a stylised design for a witch on it saying, ‘Broom Off!’ All of this was normal fashion in Tokyo... what was not normal was the thin translucent skin of rainbow coloured fire that rippled around her form.

Kin took a long sip from her boba tea and stared directly at the western cartoon villain, judging him on his sense of style and flair. The latter he had in spades despite the cheesiness of it all. “They can’t see or hear you.” She said before going in for another loud slurp from her straw. “Are you some sort of Hollow? You look funny, and that one is holding a boom box.” She said after she finished the drink and gently tilted the empty plastic cup on the boombox bearer’s direction.

---

Kin: e68819
Shinobou: bbecff

[manic]

El Presidente #2

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So far the bait had been cast and yet no-one was biting. Annoying. El Presidente had spent barely an hour ransacking a department store under cover of darkness, invisible to all security and even before that brutish mercenary Orion had decided that criticism was to be met with destruction there was already a Quincy on the way with how fast they responded. Here? He had publicly declared his intent of conquest and was practically met by chirping crickets! There should be at least something here as a quick response. A Shinigami perhaps? Were they all acting like the French and considered the hours between 4 and 11am as merely a suggestion?

Finally there was a response, albeit from an unlikely source. A woman in a bubble of fire looking up at the Arrancar, critiquing his grandeur "I am fully aware that many will not hear me. I did not die yesterday." He responded in a withering tone. This wasn't some different Quincy energy that the girl was wielding was it? His senses might not have been trained but he could still tell when something that threatened to kick him out of the cycle of souls was pointed at him or not.

"Girl, you clearly possess some spiritual powers. Have you never heard of the Arrancar? The true form of the Soul not shackled by its mortal limitations?" He asked as some of the Hollows cheered him on from the sidelines.

"The evolution of Hollows!"
"What we all aspire to be!"
"Can someone else hold this? My arms are tired..."
"Viva El Presidente!"
"Glory to the Republic!"

"Also this is clearly a portable speaker system and not any form of explosive. But if it is a box that goes boom you are after," The snakelike dictator continued, a glowing ball of energy briefly appearing in his hand before he waved it away "That can be arranged." he hissed

[Gaz]

Kin #2

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The young woman shook the empty plastic cup and heard nothing but the rattling of a straw, that was a good boba… it was a shame it was finished now. Her eyes never left the ringleader of the gaggle of hollows that were hilariously praising the boss. At least he knew his spiel was falling on deaf ears… was this some sort of game to him? Thinking on it, a monster of the week villain was often larger than life and cartoonish in their very nature.

She nodded at his explanation of what an Arrancar was, it was strange because her teacher had always insisted that they were dangerous… this one looked to be as harmful as a puppy. “It’s a boom box because when it plays music it has a rumbling bass effect, a boom.” She explained as she looked to the side and saw a trash can. With a pitch overarm throw the empty plastic cup sailed through the air and hit the rim, spinning as it bounced high into the air and arc just enough to land in the centre.

“You’re funny, I’m Kaida Kin. You can just call me Kin.” She said gaining a cheeful smile and an even more chipper tone, the flickering flames that danced on her skin gaining a pale yellow colour and burned just a bit brighter.

“What are you demands big bad villain? Legally I must listen to your demands before we scuffle.” The girl explained, eyeing all of his minions before him. “Then I send you packing and then you come back in a week with a new dastardly plan to take over the world.” She added, this was her life as a Saturday morning cartoon hero. A life that since she was a child she has always secretly wanted to have.

---

Kin: e68819
Shinobou: bbecff

[manic]

El Presidente #3

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Mateo's eye twitched as the young girl continued to talk before discarding her beverage with ease "Thank you for that wholly unnecessary explanation young lady," the dictator growled "Are you seriously the only one protecting this city today Miss Kin? No response team of Shinigami you are delaying me for? Buying time for a Quincy Squad?" He asked before the flicker of flame told him that she might not need assistance. At least when dealing with this gaggle of bozos he had assembled "Ah." And now the fire was covering her to no ill effect. That was... concerning. No Hollow he knew of had that power, and Shinigami had to either have gained control over their release commands to be able to perform in the manner the human had.

"Legally? Ah, yes. You!" El Presidente snapped, pulling his eyes away from the fire to regain his composure in order to start ordering around his minions again. "Present her with the documentation for the annexation."

"Just sign here, here aaaaand here and we're all good and Tokyo will be added to the Republic's territory. Thank you for your prompt surrender, designated defender of the human realm." The Hollow helpfully pointed out while holding the book-sized wad of paperwork up for the human but without putting it in her hands: no sense in letting her set it on fire.

[Gaz]

Kin #3

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“Quincy?” Kin asked in response to the funny Arrancar’s question. “Oh! You mean duddy spirit police? Nah, I am sure there is some around, but they might be sleeping in on a Saturday morning.” Kin explained with a shrug. The thin layer of fire that surrounded her shifted to an amused pale yellow as the girl before the gaggle of hollows chuckled at the entire scenario.

Then another hollow came forward and genuinely presented a legal document that would make the annexation of Tokyo into his strange empire legal… well to him at least. Kin was not entirely sure she was a legal representative of any land in Tokyo, she didn’t even own a house… her parents and elder sister did. But she did not.

“Wait wait wait! That is massive. You cannot expect me to sign it without reading it first. For all I know signing this means every soul that dies here has to go to you.” She said, leaning closer to try and read it. As she got close enough to read the words on the page, she let out a sly smile. She then blew a small puff of spiritual fire that caught the document on fire. “OH NO!” She pantomimed, ripping the wad of paper out of the hollow’s hands, and throwing it in the dirt and jumping on it to ‘try’ and smother the flames. The fact her entire form was covered in more spiritual fire was something that did not help this endeavour, it in fact made it worse.

---

Kin: e68819
Shinobou: bbecff

[manic]

El Presidente #4

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Mateo really should have seen this coming from the impudent young girl in the park below her but he couldn't help but be very angry at how things were going, his legalese masterwork being stomped into ash by this flaming girl. It was tragic enough to reduce a lesser man to madness. El Presidente however, settled for just being incredibly pissed off "So that is how things are going to be then!" He declared, pulling himself up tall as a rattle reverberated around him, letting his aura be felt compared to the near spiritual camouflage he had maintained "We will be doing this the more, ahem, traditional way."

Light concentrated at the tip of his index finger as he pointed down, the gaggle of Hollows moving into to encircle Kin before Mateo unleashed his signature Cero blast of sickly green, no explosion on impact but a splotch of dead grass near the remains of the annexation paperwork and hopefully one very stung fireball of a young woman.

[Gaz]

Kin #4

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Kin was encircled in a death ring, a trope where a big bads minions tried to prevent someone’s escape. Which honestly did not worry her as she had more tricks up her sleeve than just being a girl on fire. She was a little golden dragon, and they were packed with surprises. What she didn’t expect was a sickly ball of concentrated negative energy to be fired at her, with a quick sidestep she dodged it but the impact explosion caused her to stumble to the side and get dangerously close to the hollows.

Her fire shield had absorbed the entire blast however, the necrotic effects caused it to splutter out and fade away. That was going to be a priority recast… She thought as she looked up and locked her eyes on the villainous arrancar and gritted her teeth. “Time out!” She called, stomping her foot as she climbed to her feet and looked at the dead patch of grass around the small crater. “You’re not meant to do you big final attack first! That’s not how this is meant to go!” She said, jabbing her finger in Mateo’s direction.

“Would you be happy if I did this?” She asked before placing her hands forward cupped together. Her eyes lit up as she started to chant. “With the fire i can protect, with the fire i can destroy.” A spark of fire fluttered to life between her palms and quickly grew in size. Her chanting was fast and only those who could react fast could make it all out. ”Using this flame i destroy to protect those in danger and punish those that deserve it, EVISERATE!” The large ball of fire compressed into something small, a compact ball of flaming destruction and as her chant ended she pushed her hands forward, letting the compact ball fly at a great speed. She purposefully missed and let the ball fly between Mateo and his goons across the park and up into the sky where it exploded with a massive shock wave that shattered the windows on all the nearby windows and caused the marble façade to crumble.

“Ah crap… I over did it.” She said with a pant. That amount of energy being used at once was a little draining but nothing she couldn’t manage.

---

Kin: e68819
Shinobou: bbecff

[manic]

El Presidente #5

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The first Cero sting might have missed the direct impact but Mateo's power was on display and the snakelike dictator was feeling mighty proud, especially with how the young girl was complaining that he was going for the big moves too quickly for her. Well if she couldn't stand the heat...

...blow up the side of a building apparently.

The Arrancar's head turned to look at the damage the explosion had wrought, more than what Orion had managed to do when El Presidente first incurred the Goat's wrath. His face must have been the picture of nerves when he turned back to face Kin "Did... did you think what I did was my most powerful attack? I obviously have much more power that I am simply not using right now." He attempted to bluff his way past the fear barrier "Clearly it is you who is doing the underestimating here."  He said, before looking down at his gathered Hollow goons. None of whom were looking enthused for a hunt anymore.

"Get her then!" El Presidente yelled at the various Hollows surrounding Kin, none of them wanting to be the first to take the big step for hollow kind and fight the Flaming Human. This was more than they were paid for.

Eventually they looked between each other and shared a nod, raising their various shaped legs and taking a firm step... back. Except for one who'd stepped forward and was now two paces instead of one closer to the Witch, and was panicking about that fact.

[Gaz]

Kin #5

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The head goon was playing cool, very cool. He was stating that attack he did was a fraction of his power. Good! It was fun that he was willing to play into the usual Saturday morning cartoon topes, recently everyone was so serious, and it was just boring.

The young woman took a fighting stance as the Presidente called for his minions to attack. The tension in the air was palpable before all but one stepped back to create space for a fight, or to show their unwillingness to attack her. After she raised her brow to the one she shrugged and gave it a big grin.

She started a quiet chant, "Golden dragons roar, their stupendous breath ripple like a brilliant blaze in the dark night sky. These flames burn long and bright, cutting through all that oppose them.” Her words started to grow loud as fire poured out of her mouth, eyes and ears and swirled around her form. “Here in this predetermined place at this willed upon time we condense this fate defining glory into a brilliant awe-inspiring weapon of peace and protection. Behold! Kogane-en ryūnotsurugi"

A wave of bright light washed over the area harmlessly as Kin stood in the field wielding a flaming sword that seemed to burn the air itself as she nimbly swung it and got into a new stance with the blade above her head and pointed towards the one forward Hollow. “Have at thee!”

---

Kin: e68819
Shinobou: bbecff

[manic]

El Presidente #6

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Watching from afar was a safer option with regards to dealing with the fiery girl but it was infuriating to see the Hollows openly cower before her. That's what he got for looking for intelligence among the glorified rats of Hueco Mundo, just aware enough to realise how boned they were  She has a sword of flame as well? Of course she does... the dictator of the desert inwardly groaned. He wasn't even going to attempt to pronounce the name of the technique Rin had just performed to create such a destructive weapon.

Fortunately for the Republic's standing the designated lead of the battle had a few tricks up his sleeve, the hollow's body bulged as it's arms clicked and extended into large claws along spindly arms, long enough to reach out and grab one of his compatriots who made the mistake of stepping back and launching him at Kin as an impromptu, bitey missile.


Others were less keen to get involved in the developing melee "Uh, El Presidente sir?" A Hollow that had retreated far beyond the usual one step asked, having flown up to meet the master.

"What?"

"I hereby announce my resignation as minister of tourism and gambling." The dimminutive hollow squawked as he stood to a nervous attention for having just explained his plan to ditch the whole endeavour

"You can't resign! Its part of the contract of duty!" El Presidente snapped "Get back in there or do I have to get serious-" The enraged Arrancar yelled at his deserting subordinate before a shiver ran down both their spines. Either the human had found more power or... "Oh no."

[Gaz]

Kin #6

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The girl held her stance as she noticed the arrancar that lead this gaggle of hollows changed his form and took actions into his own hands as he picked one up and tossed it at her, teeth first. It caused Kin’s eyes to widen slightly. The arsehole was throwing his own mooks at her as a form of ammunition! That was cruel and just not on… but a total Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain thing to do!

With a quick breath and a step to side Kin flourished her fiery blade and cut the hollow down the stomach. As it impacted the floor behind her it fell into two perfect halves, bisected by the magical sword. Kin altered her position and let her eyes narrow on the leader, they were sentient enough to know fear and to even speak in some cases! She couldn’t kill hollows that were just following orders, they were not harming humans or other souls.

“Fine, I’ll save the little guys.” She spoke softly as the magical blade was discarded, flung into the air as the magic holding it together faded away and the construct returned to a more base state. It moved faster and faster the higher it got until it suddenly exploded with a bright flash and a thunderous boom.

“Heat Haze Witch!” Kin called out as a flicker of green light flashed around her skin, then the very real air ignited into a fire. That fire was quickly moulded, it’s flickering and amorphous soul temporarily joining with Kin’s will. When she was done her clothing had been replaced with a blazing sailor uniform that gave off a real heat.

There was a flash of greenlight from below her feet and in the blink of an eye she appeared just above Mateo with her heel raised high as a supernatural axe kick was coming his way. One that was charged by a manifestation of power that amplified the girl’s power to new and more dangerous levels. “Stop bullying your subordinates!”

---

Kin: e68819
Shinobou: bbecff

[manic]

El Presidente #7

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"Oh no..." Mateo let out as the now empowered young human warrior was suddenly above him with a speed comparable to a Sonido and about to come crashing down with severe force. The dictator of the desert was barely able to draw his sword in time to block the blow but what defences he could muster were woefully insufficient to deal with the incoming kick "UGH!" The Arrancar was sent hurtling down to earth in a ball of flame, his shoulders digging in to the dirt as a plume of smoke emerged from the landing point concealing just what state El Presidente was in.

It was not a pretty one, the flames had left black scorch marks across his body and face was badly burnt "I was not bullying, I was delegating. There are distinctions when you are older little girl." He growled as he ripped off the burnt layer of skin. Crispy black scales were shed to reveal the smooth skin underneath as though his face hadn't been exposed to heat levels that were considered unsafe for a metal foundry as he readied another blast of Cero at the Witch, only to find his legs suddenly very unstable.

"Did you do that!?" He demanded of Kin as he steadied himself, the force that sent shivers down his spine had come from above, but the schoolgirl was not the source. A small tear was forming in the sky, getting larger. Much, much larger.

[Gaz]

Kin #7

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Was he ripping off his own skin? The flesh that had been scorched in the attack of hers that had just landed. Kin had just flipped away and landed on her won feet, watching as the bully of an Arrancar pulled away the damaged skin. It churned her stomach up something fierce. With a shake of her head to clear away the disgusted amazement Kin focussed on what the man was saying. “Tone is everything!” She called back as a reply, pressing her hands together as a ball of fire formed between them like a flaming Kamehameha wave. As she opened her mouth to chant the spell, a wave of pressure washed over her causing it to vanish.

In a moment her eye shot to the sky and widened at the crack in the sky that was stretching and tearing wider and wider by the moment. It started to open wider as a gigantic hand forced its way through, followed by an enormous gaunt white mask that parted as a monstrous screech rattled the world below.

“Mister El Presidente. I propose a temporary truce to ward off the greater evil.” Kin spoke, shifting her position to stand beside the man and his gaggle of fleeing Hollows. This was mostly her fault, but she was going to blame him for making her expend so much power that a MENOS GRANDE came calling.

---

Kin: e68819
Shinobou: bbecff

[manic]

El Presidente #8

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There was something about a skyscraper sized monster showing up that caused everyone in the area to do some serious re-evaluating of their decisions and priorities. A Menos Grande showing up was one such occasion "Damn," Mateo cursed as the white masked monstrosity finally cut its way out of the Garganta "What lured it here? There have been greater demonstrations of strength in the human world..." The snakelike Dictator tried to think in a panicked state before Kin made it official: The fight for Tokyo was done.

"Uh... Yes! Your terms are acceptable, defender of Earth," Now was the time for the mad scramble to get that damn thing back to the Forest "Just follow my lead." His Cero would barely make a dent in that thing and he knew it... but even the slightest softening of the hardened skin might make it more succeptable to the Human's flame, they didn't need to kill it: just discourage it from remaining in the human world. It would soon be hungry in a realm without natural sustenance for souls. All they had to do was stall and frustrate its attempts at destruction before it left of its own accord for an easier meal.