Onyx Lightning

This is for you, Shyrin! Shyrin remembered Frion giving her a bouquet before the rebels left. You know, I like you a lot. Could we go out together after your mission? I can show you my restaurant!

As the rebels rode on their bird walkers, Shyrin smiled at the beautiful selection of flowers on her backpack. Of course, Frion. I can't wait to see your place.

"Ambush!" Valiesha warned.

Skelengel stormtroopers wearing bird skulls hid within the ruined apartments, firing RPGs while their killer whale hovertanks blocked the main road.

The rebellion's spider tanks fired back as the Skelengels charged at the Enaga girls, throwing pills that turned into trilobite droids. The crawling droids infiltrated the frontlines to electrify the rebels with their twin tails.

"Flip them over! Their bellies are weak!" Valiesha commanded.

The Shima Enagas pecked against the armored bugs until they were tossed upside down. The trilobites wiggled their legs helplessly like flipped tortoises until the rebels shot their weak bellies.

"Yeah! I taught you well!" Firaga sent a Skelengel flying with her shotgun.

"Hey, kiddo. Close one there, huh?" Valiesha remembered Firaga saving her from her Endroman. "You also sick and tired of Senri destroying our country? I'm leading some good gals to find Dessix. You in, girl?"

Firaga was the one who first led the rebels. Valiesha whistled to command a swarm of puffy Shima Enagas to stampede onto the orca hovertanks. When she trained me, Firaga believed I could be a great commander. She was tough on me, though.

Valiesha recalled the first time Firaga introduced her to the Shima Enaga birds. "Umm, how do I talk to them?"

"Steep learning curve!" Firaga kicked her into the flock of birds.

"Wait! Help!" The chirping Shima Enagas chased Valiesha.

"Come on! They're your friends! Give them an order!"

"Can I take a break, Firaga?"

"No way! Street fighting waits for no one, girl!"

Although Firaga threw me into the fire a lot, she did help me learn how to command. I used to be so quiet, but Firaga had me work with the birds first. Valiesha shot the Skelengels with her two pistols. I bonded with the birds, and then Firaga let me lead real troopers into battle. Thanks, Firaga.

"Moonbows incoming!" Sunder spotted Skelengel fighters shaped like crescent moons flying towards them. "Our aircraft is too busy breaking into Dessix!"

"Don't worry!" Valiesha threw a pebble at Shyrin to get her attention, signing a plan.

Valiesha whistled and told the birds what to do. The Shima Enaga stood on top of each other like a totem pole as Shyrin stood on top. Shyrin clenched her teeth onto her berry twig, using the extra elevation to her advantage. She shot the fighter pilots, letting the Skelengel fighters crash around her.

"Remind me never to make Shyrin mad ever again," Sunder sweated.

It's okay, Shyrin. Shyrin remembered Firaga signing to her shortly after Valiesha recruited her. Maybe the assault rifle isn't for you.

But everyone else can use it. Firaga pouted. I tried many weapons, but my aim sucks.

Girl, why should you care if everyone else can use an assault rifle? I don't use one. I like my incendiary shotgun, while Valiesha likes her double pistols. Look at Sunder! She'd rather be a ninja than a gunner!

What's your point?

Everyone is good at different things! Regular fast-firing weapons probably don't resonate with you, but that's okay. I don't want you to feel frustrated with yourself. Firaga dug through her crate of guns. Maybe you like something slower. I can tell you value accuracy. Hey, wanna try the sniper rifle? We could use a sniper. Everyone says I suck at it, haha.

"No husband for you!" Firaga whacked her shotgun to knock a Skelengel out cold before shooting another. "And no husband for you!"

Shyrin smiled as she watched Firaga force the Skelengels to retreat. Firaga helped me to find what I was good at. Who would've known I'd be the rebellion's top sniper if she didn't encourage me?

When the rebels chased the retreating Skelengels, they were attacked by a squad of orange-eyed Endromen. Their arms turned into sonic cannons that blew Shima Enagas and spider tanks down. None of the explosives the Enaga girls used were effective against them.

"Their necks are weak! Use EMPs to slow them down!" Valiesha ordered. "Sunder! Use your ninjitsu!"

Sunder nodded as EMPs were thrown to slow the Endromen. She threw smoke bombs that covered the battlefield. With the Endromen disoriented, Sunder drew her katana, cutting their carotid neck arteries with precision. When the smoke cleared, all of the Endromens' necks bled to a slow and painful death. After all, they weren't completely machines but partly demons.

"Endromen suck! You all hear?" Firaga chucked a grenade at the confused Skelengels. "I dated ten cute boys and had a blast while you all sold your souls to Senri for stupid programmable boyfriends. Grow up and get a real boyfriend!"

Finally, the girls and their Shima Enagas marched in front of Dessix. The rebellion's attack helicopters and scissor-tailed flycatcher fighters bombed the armored dome protected by a plasma blue shield. Defending Dessix Academy was Netherdraco, an albino skeletal dragon with four big horns that shot dark onyx lightning at the aircraft.

"It's another one of Senri's monsters!" Valiesha remembered Salamandra.

The Shima Enaga and spider tanks shot blue fire at the half-machine and half-demon, but it felt nothing like Salamandra. Netherdraco roared into the sky as its bony wings detached into a rotating halo. The halo zapped the clouds with shadowy energy, letting the thunderclouds rain electrified black meteors at the rebels.

"Sunder! Analyze!" Valiesha and the Shima Enaga frantically bounced across the battlefield to evade the black thunderstorm.

Sunder used her red goggles to check if Netherdraco had hidden gaps like Salamandra. "I don't see any flaws in this one's armor!"

"Maybe this one's weakness is different."

The Shima Enagas swarmed around Netherdraco like football players, pecking at the skeletal dragon with no success. Netherdraco wrathfully swung its wings to blow the birds off.

The Shima Enagas swarmed around Netherdraco like football players, like how they swarmed Salamandra, pecking at the skeletal dragon with no success. Netherdraco wrathfully swung its wings to blow the birds off.

Valiesha and the rebels heard a giant stomach growling from Netherdraco. The machine dragon aimed its horns at Valiesha, but it ran out of power. Netherdraco croaked velociraptor sounds into the sky. Skelengel moonbow fighters hovered towards the dragon that opened its jaws wide. The moonbows dropped dead boys inside. The Enaga girls gasped as Netherdraco chomped on the male corpses.

When it finished digesting, Netherdraco felt black lightning empowering its skeletal body. Its giant horns discharged dark lightning at Valiesha.

"So this thing needs to be fed to use its lightning!" Valiesha and her Shima Enaga jumped away from the lightning. "We need to starve this thing the next time it runs out of power!"