Episode 24: Prayers Unanswered? / Tenshi no Inai Juunigatsu

December 17, 2006. Quirino Grandstand. Sometime around noon.

The thanksgiving prayer rally against Charter Change is peaceful overall, even though shaded with political bickerings. And the Catholic bishops' buzzword for the entire rally: "We don't need Charter Change; we need Character Change."

As the afternoon progresses, everyone in the rally thinks that tension will only be limited to almost-political speeches made by some guests, notably some senators.

But as the clock ticks to three...

KA-BOOM!

They are startled by the unexpected explosion that sparked near the grandstand's parking lot.

Meanwhile, back at the base, Mr. Tulfo monitors the unexpected event at the control center. He immediately summons Matt, Hyacinth, Ogie, and some of his crew in "Bitag" who voluntarily joined him.

Matthew Luke: Sir Tulfo, bakit kayo tumawag sa amin?
Hyacinth: Sayang, nakuha na namin sana ang ultimate Esper sa Final Fantasy 12.
Ben Tulfo: Well, you two can continue playing later. First, there's something urgent. (pointing at the monitor) Doon sa Quirino Grandstand na kung saan nagaganap ang anti-Cha-Cha rally, may biglang sumabog. At...

The people in the control center are then startled by what they currently see in the monitor.

Ogie: (as Gosh Abelgosh... again) Mga... halimaw? Bakit may mga halimaw na umaatake? Gawain ba ito ng mga extreme right-wingers?
Matthew Luke: At ang mas masaklap... parang mga Orphnoch sila!
Hyacinth: I can't believe it! Marahil ay nagkatotoo ang mga napanood natin sa Masked Rider Faiz!
Ben Tulfo: Well, whoever these monsters are, they must be stopped at all costs. At dahil dadalawa o tatalo lang sila, just use a simple amount of force upang labanan sila. Ayaw kasi nating i-deploy ang mga mecha natin para hindi madamay ang mga sibilyan doon sa rally.
Matthew Luke & Hyacinth: Naiintindihan namin.
Ogie: (as Gosh Abelgosh) Kaya mga at most 20 personnel ang ipapakalat upang labanan ang mga halimaw na kung tawagin ay... uh...
Matthew Luke: Orphnoch. Or-ph-noch. All clear?
Ogie: (as Gosh Abelgosh) Maliwanag. Orphnoch.

(Please select at most twenty battle members from the current roster. Matthew Luke and Hyacinth are required. Ben Tulfo and Ogie Diaz will also be in the team as part of the entourage.)

The selected members are the following:
1. Matthew Luke
2. Hyacinth
3. Yeng
4. Shiho
5. Nash
6. Batista
7. Mizuki
8. Asa
9. Ayu
10. Misuzu
11. Arcueid
12. Saber
13. Hero
14. Sandara
15. Joseph
16. Angel

Matthew Luke: Heading out!

The formed team, using the Emblem Frames that are borrowed from the Angel Brigade (which, by the way, is cleaning up the big mess Milfeulle made after another cooking disaster), arrives at the Quirino Grandstand in under three minutes. Behind the team are the two strategists and Mr. Tulfo's staff, armed with cameras to document every second of the upcoming operation.

Once the team sets foot, the members are startled at the now-huge mess. There are debris from the explosion, discarded things, and screams of people who have felt the brunt of the monsters.

And in the midst of that grim scenario, three people slowly walk towards the team.

Matthew Luke: Gretchen Barretto?!
Hyacinth: Loren Legarda?!
Mr. Tulfo & Ogie: Borgy Manotoc?!
La Greta, Loren, Borgy: Tumpak. Kami nga iyon at wala nang iba.
Hyacinth: Bakit n'yo inaatake ang isang medyo-mapayapang rally?
Matthew Luke: At bakit kayo naging mga Orphnoch?

But the now-transformed faces of the three answer the questions.

La Greta, Loren, Borgy: Hinding-hindi ninyo malalaman ang kasagutan... dahil mamamatay kayong mga balakid!

La Greta transforms into the Prima Donna Orphnoch.

Loren transforms into the Lamia Orphnoch.

And Borgy transforms into the Puncher Orphnoch.

Mizuki, Hero, Angel: Transformation ba ang gusto n'yo? Kami rin, gusto namin!
Mizuki, Asa, Ayu, Misuzu, Arcueid, Saber: Ren'ai Rangers, power up! Ha!
Hero: Transform into Mysterio!
Sandara: Transform into Sohee!
Joseph: Transform into Black Gladiator!
Angel: Haaaahhhh... (casts Fusion on herself to transform into Darna)

The aforementioned allies are then transformed into their respective forms.

Matthew Luke & Hyacinth: ...Kahit wala kaming mga Rider belts, mananalo pa rin tayo! Sige, mga kasama! SUGOD!
The rest: CHARGE!
Mr. Tulfo and Ogie: Do your best, team! Idodokumento namin ito sa abot ng aming makakaya.

The NLF team and the Orphnoch team then begin battling each other, with the song "Cutting Edge of Notion" from Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time serving as BGM.

For around five minutes, the opposing sides fought will all their might. But the joy is about to be spoiled by something inevitable.

And that inevitable is a tornado that results in an explosion. The NLF team is surprised.

Matthew Luke: What happen?
Hyacinth: Somebody set us up the bomb.
Mr. Tulfo: We get signal.
Ogie: What?
Mr. Tulfo: Main screen turn on. (signals his staffers to activate thermal sensors)

In the middle of the Orphnochs, a guy in a cap surfaces. The Orphnochs then bow to him.

Matthew Luke & co.: It's you!
DJ Mo: How are you gentlemen! All your base are belong to us. You are on the way to destruction.
Matthew Luke: What you say!
DJ Mo: You have no chance to survive make your time. Ha ha ha ha! (charges towards the NLF team)



A BOSS BATTLE COMMENCES!

Allies: Anyone from the team you formed earlier
Enemy: DJ Mo Twister (HP: ????)

Starting line-up: Matthew Luke, Hyacinth, Yeng, Shiho, Nash, Batista

Matthew Luke chooses to do a cooperative attack with Hyacinth named "Osananajimi". That attack deals 10 hits and 318 damage to DJ Mo Twister.
Yeng chooses to cast Dos Hiranos on all allies. All allies' ATK and INT increased.
Shiho chooses to cast Dobleng Kalasag on Yeng. Yeng's DEF and MDEF increased.
Nash chooses to cast Spy's Darts on DJ Mo Twister. That attack deals 207 damage to DJ Mo Twister.
Batista chooses to attack DJ Mo Twister. He deals 400 damage to DJ Mo Twister.
DJ Mo Twister chooses to defend.
Matthew Luke chooses to do a cooperative attack with Hyacinth named "Osananajimi". But DJ Mo Twister dodges the attack!
Yeng chooses to attack DJ Mo Twister. But DJ Mo Twister dodges the attack!
Shiho chooses to attack DJ Mo Twister. But DJ Mo Twister dodges the attack!
Nash chooses to attack DJ Mo Twister. But DJ Mo Twister dodges the attack!
Batista chooses to attack DJ Mo Twister. But DJ Mo Twister dodges the attack!
DJ Mo Twister chooses to defend.
Matthew Luke chooses to attack DJ Mo Twister. He deals 267 damage to DJ Mo Twister.
Hyacinth chooses to attack DJ Mo Twister. She deals 207 damage to DJ Mo Twister.
Yeng chooses to attack DJ Mo Twister. But DJ Mo Twister dodges the attack!
Shiho chooses to cast Apoy1 on DJ Mo Twister. But DJ Mo Twister dodges the attack!
Nash chooses to cast Spy's Darts on DJ Mo Twister. But DJ Mo Twister dodges the attack!
Batista chooses to attack DJ Mo Twister. But DJ Mo Twister dodges the attack!

DJ Mo Twister: You... the mercenary army...
Matthew Luke: How did you know us?
DJ Mo Twister: Though the entire nation is entirely grateful to you because you all quieted down the network conflict...
Hyacinth: And then?
DJ Mo Twister: You are still a roadblock to my ultimate plan of showbiz reform! I have a better plan of reform than you can muster. To prove my superiority, TAKE THIS!

DJ Mo Twister chooses to cast Twister Cacophony on all allies. He deals 9999 damage to each ally. All allies are KO'd.

BATTLE ENDED.

The entire NLF team is now an incapacitated heap, with some of the allies' transformations now being deactivated.

Matthew Luke: I... can't believe... that we... the Nueva Liga Filipina... tasted defeat... at your hands...
Hyacinth: But still... ugh...
DJ Mo: You vermin. You will experience great demoralization from now on. You will no longer have the will to fight. Your so-called mercenary army will be doomed to obscurity.
Matthew Luke: N... no...
DJ Mo: Orphnochs, ready for the coup de grace?
Prima Donna Orphnoch, Lamia Orphnoch, Puncher Orphnoch: Rarr!
Shadows of La Greta, Loren, Borgy: Anytime, my master.
DJ Mo: (casting a very powerful magic) Now, only I can save the entire Philippine showbusiness realm from the brink of extinction!

It seems that the NLF team's about to be given the final blow by DJ Mo and the Orphnochs. However...

Mr. Tulfo & Ogie: Teleporting retreat device, activate!

While the "coup de grace" is being performed, the NLF team is abruptly teleported out of the Quirino Grandstand, unbeknownst to DJ Mo and co.

As the dust settles...

DJ Mo: It seems that they're finished. Let's go, guys.
La Greta, Loren, Borgy: (reverted to human form) Yes, master.

DJ Mo and co. then warp back to their HQ.

Still at the grandstand, CBCP President Archbishop Angel Lagdameo decries the chaos that ensued a few minutes ago, the chaos that will further complicate Philippine affairs. Notwithstanding low crowd attendance (approx. 20,000 poeple took part compared to the expected half-a-million), he shouts loudly, facing the gray sky:

"O Diyos ko, papaano na ang bansang ito? Talaga bang walang mga anghel ngayong Disyembre?"

The next day. Morning. Balay Kapatiran.

The childhood friends wake up in their shared room, still feeling some pain from the attack made yesterday. Just then, the door opens, and Mr. Tulfo comes in.

Mr. Tulfo: Well, how are you feeling?
Matthew Luke: Not so good...
Mr. Tulfo: Alam na alam natin ang lahat ng nangyari kahapon, di ba?
Hyacinth: Opo, sir... nabigo... tayo...
Mr. Tulfo: Personally, as a strategist, I admit that yesterday's operation is a failure. We just didn't know that DJ Mo is behind the attacks at the anti-Cha-Cha rally.
Matthew Luke: Opo... ngayon... papaano na? Demoralized na tayong lahat.
Mr. Tulfo: You are right, Matt. Even the non-participants in yesterday's mission felt the demoralization. Para tayong mga tinumbang domino, so to speak.
Hyacinth: Kaya... papaano natin mapipigilan si DJ Mo? Isang atake lang... tumba na... tapos sinamahan pa siya ng mga Orphnoch... we're really hopeless...
Mr. Tulfo: Don't lose all hope, Matt, Hyacinth. We can borrow power that we can use for good from none other than... Maria Makiling.
Matthew Luke & Hyacinth: TALAGA?!

Why did Mr. Bitag mention the name of Maria Makiling all of a sudden? Is there something that he wants to impart to the childhood friends? Stay tuned!

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Stars Introduced So Far

None