As the man thought, Mikan couldn't help but shake. Aleta's rain was cold. Not like the freezing temperatures of Rastivania, more like the sudden shock when you dove into a pool in summer, when your fight or flight sense tells you to get away but gravity still pulls you down, and then in no time it's warm again. She finally noticed the plants growing and joined Randy in watching Aleta land. It was pretty amazing. A kaiju like her living in peace with humans. Her rains grew their crops, and they gave her back what they could.

Of course Randy would be so worried about his flock. Like with Aleta, they had a symbiotic relationship. Both needed each other to survive. Mikan wasn't sure what to type when Ev spoke up, finally done bickering at Abigail. She flashed him a thumbs up and reenforced his statement, "That's true. We've got the resources to make it work."

Randy considered the offer thinking to himself. As he did so several more plants sprouted these ones look different. They were dull greens. They looked like large pitcher plants with thorny vines extending from them. The stood out compared to the others.

Randy began to speak again. "I'm not sure how the birds would react to the cooler climate....But I might be able to build-" He began to trail off talking to himself about plausible heating systems.

Then Abigail's voice came over the comms. "Team! We have reason to believe that the readings are some kind of new Kaiju. Be careful we know next to nothing about this thing. It burrows and it seems to be somewhere between a magnitude 2.5 and 3. It also seems to be moving closer to the surface you should have a visual any moment now."

As if on queue the vines and pitcher plants roared to life. Vines lashing out at the poor Quemoas before quickly grabbing them and throwing them into the pitcher various pitchers. They began to lash out an any small creature. A couple rose up before lashing towards Mikan.
Randy quickly dove inside his house.
"Quickly Miss EMT, get inside." He waved his hand inwards his "house" being the closest shelter from the plants.

Wide-eyed, Everard froze in the pilot’s seat as a nightmare played out before him.

Aleta’s downpour was turning the sands to slurry, and the pilot’s mind was quickly, terrifyingly filling in the rest: The dunes became white-crested monsters, giant forms roiling on the horizon as the roar of his mecha’s cooling system morphed into the crashing of storm waves. The blackened skies and relentless rain echoed those of his worst memories, and then - as if on cue - dark forms surged from below the water’s surface, twisting into hideous tentacles and lashing out at his crewmates.

Scylla had come back for him.

In a flash of blue and gold, Rhetoric leapt to its feet, head module swiveling wildly as Everard combed the surroundings for a high point. He’d replayed this exact scenario countless times in daydreams and night terrors alike, and he lost every time. The only hope was escape, and for that he needed height. Unfortunately, the tallest nearby structure was Rankaku.

...Rankaku?

The waves’ churning eased at the sight of the Kyokese mecha, its structure foreign to Everard’s hallucinations. Emanating from this eggshell anchorpoint, reality swept over the landscape and back into pilot’s mind. A reality that wasn’t much better than his turbulent fantasy given the current state of their deliberately-incapacitated team, but a more hopeful reality nonetheless. Time for action.

“Thanks for the early warning, Abs. Maybe you can contact the desert next, get it to Will Raza’s arse into battle.”

There was another navy flash as Rhet launched itself at the vines coming for Mikan and Randy, skewering the closest as it approached. Repeated spear attacks would likely prove too slow to contend with the growing number of threats, but for the moment, it was enough to keep the unarmored humans out of harm’s way.

“How secure is your hut, Randy? I may be able to clear the path to Mikan’s mecha if you two would rather stay there.”

And with that, Everard retracted Slander, swivelled its claw-rockets to their retroburn position, then set their throttle to maximum. He wasn’t sure if the plants would catch the flames in this downpour, but there were some nasty chemicals in that propellant; even if they didn’t burn, the vines probably wouldn’t be too happy.

Lexi swallowed anxiously as events unfolded before her.

This is...

What was supposed to be a fairly straightforward information gathering and recruitment effort had very quickly gone off the rails.

This is...

As Randy's Quesmoas were quickly snatched up and tucked away in the waiting maws of several oversized pitcher plants, the woman looked on at the new kaiju with terror. No, perhaps not terror.

This is incredible!

The ecologist watched, starry-eyed, as the overgrown pitcher plants writhed out of the earth. This was quite unprecedented. The emergence of new kaiju was a process that normally took years of continuous growth and evolution. However, as far as she was aware, this specimen was entirely undocumented. Had it developed at an extraordinary rate, or had it simply been hidden all this time? Was the debut of this creature related in some way to the arrival of Kaiju X? Lexi could only speculate at this point.

The sight of Randy's quesmoas being snatched up and unceremoniously deposited into several pitchers brought the woman back out of her own head. With the pilot of the mech best suited to crowd control currently away from the controls, the situation could quickly spiral out of control if they didn't act decisively. As the Obernian pilot spoke, Lexi took aim at the largest pitcher plant she could see. After taking a moment to steady herself, she fired a tracking round at it. If these things decided to burrow underground again, it might be handy to know their bearing. With that done, she activated her comms.

"Don't do anything reckless. Our top priority is keeping Randy and ourselves safe."

With that, she adjusted her railgun to point toward a particularly dense cluster of pitcher plants and fired. She winced slightly as several of the things squealed and exploded into plant matter. Not a moment later, RSLE's chassis shifted and sank several meters into the moist sand. Its narrow feet were ideal for traversing rough terrain, but the low surface area exposure ensured that they'd be a huge liability on soft ground. Lexi had not foreseen this.

These foreigners and their frights. Aleta was a magnificent and awesome creature, yes. But even as a child Raza had been more awed by than afraid of her coming. Could the others of M.I.R.A.C.L.E. really not tell the difference between the fallen and the bringers of life? With this revelation, it became clear that their path to forming a cohesive unit would be lengthy and arduous indeed.

Raza mouthed a silent prayer for the misguided souls of his crew members and initiated the Arbiter's power up sequence. With Aleta safely past the lights would no longer present a danger, and though the monk cared not to save his disgraceful countryman's animals, the plants that consumed them heralded the arrival of something much more concerning. The Arbiter roared to life and crouched low, steeled for whatever would emerge from the sands. The time for battle was upon them.

It seemed like it was going to all work out. The gruff mechanic had been appeased and had already start to formulate his move. For Mikan an easy and peace resolution like this was a clear cut victo-

"Team! We have reason to believe that the readings are some kind of new Kaiju." Abigail's voice interjected.

As she foretold a mass of vines and vitriol erupted from the sand. They began to consume the noisy birds but didn't seem content on just them. As vine quickly lashed out towards them Randy dove for his shelter, leaving Mikan only an vulnerable in the rain with little to no hope to escape. Then, like a bolt of lightning a spear pinned the thing to the ground. Ev had saved her life.

As comms chatter began to increase there was only one thing to do, sorry Lexi, but it was reckless. Mikan put her hand up to her neck and began to sprint. Despite the cool rain heat weld up in her neck and her small and raspy voice came over the comms. "This is Mi-an, ETA to Ran-a-u ninty." It was to painful to finish with 'seconds' but it was unlikely the rest of the team would assume some other measurement anyways.

The plants continued to writhe and lash about. As suddenly as they had appeared, the small field was abrupt with combat. As Ev dashed about several of the vines burst into flames and quickly pulled themselves back under the sands. As it seems to be effect other vines emerged these ones seeming to recognize Rhetoric as a threat. Three large thick vines lashed at the mecha.

Lexi's railgun shots easily dispatched a cluster of pitchers. As a loud screeches echoed around the juices from the plants coated the ground quickly eroding away at the biological matter below them at a rather alarming rate.

Quick as she was several small vines continued to lash and grab at Mikan while she ran toward Rankaku.

More vines and pitcher's continued to erupt from the ground as Randy disappeared into his house. He reemerged a moment later with a small weapon in his hand. He looked around in time to see his beloved dog get placed into a pitcher. With little hesitation, he took aim and fired a shot. After a brief charge, a loud boom echoed around as his device fired destroying the plant that held his pet. By the time the juices soaked back into the Earth all that was left of the poor dog was a small portion of it's hindquarters and it's tail.

As Raza stood back he noticed something large moving beneath the sands. When the Arbiter roared to life, several objects began to move toward him under the sands. It wouldn't be long before some of the vines were upon him.

Everard grimaced in the face of the ever-increasing number of vines: though his makeshift flamethrower had proven surprisingly effective, it had done little to diminish the overall growths. If he wanted to make an impact on whatever this monstrosity was, he had to match its angles of attack, and they needed a full team. Thankfully, there was likely a solution to both problems. It would cost most of Rhetoric’s missile reserves, but it was worth a shot.

“Confirmed, Mikan. I can buy you ninety seconds.”

And in a burst of white exhaust, a cavalcade of rocketing darts erupted from the Obernian mecha’s shoulder, circling around towards the plants harassing Mikan. None of the larger threads had seemingly taken notice of her, so the shroud of Thesis missiles would likely prove sturdy enough to occupy them for a minute and a half. Hopefully.

“May I suggest that whoever’s fastest pick up Randy and we head on out of here? He isn’t answering over the comms, and I believe neither his nor our current configurations are well equipped to handle this thing.”

Case in point, three angry-looking vines were almost upon him, and with the limited mobility this landscape afforded him, he could do little but pray that his flame-stick would scare them off.

Ninety seconds.
Mikan's footsteps loudly squished and crunched sand and plant matter as she reached a full sprint. Though they were drown out by the cacophony of rain, mecha, and kaiju behind her. For a moment she wanted to look back, but she didn't have time for that- she had to push forward
Eighty seconds
“Confirmed, Mikan. I can buy you ninety seconds.” Ev's voice broke through everything else. If Ev was anything he was at someone that acted, and that was something to be thankful for.
Seventy seconds.
Rankaku began to lift off the ground. No, the sound of rushing wind; Mikan was falling. A vine had wrapped around her leg, surely intent on consuming her. She desperately reached for her medical bag for scissors. She wouldn't be fast enough with the speed at which the kaiju picked off the Quesmoa, but on the off chance...
Sixty seconds.
The sound of venting heat, and Mikan found herself off the ground. Ev's rockets tore across the battlefield, searing the connection between the main mass and the outlieing vines. Their death throws were quite literal in this case.
Fifty seconds
She was lucky the ground was soft, because the fall was hard. The wind was knocked out of her and the rain wasn't the only haze in her vision but she struggled to her feet and whipped her head around until she saw it. Rankaku's white sheen reflected the streaks of flame that danced around, anchoring it in a half reality of stars on a bed of white. She was pulled to it's gravity.
Forty seconds
She noticed her screaming ankle. It took her naught and a half seconds to diagnose it; a sprain. Her pace was slowed but the pain jump started her wits, and she was confident her estimate remained true. Though it threw her wide she had landed closer to her mecha than she had been when she fell.
Thirty seconds.
Thunder crashed, but it wasn't lightning. The sound came from the ground. Had help arrived from the the city?
Twenty seconds
Ev came on comms again. “May I suggest that whoever’s fastest pick up Randy and we head on out of here? He isn’t answering over the comms, and I believe neither his nor our current configurations are well equipped to handle this thing.”
She could barely speak with all the time in the world. Battered and running for her life she couldn't answer but she wanted to scream. Rankaku was literally built for what he was asking for. Hold on Randy. Just hold on for-
Ten seconds.
She was there. Or close enough. She grabbed the handles of the pilot's seat and smashed the button the close Rankaku's door before she was even properly seated. Pistons hissed and metal groaned as more vines that had snaked ever closer to her snapped as it sealed. Hands deftly slid across console and controls firing the booster jets and sending a surge of energy to her heat her blades.
Zero.
Rain and plant alike hissed and recoiled against the sudden burst of heat. A message flashed across the screens of the squad's mecha. "Mikan, reporting in."

"The beast will have its fight, boy!" Raza's voice thundered over the comms, as though the storms of his homeland had taught him to speak. "Run, and we endanger the place in which we seek refuge."

Deftly the Arbiter leapt back, enormous bulk propelled by a short burst from nine of the ten Tuhma engines. As it landed, sand erupting from the point of impact, Raza released the shield lock and slid Haya and Almawt from their resting place on the Arbiter’s forearms into the grip of its massive metal fingers. With one swift, smooth motion, Raza heaved the discs into the air, Eternity Chains streaming from the mecha’s palms as the shields to which they had attached themselves flew skyward. A whirring sound rang across the dunes as Haya and Almawt began to spin, saw mechanisms engaged. Their patterns blurred until they became solid eyes of color, reflecting light as though a pair of celestial bodies briefly hung in the desert sky.

Raza jerked them down. The vines had just caught up to him, their sinewy green forms reaching for the base of the Arbiter’s legs. Haya and Almawt raced to the sand, twin meteors on a collision course with the aggressive plants. The attack should, in theory, be enough to cut cleanly through them. But the exact strength of a Kaiju was difficult to predict without first-hand experience, as the fiasco with Hornitor had so painfully reminded Raza. Assumptions were often necessary, but dangerous. This time, he would be ready for anything.

Flames igniting plant matter and saws mowing over vines. They seemed near endless. For each vine cut down another erupted from the sands below. The with the roar of a third mecha entering the fray the ground began to shake.
A large pile of sand began to billow up before a large cluster of pitcher plants emerged. Each pitcher easily large enough to hold a mech. Atop the newly emerged plants was a large flower. Massive thick vines twisted around the base of these pitchers. The smaller vines splitting from these creating a root system of writhing appendages.

The giant plant stood still for a moment as if to observe it's surroundings. Then with a sudden lunge the vines all began to lash out whipping and grabbing at the large mechas.

Interesting. The continual appearance of ever-larger pitchers of acid would have been worrisome under normal circumstances; such gigantic digestive apparati likely meant that this monster was fearsome enough to feast on other kaiju. For Everard, however, the presence of structures taller than his own vehicle meant mobility. He swiveled his weapon’s rocket claws back to their pro-grade position. A moment to aim, then his Javelin had its course set for the center of the nearest mech-sized pitcher. If Slander’s metallic composition was hardy enough to resist the acid, he’d pull himself out of reach of the vines coming down on him and reevaluate. If not… well… better to learn that by losing a weapon than by losing a whole machine.

Lexi experienced a brief pang of panic as the slithering nest of vines lurched toward her mech. She was split between moving to attempt to help Mikan, who may be dead already, or trying to protect Randy. This was setting aside the fact that RSLE was still calf deep in, essentially, quicksand. Fortunately, one layer of this conundrum was promptly removed for her.

"Mikan, reporting in."

That was all the woman needed. With the most difficult step of the equation removed, the correct course of action fell into place like a series of dominoes. With a loud kachunk, Lexi's railgun swapped ammunition types. Without hesitation, she fired the freshly loaded round, a tracker, directly at the large flower that seemed to be the centerpiece for this bouquet of horror. If it retreated underground, they would be able to read its movements. Then, with several massive vines bearing down on her, Lexi reversed the engines on her mech's shoulders to point forward and activated them. The initial burst of fire thoroughly scorched the closest vines and deterred others from advancing, and the thrust was enough to pull RSLE's legs from the damp sand.

As soon as the mech's legs had been yanked free, however, the ecologist immediately lost control of the machine. It tumbled end over end a short distance before the thrusters cut off. Shaken, but not stirred, Lexi commanded the machine to stand once more. But more safely this time, on all four limbs. She awkwardly shuffled the mech over to Randy's improvised home and activated her voice broadcast system.

"Randy! I'm sorry about what happened, but we can still protect you. Please get inside!" As she spoke, Alexandria lowered RSLE's torso until the access ladder could be reached from ground level.

It was though all at the same time the squads mecha burst to life, turning a hostile landscape into a battlefield. While The Arbiter had to retreat to prevent being claimed by the vines, Vibrant Rhetoric and RSLE found opportunities to advance. Mikan ordered Rankaku to move to the latter's position. RSLE lacked options for close ranged combat and Lexi seemed to be trying to rescue Randy, so any clever evasive maneuvers also wouldn't be feasible.

Rankaku's blades cut through rain and vine alike, leaving scars of steam that hovered in their wake for a second before being reclaimed. The white mech quickly danced it's way closer to the rescue, wordlessly defending against the tide of vines.