New Navi

The exploding Cannon revealed the appearance of new chip data, which Tennisman routinely inspected for its value and future strategic uses.

"Whazzat?" Desmond asked.

"Ringlog One." Tennisman replied, continuing to analyze the raw data. Seconds later, it was retrieved by Desmond's PET and loaded onto an empty chip disk.

"Well... I guess it makes sense," Desmond pondered, "We fight bushes and we get logs. Yeah"

Tennisman nodded but failed to come up with any uses for it besides rolling it over his enemies. He didn't think he was strong enough to lift it up and use it as a weapon but without any immediate need for his creativity, Tennisman abandoned his train of thought and began to move on.

"Wait, I think we have enough money now." Desmond said, stopping his navi in his tracks.

Tennisman's head perked up. He wondered what his operator was talking about.

"Jacking you out." Desmond added.

Tennisman nodded and disappeared in a white and blue column of light.
Tennisman readied his racquet and stepped forward into ACDC net. The sky's shifting colours mimicked the changing backgrounds of the PET's desktop... It was very plain and aesthetically pleasant but it was getting to be an eyesore. The bright friendly colours were a reminded of how far he had fallen and how weak he had become. The landscape mocked and patronized him.

"What's up?" Desmond asked, "You ready?"

Tennisman shook away his distracting thoughts and started a light jog. Self-pity wouldn't help him, nor would standing around staring at the sky.

He needed to train.

((Battle 1))
Cannons...

CannonA: 50
CannonB: 50
CannonC: 50

Tennisman: 190

READY STEADY GO!
Unable to stop thinking about how weak he had gotten, he became distracted and stopped watching the road in front of him. Soon, Tennisman found his path suddenly barred by a trio of Cannons. He stopped in his tracks and raised his arm cannon.

"No good," Desmond said, "They're locked right onto you. Strafe them!"

Tennisman dodged to his left, his arm still raised with the his cannon constantly trained on the leftmost Cannon.

"Shotgun." Tennisman said mid-dash.

His operator quickly replied, "On it."

A locking mechanism in his cannon disengaged as the blockish form of his default tennis ball launcher collapsed into itself. Smooth blue plating emerged from within and snapped together to form the outer shell of a Shotgun. Tennisman cocked it once and unloaded the round into the side of the Cannon. Just as quickly as it came, the Shotgun disappeared back into Tennisman's arm and reformed into his default buster.

"Another." Tennisman said.

"Might as well try out this Ringlog..." Desmond answered.

A matrix of pixels appeared from nowhere and began to configure themselves at Tennisman's feet. Miniscule grains of data compiled together in a display of dull fireworks to form... A wooden log.

Tennisman didn't know what to say. It was a log. He supposed that it at least lived up to its name.

"...Kick it!" Desmond barked after a moment of awkward silence.

Tennisman nodded and gave the wooden obstacle a swift kick, sending it rolling towards the Cannons. It rolled faster than expected and he was actually surprised at how much speed it gained as it rolled and how little force was actually needed to propel it. Moreover, he was surprised at how hard it was as he winced slightly at the pain throbbing in his foot. He made a mental note not to use so much force the next time he used it.



1 - Move to the side of the cannons (dodge)
2 - Shotgun CannonA from the side (50 dmg)
3 - Ringlog1 CannonC (50 dmg)
OTKO! LAWLZ!

CANNONDUMBA: DELETED
CANNONDUMBB: DELETED
CANNONDUMBC: DELETED

Tennisman.exe: 190 HP

-VICTORY!-
Get: 300z
"Huh." Desmond sigh, "300 zenny. At this rate, it'll take forever to get you back up to speed."

Tennisman reluctantly agreed with a small nod but didn't believe himself to be strong enough to take on stronger challenges at the moment.

"Whatever, let's just keep going." Desmond said.

Tennisman nodded and began his sprint.

((Battle 2))
More viruses.

SpikeyA: 90 HP
SpikeyB: 90 HP
SpikeyC: 90 HP
SpookyA: 50 HP
SpookyB: 50 HP

Tennisman.exe: 190 HP

-GET READY TO RUMBLE!-
-BATTLE 2!-
-FIGHT!-
Tennisman's reprieve from battle was short-lived as he soon encountered another batch of viruses lying in wait. Among them were a breed that he had never seen before. They wore skulls on their faces with drooping tongues and had bodies that were ghost-like. One of them spotted Tennisman.

"Spooky viruses." Desmond said.

Tennisman nodded in agreement only to have his operator correct him.

"No, I mean they're called 'Spookies'," Desmond added, "But like, yeah, they're kinda creepy too. Glad I'm not in your shoes right now."

Tennisman passed an unappreciative glare slightly over his shoulder at his operator before saying, "Shotgun."

The chip data took over his arm and Tennisman found himself equipped with the blue blaster he had become somewhat fond of, despite its relatively weak damage rating. He aimed the cannon up at one of the ghostly apparitions and quickly fired off the round.

Not waiting for retaliation, he plucked his racquet from his back, twirled it around his finger a few times for show, and grasped it firmly by the grip. He tapped the face to the ground and quietly said, "Netplay."

The familiar springy tennis net appeared between himself and his enemies prompting him to follow through and continue with some actual tennis practice. He loaded three tennis balls into his cannon's clear clip in preparation. Raising his arm straight up, he fired them all off in a quick burst without looking. Tennisman glanced up a moment later to take note of their trajectories and readied his racquet.

"Ace Serve." Tennisman said.

A quick sequence of swings struck each ball perfectly, sending two towards the other Spooky and one straight for the Spikey group. They sliced over the tennis net, just barely bypassing its reflective countermeasures.

"Ohhhhh...." Desmond gasped, "You're getting better at this."

Tennisman brushed the bandage on his nose and watched for signs of a counterattack on his opponent's end.



1 - Shotgun SpookyA (50 dmg)
2 - Netplay (100 HP reflective tennis net)
3 - Ace Serve SpookyB (60 dmg) SpikeyB (30 dmg)
((bump))
The Spookies die, the Spikey is hit. The Spikeys attack back, only to be blocked.

SpikeyA: 90 HP
SpikeyB: 60 HP
SpikeyC: 90 HP
SpookyA: BLASTED!
SpookyB: YOU GOT SERVED!

Tennisman.exe: 190 HP [Barrier: 40 HP]
((Netplay is a reflective tennis net so the attacks bounce back to the attackers. If the attack is slow, they can probably dodge it though...))

THe Spooky reels from the pair of tennis balls that smack it in the face and shatters into a mist of disintegrated data. The Spikey manages to endure the single ball that strikes it but looked back at Tennisman with rage burning in its beady little eyes. Tennisman wondered if these viruses were smart enough to figure out Netplay's abilities before he deleted them. He hoped not.

"The net's up, switching to bombs." Desmond said.

Taking into account how healthy the remaining viruses were, Tennisman opted to use his Energybomb. It was slow and usually unreliable but the explosion it made was spectacular and probably enough to destroy one of the Spikeys if it hit. He turned turned his face slightly, his gaze never leaving his enemies, and made his request, "Energybomb and Minibomb."

Tennisman, in his infinite demand of perfection, wanted some insurance for his attack. Placing his fingers to his lips, he made a sharp whistle to activate the Ballboy program. The speedy subroutine appeared at his feet looking no different than a Mr. Program. It smiled, winked and just as quickly as it came, sped away. Now he was ready to attack.

He held out his palm and grabbed onto the Energybomb as it formed in mid-air. Its subtle rumble made holding it itchy to his palm. Tossing it up with a quick flick of his wrist, Tennisman arched back and struck at it with his racquet. However, it went off course and soared towards to the left instead of the right. He remembered why he didn't use them more often.

"That was a little wonky there," Desmond noted, "Too much slice."

"It was the bomb." Tennisman replied.

"Yeah, you know if I mess up I don't blame my racquet," Desmond quipped before adding, "No wait... Shit, I do."

Tennisman and Desmond could afford to take the time to talk like this behind the safety of Netplay, but it wouldn't hold forever. Tennisman reached out again and grabbed at the air, pulling a Minibomb into existence. As quickly as it was snatched, it was thrown and also served at a Spikey. These bombs were more comfortable to grip and didn't resonate. Just a small blue ball, perfectly shaped for serving.

The Minibomb arced over the net as well and landed on the other side, exploding in a small cloud of smoke. Tennisman didn't notice his Ballboy dashing in and assumed his attacks were successful. The net was still up however and that limited the choices he had for attacking. He waited for the smoke to clear before planning out his next move.



1 - Ballboy (retrieves 3 missed chips)
2 - Minibomb SpikeyB (60 dmg)
3 - Energybomb SpikeyA (40x3 dmg)
((bump))
(Pocket Mod'sters, G----
What?
I already did that?
Dang.
And just so you know, I'm giving you 30 Netplay-reflected damage on Spikeys A&C.)

The minibomb hits its target, deleting the second of the three virii, but the Energybomb misses the uninjured Spikey. Both viruses then counterattack, only to miss both Tennisman AND the Netplay.

SpikeyA: 60 HP
SpikeyB: DELETED
SpikeyC: 60 HP
SpookyA: BLASTED!
SpookyB: YOU GOT SERVED!

Tennisman.exe: 190 HP [Netplay: 40 HP]
((Appreiciate it, PA))

As expected, the Energybomb missed its unintended mark but luckily, it wasn't wasted. Just before it hit the ground, it was intercepted by a green flash that made its way to Tennisman. His Ballboy had managed to salvage the Energybomb for another run. As Tennisman took the explosive from the Mr. Program he decided to try something a little different.

He unloaded one of the tennis balls from his cannon's clip and lobbed it over the net at a Spikey and quickly lobbed the Energybomb immediately after. If it focussed on dodging the first shot, there was a chance it would get caught by his actual attack. It was a diversion tactic that was worth a shot.

"Minibomb." Tennisman said.

"Why don't you just use a Cannon or something," Desmond asked, "We have like three of those."

"Netplay is still active." Tennisman stated. Although he often tried to make his comments as neutral as possible, he couldn't help notice his reply's tone sounded condescending. He wondered if his operator noticed.

"Oh... Okay. Minibomb it is." Desmond said meekly.

He noticed.

Tennisman didn't take too long to think about it but took hold of the bomb, tossed it up, and followed through with a powerful serve directed at the right Spikey. He was getting confused as to which one was which since they looked exactly the same to him.



[Ballboy: 2 chips remaining]
1 - Buster shot (tennis ball) over the net at SpikeyA (2 dmg)
2 - Energybomb SpikeyA (3x40 dmg)
3 - Minibomb SpikeyC (60 dmg)
They all die. Horribly.

SpikeyA: ZAP
SpikeyB: DELETED
SpikeyC: BOOM
SpookyA: BLASTED!
SpookyB: YOU GOT SERVED!

Tennisman.exe: 190 HP [Netplay: 40 HP]

-VICTORY-
Get: 500z
Tennisman was about to move on when Desmond quietly interrupted, "Hey, I'm sorry that I'm not the sharpest shed in the tool about netbattling and you mostly do all the work."

Tennisman wanted to correct his operator's misuse of the phrase but decided against adding insult to injury.

Desmond continued, "I'll try to keep up next time."

The navi didn't know how to reply to that. He wanted to comfort Desmond but he wasn't skilled in dealing with these emotions and simply said what he had to say.

"Desmond," Tennisman said, taking a brief pause to collect his thoughts, "The correct phrase is 'sharpest tool in the shed'."

There was an awkward silence between the two before Desmond broke the silence, "Thanks."

Tennisman didn't look surprised.

"That's why you're my navi." Desmond said cheerfully, "Other people would probably be too nice to say stuff like that but you tell me what I need to know."

With just simple nod as a reply, Tennisman began to walk towards his next challenge.

((Battle 3))
Are those, viruses?
...
No duh.

CannondumbA: 50 HP
CannondumbB: 50 HP
CannondumbC: 50 HP
CannondumbD: 50 HP
SeedbatA: 50 HP
SeedbatB: 50 HP
BunnyA: 50 HP
BunnyB: 50 HP
BunnyC: 50 HP

Tennisman.exe: 190 HP

-Wow, that's a lot-
-BATTLE 3!-
-FIGHT!-
"Whoa," Desmond gasped, "This is new."

Taken back by the number of viruses he had stumbled across, Tennisman considered escaping before they took notice of him. However, he was constantly looking for a challenge and he supposed that this was as good a challenge as any. He readied himself mentally for a grueling battle, taking note of their formation and movement patterns. It wasn't long until he was noticed by one of them.

"Looks like you just lost the element of surprise." Desmond quipped.

"Unnecessary." Tennisman remarked. His arm cannon reformed and collapsed in on itself until it was once again a normal hand, gripping three tennis balls.

"Ohhhhh no!" Desmond laughed, "Here it comes!"

Tennis glared at three of the Cannons in the group and spoke, "Ace Serve."

He tossed one ball up and smashed it with his racquet, aiming for one of the Cannons.

"Fifteen-love!" Desmond said.

The second ball followed a similar fate, aimed at the second Cannon in line.

"Thirty-love!" Desmond continued.

Tennisman clutched the third ball. He wanted to delete his enemies in a single strike but he was still too weak. Each blow only injured the viruses and he would be forced to try again to delete them later. He wanted more energy in his attacks. More power. He didn't notice the ball in his hand glowing blue in contrast with its yellow surface. He tossed it up and served it before he noticed its unusual colour. He could feel it was different in the sound it made as it struck his racquet. There was more force to it, it was heavier with something.

There was more power.

"F-Fourty-love?" Desmond stuttered, "What the hell was that?"

Tennisman didn't have an answer but he had somehow given the last ball an extra bit of attack power by just focussing on it. It was exactly what he was looking for and he wanted to try it again.

"Heatshot and Ringlog." He said.

"Uhh.. Yeah sure." replied Desmond. He still seemed a little confused as to what happened.

Tennisman's right arm took on the shape of a Heatshot cannon - A rigid, metallic frame, almost skeletal in nature and function. He tried to focus on the Heatshot, taking aim at the Seedbats but nothing special happened. He couldn't feel the same energy building as before regardless of how much he concentrated. The warmth of the Heatshot started to build and flow up his arm. If he held onto it for any longer, he risked causing damage to himself. He settled for trying to line up both bats and released a fireball at the flapping viruses.

"What are you trying to do?" Desmond asked.

Tennisman unconsciously stalled his response until he said, "...Nothing."

He considered trying again with the ringlog but it was already an embarassment to kick a log into his enemies let alone trying to infuse it with something he couldn't even describe. He simply allowed the log to form at his feet and sent it rolling towards the group of Bunnies. Still, he refused to succumb to the idea that he couldn't do it again. There had to be a way for him to do it again.


1 - Ace Serve CannonA, CannonB (30 dmg), CannonC (30 dmg + 10 dmg untapped potential)
2 - Heatshot SeedbatA, SeedbatB (80 dmg)
3 - Ringlog1 BunnyA, BunnyB (100 dmg)
The Cannons were smacked by tennis balls, the bats were burned, and two of the poor bunnys had some log. The Tennis balls were stuck in the cannon's barrels, and tried to fire but failed. The Cannon that was not fired upon managed to hit Tennisman in the chest.

CannondumbA: 20 HP
CannondumbB: 20 HP
CannondumbC: 10 HP
CannondumbD: 50 HP
SeedbatA: dead
SeedbatB: dead
BunnyA: 50 HP
BunnyB: Dead
BunnyC: Dead

Tennisman.exe: 170 HP
"Ouch," Desmond said, "Fourty-fifteen."

Tennisman had recoiled from the attack but he was still standing. What shocked him most was how well executed his attacks turned out to be. He had expected some of his attacks to miss their mark but his accuracy was a welcome surprise. He looked at his remaining opponents and considered the rest of the battle to go downhill from there.

"Cannon." Tennisman said.

He aimed the weapon at the last Bunny and tried to focus on his attack again, on his need to win, and remember his mindset while holding the last ball of his Ace Serve. As if activated by his reminiscing, he could feel the same energy building again. The normal green exterior of his cannon started giving off a blue aura. He didn't know how long this empowered state would last and he immediately shot off the round at the Bunny. The recoil on the gun was greater than normal causing his arm to fly up unexpectedly.

"Hey, you did it again!" Desmond cheered, "What is that?"

"I do not know," Tennisman replied, "Minibomb."

The bomb appeared in his hand and he began to focus on it as he did before; he thought back to needing power and the like but there was no response this time. He considered that perhaps it was actually triggered by necessity and it wasn't enough to simply want it. He had to need it. It didn't seem as though continuing to hold onto it would help the cause leaving Tennisman no option but to simply serve it as normal. It flew in a straight path towards the Cannon virus that was spared by his Ace Serve.

Desmond sounded concerned, "This is weird. We have to get you checked out later."

Tennisman was also somewhat concerned for himself but if he was experiencing a faulty power boost, he didn't want to cure it. However, there was the nagging thought that he was sacrificing something to use this power. He had heard of dark chips and their devastating effects in battle at the cost of a navi's soul. Was this what he was doing? Siphoning off his soul to use Cannons? He decided to hold off on further attempts until he found some answers. For now, he just needed to win.

"Netplay." Tennisman said.

The net came up and separated him from his enemies but it seemed like a little much for what was left of the group of viruses. He hoped that the rest of the array of Cannons would simply fire as they were programmed to and delete themselves, saving him the trouble.



1 - Cannon BunnyA (40 dmg + 10 dmg untapped potential)
2 - Minibomb CannonC (60 dmg)
3 - Netplay (100 HP reflective net)