Squirrely Busting

Ah, the classic virus ambush...how predictable for them to pull a stunt like that in this kind of area. A new Navi might fall for a stunt like this, but not someone as experienced as him. Even though he was basically fighting as one. "Ha...a four directional assault. I've got news for them...they could do a four dimensional ambush and I'd still slaughter them! Now prepare to pay for your fatal mistake!" Looking off to one side, SharpMan moved his arm across his chest, its side blade fully extended. With a grin, he flicked his appendage back to the side, causing the most used of his cutting devices to be sent flying along, with a purple knight virus preferably directly in its trajectory. It soon slowed down a bit, allowing it to, again, preferably strike the Swordy multiple times before rotating back to its point of origin, fitting neatly into the small opening it normally occupied. Preferably by itself, however, didn't delete a virus. The blade needed to actually shred the shredding virus to do that. But at the moment, there was little else he could do about that.

"Hey, SharpMan?"

"What?"

"I'm just thinking...the Net is the visual representation of servers and electronic devices, correct? I'm wondering...what on earth would cause it to become a valley shape like that?"

"I'm wondering something, too. Why aren't you sending me RageClaw right now?!"

"Because you didn't ask, and I admittedly don't really have any idea on what to do right now." He sure did like RageClaw. Not that she could blame him, what with it being usable more than once, and the fact that it by far was the one chip they had that most suited him. "Battlechip, RageClaw! Slot in!"

One by one, the mercenary Navi's fingers received a nice, long, sharp claw at its end. Strangely, however, he looked at his left hand with disdain, immediately canceling the razor sharp weapons on it. But he right hand's claws remained, and with it, he spun clockwise 270 degrees, armed hand extended, in an attempt to cut down the ghostly virus in one swift blow. Not that he knew a certain fact ahead of time. "So, a Spooky was following me. Too bad for it I can tell when something's right behind me!" After all, his profession required him to watch his back at all times. And noticing a simple virus was child's play compared to some of the shady characters he had worked with back in the day. "All right, Dawn! I've got an idea! Send me ZapRing, now!"

"I really wonder how you'll fare once I'm able to give you the orders, instead of the other way around..." It seemed to her that he was enjoying his commands just a little too much...oh well, at least it gave her brain a break. "Battlechip, ZapRing! Slot in!"

Almost immediately, a pink apparatus with two thick wires took form on SharpMan's left hand. Perhaps that speed was why he dissipated the RageClaw on it so quickly? However, instead of immediately firing it, he performed a quick sidestep to his right. Not directly right, however; he was still aware of that Swordy on the other side. It was a bit backwards as well, a direction where no viruses were coming from. Unless he missed with Tornado Blade and the Swordy changed its course. Then he was boned. But since he doubted that, he raised his electrical weapon, and began to have it charge with equally electrical energy. After a moment, a green ring of electricity shot forward from the device, sailing in the direction of...the Spikey. With any luck, the knight riding it wasn't gripping the reins very tightly. And enjoyed following laws of momentum. Yeah, that would definitely be awesome. And hilarious. And fairly effective. Anything that combined those three things couldn't fail. It HAD to work. ZapRing, don't-

Ugh, now he was thinking during a battle again. Though this time he was pretty sure he wasn't doing it out loud. Phew.

[Order of Turn:
1-Tornado Blade sig attack on Swordy-NB (20, Slashing, hits 3 times)
2-RageClaw1 chip attack on Spooky (40, Slashing)
2a-Swordplay subtype effect (free dodge)
3-ZapRing1 chip attack on Spikey (40, Elec, Stun 1)]
Unleashing a Tornado Blade right from the start on the Swordy to his right, the attack mostly hit, but it managed to get out of the way before the last hit struck, leaving it alive. His RageClaw strike on the Spooky failed as the ghost sidestepped it and delivered a literal licking to his face. (10) The two Swordy flanking SharpMan teleported up to him and delivered twin slashes, further causing him damage. (15) (15) The Spikey tried firing a fireball at him but it missed, instead it got an electric ring and swallowed it. Ouch.

-- VIRUSES --
Swordy-N A: 60 HP (Left of SharpMan)
Swordy-N B: 20 HP (Right of SharpMan)
Swordy-N C: 60 HP (Approaching from front, riding Spikey)
Spikey: 50 HP (Front) (Stun!)
Spooky: 30 HP (Flanking back)

-- NAVIGATOR --
SharpMan.EXE: 70 HP

-- TERRAIN --
100% Normal
-- 60% 30°-45° slopes on either side
-- 30% valley
-- 10% tops of hills lining valley
Urgh...the triple attack nearly caused SharpMan to tumble backwards onto the ground. Luckily, he was able to use his sickle-like blade to steady himself as he pondered what went wrong. Or at least, he would've, had his rage not gotten into the way. "...GRRRAAAAHHHHH!!! How did THAT happen?!!"

"...You never were an especially lucky Navi, were you?"

"Nope. Who needs luck when you've got skill? And more importantly, why are we talking about this?!"

"Just trying to sympathize. But I suppose this isn't the time...any requests for chips? I'm assuming you're not about to run away in this situation."

"Tch, why would I even think about running?! Just gimme Shotgun so I can mop up the freaks!"

"That's fine, but calm down. Get too angry and you'll just shoot air." And since if she did nothing, he wouldn't be able to shoot anything, the Whazzapian lady went through the remaining chips, quickly locating the requested Shotgun. While from there it was a simple matter to gently slot the chip into her designated electronic device, Dawn couldn't help but wonder how much of a hassle a 30 chip folder could be in that regard. She only had 5, and even now she wasn't exactly a speed demon with them..."Battlechip, Shotgun! Slot in!"

A highly peeved Navi lifted his left arm, as the black trimmed blue blaster took form over his left hand. Channeling his anger into focus, he began the long, arduous task of aiming his new weapon at a certain virus that was crackling with electricity all around its body. A moment later, a yellow burst of energy quickly burst forward, bursting in the direction of the Spikey like the burst that it was. There wasn't much else to it, really; he wasn't exactly going to march after the Swordy riding it, and he had no backup attack, so he shifted towards another target.

Which, in this case, was a knight virus. Specifically, the one that dared to not get shredded by his blade attack. Lifting his right hand, still covered in metal claws, he rushed the purple enemy, and with all of his might, delivered one powerful swipe to it. Powerful enough to be able to slice through the Swordy with no problem if it connected. In fact, even he might not be able to tell by feel alone if he managed to 'nail' it, as it were. But, so long as it was properly shredded, he was fine with that.

But the razors on his fingers weren't satisfied yet. They wished to bring bodily harm to the one that eluded their first attack. And SharpMan was not one to stop bringing bodily harm to other. He quickly dashed towards the Spooky...or roughly so. For some reason, he was running slightly to the left of the ghostly virus. He didn't even seem to be directly looking at it. ...In fact, he seemed to pass it without so much as a glance. However, a silver crescent shape suddenly appeared as he moved along side the other purple virus...

As he approached a complete stop, the bladed Navi turned back towards the enemies, seemingly waiting for them to go ahead and make their move...

[Order of Turn:
1-Shotgun chip attack on Spikey (50, Spread 1)
2-RageClaw1 chip attack on Swordy-NB (40, Slashing)
3-RageClaw1 chip attack on Spooky (40, Slashing)
3a-Swordplay (free dodge)]
Left arm raised, an irritated SharpMan fired on the Spikey in front of him, and actually landed some hits there. Two more RageClaw swipes proceeded after that, but only the Spooky was deleted. The Swordy managed to dodge away while its partners moved in for a swipe or two. Fortunately for SharpMan, his skills of evasion proved a lot better as he moved away from both attacks with success.

-- VIRUSES --
Swordy-N A: 60 HP (Left of SharpMan)
Swordy-N B: 20 HP (Right of SharpMan)
Swordy-N C: 60 HP (Front of SharpMan)
Spikey: DELETED
Spooky: DELETED

-- NAVIGATOR --
SharpMan.EXE: 70 HP

-- TERRAIN --
100% Normal
-- 60% 30°-45° slopes on either side
-- 30% valley
-- 10% tops of hills lining valley
What SharpMan wouldn't do for a MoonBlade at this moment in time. Of course, if he still had all of his old chips, he wouldn't be in this predicament. For that matter, he'd probably be at the end of the Normal Net at this point under that circumstance. "Grr...damn! Being rusty is one thing, but apparently mine's an inch thick!"

"Oh, don't worry. In time, you'll be every bit the force you were at your peak. Just be patient."

"Yeah, patience is a virtue, blah blah blah. You try saying that with three Swordy in front of you, and with junk any kid on the street could have!" That said, said junk was the one thing keeping him from being in even worse shape. Raising his hand, the bladed Navi quickly inspected the claws on it. A bit worn, but it wasn't likely to shatter in the immediate future. Relieved at this fact, he leered towards one of the knight viruses, the one that had thus far escaped its deletion twice. A third time, and he wouldn't be able to show his face in public.

With a growl, he turned his body towards the Swordy, raising his clawed hand towards it. No more being cute; a single, well-aimed attack was all that was needed, and thus was the method he intended to use. The Navi bent his knees slightly, preparing for the strike...

...And before anyone could so much as blink, he was on the other side of the virus. The RageClaw on his hand seemed a bit worse for wear, indicating that it had been used in some capacity. Yet, his arm hadn't moved; it remained pointed forward. Grinning, SharpMan finally lowered his hand. His intention was never a slash attack at all, choosing instead for a thrusting stab. Ideally, this meant it had slightly less time to avoid the strike than a more conventional attack. But who knew if that would translate as he intended. He didn't have time to wait around and find out, anyway.

As such, he shifted his focus to another, healthier Swordy. Once again, he simply pointed the finger blades at the enemy, signaling that it was the next target. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest decision, giving an opponent such a warning, but it certainly showed he still wasn't lacking in confidence.

And once again, in a moment's notice, the Navi found himself on the opposite side of the enemy, after an attempt at delivering metallic pain to it. Unlike the first time, however, his arm clearly shifted during the dash, now raised high above his head; a clear indication of a slashing motion. Once more, he lowered the armed appendage, checking its chip provided weapon. It was now in much worse condition, to where another attack would most likely shatter it into pieces. But, such was the cost for repeatedly using it. Now fully updated on his situation, SharpMan focused his attention on the remaining knights, fully ready for his usual evading duties.


[Order of Turn:
1-RageClaw1 chip attack on Swordy-NB (40, Slashing)
2-RageClaw1 chip attack on Swordy-NC (40, Slashing)
2a-Swordplay ability (free dodge)
3-Dodge]
Going full-force against the Swordy trio, SharpMan thrusted his weapon towards one of them, and reappeared on the other side of the virus. The Swordy fell in a crumpled heap of armor, indicating deletion. The other viruses were enraged, and started their attack. The Navi was unfazed, he kept on going, but the viruses' movements were somehow a bit too speedy in their anger, and he missed with his earlier maneuver. As the viruses attacked, however, his determination showed as all of the attacks directed at him were then evaded flawlessly. He was definitely getting better at this. It was slow, sure, but hey, slow and steady wins the race.

-- VIRUSES --
Swordy-N A: 60 HP (Right of SharpMan)
Swordy-N B: DELETED
Swordy-N C: 60 HP (Front of SharpMan)
Spikey: DELETED
Spooky: DELETED

-- NAVIGATOR --
SharpMan.EXE: 70 HP (RageClaw 1/6)

-- TERRAIN --
100% Normal
-- 60% 30°-45° slopes on either side
-- 30% valley
-- 10% tops of hills lining valley
After taking a few seconds to catch his breath, SharpMan took another good look at his remaining opponents. All that work, and two of the five viruses were still intact, without so much as a scratch on their armor. ...He couldn't help but feel a bit insulted. "Missing against Swordy like this...I think I've reached a new low."

"Oh, I think you're doing just fine. After all, you're basically just a brand new Navi again."

"Bah, you just never saw me when I actually had stuff worth having."

"I'm sure. Now, how about a little less talking and a little more of your slashing before you're the one getting cut, hmm?" Yep, she definitely wasn't going into that discussion again.

"It's a real good thing you're right about that..." Yeah, not having time to talk while fighting regular Swordy...what a pain. To retaliate, he extended the side blade on his left arm, and started to take a moment to eye one of the knight viruses, getting a feel for how to perform his next movement. And exactly one moment later, he brought his limb across his chest. However, the outward edge was now gone, having been flung towards the enemy during the quick altering of location, and rotating fast enough that it was hard to tell it was only one blade and not several. After slowing down and attempting to saw its way through the Swordy, it quickly returned to SharpMan, who calmly managed to catch it inside the small opening it usually occupied.

With that, he turned towards the other purple foe, and bent his knees slightly, preparing for the next strike...but soon thought better of it, as another idea formed in his head. "Cannon! Now!"

"Yes, master...I mean, SharpMan." The chip insertion proved to be as wry as the comment preceding it...or at least, it would've if it was even possible for such a thing. "Battlechip, Cannon! Slot in!"

The bladed Navi's left hand vanished, as a largish green cannon formed where it usually occupied space. Wasting little time, he pointed it forward, once again trying to use his keen eye to train his attack upon the intended unlucky recipient, and launching a projectile that was too fast for even him to see; all that was visible was the force of the shot leaving the cannon, and the destructive power of it if it managed to hit something. Not that he paid any special attention, since almost as soon as it was fired, he put his legs to their best possible use, which, of course, was running at top speed towards the Swordy. As he approached, he raised his clawed hand, and with every bit of strength he could muster, lowered it through whatever was in its way, whether it was a virus, or just air. Either way, it forcefully hit the ground, causing the RageClaw to finally surrender to overuse, and shatter into pieces before fading away. Not that he didn't anticipate the break, of course; using the strong slash to propel himself, he attempted to avoid any incoming sword slashes, should any swords still be around for slashing.

[Order of Turn:
1-Tornado Blade sig attack on Swordy-NA (20, Slashing, hits 3 times)
2-Cannon chip attack on Swordy-NC (40, Knockback)
3-RageClaw1 chip attack on Swordy-NC (40, Slashing)
3a-Swordplay ability (free dodge)]
After what seemed like quite a bit, SharpMan brandished his blade and did his thing, shredding the Swordy to pieces. The remaining Swordy almost got in its shot before it was blown back by the Cannon, and subsequently ripped to shreds by the ensuing RageClaw.

Good job.

-- VIRUSES --
Swordy-N A: DELETED
Swordy-N B: DELETED
Swordy-N C: DELETED
Spikey: DELETED
Spooky: DELETED

-- NAVIGATOR --
SharpMan.EXE: 70 HP (RageClaw 1/6)

-- TERRAIN --
100% Normal
-- 60% 30°-45° slopes on either side
-- 30% valley
-- 10% tops of hills lining valley

-- BATTLE 04, VICTORY!! --

-- REWARDS --

[Sword] Battlechip, 400z
It wasn't pretty, but the five viruses were now dead viruses. That was the important thing. And that was SharpMan's primary thought as he walked over to where the remaining data had gathered. "Ya know, being a new Navi's a lot rougher than I remember it...eh?" That data...there was no mistaking it. He could sense it deep within him...the power of the blade was in that data. "Heh heh...HA HA HA HA!! Now THIS is a reward! Dawn, get a blank chip ready, pronto!"

As her Navi's zenny total rose, the Whazzapian woman watched as a picture of a small sword popped up on her PET's screen, which was then transferred to a blank chip as requested. "Yep, it's a sword. I'm going to go out on a limb, and say it's a good one for you."

"Sword's the most basic of bladed chips. Swing and use, and that's it. But that's exactly why it's my style!" He brandished his own blades and swung wildly a couple of times, as if to emphasize this. "Gotta start somewhere, and that's my somewhere!"

"That's very good and all, but I don't like how your HP total is now only two digits long. I think it's time you took a break."

"What?! NEVER!!! You never, EVER stop at this point!" With a snarl, the bladed Navi started walking forward. "The Net's a weird place...this is exactly when stuff gets interesting! If you're that worried, send over a SubChip and heal me up!"

"Well...fine, if only for my own peace of mind." Let's see, SubChip pocket was there...the SubChips were mostly blank, save for two that read MiniEnergy. "SubChips look pretty boring compared to Battlechips, don't they? Ah well, here you go, SharpMan." And...into the chip slot it went. A moment later, it spat the chip out, now completely blank.

However, in the cyberworld, its effect was known, as healing energy enveloped SharpMan and removed some of his various injuries. "Now get ready. Now you'll really get to see me in action!" Unable to contain his excitement over the possibilities of what he'd get to tear his blades into, the razor Navi picked up his pace as he journied even further.

(Used 1 MiniEnergyPack)
(Searching for Battle #5)
As SharpMan proceeded further into ACDC Area, both he and his operator seemed to be busy with something other than anticipating what they might run into next. In fact, both seemed to busy typing something.

"There!"

"There!"

Pictures of chips popped in front of each part of the duo, causing them to look at each other, puzzled. "SharpMan? What's that chip?"

"Not until you tell me how you got a FireKnife!"

"Well, I was searching the trade boards for sword based chips, and I found that. Surprisingly, the person that was trading it practically gave it to me...all I had to give up was a single MiniEnergy. I'm going to guess that's a good deal, all things considered."

[color=gray]"...Uh, yeah. Either he's too nice for his own good, or he's an idiot."[/gray] However, he could top that. "But that's not even the best deal! There was some kind of event thing where you could trade a chip for a 'gift'. I gave up Cannon, and look what I got...AquaBalloon!"

"...I'm guessing that's good? Can't say I've ever heard of AquaBalloon before..."

"Look up the description. It's too much of a pain to tell you."

"I'm sure." AquaBalloon, AquaBalloon...there we go. ...Wow, that would be tricky to explain. And the effects...wow again. "...That is quite a chip, isn't it?"

"Ha! It's things like AquaBalloon that made me piles of legit money in the past! You'd be stunned how much the right person would give up for it. Seriously, it's sad how many thousands I've gotten for Balloon series chips."

"So, what? Do you want to put it up for sale or something? It looks like a great chip, but all I've heard you say about it is how much it's worth."

"What can I say? It ain't my style!"

"I'll get on it. You keep looking for something to fight."

"Hey, sometimes it takes a while to find these things. I'd like to see YOU in a meeting covered in blades, and see how that goes!"

"Well, maybe I will. Intimidation's part of that game, after all."

"I'll be waiting for that...watching those smug morons fear for their lives sounds like fun!" Speaking of fearing for their lives, it was definitely taking longer than usual to find something. Then again, he WAS SharpMan, and this WAS ACDC Area. He probably really was that scary looking.

(A bump with dialogue!)
SharpMan continued to wander deeper into ACDC Net as he and his Operator discussed their newest battlechip acquisitions. The terrain surrounding him was nothing of note; leagues of normal panels as far as the eye could see. It was eerily quite though, as if this area of ACDC was completely unpopulated. He could see no other Navi or viruses in the immediate area.

"Soon..."

The voice was almost a whisper. It sounded disturbingly close considering that its source was no where in sight. There were no changes in terrain or objects that would serve to conceal a hidden opponent. The voice came again, a faint whisper.

"The rebirth..."

SharpMan's shadow stretched out unnaturally behind him, growing longer by the second. The ambient light of ACDC could not have caused his shadow to react in such a manner. A hand reached out from the pooled darkness, rising up from within the Navi's shadow. A humanoid figure pulled itself out of the ground and stood facing SharpMan.

"A sacrifice..."

The figure was large, standing at about seven feet tall and three feet wide at the shoulders. It was clad in a long black overcoat that hung down to the figure's shins, hanging just above its black boots. A hood obscured the figure's face in shadows. The darkness of the overcoat was unrelieved aside from curving forks of scarlet embroidery that reached up from the sleeves and hem that resembled dark red bolts of lightning.

"Sow the seeds..."

The figure wasted no time, charging toward SharpMan in a headlong rush.

-Opponent-
Cloaked Figure: 200hp

-Navigator-
SharpMan.Exe: 120hp

-Terrain-
100% Normal

Battle 5! Fight!
...Bah, there really wasn't anything around here, was there? Guess he'd have to turn around and try somewhere else.

Or did he? He suddenly noticed the whispering behind him, causing him to look around. But there wasn't any place where something could hide.

And yet it continued. He knew he wasn't crazy, so it had to be someone else...hmm? His shadow was looking a bit abnormal; he wasn't short, but he definitely didn't tower like that. And it definitely didn't have hands coming out of it like that. A lot of Navis would probably be pretty freaked about it, but after years of mercenary work, SharpMan barely flinched at it. He did, however, preemptively extend his blades, in case the being made the stupid call of fighting him.

The figure displayed itself, but he didn't really care much about how it looked. Instead, he started typing up a message, which was sent without delay. "Dawn! Read that! And make it snappy!"

With a snap of her fingers, the Whazzapian woman brought it up: 'Ready FireKnife'. Deciding that her Navi was far more experienced in these matters, she brought out the requested chip, which looked a lot like Sword picture-wise, only red and fiery. She placed it above the insertion slot, and even partially put it in...but as instructed, she kept it out enough to where it didn't transfer data. "Suddenly, I feel like the operated one..."

"Then get some experience so I can think less!" ...That didn't come out right, but whatever, she knew what he meant. The bladed Navi remained vigilant, even bothering to listen to what it was it was mumbling about. Rebirth? Sacrifice? Sounded like some cult freak. Not the first time he dealt with one of those. "All right, punk...quit babbling like an idiot and shut up and fight me already!"

And so it did. How convenient. "Now!"

With a simple press of her finger, the operator fully immersed the chip in PET goodness. "BattleChip, FireKnife! Slot in!"

The side blade on SharpMan's right arm became enveloped in flames, as he crouched and waited for his opponent to draw closer...then, with no other warning signs, he raced forward, a bit to the side of it, and delivered a pair of expert strokes with the blazing edge. But the purpose of the attack was two-fold; in addition to the obvious intent of harming the coated entity, maybe it'd shed some light on its shadowyness. Either way, he knew enough to get out of the way immediately afterward, lest he end up suffering a similar fate. Fortunately, he knew enough to use more force with the second slash, allowing him to use it to sidestep a possible counterattack.

Turning around to keep an eye on the shadow, he prepared himself for additional maneuvers as needed. He wasn't an idiot; he fully intended on being the Navi that was still alive after this battle.

[Order of Turn:
1-FireKnife BattleChip on Cloaked Figure (60, Fire, Slashing)
2-FireKnife BattleChip on Cloaked Figure (60, Fire, Slashing)
2a-Swordplay (free dodge)
3-Dodge]
SharpMan met the cloaked Navi's rush head on, fiery blade poised to strike. The cloaked figure raised its arms in a defensive pose to protect its head as it charged. SharpMan's first slash met the Navi's raised arms, but were unable to cut flesh. A paper thin shield stood between the fiery blade and the Navi's black coat.

SharpMan's second slash had a more positive effect, managing to get under the Navi's defense and score a long cut along its forearm. The force of the attack, coupled with SharpMan's keen footwork, allowed the bladed Navi to sidestep the cloaked figure's headlong rush. The figure ran past SharpMan, falling into a roll that was meant to tackle the Navi to the floor. The figure rolled back to its feet and spun around, causing its hood to fall back in the process.

"Yes...Good.

With its hood removed, SharpMan could see its feature's clearly. It was a male Navi, his face gaunt and skin deathly pale. His cheeks were hollow and dark, puffy bags were visible under his eyes. Speaking of his eyes, they were decidedly odd. The irises were a deep red while what should have been the whites of his eyes were deep pools of shadow. The blackness wasn't constrained to the eyes though and small cracks ran from the eyes through the flesh of the man's face. The cracks pulsed with an inner darkness.

"A worthy sacrifice..."


The man charged forward again, right arm cocked back to deliver a devastating punch. SharpMan managed to dodge again, once more sidestepping the brutal punch. However, the man was faster than expected and cocked his arm at the elbow. Cupping his right fist with his left palm, the man used the power of both arms to drive his elbow straight into SharpMan's face (40).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Opponents-
Cloaked Figure: 140hp

-Navigator-
SharpMan.Exe: 80hp

-Terrain-
100% Normal
So, that thing finally bothered to show his face...yep, that was one ugly guy. Nevertheless, SharpMan remained unfazed. "I have no idea what this guy's yammering about...but with a face like that, I should've made sure that hood stayed on!"

"Yuck...I hope whoever made that Navi didn't use anything from PANTI..." Seriously, eww. "I'm glad Hector didn't make you look hideous like that."

"Heh. I heard he thought about it, but decided that this would be more intimidating. Which I'm grateful for...imagine if I had that freak's face!"

Mental images...must...erase..."Thank you for that...lovely imagery."

"If that's all it takes to freak you out, be glad you don't have my memories!" After all, there was a reason he wasn't so much as flinching at the sight of his opponent. "Anyway, it'd be appreciated if you'd send over something to help keep this guy in place. The faster, the better!"

"I'm a little surprised you haven't asked for that super great chip you got recently...but, if that's how you want to do it..." Not like she had any better ideas. Pulling what she thought was her cutest BattleChip, she inserted it into her electronic device, transferring the data from PET to Navi. "BattleChip, ZapRing! Slot in!" ...Though, then again, Mettaur was pretty adorable in its own right. Hmm...

SharpMan's left hand disappeared without a trace, and in its place formed an odd, pink apparatus, with two wire extensions strongly resembling Bunny ears. With virtually no hesitation, he raised the device, which began to crackle with electricity as he aimed it towards the bizarre foe. The energy began to focus on the sides, and even jumping from side to side at two spots. With the attack formed, a green ring was released, speedily traveling forward to seek its goal of paralyzing whatever it came into contact with.

Regardless of whether his opponent was electrically charged after the attack, the bladed Navi proceeded with Phase Two: more slashing. He raced forward once more, his burning sickle-like blade again fully extended. Just as quickly as he arrived, he performed a stab with the edge, in a quick attempt to induce fiery pain on the other figure. After quickly pulling it back, the side blade was used in a more traditional slashing motion, arcing gently for maximum speed. It doubled as momentum for him, as he used it to step back in a single, clean motion. With that, he simply gazed at the freakish sight he unleashed onto the world, wishing down to the depths of his soul that he wouldn't have to look at it much longer. What an eyesore.

[Order of Turn:
1-ZapRing1 chip attack on Cloaked Figure (40, Elec, Stun)
2-FireKnife chip attack on Cloaked Figure (60, Fire, Slashing)
3-FireKnife chip attack on Cloaked Figure (60, Fire, Slashing)
3a-Swordplay (free dodge)]
SharpMan attempted to change up his tactics for a moment, firing off a ring of electrical energy design to stun his opponent and disrupt his attack pattern. It was a sound plan, but was of no avail. The large cloaked man charged into the path of the ring and merely slapped it away with his right arm. With SharpMan's...ahem, sharp eyes, he was able to see that the ring never actually touched the cloaked man, but instead was deflected by a thin layer of air a few centimeters before connecting. The green ring struck the earth and fizzled away.

The cloaked Navi continued his charge, heading straight for SharpMan. It seemed like the Navi had a real lack of subtlety, preferring to rush in and crush his opponents with sheer strength and brutality. SharpMan thrust his fiery blade forward, scoring a deep cut along the man's ribs. The man attempted to counter with a rising knee, but SharpMan nimbly dodged and retaliated with a second strike, this time a more conventional slash. The Navi copied SharpMan's movements and circled around to avoid the arc of the blade. A split second later, SharpMan was blasted away by a powerful blow to his armored side, right above the kidney (20, knock back). SharpMan flew forward a few feet to land in a heap.

"Good...Good..."

The cloaked man leaped forward, flipping in the air as he neared SharpMan's fallen form. The Navi delivered a spinning heel kick, dropping to the floor with his heel poised to crush the back of SharpMan's skull even through his spiky helmet. His aim was a little off however and his heel smashed into SharpMan's shoulder instead (40).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Opponents-
Cloaked Figure: 80hp

-Navigator-
SharpMan.Exe: 20hp

-Terrain-
100% Normal
Ugh...this wasn't going so well. SharpMan shook his head, trying to get some cobwebs out as he thought about what was happening. Which didn't take long, thanks to noticing something rather subtle when ZapRing 'hit' its mark. "Heh heh heh...I can't believe I didn't realize that sooner...you were lucky that it's been a while since I've battled, punk. But no longer!" The flame on his rightmost blade suddenly fizzled, leaving only cold hard steel. He took a few moments to get another bead on his freak of an opponent, as he slowly reared his arm back...then, with little warning, flung it forward. While the arm itself stopped, its razor-sharp addition didn't, rapidly spinning as momentum carried it forward. After a few moments, it began to slow down, eventually coming to a complete stop as it simply rotated in place, repeatedly slicing apart any air in the vicinity, as well as any foes. And if he was right about why his attacks were failing...

Raising his arm, the edge instinctively and quickly returned to its usual position at his side. He crouched, as though he intended to rush ahead one more time. Instead, the bladed Navi simply barked an order. "Dawn! Now's my chance!"

Time to bring out the big guns, apparently. She wasn't an expert on NetBattling, but even she knew what to do at this point. Chip featuring a single, short sword, in. "Get 'em! BattleChip, Sword! Slot in!"

There was no obvious difference in how any of SharpMan's sharp instruments looked after the chip transfer, though if one looked carefully, the lower blade on his right arm was shining a bit more than usual. With a smirk, he dashed over to the potential shadow boxer, all of his blades fully extended, before delivering an uppercut slash with his extra shiny edge. Using his momentum once more, he used the opportunity to spin around his opponent. Strangely, during this time, his side left blade became more lustrous, while the one just used became slightly dimmer. Upon suddenly stopping, he raised his right arm, prepared to strike again...and doing so with the newly sparkly razor on his left side. Ah, the classic feint strike. It felt good to be using it after so long.

Unfortunately, this also meant he was wide open. But as the saying went, 'live by the sword, die by the sword'. Though he was pretty sure whoever said that didn't actually mean the Sword BattleChip.

[Order of Turn:
1-Tornado Blade sig attack on Cloaked Figure (20, Slashing, hits 3 times)
2-Sword chip attack on Cloaked Figure (80, Slashing)
2a-Swordplay (free dodge)
3-Sword chip attack on Cloaked Figure (80, Slashing)]
SharpMan managed to see through the cloaked figure's seemingly invulnerable state and immediately tested out his hypothesis with a constant barrage of spinning steel. The first twirl of the blade was deflected much like SharpMan's other assaults; however, a second and third spin cut deep into the flesh of the mysterious Navi.

SharpMan continued his onslaught, this time with an empowered sword that was practically aglow with strength. The cloaked figure didn't seem concerned and continued to rush straight ahead. The two met head on, SharpMan with his devastating blade and the crazed Navi with his pulverizing fists. SharpMan landed his diagonal slash, drawing a crimson line across the Navi's chest. However, the cloaked Navi connected as well, his fist smashing into SharpMan's jaw.

With both Navis at critical health, the next blow would decide it all. The cloaked figure continued his charge, planning on hurling SharpMan to the floor and crushing his skull. However, the swordsman was quick on his feet. SharpMan managed to sidestep his opponent's charge, a quick pivot spinning him around to face the cloaked Navi's back. The final strike, a powerful downward strike that dropped his opponent to his knees.

"I knew it..."

The cloaked Navi pushed himself back to his feet. Wisps of darkness rose from the Navi and an inky blackness pulsed within his wounds. Scarlet energy crackled along his arms like blood red lightning. Practically a blur, the Navi spun around to face SharpMan with both arms rising up. The Navi struck SharpMan in the chest with a two handed palm strike, scarlet lightning coursing through SharpMan's armored form. It did...Nothing? His final energy spent, the cloaked Navi fell to his knees and slumped to the floor before fading into nothing but shadows. A final whisper, as though carried on the wind, reached SharpMan's ears.

"You are marked...The time for the ascension is nigh..."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Opponents-
Cloaked Figure: Deleted?

-Navigator-
SharpMan.Exe: 1hp [Critical!]

-Terrain-
100% Normal

Rewards: MeteorKnuckle1, 200z
Marked? Ascension? Ugh...exhausted from the battle, SharpMan found himself on a single knee, not really sure what everything that just happened was about. On the plus side, he didn't care enough to get a headache over it. "Bah...that freak was tougher than he looked..."

"SharpMan, are you all right? You took a lot of damage from that fight..."

"Meh, I'll be fine." Using his lower blades as braces, he stood up, and took one good look at where the other Navi had faded into nothingness. "The problem is that I'm pathetically weak right now. At full power, I'd barely have to even move to cut that guy in two!"

"Yes...speaking of which, isn't this the part where you get something for winning?"

"Yep." Let's see, they were over there..."Hmm...MeteorKnuckle? Not what I expected, but not too bad..."

"Mind telling me about it?"

"Ahem...MeteorKnuckle lets you fire rocket fists at enemies. They're strong enough to smash several kinds of defenses. ...Actually, it would've wrecked that freak. Too bad I didn't already have it."

"Doesn't sound too bad. But it doesn't really seem like your style..."

"Nope, fists aren't my scene. But it ain't terrible, and when you're in a position like mine, you've gotta take what you can get."

"I see. Well, is it at least rare?"

"Hmm...I dunno if rare's the right word. But you also don't just walk around expecting to find it. I guess...uncommon, maybe?"

"Well, it's your chip. Whatever you want to do with it, do it."

Without warning, the bladed Navi found himself on one knee again. "Argh...we'll discuss this in a minute. Jack me out!"

"Right. I'd never hear the end of it if you got deleted..." Jack out sequence, initiated. "Whenever you're ready."

Without delay, SharpMan experienced the joys of leaving the Internet. Clearly, he was more than ready.

(JACKING OUT)