ActionMan! Episode 1 - A New Beggining! Cont.

(Oh man, I was using the exact same color thing as Sky... Man, I don't want in to his method but it's so effective. Ah well, I'll go back to normal, see how it goes.

He was still pumped. Even if the battle was over, his systems were still going nuts. He was ready for anything, any virus that might come his way. But he wasn't prepared for this. Victory. It had all just gone according to plan. Mostly. His systems checked and rechecked until he cleared the error blocking his normal routine.

Victory. That's right. He'd won. He'd won. IdiditIdiditIdiditIdiditIDIDIT "Yeah!" He dropped the shotgun prop as it dissolved into abstract bits. "Yeah!" he shouted again, stronger. ActionMan went so far as to pump his fist in victory.

"You did it ActionMan!"

"Congrats boss!"

He took a long couple moments to just stand there, his chest puffed up, proud and charged with a feeling of invincibility. I busted those things without so much as a scratch. Incredible. I'm amazing. His feelings wouldn't last long.

"ActionMan," Samantha called. "I can see you're having a moment so I'll give you 20 seconds before I rain on your parade. Be grateful."

What's that supposed to mean? But he didn't dwell on it long. "Ah," he sighed, "that was incredible. So that's what real virus busting is like."

"We really did it, didn't we ActionMan?"

"We sure did, Matt. We sure did." He decided to sit down for a second. ActionMan leaned up against one of the machines, listened to it's quiet hum. He just smiled and let himself bask in the afterglow of victory, but there was something more too. He was just able to simply appreciate the act of being. He wished he had a cigarette, like the heroes in movies, because he was absolutely certain he would look awesome. But then wouldn't he be a bad role model? Smoking is bad, kids.

"Alright, time's up." Samantha whispered. "Hope you enjoyed yourself."

"Sure did." And he did sound quite satisfied.

"Great. Now let's talk about why this is bad. It's 6 AM."

"Is it really?"

"Yes. Now, why is this bad?"

"It is waaay past Matt's bedtime."

"Good, that's part one. Now let's keep going."

"Hmm..." He scrunched his face up as he concentrated but couldn't find a suitable answer. "Can I get a hint?"

Sam sighed. "Where are you?"

"I was kind of hoping you could tell me, actually. I haven't really been paying attention."

"Alright, it's like this. You were in the PET."

"Right."

"And now, you're in some weird place you don't recognize."

"Right."

"Which means?"

"Which means... I didn't jack-in to Matt's desktop."

"Right."

"So where did I jack in from?"

"Would you believe a broken soda machine in the middle of ACDC?"

"No. There's no way Matt would jack me in to a soda machine in the middle of town at 6 AM in the morning."

"Well, bad news."

"What?"

"HE DID."

A full three seconds pass.

"WHAT?!"

"And the worst thing is, you encouraged him to do it!"

"I did?!"

"You did."

"Why would I do something like that?"

"Sir, that is an excellent question."

Ooooh no. No no no. This isn't happening. What is going on?

Matt's voice interrupted the quiet dialog. "Hey, you okay ActionMan? If you're done with your break, I'm ready to keep going."

"Yeah!" he answered, practically in a panic. "Yeah, alright! Gimme one second!" He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper as he directed his words to his secretary. "Sammy girl, what do I do?"

ActionMan couldn't tell what was going on in Samantha's head at that moment in time. But I, as the Narrator, have no such restriction. Poor Samantha was just dreading her lot in life, completely unwilling to accept that this moment in time was in fact hers, that she was trapped in that awful situation as a shadow manipulating an incompetent. She merely took solace that any greatness to come out of ActionMan would be likely on her part and her part alone, even if she would never receive any credit for it. "ActionMan, I hate to tell you this but the situation is even worse than it sounds. There's some shady business going on here. For now, I'm calling home."

Dread. Panic. Absolute fear. "You're going to do what?!" If the boss finds out Matt's strolling around at 6 in the morning, I'm going to be in so much trouble! And worse... worse still... What if he tells mom? I don't want to face the punishment of the heavens!

"Do we have any other choice?"

"Probably!"

"Are you willing to put Matt's safety at risk then?"

"Absolutely not." There wasn't a moment's hesitation in his response. His tone was deadly serious.

"Then this is the best thing to do."

He had no objections then. "Alright Samantha. I'm counting on you."

Nothing new there, she thought. "Right. In the meantime, Matt wants you to check this electronic device out for anything suspicious."

"Suspicious?"

"ActionMan," Matt called again, "let's go!"

"Yeah, ready! I'll go ahead and do a thorough sweep of the area."

"I'll help look too!" NarratorBot chimed in, eager not to be forgotten.

"Just be careful. Don't get Matt into anymore trouble than he's already in," Sam cautioned.

"You got it," ActionMan answered. He pitied any virus that would get in his way if his precious Operator was in danger. Even if he didn't fully understand what was going on, he'd give it his all. And he wouldn't let Matt sweat it either. He put on a cocky grin as he gallivanted on in a direction he deemed suitable. "Alright Operator, let's do this right! ActionMan, sortieing!"

"Ah, don't forget the virus data!"

Virus data? Oh, we covered that in school! I just need to download it and then we, uh... Action man stopped in his tracks. He was fairly certain he had no idea how to download data. Generally Matt or the Boss did it remotely and he had nothing to do with the procedure. It'd been taught to him a few times in school, sure, but did he remember any of it? I can't remember! Instead, he decided to pass the buck. "I'm going to be a bit busy with the search. Samantha?"

"NarratorBot." AM wasn't the only one who could play that game.

"Why me?!"

(Argh, dialogs are kind of hard in a back and forth fashion without something to break them up. Is it obvious who's speaking? Well, whatever. I'll work on that. Next time. If someone gets to this before I update it, next battle please. This stuff ain't gotta be perfect after all. But jeez, what was I thinking, 8 year old op walking around in the middle of night? Well, maybe I can rereg him as a little older. Maybe 12 or so. Still keep the kid thing, but 8 is ridiculous.

I'm drifting. Next battle, if you please.)
Wandering inside the soda machine. A quartet of cute little bunnies emerged from the mess of wires.

Then one threw a ring of electricity at the Navi.

-Viruses-
BunnyA: 50HP
BunnyB: 50HP
BunnyC: 50HP
BunnyD: 50HP

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Navi-
ActionMan.EXE: 100 HP

~Battle 2: Start!!~
They swarmed out, a veritable horde of monsters. But he was ready. ActionMan had dealt with their kind before. It may have been approximately two minutes ago, but that was beside the point. He'd already proven he was an invincible badass. His ego was perhaps at an all time high. The horrible little beast thing threw it's attack, but he saw it coming. Yeah. But even having proved his incredible badassery in a previous action filled segment, the nature of a hero is to do such things again and again.

Hero.

By the creators, I am amazing.

He braced himself, dug himself in, and made his declaration. "I got it!" That's right. He swore he could see it, he knew he could do it. I'm really gonna do it! And so his bewildered companions watched on with the intensity one acquires as they observe something truly disastrous that is outside of their power to prevent. There were no words for this kind of absolute stupidity.

Summary
All Actions - Attempt to intercept and catch the enemy attack
The bunnies watched as ActionMan braced himself and caught the electric ring. Of course all of ActionMan's hair stood on end as he was rudely shocked by the electric ring before it dissipated in his hands. Leaving him frazzled and smoking. The bunnies collapsed on the floor in chittering laughter and didn't launch any more attacks.

ActionMan felt a part of his code freeze up, preventing him from taking the first of his three actions on the next round.

-Viruses-
BunnyA: 50HP
BunnyB: 50HP
BunnyC: 50HP
BunnyD: 50HP

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Navi-
ActionMan.EXE: 90HP [Stunned!]
"Tchazazazaah!" Oh it hurt. ActionMan couldn't remember the last time he'd been hurt like that. Had he ever been hurt like that? A pain that he could draw no parallel to, that left his whole body numb and weak. He shook involuntarily before sagging forward like a puppet with it's strings cut.

"ActionMan!" His concerned Operator's voice reached him, but he couldn't respond.

Crap... What am I doing? I... I've got to look awesome. I've always got to be awesome. But despite his attempts, his body wouldn't obey his commands. C'mon, I'm invincible, I'm invincible! I didn't lose, I didn't! His internal monologue was interrupted by a sudden realization. He'd caught the enemy attack. In his hand was something. Clutched tightly by his body's last thinking movements was his goal. It dissipated, crumbling away like his own data, but it was there long enough for him to realize something. I'd won.

His mouth curved into a confident smile. I did it. I really caught it. So something like this... The pain of his body's synapses reconnecting themselves was almost as bad as the initial damage. But surely his body was once more coming under his own control. Something like this...

Suddenly, he was upright, chest out, defiant. "Just as I'd planned!"

"Huh? They're laughing at you, y'know."

"As I am well aware, Samantha my dear. But I shall allow them to laugh for now, as I am a most magnanimous sort."

"Where did this personality come from? Really, you should be embarrassed..."

"That's right," he continued, ignoring his secretary's scathing tongue. "Do you really think it's so strange to be struck if you stand?" I can totally turn this around. Yeah! He thrust out an accusatory digit at the viral mob. "Don't get so full of yourselves! It's only natural for one to be struck if that was their intention! Yes... Because in the end, this is your limit. Do you understand? Your attacks are like little pinpricks." He laughed, adopting a smug, condescending grin. "No, more like the buzzing of a fly." And now, for my secret weapon. Slowly, something began to build inside of him. Naturally, a Navi would always have access to their buster system. ActionMan's intentions were obvious.

"So, know that I have no intention of dodging your attacks. Simply, it is unnecessary." This is gonna hurt. But on a cool rating of 1-10, I'm gonna be an 11! "So, come at me, flies. But know this. Even the greatest of men has a limit to their patience. And when that patience comes to an end, so will you!"

Summary
1. Paralyzed
2. Charge
3. Charge
BBoA1, Burning - 2nd turn of CD
The bunnies launched their attacks at the heroic ActionMan. Fortunately for ActionMan he was only hit once. The other three electric rings struck the ground around him. Sending up showers of sparks where they struck.

ActionMan felt the familiar feeling of a part of his code freezing up as he was struck by that one electric ring.

-Viruses-
BunnyA: 50HP
BunnyB: 50HP
BunnyC: 50HP
BunnyD: 50HP

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Navi-
ActionMan.EXE: 80HP [2 Charges] [Stunned!]
I was really hoping it would be easier the second time. This is what ActionMan would like to be thinking. ActionMan would very much like to be in control of himself. Unfortunately, this is not the case. "Vrrnnzzabababaaa... Ah." ActionMan's great ambition in life was to ever be awesome. He couldn't let his little buddy down after all. But in the face of actual adversity, he was finding this a difficult tenant to adhere to.

"Ah." He whimpered again, a crispy critter frozen in a full body nerve lock. And for a moment, he looked quite, quite pathetic indeed. Thankfully for ActionMan's pride, it's at about this moment that sensation painfully flooded into him once more, granting him not only movement, but also his sense. Well, that was lame! Laaaaame! Time to compensate!

"One more!" He shouted as he thrust his leg forward and stomped on the ground. At that moment, his special effects system kicked in. Flames burst out around him, enveloping him in a fiery aura. Smoke billowed out in undulating waves from his torso and hands. "One more time shall I allow you to strike me! But know that this is your last chance to defeat me! Make certain that you put your everything into this next attack for it shall certainly be your last! For a man thrice struck shall be a beast without mercy or forgiveness!"

Once again, ActionMan had to thank his very talented stunt man and support crew. He wished he were in a better position to appreciate the display and theater. In all actuality, ActionMan had taken his chance to get the heck out of dodge as soon as the smoke came in. and to ActionMan, the best way to do that was to hit the dirt and hug it for all it was worth. Getting shot hurts! It was a solid plan, if he did say so himself. He gets a moment to look super awesome and cool as well as a moment to figure out exactly what he was doing. In the end, he'd settled for a full out assault. If he was going to talk the talk, he'd have to do the walking too. "Matt, when I call for it, give me all the firepower you can give me," he whispered. And when the time came, he'd blow 'em all away.

But for now, ActionMan was quite content to avoid getting zapped again.

Summary
1. Paralyzed
2. Big Book of Awesome Part 1: Burning! (Intimidating aura but more importantly illusory smoke screen on self)
Free Action. Decoy
3. Dodge
At this moment, the Bunnies were having second reservations about their enemy, as one of them chattered up amongst the four nervously from the back. Two others responded in kind, but one of them stepped up front, and started to charge its attack. Just then, ActionMan started up his special effects, and all four recoiled in surprise. It certainly had much more than its intended effect, as all four were intimidated from attacking!

Even the one that stepped forward backpedaled a step or two, before launching its charged attack in fear. Naturally, the attack never hit the real ActionMan, but the decoy he set up dissipated spectacularly. The Bunnies looked on in confusion; had they defeated their oh-so-powerful enemy?

-Viruses-
BunnyA: 50HP
BunnyB: 50HP
BunnyC: 50HP
BunnyD: 50HP

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Navi-
ActionMan.EXE: 80HP (Decoy 0/1)
(Replacing AmatsuHaretsu1 with ClusterShot1 as per the replacement announcement.)

"And here we go." His poor stunt double took the hit and ActionMan took it as his cue to get to work. He only hoped his partner got the cue himself. He was up on his feet and out of the smoke in a moment. "Did you really think I'd just stand here and let you hit me a third time?" Samantha was likely making a snarky remark concerning this and him having already eaten the first two attacks and most willingly at that, but ActionMan was preoccupied with an incoming flow of data. The long barrel of a shotgun manifested in front of him and he was all too happy to take it in hand and take aim. "Think again!" More power was coming in, the kid was really pushing it. He'd have to be really on his stuff to get the job done here. But thankfully, he didn't have any lingering jolts to stop him from giving 100%. Thanks nameless stunt guy!

"Take this!" Kathoom! Boomed the weapon, spitting out a solid slug to careen towards it's virii targets. But he was taking too much time. He was already losing his grasp of the data flow. Too fast, the kid had gotten it together too fast. Two more and they were both almost out of reach. But he was at the least able to get a handle on the second package. The second was a big honking hand cannon, not quite the size of the shotgun be a real beauty. "And this!" Brang! was it's sharp cry, the violent shard going to join the battle. ActionMan had the last packet now, on his very fingertips, fighting to flow past him and away, gone and leaving him high and dry. But he'd been hit too many times to not take every single chance he could at a bloody vengeance. His pride would take no less! The unraveled packet came before him, down to just the violent energy itself, no fancy packaging. He took it in hand and held it in front of him, willing it to go forward. Even without a cool outside, it was still a lethal battle chip and well within his ability to manipulate. "Take it all!"

With a keening screech the energy shot out as arcs of dancing light, on towards his foes in his promised retribution. "This is the vengeance you have wrought! This is it! The end!" Oh, that was awesome. ActionMan took a moment to himself, standing away from his opponents then and offering his back as he congratulated himself on his victory. Quick, I need something cool to wrap this all up. I kind of have some kind of angry loner thing going so let's go with that. He sighed. "Once more, I am alone on the battlefield." He looked upwards then, fully expecting Narratorbot to pan back and upward in a classic fade out. He was gonna watch that later.

Little does ActionMan know, that actually wasn't enough to finish the fight? What will happen next?

Summary
1. Shotgun to BunnyC [Null 50+Spread 1, Acc A]
2. Cannon to BunnyB [Null 60+Knockback, Acc A]
3. Clustershot1 to BunnyA [Elec 10x4, Acc B]

BBoA1:Burning! on 1st turn of CD
[Notice: 1) ActionMan still had two Buster Charges saved up, it was not in the previous mod post, but has been noted here. 2) You may designate a target for the Spread 1 from the Shotgun in the future if you wish, otherwise it is assumed you are not aiming for any other targets. That is the same for any battlechip with the ability to effect multiple targets.]

The Shotgun missed, but the Cannon and all four shots of the ClusterShot1 hit their respective targets, leaving one Bunny deleted and another severely wounded. The fiery and dramatic display was such that the severely damaged Bunny cowered in the corner while the other two attacked on terrified instinct. Shockingly, both managed to hit.

-Viruses-
BunnyA: 10HP [Cowering]
BunnyB: DELETED
BunnyC: 50HP
BunnyD: 50HP

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Navi-
ActionMan.EXE: 60HP [2 Charges] [Stun 2]

[Notice: Stuns of longer duration than 1 can be broken. Ease of breaking stun-lock increases as duration increases.]