The Karate Kid, Part III

Finishing off the last virus, Musou looks around again, the wand waving to and fro but holding back on the violent spitting of fire. "Heh, guess that means they are all gone", he says without even bothering to feel out for more. He waves his hand past the staff and the Meteor9 scatters apart into data and energy as it ends early. Arteru wastes little time diving on the remains and chewing them down.

Musou sighs and looks away as his SP dines and mumbles "At least he is getting his leafy greens for the day" Kenji cracks a smile and goes back to his reading material.

Eventually, Arteru heads over toward Musou and spits a glob of data on the ground that fluctuates, as if alive, rises, and takes shape into chip data. Also he sneezes and coughs out a small pile of zenny. Musou looks to the 'gifts' with disgust and hesitates to take them "Come on Arteru, did you really have to slobber all over them? And by the looks of it, empty your sinuses. Is this getting back at me for something?"

The wolf tries to keep a shocked expression on his face, and luckily for Musou, he has no idea how to read lupine expression, such as they are. "Hmph. Of course not. You get it yourself next time, but don't be surprised if you loose a hand, because I want my 'frags"

The martial artist shook his head and held out his hand, transferring the data and zenny to his PET. Kenji, at the device's beeping, absent-minded slid in a blank chip and gave it a glance when it finally copied over "Roll Log.. Huh. That makes our first wood chip, if I remember the database entry right" the boy drops the window displaying the manual he was reading and brings the database browser to front and gets to researching their new chip.

Arteru snorts and rolls his eyes "Oh I can tell you what it does, I saw enough of them slam into twinkle-toes here. Don't you even try to dodge things? Isn't the idea to make your shield eat what you cant avoid?"

Musou gives a shrug "Look buddy, I'd rather not be hit by anything but that's just not realistic. Some navis out there are really on their toes and can move in a blur. Me? I'm designed to hit things hard. Really hard. Like I can punch through the ground, hard. Any dodging I do is usually because they just fire wide or I am very careful to try and sidestep stuff" the navi sighs and adds "I'm just not fast enough to stay on my toes and still drop bad guys efficiently, yet. It was better in this case to just keep throwing out stuff and eat the logs"

Arteru shook his head and didn't speak. He just motioned his muzzle onward. Musou got the hint and began heading further along ACDC net. He really wasn't trying to be cocky, but he had worked for and earned the power he had right now. Maybe he should try a network that had nastier viruses than this one? Maybe he should just stick around and go as far as he could, for a change?

[Requesting Battle 3]
Flap, flap, flap, flap. The sounds of a few pairs of wings filled the air before three large bats broke through the clouds above. Riding upon each bat was a mounted knight. They drew their swords as their mounts dived.

-Bat Calvary-
Swordy-NA: 60HP [Mounted on PulseBatA] [High Altitude]
PulseBatA: 80HP [High Altitude]

Swordy-NB: 60HP [Mounted on PulseBatB] [High Altitude]
PulseBatB: 80HP [High Altitude]

Swordy-NC: 60HP [Mounted on PulseBatC] [High Altitude]
PulseBatC: 80HP [High Altitude]

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Allies-
Musou.EXE: 210HP
Arteru.SP: 30HP

~Battle 3: Start!!~
"So, how are we even going to get viruses on your side? You can't really speak their language.. I can speak 'wolf', if that's any help. 'Course I'm not sure wolves will make the best allies anyway. Hunters? Wild stalkers? Sure", Arteru grumbled in his usual gruff tone. Apparently the irony of the statement was lost on him.

The pair of them considered what exactly to do, while Kenji continued to study the manual that came with his birthday present; special AR goggles that let him join in on the fun in the net world. Or at least see through the eyes of a special Mr Prog, while on his homepage and PC. One day, one day, he kept telling himself, he would figure out how to tweak it to be training alongside Musou.

Perhaps it was because everyone was distracted that they didn't notice the incoming squad of viruses. Or maybe it was just because the viruses were so freaking awesome! Even Kenji stops when he hears the tune and they all just stare in awe at the mounted swordsmen. The effect is pretty impressive, and if it weren't for the fact that they were moving awfully fast, right for the navi and his SP, at diving speeds, they would cheer or something. Instead, it's time to dive themselves; out of the way! Oh, and also to get this party started.

"S-so what's our policy on stuff that attacks us first? Food?", Arteru asks as he dives for cover to avoid getting run through or cut in half. "I-I don't know, I don't have any policies or anything. Attacking us first-" Musou starts, as he cuts short to dive for cover himself. He only really had one chip to deal with stuff this high up. Sure, he had just used it to finish the last fight, but that was beside the point. It was tactfully sound right now to drop hell from the sky and Kenji knew it. He quickly grabs their Meteor9 chip from the pile he had made earlier, as if it were some card game's 'discard' pile. He slides the chip into his PET and looks around for something else that might help.. The Swordys were pretty much melee fighters, but they could move about, almost teleporting, or 'quick-stepping' around as needed. The bats were usually content to keep at range. But none of them had ever attacked like this before!

While Kenji continued to try and figure out which chips would be of any use in this fight, Musou holds out his hand and releases a burst of data and energy into the space in front of him. It shimmers and takes form into a fighting bo staff, with a red gem on one end. He grabs it from the air and spins it around expertly a few times before slamming the undecorated end in the ground. He releases it and the staff continues to float on it's own power as the gem glows and begins to vibrate as the whole staff goes haywire. It would be raining hell in a few moments, and if he could get his foes out of high altitude, it would be worth it.

"Did it ever occur to you to just run from a fight that was stacked against you?", the wolf offered in advice as he kept his eyes to the sky and light on his toes. "Run? I.. Uh..", Musou started to say but he didn't really have time to waste right now. Yeah, that was what he would say later if Arteru pressed the issue. Frankly, he preferred to avoid the subject.

It may not have ever occurred to anyone before, but Musou was a pretty hot-blooded martial artist and a melee type, who was always fighting against the urge to just run up and pummel things in the face. He hated to loose and hated the idea of running from a fight even more. And though his time with Kenji had taught him a lot of discipline and respect, and helped to give him an output to focus his never-say-die nature, he still really didn't like to loose. HE still had problems with the whole 'patience' thing anyway. To make things worse, to him giving up on his ideals was loosing too. It took a mix of naivety and determination to fight on like he did. Was it admirable or fool hearty?

Trading dialogue for introspection. That was a fun way to dilate time in the middle of a fight, right? With little else to do for the moment, until he sees some kind of attack pattern, Musou just builds energy within his own body. It would surely come in handy later in the fight, and if it didn't, well, no harm done. Golden energy coursed and danced across his form, almost like electricity, but it was his ki. At least that's what Kenji told him and he told himself. The semantics didn't really matter, but since it was belief that fueled a lot of his actions and his battle drive, it mattered to him.

1 - Scatter! (Dodge)
Arteru - Duck 'n Run! (Dodge)

2 - Use Battlechip: Meteor9 (100hp, ObjDmg:10fire, Dmg:30fire, 3x/rd, 3random enemies, 3rd duration)

3 - Activate Sig: "Inner Might" (40Strengthen; 1TCD)

[Meteors left: 9]
[Passive Sig "Attunement" (Take Aim): Unused!]
[Chips Used: Meteor9]
[Sig Inner Might cooldown: 1]
The meteors rained down upon the bat calvary as it charged. Two Swordys and one of the PulseBats are hit as they dive, sustaining a good amount of damage. The PulseBats send out sonic screeches at the floating staff, two pulses strike the immobile staff and cause them to ricochet off. And with some fancy maneuvering, Musou and Arteru manage to barely get out of the way of all those sonic projectiles.

The three Swordys, mounted on their bats, strike out with wide strikes of their swords. Due to all the dodging, only two strikes hit Musou and only one hits Arteru. But all three cleave through the Meteor9 staff, deleting it.

Musou powers up!

-Bat Calvary-
Swordy-NA: 30HP [Mounted on PulseBatA]
PulseBatA: 80HP

Swordy-NB: 30HP [Mounted on PulseBatB]
PulseBatB: 80HP

Swordy-NC: 60HP [Mounted on PulseBatC]
PulseBatC: 50HP

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Allies-
Musou.EXE: 180HP [40 Strengthen]
Arteru.SP: 15HP
Meteor9: Deleted
((Unless I'm mistaken, the meteors do 30 damage each. The staff does 10, I suppose, if I were beating things with it?))

Chopped, blasted and his SP over half dead, Musou briefly curses himself for not spending time moments ago to just raise his defenses. Seems to just be a fact of life that things hit. A lot. So screw dodging, it's all about the protection powers. He gathers energy into his body along with ambient data, some of it ironically from himself and his SP. A shield forms in front of himself, hopefully to do a better job at keeping him safe then dodging did. Not that he is standing still, or anything.

"What the hell do I do? I can't even reach them?!", Arteru said with understandable concern. "Just.. Try to stay on the defensive" As much as it sucked to be smacked around, a least his opponents were within range now. He had to make sure he knocked out the bats while he had the chance.

Musou attunes himself to the viruses and the surrounding area. He begins to feel the data flow and the energy of everyone and every thing. Kenji wastes no time in loading their only real go-to high damage chip as his navi locks them in with his sixth sense. Gotta line em up, he says to himself as he lets the chip data surge through his mind and empower him.

The navi begins floating a few inches over the ground while power surges through him, manifesting from his back in a pair of green wings. They hold level for a moment and then with a single powerful flap, send him coursing towards one of the viruses. Also, just in case they have some kind of shield or something he isn't aware of yet, he adds a extra bit of 'oomph', thanks to his type. It would be nice to get more than one, but if they had been diving upon him in melee, he knows his chances are slim. At least he hopes to take out one rider and mount combo.

1 - Activate Sig "Data Shield" [4-Hit Shield; 2TCD]
Arteru - Dodge!

2 - Activate Sig "Absorb Data" [Opponent(Deleted): 30 Healing; 1TCD]

Passive Sig "Attunement" [Take Aim] (Trying to line up more than one Mount/Rider combo)

3 - Use Battlechip: DashAttack1 (90+Impact+LineAttack5)+Bash @ Swordy-NC

[Passive Sig "Attunement" (Take Aim): USED, Pre-Action 3]
[Bash USED, Action3]
[Chips Used: Meteor9, DashAttack1]
[Sig Inner Might cooldown: 0 READY]
[Sig Data Shield cooldown: 2]
[Sig Absorb Data cooldown: 1]
[Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I read the battlechip information wrong. I have corrected the damages done in the previous post.]

Musou builds up his defenses and plows into one of the Swordy/Bat combos, deleting it. The rest of the flight unleashes their attacks just before taking to the sky again. Musou manages to absorb two blows to the shield while one blow goes wide and Arteru manages to dodge all of the sword swipes.

But now they were high in the air again...

-Bat Calvary-
Swordy-NA: 30HP [Mounted on PulseBatA] [High Altitude]
PulseBatA: 80HP [High Altitude]

Swordy-NB: 30HP [Mounted on PulseBatB] [High Altitude]
PulseBatB: 80HP [High Altitude]

Swordy-NC: Deleted
PulseBatC: Deleted

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Allies-
Musou.EXE: 210HP [40 Strengthen, 2-Hit Shield]
Arteru.SP: 15HP
Meteor9: Deleted
((Sorry if any of this seems lame, I haven't been in the best mood lately and it really affects my writing. I want to progress Musou regardless))

Following his fancy maneuver, Musou looks around to see what's left over of the viruses and... Quickly becomes disappointed to find he only managed to clip one of the 'knights' and it's 'mount'. And also the remaining two were now back at high altitude, well outside his melee range. Arteru swallows as he looks above them nervously. Apparently the wolf has some kind of case of dry mouth, which Musou vaguely remembers Kenji describing as being one of the tell-tale signs of panic and fear. The navi looks above them and ponders his situation for a moment.. He had ways to get up there but they're pretty dangerous.. Just how badly did he need this fight over?

"Musou, pass this to Arteru, alright? Well, if you can I mean. I guess we haven't tried this kind of thing before", Kenji says as he loads a Recover30 battlechip into his PET. A bit unsure himself, Musou waits for the data to load and holds out his hand towards the wolf "Hey Arteru, incoming heal chip. I think"

Part of Musou expects the heal effect to simply apply to his SP but when it seems to apparently transfer to him for use instead he isn't really bothered. Either way, mission accomplished. For his part, Arteru pauses a moment as an alien feeling of having a battle chip transferred to him happens but he gets over it as the data loads and he realizes it can heal him. Awkward or not, healing is healing and the wolf quickly loads the recover chip up, electricity leaping around his body as his own version of write protection is restored. Now, provided the mounted viruses don't rip him to pieces, as he did something other than whimper and run with his tail between his legs for once in this fight, all should be well, he figures.

Kenji hesitates a moment, looking over their chips and asks "So, how badly do you ant up there? You still have a dash attack left after all, and you could always get down with.. Well, you know" Musou shrugs lightly "I'm not that desperate yet, I still expect these things to dive-bomb me. Pass me some of the guns, Sensei. I don't know if I can hit them from here, but I can try" Kenji nods and loads the only 'guns' that team Musou has, back to back.

Chip data loading in his mind, Musou raises one of his hands and opens it, palm facing the viruses up in the air. He feels out the energy and data of the viruses subconsciously, locking on as his hand makes tiny adjustments even as energy begins to build. A moment later, a hailstorm of golden energy shots fire out in a wild spray-and-pray pattern.

Following that, the martial artist lowers his firing hand as he clenches his other fist. Energy builds up into a ball that he seems to be crushing as he hopes for the best, adding to it the energy he had built up earlier, and releases it. The golden ball fires out in a wild pattern, sailing towards the viruses and crackling with volatile promise of a scattered explosion of pain. If it manages to hit anything, that is.

1 - Transfer Battlechip: Recover30 to Arteru
Arteru - Use Battlechip: Recover30 (Heal30)

Passive Sig "Attunement" (Take Aim)
2 - Use Battlechip: MachineGun1 (30 x 9 Shots + Spray Fire) @ PulseBatA

3 - Use Battlechip: Vulcan1 (10 + Spread 1 x 3 Shots) +40Strengthen @ PulseBatB

[Passive Sig "Attunement" (Take Aim): USED, Pre-Action 2]
[Bash Unused]
[Chips Used: Meteor9, DashAttack1, Recover30, MachineGun1, Vulcan1]
[Sig Data Shield cooldown: 1]
[Sig Absorb Data cooldown: 0 READY]
[Please indicate how you are dividing the Strengthen between the three shots of the Vulcan1.]
((All to shot 1. Hoping for the best.))
A round of lucky flack cannon fire, as the bat calvary dives upon the Navi and his SP, ends with both remaining Swordies going to the data cloud in the sky while heavily damaging the remaining bats. The bats fire off sonic screetches that strip away the remaining shields, leaving the Navi defenseless, but no longer outnumbered.

-Bat Calvary-
Swordy-NA: Deleted
PulseBatA: 20HP

Swordy-NB: Deleted
PulseBatB: 10HP

Swordy-NC: Deleted
PulseBatC: Deleted

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Allies-
Musou.EXE: 210HP [Shield Broken!]
Arteru.SP: 15HP
Meteor9: Deleted
"Guh! Oww what the hell!", a very unhappy Arteru complains as he takes a blow again, putting him right back where he was before the repair chip. Musou, for his part, finishes off a good portion of the viruses and grumbles "Sorry. Could be worse, you could be deleted"

The wolf snarls as he charges at one of the PulseBats in anger (the one that looks like it's about dead of course). Musou looks around, spots the two remaining viruses and in a blink vanishes. His energy signature vanishes completely for a moment and then abruptly reappears as he appears behind the pother PulseBat, with an explosive kick coming the thing's way!

Would things end for the pair? Kenji watched with interest as he shuffled a couple battle chips around in his hand. Musou didn't request anything and it didn't really look like he needed anything either.

Arteru - Attack on PulseBatB (10 Dmg)
1 - Activate Sig "Flash Kick" [Teleport + 20 (Melee); 3TCD] @ PulseBatA

Turn Splice
2 -
3 -

[Passive Sig "Attunement" (Take Aim) Unused]
[Bash Unused]
[Chips Used: Meteor9, DashAttack1, Recover30, MachineGun1, Vulcan1]
[Sig Data Shield cooldown: 0 READY]
[Sig Flash Kick cooldown: 3]
Explosive moves! Fancy kicks! Biff! Bam!

Okay, enough of that, they're deleted. Musou takes one by surprise, and the other falls to Arteru's enraged attack.

-Bat Calvary-
Swordy-NA: Deleted
PulseBatA: Deleted

Swordy-NB: Deleted
PulseBatB: Deleted

Swordy-NC: Deleted
PulseBatC: Deleted

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Allies-
Musou.EXE: 210HP
Arteru.SP: 15HP

-Battle 3 Victory!-
Rewards: [Sword] Battlechip, 450z, 20 BugFrags
Standing down after their quick actions and general butt-kickery, the navi and SP settle into a calm stance. Mind open, emotions calm and- Oh wait, that's just Musou. Arteru is digging through the well-chewed remains and looks like he is just one slight or bruise from marking some territory on the leavings. And adding leavings. Leaving leavings- never mind, foul things for a wolf in a bad mood.

Somewhere amid the snarls, curses and flying residual data, Musou manages to snag a flying glob of chip data that reforms in his hand and some slobbery and slightly chewed zenny. One.. Messy transfer later, Kenji finds himself slightly grossed out and some cash plus a sword chip richer. "Huh. A sword.. That makes your first, Musou. It's been all flying and shooting and punching so far", Kenji mumbles as he goes back to studying the manual of his new headset.

"Sensei, aren't you forgetting the FireKnife? We have had that for awhile. Oh and the RageClaw. Wait, is that a sword? I mean, sorta kinda.. Technically.. Right?" Kenji shrugs idly and adds "I don't know. They are all 'slashing' typed but I have no idea what their classification" His navi blinks "B-but Sensei, your always reading up in the database on these things? And the forums?" The young boy mumbles something along the lines of 'Uh huh' and 'Yep', not really adding to the conversation further.

Arteru comes back, frustrated and mad but calmer, at least. Musou assumed he had another meal of BugFrags to pacify him, but it was hard to tell. He glares at Musou, and spotting the confused look on the navi's face, says "What? Doin' more stupid contemplatin' of the net and universe and stuff?" Musou, feeling hurt from the remark says "No Arteru. Just 'contemplating' if FireKnife is a sword chip or not"

The SP rolls his eyes, anger giving way to annoyance "How the hell would I know? I'm programmed to have a good sense of smell, instincts, eat your enemies and stuff. What part of me says 'database', eh?" Musou, not skipping a beat after he was brushed off by both his operator and his SP, retorts "What part? Your mouth. You just said the word database" The navi cracks a grin and Arteru just gives him another glare but stays silent. It just wasn't worth it, right now. Stupid.. Punch.. Guy. Know-it-all.

Kenji manages to pull himself away from the digi-book that was an instruction manual long enough to sort the battle chips back into their alphabetical order on one side of his desk, waiting to be stacked neatly on the other side when expended.

Musou gave a sigh and just continued his trek through ACDC. Arteru padded silently along and Kenji didn't add a word. It was not a good moment to be optimistic or perky, apparently. Oh well, there would be other fights.

[Requesting Battle 4]
Walking along Musou and his dog came upon a Miner and his dogs. The Miner virus was humanoid with a flash-light helmet and the dogs were like wolves that breathed fire. The Miner produced a large disk from behind his back with a small blinking red light on it. It looked like a landmine. The Spikeys' hair stood up as they moved in front of the Miner to pounce on the Navi and his SP.

-Viruses-
Miner: 100HP
SpikeyA: 90HP
SpikeyB: 90HP
SpikeyC: 90HP
SpikeyD: 90HP

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Allies-
Musou.EXE: 210HP
Arteru.SP: 15HP

~Battle 4: Start!!~
As they made their way further into ACDC, Musou and Arteru chat on further about things relating to viruses and freedom of choice and such on the net. At least, that's what Kenji assumes is going on. For the most part he is occupied wearing his new headset. It covered his eyes and his ears, like some kind of low-worn dew rag. It featured noise cancelation and even generated white noise to a certain degree to cut off hearing from the real world. When not in use, or when a button on the unit was pressed, the pieces covering the eyes became more opaque, to allow normal sight for the most part.

Kenji was currently messing around, 'walking' within his own PC's training dojo. He kept skirting the portal leading to the net, and Musou's homepage. He wasn't even about to test that part of the unit. He already had figured out that his avatar, was just a re-skinned Mr Prog, wearing a helmet similar to the headgear he wore. When he made use of his PC's webcam, he could make it look like him, and the connection was made well enough that there was no delay at all as it tracked and imitated his movements.

Since he could alter parameters within his PC's training software suite, he could make the Mr Prog that represented him more durable and hit harder then it should be able to. It was going to be excellent for training with Musou, he figured. So long as he could clear enough space so as to move and fight, without breaking half the things in his room. Not to mention, he had to replicate his surroundings accurately enough in the training suite, so he didn't try to run through a wall in real life, or punch through something he ought not to. He was a pretty tough kid and there was a lot he could punch through, but best not risk winding up in a cast again for months.

"Pretty quiet...", Arteru remarked idly. In his gruff voice, he added "Not that it really matters. Whatever we bump into I'm just going to end up running and hiding from while you fight"

Musou bit his lip and tried to speak with soft encouragement, to counter his companion's bitterness "H-Hey, it's alright Arteru. My first time in the net? I did terrible. I was having a fight with Kenji and he made me fight without any battle chips. I kept telling him how dumb it was and how navis were designed and made to be supported in battle by operators"

The wolf gave a 'humph', trying to resist being brought out of his funk but still curious. Eventually the curiosity won out "So how did that go? I mean, your obviously still here. And your working with the kid still, even if he does seem a bit.. Idle" A lack of response from Kenji told them he either didn't think it was worth replying to or he wasn't paying much attention.

Musou chuckled "Nah, it was alright. I mean, the best I can tell, the things in the net have some kind of feel for a navi's strength. Maybe not what chips we have, I've finished a handfull of fights with just one or two chips, but they.. Well-" He wasn't really sure how to put it, since he wasn't even sure he was right, it was more of a gut feeling. "It feels like the stronger I get, the stronger things I bump into. Does that make any sense? Almost as if they are either tracking me down or being generated directly in my path at that strength"

The wolf rolls his eyes and grumbles "Look, Pal. The worlds not out to get you or something. You go on and on about us all being real, but what does it say if they really are made on the fly, just to be thrown at you, eh?"

With the whole team pretty distracted and the navi and SP talking, it was more a source of frustration, then surprise, that they stumbled upon a pack of things that looked ready to tear them to pieces.

Arteru, being halfway to deletion, was the first to say something. He didn't want to appear too weak, as to not be worth consideration, but he didn't want to look too hostile. If they weren't from the dog/wolf family, he wouldn't be able to pull it off, but for a change there was actually something here that could speak his language.

It was as much body movement and the way he held himself and acted, as his whines, growls and yips, but he 'said' to them "<Not lookin' for a fight. We are looking for some troops to help us take the net back. We can give you a safe home, food, training, gear. Interested?>" It wasn't a bluff either, it was just the stuff Musou had been preaching to him since they started their run through ACDC.

((And for anyone who hasn't heard, yes Musou is looking for recruits to form his own faction base. Not as companions to be used in a fight, that's what SPs are for, but requiting equally from navis, operators, npcs, viruses, anything as grunts, officers, etc))

The martial artist navi has no idea what his SP is trying to say to the wolves, but figures since Arteru isn't snarling or acting all that threatening, he must be giving them the offer. It was just job here to do the same. Sure, they might reject it, delete his SP off and hurt him a bit, and that wouldn't be good at all, but they had to try. Be the first to hold out a hand in peace.

The navi spoke up to the Miner, hoping it could understand him, at least well enough to figure he didn't mean any harm "Hey there. Relax, we aren't looking for a fight. Actually, we are looking for recruits to help us defend the net. Take things back from all the chaos that's going on. You and all your friends are welcome to join us. I can give you a link to my homepage if you want. Tell your friends about us too, eh? If your not interested, at least let us through. What do you say?" He has his hands in the air as he speaks, trying to keep his movements and body language as non-hostile as possible.

Of course the navi is pretty hot-blooded and doesn't like beating around the bush, so he has to make all his efforts at peace genuine. It probably helps that he has a twelve-year-old operator who has reinforced him with plenty of optimism and a child's naiveness.

Arteru - Try for peace! Try to recruit.
1 - Try for peace!

2 - Peace? Madness! Who doesn't kill everything for chips?! Me!

3 - Recruit? It's like a [Whole different Game]
The Spikeys were taken aback that there was a canine trying to talk to them. Recruit them. The Miner was equally perplexed. All of the viruses hesitated.

Then the Miner put his mine away and whistled to the Spikeys. The group of viruses turned and walked away.

-Viruses-
Miner: 100HP
SpikeyA: 90HP
SpikeyB: 90HP
SpikeyC: 90HP
SpikeyD: 90HP

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Allies-
Musou.EXE: 210HP
Arteru.SP: 15HP

~Battle 4: Suspended!!~
Musou scratched the back of his head awkwardly, pausing to watch the viruses apparently exit the scene. Arteru too breathed a sigh of relief, keeping deletion at bay for another fight, or so it seemed. They didn't seem interested, but maybe they would spread the word to other viruses that the team was recruiting... Or maybe they were just leaving to pretend this odd encounter never happened.

The wolf glances up at Musou and grumbles "Alright, so what now?" Musou shrugs a bit having mixed feelings. Sure, the thought that the viruses might come back and accept was possible, but not likely. It seemed more likely the group had just decided to leave.

"I dunno Arteru, I guess-" He considers for a moment, being better with fists than words "It's good that it didn't come to blows. It's always a good sign when peace is the outcome but...", he trails off as he sounds disappointed.

His SP picked up on what he was getting at and finished the sentence for him "But it would be nice if someone, anyone would actually join, right?" Musou nodded and sighed, looking down as he worked to bury the rising pessimism. The navi tries to go back to being the energetic kareteka he always is "Who knows, maybe they will tell their friends about the crazy navi and wolf running around recruiting? Might open doors later or get some recruits. Right?" It seemed rhetorical though, as the navi waited to see if the Miner and Spikeys were coming back or not.

[Waiting to see if they return. If not, requesting battle 4, again]
Musou stands around for a few minutes waiting to see if the viruses he just talked to would return. Unfortunately they do not return. And so the Navi decides to press on...

Just then there is a loud explosion off in the distance. A smoke cloud appears behind some houses and trees on the horizon to the west, followed by sounds of yelps and growls. Then the sounds of a large scuffle. As if someone was fighting.

Looking around where they were, there was a stone bridge leading away from the town proper onto a meadow path to the east. Who knew what lay beyond ACDC's hub?

Musou and Arteru were faced with a choice. Either turn west toward the disturbance in town, or continue across the bridge to the east and deeper into the NET.

Choice: West or East?
A few moments of silence followed by a few minutes of awkward silence gives way to a disturbance in the west, back in town. It didn't take a genius to figure out that an explosion and yelping/growling probably had something to do with the viruses they just left. Were they in trouble? Was this his chance to put his money where his mouth was, so to speak, and get some recruits? Friends, at least??

He starts running back into town, to the west, to see what the commotion is. And heaven help him if it was some innocent navi being attacked by the viruses. Arteru's ears perk up and he turns to Musou, to speak but finds the navi already sprinting towards the commotion. Taking a moment to sigh and tense his hind legs for a run, he bolts after the martial artist.

The sound of blats and fighting, meanwhile, seems to have gotten Kenji's attention and he slides the headgear further up on his head, so it doesn't cover his eyes or ears anymore. He expands the window on his PC that was showing his navi and SP team run into trouble. The boy sits back in his chair and grabs the PET from his desk, adjusts the charging and jack-in cables for comfort and gets ready to provide support.

No, he doesn't have a clue what's going on, but he trusts his navi and can probably come up with some kind of witty Chinese-cookie wisdom if he gets called on not paying attention earlier. Not that he would ever call it that, of course, it just didn't look good if a disciplined martial artist was otherwise occupied or daydreaming during a fight..

[West!]
There was another explosion as Musou and Arteru move into the town proper. Terrified screams and yelling could be heard everywhere as Navis and viruses alike were running this way and that, trying to get out or help others. The air was thick with soot and burning ash. Most of the surrounding buildings were already on fire.

Moments later, the sound of splintering wood and creaking metal above alerts the duo to a building falling apart right next to them. The two leap out of the way as a half-ton of rubble falls where they were standing not moments ago, kicking up a huge cloud of dust as the two manage to avoid being buried under the debris.

"Hahahaha! Burn! Buurrnn!"

Looking up through the haze Musou and Arteru see what looks like a Navi throw a bomb into a nearby building. A flash and a roar follow as the upper level explodes, blowing out the windows and causing sharp debris to begin raining down to the streets below. "Burn everything to the ground my minions!"

Looking down at street level, Musou and Arteru watch as two groups of viruses were fighting each other. One group was the Miner and the four Spikeys, the other was of a larger number of Champus, Kabutanks, and Spikeys. They were outnumbered at least two to one and some were wounded.

However, at least half noticed Musou and Arteru and broke off from the fight to attack!

-Viruses-
ChampuA: 60HP
SpikeyA: 90HP
SpikeyB: 90HP
KabutankA: 90HP
KabutankB: 90HP

-Terrain-
100% Normal

-Allies-
Musou.EXE: 210HP
Arteru.SP: 15HP

~Battle 4: Start!!~