Mini-break in the Lab

"Zenny." Tennisman stated, removing the contents from the Bandacoon's mouth.

"Shoot, I was hoping for a chip." Desmond said.

In the corner of his eye, Tennisman noticed a volley of bombs and rolled back to avoid the brunt of the incoming attack. When the dust cleared, the Hardheads' mouths were gaping open and an Ironshield had uncovered itself. He had to act fast.

He called out for a pair of chips, "Twinfang and Panelshot!"

The net was down and there was nothing was blocking this shot. Two ivory missiles split off from his buster, each heading straight down a Hardhead's throat at opposite sides of the line. Directly ahead was the face of an IronShield virus. With a twist of his right foot, Tennisman knocked loose one of the metal panels and launched it straight up ahead of him. It floated for a moment at the apex of its jump, allowing Tennisman to smash it forwards with a powerful serve.

"I think it's about time I restrung myself." Deuce said.

His yellow strings loosened and cycled around the face, being pulled into the frame while shiny new threads replaced them. Soon, Deuce looked completely repaired.

Tennisman was impressed at the speed of recovery but quickly turned his attention back to the viruses, "Shockwave."

The ElecOrgre, while stunned for now, was still a threat that needed to be dealt with. Tennisman made a low swing, nearly scratching his racket across the ground as it built up a surge of energy in the floor. As he followed through, the wave of energy continued to wind through the metal panels in an jagged path to the virus. The rest of the viruses were still well protected.

"What are you waiting for?" Deuce asked, "You can take the rest of them out now!

"It is their serve." Tennisman replied in a calm tone.

He quietly took up a receiving stance, low to the ground, ready to shift his weight and focussed on the opponents.



1 - TwinFang HardHeadA, HardheadB (70 damage)
2 - Panelshot IronShieldB (60 damage + elec + 5% missing) x2
Deuce - Restring self (heal 30)
3 - Shockwave ElecOgreB (40 damage)
Deuce - gust back an incoming bomb
4 - Guard1 (reflect 60)
5 - dodge

Tennisman guts the two HardHead viruses with a pair of metal spikes before flinging an electrically charged panel at the middle IronShield. The virus is pounded and electrocuted to deletion. Tennisman then sent a shockwave towards the stunned ElecOgre; the wave surged towards it and went... underneath it? The ElecOgre was hovering a couple feet off the ground (Omnishoes) and the shockwave just passed harmlessly underneath it.

The two Ironshields fire volleys of bombs as the ElecOgre shakes off its paralysis. Tennisman swatted at one of the incoming bombs, launching it away before spinning and striking an electrified blast from the ElecOgre straight back in its direction. His surprise in being able to deflect the blast so perfectly was quickly snuffed out by a bomb exploding at his feet. He jumps away, avoiding the final two incoming bombs.


ElecOgreA: DELETED
HardHeadA: DELETED
IronShieldA: 120HP [Shield Down]
IronShieldB: DELETED
IronShieldC: 120HP [Shield Down]
HardHeadB: DELETED
ElecOgreB: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Metal

Tennisman.EXE: 110HP
Deuce.EXE 60HP [40HP Barrier] [Equipped]
Pickpocket: Zenny

"There are only two remaining, Tennisman," Deuce said, "Let's hurry this up, shall we?"

"Yeah, but their shields are still down." said Desmond.

"Precisely," replied Deuce, "And while they're down, we should strike from above."

Tennisman nodded in agreement, "Energybomb, Minibomb, and AquaNeedle."

There was a lull while the bombs took shape. He gripped them both with one hand and scanned the targets again. He would need high lobs to drop them from a near perpendicular angle and enough spin to keep them from straying off their trajectories. His assessment complete, Tennisman took up Deuce and unleashed two powerful swings in wide vertical arcs. The two bombs disappeared from sight one after the other. At the same time, a tight cluster of stalagtites formed directly overhead one of the IronShields.

Now, fall.

Tennisman stood idly by as the attacks decended on their targets. The shields blocked his view but not the sounds. The thunderous roar of mutiple, cascading explosions and the crash of the AquaNeedles let him know something was being struck. He hoped it wasn't simply the panels behind them.

The echoes soon died down but the big metal barriers still stood. Whether it was under their own strength or because his attacks failed was unclear. He needed to test them.

"Deuce." He called, spinning the racket in one hand and preparing two tennis balls in the other.

Tennisman made one quick serve at each virus and held out his hand for a more powerful test, "Elecpulse."

A sudden surge of electromagnetic waves erupted from his palm, starting small but spreading out to reach to both viruses. The metal panels beneath the shields showed signs of sparking as the energy cackled through the floor. He continued to hold his position and put more force behind the attack, waiting for the shields to dissipate.



1 - Energybomb IronShieldA (3 x 40 damage)
2 - Minibomb IronshieldC (60 damage)
3 - AquaNeedle IronShieldC (3 x 20 damage)
4 - dodge
Deuce - Attack IronShieldA (20 damage)
Deuce - Attack IronShieldC (20 damage)
5 - ElecPulse IronshieldA, IronShieldC (100 damage + Glitch) x2 + untapped power (15 damage)

Tennisman launched a flurry of aerial bombs and ice spikes that rained own on the viruses. However, the projectiles harmlessly exploded on the viruses' shields that easily covered them from above, even when lowered. Deuces attacks were also deflected with ease, but a deadly electric pulse sent through the floor exploited one of the shields few weaknesses and zaps the viruses to deletion.

ElecOgreA: DELETED
HardHeadA: DELETED
IronShieldA: DELETED
IronShieldB: DELETED
IronShieldC: DELETED
HardHeadB: DELETED
ElecOgreB: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Metal

Tennisman.EXE: 110HP
Deuce.EXE 60HP [40HP Barrier] [Equipped]
Rewards: Minibomb, 1000z, 36 Bugfrags

The last two towering bastions finally began to break apart, confirming his victory and allowing him a brief reprieve. However, rest was a luxury he was saving. For now, he still had something to do and someone to chase.

((Battle 7))

Tennisman recovers a mass of data and bugfrags from the hulks of the defeated viruses and looks out on the horizon in an attempt to locate Jadia, but she's nowhere to be found... Tennisman couldn't stand the thought of losing her and dashes forward as hard as he could, even though Deuce tried to talk some sense into him. Tennisman felt he couldn't run any further and slowed to a walk. He continued to scan the horizon for her, but remained unsuccessful. It seems there's no way he can find out where she went.


Um... Excuse me, mister Navi.
Tennisman looks down to his left to see a green Mr. Prog staring back at him.
I saw you running like the world was gonna end! What's the that all about?

Tennisman knelt down to the Mr. Program and asked, "Did you see another navi pass by here? She has spiral styled hair and a dress that wraps around her waist in a..."

Deuce continued the sentence as Tennisman trailed off, "...In a thick strip. What's wrong?"

"We should keep going." Tennisman said.

"No, we should clearly be asking this fine little program where she was headed." Deuce said, "We can't just go shooting off in any old random direction."

"WE'RE LOSING TIME!" Tennisman shouted.

"Until what?" Deuce asked.

Tennisman slumped back and landed hard into a sitting position.

"Man, what's wrong with you?" Desmond cut in, "Ever since you met her you've been all crazy like this. What's up with that?"

"It is nothing." Tennisman stated.

"Ohhh ho ho, I think it's SOMETHING." Deuce said.

"I am... Tired." Tennisman said.

"I hope that's all it is." Desmond added.

Tennisman turned back to the Mr. Program, still sitting and resumed his query, "Did she pass by here?"

Hmm... Looking for a navi, eh? Girlfriend perhaps?
The prog pokes Tennisman in the shoulder with one of its bunny-like ears playfully
Nevermind, nevermind, its none of my business. I did see a pretty Navi fitting your description heading that direction.
The prog turns and looks a few degrees away from Tennisman.
She was in one heck of a hurry, it seemed...
The prog paused, and turned back to Tennisman. It spoke in a more serious tone.
Did you notice something strange about her? Did she seem like she "wasn't herself?" If so, she may be in more trouble than you think.

As Tennisman was about to walk away in that direction, the Mr. Program's warning caught his attention. It wasn't something he could easily let go.

"What do you mean by that comment?" Tennisman asked, "Is there something affecting navis in this area?"

As a matter of fact, there is. Have you not read the BBSs around here? Over the past few days, more than 3 Navis have gone missing, and who knows how many progs... They all seemed to act the same: stoic, silent, and off to somewhere in a massive hurry. I was kind of afraid you might have been a potential victim as well, until you started walking and actually showed a bit of emotion.

The Prog looks out into the distance in the direction Jadia went, and back to Tennisman.

I don't know about you, but I wanna find out what the heck is going on.

"What do you think?" Deuce asked, "Still feel like chasing after Jadia?"

Tennisman wasn't deterred by the warning. If anything, it spurred him on to continue his search as this was bigger than just him. He hurried off in the program's direction as fast as his speed upgrades would take him.

"I guess that's a yes then." Deuce said.

Tennisman bolts off towards the direction pointed out by the Prog, surprising the green program.
Hey!! Wait up! Let me come with you!
Tennisman glances over his shoulder to see the Prog zipping towards him, but turns back to continue forward. He is met by loud humming sound and a very strong headwind... not normal weather in SciLab. Tennisman is able to pick out a pair of large square windboxes, flanked by two fierce looking Champu viruses and a group of Rattys sitting out in front; their low profiles making them relatively unaffected by the wind.

Viruses Identified!

WindBoxA: 100HP
WindBoxB: 100HP
Champu EXA: 120HP
Champu EXB: 120HP
RattyA: 60HP
RattyB: 60HP
RattyC: 60HP
RattyD: 60HP

Terrain: 100% Metal

Tennisman.EXE: 110HP
Deuce.SP: 60HP
Mr. Prog: 50HP

<(Battle #7, Wind and Fire. Ready, Serve!)>

"Why are you here!?" Tennisman snapped at the program angrily before slamming his palm to the ground, "Netplay!" A tennis net popped out of the ground in response.

"Oh hey! I remember youuu..." Deuce added.

"Protect him!" Tennisman commanded his racket.

"What? Now why would I go and do something like that?" Deuce asked.

Tennisman wasn't prepared for this. He tossed Deuce over to the program, allowing him to hover under his own power.

"HEY! What are you doing?" Deuce barked.

"Protect the program," Tennisman repeated, "I will deal with the viruses alone."

"What about your Ace Serve?" Deuce asked, "What about ANY of your serves?"

"GO!" Tennisman shouted.

Deuce retreated back to tend to the Mr. Program while Tennisman stayed to face his opponents. Without his racket, he didn't feel like a tennis navi or a man. It was awkward as hell and he wondered how other navis fought like this. Ignoring the empty feeling in his hands, he tried to analyze the situation. The Windboxes were going to interfere with his attacks and remained a priority but the Rattys were all looking anxious to attack.

WHY DID THAT PROGRAM HAVE TO JOIN IN?

The Champus were EX versions and would deal a lot of damage if he didn't delete them quickly, but the Windboxes were still more important. Were they? Perhaps he should quickly dispatch the Rattys first. Then he could deal with the Windboxes last.

Tennisman scratched his head in frustation before calling out, "Firehits!"

Both his hands erupted in flames as he let out a primal roar. He ran in blindly and swatted at the rat viruses with his fists ablaze. Two fiery punches crashed into the ground leaving scorch marks. All the while, gusts of wind blasted his face, retarding his progress. He pointed his buster between their source and yelled out "TWINFANG!"

The chip loaded a second later and was fired immediately after that. The two missiles streamlined their way through the wind, cutting straight to their targets. Tennisman was about to charge again when a yellow Guard shield appeared in front of him.

"YO!" Desmond said, "Chill!"

Tennisman stopped and felt that his breathing had gone up and that he had exhausted himself. If he had finished that run, he would have ended up in the midst of the viruses, totally worn out. The guard that stopped him felt like Desmond's hand, barring his way and at the same time protecting him. Tennisman calmed down and tried to slow down his breathing.

"You good?" Desmond asked.

Tennisman nodded, though his breaths were still noticibly heavy.



Deuce - Overwrap (40 HP Barrier)
Deuce - DEFEND Mr. Prog
1 - Netplay (1-hit shield + 60 heal)
2 - Firehit RattyA (60 damage)
3 - Firehit RattyB (60 damage)
4 - TwinFang WindboxA, WindboxB (70 damage)
5 - Guard1 (reflect 60)

Tennisman props up a protective net as Deuce develops a barrier before shielding the prog from incoming attacks. Tennisman charges at the Ratty viruses, throwing two devastating punches. He manages to delete one of the rodents, but only grazes the other due to the strong headwind. He then fires two metal spikes into the windboxes, damaging them severely. One of the champus attacks by dashing forward towards Tennisman and around the protective netting. It draws back a flaming right fist, but it doesn't bring the wind into the equation and rams into the guard shield! The shield returns some of the kinetic power from the strike back into the punch-happy virus as it bounces off the shield. The Champu hits the turf and lays there, seemingly knocked unconscious.

The other Champu notices its partner's mistake and goes after Deuce and the Prog, delivering two flaming punches that break the racket's protective barrier.
Hey! Back off!
The Prog hurls itself at the Champu and head-butts it squarely in the face. The Champu is driven back slightly by the attack, but is really gunning for that feisty prog.

The remaining Ratty viruses launch RattonMissiles, one of them is destroyed by the protective net and heals Tennisman, but the second hits its mark. The final RattonMissile took too sharp a turn and was pushed off course by the wind, skidding on the metal panels in an attempt to get back on target.

WindBoxA: 30HP
WindBoxB: 30HP
Champu EXA: 60HP [Stunned]
Champu EXB: 90HP
RattyA: DELETED
RattyB: 20HP
RattyC: 60HP
RattonMissile: 50HP
RattyD: 60HP

Terrain: 100% Metal

Tennisman.EXE: 120HP
Deuce.SP: 60HP (Overwrap Destroyed)
Mr. Prog: 45HP

It was easier to plan out his attack with a clear head. Tennisman decided to go with his original plan, taking out the Windboxes first. He needed to attack with something that wouldn't be blown off target by the powerful gales pushing him back. He wished he had an Areagrab so he wouldn't have to deal with this but he had no such luck. He would have to make do.

"Shockwave and Heatshot." Tennisman ordered.

Without Deuce in hand, the chip loaded normally and took the form of a pickaxe. It was heavy at the end, totally unbalanced and had no discernable grip. He frowned at having to wield such a lowly weapon. Nevertheless, he smashed the head into the ground and sent the Shockwave punching through the Ratty's ranks and straight into one of the Windboxes. The pick disintegrated after the attack, falling apart in his hands and quickly blown away by the wind. Tennisman dusted off the bits of data that clung to his gloves and readied his buster for the second attack. The dry warmth from the Heatshot blew back into his face along with the Windboxes' gusts. There was the chance that even this could backfire but there were no better alternatives. He aimed with squinted eyes and fired.

"A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!" Deuce cried.

Behind him, Tennisman noticed a Champu had slipped past him and was assailing the program and his racket. Deuce had his proverbial hands full blowing away a Ratton Missile with his own gust of wind while the Mr. Program tried to defend himself. Aware that he needed to assist them, he requested his next chip, "Zapring!"

A flick of his buster arm was all it took to launch the attack. The electric halo flew with a slight curve and traded small sparks and bolts between itself and the floor. It landed with a bright flash, connecting and electrifying the ground beneath it. Thinking back to the scene behind him, his memory recalled a few Rattys and a stunned Champu that were still clearly alive.

"Boomerang and Minibomb." He said. A large boomerang and the round explosive formed in his hands. He spun his head first to verify his targets and brought his body about, throwing both weapons out at their respective targets. An extra tennis ball flew past him, heading for one of the Rattys.

"Babysitting duty sucks." Deuce said, hovering up beside him.



1 - Shockwave WindboxA (40 damage + line)
2 - Heatshot WindboxB (40 damage + spread 1)
Deuce - Gust RattonMissile ChampuEXA (? damage)
3 - Zapring ChampuEXB (40 damage + stun) x2 + untapped power (15 damage)
4 - Boomerang RattyC, RattyD (60 damage)
5 - Minibomb ChampuEXA (60 damage)
Deuce - Attack RattyB (20 damage)

Tennisman fires a shockwave through the group of Rattys, deleting one and damaging another, and silencing one of the wind boxes. With the wind dying down, Tennisman's heatshot fires true and bathes the fan in searing heat. The RattonMissile approaches Deuce and the Prog, but it was blown into the air and exploded upon hitting the ground. A souped up zapring fells the stronger of the two Champus, and the boomerang slices the remaining Ratty's, but Tennisman had a little trouble throwing both the boomerang and bomb at the same time; and the bomb veered off course. The Champu gets back up, and locks on to its closest target: Tennisman. It bolts towards him, throwing a flaming left jab!

BABY SITTING?!?
A semi transparent barrier appears between Tennisman and the Champu's fist just in time for it to be pummeled by the punch, followed by an equally fearsome uppercut. The Champu looks at Tennisman, stunned that its years of training and brilliant punches couldn't even scratch the relatively defenseless Navi... Its face is illuminated by an orange glow, and it looks down towards the light. *kra-boom!!!*

A large explosion propelled a massive energy round into the Champu, all but obliterating it. Tennisman looks down in surprise to see Mr. Prog... Wielding an M-Cannon.
I think I can take care of myself. Don't you think I'd be a little prepared for such a thing?

Victory!

WindBoxA: DELETED
WindBoxB: DELETED
Champu EXA: BLASTIFIED
Champu EXB: DELETED
RattyA: DELETED
RattyB: DELETED
RattyC: DELETED
RattyD: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Metal

Tennisman.EXE: 120HP
Deuce.SP: 60HP (Overwrap Destroyed)
Mr. Prog: 45HP
Rewards: 1000z, Wind, 34 BugFrags

Tennisman didn't know what to say and apparently neither did Deuce as they both just stood there in a stunned silence. Passing a glance to his racket, Tennisman bent down slightly to pick it back up. Meanwhile the zenny and remaining rewards were spirited away by Desmond.

"I didn't know programs like him could use chips." Deuce whispered.

Tennisman dismissed the thought and plodded onwards, wary of his ally's abilities.

((Battle 8))

With the Prog leading the way, Tennisman and Deuce continue forward and deeper into the net area. The Prog stops and points towards a pair of rectangular objects and several other figures in the distance.
We got company, and I don't think we can get around these guys.

Viruses Identified!

YortA: 90HP
YortB: 90HP
Yort EX: 120HP

MinerA: 100HP
MinerB: 100HP
RockCube: 100HP

DBLCUBEA: 100HP (Red)
DBLCUBEB: 100HP (Blue)
RockCube: 100HP

Mystery Data (Green): 30HP

Terrain: 100% Metal

Tennisman.EXE: 120HP
Deuce.SP: 60HP
Mr. Prog: 45HP

<(Battle #8, An interesting ally. Ready, Serve!)>

Without breaking his stride, Tennisman announced his first attack, "Windracket."

His brisk walk sped into a run as he charged the first set of cube viruses with Deuce in hand. An aura of wind and protective energy wrapped around his racket in a swirling dance of ethereal waves. Tennisman made his final approach and stopped on a dime upon arriving within in range. A wide swing of his arm pushed away a wall of air that compressed in on itself before blasting outwards at the three blocky shapes in a violent burst. Although Deuce made no actual contact with any of the targets, his presence was hard to miss. Rather than risk activating a Miner trap by running to the next pair of viruses, Tennisman stood his ground and asked for another chip, "Kunai."

"Do you really think you can hit those two Miners from here with that?" Deuce asked.

Tennisman balanced the knives between his knuckles, fidgeting with them while considering how much force he would need exactly. He decided to give it his all and with a powerful pitch, launched the three blades forward with enough force to throw off his own sense of balance. He played off the stagger as a passing glance to the Mr. Program's progress before refocussing his attention to the other Miner virus.

"Ace it!" Desmond suggested.

As he was about to follow through with a serve, something didn't feel quite right. He tapped Deuce lightly to the ground, activating Netplay. With the net standing between himself and his opponent, Tennisman felt more at ease and resumed his serving stance. A quadruple chain of serves went smoothly, despite Deuce's additional comment, "Too much spin on the second serve."

"Pickpocket!" added Desmond.

Tennisman spun around in time to catch the Bandacoon scoot by the Mr. Program and run towards the Yorts. In dealing with the other two groups, he had forgotten about them and hoped that his ally would provide some adequate support as he had done before.



Deuce - Equip
Deuce - Overwrap (40 HP barrier)
1 - Windracket DBLCUBEA, DBLCUBEB, Rockcube (100 damage + gust)
2 - Kunai1 MinerA (3 x 30 damage) + untapped power (15 damage)
3 - Netplay (1-hit shield + 60 heal)
4 - Ace Serve MinerB (4 x 30 damage)
5 - Pickpocket YortEX (steal zenny/chip)

Tennisman sends a wide blast of air towards the viruses, blasting the rockcube in front of them in full force. The gust forces the stone cube backwards, steamrolling the first DBLCUBE and shortly exploding. The second DBLCUBE is perforated by pieces of the cube accelerated by the gust of air. He then sends a volley of kunai towards a miner and a second of tennisballs to the other, deleting both. The Bandcoon returns to Tennisman, holding a packet of zenny data in its oversized teeth.

The Yorts attack, one hitting the net and healing Tennisman, but the second yort and the Yort EX attack in unison. The blades zoom in to Tennisman as the Prog scoots in to provide some defense. The barrier thrown up by the prog manages to hold one of the blade-laden yo-yos at bay, but the stronger of the two manages to slice through and damage both Tennisman and the prog. The Yorts retrieve their yo-yos and move behind some available cover; one behind the RockCube and the other behind the Mystery Data. The Yort EX stands alone, ready to take whatever Tennisman could throw at it.

YortA: 90HP [Behind RockCube]
YortB: 90HP [Behind Mystery Data]
Yort EX: 120HP

MinerA: DELETED
MinerB: DELETED
RockCube: 100HP

DBLCUBEA: DELETED
DBLCUBEB: DELETED
RockCube: DELETED

Mystery Data (Green): 30HP

Terrain: 100% Metal

Tennisman.EXE: 90HP
Deuce.SP: 60HP
Mr. Prog: 25HP
Pickpocket: 100z