Burning off some energy

Holo's eyes clenched in pain as the second blast hit him, eating away the minor buffer he had just managed to create. This is getting me nowhere... he thought, lamenting the fact that Aelieth had yet to send him the chip he needed to speed along the fight. For the fourth time this fight, a chip became available to Holoß, this time before he had even thought to ask for one. It seemed Aelieth was just starting to slot in chips at set intervals, not even waiting for the request BEEP. A wave of relief flushed over Holo as he realized what chip he had just received, immediately overpowered by a horrible feeling in the depths of his gut; the title of the Battle Chip read "Dash Attack". He silently swallowed his rising panic as he activated the chip...

"Hello."

The words silently floated through Holo's head as shards of metal began to gather on his forearm. The voice seemed entirely different than last time, less robotic and full of personality. At the moment, it was calm, patiently waiting for a response.

Uh... hi? he thought back. Though he had a penchant for playing with his chips, often altering their appearance and behavior until they only loosely resemble their normal usage. This was different, though... He had no memory of instigating this change in the Dash Attack.

"I do believe we had gotten off on the wrong foot earlier. I was... perhaps a bit rough when I originally manifested." She--no... it--said, its manner business like with a tinge of regret. "I would like to extend a hand in hopes I can make up for my previous actions." Holo's right arm, now fully encased in the metal Fishy, gently rose to face the group of viruses, engines softly glowing as they idled. It... she seemed sincere in trying to make up for past damages.

Sure. Apology accepted.

"Wonderful!" she said, relief evident. "Well then..." A playful spark entered her voice. "Would you like to play a game?"

Holoß grinned inwardly as he nodded, wheels materializing along his feet as the turbines roared to life. He taxied into a more advantageous position, carefully aligning himself with the viruses as the Dash Attack handled the fine-tuning of their aim. When he was satisfied with their chances, he locked his arm in front of him.

Alright! Here we go!

Great tongues of blue flame burst from the trio of engines, rocketing Holo forward upon wheeled feet. To gain greater stability, he crouched as he sped towards the viruses, the new aerodynamics causing visible streams of air to be pushed aside from the wedge-like front of the Fishy spearheading the assault. Their speed reached a crescendo as Holo thundered into the mists of his enemies, a pair of afterimages trailing behind him before diverting into the crowd. He punched through the line, slowing down significantly as the chip's energy diminished. "It was great working with you again. Until next time~" the disembodied voice of the Dash Attack said as the mechanical Fishy was once again replaced by Holo's normal arm.

Huh... Battle Chips with actual personalities... he mused as he banked hard to the right, still rolling from the momentum the speedy attack had left him. Who'd of thought? His thoughts were interrupted as he faced the dust cloud kicked up by the speed he just ripped through the group of viruses. As much he wished it would've, he knew that there wasn't enough in that attack to kill all of the viruses. Severely hurt them, yeah, but this fight wasn't over yet.

--Summary--
1. Take Aim
2. Dash Attack (90 damage + impact. Targeting ElecOgreA, ElecOgreB, ElecOgreC, KabutankA, and KabutankB.)
-VHP:MI (15 damage. Targeting ElecOgreC.)
-VHP:MII (5 damage. Targeting ElecOgreC.)
3. Dodge

((Not too sure if I'm supposed to "Take Aim" at a specific target, or if, since it's a chip that can hit multiple, I can aim at a group. If the later isn't the case, please tell me before modding so that I can modify the action.))

((Bump))

((According to the sig effect description, Take Aim raises the accuracy of the attack itself, so I guess even if it hits more than one target, the accuracy is increased for all hits.))

The viruses' constant shifting movements worked against them as Holoß activated his repentant DashAttack and charged his way through the group. Two ElecOgres were punched through along with one of the Kabutanks in the rear. The surviving ElecOgres were now facing the wrong way and completely missed with their sparking attacks, while the remaining Kabutank retaliated but also missed with its bomb.

ElecOgreA: DELETED
ElecOgreB: 65 HP
ElecOgreC: 10 HP
KabutankA: 45 HP
KabutankB: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Metal

Holoß: 110 HP

((Thanks))

Wheels vanished from Holoß's feet as he hit the ground running, strafing around the remaining viruses. He stumbled slightly, his mind only half there as he began weighing his remaining options. He only had two chips left, if his count was right, and three enemies on which to use them. As he sent what would be the final alarm for this fight, there was no need to bother Aelieth if he couldn't get anymore chips, two chips were slotted in and transmitted to the Navi: a Cannon and his trusty Rage Claw. He planted his front foot, stopping his forward movement as he snapped around to face the viruses. Crooking his arms, a slightly-smaller-than-life maritime cannon materialized in the gap between his arm and side. Steadying the unwieldy weapon with his left hand, a third arm, manifested purely for lighting the match cord, sprouted out of his right shoulder and ignited the firing mechanism. He managed to face the muzzle at the skittering Kabutank before it let out a jarring peal, plumes of smoke masking the launch of not one, but two rounds of artillery. The leaden spheres arced through the air, the second cannonball a faded and flickering green.

As the heavy round shot pounded down upon their target, the cannon and the extra arm vanished in a flash of white as Holoß charged into the fray, a series of deadly claws blossoming from his raised forearm. He ran low and hard, sidestepping in unpredictable patterns as he made his approach, trying to make himself a more difficult target. A powerful underhand strike, followed by a second blow arcing down and joining his arm, announced his arrival to the ElecOgre he was now trying to hurl at its partner. It was risky getting this close to these electric oni, but with the viruses now on the ropes Holoß wanted to push the advantage as much as possible.

--Summary--
1. Cannon (40 damage + knockback. Targeting KabutankA)
-VHP: MII (5 damage. Targeting KabutankA)
2. Dodge
3. Rage Claw (20 damage + impacting. Throwing ElecOgreB into ElecOgreC)
-VHP: MI (15 damage. Targeting ElecOgreB)

Holoß's Cannon brought the Kabutank so close to deletion it was almost ridiculous how it managed to stay alive, but sadly it wasn't alive for much longer as some kind of laggy extra damage managed to poke it to death. Meanwhile the navi had taken to charging one of the ElecOgres with his Rageclaw. It tried to shock the floor below the navi but it missed and suffered the consequences as sharp claws dug into its mask. The damage was amplified as another ghostly Holoß dug another set of claws into the virus's face. The two versions of Holoß then threw the ElecOgre into the other one. The second virus was impaled on first's horns and promptly deleted but the one being thrown had survived.

ElecOgreA: DELETED
ElecOgreB: 30 HP
ElecOgreC: DELETED
KabutankA: DELETED
KabutankB: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Metal

Holoß: 110 HP [rageclaw: 5 uses remaining]

Holoß picked himself up; he had overcompensated on the follow through with the throw and found himself with a close-up view of the metal floor. One left, then it's back to the PET to prepare for the match... he thought, razor-sharp lengths of keratin clinking as the tips of his claws touched. Ready to finish this up, Holo charged the ElecOgre, quickly closing the gap between him and the virus. Just before he was in attack range, he jumped to the side, circling around his foe with one fluid movement to throw its aim off. Poised to strike from behind, a great furry paw attached to a now bear-like Holoß crashed forward with horrible force. A trickle of bright light flashed between arms as his left paw followed its right, the newly transferred Rage Claw rending at his foe, two ghostly claws tracing the arc of the attack after their lead.

--Summary--
1. Dodge
2. Rage Claw (40 damage + slashing. Targeting ElecOgreB)
3. Rage Claw (40 damage + slashing. Targeting ElecOgreB)
-VHP:MI (15 damage. Targeting ElecOgreB)
-VHP:MII (5 damage. Targeting ElecOgreB)

((Crappy post is crappy. Sorry about that.))

((Bump))

The last virus was on its last string as the its attack missed the Holo and saw him going straight towards it. ElecOgre couldn't do anything as the navi hurled its claw straight down, deleting it right on the premise!

ElecOgreA: DELETED
ElecOgreB: DELETED
ElecOgreC: DELETED
KabutankA: DELETED
KabutankB: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Metal

Holoß: 110 HP [rageclaw: 3 uses remaining]

-BATTLE WON!-
850z

The projector Navi stood for a while, expecting his fight to have run him straight to the start of his next match. No recall occurred. Well... maybe a bit longer... he thought, pressing on to greener pastures-- or at least ones with less metal.

((Round 4, against my better judgement))

((Bump))

Holoß found an area of the network that looked heavily damaged from viral activity. There were large pits everywhere, practically converting the terrain into a checkerboard of hazards. Among the enemy forces were three Hardheads and two Larks that hovered over the whole mess, seemingly unconcerned the pits at all. Out from some of the broken panels, three Momogras popped out to greet Holoß as well.

LarkA: 100 HP
LarkB: 100 HP
HardheadA: 60 HP [ironbody]
HardheadB: 60 HP [ironbody]
HardheadB: 60 HP [ironbody]
MomograA: 60 HP
MomograB: 60 HP
MomograC: 60 HP

Terrain: 60% Normal, 40% Broken ((Mostly checkerboard))

Holoß: 110 HP

[Battle 4 - Begin!]

Well, so much for an easy time... the holographic Navi thought, carefully treading his way through the battlefield as he approached combat range of the viruses. He accessed the alarm once more and rang for battle chips. Moments passed and no chips came. He rang once more, unsuccessfully, before firmly setting a newly created jaw in annoyance.

Guess I'm in this alone this go... He grimly thought before taking off, skipping through the field in the world's deadliest game of hopscotch. He jumped his way to one of the Momogras, swinging low as he made his approach. An oversized hammer, similar to those found in children's cartoons, flashed into existence, a dazzling point of bright light shining on the face that was now traveling through the air straight towards the virus. As he followed through with the swing, the hammer violently and repeatedly lagged in the span of a fraction of a second as Holo toggled the framerate of his projectors. He continued on, seeking a patch of solid ground to stage his defense.

--Summary--
1. HoloBuster (8 damage. Targeting MomograA)
-VHP:MI (15 damage. Targeting MomograA)
-VHP:MII (5 damage. Targeting MomograA)
2. Dodge
3. Dodge

Holo approached the mole-virus as he hopped over the broken terrains and swung his comical hammer. Unfortunately, the swing missed as the Momogra dug into the ground and reappeared behind Holo to get a quick stab with his shovel. The navi was able to fix his position from the wild swing and laid two quick hits on the virus before it dug into the ground once more. The Lark and the Hardheads began attacking, but the chipless navi took on a defensive approach and dodged them all.

LarkA: 100 HP
LarkB: 100 HP
HardheadA: 60 HP [Ironbody]
HardheadB: 60 HP
HardheadB: 60 HP [Ironbody]
MomograA: 40 HP
MomograB: 60 HP
MomograC: 60 HP

Terrain: 60% Normal, 40% Broken ((Mostly checkerboard))

Holoß: 95 HP

More holographic chips of the Navi spattered across the Netscape as the projectors furiously began refreshing repeatedly to rebuild his weakened frame. Dispersing with the mallet, Holo braced himself for another attack run when Battle Chips were suddenly slotted in. It's about time! Holoß thought, accessing the chips. At least I won't be defenseless as these guys wail on me... he remarked dryly as he noticed the Rage Claw in the bundle. Worst comes to worst he could use that for a while. But first.... it was time to hopefully gain a second wind.

He activated his first chip, the minute blue and red cube appearing once again at his feet. Setting it down on the square he was standing on to avoid the risk of it falling in one of the numerous holes patterned into the field, He took a diagonal step back as the chip swelled in size, multicolored faces flashing rapidly between its opposing colors. In a final spasm of pigment, the Double Cube decided on a course of action and sprayed the field in a laser light show glorious enough to make even the most showy rock bands jealous. As the block faded to grey, shrank down and shattered, Holo pushed forward yet again, skipping from panel to panel one leaping bound at a time.

Holo charged into the Momogras again, extra digits appearing as five wicked looking, and quite sharp, nails extruded from their tips and raked across the ground. Little trenches trailed behind Holo as he made his approach once more, widening his grip before slamming his palm into (what he hoped) was a Momogra's head, digging his nails into... something. Transferring his forward momentum into a one-armed throw, Holo's projectors surged as he launched his claw-captive ammo towards another Momogra. A lag spike caught the projectile as it left his grasp, dealing a minor blow but, more importantly, causing it to lag as well, a ghostly green afterimage trailed behind the flying...whatever.

Allowing his off balance throw to spin him in a different direction, Holo pushed off with both legs, springing him forward and hopefully towards another defensible position. Being caught in an open area with gaping holes didn't sound like the safest idea to him.

--Summary--
1. DBLBeam (40 null to all enemies or 30 heal to Holoß)
2. RageClaw (20 damage + impacting. Targeting MomograB and throwing at MomograC.)
3. Dodge

((Bumping an hour and change early, since I won't be on to bump at the 24 hour mark. I figured since it's just an hour, no harm done, but let me know if I've done wrong here.))

The cube fired a colorful beam up into the sky and blue lights shined upon Holo, slowly mending the navi's wounds. It was unfortunate that it wasn't able to do its job, but that didn't stop Holo from grabbing the Momogra that was sneaking up on him and throw it against its own friend. The two hardheads popped their mouths open while the other one closed and fired two cannonballs, but it was a useless effort when the navi was able to dodge the attack with ease.

LarkA: 100 HP
LarkB: 100 HP
HardheadA: 60 HP
HardheadB: 60 HP [IronBody]
HardheadB: 60 HP
MomograA: 40 HP
MomograB: 40 HP
MomograC:40 HP

Terrain: 60% Normal, 40% Broken ((Mostly checkerboard))

Holoß: 125 HP

"Time to jack out, Holo. Our match is about to start."

Holoß jerked at the sudden reappearance of his operator. Unfortunately, the projector Navi realized after the initial shock, he couldn't comply until he was clear of the viruses. What's more, most of the viruses were not even hurt, let alone on death's door. Clearly he had misjudged how badly a 'bit longer' was going to turn out to be. There's nothing for it... the projector Navi thought. There was only one option remaining to him if he was to have any hope of reaching his next tournament fight...

It was time to run away like a coward.

And with that, the Navi turned his back to all he had worked for. It was a difficult decision, but as the old adage goes: "He who fights and runs away lives to make it to his arena before he's disqualified." Of course, that's just what he told himself has he turned tail and ran with his tail between his legs, trying to put as much distance between him and the remaining viruses, attempting to activate his Jack Out protocols.

--Summary--
1-3. Escape

Luck was on Holo's side as his maneuvers allowed him to escape the battle.

LarkA: 100 HP
LarkB: 100 HP
HardheadA: 60 HP
HardheadB: 60 HP [IronBody]
HardheadB: 60 HP
MomograA: 40 HP
MomograB: 40 HP
MomograC:40 HP

Terrain: 60% Normal, 40% Broken ((Mostly checkerboard))

Holoß: 125 HP [ESCAPED]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Holo found himself back in the Normal Net of SciLabs. Time to jack out?

((Thankee Shin))

Holo took one more look over his shoulder, making sure he was clear, before Jacking Out. It was time to face the music.