Science Busting!

"Whoa!" shouted ViralMan, avoiding the laser.

"Hey, they do fire lasers!" exclaimed Zeo.

"Not helping, Zeo!" ViralMan jumped sideways and landed in front of the Canoguards once again.

By standing here, he was practically asking to get shot, and hurriedly called out. "FireHit!" He moved to the left to keep from being shot at. ViralMan's left arm began glowing with flames. He sprinted at the far left Canoguard, his Sword arm trailing behind him and his flaming fist drawn back to strike. Bracing himself, he jumped at the virus and smashed it with the FireHit. He touched down on the ground and whirled around to the right. Now at the side of the line, he stuck his arm out at the next virus.

"Heatshot!" demanded ViralMan.

"On it!" Zeo replied, putting in the chip.

ViralMan's arm morphed into a grey buster. He fired, and the blast flew at the Canoguard. All that was left now was the cube viruses. Once again, the navi's Sword was being neglected. In an attempt to remedy this, ViralMan lifted his blade and ran forward. He darted to the left of one of the cubes and stabbed his Sword at it before nimbly flipping backwards and running to a safe distance. "Huh, I feel a bit light-headed. Maybe the flip was a bit much."

"Maybe, he says," said Zeo, rolling his eyes.

"It was an evasive maneuver," defended ViralMan.

1. FireHit1 to CanoguardA (60)
2. Heatshot to CanoguardB (40, attempt to line up with CanoguardC)
3. Sword to DBLCubeA (80)
4. Dodge
When ViralMan approached the first CanoGuard, the virus swiveled its head towards the navi and blocked himself from the attack! Even before he could do anything, the virus' guard jutted open and fired a hot bullet right at ViralMan. The navi could only concentrate at the other viruses, as he was able to shot down the other two cannons and managed to take a stab at the DBLCube, which, automatically changed its color to blue. The last DBLCube fired another red lasers at ViralMan, but he was able to swiftly dodge them all.

CanoguardA: 60 [Guard]
CanoguardB: DELETED
CanoguardC: DELETED
CanoguardD: DELETED
DBLCubeA: 20 (Blue)
DBLCubeB: 100 (Red)

Terrain: 100% Normal

Viralman: 80
"Almost done," ViralMan panted. "Dang, those cannon things pack a punch."
"It's no problem. Like you said, we're almost done. Head for those cubes," ordered Zeo.

Still eyeing the Canoguard, ViralMan turned from it to watch the DBLCubes. "One turned blue, that's odd." He took a step forward, lightly swinging the Sword in preparation. The next moment he was running at the red DBLCube, ready to chop it in half. Upon reaching it, the navi rolled to the right like he had before. Instead of stabbing the cube, he stuck out his opposite arm, and a purple Vulcan appeared, replacing his hand. The weapon fired a slew of bullets at the virus, and as it did, ViralMan backed up. "Time to finish you off," he said to himself.

Despite this, Zeo heard him. "We can get both of 'em at once. Shotgun on the way," he said calmly.

"They won't know what hit them," responded ViralMan confidently.

The navi's Vulcan transformed into a regular buster. He backed off a bit, hoping these things were about as mobile as they looked. The Shotgun soared towards the red DBLCube, and would hopefully hit the blue one in addition. All that remained was the Canoguard that had blocked his punch. He walked up to it. Zeo's face popped up on a screen beside him. "It's got that shield up, so you'll have to hit it from behind." ViralMan laughed. "Thanks for the info," he said sarcastically. The screen moved in front of the navi. "Just watch where you're attacking," his operator persisted.

ViralMan had had enough of the warnings. "Fine, fine," he said dismissively.

Charging at the Canoguard, he raised his Sword for the last time. A yard from the virus, he sprung upwards into an aerial somersault. As he did, ViralMan stuck the Sword out, striking at the virus' backside and landing on one knee. He held the position for a few seconds before wavering and standing up dizzily. "Ugh, spinning definitely isn't for me."

"Oh well. It looked cool, right?" Zeo laughed.

1. Viral Vulcan to DBLCubeB (20x3)
2. Shotgun to DBLCubeB (50, spread)
3. Dodge/Tactical Movement: jump over CanoguardA
4. Sword to CanoguardA from behind (80)
((Bump.))
The Viral Vulcan spins the DBLCube around like a roulette and it eventually lands on... Blue. It manages to fire out a healing beam to the other cube before it falls under Shotgun fire. The other DBLCube is hit with the spread and is deleted as well. The last Canoguard is maneuvered around and deleted with a sword swing.

CanoguardA: DELETED
CanoguardB: DELETED
CanoguardC: DELETED
CanoguardD: DELETED
DBLCubeA: DELETED
DBLCubeB: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Normal

Viralman: 80 HP

[Battle 3 - Victory!]

Get: 700z

"And that's the end of that. Wasn't that bad," ViralMan stated triumphantly.

Zeo gave his navi a thumbs up. "Yep, great work as usual. Of course, it was all me."

ViralMan laughed as he approached the remaining data. "Yeah, right. Looks like we got more money." He collected the zenny with slightly less disappointment than last time. "At least it's a fair amount," he consoled himself. While the data transferred, he looked around. Finding the path he'd been on before, ViralMan continued on his way.

"What's next? Bring 'em on,", the navi called boldly.

((Battle 4, 80HP remaining.))
Four ElecOgres approach Viralman, and on full metal terrain to boot! This was going to be a tough one!

ElecOgreA: 120 HP
ElecOgreB: 120 HP
ElecOgreC: 120 HP
ElecOgreD: 120 HP

Terrain: 100% Metal

ViralMan.exe: 80 HP

-BATTLE 4-
-START-
"Found anything yet?" Zeo asked casually.

ViralMan sighted the viruses. "Yeah, I found some..." he trailed off. Floating heads with horns? Who came up with these things? "They're...electric floating heads," he finally managed.

That caught Zeo's attention. "Really?" He looked at the ElecOgres. "Wow, what'll they think of next, huh? They look pretty strong. Try Shotgun."

A few seconds later, ViralMan's left arm transformed into a buster. "Now, how to approach this?" the navi asked himself. "Head on, I suppose." He aimed at one of the ElecOgres and took off running at it. On his way, he noticed the ground was making odd sounds as he ran. Deciding this was a mystery best left unsolved for now, he angled to the right of his chosen virus and fired the Shotgun at it. "Whoever programmed these things needs to get some therapy," quipped ViralMan, backing away from the virus.

ViralMan reached a safe spot and said, "Now what's with this floor?" He kicked it a few times, producing a metal sound. "I guess it's made of metal. Doesn't make much difference."

"Um, ViralMan? Elec type attacks do more damage on metal terrain," Zeo added sheepishly.

His navi frowned. "Oh. That's not good. But we can't do much about it, so send CactBall."

Complying, Zeo loaded the chip. ViralMan picked another target and set off. A green spiked ball appeared in his hand while he neared the virus. This time, he decided to simply hit the ElecOgre from the front. "Take this, you...horned thing!" Zeo burst out laughing. ViralMan ignored him and tossed the CactBall at the floating head. He backpedaled a bit. "I don't know, there isn't much else to call it," ViralMan defended his comment.

"Whatever." Zeo wiped an invisible tear from his eye. "That was a good one. Now see if you can hit them some more." He slotted in another chip. "This one's getting kind of old, but it's still great for damage."

The Sword morphed onto ViralMan's right arm. He held it behind him, shifted his right leg back a bit, and bent his knees. "And...go!" he cried out. The navi sprinted at one of the ElecOgres and lifted his blade to strike. Instead of slashing right away, he circled around the virus and made a quick horizontal cut at the head's side before charging away to a safe distance. He whirled around and watched the ElecOgres as they moved around, wary of an attack.

Zeo wasn't finished with ViralMan's earlier comment. "Horned thing?" he said, grinning.

"Zip it," ordered ViralMan.

1. Shotgun to ElecOgreC (50, spread)
2. CactBall1 to ElecOgreA (20x2-4)
3. Sword to ElecOgreB (80)
4. Dodge



((Sci-bump.))
((More bump.))
The shotgun hit against the two targets and the Cactball dealt two powerful blows on the ElecOgre. When he came up with the Sword, the virus dodged the attack and try to fire its lightning at ViralMan, but the navi barely managed to dodge the attack.

ElecOgreA: 40 HP
ElecOgreB: 120 HP
ElecOgreC: 80 HP
ElecOgreD: 80 HP

Terrain: 100% Metal

ViralMan.exe: 80 HP [Sword: 5 Use]
"Ugh, if one of those bolts hit, it's going to hurt," Zeo stated worriedly.

"I'll be careful," ViralMan responded quickly.

Zeo smirked. "Well, obviously. I doubt you have any desire to get shocked."

"Real funny," his navi grunted. "Now, dodge my attack, will you? You won't dodge this one!" ViralMan sprinted forward, Sword poised for a strike. Suddenly, he stopped. "Wait, which one did I attack last? They all look the same!" He sighed and looked at one of the ElecOgres. "Congratulations, you've now become my target." The virus wasn't far, so ViralMan speedily made his way towards it and jumped into the air. The Sword slashed downward, and as he landed, ViralMan spun around and set off for another ElecOgre.

"Alright, time to finish off the weak one!" Zeo called out.

"You can tell them apart?" asked ViralMan, surprised.

"Yeah, the PET helps with stuff like that. Now," he pointed out a virus. "That one's weak. Heatshot coming your way." Zeo tossed up a Heatshot and slotted it into the PET.

Wasting no time, ViralMan ran at the virus Zeo indicated. He saw an opportunity to hit more than one virus, and angled to the left. The navi dived forward as the Heatshot morphed onto his arm. While still having a hand would have helped his landing, ViralMan managed to land on his side with the Heatshot aimed at the ElecOgre. He fired, and the red hot burst of flame rocketed at the virus and would hopefully hit the one near it. Lacking a hand to get up, both the spent Heatshot and the Sword disappeared in flurries of data, and ViralMan jumped to his feet. He glanced around, wary of oncoming attacks.

"That's enough for now, ViralMan," Zeo stopped him.

ViralMan looked up, confused. "Why?"

Zeo put another chip in the PET and a familiar yellow shield popped up beside his navi. "These things have elevated damage potential. Probably best to stay defensive."

ViralMan sighed again and grabbed the Guard, holding it up and staring at the ElecOgres. "I really don't think this is necessary, Zeo. I'm all for avoiding damage, but this is overkill, defensively."

1. Sword to ElecOgreC (80)
2. Heatshot to ElecOgreA, attempt to line up with ElecOgreB (40, spread)
3. Guard1
4. Dodge
((Bump.))
The Sword cleaved one of the ElecOgres in half and ViralMan turned towards the other remaining viruses. The heatshot only hit its original target, which in the end still got rid of another one. The two ElecOgres began to be agitated and expelled their lightning all over the place, which was a foolish move as ViralMan placed his guard and evaded the rest!! Everything is going just fine, right?

ElecOgreA: DELETED
ElecOgreB: 90 HP
ElecOgreC: DELETED
ElecOgreD: 80 HP

Terrain: 100% Metal

ViralMan.exe: 80 HP [Sword: 4 Use]
"Yes!" exclaimed Zeo happily. "Almost done."

ViralMan was trying to concentrate on avoiding attacks, and quickly called out. "Save the celebrations for when we win!" As he said this, his arm began to glow and reformed into a purple machine gun.

The remaining ElecOgres had both taken damage, but he still had to be careful. One stray bolt and he would be in a lot of pain. "A ranged approach would be best," Zeo agreed with his navi's plan. ViralMan dropped down on one knee and aimed his weapon at one of the viruses. "Take this!" The vulcan fired a spray of bullets at the ElecOgre. A few seconds into the attack, ViralMan redirected the gun at the other virus and the last few shots flew at it. This hopefully left both viruses weak enough to finish off. "I need a decent projectile chip..." he said.

"Cannon?" Zeo asked, holding up the chip.

"Yes, it should work," ViralMan replied, the vulcan disappearing from his arm.

Zeo inserted the chip, and ViralMan's hand changed into a green Cannon. "Haven't used this one in a while," he said. "Time to show your worth." The navi moved a bit closer to one of the ElecOgres, as close as he dared, before placing his free hand on the bottom of the chip to steady his arm. Knowing that the virus could take this chance to attack, ViralMan shot the Cannon at it and promptly dodged to the side. He got up from the ground and looked at the final virus. "What do we have left, Zeo?"

"Nothing that can finish it from a distance," Zeo answered.

"Send FireHit, I'll try to hit it before it hits me," ViralMan ordered, clenching his fists.

His fist caught on fire, and he prepared to attack. "I've just got to hit it with my fist before it fires an attack that hits almost instantly. No problem," ViralMan said sarcastically. He shook his head, dispelling the negative thoughts. Running as fast as he could, he wound up for a punch. Once he got close to the ElecOgre, he ducked low and let loose a flaming uppercut at the floating head. Afterwards, he stumbled back a few steps and caught his breath.

"Time to celebrate?" asked Zeo.

1. Viral Vulcan to ElecOgreB/D (30x2 to B, 30x1 to D)
2. Cannon to ElecOgreB (40)
3. FireHit1 uppercut to ElecOgreD (60)
4. Dodge
ViralMan unleashes his signature attack on the ElecOgres before pumping one in the face with a Cannon. One down.

The last virus seemed to think it was a good idea for a suicide attack. It charged its horns with electricity as Viralman charged at it with a flaming fist. Both attacks connected, but the navi was the one who stood as the winner.

ElecOgreA: DELETED
ElecOgreB: DELETED
ElecOgreC: DELETED
ElecOgreD: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Metal

ViralMan.exe: 20 HP

-VICTORY-
ElecReel1, 300z
"Damn, I got hit," ViralMan cursed. Slowly, he rose from the ground and shuffled over to the reward data. "Hey, we got a chip," he said. "Finally..." He collected the data and took a deep breath. "That last one really hurt. I don't know whether I can keep going."

Zeo smiled and pressed a few buttons on his PET. Instantly, ViralMan looked much better, and felt it, too. "MiniEnergyPack subchip. I forgot we had 'em until about a minute ago. You haven't been completely healed of that last attack, but you're in shape for one more battle at least. And by the way, that chip we got's nothing to sneeze at, the damage of a Sword in a ranged attack that can hit multiple targets."

ViralMan felt even better thanks to that. "Wish I'd had that last battle, would've saved me a hit. Well, you can't win 'em all. Proceeding now," the navi said stoically. Following his own command, he continued on his path.

Battle 5
ViralMan.exe: 20+MiniEnergyPack=70 HP

As ViralMan walked around the SciLab, he came across what looked to be...a carrot. It was still planted on the ground, but it was obviously a gigantic carrot. What will you do?

Carrot: ???

Terrain: 95% Normal, 5% Grass

ViralMan: 70 HP

((You can either attack, leave, or do whatever.))
"...what the..." ViralMan was at a loss for words.

"It's a carrot," said Zeo bluntly.

"I know that!" ViralMan snapped back. "But why is it there?"

Zeo shrugged. "Beats me. It's either someone's cyber-garden or a trap, most likely."

Being of the same opinion, ViralMan approached the cyber-vegetable and studied it. It was pretty big. Was there such thing as a carrot virus? He didn't think so, but then again, he'd just faced giant floating heads. "Maybe I should just leave it alone. But then again, if it is a trap and some idiot or a weak navi comes by, they could get hurt," the navi deliberated, arms crossed. "Ugh, I swear, if I pull this thing out and somehow get deleted, I'm going to be pissed!" He finally walked right up to the carrot and stared at it.

"Jeez, if you're that paranoid about it, I'll send Guard," Zeo chimed in.

"No, I may not be able to remove the carrot and hold the Guard at the same time. Just be ready!" ViralMan cautioned.

And so, after that, ViralMan proceeded to tap the carrot a few times with a fist. He shrugged, rubbed his palms together and planted his feet squarely in front of the carrot. Placing his hands in the best available handholds, he attempted to pull the carrot out of the ground.

1. Confusion
2. Paranoia
3. Indecision
4. Pull carrot from ground
It took ViralMan a good struggle to get the carrot out of the ground, but with one more pull, the digital-veggie popped out and dropped onto the ground. The carrot was as large as anyone suspected it to be, but why would such thing be planted in the middle of SciLab?

"HEY, BOY! ... Away from the Carrot!"

ViralMan turned to see a Heelnavi dressed fully in farmer clothes, complete with a wheat on his mouth and a straw hat.

"That one isa mai-tee big! Good findin!"

To the side of the Heelnavi was another, but he was poorly dressed compare to the other and slightly slouched. The properly dressed Heelnavi stepped closer to ViralMan and crossed his arm, "BOY! I said step away from the Carrot so we can shred it to bits!"

FarmerHeel: 200 HP

WorkerHeel: 100 HP

Carrot: 100 HP

Terrain: 95% Normal, 5% Grass

ViralMan: 70 HP

((Attack, escape, give them the carrot, etc. It's your choice!))