Reluctant busting

Both Gretchen and Roger loved the Sci-Lab area of the net, even if it was a little bit tougher of a place for new net battlers to start. There was always something going on, and the air was filled with the sounds of learning. Well, the sounds of learning, arguing, busting, shopping, arguing, playing, bargaining, and of course, arguing... just another typical day on the internet. But Sci-Lab was best known for its research and its thirst for knowledge, so the pair was drawn there on a regular basis. Gretchen had started by visiting the square, greeting the various programs that worked there and checking the BBS for anything interesting. After a while, she left the square to look for trouble.

"Do you think we'll find anything scary out here today Roger?" Gretchen asked, her eyes darting from side to side.

"If by scary you mean a fire type? Not likely." Roger replied, recalling a recent close call with a Totem and shuddering. "Sci-Lab may have more viruses than one would expect, but nothing too nasty should be around if we stick close to the square."

Gretchen's wings gave a slight twitch, remembering the intense heat all too well. "Still... I'm always worried that I'm not cut out for this battling business. I wish we could figure out some way to use these viruses, rather than having to delete them."

"I remember hearing something a while back about Sci-Lab discovering friendly viruses, I'll keep my eyes peeled for you. In the meantime, we've just got to stand tough and grit through this."

{{Ready for battle 1}}

Making her way into the always fascinating network that is Sci-labs, the pixie-like navi wouldn't have to venture to deeply before a trio of Metools would be spotted heading her way, pickaxes in hand as they waved them about somewhat threateningly towards the navi. Well at least this particular group did not seem to be friendly.

Enemies
Metool A: 40HP
Metool B: 40HP
Metool C: 40HP

Terrain
100% Normal

Ally
Gretchen: 100HP

--Battle 1, Start!--

"Meep!" squeaked Gretchen, spotting the advancing Metools. "Roger, what should we do?"

"First, take a deep breath Gretchen", came the cool response. Roger fumbled around through his papers trying to find what he did with his battle chips. There weren't many options, and finding any of the four chips was proving to be a slight challenge in the horrid mess that was his lab. Of course, Roger couldn't let Gretchen know that things weren't going so hot on his end, so he tried to play it off as best as he could. "Why don't you start by trying to get into a good combat position, and we'll go from there?"

Gretchen frowned, but started to reposition herself anyway. Sometimes Roger was a bit absent minded, and this was really not a good time for that. "Don't tell me you lost the chips already!" she exclaimed, gliding to the left and preparing her buster. " Did you check the top left drawer?" She hunted for a spot that kept the Metools as close to lined up as possible. If she had to fight them with no chips, she would take them on one at a time.

Roger paused, feeling a bit sheepish. "You know me too well Gretch... Hang on" he replied, yanking on the drawer and digging beneath the pens and pencils therein. "Oh! I got one! You'll have to make do with it while I hunt for the rest."

Gretchen lowered her buster for a second as the chip data filtered through. A pair of large wooden logs began to materialize in front of her. "Well at least you found a good one, but it's a bit cumbersome, don't you think?" She shoves the logs with all her might at the group of Metools, one right after the other, hoping that the log's size would make up for any inaccuracies she might have in the attack.

ACTIONS
1-> Movement: Far to the left to get a better shot
2-> RollingLog1: (Target Metool A (& B if able) 50 Wood dmg + Ground Attack + Wide Attack (2) + Double Attack [c])
3-> RollingLog1 [Special second shot]: (Target Metool B (& C if able) 50 Wood dmg + Ground Attack + Wide Attack (2) + Double Attack [c])

After a bit of loss and confusion, the navi and her Op seemed to at least get in sync enough to make a good plan, and quickly set to action of following through as that little navi took off, easily avoiding a slow moving shockwave that had been sent her former direction. Only to let loose a pair of large rolling logs that started to bound across the field. Surprisingly perhaps, each log seemed to overtake the viruses with ease, and in the blink of an eye, the trio were crushed under the heavy weight and deleted just like that.

Enemies
Metool A: Deleted
Metool B: Deleted
Metool C: Deleted

Terrain
100% Normal

Ally
Gretchen: 100HP

—Battle 1, Victory!—
Gretchen: 190z, Guard1

Quote ()

Guard1
Effect: (1 Hit Shield) + (Reflect(up to 60 + Piercing + Line Attack): On Hit)
Accuracy: S
Description: Generates a 1-Hit Shield upon activation. When this shield blocks one hit from a non-Break attack, it responds with a hyper-fast damage ray.
Duration: Until broken or overridden.
Element: Null
Special: Negated by Break. Ignores Impact.
Special: Reflect: Damage returned is equal to the damage of the attack blocked or the damage cap listed, whichever comes first. Reflect is not subject to negation by Impact.
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.

Gretchen stares in disbelief as the trio of Metool crumble to digital dust beneath the weight of the logs. "Well that was... Unexpected."

"Aha! I found the rest of the chips!" Roger exclaims, blissfully unaware of Gretchen's great success. "They were in an old potat- Hey, you won already?"

Gretchen simply rolls her eyes as she begins downloading the victory data. "Yes Roger, the logs did the trick. That being said, now that you have the chips again, I suggest buying a folder to properly store them. Not all the viruses out here will be as simple as Metool, and I don't think either one of us wants to be caught off guard again." As she's sending the data, Gretchen notices a little something extra dropped by the enemies. [color=greenHey Roger theres some chip data mixed in with the Zenny that these guys dropped and it looks right up our alley#33]

Roger pulls a blank chip out of the bag, dusts off the crumbs, and pops it in the side of the PET. "What have we got here, a Guard chip? That'll come in quite handy against some of the heavy hitters out there." When the data finishes transferring, Roger slumps back a little in his chair. "190 Zenny... Well, it's a start, right?"

Gretchen gives a little pirouette, clearly pleased with her first battle. "It's more than we started with, and that chip will help us to clean up more viruses, which in turn will lead to more Zenny!" She starts to head deeper into the Net, humming a little tune as she goes. "Say say, oh playmate, come out and play with me. And bring your dollies three, climb up my apple tree. Slide down my rainbow into my cellar door, and we'll be jolly friends forever more"

"Well aren't we chipper for someone who wasn't really looking forward to busting today?"

"This is more fun than I was anticipating! Besides, does it ever help to be in a foul mood?"

{{Ready for battle two}}

While Gretchen was getting into the swing with her first victory, the battles were only going to get tougher...

That said, the navi came across her next group of viruses on the metal road, but the first thing Gretchen and Roger saw was something the two really didn't want to see: flames...At least, fake flames. The two turret Cannondumbs and the two, cutesy Bunny viruses had their bodies painted with flame designs for no particular reasons, possibly for intimidation? Nonetheless, they tried many other things to make them look tougher than usual with jumping and spinning and whatnot.

The viruses quickly got into position as the Bunnies hid behind the Cannondumbs and the turrets aimed their gun barrel right at Gretchen!

-Fake-Fire-Force (All on Metal)-
"Flame"-CannondumbA: 50 HP
"Burnin'"-CannondumbB: 50 HP
"Fiery"-BunnyA: 50 HP (Behind CannonDumbA)
"Hot"-BunnyB: 50 HP (Behind CannonDumbB)

Terrain:
30% Normal [Side]
40% Metal [Middle road]
30% Normal [Side]

Gretchen.EXE: 100 HP [Metal]

-BATTLE TWO, START!-

Gretchen continued to hum as she glided around the streets of SciLab's net, and even gave a little tap number when the ground turned to metal beneath her. Before long, however, there were more viruses to bust, and their looks stopped her singing and dancing cold. "Roger? I thought that Bunny's were an electric type, not fire?"

Roger leaned in close to the PET, looking at the strange markings on the tough looking viruses... Or what he assumed was supposed to be a show of toughness. Seeing cute Bunnys acting like a biker gang was more comical than scary. Still, he couldn't help but feel a slight chill at the notion of flames. "You're right, Bunnys are known to be electric, and Cannodumbs aren't supposed to have elements at all. It might be some sort of intimidation tactic?"

Gretchen inched toward the group, wanting to learn more, but her survival instincts kicked in when the Cannodumbs focused their aim. "Viruses are smarter than they look, what if they somehow switched elements?"

"I don't want to take any chances," Roger began, sorting the battle chips into a better organized state. "Let's start by removing any advantages that they might have if they're really electric, and try not to get hurt either way ok? Activating SetSolar and sending you that new chip, along with a shotgun. We do need to see what at least one of these guys can do, because if those flames aren't just for decoration, wood Navi's like you are going to need to know. Hit and run, got it?"

Gretchen grimaced as she looked again at the flames painted on the sides of the viruses. "You won't have to tell me twice." The ground around her started to shimmer as the metal began to transform. At roughly the same time, a large round shield materialized in Gretchen's hand. "I'm suddenly finding my chipper mood missing here..." she grumbled, crouching behind the shield and waiting for her chance to move. "Can't we just use the logs again? It worked so well last time... You know what they say about curious cats!"

"First of all, you're not a cat, you're a pixie. Secondly, you know as well as I do that those designs aren't normal, and we have got to find out more." Roger paused for a second, watching the movements of the viruses on the PET's screen. "OK, go!"

Gretchen dropped the shield and dove to the right, a Shotgun forming in her hand as she rolled into a squat. Taking aim, she let the shot fly and popped back up to her feet, ready to move again as soon as able.

Free -> Activate SetSolar
1 -> Guard1 (1 Hit Shield) + (Reflect(up to 60 + Piercing + Line Attack): On Hit)
2 -> Dodge right
3 -> Shotgun: Target "Burnin" and "Hot": (50 + Spread 1) [A]

Seeing such an oddity in the net the young pixie and her Op took on a more defensive roll as the battle began, calling up a shield and took to the move, which worked out quite well for her as it turned out. As that first cannon got a lock on and fired upon her, only for it to smash into the shield and send the blast right back at it. Which actually sliced right through it and hit the very surprised and upset bunny behind it. Hopping mad it stepped into view and quickly flung its own electrical charge strike at the navi, but she was far too graceful in step and easily avoided the strike.

While taking to attack at last, she let out a mighty blast from her shotgun, which peppered the second cannon and bunny with painful damage, enough to delete the both of them easily.

-Fake-Fire-Force-
"Flame"-CannondumbA: 30 HP [Solar]
"Burnin'"-CannondumbB: Deleted
"Fiery"-BunnyA: 30 HP [Metal]
"Hot"-BunnyB: Deleted

Terrain:
20% Normal [Side]
10% Metal [Middle road]
20% Normal [Side]
50% Solar [Large circle in middle]

Ally
Gretchen.EXE: 100 HP [Solar] [Guard1: Destroyed]

"Looks like the Bunnys are really electric after all," Commented Roger, barely able to contain the relief in his voice. "I must admit that a part of me is a little disappointed; we could have bore witness to a whole new breed of virus there."

Gretchen looked around as the dust from the first two deleted viruses began to settle. "You won't hear any complaints from me this time around. I still don't understand why viruses would attempt intimidation tactics like this... Are we sure that they're just rogue programs bent on destruction?"

Roger raised an eyebrow as he sent a couple more chips her way. "Did you forget about the ZapRing that last Bunny threw at you? Or the Cannon that shattered your shield? They're viruses, Gretchen. They need to be deleted."

She sighed as her buster enlarged to mimic the shape of the stationary virus before her. "That would be a lot easier to believe if I didn't see so much personality in these things..." She steadied her aim and let loose at the remaining Cannodumb, but then an idea struck her. Dropping the cannon, she zipped closer to the remaining Bunny. "Hey there fella', you don't really want to fight do you?" she asked, reaching out a hand to it.

Roger was dumbfounded, but let her have her moment anyway. If the Bunny shot her, she wouldn't have any more doubts. Just in case, he prepared to load in his rageclaw chip. She was close enough for it to work anyway...

1 -> Cannon (40 + Knockback) [A]
2 -> Movement, get in close to the Bunny
SPLIT TURN -> (Waiting for enemy reaction before taking final action)

With a quick blast, Gretchen was able to delete the cannon virus with ease, and while she probably could have done the same to the bunny, a new tactic was opted for as she moved up in front of it and offered a hand, to the very surprised little thing. After blinking at her a few times in shock, and a quick glance around the battlefield, the bunny hopped back, let out what was probably a frightened spark from its ears that apparently was harmless, before quickly bounding off deeper into the net, leaving the pixie standing there to watch it go.

-Fake-Fire-Force-
"Flame"-CannondumbA: Deleted
"Burnin'"-CannondumbB: Deleted
"Fiery"-BunnyA: Escaped
"Hot"-BunnyB: Deleted

Terrain:
20% Normal [Side]
10% Metal [Middle road]
20% Normal [Side]
50% Solar [Large circle in middle]

Ally
Gretchen.EXE: 100 HP [Solar]

—Battle 2, Victory!—
Gretchen: 270z

In all honesty, Roger was probably just as surprised as that Bunny was. To his knowledge, viruses didn't just run away ever... Did they? "Remind me to have you post something about this on the BBS later."

Gretchen crouched as she watched the little Bunny bounce away. "Fiery little thing, wasn't it?" she chuckled, a little sad to see it go. She began decoding the data the viruses left behind, "We'll definitely have to do some research on things like this. Maybe viruses aren't all as bad as we think?"

Roger leaned back in his chair, his mind reeling from the last encounter. Was it truly possible? Sure he had heard rumors of Navies who could use viruses as allies, but those were usually shady characters, if the rumors were anything more than that to begin with. "Keep going a little while longer Gretchen, I'll see if I can find anything in the meantime." He paused for a moment, then added, "And don't get the wrong idea here. Even if we find out that you're right, friendly viruses would be few and far between. Whatever you'll come up against next will be sure to prove that most viruses are dangerous."

With a smile, Gretchen rose from her spot, and headed further into the net, her chipper attitude quickly returning, "We'll see about that." The spring back in her step, she returned to the song she had been previously singing, "Say say, oh playmate, I cannot play with you. My dolly's got the flu, oh boo hoo hoo hoo hoo! Ain't got no rainbow, ain't got no cellar door, but we'll be jolly friends forevermore."

{{Ready for friendship battle 3}}

After a quite surprising ending to her previous battle, the navi had started to head on deeper along the network, and even seemed cheerful enough to start singing along the way. Which as it turned out signaled the upcoming group of viruses that she was coming, because without warning a Shockwave would go sailing right past her, and while it was pretty obvious the intent was more to catch the navi's attention than cause harm, the sender was clear.

For there, up ahead awaited a new troop of viruses, all standing guard in front of a large green glowing crystal of lost data, that they seemed quite intent on keeping for themselves.

Enemies
Metool A: 40HP
Metool B: 40HP
Billy: 80HP
Champu: 60HP

Terrain
100% Normal

Ally
Gretchen.EXE: 100HP

Misc
GMD: 20HP

—Battle 3, Start!—

Gretchen's singing nearly cost her this time, as the shockwave blazed across her path. She was so startled, she almost fell over backwards while trying to back pedal away from the blast. However, she recovered quickly and brought her buster up as she looked for the source of the attack. Roger let out a small sigh, somewhere between relief and exasperation. "See, what did I tell you? You've got to stay on your guard when you're out in places like this, especially when you're by yourself!" He was about to reprimand her more, but it was just then that he noticed one virus that made his blood run cold. "Oh dear..."

Gretchen was about to snap back at Roger when she saw the group of viruses and her confidence simply vanished. Her buster dropped to her side and her wings gave a nervous twitch, "Ohhhh f-fire..." She took a small step back, preparing to run the other way, but then she noticed the glowing crystal that the quad was guarding.

As if sensing her hesitation, Roger shook his head and gave her an out, "You don't have to do this one Gretchen. That data may look appealing, and those viruses look pretty intent on keeping it for themselves. We don't have to take on a fire virus right now." But even as he was saying it, he knew what her response would be.

"N-no, we have to do this. " Gretchen took a deep breath and raised her buster once more, "We're here to earn some money, and that data looks too good to pass up. If we run from every fire virus we encounter, we'll never learn how to handle them if we get stuck with a bigger one." Without waiting for another response, Gretchen started into the fray, dashing toward the left of the viruses.

"I had a feeling you would say that," Roger whispered, grabbing a pair of chips from the table. "All right, I'm sure you could have figured this out on your own, but our top priorities are avoiding damage from that Champu, and deleting him before he can become a problem. Getting that data would be nice, but we can't focus on it just yet. " The Shotgun chip came first, and Gretchen knew just what Roger was thinking. Pushing far enough to the left to avoid hitting the data with the spread, she let loose on the Champu, barely caring if the attack hit anything else at all. As she dropped the weapon, the air around her shimmered as the metal shield appeared to give her a moment's respite to figure out their next step.

"This chip was a great find, don't you think?"
Summary
1 -> Movement, far left, attempting to avoid the Mystery Data
2 -> Shotgun [Target Champu] (Damage 50 + Spread 1) [A]
3 -> Guard1 (1 Hit Shield) + (Reflect(up to 60 + Piercing + Line Attack): On Hit)

Though she was facing difficult enemies, Gretchen was able to sally on and make the first move in the battle!

As she moved to the side, the Metools fired another set of shockwaves... But it all missed. The shotgun was a successful hit against the fiery Champu and the Billy, but they quickly retaliated by firing back their burning fists and ball lightning. The Guard chip was able to reflect back the Champu's attack, effectively deleting the virus as it shot the fist right back, but it left the navi open for the electric shock that paralyzed her on the spot!

Enemies
Metool A: 40HP
Metool B: 40HP
Billy: 15HP
Champu: DELETED

Terrain
100% Normal

Ally
Gretchen.EXE: 85HP (Stunned!: -1 Action)

Misc
GMD: 20HP

"Ahhh!" Gretchen cried, a jolt coursing through her body. As she instinctively tries to get away from the attack, she discovers that she is frozen solid. Panic starts to set in as she realizes that she can't control her own body, "Roger, I- I can't move!"

Roger swore under his breath. The Champu may have been dealt with, but she was a sitting duck after that Billy's shot! Riffling through his chip pile, he saw that he had a Cannon, a Rageclaw, and a Rollinglog left, not exactly great chips for the situation. "Gretchen, you're going to have to shake out of that pretty quick, because I've got nothing over here. I'm sending you the only safe chip to use against these guys to keep that data safe. Let me know if you just want to trash them instead..."

The Net Navi, finally shaking off the paralysis, quickly dives to her right, knowing that standing still against an angry opponent is never a good idea. As she hits the ground, the chip data pulls through, and her busters are replaced with a pair of claws. Whether it was from the shock of taking damage, or the panic of being unable to move, Roger couldn't be sure, but Gretchen's demeanor seemed to change along with the chip data. She glanced at her claws, and a vicious grin spreads across her face as her gaze shifts back to focus on the wounded Billy, "You want to play rough? FINE!" from her position on the ground, she bolts forward, looking almost feral in appearance, and claws at the Billy with a previously unseen ferocity, practically growling with rage as she does so.

"Um... Gretchen?"

Summary
1-> PARALYZED
2-> Movement, dodge right
3-> RageClaw1: Target = Billy: Damage: 40 + Slashing (Attack)

((Make sure to list your attack's targets~))

Gretchen was able to snap out from her paralysis and jump out into safety just as the viruses began their attacks, successfully allowing the navi a lucky break! To top it off, her furious rageclaw attack had shredded the Billy into pieces, leaving only two Metools... and one floating Thunderball that was actively chasing after Gretchen!

Enemies
Metool A: 40HP
Metool B: 40HP
Billy: DELETED [Thunderball chasing after Gretchen!]
Champu: DELETED

Terrain
100% Normal

Ally
Gretchen.EXE: 85HP [RageClaw: 5/6 Uses]

Misc
GMD: 20HP

((Meep, sorry! I had been, but slipped up on that last one.))

The now wild Navi, her breath coming in ragged gasps, turned and growled at the thunderball, and bounded off towards the closest Metool, zigzagging as she went. Upon reaching the poor virus, Gretchen leaped over it, and when she touched the ground behind it, spun around and attempted to get her claw underneath the little guy so that she could launch him into the air at the electric orb. With a snarl, she spun back towards the second Metool, not even bothering to wait to see if the flip would work.

"HEY! Gretchen! Snap out of it!" shouted Roger, seriously worried about her for the first time all day. Where on earth was this coming from? She was always so docile, even in the middle of a fight! Was this really the same Navi who just a short while ago was trying to befriend a Bunny? "What is the matter with you?"

His cries fell on deaf ears, however, as Gretchen lunged at the last virus on the field, tearing at it with savage swipes of the Rageclaw. She glared around the battlefield, looking for something else to fight, and her eyes settled on the glowing crystal. With another growl, she took a step towards it.

Roger yanked open another drawer and pulled out a set of small tools, and began pulling off the back panel of his PET. Something was very wrong with Gretchen, and he couldn't just sit here and watch her go crazy like this! As he looked inside, he noticed that one of the wires had gotten loose, and there was a tiny scorch mark at the base where it connected. Roger frowned, could PET's even blow a fuse? He picked up a pair of tweezers and reattached the wire...

Summary:
1 -> Movement (Dodge-ish?): Zigzagging towards Metool B
2 -> Rageclaw1 [Target Metool B]: 20 + Impacting (Throw) [b]
3 -> Rageclaw1 [Target Metool A]: 40 + Slashing (Attack)

Gretchen had turned into something violent, which struck fear into the Metool's poor hearts. Her movement had zipped passed the Thunderball and the slow moving sphere was just... too slow to really catch up, dispersing in the process. The Metools tasted a bit of throwing and slashing till only one remained.

The last virus, in its last attempt, struck its mattock on the ground to shoot forth a shockwave, but its aim was completely off as the fear was setting in quick...

Enemies
Metool A: DELETED
Metool B: 20HP
Billy: DELETED
Champu: DELETED

Terrain
100% Normal

Ally
Gretchen.EXE: 85HP [RageClaw: 3/6 Uses]

Misc
GMD: 20HP

Her claws mere inches from the Green Mystery Data, a small spark shoots through her system, snapping her out of the rage as quickly as it had appeared. She stared silently at her outstretched claws for a moment, as if not comprehending how they got there. "Gretchen?" Roger asks, not quite sure what to make of the situation. With a start, Gretchen pulls her hands back and takes a couple of steps away from the GMD.

"Wha- What just happened?" She lets the Rageclaw data dissipate, clearly freaked out over her little... outburst. "I had no control! I mean, I could see what was going on, and I knew what I was doing, but it wasn't me! I-"

Roger cuts her off, loading his last chip into the PET, "Hey! There's still one more virus to take out, ok? Deal with him first, and I'll fill you in as we go." Gretchen turns toward the remaining Metool, a million thoughts running through her head. Roger gives her a quick synopsis as the Rollinglog forms before her. "The short version is that you apparently blew a fuse." Gretchen opens her mouth to object, but Roger continues before she can reply, "I'm not sure exactly what happened, or how that even makes sense, but it's what happened, ok? You got hit by the electric attack from that Billy, and it fried something in the PET. Don't worry, it's fixed now, and I'm going to be looking into this as soon as we're done. "

Gretchen frowns, not quite understanding everything, but she takes a deep breath and finishes the task at hand. With a couple of shoves, she sends the logs toward the last poor virus, hoping to simply get this over with. She takes a few more deep breaths, trying to stay calm and clear her mind, but she is obviously shaken by the ordeal.

Summary:
1 -> Hesitating (Effectively nothing happens)
2 -> Rollinglog1 [Target Metool B]: Damage 50 + Ground Attack + Wide Attack (2) + Double Attack [c]
3 -> Rollinglog1 [Target Metool B]: Damage 50 + Ground Attack + Wide Attack (2) + Double Attack [c]

Seemingly lost in the sudden transition of an overload, the little pixie stopped and stared, which seemed to be a bad idea as the Metool released a shockwave her way. Though while it was on route she and her operator finally got things settled for the moment and she sent two rolling logs towards the creature. And while it did get hit and finally deleted by one of the logs, its own attack struck home, knocking the navi from her feet as the battle finally came to a close.

Enemies
Metool A: Deleted
Metool B: Deleted
Billy: Deleted
Champu: Deleted

Terrain
100% Normal

Ally
Gretchen.EXE: 75HP [RageClaw: 3/6 Uses Remaining]

Misc
GMD: 20HP

—Battle 3, Victory!—
Gretchen: 390z, FireHit1

Quote ()

FireHit1
Damage: 60 + Impact + Double Attack
Accuracy: A
Description: Throws a blazing punch from a distance, Hadoken style.
Duration: Up to 2 uses before the end of the turn
Element: Fire
Special: Double Attack: After spending an action to attack with this chip, you may choose to spend a second action and attack with it again before the end of the turn.

[Open GMD? ([b]Y/N?[/b])