A Motive for Training

As the remote bits seemed to ignore her and chase fervently after her friend, Lyntael found herself gritting her teeth in frustration, and doing the only thing left to her; begin to follow after. Her far more competent ally deftly avoided one strike then another, but Lyn heard her own voice cry out as the third snagged the other woman and left her tumbling into another fragmented pit. This wasn't good, they couldn't even fight back until they reached the viruses controlling those bits, on the last platform still above them. Far above her, at least, it seemed. They couldn't make headway like this... what could they do? She could feel the panic creeping back in as she stood, frozen to the spot for a moment, looking upward towards the topmost platform. What could she...?

Martia's voice cut through her head-lit state a moment later, and her eyes snapped back to where her partner had already hauled herself out of the second pit, looking... somewhat more ragged from the continued assault. How did she stay so calm though it all? Wasn't she in so much pain by now? A question, she was calling a question to her. Lyntael did her best to pull herself back together. She managed a quick glance upwards as the other woman spoke quickly. Two platforms up, and almost directly above her. She could make that work, maybe.

"I... A chip... I think I... I mean, I've never done it, but..." It was a long way up... and a long way down if she couldn't make the jumps.

"Lyntael," the deep, rich voice that seemed to come from just back over her shoulder drew her up short and she silenced for a moment. As it usually did, Rogan's voice had something of a calming effect on her frayed nerves. "I know what you're capable of, and so do you. Now, stop hesitating, and act." A lot of people probably wouldn't noticed the difference, but she did; this was not a reprimand from him. There was something softer in the words... he was just stating a truth, not calling her down.

"Yes, sir." Lyntael took a breath and nodded to Martia across the field, speaking more clearly to her this time.
"I'll do my best, as fast as I can."

Nodding once more to herself and swallowing her worry, Lyntael reached out a hand towards the data that Martia passed to her. In the last few feet, it bundle of light gravitated to her more directly, stretching out into a complex string that wove itself neatly into a series of loops around her wrist. The awareness of the data she held flickered through her as it coiled. So that's what it felt like. It nestled close to her skin and just on the surface of her consciousness, ready to be activated fully, but safe for now. As soon as she had it, Lyntael turned from her friend and stepped back to the railing she was close to, looking up again. Well, if the bits were chasing Martia, lets see them catch her now. She was a drawing wind current in again even as she stepped up to the railing, balancing easily on the top rail and crouching, toes curling comfortable as she gathered the air. It was a wide space, and there was a lot of air current for her to work with. She could feel it all shifting and moving about, some of it ventilated in various directions, more circulating free.

She looked up again, gauging. Could she make that? One platform at a time, it would have to be, definitely, and even then, it might be a near thing. Two jumps, then, with a pulse in between to hold and maintain. She could do that. Would have to. The more air she drew in tight around her, the more she felt the strain of drawing build inside her, but unlike the charge that coursed through her body, this was a good strain, and she found a small part of herself revelling in it. Her eyes closed, feeling and directing and she felt her hands rise off the rail. When the strain reached its peak her eyes snapped open and she sprang, hands thrusting downward as her legs uncoiled, and a fierce release of wind pressure thrust her upward sharply. Her body stretched out with a lithe grace, arcing out just slightly to stop her hitting the platform above. She reached and gripped, hands locking onto the guard rail of the upper platform as she neared the peak of her jump, the wind current swinging her around into a neat handstand on the rail itself.

Until that point, her skirt had done a valiant job despite the upward gust of air, but faltered here for a moment as she held the stand for a second or two, stabilising herself. Its failure didn't last very long as her arms bent and her body curled, collapsing down into a crouch on the rail again in another smooth motion. Lyntael herself was more focused on what she could feel of the wind around her to notice how precisely her body was responding. Holding onto it still, she guided the main force of air to curve over and around, curling out across the platform she'd arrived at, then back in tight to her body again. She didn't hesitate as it built back to a tight spin beneath her, springing from her new perch as it pulsed and threw her upward a second time.

This jump had slightly less power than the first, the air currents holding her beginning to falter, but it was enough for her to grab the top railing with one hand, vaulting over it with her body turning to the side to let her drop to the platform with a small gasp of effort. She picked herself up quickly, getting her bearings, and almost froze up again. They were right there, in all their mean and nasty-looking glory. Only... None of the three moved. It was hard to tell if they'd even noticed her arrival. Maybe... Perhaps controlling the remotes took all their attention?

Well, nothing for it, either way. Lyntael swallowed and forced down the suddenly resurgent nerves. They'd been still and calm while she was so focused on getting here, but now the fear returned. Surely there was no way the bits down below could have kept up with her, she should be safe, surely? Only one way to find out. Gritting her teeth, the young girl darted in amongst the topmost viruses, arms rising together in front of her chest as she trailed the chip data from is coils on her wrist into her hands, activating it.

There was a soft crackle as the glow at her fingertips spread out in a detailed matrix of electrical light in front of her, a largish cube with the impression of hand-holds on each side. As the light pattern actualised and resolved into a notably more solid object, a part of her mind noticed what seemed like an adorable little action figure, a toy really, holding onto one of the handles like an ornament. It also seemed to be counting down, if the way it clicked as its tiny feet moved was any indication. A new brand of sudden shock invaded the girl as her mind made the connections she'd not really been conscious of before, and she gave the bomb a solid shove towards the most central of the three, then turned on her heel and dashed back to the rail, vaulting back to the other side and dropping down again. The remainder of the upward air current cradled her long enough for the girl to gather in what little wind still trailed with her and thrust it outward, away from her, the small force roughly shoving her own body inward just enough to let her land inside the guide rail of the platform below the Twisties and their new present. Her landing was as unconsciously smooth as her initial climbing had been, leaving the girl in a crouch low to the ground, on her toes with one hand down, while the other was still back and raised a little, fingers on the wind. She spared a glance up towards the platform above, then looked around for Martia, eyes darting as she took long, slower breaths.

Summary

1) Airstep, as a jump action, from Platform B to Platform C
2) Airstep, as a jump action, from Platform C to Platform D
3) Received Chip: BoyBomb1 (220, Blast3, 100hp object, detonates end of turn or if destroyed), placed in centre of Twisty group.
4) Movement, retreat and drop down again, back to Platform C
*Free Action, Gust, as Knockback, on self, as assist to dropping down safely.

Cooldowns

'My Heart Falters' — Cooling Down

A last-ditch effort ensued as Martia climbed her way out of the anomalous hole, and lobbed a small explosive ball of data towards her teammate. Afterwards, she took to patching up her wounds, and hoping that her social skills were up to scratch. The Bunnies didn't look particularly impressed from her speech, maybe more confused than anything. It did get them to discontinue their ZapRing attacks, however, and they started chattering amongst themselves.

Meanwhile, Lyntael was given the all-important ability of delivering the bomb to the target, and this got the Twisty interested. They didn't really lock their crosshairs on her just yet, but watched her leap about, and maybe caught a bit of eyecandy in the process. When the deed was done and the box was born, however, they got pretty antsy about it, and the satellite-things swooshed back up to try and destroy the bomb, to little effect.

A bit of time later, and Lyn landed on the platform just below, just in time to glance at a spectacular explosion that wiped out all three of the Twisty with ease. The sound made the Bunnies jump around wildly with alarm, and their ears were looking pretty charged to Martia...

-Viruses-
TyphoonA: DELETED
TyphoonB: DELETED

BigBang: DELETED
BunnyA: 50HP [Platform B]
BunnyB: 50HP [Platform B]
BunnyC: 50HP [Platform B]
BunnyD: 50HP [Platform B]

TwistyA: DELETED
TwistyB: DELETED
TwistyC: DELETED

-Objects-
GMD: 50HP [Platform B]

-Ascending Terrain-
Platform A [10% Normal] [10% Broken]
Walkway A to B [5% Glass]
Platform B [15% Normal] [5% Broken]
Walkway B to C [0% Glass] [5% Broken]
Platform C [20% Normal]
Walkway C to D [5% Glass]
Platform D [20% Normal]
Walkway D to ??? [5% Glass]

[Note: Each Platform and Walkway has a small wall/railing around its perimeter. The Platform ones are made of normal terrain, the Walkway's are glass. Either can be used to grabbed on to/pressed up against, to help prevent falling over the side. The wall/railing of the Platforms are tall/strong enough to be used as cover.]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 230HP [Platform B] [RageClaw1: 4/6]
Lyntael.EXE: 150HP [Platform C] [Normal] [20HP Barrier]
As the explosion rocked the above platform, Lyntael had to steel herself against the urge to cringe away, even though it was her own action that caused the explosion. That was a terrifyingly powerful blast, for such a small package. Slowly, she stood from her crouch and looked around again, breathing deeply. Below her, Martia was resting, taking care of her hurts it seemed, and right across from the pile of bunnies that had shocked her once already. She remembered hearing her friend shouting at them and the ceasefire seemed to be holding for now... but they looked dangerous and more than a little agitated, sparking as badly as she often did.

Making a decision, Lyntael began to move quickly, dashing for the pathway back down and descending as quickly as she could. She kept one eye towards the remaining viruses as she did, but her attention was on Martia, more or less defenceless in front of them as she rested. It was a few more moments before she cold stand beside the other woman again, just slightly in front of her. Without thinking, her stance remained edgy, on her toes and ready to brace or move if she needed to at any moment. Uncertain, she looked back towards her friend.

"Martia..." Her breath panted slightly and her cheeks felt hot. The climb and subsequent descent had been a bit rough, but she was surprised by how out of breath she felt. "It worked. Should be gone now. That was terrifying." Even as she stood her ground, the sheer amount of ambient electricity that remained in the air seemed to be choosing her as its means of dissipation, the crack of sparks inher hair and on her skin growing still, even as she tried her best to focus on clam. She'd released once already, but hopefully they could get away from this stand-off without her having to again. And soon, hopefully, before the charge built past her ability to contain it.

"What.. what should we do, Martia... I heard.. you said we'll leave them, but they don't look friendly... think they'll let us just move on?" Through the panting, she kept her voice low, glancing back and forth between her friend and their not-quite enemies.

Summary

1) Movement, Return to Martia's side
2) Prepared dodge
3) Incidental/accidental Buster Charge (now 1)
4) Prepared Dodge

Full HP. No other viruses. Crackling Bunnies. Crackling Lyn. Surely this would be grounds for a full frontal assault. Martia bent her knees, preparing for her next move...

...And sat down, cross legged. She looked over at the Bunnies, showing no outward signs of attacking, in large part because she had no intentions of doing so. "Offer's still there. Don't attack us, we don't attack you. Oh, in case you didn't hear what I said earlier, Lyn, unless they shoot, we're taking the nonviolent approach. No attacking the Bunnies unless they attack first!" ...Yeah, that was about it. The martial artist Navi simply sat there, watching the viruses for potential signs of agreement, or retreat, or ZapRings. Minimal movement, not particularly thinking anything, she was just sitting there. She might get the shock of her life for it, but until they realized that she was being completely honest, they didn't have any real reason to trust her. She needed to make them understand, even if it meant putting herself at risk.

[Order of Turn:
1-Sit and do nothing
2-Sit and do nothing
3-Sit and do nothing
4-Sit and do nothing]
After a breather, the two Navis decided to show their pacifism to the remaining Bunnies by standing their ground and doing absolutely nothing. The Bunnies began to charge up... and let their excitement dissipate into thin air. Then started to jump around a bit, and began to chatter a bit more, before one of them noticed the green diamond near them, and picked it up with its ears. Somehow. Those were some dexterous flip-flops. Unfortunately, its impressive display didn't last long as it stumbled and the Mystery Data fell forward into Martia's lap.

A bit of silence, then some charged "laughs" (really, it was hard to tell with viruses) came from the remaining three Bunnies, before the stumbled Bunny recovered from its fall.

-Viruses-
TyphoonA: DELETED
TyphoonB: DELETED

BigBang: DELETED
BunnyA: 50HP [Platform B]
BunnyB: 50HP [Platform B]
BunnyC: 50HP [Platform B]
BunnyD: 50HP [Platform B]

TwistyA: DELETED
TwistyB: DELETED
TwistyC: DELETED

-Objects-
GMD: 50HP [Platform B]

-Ascending Terrain-
Platform A [10% Normal] [10% Broken]
Walkway A to B [5% Glass]
Platform B [15% Normal] [5% Broken]
Walkway B to C [0% Glass] [5% Broken]
Platform C [20% Normal]
Walkway C to D [5% Glass]
Platform D [20% Normal]
Walkway D to ??? [5% Glass]

[Note: Each Platform and Walkway has a small wall/railing around its perimeter. The Platform ones are made of normal terrain, the Walkway's are glass. Either can be used to grabbed on to/pressed up against, to help prevent falling over the side. The wall/railing of the Platforms are tall/strong enough to be used as cover.]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 230HP [Platform B] [RageClaw1: 4/6]
Lyntael.EXE: 150HP [Platform B] [20HP Barrier]

-Battle 3, Victory!-

-Rewards-

Martia: 640z
Lyntael: 640z
Both: +4 FXP, GMD [Open? Y/N]
One delivery of mystery data later, it was obvious that the battle was over. Martia couldn't help but giggle a little as the Bunny stumbled, though...they were kinda cute when they weren't trying to kill her. "Thanks! Hmm, wonder what's in this one? Hope it's something neat!" Unlike the last one, this one looked like a single Navi was capable of decoding it by themselves, so time to take a moment and do just that...

(OPENING GMD)
The Mystery Data decrypted its contents to reveal...

[GMD: [Bubbler] Battlechip x2 (one for each Navi)]
Still tense, Lyntael watched nervously as the bunnies made what turned out to be some sort of peace offering. She managed to relax a little as one of them gifted the green crystal to her companion, and found herself wondering if it might be the same bunny that had shocked her before. An apology perhaps? Lyntael crouched down beside her friend, hands on her knees as she willed her body towards calmness again. At least with the twisties gone and the bunnies no longer charging wildly, the ambient electricity in the air seemed to be fading.

She watched Martia decode the crystal with curious eyes, but her throughts still drifted about what had just occurred. Combating and deleting viruses was always touted as one of the major jobs that navis like her and Martia could do; it was supposed to be apart of who they were, in a way... and yet, this last exchange, the reactions something as simple as words had caused. Mostly all she'd found herself up against so far had looked more like machines than anythign else, but some hadn't, and she'd had to destroy them anyway, and scatter their data. If many of them could behave like this, though... were they really so much apart from what she was? Could she really claim the right to pass that sort of absolute judgement on a virus, if it thought and felt, like she did?

Her expression was still thoughtful as the crystal finished decoding and presented them each with a new chip. She barely glanced at her as, touching her fingertips, it converted to light data, flashed up the length of her arm, under her vest and disappeared into her emblem, sending back to the PET. Shaking her head softly, she glanced to the cluster of bunnies that seemed to have become more engrossed with each other once again, and a small smile touched her lips before she looked back to Martia.

"I was so frightened through most of that... but at least I didn't freeze up this time, right? Are you alright? I saw... they really seemed to go after you a lot... doesn't it hurt you terribly? I don't do so well, with pain." Her eyes dropped as she considered, guilty, how unscathed she'd come out of that compared to the trouble Martia had needed to deal with. At last, she sighed softly.

"Anyway... We should probably keep going. I know that Rogan's been waiting on me, while we were pinned down, and I... I shouldn't keep delaying his work any more. I'm not meaning to rush, really, but I just, I don't want to disappoint him." She managed a small grin, despite the concern that the rest of her body betrayed and stood up again, brushing her skirt and resettling her top, neither of which actually needed the attention.

Unlike last time, the mystery data gave out a pair of the exact same chip data. Unfortunately, it didn't come across as the type of chip either she or Lyn would ever use...if Lyn actually used chips, that is. One of the copies almost instantly vanished from her hand, as she transferred it over to Leslie, while the other she extended towards her partner, even though with her its most valuable use was literally just to occupy space. "Here's your half! Same as my half, this time!"

After accepting, the electrical Navi started to speak. That at no point she had just frozen was definitely a good sign. It showed she was getting more used to combat. As for the pain part, well..."Yeah, the viruses really didn't like me that time...and yeah, it hurts, but...well, showing pain just because I got struck by lightning or something doesn't help things any, so I just grin and bear it as best I can. I guess over time I've gotten pretty good at that. And if it gets bad like it did this time, I can just get Leslie to patch me up!" And for those reasons, even though Lyn could use electricity to protect herself, Martia was glad the viruses chose to focus on her. She could handle it better, both mentally and numerically, and had a way to recover from getting hurt.

"What, you call this rushing?" The martial artist Navi actually had to stifle a laugh, so she wouldn't seem rude. "I remember once, not long after I was created, Leslie was training outside, doing an exercise of 500 punches. About 100 in, a girl from out of town walked by the dojo, with a nice figure and a short skirt. And as soon as Leslie noticed her...well, I don't think I've ever seen anyone punch that fast, including her father! By halfway I think she was barely even punching, just moving her arms really quick! Now THAT was rushing!"

"Hey, you act like it was such a bad thing! I showed her around town, and she thanked me by sticking her tongue down my throat. And I did extra training the next day. Total win-win!"

"Not my point..." As she saw Lyn rise and brush herself off, Martia did the same, only she actually had a reason to do in the form of smashed panel dust that had gotten on her. She dusted off her arms and chest, the latter of which had somehow managed to shield the rest of her front from dust. As for the back...well, that wasn't going to be easy to see, even for someone as flexible as her. "Hey, Lyn? Before we move on, could you get any dusty areas I missed?" There was a little on her back, but, as such was frequent by a cold and possibly horny universe, most of it had wound up square on her butt...
Thoughts of how she'd been instructed so many times in the past came to mind most as Lyntael listened, and she bit her lip. Showing the pain didn't help, so, she simply didn't show it? Maybe it was like Rogan told her, really, and she was just, well, bad at it. About to ask, her thoughts derailed as Martia began to explain, with interjection from her operator, just what rushing really was. The young girl couldn't help a small blush that had noting to do with her more recent exertions, grinning slightly despite herself as one hand rose to her mouth. She was still smothering her mirth as the other woman sorted herself out, flicking off much of the remaining panel debris that had clung to her. When she turned her back to Lyntael for a brush off, the girl moved first to help, then hesitated, her hand hanging in the air for a moment, before drawing back to clutch at her other elbow.

"Ah, I... I shouldn't, I'm all..." Some part of her, tired of having to hide away from any sort of contact, made her stop and try again. It was clothing, after all, and she could take care, even if she was still far too charged to be safe. "No, hold still, here, I'll be careful..."

She began delicately, but nevertheless with quick motions, to flick away what little bits of debris and dust remained, and found herself talking again as she did, caught between being as careful and focused as she could on not touching her friend anywhere directly enough to shock, and trying to be tactful in her brush down so as not to shock in the more normal sense either.

"Ah, so, Leslie, she prefers ahh... I mean, did she ever see that lady again? I only noticed it once or twice since we met, but I saw a couple of the ways she looked at you, and I did wonder. I mean, sorry, that's rude, I shouldn't say... It's just, I've never really thought about that sort of thing, um, for myself, I mean." Not quite true... more, she deliberately didn't think about it, but now she was rambling because despite trying not to the thought of what they were actually discussing brought the blush back to her cheeks and innocent and perfunctory as it was, she was still brushing her hands over the other woman's behind and—

For a moment her fingertips pressed into proper contact and her rambling thoughts were cut off as she felt the jolt pass across, a rather more potent spark than her earlier brushes, and Lyntael jumped back immediately, somewhere between a flinch and a cringe. Her hands balled into small fists as she pressed them to her head, anxiety ruling her for them moment, before she thrust them down to her sides.

"Ahh! No! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." She backed off another step unconsciously. "This is why I can't think about stuff like that, for me..." Her fists still clenched, trembling slightly at her sides and she was looking down again, though it was clear the sudden burst of anger was directed entirely at herself. "I can't touch anyone, ever, without hurting them like this! I get scared, or nervous, or excited, or, or... or anything, and this happens. I'm never going to... to..." Her breathing had grown heavy again and her voice quavered. Apparently self-directed anger made the list of emotions that set her sparking, too; rather than fading, the dance of light on her skin grew and the crackle in her hair returned. It was a moment before She noticed her own body and closed her eyes, teeth bared still and clenched together as she fought to master herself. The glow receded, a little. There was a second or two as her shoulders shook, a catching sound in her throat as she tried to breath deep and slow, until she shook her head, looking up again.

"I'm sorry, Martia... Are you ok? That was stupid of me, I shouldn't have tried." A part of her was annoyed at herself for sounding as dejected and bitter as she did, but try as she might, it was a hard sensation to shake off. Instead, she looked up and nodded towards a higher part of the area they were in, beyond the rising walkways. "We should... should probably get moving, I guess."

Any and all movement Martia was making ceased, as Lyn asked her to stay still. Well, aside from brushing her hair over to her front, so she could get whatever dust was on her ponytail out. She was a little surprised as she found her behind being dusted, but in a way, it made sense, as her hair probably brushed away some of the dust on her back. Though, why would it get her back, but not there? Fortunately, she was aware that the universe had an odd knack for making these things happen, so she internally shrugged and rolled with it.

"Yep. I'm not, though. She'll look at me like that every now and then, but we're just close friends, that's all! And nope, haven't seen her again since then. She was just a visitor from north Electopia, a-yeowww!!" A sudden jolt ended the statement prematurely, as Lyn proceeded to (electrically) discharge on her bottom. There was no hiding that it happened, considering it caused her entire body to momentarily but visibly tense up. Of more importance to her was that her friend wasn't taking it very well.

"Don't worry about it! It shoc-uh, surprised me, but it's not like it really hurt!" ...Well, very much. "I know you didn't mean it, and to me that's more important than doing it in the first place. So cheer up, okay?" As she tried to call Lyn down, the martial artist, in a move even she didn't notice, actually bent over a bit, so the two Navis were at eye level. "Now, let's get going. The longer we stay here, the more paranoid I'm getting that a lightning bolt's going to come out of nowhere just to drop me in another hole!"
Despite her upset, Lyntael felt it keenly as Martia, ever the professional, shrugged off the pain she'd just suffered and instead moved to comfort the very girl who had caused it. It embarrassed her how kind the other woman was, when all Lyn herself managed to do, most of the time, was make mistake after mistake, but she looked up and managed a rough-hew grin for her, finding eyes that were more nearly at her own level as she did. She could feel heat I her cheeks, and the corners of her eyes barely holding back the angry tears that had been threatening her, but the young girl concentrated on calming herself down and steadying her breathing. She could be stronger than this. Look at Martia, and how unfazed by anything she was. She could be like that too; needed to be. It took another couple of seconds for her to feel steady enough to respond, but in time she nodded and began to head towards the walkways that continued upwards, moving side by side Martia once they were both walking together.

As they climbed the last series of glass walkways, their path came out onto a broader thoroughfare, running left and right across the way. Lyntael glanced to the left and pointed them in that direction. As she walked, her mind dwelt back on what Martia has said before, and how easily she seemed to simply ignore the damage that was caused to her. The thought returned that Maybe what rogan had been telling her all along really was right. She glanced briefly to her friend, but her eyes dropped away automatically, and she found herself studying the pathway before them as she continued instead of meeting the other woman's eyes.

"Hey, Martia... before, I asked you about getting hurt, and frightened, and things like that, and you said... well, that it didn't help, so you didn't." She paused for a moment, trying to pull her thoughts together in her own mind as well as putting them to words.

"So... You just... choose not to? Is it like that for other navis too?" she bit her lip for a moment, taking time to let her eyes examine the ground. The path was not quite opaque, and she could still see that they were very, very high up. "Only, Rogan tells me to do that, quite a bit, you know... but, I never can, not completely. He says I should just not bother with it, and I should 'dispense with the affectations', but I find it so hard and he tells me it should be simple." She shook her head. "Maybe there really is something wrong with me? I've heard him mutter about it sometimes, when I get really scared, and can't make myself do what he needs right away, or when I get hurt, and he needs me to get up and keep going, but I'm slow." Despite the depressing cast of what she was saying, Lyntael herself didn't seem upset any more, not exactly, more simply concerned about herself. Unconsciously, her hands crossed over each other to hug at her arms for a moment or two, before dropping back. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips and she shrugged, lifting her gaze again for the first time since she started speaking. "Still have to do my best for him, though, right?"

Ahead of them, the pathway branched again as it reached a wall, a massive surface that continued into the distance on either side and up out of sight as well. Other walkways and tighter information lanes networked its surface, running back and forth, up and down, and often turning in at other entrances in the wall's surface. Their own path split into three routes, with two going to the side along the wall, as well as a dim hallway continuing straight ahead inward, out of the wide open area they were currently in. As with most of the walkways in this area, small bolts of light zipped back and forth underneath the platforms; information of varying sorts flashing back and forth across the network, containing who knew what data.

Most followed the route of whatever pathway ran above them, making the same precise, sharp turns, until the zipped away out of sight. Most of the ones running beneath them angled sharply at the wall to follow either the left or right branch, but curiously, whenever one didn't, and continued straight ahead towards the dimmer hallway it never seemed to last beyond the dimming of the light, simply fading into nothing instead. It was easy to miss, and hard to notice at all unless you were looking for it, but it became more visible the closer they got. Unfortunately, Lyntael's footsteps did not turn left or right, and she nodded to the hallway ahead of them.

And so the girls proceeded. Thankfully, the walkway didn't last forever, and proceeded to areas where it was easier to not be sent into holes via lightning bolts. It dawned on Martia that while she was occupied with Lyn, the Bunnies had left them. She wished she could've thanked them, but, guess it wasn't meant to be...

Also, questions. "Hmm...well, I do that, but...it's not like it's my programming makes me do it, or anything. I do it because, as a practitioner of martial arts, it's important to always be in control of yourself, especially in a fight. It's not a Navi thing, it's just a me thing! And trust me, it's not simple...if your operator thinks it's so easy, have your operator let mine punch him in the arm, and see if he can take it without flinching!" The Navi in pink gave a rather impish smirk, to let Lyn know she was just kidding around with that last part. "I guess what I'm saying is, we weren't just programmed to be able to ignore pain and such. But, we can teach ourselves! It just takes some time, that's all! ...Would you believe the first time I went busting, I screamed like a little girl every time a virus even tried to attack me? And when I actually got hit...I don't fully remember, but I think I gave myself a headache from shrieking. Hmm...nope, don't really recall it. I think I'm suppressing it, or something..."

Martia stopped for a moment, taken aback slightly by something her friend had mentioned. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't ever say or think that again! Got that?!" She rushed ahead, stopping right in front of Lyn, with her arms folded across her chest an glaring just a bit at the other Navi. "Read my lips. There's. Nothing. Wrong. With. You!" She softened her stance as she punctuated her comment, and afterward started walking again. "Lemme give you a quick lesson about martial arts. It's said that every martial artist, regardless of their discipline, can be divided into one of two types. One type attempts to keep calm and focused to drive their techniques. That's the kind of fighter I am. The other type allows their emotions to power their moves. My operator's that type. If I get hurt, I don't show it outwardly, and keep going like nothing happened, because then I might lose ahold of myself enough to hurt my abilities. If Leslie gets hurt, she doesn't even try to hide it, and uses it to spur herself on. If you find it really hard to ignore pain...I wonder if you'd be in that latter type as a NetBattler? If that's the case, just go with the flow, let yourself feel the way you're feeling, and that alone should help a little!" Hmm, would it really be that easy? Lyn's operator seemed a bit...pushy about things like that. "You're right about that, though. At the end of the day, we serve our operators as best we can. It's our job!"

And with that, she journeyed forward, into the exciting world of SciLab Area...and probably a part of the local Net she'd never visit again. By now, all bets were off about just where they were.

(Searching for Battle #4, unless Rogan says otherwise)
Lynael winced and flinched back for a moment, stopping still to look up at her companion as the other woman put a pause in their walk to scold her face to face. Only... she wasn't actually scolding her, as it turned out. Uncertain, her gaze wavered, watching Martia's face in between the urge to drop her head, and eyes, back to the ground. It was surprising how much effect simply being told that she wasn't actually broken seemed to have on the girl as confused thoughts brushed up against one another in her mind. Listening to her friend, she found herself holding her upper arm with one hand and biting her lip, a picture of hesitation.

In her heart, she knew that Rogan was wrong; he didn't believe that anything she felt was genuine, or that 'she' was even a person, to have experiences at all. That was wrong, or else she couldn't be having the problem she was, but, there was no way to help him see that, especially not when he saw her only as a lock-pick, or a toaster. So she just had to do her best to crush it all away to make do. Only... Martia suggested the opposite. It might even work, if the main feeling she had when things got dangerous, wasn't simply stark terror.

"I... I guess. Mostly I still just feel afraid though, and when it gets the better of me, I can't seem to do anything at all. I can try though, as long as you're here with me, right? I mean... I don't think I can really do any worse than I already am, so... maybe?" The hand holding her arm squeezed for a moment and then moved up rub gently at the side of her neck. These small actions of hugging or holding herself went completely unnoticed by Lyntael herself, seemingly a subconscious way for the young girl to comfort or reassure herself. It was an understandable tick, given how much trouble she seemed to have being touched by anyone else. At last she grinned, and even though it was only a very small, wan smile, there was something notably more earnest about it than the exuberant sunniness she displayed at other times.

"Thanks you, Martia. I, I really, just... just thank you." Maybe one day she'd even learn how to articulate her feelings more clearly. For now though, she nodded her head once and picked up their pace again, moving into the darker passageway ahead of them.

The light didn't fade completely as the pressed further in, though it felt a lot dimmer than it really was, the pair coming from the much brighter, more open spaces as they were. It was actually quite spacious, in reality, and after a short walk began to widen further by uniform steps. Poor lighting aside, the air felt ever so slightly stale as well, and it made Lyntael's brows draw down with concern as she looked about them.

(Ready for battle #4)
+4 FXP

The duo walked through the large dividing wall using the middle walkway. They emerged in a much dimmer area. The walkway continued through this more enclosed space, the ceiling set high above them blocking the light of the "sun" above SciLab Net. The data tubes glowed softly, as if filled with fireflies instead of data packets, as they zoomed through the area. Up ahead the two Navis noticed that the walkway they were on pass beneath glowing walls made of solar paneling. On top of each wall sat a trio of dark blue cannons, enclosed in a protective shell. On one wall also "stood" a large white-gloved, disembodied hand. It lifted up into the air, floating for a minute before it pointed at the two Navis with an outstretched finger, then pointed its thumb down. A swirl of light appeared from both walls for a moment before two pairs of floating viruses emerged onto the walkway in front of the Navis. They looked like large floating magnets, with magnets for arms.

-Viruses-
Handy: 80HP [Left Wall] [Solar]

ColdHeadA: 60HP [Left Wall] [Solar] [Immobile] [Guarding: Iron Body]
ColdHeadB: 60HP [Left Wall] [Solar] [Immobile] [Guarding: Iron Body]
ColdHeadC: 60HP [Left Wall] [Solar] [Immobile] [Guarding: Iron Body]

MagTectA: 90HP [Center Walkway] [Normal]
MagTectB: 90HP [Center Walkway] [Normal]
MagTectC: 90HP [Center Walkway] [Normal]
MagTectD: 90HP [Center Walkway] [Normal]

ColdHeadD: 60HP [Right Wall] [Solar] [Immobile] [Guarding: Iron Body]
ColdHeadE: 60HP [Right Wall] [Solar] [Immobile] [Guarding: Iron Body]
ColdHeadF: 60HP [Right Wall] [Solar] [Immobile] [Guarding: Iron Body]

-Terrain-
20% Solar [Left Wall]
60% Normal [Center Walkway]
20% Solar [Right Wall]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 230HP [Center Walkway] [Normal]
Lyntael.EXE: 150HP [Center Walkway] [Normal]

~Battle 4: Start!!~
"You really don't have to thank me. Friends help out friends...it's just how things work!" Before she could dispense more sage advice to Lyn, however, Martia froze, and instinctively raised her arms for combat, as she noticed some new faces that most likely had to be smashed in. "Oh sure, they just had to pick now to show up..." Let's see...flying magnet...things, what looked like blue HardHeads, and Handy. Without even realizing it, she did a small fist pump, out of sheer joy that to her knowledge, nothing here was capable of sending her plummeting into a hole. Yay!

"Viruses really know how to ruin a conversation, don't they? Well, I guess we can always pick it back up after we're done wiping the floor with them!" But...that was easier said than done. A lot of the viruses were waaaaay up there on top of those walls, and they, well, weren't. Lyn could probably hop there easily enough, but as for her...even she had her physical limits. "Er...any ideas, Leslie? I don't have any good ones, that's for sure..."

"Believe it or not, I do! It says here that ColdHead have some sort of really hard bodies, and they look like HardHead, so they probably fight at least similarly, right?"

"Right...ugh, I still remember when they invaded the CyberDojo. I can't believe I made it out of that in one piece!"

"Yeah, that was painful to watch...anyway, all forms of defense have some way to get through them. And with them, it's the Break effect, if I remember virus busting class. And guess what I got Rogan to give up..."

"Really? You got it? Cool!" She still didn't know what it did, but anything called MeteorKnuckle couldn't be all bad. "So let's smash the ice!" ...Well, that wasn't as good as it sounded in her head, but they couldn't all be winners.

"Well, let's see just how it does!" And...in. Man, those Mettaur really looked terrified in that picture. Hopefully so would those ColdHead. "BattleChip, MeteorKnuckle! Slot in!"

A strange feeling suddenly welled up deep inside Martia, and rapidly spread through to her fists. Compelled by the chip data to do so, she rapidly punched upward, causing three pink ki fists to shoot from them, and rose towards the heavens. Once they had cleared the walls, however, they each did a loop in the air, before crashing down towards one of the icy virus groups like, well, meteors. "You know, that was kinda...weird."

"Yeah, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm a little disappointed. I thought you'd crash into something fist first like a meteor or something."

"No, I mean, that chip felt different from any other I've used...it almost felt like...like it wasn't from this world or something. I dunno, I'm probably not making any sense."

"No, you're not. So, moving on, you saw that Handy way up there before, right?"

"Yeah. Think we should beat it before it does anything annoying?"

"Well, I for one don't wanna deal with those time bombs. So, yeah, I do!" And that meant fighting hands...with hands. "BattleChip, MistConvergence! Slot in!"

The fighter Navi's right hand suddenly began to steam up, as it became infused with the terrifying power of...steam. She reared back, and with all her might, performed a palm thrust, causing a steam projection of her hand to shoot forward, and with any luck, give the Handy a nice high five of doom. Though, so long as it hit, she wasn't really picky how. You didn't get style points in virus busting. "...I think my hand's a little sweaty now..."

...Hmm. If she was better with technology, Leslie was pretty sure that MistConvergence could be used to make her Navi all sweaty, with her outfit sticking to her body so tightly you'd almost be able to see through them, and then due to the steam effects, it'd shrink to where it'd be too small, and it'd start to tantalizingly tear apart...not that she'd do that, of course. That would be mean. Unless Martia gave her permission, in which case she totally would. And now, she totally needed to do something else beside fantasize about her Navi's body. "Okay, lemme think...don't have anything else for the other ColdHeads, so that leaves the magnet things. Looks like that's what Lyn wants to fight, but that doesn't mean we can't soften them up for her!" And by soften, she meant use the power of snow to try and solidify them. "BattleChip, Avalanche! Slot in!"

Any and all heat Martia could feel from her glove instantly vanished, which felt good at first, but after a few moments it felt like she'd stuck her hand in some ice. Which...was a feeling she wanted to go away pretty quick, so she immediately punched the ground, expelling the icy energy, and finally returning her hand to world of warmness, but not so warm that it got it all sweaty and gross. Perhaps of more immediate importance, three piles of snow formed above the battlefield, and dropped down towards the MagTect. And possibly her busting partner, so..."Incoming, Lyn!" There, that should give her enough of a heads up so she wouldn't get buried. And now, to prepare for evading enemy attacks, since if that last battle was any indication, the viruses had a thing for her...

[Order of Turn:
1-MeteorKnuckle1 chip attack on ColdHeadA, ColdHeadB, and ColdHeadC (30, A, Break, Impact, Knockback)
2-MistConvergence1 chip attack on Handy (100, Aqua, A, Impact)
3-Avalanche1 chip attack on MagTectA, MagTectB, and MagTectC (50, Aqua, C, 10% freeze chance)
4-Dodge]
With her friend's advice still chasing about her mind, and the rest of her thoughts on maintaining Rogan's signal, Lyntael had walked a step or two further before noticing that Martia had stopped. She paused and looked back to the other woman in question, then forward again to finally see that what she'd glanced past as odd pieces of machinery before were very much viruses, and were calling in friends. The girl let out a sharp squeak and jumped back alongside her friend, though she did do her best not to actually cower beside her. If anything, she felt a pang of irritation at her own timidity, and forced herself to stand straight. Even so, her heart flitted and she swallowed, trying to keep enough moisture in her throat to talk.

"A-again? So, what was it you said then? Just... just try to go with it?" The best thing to say was probably that her stance, at least, seemed firmer and less unsteady than her voice sounded. It wasn't saying much. "It's... it's still mostly just fear, you know. Lots of that." She tried an altogether unconvincing smile, then looked forward again, settling her stance properly. Martia hadn't hesitated at all, of course, and was already springing into action after a quick exchange with her operator. The younger woman found herself quietly envious of how smoothly the pair seemed to work together when it mattered, even if they seemed to snip back and forth a bit at other times.

"Alright. Let's at least try to keep up with her this time, then." It was mostly a mutter to herself, in between clenched teeth and longer breaths as the fear of danger put a quiver in her words and the beginning edges of tremble in her limbs. Even so, she set her shoulders and clenched her fists, doing her best to psyche herself in to the seemingly unavoidable violence soon to come. There was small comfort in the beginnings of energy starting to swell at her extremities. Fear of the pain she'd likely cause herself soon added itself to the fear of what their enemies would do. Shaking or not, she pushed herself forward, towards the conflict.

Unfortunately for Lyntael, amidst her efforts to focus, she didn't really assess the battlefield itself with any thoroughness, instead fixing her attention on the enemies right in front of her, the cluster of four magnet-like viruses in the hall itself. Her eyes took in the rest of the field as she sprang forward into a run, and it was only by the time she was halfway across the space that her mind realised there were probably better choices; certainly she had gone far enough that it was too late to actually change course.

Just before she closed with the first Magtect, her partner's voice shot through her awareness and she flinched, checking her advance in confusion. A glance up made her gasp and stop dead with shock, mercifully before she came within range of the sudden downfall of ice. As much as she knew it was Martia's doing, it certainly looked like it would hurt her just as indiscriminately if she got in its path. A sharp pulse of energy accompanied the jolt of shock that had drawn the girl up short, her own body's instincts kicking in before she could even think of it. She let the sensation pass through her, though, feeling the wave expand from her emblem, and strengthen to a proper field as it passed the charge points on her limbs, even as she looked forward, waiting for the blind of the ice-fall to clear. It was a comfort, in a small way, and as the shell of energy faded from sight, it lent her enough courage to continue her engagement, closing the last few paces in a light-footed step that put her in amongst the magnet creatures.

Still mostly fear. With a bit of outright terror on the side. Matria had said to embrace it though, whatever emotions ruled her, and she wasn't trying to fight it away or push it down. Instead, she was feeling like she was about to burst into tears, run for her life, or curl up in a ball and hope it all stopped. Maybe she'd try to do all three. What she actually found herself doing, however, was gritting her teeth and staring at the viruses in front of her, fists clenched tight as her own charge continued to wax towards bursting and filling her with an almost paralysing tension.

"I don't want to be here..." The words came out through clenched teeth, not much above a whisper, and they certainly hadn't passed consciously through her mind first. It was only as she heard them that she knew she'd spoken. "I don't want to be doing this. Any of this." The fear made her breath pant as she tried to do more than stand there, watching her foes recover from the icy assault. They would attack her, she knew, and it would hurt, and her own charge would overwhelm her, and that would hurt too, and there was nothing she could do to stop any of it. In her heart, the small seed of irritation had cracked and thin veins of anger began to creep out and spread. There wasn't anything she could do; what good could she manage when she had no choices in anything?

"Well? Come on then!" She still hadn't moved; felt like she couldn't, perhaps, but the shout had definitely been her voice, harsh and loud as it was. Her tightly grit teeth had become a hurt, bitter little snarl, and despite the shaking in her limbs, the green of her eyes had taken on a dark glint that began to speak more of anger than terror now.


Summary

1) Buster Charge
2) Movement (To engage MagTect group, to arrive after Martia's Avalanche)
3) Unconscious activation, Signature "My Heart Falters" (20Hp barrier)
*Freeze up like a head-lit deer once in melee range.... again. Hopeless girl...
4) Buster Charge

Cooldowns

"My Heart Falters" 1 TCD
The Handy started the battle by opening a dimensional gate below and dropping into it. The exit gate opened right next to the two Navis, the Handy rising out of it holding a timed explosive device, which it set down upon the field as if presenting them with a gift. After the Handy released the bomb, the timer immediately began counting down.

Martia launched a barrage of rocket-punches into the air towards the left wall, which came down upon all three ColdHead viruses, cracking their shells and deleting them in a triple-explosion. She spun around and struck the Handy with her sweaty palm, deleting that virus as well.

The ColdHeads upon the untouched wall opened their protective shell and launched their attack upon the duo. The one targeting Lyntael misses while Martia dodges two icy cannonballs. Martia then drops an avalanche of snow and ice on the MagTects, damaging two and freezing none.

Lyntael's electrical energy builds as she rushes forward into battle after the avalanche, and then freezes up in the rapidly thawing snow. Her energy forms around her in a bubble as she just stares terrified for a moment. Somehow she quickly shakes herself free of her gnawing doubts to yell a challenge at the MagTects. In response, the lead MagTect forms his own field of electrical energy around himself and extends it out to Lyntael's field. The force of the electromagnetic field yanks her to the virus, shattering her barrier and leaving her vulnerable.

Thankfully, the other three MagTects rush by her as she is pulled to MagTectA and launch pairs of magnetic missiles at Martia. The six missiles break up into two groups of three as they veer away from the Navi to her left and right, then suddenly turn towards each other in a pincer attack with Martia between them. Displaying incredible footwork and acrobatics from years of programmed martial arts, Martia dodges or is missed by every single one.

-Viruses-
Handy: DELETED

ColdHeadA: DELETED
ColdHeadB: DELETED
ColdHeadC: DELETED

MagTectA: 40HP [Center Walkway] [Normal] [Next to Lyntael]
MagTectB: 90HP [Center Walkway] [Normal] [Between Lyntael/MagTectA and Martia]
MagTectC: 40HP [Center Walkway] [Normal] [Between Lyntael/MagTectA and Martia]
MagTectD: 90HP [Center Walkway] [Normal] [Between Lyntael/MagTectA and Martia]

ColdHeadD: 60HP [Right Wall] [Solar] [Immobile] [Attacking]
ColdHeadE: 60HP [Right Wall] [Solar] [Immobile] [Attacking]
ColdHeadF: 60HP [Right Wall] [Solar] [Immobile] [Attacking]

-Objects-
TimeBomb: 100HP [Center Walkway] [Normal] [Countdown: 2 Turns]

-Terrain-
20% Solar [Left Wall]
60% Normal [Center Walkway]
20% Solar [Right Wall]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 230HP [Center Walkway] [Normal]
Lyntael.EXE: 150HP [Center Walkway] [Normal] [Barrier Broken!] [Buster Charges: 2]
Magnet after magnet sought her, but Martia proved that she was much more elegant in evasion than in chip usage, and came away without so much a scratch. But as much as she wanted to 'thank' the MagTect for letting her display her agility, she had other fish to fry. And by fish, she meant weird cannon-like entities with heads. She imagined Lyn was fine, considering almost everyone chose to go after her instead, but she had to check...yep, she looked intact, so no worries there. "All right, let's make this a two dimensional battle!"

One could almost see the gears turning in Leslie's head as she processed the meaning of the comment. Two dimensional battle...had to mean she wanted to attack the ColdHeads, since everyone else was in the big center area. It also meant she wanted to get them all, and only so many attacks they had could do that. There was that TimeBomb thing over there, but it didn't look like it was about to blow, so they should be safe on that front...all right, got it. Who said all martial artists were dumb muscleheads? And as a bonus, she only needed to send two chips instead of three, so she even got to be a little lazy with it. "If you say so! BattleChip, FireHit! Double slot in!"

The fighter Navi's hands became covered in fire, which had the added bonus of drying up her sweaty glove. Focus entirely on the artillery viruses, she took a deep breath...and swung punch after punch in their direction, nearly too fast for the eye to see. Mostly embers seemed to be coming out, but every so often a large flaming fist would emerge, as she determined that the attack in question would most likely be a direct hit. Not that she'd never been wrong before, but she had instincts, and they let her know when to let the attacks fly and when not to. When all was said and done, four fist shaped fireballs had been launched, all ready to give a selected ColdHead a nice punch in the teeth...or at least, they would if they actually had teeth. Even so, the mouth wasn't really an area you wanted to take a hit. Which reminded her...she hadn't used her mouth guard at all since she started teaming up with Lyn. Not wanting any teeth knocked out (even though she could just reform them immediately), she immediately formed her oral protection. She still wasn't sure how she could speak normally with it, but some gift horses just didn't need to be looked in the mouth.

[Order of Turn:
1-FireHit1 chip attack on ColdHeadD (60, Fire, A+, Impact)
2-FireHit1 chip attack on ColdHeadE (60, Fire, A+, Impact)
3-FireHit1 chip attack on ColdHeadF (60, Fire, A+, Impact)
4-FireHit1 chip attack on ColdHeadE (60, Fire, A+, Impact)]
Around the edges of her frustration at, well, everything, Lyntael had braced herself for what she was sure must be coming, only to have three of the group simply brush past her. So she wasn't even a threat enough to be bothered about? At any other time, she'd have been glad to be ignored so, but she was supposed to be helping out, somehow, or at least pulling her distinctly insignificant weight. The next thing she felt was more unexpected; a magnetic field reaching out towards her. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as it brushed up against, then latched onto her own barrier, dragging the girl roughly out of her combat stance and forward, stumbling to her knees at the feet of the one Magtect that hadn't moved. Or, at least, to an approximation of where its feet might have been.

The electrical discord sent a shock of recoil through her as the force of it tore away the shell surrounding her and Lyntael grunted through clenched teeth, disoriented and trying not to groan from the tingling pain it left behind. Around her, the sounds of more combat filtered through her senses, but it still took her another moment to shake off the recoil. The thin cracks of anger in her mind whispered back, as she struggled to rise... Rogan would tell her that she'd not even taken any damage, but he didn't know how it felt. More fiercely, they whispered that he was right, and it shouldn't hurt. She was just weak and altogether useless for this sort of thing. She stumbled from things others would barely feel and yet here she was, surrounded completely by viruses that would be perfectly happy beating the life out of her, and not think twice. As her head came up, she looked at the virus that had pulled her. It wasn't fair, and it really did hurt, and then a third thought, one that made her eyes narrow slightly as her gaze focused, a thought that she'd never really accepted before. It wasn't her fault at all. The small cracks widened and Lyntael felt her limbs grow steady.

A small growl accompanied grit teeth as she sprang up from her crouch on the ground, uncoiling with a sudden speed and twisting, her right leg snapping out and around at the top of the small jump, just at the right position to strike out at the magtect that had assaulted her. She felt, more than saw, the pulse of release as the charge in her body drew in, united, and rushed out again to her ankle, bursting in a tightly controlled flair of electricity right at the arc of her kick.

She landed side on to her target, panting slightly from the effect of the discharge but still growling under her breath. Sparks and crackles danced in her hair and across her skin in a mad display as she felt her drained charge immediately begin ramping back up again. She glanced about, fists clenched and still clinging onto the threads of anger, as much to stop her fear from taking over again as anything else. She was still surrounded, of course, even if most of them were facing elsewhere, but she could feel the rebuilding charge racing through her skin like a swell that might break any moment. Lyntael knew her own body well enough by now to understand what it meant, when it felt like that. She had no intention of fighting it off this time; whatever touched her next was getting a shock.

Her breathing was still heavy but she embraced the feeling of her energy building back towards her limit, resettling her stance, light and easy on her toes. She wasn't about to just let herself get pummelled, but so long as her anger at the whole situation held, the frightened little girl was done with cowering for now. Most of them seemed to have gone after Martia anyway. Another thread; why did most things seem so determined to pick on her friend so much more than her? Well, maybe she wasn't important enough to bother about really, but that didn't mean she couldn't still do something, and she fully intended to show those other magnet thing that had so quickly turned their backs to her, just what.


Summary

1) *Action lost to being a scrub, and woefully delicate.
2) Full-charge strike (40 Elec, A) at MagtectA
3) Signature Activation: "My Pain is Real" (Counter (Receiving Melee Damage), 20 Elec, Nova2
4) Buster Charge

Cooldowns

"My Heart Falters" Cooling Down.
"My Pain is Real" - 1TCD