Rogue Science Balls

Tennisman stepped out from the link to find himself in what looked to be the science lab network. The ambience seemed a little dimmer than he was used to and there were far fewer navis in the area, leaving him to guess that this was probably fairly deep into the network. Immediately, his guard went up as he actually began to venture forth.

"I think there's something wrong with the brightness controls on the PET. I might need to get it fixed." Desmond said with a squint.

"No, it's just kinda darker here for some reason." Deuce noted.

Even Fifteen kept the distance between himself and Tennisman extra close, wary of what he might bump into. The small figure sitting in the UFO quivered visibly at the sinister surroundings.

It wasn't long before something caught Tennisman and Desmond's collective attention.

((Battle 1))
Out of the darkened SciLab depths, Desmond and TennisMan saw a small group of Catack viruses, rolling on a dimly-lit road leading away from the portal. Their tiny commanders screamed out in squeaky voices before jumping into their miniature tanks, ready to blast away some pesky Navigator scum.

-- ENEMIES --
Cateen A: 200 HP (Solar)
Cateen B: 200 HP (Solar)
Cateen C: 200 HP (Solar)

-- ALLIES --
TennisMan.EXE: 550 HP (Metal)
Deuce.SP: 200 HP (Metal)
Fifteen.SP: 100 HP (Metal)

-- TERRAIN --
30% Solar
70% Metal

-- BATTLE 01, READY? START!! --
"What's that!?" pointed out Fifteen at the viruses.

Tennisman could tell his support program was having difficulty adjusting to the new network. Fifteen's stress was a potential hazard and growing distraction that Tennisman didn't want to risk having to maintain. His patience already somewhat low, he cast out his hand in a small gesture to dismiss the UFO from the network.

"So what's the plan?" Desmond asked.

Tennisman prepped his stalwart defense, wielding Deuce at the ready while keeping his back straight in a confident stride. "You wanted to test battlechips. I am ready to do so."

"Oh yeah!" Desmond said, carefully browsing through his folder.

Meanwhile, Tennisman took to stalking the group by circling them like a shark. He was still bothered by exhausting his BeastOUT recently and perhaps his actions were reflecting a side-effect of its recent use. In any case, he purposefully studied the Cateens, probing for visible weaknesses and optimal locations to strike.

"Alright, here's one! Woodtower." Desmond said, glancing over the chip image, "It's kinda old but we haven't used it yet so let's go!"

Desmond slotted in the chip with the same enthusiasm as ever while his navi processed the data. In an instant, Tennisman understood how it would be executed and where it would appear. He came to a stop once he approached one side of the group, staring down the line of viruses. He recognized it as good a spot as any to unleash his attack and knelt to better channel the data through the floor.

A brief rumble was the only warning that came before spiked wooden pillars began to punch through the ground. The high tech solar panels were torn apart by the assault as the brute force of nature ravaged the circuitry. The massive pikes retracted into the floor as quickly as they had appeared, forming a slow moving shock wave of tree trunks.

Desmond noticed Tennisman's racket had been unusually inert, "Hey. Deuce. Aren't you gonna do anything?"

"Nah, I'm cool." Deuce replied.

When the woodtower finished wreaking its path of destruction, Tennisman looked at the mess of cracked panels he had created. Slightly pained at the sight, he knelt again, pressing his palm to the floor and commanded it to regenerate. The broken ground filled itself with soil and from the dirt sprang new life. It was strange to watch a garden bloom in such a technologically advanced setting, but it was better than leaving it as it was. Tennisman stood to admire his work.

"Alright! So that's woodtower." noted Desmond, "Cool."



1 - Unsummon Fifteen
Deuce - equip
2 - Rally Defense + Reinforce (7-hit shield)
3 - Move to line up Cateens
4 - Take Aim
5 - WoodTower CateenA, CateenB, CateenC (100 damage) x2 from terrain
6 - Court Change - Grass (Large Grass Terrain)
Sending away the referee program for his safety, Tennisman readied himself, and aimed to smack the Cateen right in their faces with a WoodTower. Except... the spikes that flew out from the ground were so slow, they might not have even been attacking. Even the normally-slow Cateen could easily roll past them, and attack. However, with their moving, the tanks' attacks were less accurate than usual, and missed TennisMan by quite a few shots. With six shots in total, only two hit him, and even those, he managed to parry away.

It seemed that it was a stalemate turn for the moment.

-- ENEMIES --
Cateen A: 200 HP (Grass)
Cateen B: 200 HP (Grass)
Cateen C: 200 HP (Grass)

-- ALLIES --
TennisMan.EXE: 550 HP (Metal) (5-hit shield)
Deuce.SP: 200 HP (Metal)

-- TERRAIN --
40% Grass
60% Metal
((I guess it's a 5-hit shield now))

"Well that was underwhelming." quipped Deuce.

Tennisman found it a little hard to believe none of the spears hit but didn't take it to heart. At least he and Desmond now he knew the speed of the attack and the potential damage it could do.

"Yeah, that just blew." agreed Desmond, "I got two more to try out but it might be rough with three guys still. I thought that attack would have at least hit one of them."

Tennisman nodded and stood his ground. He didn't feel particularly threatened enough to move and he felt he had studied his opponents enough and his vantage point was acceptable for now.

Desmond didn't idle long at the failure and said, "Alright, new plan: Spice them up, pick off one of them with a MarkCannon and we'll experiment on the others."

Tennisman took in a deep breath and crouched down. He was glad he laid down the grass carpet earlier as the chip data came and went, channeled through the floor in a fraction of a second. Noxious purple and yellow fumes misted from the greenery, creating a thick cloud over the area. Staying crouched, he pointed his buster arm at the haze and waited for the MarkCannon to overwrite its design. Various panels slid into place, the muzzle lengthened accordingly and a crosshair took shape over the barrel.

Tennisman took his time lining up the shot, not wanting a repeat of his last misfire. As the closest Cateen rolled into the center of his reticle, Tennisman tensed slightly and exhaled. The powerful round punched a visible hole right through the Spice cloud as if it were solid. It was a solid shot, leaving Tennisman little doubt in his accuracy.

"Good enough. Let's try Rope!" Desmond exclaimed, slapping the chip in with great exuberance.

His navi didn't share in his operator's enthusiasm, simply running the chip data to the best of his ability. At his touch, vine-like tendrils burst from the ground around one of the other Cateens and spiralled around each other to form a binding net. The rope quickly went taut, exhibiting crushing strength.

"Cool." Desmond said, brow raised, "Alright! Needler!"

The empty panel in front of Tennisman loaded the chip data, forming an odd insectile device that scuttled idly. The multiple sets of twin cannons that lined the machine seemed very promising to Desmond as he looked on. The turrets adjusted themselves automatically without needing Tennisman's command and aimed themselves at the remaining viruses before firing a set of spikes accompanied by an unimpressive "poot" sound.

"...Less cool." frowned Desmond, "Okay, I don't care anymore. Crush everyone with Binders."

Tennisman too had had enough of this and quickly summoned the pair of viral copies to finish off the stragglers. Bounding into action, the animated musical notes hopped back and forth over the grass in an effort to stamp out the real viruses.



1 - Spice1 (80 + Confusion to-all-grass)
2 - MarkCannon3 CateenA (130 damage + lockon)
3 - Rope2 CateenB (70 + Hold)
4 - Needler2 CateenA, CateenB, CateenC (40 damage) [80 HP]
5 - Binder1 CateenC (60 x 4 + random target)
6 - Binder1 CateenB (60 x 4 + random target)
Charging the grass floor with noxious fumes, TennisMan had the Cateen going in every which way, trying to get off the grass before the attack hit. One did get off the grass in time, but the other two got caught in the release of the poison. The MarkCannon punched through a Cateen like it was a fresh block of... something punchable. However, the vines he summoned somehow only managed to wrap themselves up, looking somewhat silly in the end. The Needler got to snipe some stuff, but wasn't too impressive in the end. Melody pseudo-viruses were then summoned, and the Cateens got crushed. Well, that is, two of them. One of them managed to roll to the side. However, it did not aim for TennisMan directly, but at the panel behind him. Thus, the explosive power from the shell rocked his back, and dealt him some damage. (60)

-- ENEMIES --
Cateen A: DELETED
Cateen B: DELETED
Cateen C: 80 HP (Metal)

-- ALLIES --
TennisMan.EXE: 490 HP (Metal) (5-hit shield)
Deuce.SP: 200 HP (Metal)

Needler2: 80 HP (Metal)

-- TERRAIN --
40% Grass
60% Metal
Tennisman resisted being blown down by the concussive blast that erupted behind him though his pride took more damage than his body. He had underestimated his opponent. He stared at the virus with an apathetic look, disappointed in himself and wanting to end this charade as soon as possible.

"Didn't see THAT coming..." Desmond added.

With a wave of his hand, Tennisman separated himself from the last Cateen with a wide tennis net that sprang up from the ground. At the same time, the damage he had just sustained melted away, bringing him back to peak physical condition. The setting looked perfect to start a game of tennis with the exception of the metallic terrain and the Needler.

The insectoid turret was on the other side of the net with the Cateen. Tennisman thought its attack was too weak and too slow to finish off the virus. Still, its mobility was an asset and since it was still active, Tennisman issued one final command to it: Ram the virus.

The spindly legs beneath the Needler adjusted quickly, lining itself up with the virus before scuttling off in a kamikaze charge. Tennisman had better things to do than to simply stand and watch. He wanted to ensure the virus's destruction and popped up a tennis ball from his customized buster. A lightning fast serve from his racket sent the yellow ball rocketing towards his target. Three more pops of his buster were followed with a matching set of rapidfire serves, but it wasn't enough. Again and again, Tennisman continued to strike tennis balls over the net with his perfectly practiced form sending another trio of tennis balls at the target.

This time, there would be no chances.

"Flameline2." Tennisman said.

Desmond complied, slipping the chip in while Tennisman swept his arm across the field. A wave of intense flames scorched across the steel plating, searing it black. With nothing to keep the fire going, the rolling inferno burned itself out as quickly as it came, leaving only flickering embers and smoke in its wake. Even after the fire went out, the air around the Cateen remained hazy from the heat, distorting what had become of the virus.



1 - Netplay + Reinforce (60 heal + 20 HP object + 4-hit shield)
Needler2 - RAMMING SPEED CateenC (80 + impact + break)
2 - Ace Serve CateenC (4 x 30 damage)
Deuce - Attack CateenC (30 damage)
Deuce - Attack CateenC (30 damage)
Deuce - Attack CateenC (30 damage)
3 - Flameline2 CateenC (120 damage)
Restoring his health to full, TennisMan wasted no time in dealing TONS OF DAMAGE to the remaining Cateen, which quickly sputtered out in response to the barrage of attacks.

-- ENEMIES --
Cateen A: DELETED
Cateen B: DELETED
Cateen C: DELETED

-- ALLIES --
TennisMan.EXE: 550 HP (Metal) (5-hit shield)
Deuce.SP: 200 HP (Metal)

Needler2: 80 HP (Metal)
Net: 20 HP [4-hit shield]

-- TERRAIN --
40% Grass
60% Metal

-- ROGUE BATTLE 01, VICTORY!! --

-- REWARDS --

[TankCannon2] Battlechip, 840z, 30 BugFrags
"Alright. That was good times and now we have a new chip to test!" Desmond said with a smile, "I'm not that happy with the Needler so we're swapping that out for this new..."

"TankCannon." Tennisman said, scanning over the data, "Two."

"Really? Sounds badASS." Desmond grinned.

Neither Desmond nor Tennisman seemed particularly interested in the other rewards but the PET claimed them automatically, allowing the team to move onto their next challenge without having to worry about it.

((Folder edit:
-Needler2 OUT
-TankCannon2 IN))

((Battle 2))
Venturing further into the network to search for more viruses to test his strength on, TennisMan found himself at the foot of a tall transmission beacon, which housed a nice little satellite dish at the top. Around said dish were some appropriate Satellite viruses as well, and two cute little blue UFO viruses to keep them company. The Satellites didn't like TennisMan's presence, and started to lock their targeting systems on him.

-- ENEMIES --
BlueUFO A: 160 HP [On top of Beacon/High Alt]
BlueUFO B: 160 HP [On top of Beacon/High Alt]
Satellite A: 200 HP [Flying/Surrounding Beacon]
Satellite B: 200 HP [Flying/Surrounding Beacon]
Satellite C: 200 HP [Flying/Surrounding Beacon]

-- OBJECTS --
Transmission Beacon: 200 HP

-- ALLIES --
TennisMan.EXE: 550 HP [Metal]
Deuce.SP: 200 HP [Metal]

-- TERRAIN --
20% Magnet [Surrounding Beacon]
80% Metal [Everywhere else]

-- ROGUE BATTLE 02, READY? START!! --
"Ugh... I hate those UFO guys," Desmond groaned.

"Do you feel that same way about Fifteen? I recall him looking fairly saucer shaped..." quipped Deuce.

"Well not him obviously! He's cool and doesn't steal your shit. Tennisman, we gotta play it smart against those UFO guys. Don't stall after I slot in the chip. We don't have time for that."

The navi nodded his head in agreement and began to strafe around the tall beacon in a light sprint. He recognized the other viruses circling the tower as well and knew not to take a defensive stand as he usually did. There was no way he could properly repel the hail of gunfire from three Satellite viruses. It was better to avoid being locked on in the first place.

"I guess now's as a good a time as any to try out that TANKCANNON!" Desmond said with a great deal of excitement punctuating the thought.

Still racing around the group and the oddly placed structure, Tennisman trained his buster at the peak where the group was congregating the tightest. The metamorphosis was instantaneous as his mildly comedic tennis ball cannon was replaced by an intimidating piece of tree trunk-sized artillery. Both Tennisman and Desmond were a little taken back by how monstrous the weapon looked.

Desmond was the first to comment, "Holy SHIT!"

Tennisman was less verbal about his surprise than his operator and simply let loose the shell resting in the oversized chamber. The magnificent eruption shook him to his core and nearly rendered him deaf. Another distant explosion rocked the foundations of the tower.

"Alright, new plan: you get yourself up to that group and I'll slot in a Windracket for Deuce to blow away the UFOs and a Moonblade to take care of the rest of them." Desmond said, "No stalling. Don't give them a chance to steal. Got it?"

It was a solid strategy that Tennisman was up for. He nodded and shifted his footing in order to make that high leap into the fray. He eyed the BlueUFOs nervously but couldn't afford to idle. Pressing off the floor, his form disappeared from the netscape. By the time he reappeared behind the UFOs, Deuce was already charged and ready to rip with the Windracket. A sweep of Tennisman's arm unleashed the energy stored in his SP, ravaging the air in front of him in a massive slicing wave of repulsion. Before his feet touched down, Tennisman immediately followed up the Windracket with a wide spinning slash from the sizable dagger in his other hand.

Both attacks expended in an instant, Tennisman began to fall. He managed to stop his rapid descent only by grabbing onto the beacon which he had so eagerly tried to destroy only moments ago.



* - Team Passive - damage share on
1 - Dodge
2 - Dodge
3 - Take Aim
4 - TankCannon2 Transmission Beacon (120 damage + Blast 2) {C}
5 - Split Step to top of beacon (teleport)
Deuce - Split Step to top of beacon (teleport)
6 - MoonBlade SatelliteA, SatelliteB, SatelliteC (90 damage) {B}
Deuce - Windracket BlueUFOA, BlueUFOB (100 damage + microburst + gust) {A}
Loading up the TankCannon2 into his tennis ball shooter, it transformed into the behemoth the chip series was known for, and rocked the Satellite group, though he missed the beacon for some reason. They immediately scanned the area for his presence, but his fast movement managed to let him off the hook. Besides that, the UFO also started to attack, swooping in on his location. Fortunately, that too was dodged swiftly. Not a moment later, he made a Split Step up to the top, and attacked the Satellites and UFOs in one swoop. The Satellites were destroyed, and one UFO was blown far away, but another UFO managed to escape the carnage.

-- ENEMIES --
BlueUFO A: 160 HP [On top of Beacon/High Alt]
BlueUFO B: 60 HP [Flying/Microbursted away]
Satellite A: DELETED
Satellite B: DELETED
Satellite C: DELETED

-- OBJECTS --
Transmission Beacon: 200 HP

-- ALLIES --
TennisMan.EXE: 550 HP [Metal/On Beacon] [Equip: Deuce]
Deuce.SP: 200 HP [Metal/On Beacon] [1 for All - Tennis]

-- TERRAIN --
20% Magnet [Surrounding Beacon]
80% Metal [Everywhere else]
From his new vantage point, Tennisman could see far across the horizon and also how far of a drop it was going to be if he lost his footing. He grappled with the antenna with his right arm and looked around. The Satellites were gone now but the UFOs were still hovering about. As far as he knew, they had no form of direct attack except stealing his unprocessed chip data.

"Piece of cake," Desmond smirked, "Just shoot them down with your buster and let's end this."

It was easier said than done. A mild case of vertigo set in as Tennisman took aim at the closer of the two UFO viruses. Executing a serve from this position was going to be near impossible. There wasn't a lot of choice in the issue as Tennisman simply bit the bullet and unloaded a clip of balls and let his preset programming kick in. Even in his awkward stance, his free arm managed to strike each of the tennis balls in fairly accurate trajectories at the saucer. It wasn't be enough to delete the virus and getting a chip at this range with no room to dodge was just asking to have it taken. He needed some breathing room and knew exactly how to get it.

"Desmond, prepare the MarkCannon." Tennisman said, eyeing the BlueUFO.

He gripped Deuce tightly and coiled his left arm back in preparation for a fierce blow. His arm tensed before unleashing a rarely utilized reserve of energy. A veritable wall of air rapidly descended upon the virus, disrupting air currents and breaking the relative silence with the discord of harsh gales. Now was his chance.

"Now!" Tennisman called out, aiming his buster at the visible spiral of wind.

Desmond fluidly slotted in the chip as Tennisman ran through the execution as fast as his routines would allow. The shell was fired in a hurry though the cannon's innate sense of targetting seemed more than adequate for the situation. Not willing to risk another chip, Tennisman decided to take it slow and go after the survivors with his own abilities, regardless of how pathetic they seemed.

"What now?" Desmond asked in anticipation.

"Match point." replied Tennisman.

He unlatched himself from the tower and stared off the edge of the tower to the ground. Though fear still clawed at his consciousness, he knew he would survive it. He had stared into things far worse and lived to take on harder challenges. Height had never bothered him before and he wouldn't let it start now. Slowly extending one foot over the edge, Tennisman let gravity take hold and allowed himself to freefall off the edge.

His operator looked on in surprise, "Holy shit!"

Though the feeling of falling was soothing and exhilarating at the same time, it was no time to relax. Pointing his buster and Deuce at the distant virus he had neglected earlier, Tennisman unloaded a flurry of yellow bolts. Tennis balls manifested and rocketed out from Deuce's frame like some kind of crazy magic wand. Tennisman's own buster shots looked noticibly slower than Deuce's though both alternated at an even pace.

Tennisman landed heavily against the steel floor, crouching to absorb the impact. The shock of hitting the ground rang out audibly like ringing an impossibly large and heavy gong. He was alive though his legs ached with a vengeance. He wasn't able to stand yet but was eager to check how many of his desperate potshots hit their target.



1 - Ace Serve BlueUFOA (4 x 30 damage)
2 - OUT! BlueUFOA (Microburst)
3 - MarkCannon3 BlueUFOA (130 + Seeking + Lockon)
4 - Buster Shot BlueUFOB (20 damage)
Deuce - Attack BlueUFOB (30 damage)
5 - Buster Shot BlueUFOB (20 damage)
Deuce - Attack BlueUFOB (30 damage)
6 - Buster Shot BlueUFOB (20 damage)
Deuce - Attack BlueUFOB (30 damage)
The two UFO never stood a galaxy of a chance.

-- ENEMIES --
BlueUFO A: DELETED
BlueUFO B: DELETED
Satellite A: DELETED
Satellite B: DELETED
Satellite C: DELETED

-- OBJECTS --
Transmission Beacon: 200 HP

-- ALLIES --
TennisMan.EXE: 550 HP [Metal/On Beacon] [Equip: Deuce]
Deuce.SP: 200 HP [Metal/On Beacon] [1 for All - Tennis]

-- TERRAIN --
20% Magnet [Surrounding Beacon]
80% Metal [Everywhere else]

-BATTLE WON!-
1,000z + 46 BugFrags + [Catcher] BattlechipCatcher
Effect: Catcher
Accuracy: B
Description: Against navis: Sends a UFO to steal the first chip the enemy would use this round. Against viruses: Sends a UFO to copy the enemys attack for this round, and allows you to use it once next turn. The UFO remains in the air until it is given the opportunity to steal data from the enemy, or until the end of the turn it was summoned, whichever comes first.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
"Okay, this is ridiculous." Desmond blurted out, "This is no way to make a living."

Both Tennisman and Deuce were confused by the statement, but only the support program was willing to ask about it, "What do you mean?"

"I was hoping we'd be rich enough to get some upgrades for Tennisman by now, but this is chump change." Desmond said, "We need to strike it rich and I know just the place to do it."

"This sounds like the beginning of a very poorly hatched scheme..." Deuce surmised.

"WE'RE GOING TO VEGAS, BABY!" exclaimed the operator before jacking his navi out of the network.

((ACDC Town))