Beat Beat Revolution

"Awwwww yeah!"

Beatnik threw her arms up and stretched herself out as far as she would go. ElecNet was even better than the real Electown. It was everything that the city was, but at the same time, it was everything it wasn't: for example, the Internet wasn't particularly required to follow the laws of physics. Neon displays towered about sixty zillion yards above the street and bled washes of pretty much every colour you could make a pixel into everything that passed below. Five different kinds of music were playing at once, all projected from strategic locations and turned up to maximum volume to drown out the competition. Giant, computer-generated advertisements roared and crashed and sang through practically every inch of available space. As it was every Friday, Elecnet was crowded with Navis ready to fool around to entirely uncharted levels of fooling.

This was the sort of place Toni was supposed to go, not to some wrist-cutter's convention. Beatnik dismissed the logistical complication of Toni's not being able to exist on the Net. Opping a Navi through it was almost as good. She grinned, clasped her hands behind her back, and skated off into the chaos.

[Battle 1!]
Beatnik came across a Magtect trying to deal with its pair of blue balls in front of an audience of Metools.

...Awkward.

Magtect: 90 HP
ENGBallA: 80 HP [blue]
ENDBallB: 80 HP [blue]
MetoolA: 40 HP
MetoolB: 40 HP
MetoolC: 40 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

Beatnik: 100 HP

[Battle 1 - Begin!]
"Well, hey there, losers!" Beatnik called as she skated rings around the viruses. There was an almost kindly note in her voice. It was no question that it would evaporate before long. Her eyes alighted on the two ENGBalls, and she cracked into a grin. "Aw, looks like ya got yourself a ripe old case of ball discoloration there, pally-boy. Better just put ya outta yer misery!"

It was right at that point that Beatnik remembered that she didn't have any chips.

Luckily, it was pretty easy to hack into the PET's vibrate function and set it off.

Antoinette started so badly that she nearly fell off her recliner. Her hand dove into her coat pocket, whilst she traded sharp looks with the poets around her. There was a guy with a beret and a bongo drum up at the front. His mighty hammering on his instrument would give her a bit of cover. She employed her best stage whisper. "What?"

"Chips!"

Toni mashed down the volume slider. "What!? Where are you!?"

"ElecNet. Chips!"

"How did you get there!?"

"Hacked some wifi. Chips!"

"What do you think you're—"

"Chips!"

"All right, all right!" Antoinette tossed the PET onto her knees and started digging through her coat pockets for what Beatnik wanted. It took her a few seconds to locate them, take out a handful, and count the right ones into a separate pile in her palm. She stowed the rest and slotted in the chosen four as fast as she possibly could.

"Thanks!" Beatnik called. The emcee stepped up to the front, replacing the guy with the drum, and pointedly called Toni to the mike. Antoinette rammed the PET back into its pocket. She stood up so forcefully that the recliner squeaked back a couple of inches.

Meanwhile, in ElecNet, the packets of chip data were arriving on Beatnik's system with merry little. The Navi waggled her fingers thoughtfully, as if trying to decide whether to go for the filet mignon or the caviar first. She picked out the Fireburn. One thought swung a single plate of metal around to the fore. The chip's data spread across it, superheating it until it glowed. A single snap of Beatnik's fingers was the trigger that sent a concentrated beam of liquid fire searing through the ranks of the viruses.

Before the air could even start to settle again, Beatnik was back to skating — right towards the Magtect and his balls. She had already redirected one packet of data to each of her hands. In the right was the Shotgun, and the Cannon was in the left. These simultaneously materialized as tiny points of prismatic light between her fingers. As Beatnik bore down on the viruses, she drove her arms forward. Her eye was on that Magtect.

As the Shotgun and Cannon left her hands, the plates surrounding her moved again: this time, gathering down near her feet, because that's where her magnetic field had migrated to. One controlled burst of the field blasted her well into the air. She did a jerky sort of flip straight over the blue-balled Magtect and his admirers. The invisible field got itself between her and the ground. It softened her landing to the point where she only had to bend her knees a little to absorb the magnetic recoil

She'd been laughing the whole way.

Beatnik spun on one pivot foot. Slap went her hands as they came together in front of her at arm's length. The floating plates locked themselves into a shell around those arms. She was now equipped with something that strongly resembled a gatling gun of indecent size. Some kind of big rotor thing around the outside whined threateningly as it spun up.

The sheer force of that huge gun firing sent Beatnik skidding back almost a foot. The shots were like artillery shells; wherever they landed (because how was she supposed to have any kind of control over a gun this big?), plumes of cyberasphalt and associated detritus burst up.

If any of those viruses were still kicking under there, they'd no doubt be crapping themselves right about then.

1. Fireburn1 @ MetoolA, MetoolB, MetoolC (50 FIRE damage)
2. Shotgun @ Magtect (50 NORMAL damage)
3. Cannon @ Magtect (40 NORMAL damage)
*Gust: Dodge (jump the viruses)
*Flamenco Overdrive: +10 damage to Machinegun1
4. Machinegun1 @ ENGBallA, ENGBallB (one hit 40 NORMAL; other 8 hits 30 NORMAL damage)
Two Metools were toasted by the Fireburner but the third didn't quite line up and was spared from the flames. The Magtect raised its arm to generate a magnetic pulse but a Shotgun slapped him in the face. It raised its arm again but was finished off by a Cannon. The ENGBalls were faster than they looked, evading most of the hits from the Machinegun. Beatnik had a hard time aiming the weapon, practically spraying shots everywhere from the unexpected recoil. In a stroke of luck, one shot actually hit the last Metool.

Magtect: DELETED
ENGBallA: 50 HP [red]
ENDBallB: 50 HP [red]
MetoolA: DELETED
MetoolB: DELETED
MetoolC: 10 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

Beatnik: 100 HP
"Aw, balls," Beatnik complained. The gatling gun around her hands broke apart into its component plates, which resumed their slow orbit around her. There went the one-turn manhandling she'd been shooting for. She was going to have to bug Toni again.

Beatnik sent up the request. A faint chirp denoted the re-opening of the comm link. Antoinette said nothing. Beat could hear some pretty awful singing in the background. She wondered how Toni's head hadn't exploded yet.

"Hey there! Need the other Cannon and the Rageclaw."

Toni silently but dutifully slotted them in. Beatnik summoned the Cannon's plasma charge into her hand. Her deadly grin alighted on the surviving Metool, which promptly had the Cannon hurled at it.

The metal plates rotated again. They locked around Beatnik's right arm, turning it into a massive sky-blue claw. She went from zero to warp speed in the duration of a single stride. As Beatnik sailed past the first ENGBall at high velocity, she just let the giant claw trail behind her. There was no doubt that the virus would be wrecked on the talons as they screeched past.

Beatnik cut her angle and swung around for a second pass. The second ENGBall was the target now. As she bore down on it, she cut her speed just enough to allow herself two mighty hacks at the sphere. With that done, she booted back up to full speed and shot away, hopefully before the viruses could get off any kind of retaliatory attack.

1. Cannon @ MetoolC (40 NORMAL damage)
*Flamenco Overdrive: +10 to Rageclaw
2. Rageclaw @ ENGBallA (40 + 10 from Flamenco Overdrive = 50 NORMAL damage)
*Gust: Dodge
3. Rageclaw @ ENGBallB (40 NORMAL damage)
4. Rageclaw @ ENGBallB (40 NORMAL damage)
The Metool was easily finished off by the Cannon shell leaving Beatnik only 2 other threats to deal with: The ENGballs. Their colours had shifted to a dark blood red shade and their movements had slowed down significantly. They no longer bobbed and weaved elegantly through the air, but now generated a much greater threatening aura around them.

They both recklessly charged at Beatnik simultaneously and while she was able to delete one with an enhanced Rageclaw swipe, the other didn't stop. A gust of wind pushed her out of the way in time to avoid the attack. The ENGball didn't stop and made a wide turn to maintain its momentum as it prepared to make another pass. Its movements were straightforward and lacking any subtlety allowing Beatnik to simply sidestep at the last minute and rip it apart from the side.

Magtect: DELETED
ENGBallA: DELETED
ENDBallB: DELETED
MetoolA: DELETED
MetoolB: DELETED
MetoolC: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Normal

Beatnik: 100 HP

[Battle 1 - Victory!]

Get: 900z
Beatnik blew a raspberry at the fragments of junk data as they floated by. She dropped to cruising speed, dismissed the claw on her arm, and continued on her leisurely skate.

A few lamesauce viruses like those weren't going to stop her.

[Battle 2!]
As Beatnik skated along, she felt as if she was being followed. She turned and saw nothing but felt the paranoia creeping in. Then, just as she turned her head, she heard the sound of a raspberry that wasn't hers. She had never stopped moving but now she had no choice in the matter as she was being chased by a horde of flying enemies intent on overtaking her. Leading the pursuit were three Spookys in a V formation being flanked by Fishys on one side and Pulsebats on the other.

SpookyA: 30 HP
SpookyB: 30 HP
SpookyC: 30 HP
FishyA: 90 HP
FishyB: 90 HP
PulsebatA: 80 HP
PulsebatB: 80 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

Beatnik: 100 HP

SPECIAL: Moving battle! ((Don't have to waste an action to keep moving))

[Battle 2 - Begin!]
"Nuts, they're on my six," Beatnik said to absolutely nobody in particular. She thought it sounded pretty cool, though.

As she carried through with her next stride, Beatnik pivoted on the forward foot. All of a sudden she was skating backwards and facing the viruses that were chasing her. She pulled a face at them and bugged Toni for chip data again. This time, her request was very specific.

A moment later, two chips came down the pipe. Beatnik picked out the Ironshield. Under her direction, the data funnelled itself into one of her metal plates. The chosen plate swung around to place itself between her and the viruses. It made a quaint little shwoop sound as it grew to double it original size. The plate clattered to the ground. Some magic — or, more likely, Beatnik's magnetic field — caused it to remain standing upright on its edge. With the Ironshield there to block off the two Fishies that formed the core of the pursuit, Beatnik swapped over to the Spookies on the wing.

A tilt of her body a few degrees to one side changed her travelling pattern, from a straight flight backwards to wide, weaving zigzags. Sure, she'd lose most of her velocity, but she was an easy target if she kept going in one direction.

She pulled up the Shotgun. A little pellet of plasma formed between her thumb and first finger. Beatnik held the bullet out at arm's length and shut one eye to try and get the lead Spooky onto a more accurate line. Her middle finger curled back and gave the Shotgun a flick. The plasma charge shot off at a ridiculous speed.

The instant that was done, Beatnik leaned deep into her next weave. With her full attention back on the actual dodging thing, she amped up her speed to near her maximum, continuing to zig and zag all the while. The constant half-bend of her knees would let her go shooting out of the way of whatever would come next from the viruses.

1. Use Ironshield1 as an obstacle to block FishyA, FishyB
*Gust: Dodge (weave back and forth to dodge attacks)
2. Take aim with Shotgun
3. Shotgun @ SpookyA (40 NORMAL damage; possible splash1 to one of the Spookies in formation behind)
4. Dodge (maintain weaving motion, get ready to boost out of the way)
Turning to face her stalkers, one of Beatnik's metal plates swiveled in front. It expanded to form a crude iron shield while she danced around, trying to avoid being hit. The Ironshield, as an unexpected side effect, began to drag her down, allowing the viruses to catch up. When it was close enough, one of the Spookys licked off a thin layer of metal from the shield, thinning it out considerably. The decreased weight of her shield lessened her burden and allowed her to speed up again, but not before she unloaded a Shotgun blast into the mouth of her attacker. Fortunately, she was close enough to eradicate another Spooky behind that one.

One of the Pulsebats screeched supersonic waves at her, but they were easily avoided by her rhythmic swaying. Instead of flying higher, the Pulsebats had a hard enough time keeping up and stayed at Beatnik's level.

The Fishys had a hard time locking on and didn't end up doing anything.

SpookyA: DELETED
SpookyB: DELETED
SpookyC: 30 HP
FishyA: 90 HP
FishyB: 90 HP
PulsebatA: 80 HP
PulsebatB: 80 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

Beatnik: 100 HP [1-hit shield]

SPECIAL: Moving battle! ((Don't have to waste an action to keep moving))
"Way to not freakin' work!" Beatnik yelled at her Ironshield. Okay, so being fancy wasn't going to cut it. Firepower solved all problems, right? "Fireburn, Cannon, Ratton and DashAttack!"

"Right now?" Antoinette hissed. "I'm trying to listen to—"

"Right now!"

Toni fumbled around in her pockets until she found the right chips. She slotted them in, trying to keep the clicks as quiet as possible so as not to attract disapproving stares.

Down in the Net World, Beatnik booted each chip up as it came in. She was falling behind the viruses now, which would give her a nice little advantage as they tried to get a bead on where she was. A little twitch of her electromagnetic field pushed the Ironshield off to one side. She brought her hands together and a beam of flame roared forth, searing through the enemy ranks.

Here came the Cannon and the Ratton. Beatnik fired them off one after the other; the first was a sphere of plasma that she hurled overhand at the viruses she was chasing, and the other was a little bomb-on-wheels that she tossed ahead and left to its own devices.

"All righty," Beatnik muttered as the DashAttack popped up. This was going to be her big finisher. She shifted the chip data into the electromag field and felt its power spike. She funnelled the surge down into her feet and blasted off. The streak of yellow and green and blue shot toward the viruses, with one metal plate leading the way to a very painful collision.

*Gust: Follow the viruses; prep for a dodge
1. Fireburn @ PulsebatA, PulsebatB (50 FIRE damage)
2. Cannon @ PulsebatA (40 + 10 Flamenco Overdrive = 50 NORMAL damage)
3. Ratton1 @ SpookyC (40 NORMAL damage, homing property)
4. DashAttack @ FishyA, FishyB, PulsebatA, PulsebatB (90 NORMAL damage)
Beatnik opens up with the Fireburn, first off, which sears a flaming arc towards the two Pulsebats; for the first it is a direct hit, searing a little of the thing's wings off, but the second one wisens up and gets the hell out of dodge, narrowly avoiding the fire.

Unfortunately, that tactic doesn't do the first Pulsebat too much good against the cannon Beatnik leveled at it moments later. It's knocked out the air by the blast, and falls to the ground in a small shower of data flecks. The image is kind of like someone spilled a weird, blocky cereal on the thing.

Beatnik's third fourth target for DESTRUCTION this turn, the Spooky, is unable to dodge the Ratton's incessant, hounding movements. It doesn't come to its' mind to teleport until the Ratton's about to blow up in its' face; there's an explosion as the Spooky disappears, and for a moment it's unclear if Beatnik 'got' it. The virus' rapid decay and deletion when it comes out of the teleport, however, proves that she did.

Finally, with a grand flourish, Beatnik speeds off with one of the viruses' own moves; a DashAttack. One of the Fishy viruses catches onto this the moment she tries it, however, and counters with its' own maddening burst of speed. It collides headlong into Beatnik's charge after she rips through one Fishy, stopping it-- but the effort sure as hell leaves it with a headache.

The lone, undamaged Pulsebat decides to try taking a shot at Beatnik, despite her intimidating the hell out of the thing. Lucky for her, her Ironshield proves to actually be good for something; it blocks the attack soundly, then disappears, allowing Beatnik her full range of movement and speed again.

SpookyA: DELETED
SpookyB: DELETED
SpookyC: DELETED
FishyA: DELETED
FishyB: 45 HP (Stunned-- slowly falling behind)
PulsebatA: DELETED
PulsebatB: 80 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

Beatnik: 100 HP

SPECIAL: Moving battle! ((Don't have to waste an action to keep moving))
"Feels like I've been doin' this for months now," snarled Beatnik. She was sick of this right down to her framework; she just wanted to go home.

Her call for chips brought her a Rageclaw. A big hook-shaped spike of electromagnetism grew from her hand like a fast-motion icicle. Beatnik clenched the fist, kicked off, and was upon the Fishy in an instant. She brought the claw ramming straight down on the head of the stunned virus.

Beatnik's eyes snapped around to the Pulsebat. That little sucker wasn't getting away, either. The electromagnetic spike broke up as Beatnik swapped over to her SigAttack routines.

The floating plates locked together into a wall. She put her palms against it, grinned, lowered her head, and went. The electricity snapped and the wind howled and she felt real again.

1. Rageclaw (40 + 10 Flamenco Overdrive = 50 NRML dmg) @ FishyB
2. Lock onto Pulsebat
3. Charge
4. Techno Waltz (90 ELEC dmg) @ PulsebatB
*Gust: Put extra speed on the Techno Waltz to make it harder to avoid
Tired of the battle, Beatnik equipped a claw on her fist and charged the stunned Fishy. Having no way to really dodge, the virus stood no chance against the Navi as she cleaved through it. The final virus didn't have much more luck in dodging as Beatnik combined some of her armor, formed a large and very solid looking wall and moved to ram the PulseBat.

It was going to be feeling that one in the morning.

SpookyA: DELETED
SpookyB: DELETED
SpookyC: DELETED
FishyA: DELETED
FishyB: DELETED
PulsebatA: DELETED
PulsebatB: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Normal

Battle 2 Complete!

Beatnik: 100HP GET: 550z, Pulsar1
"Suckers," Beatnik grinned, and jacked out.

[DONE]