Wandering Storm

Taking a moment to make sure there wasn't anything hiding around a corner, Tempest rubbed her hands together and said, "This looks like something I can deal with." Meanwhile, the same ominously dark clouds began to stir overhead.

"I guess same as usual?" Gale suggested, "Do you think just the Magbomb is good enough?"

Tempest was too busy channeling more energy into the storm to reply and only snapped out of it once the first of lightning bolt cracked through the cloud cover. Several more streaks struck down from the sky, striking the metallic landscape with sharp magnetic reverberations. Tempest opened her palm and let a small swirling cloud bloom in her hand.

"Maybe a Zapring too. Just to be safe." She said, extending her arm out at the Powies.

They were still too far apart for her liking. She narrowed her eyes, focussing on the viruses and forcing a sudden gust to narrow the gap between her targets. She released her hold on the tiny cloud, which had begun to grow unstable from the Magbomb chip. It wobbled forward uneasily before landing on the floor near the viruses and expanding into a swirling purple vortex of electricity.

Gale slotted in the Zapring chip while Tempest congealed another cloud between her hands. She held it patiently, waiting and watching for the opportune moment to attack. The cloud sparked with the battlechip data building within. Spotting an opening, she held her hands in front of her, causing the cloud to pop and release the zapring rocketing forward.

"Is that it? How much did we make this time?" Gale asked with a smile.



1 - Storm Warning PowieA, PowieB, PowieC (20 damage) x2 from terrain
* - Gust PowieB closer to PowieA
2 - Magbomb PowieA, PowieB (35 damage + Blast 2) x2 from terrain
3 - Zapring PowieC (45 damage + stun) x2 from terrain

After channeling some stormy clouds to aid her with lightning strikes, Tempest lobbed a small cloud towards the Powie, which quickly destabilized into a Magbomb explosion. Unfortunately, her aim wasn't quite there, and the Powies escaped it. The ZapRing she released later did work, however, and electrocuted the last Powie into submission. The remaining Powies leapt up into the air, and crashed down on her with some very painful force. Ow. (20) (20)

-- ENEMIES --
Powie A: 20 HP [Metal]
Powie B: 20 HP [Metal]
Powie C: DELETED

-- ALLIES --
Tempest.EXE: 60 HP [Metal]

-- TERRAIN --
60% Metal
40% Normal

"Oh no!" Gale blurted out, cupping her hands to her lips, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Ohhhhh my god!" Tempest grumbled, clearly in pain and trying to stand back up, "What do you THINK just happened? I got CRUSHED!"

Gale was unsure what to do and fumbled with her remaining battlechips, "Umm, so what do I do?"

Tempest was enraged. Her normally fluffy cloud-like hair turned as black as the storms she summoned and her raindrop earrings flashed into tiny lightning bolts. She scowled, "I'll get you for this..."

"I'll... I'll slot in a Cannon and Shotgun?" Gale suggested meekly.

Tempest responded by creating two clouds in her hands that looked twice as big as usual and swirled with what could only be described as condensed destructive forces of nature. Gale slipped the chips in one at a time, while each of Tempest's clouds flashed in response to the data transfer.

When one of the Powies looked as if it was about to jump again, she shouted, "NO! You STAY down!"

An invisible pillar of air slammed down from above, outlined only by the dust it managed to displace. Instead of gently extending her hands, she shot them forward as if trying to punch her targets. The first cloud exploded with the sound of an echoing gunshot. She punched again with her other hand, blasting a piercing beam at the second Powie. Aside from her new appearance, her heavy breathing matched her seething anger as she watched for their movements, eager to crush them further if either one of them had survived.



* - Gust down a Powie as it jumps up
1 - Cannon PowieA (40 damage + knockback)
2 - Shotgun PowieB (50 damage + Spread1)
3 - dodge

The Powies didn't stand much of a chance against a tempest of RAGE AND ANGER as they were smited to deletion.

-- ENEMIES --
Powie A: DELETED
Powie B: DELETED
Powie C: DELETED

-- ALLIES --
Tempest.EXE: 60 HP [Metal]

-- TERRAIN --
60% Metal
40% Normal

-- BATTLE 01, VICTORY!! --

-- REWARDS --
[Quake1] Battlechip, 300z

She pouted with crossed arms when she saw the coast was clear. Part of her was looking forward to inflicting more pain on them, but that no longer mattered. Slowly, her hair and earrings changed back to normal though her disposition took longer to fix.

"Should you really be doing this, Tempest?" Gale asked, "I didn't think it would be this dangerous for you."

Tempest huffed in a matter-of-fact tone, "Well, it is."

"Do you just want to stick to safer places and we'll just avoid fights from now on?" asked Gale.

"Please, don't try to patronize or coddle me. Maybe I don't really look like it, but I'm a fighter." Tempest announced proudly, "I was built to delete viruses."

"I know, but..." Gale fell silent for a bit, "I just want to do more for you than slide in these silly little cards, y'know?"

Tempest thought for a moment, "You can always get more upgrades and better little cards?"

"That's not really what I had in mind, but yeah, we'll definitely visit the computer shop after my feet feel a little better." Gale said, shifting her heels around.

"One more fight then," Tempest said, brushing herself off some more and fixing her hair a bit, "Okay! Ready."

While her navi walked around, Gale was still contemplative of what role she played in all of this.

((Battle 2))

With upgrades in mind, Tempest forged onwards in search of another fight. She stumbled upon a rather amusing sight; some Bunnies were hopping around a googly-eyed Lark, which was giving one of the rodent viruses a piggyback ride. The rider jumped about excitedly, though it was a burden on the Lark. It didn't seem to mind much. What they did mind, however, was Tempest's presence, which was their cue to turn hostile!

-- ENEMIES --
Lark: 100 HP
Bunny A: 50 HP [Riding Lark]
Bunny B: 50 HP
Bunny C: 50 HP

-- NAVIGATOR --
Tempest.EXE: 60 HP

-- TERRAIN --
20% Magnet (Scattered about)
80% Normal

-- BATTLE 02, READY? START!! --

Not willing to give the bunnies any opportunity to take potshots at her, Tempest immediately jumped up and rose well out of range of their attacks. At the same time, her signature storm clouds began to churn overhead the viral group; though from her point of view, the clouds were simply forming in front of her.

"I need to finish this quick..." She quietly said to herself.

"Should we use this new card I just got?" Gale asked, "I think it came from those things you were fighting. There's a picture of one of them on it."

"Really?..." Tempest mused with a wicked smile. She thought it rather poetic to turn the viruses she had just fought loose against the ones she was fighting now. As she plotted rain began to fall, flooding magnetic and plain tiles alike. She nodded and Gale was quick to oblige.

Tempest extended her arm to the cloud ahead and let the chip data flow into it. A great hole parted in the storm, spawning a Powie-shaped weight. It dropped down over the Lark with incredible speed, creating a huge splash and cracking the floor beneath. The surrounding water quickly flowed over the broken tiles, completely covering the fractures. That wasn't the end of the attack however. Her arm still held out to the cloud, she formed a fist, prompting it to rain down bolts of lightning onto the viruses. Electricity danced under the shade of the storm while Tempest watched from the relative safety of the sky.



1 - Airstep Dodge (high alt)
2 - Quake Lark, BunnyA (100 damage + impact + med panel crack)
* - SetSea under Bunnies (large sea terrain)
3 - Storm Warning BunnyA, BunnyB, BunnyC (20 damage) x2 from terrain

The Bunnies were quick to react to Tempest's jump, immediately acting upon it as a large swath of electrical rings stormed her general location. One of them caught her as she went up, slowing down her movements for a bit. (10, Stun1) She was quick to retaliate with various attacks. The Quake immediately crushed the Lark without any chance for it to get away, while the Bunny atop it managed to leap away before it also met the same fate. Bolts of lightning also struck a couple of Bunnies.

-- ENEMIES --
Lark: DELETED
Bunny A: 10 HP (Sea)
Bunny B: 10 HP (Sea)
Bunny C: 50 HP (Sea)

-- NAVIGATOR --
Tempest.EXE: 50 HP [Stun! -1 Action] [High Altitude]

-- TERRAIN --
20% Magnet (Scattered about)
15% Cracked (Lark's area)
50% Sea (Bunnies' area)
15% Normal

Tempest faltered. She had overlooked being struck by the Bunny and only now felt the paralytic effects from the virus's attack. She thought it ridiculous that she could be susceptible to an electrical attack, but the proof was wracking her body as she began to tumble back down.

"Tempest?" Gale called.

"Urgh..." Tempest could only manage grunt and muster up just enough of her strength to slow her descent. She landed softly, wincing from the random shocks that coursed through her body.

"Were you hit?" Gale asked, "I didn't notice..."

"Yes, but it's alright," Tempest replied with a brave face and a shallow breath, "Let's end this soon."

Gale bit her lip, her navi was clearly in pain but again, there was nothing she could really do. She wondered about what kind of operator she was being, letting her navi fall apart in front of her. The more she thought about it, the crappier she felt. Nagging feelings of guilt tore at her heart watching her navi.

"Gale!" Tempest cried out, "...I need you. Come on."

Her operator nodded and shuffled through her chips. She still wasn't entirely familiar with what each of them did though the Shotgun seemed to be very effective. She also remembered that the Magbomb had a wide explosion so maybe if everything went well, she could blow them all up in an instant. But which to slot in first? Decisions, decisions.

"GALE! OH my god! What are you DOING? USE A CHIP!" growled the navi.

"But I don't know which one to use!" Gale answered, "Is the Shotgun good or is the Magbomb a better choice or should I use one of these other on-"

"USE ALL OF THEM!" Tempest interrupted with a shout.

Gale felt like a complete failure and could feel tears welling in her eyes. She held them back for the moment and slipped in the two chips she was holding, one after another. Tempest gathered her strength again to form two clouds in her hands, quickly unleashing the battlechip data being sent to her as quickly as it loaded. There was no flourish or elegance to her movements anymore, only the feeling of desperation. A piercing blast and a magnetic pulse assaulted the Bunny group as Tempest finally seemed to shake herself of the residual static.

"...You didn't have to yell." Gale added, still struggling not to cry.



1 - Shotgun BunnyC (50 damage + Spread1)
2 - Magbomb BunnyA (30 damage + Blast2 + Stun)
3 - Stun

A burst of Shotgun shells and an explosive Magbomb were all it took to destroy the rest of the Bunny population, leaving a bit of data behind.

-- ENEMIES --
Lark: DELETED
Bunny A: DELETED
Bunny B: DELETED
Bunny C: DELETED

-- NAVIGATOR --
Tempest.EXE: 50 HP

-- TERRAIN --
20% Magnet (Scattered about)
15% Cracked (Lark's area)
50% Sea (Bunnies' area)
15% Normal

-- BATTLE 02, VICTORY!! --

-- REWARDS --
[WideShot1] Battlechip, 400z

With the threat gone, Tempest could relax and respond to her operator's comment, "Ugh... Look, I'm sorry, but like there's really no time to just, like, leaisurely pick and choose between chips when you're deleting viruses. One second of delay means a lot more to me than it probably does to you."

She couldn't hold it in anymore. Gale's lips curled inwards as the first tear crept out from the corner of her eye, "...I didn't know..."

"...Gaaaaaaale!" Tempest called out sympathetically, "Noooo, don't cry. It's not your fault! You didn't know. Hey. Hey. It's alright, I'm still okay. You didn't do anything wrong!"

Gale tried to wipe away her tears and maintain face in the café but the dam had already burst, "I- I let you down... I shouldn't be doing this. I can't use computers! What am I thinking?"

Tempest sighed. Much like how Gale was feeling earlier, Tempest couldn't do anything for her operator from her end. Their two worlds were simply too separate.

"No one starts off perfect." Tempest admitted, "...I'm actually not all that great."

Gale sniffed, "What do you mean?"

"The things I've been fighting? Metools, Powies, Bunnies... Those are all simple viruses. Stuff you can almost ignore if you wanted to."

"But I saw you! They were so strong and you had to fight so hard just to... Oh." Gale said, slowly realizing her navi's point.

Tempest sat down, tired and crushed by having to face the reality of her situation. They were both feeling awful and neither of them said a word for a good minute as they reflected on themselves and each other.

Eventually Gale stopped cry and said, "We can do better."

Tempest perked up, curious.

"I can try to learn more about computers and stuff and see if there are any computer things that will make it easier for you to delete stuff." Gale explained.

Tempest wasn't fully convinced but she was willing to accept anything to get out of her slump.

Getting up from her chair and picking up her purse and PET, Gale said, "Let's head over to the computer shop at the Scilabs. I'm sure there's something there."

Tempest clapped quietly, "Shopping!"

"So how do I-" Gale said, trying to find the jack-out function before running her finger over it accidentally.

((Electown))

A bolt of lightning marked Tempest's return to the network, though there was no one to greet her arrival. Slightly saddened by that, she said, "Gale, I feel different. Better."

"Yay! That's good!" Gale replied, "I went to the navi shop and got some upgrades for you with the money we earned."

Tempest made a fist, instantly generating an electric aura around it. Releasing her grip, the field dissapated with the sound of static.

"I hope this helps with your virus deleting!" She added.

Tempest smiled and answered, "Oh, yeah! For sure!" before trotting off to find something to crush.

((Battle 1))

Making a stunning entrance into the network, though there wasn't anyone to stun, Tempest went off in search of something to defeat. Her entry had landed her in one of the areas which had more twists and turns than the average Electown area, and that was saying something. She found a rather large overpass, which had some viruses hiding underneath. They jumped out at her, challenging her to a fight!

... For some reason, she felt like the situation was something that someone else had experienced. That feeling was only fleeting, however, and it went away as quickly as it came.

-- ENEMIES --
Billy A: 80 HP (Normal)
Billy B: 80 HP (Normal)
Billy C: 80 HP (Normal)

-- NAVIGATOR --
Tempest.EXE: 120 HP (Normal)

-- TERRAIN --
60% Normal (Road underneath)
40% Metal (Overpass)

-- BATTLE 01, READY? START!! --

"The guy I met at the store totally said you can make something to protect yourself now, so I guess try doing that?" Gale suggested, "I think he called it 'Cloud Cover'. Such a cute name!"

"It's totally cute!" Tempest agreed with a wide grin and quickly activated it. A thin trail of mist spiralled up around her body from the ground. It tightened closer to her form and seemingly hardened to form a sort of soft armour around her. It continued to drift around her body like a cloud but retained its shape, even as she moved about.

"...Doesn't look very sturdy." Gale said.

Tempest ran her hands over it and was surprised as its resistance against her touch. It was certainly more tough than it looked. She replied, "I think I'll be fine. Let's try using the Zapring."

As Gale shuffled through her purse for the chip, Tempest created two clouds to generate her next attacks. Gale slid the chip into the PET, charging one of the clouds with a sudden spark. Low-hanging clouds spawned overhead, under the overpass, and began to rain over the Billys. The floodwater filled the area quickly as Tempest unleashed her Zapring at the group. It cut through the torrent, gently flashing for each raindrop it came into contact with.

"Oh! That reminds me! You should be able to Zap things without chips now!" Gale added.

Tempest tested this by charging the second handheld cloud with her own energy and unleashing it into the downpour. A bolt of electricity shot forward that felt as strong as the Zapring she had just used. The attack was literally lightning fast and disappeared as quickly as it came. Tempest grinned at her newfound powers and looked forward to using them to great effect.



1 - Cloud Cover (90 HP barrier) + Self-Slow
* - SetSea under Billys
2 - Zapring BillyB (40 damage + stun) x2 from terrain
3 - Zap BillyA (40 damage) x2 from terrain

With her cloud defense up and some flooding done, Tempest created even more clouds, which launched some lightning at the Billy. However, the Billy managed to stay just shy of the range, and didn't get hit. They had some thunderballs out, which homed in on Tempest's position. Her cloud cover absorbed one of the balls, while the others circled her threateningly.

-- ENEMIES --
Billy A: 80 HP (Sea)
Billy B: 80 HP (Sea)
Billy C: 80 HP (Sea)

-- NAVIGATOR --
Tempest.EXE: 120 HP (Normal) (75 HP Barrier) (2 Thunderballs incoming) (Self-Slow)

-- TERRAIN --
20% Normal, 40% Sea (Road underneath)
40% Metal (Overpass)

"Looks like it's working." Gale noted.

Tempest's Cloud Cover had protected her from one of the electric balls, though she was unsure how much longer that protection would last. Two more of the orbs slowly rolled their way towards her and that's when she realized none of the Billys had been deleted by her attacks. Her aim was worse than she thought. Maybe it was time for something bigger.

"I think a Magbomb would be nice right about now..." Tempest said, taking a few steps back.

"How about three!" Gale answered back excitedly, "I got two more in an online trade. I thought it was totally worth it, plus the person seemed really nice about it."

Gale slotted all three chips in one after another while Tempest charged a large cloud in between her hands. Copies of the battlechip data filled it up, expanding its size until Tempest couldn't hold it in anymore. Giant sparks of electricity popped out from one end like luminescent popcorn, splashing and exploding all over the wet landscape. Golden hemispheres of energy blossomed all around the Billys as Tempest continued to pour energy into her offensive, trusting her barrier to protect her while she did. After the last mote of energy fled the deflating wisp in her hands, Tempest surveyed the scene to check the aftermath of her attack.



1 - Magbomb BillyA (35 elec damage + Blast 2 + Stun) x2 from terrain
2 - Magbomb BillyB (35 elec damage + Blast 2 + Stun) x2 from terrain
3 - Magbomb BillyC (35 elec damage + Blast 2 + Stun) x2 from terrain

Explosions were sent everywhere as the Billy released yet more thunderballs at Tempest, afraid of her carpet-bombing technique. Her defense absorbed them all easily as the Magbombs ravaged the Billy team, with one damaged and the other two seriously injured.

-- ENEMIES --
Billy A: DELETED
Billy B: 10 HP (Sea) (Stunned!)
Billy C: 10 HP (Sea) (Stunned!)

-- NAVIGATOR --
Tempest.EXE: 120 HP (Normal) (30 HP Barrier)

-- TERRAIN --
20% Normal, 40% Sea (Road underneath)
40% Metal (Overpass)

"HAH! Am I awesome or what?" boasted Tempest seeing the crippled and heavily damaged viruses, "Now to finish you off..."

"Oh! This is perfect!" Gale cheered.

Tempest perked up, "What is? Me?"

"Well... Yes, you're also really perfect, but the guy helped me out by programming one more thing that he called a 'Charge Burst'. I thought it was a stupid name, but I couldn't come up with anything better. Basically, you just kinda zap everything around you. He said it wasn't very strong but it's good for situations like this."

Tempest shrugged and tried to tap into the ability that Gale described. It wasn't hard to access and Tempest found herself welling up with electrical energy. The power continued to build, energizing every aspect of her body until it could no longer be contained. She arched her back and stretched her arms out as her body exploded with electrical energy, sending countless bolts of lightning arcing across the terrain in a brief but violent storm. Tempest was surprised that she didn't feel completely drained after expending that much energy and still had energy to spare.

"Did it work? Are you alright?" Gale asked.

"...Yeah. I feel great!" Tempest said, charging another cloud in her hand, "Who was this mystery guy who helped you out with all this customization stuff? Was he cute? What was his name? Did you get his number?"

"He wasn't that hot." Gale answered, negating the need to answer the rest.

"Aw." Tempest replied sympathetically.



1 - Charge Burst (Nova 4 10 damage) x2 from terrain
2 - Zap BillyB (40 damage)
3 - Buster Charge

Things happen, they're deleted, nothing really exciting happens.

-- ENEMIES --
Billy A: DELETED
Billy B: DELETED
Billy C: DELETED

-- NAVIGATOR --
Tempest.EXE: 120 HP (Normal) (30 HP Barrier)

-- TERRAIN --
20% Normal, 40% Sea (Road underneath)
40% Metal (Overpass)

-- BATTLE 01, VICTORY!! --

-- REWARDS --
420z

The fight ended without so much as a scratch on Tempest's body, leaving both navi and operator very pleased with the results of the upgraded parts.

"Woooo! What a win for us!" Tempest cheered.

"Yeah, oh my god, that was amazing!" Gale agreed, "420 is alright but let's see what else we can dig up here!"

Tempest nodded with a smile and sprinted off to look for more viruses to bust.

((Battle 2))