By way of greeting the strangely manic party worm, Shuri deftly knocked its hat off. This seemed to get its attention, but the first thing the virus did in response was sway a little more, and cause a brand new party hat to reform on its head. This one had six sparklers on it, and a couple of colourful streamers too, as if to spite the ninja.
It was still watching her as it shuffled along happily, head bouncing from body to body to keep an eye on her as it did and a strange, cloyingly scented pollen began to fill the air, settling over Shuri herself quickly. It began to work its way into all of her senses, scrambling and disorienting slightly, though chances were the full potency of the effect would take a moment or two to take hold fully. For now, the purple wonder retaliated with a far more potent long-range greeting, easily scouring the hat clean off the party virus a second time and making its manic grin drop to an unhappy frown for a moment. Shuri wasn't waiting around, with a second fist scorching after the first swiftly but as it did, the virus glared at it, and its eyes... swirled. The rocking of its head was vaguely hypnotic, right up to the point that the flaming fist crashed into its body with force. If she keep an eye on the virus' vitals, though, Shuri would notice that while it dealt more damage that the face value of the chip, it did less than she might have hoped for (-80).
The cactus-train shook itself off with a wriggle to the beat, and wormed its way on. Somewhere in the back a new cactus body grew out of the old, and the worm got a little longer (+30). A ripple passed up and down the length of the virus, curving and swelling upwards though its body in a strong series of bold twists and turns as it danced its way further up the alley and closer to Shuri. The head was still bouncing around the different segments watching her, and it's wild grin was back, unperturbed by the burns it had taken.
-=Moves to the Beat=-
CactoCongo.Worm: 450Hp [Such Dancing!][Fabulous Party Hat: Broken!][Strengthen 20]
-=Light On Her Feet=-
Shuri: 150Hp [Normal][Confused!]
Shurimpy: 60Hp [Normal]
-=Well Blocked-up Street=-
All Terrain is Normal, but the street is fairly narrow.
Unclever Topic Title
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Almost as soon as the second fist was flung, Shuri dropped down onto her knees, succumbing to the bizarre effects of the pollen. Sadly, her ninja mask offered little protection against airborne allergens. "Urgh...can't...see straight..." Nothing looked solid, and everything looked like it was moving, even things that weren't already dancing. "What? What'd you say? ...Naomi, you there?"
"Of course, Shuri! You don't look very well...are you all right?"
"...How DARE you blame me for that! And I never told you about that, to begin with...how did you even find out?! Huh?!" She struggled her feet, looking extremely wobbly even as she stood. "Answer me!!!"
"Um, what...? I think she's lost it..." The paralegal had a look at her Navi's status screen. "Confusion? Ah, I see...it's screwing up her sensory input. So, er...Shurimpy?" Ugh, that name almost hurt to say...at least a Shrimpy in a ninja get up was pretty cute. "I don't think I can give you anything unless it's through Shuri, and right now I don't know what she'd do if I tried that...she might try to hurt you, thinking you're someone or something else..."
As if on cue, the ninja turned, noticing her partner in ninjitsu. "...A Shrimpy Omega? Here?! Just perfect...but I don't need Naomi's help! I don't need ANYONE'S help!" Fortunately, for the moment, she was content to take a cautious approach, ready to avoid anything and everything that they tried. She'd get them in the end, though. That she was sure of.
"I really hope that wears off soon...I think it will, though. So, you'll need to try distracting the cactus worm...thing, Shurimpy."
The crustacean SP turned to a window behind Shuri, conveniently altered so that it was facing him, and saluted. He refused to let his Navi down...not when she needed him like this, and even though she didn't actually know she needed him right now. It vigorously waved at the CactoCongo with both arms, seeking its attention. Once it seemed like he'd gotten it, he turned around, and flippantly waved its tail fin at it, trying to lure it into focusing on him for a bit. At no point did he lose visual contact with it, though; he wanted it to attack him, but he wasn't going to give it a free hit, by any means. Unless it was the difference between hitting him and hitting Shuri...then it was no contest as to who got smacked, and it wasn't the currently mentally compromised one.
[Order of Turn:
1-Dodge
2-Dodge
3-Dodge
4-Dodge
Shurimpy Order of Turn:
1-Taunt and Dodge]
"Of course, Shuri! You don't look very well...are you all right?"
"...How DARE you blame me for that! And I never told you about that, to begin with...how did you even find out?! Huh?!" She struggled her feet, looking extremely wobbly even as she stood. "Answer me!!!"
"Um, what...? I think she's lost it..." The paralegal had a look at her Navi's status screen. "Confusion? Ah, I see...it's screwing up her sensory input. So, er...Shurimpy?" Ugh, that name almost hurt to say...at least a Shrimpy in a ninja get up was pretty cute. "I don't think I can give you anything unless it's through Shuri, and right now I don't know what she'd do if I tried that...she might try to hurt you, thinking you're someone or something else..."
As if on cue, the ninja turned, noticing her partner in ninjitsu. "...A Shrimpy Omega? Here?! Just perfect...but I don't need Naomi's help! I don't need ANYONE'S help!" Fortunately, for the moment, she was content to take a cautious approach, ready to avoid anything and everything that they tried. She'd get them in the end, though. That she was sure of.
"I really hope that wears off soon...I think it will, though. So, you'll need to try distracting the cactus worm...thing, Shurimpy."
The crustacean SP turned to a window behind Shuri, conveniently altered so that it was facing him, and saluted. He refused to let his Navi down...not when she needed him like this, and even though she didn't actually know she needed him right now. It vigorously waved at the CactoCongo with both arms, seeking its attention. Once it seemed like he'd gotten it, he turned around, and flippantly waved its tail fin at it, trying to lure it into focusing on him for a bit. At no point did he lose visual contact with it, though; he wanted it to attack him, but he wasn't going to give it a free hit, by any means. Unless it was the difference between hitting him and hitting Shuri...then it was no contest as to who got smacked, and it wasn't the currently mentally compromised one.
[Order of Turn:
1-Dodge
2-Dodge
3-Dodge
4-Dodge
Shurimpy Order of Turn:
1-Taunt and Dodge]
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With her perception clouded by the confusing and disorienting pollen, Shuri was not in the best state to fight actively, so it was probably a wise idea for her operator to keep the move heavy duty chips out of her hands just for now. Curving and swaying up the street ever closer to the purple ninja, however, the party worm continued to dance hypnotically, revelling in its mad grin and colourful eyes. The head segment bounced in place as it rocked back and forth, and the fabulous party hat was back once again, now with even more sparklers and streamers than before.
Initially it was still focused entirely on Shuri as it curved its way closer to her eagerly. Another ripple passed through the dancing sea of cactus and a ripple of multi-coloured sparkles drifted through the air in a cloud. If Shurimpy was paying close attention, he might notice that the magic pixie dust, or whatever it was, was focused on Shuri still, fogging around her and settling before it began to fade. It didn't seem like an attack, exactly, and it hadn't hurt her... but it would be difficult for either Shurimpy, or Naomi to really tell what it was doing.
For her part, Shuri would find that as her vision gradually cleared from the intoxicating pollen effect, what it was clearing into was something entirely different... There wasn't really some big scary worm virus after all... it was a party, probably a costume joke or something. Now that she looked clearly, she could see that, yes, it was actually a line of conga dancers just having a good time. None of them were wearing much at all, either... just party hats, and a few scraps of cloths or beads... and some of them looked very, very... enticing. As the line danced and partied, one of the males in the line; handsome, toned and scantily clad, looked in her direction then extended a hand, inviting the ninja girl to come and join the party line with a broad grin. Shuri would be able to feel the draw of it, her feet carrying her closer to the dancing line of their own accord.
If Naomi could get an idea of what Shuri was seeing about then, she might realise that letting her navi join what she was perceiving as a conga line of dancers, was probably a very, VERY bad idea. The worm virus, however, was grinning away as it threaded nearer, eyes swirling in bright, colourful vortexes as it watched the navi it was aiming for, until a distraction to the side grabbed its attention momentarily. Shurimpy was doing his best to get some love too, it seemed, and the virus was happy to oblige... in a manner of speaking. The head segment bounced over to a section near the small crustacean, then spun about in place rapidly, party whistles blowing joyously. Several sections of cactus barrelled off the body it was perched on top of, all aiming at the little SP in a swift volley. Shurimpy was ready, dodging the first projectile, while the second one whizzed passed him, missing by a hair. The third connected with a solid thump and an impressive sting, however (-20). Sting of the cactus aside, The strike left a lingering sense of being scrambled as glitchy code worked its way into the SP. His stylish purple ninja mask went a spectacular rainbow of tie-dye instead, and worse (maybe?), one claw found itself occupied with a festive tambourine. Any attempt the SP made to drop or damage the thing would only result in further shaking of the instrument.
That seemed to be the level of chastisement that the virus was interested in offering for now, because it quickly turned its attention back to Shuri, head rocking energetically to its own music while it danced, and the line of cacti bodies grew (+30).
-=Moves to the Beat=-
CactoCongo.Worm: 480Hp [Come Dance!!][1-Hit Fabulous Party Hat, Now With Extra Sparklers!]
-=Light On Her Feet=-
Shuri: 150Hp [Affected by Hallucinating Illusion: Come Join The Conga!][Debuff: Weaken 40][Melee range to CatcoCongo]
Shurimpy: 40Hp [Glitch: Hand Lock, plus cosmetic effects]
-=Well Blocked-up Street=-
All Terrain is Normal, but the street is fairly narrow.
Effects:
Hand Lock: Targets with this glitch can only use one 'hand' slot. This also prevents the use of chips requiring both hands. Lasts until cured or battle ends.
Initially it was still focused entirely on Shuri as it curved its way closer to her eagerly. Another ripple passed through the dancing sea of cactus and a ripple of multi-coloured sparkles drifted through the air in a cloud. If Shurimpy was paying close attention, he might notice that the magic pixie dust, or whatever it was, was focused on Shuri still, fogging around her and settling before it began to fade. It didn't seem like an attack, exactly, and it hadn't hurt her... but it would be difficult for either Shurimpy, or Naomi to really tell what it was doing.
For her part, Shuri would find that as her vision gradually cleared from the intoxicating pollen effect, what it was clearing into was something entirely different... There wasn't really some big scary worm virus after all... it was a party, probably a costume joke or something. Now that she looked clearly, she could see that, yes, it was actually a line of conga dancers just having a good time. None of them were wearing much at all, either... just party hats, and a few scraps of cloths or beads... and some of them looked very, very... enticing. As the line danced and partied, one of the males in the line; handsome, toned and scantily clad, looked in her direction then extended a hand, inviting the ninja girl to come and join the party line with a broad grin. Shuri would be able to feel the draw of it, her feet carrying her closer to the dancing line of their own accord.
If Naomi could get an idea of what Shuri was seeing about then, she might realise that letting her navi join what she was perceiving as a conga line of dancers, was probably a very, VERY bad idea. The worm virus, however, was grinning away as it threaded nearer, eyes swirling in bright, colourful vortexes as it watched the navi it was aiming for, until a distraction to the side grabbed its attention momentarily. Shurimpy was doing his best to get some love too, it seemed, and the virus was happy to oblige... in a manner of speaking. The head segment bounced over to a section near the small crustacean, then spun about in place rapidly, party whistles blowing joyously. Several sections of cactus barrelled off the body it was perched on top of, all aiming at the little SP in a swift volley. Shurimpy was ready, dodging the first projectile, while the second one whizzed passed him, missing by a hair. The third connected with a solid thump and an impressive sting, however (-20). Sting of the cactus aside, The strike left a lingering sense of being scrambled as glitchy code worked its way into the SP. His stylish purple ninja mask went a spectacular rainbow of tie-dye instead, and worse (maybe?), one claw found itself occupied with a festive tambourine. Any attempt the SP made to drop or damage the thing would only result in further shaking of the instrument.
That seemed to be the level of chastisement that the virus was interested in offering for now, because it quickly turned its attention back to Shuri, head rocking energetically to its own music while it danced, and the line of cacti bodies grew (+30).
-=Moves to the Beat=-
CactoCongo.Worm: 480Hp [Come Dance!!][1-Hit Fabulous Party Hat, Now With Extra Sparklers!]
-=Light On Her Feet=-
Shuri: 150Hp [Affected by Hallucinating Illusion: Come Join The Conga!][Debuff: Weaken 40][Melee range to CatcoCongo]
Shurimpy: 40Hp [Glitch: Hand Lock, plus cosmetic effects]
-=Well Blocked-up Street=-
All Terrain is Normal, but the street is fairly narrow.
Effects:
Hand Lock: Targets with this glitch can only use one 'hand' slot. This also prevents the use of chips requiring both hands. Lasts until cured or battle ends.
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"Ugh, my head..." Fortunately, as she was afffected by the second pollen type, Shuri seemed to be recovering from the first. She shook her head, and managed to properly stand and face her...opponent? That wasn't an enemy at all, but a line of a bunch of people she wouldn't mind getting to know a little better. She was a bit suspicious, however, at the fact there wasn't a massive computer worm around all of a sudden. And yet, she felt compelled to at least draw near.
"Shuri, don't!" Naomi honestly wasn't sure if her Navi could hear her, but she had to try. She just couldn't stand around and do nothing.
"...Let me guess. I'm hallucinating, because right now I'm looking at what is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful men I've ever laid eyes on."
"...Entirely possible! That pollen's doing things to you..." At least it seemed like Shuri could properly hear what she was saying. That was good.
The ninja, while believing what was being said, turned her SP, due to not especially wanting to believe it. Shurimpy vigorously shook his head, seeing the reality that was a giant cactus virus...and having the bump and funkadelic ninja mask to prove it. "...I was afraid of that. By the way, Shurimpy? That tie-dye look does NOT suit you."
"Good, you're back with us! After that outburst earlier, I was worried-"
"Outburst? ...You mean I actually said those things?"
"You did...but I think we should put it on the backburner for now."
"You're right. I'm close, and it's definitely Fire weak...I want FireKnife. Now."
"Er, if you say so."
"Shurimpy. Do me a favor, and knock the hat off. I can't actually see it, but I'm sure it's there. ...It IS there, right?"
"It is. Here's your chip request!" Honestly, she was a little nervous about her Navi being so close to...well, THAT, but considering her Navi was the expert..."BattleChip, FireKnife! Slot in!"
Shuri's right hand ceased to be empty, as it found itself holding a flaming kunai. She pointed it at about where she estimated the party hat to be, and turned to her SP again. "Go ahead, strike. ...And is that a tambourine on your claw?" Shurimpy looked down, and sure enough, there was a musical instrument in it. He vigorously shook it, to try and get rid of it, but all that was accomplished was some off-rhythm noise. On the bright side, he didn't need his claws to attack, which he showed by closing his eyes, and focusing on empty space. A large bubble formed in front of him, which he then whacked with his tail, sending it into the ground, but instead of bursting like most bubbles would, it bounced high into the air, in an attempt to land right atop the worm's head, and knock off the party hat. Regardless of whether it hit its mark or not, it'd explode in a bubbly explosion, that'd even manage to keep going straight and hit something else. Fortunately, he was pretty sure his Navi was out of that particular danger.
But at this point, she didn't overly care. She was getting sick of this thing messing with her head, and it was time to give it a painful lesson on why that was a very, very bad idea to try to pull on her. While all she could see was a party, at this point it was only making her mad, a reminder that what she was seeing wasn't reality, even though she wished it was. She swung her weapon, with enough force to disembowel a particularly anatomically correctly programmed Navi from one slash alone. Granted, the heat of the weapon would probably immediately cauterize it...but even if the illusion reacted accordingly, it wouldn't affect an ounce of her resolve. She'd just keep on cutting up partygoers, not caring if she cut them in half, or stabbed them in the crotch, or whatever. She wanted the cactus worm dead, and she wanted it dead quickly. Nothing more, nothing less.
[Order of Turn:
1-FireKnife chip attack on CactoCongo (60, Fire, B, Slashing)
2-FireKnife chip attack on CactoCongo (60, Fire, B, Slashing)
3-FireKnife chip attack on CactoCongo (60, Fire, B, Slashing)
4-FireKnife chip attack on CactoCongo (60, Fire, B, Slashing)
Shurimpy Order of Turn:
1-Attack on CactoCongo (15, Aqua, Spread 1)]
"Shuri, don't!" Naomi honestly wasn't sure if her Navi could hear her, but she had to try. She just couldn't stand around and do nothing.
"...Let me guess. I'm hallucinating, because right now I'm looking at what is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful men I've ever laid eyes on."
"...Entirely possible! That pollen's doing things to you..." At least it seemed like Shuri could properly hear what she was saying. That was good.
The ninja, while believing what was being said, turned her SP, due to not especially wanting to believe it. Shurimpy vigorously shook his head, seeing the reality that was a giant cactus virus...and having the bump and funkadelic ninja mask to prove it. "...I was afraid of that. By the way, Shurimpy? That tie-dye look does NOT suit you."
"Good, you're back with us! After that outburst earlier, I was worried-"
"Outburst? ...You mean I actually said those things?"
"You did...but I think we should put it on the backburner for now."
"You're right. I'm close, and it's definitely Fire weak...I want FireKnife. Now."
"Er, if you say so."
"Shurimpy. Do me a favor, and knock the hat off. I can't actually see it, but I'm sure it's there. ...It IS there, right?"
"It is. Here's your chip request!" Honestly, she was a little nervous about her Navi being so close to...well, THAT, but considering her Navi was the expert..."BattleChip, FireKnife! Slot in!"
Shuri's right hand ceased to be empty, as it found itself holding a flaming kunai. She pointed it at about where she estimated the party hat to be, and turned to her SP again. "Go ahead, strike. ...And is that a tambourine on your claw?" Shurimpy looked down, and sure enough, there was a musical instrument in it. He vigorously shook it, to try and get rid of it, but all that was accomplished was some off-rhythm noise. On the bright side, he didn't need his claws to attack, which he showed by closing his eyes, and focusing on empty space. A large bubble formed in front of him, which he then whacked with his tail, sending it into the ground, but instead of bursting like most bubbles would, it bounced high into the air, in an attempt to land right atop the worm's head, and knock off the party hat. Regardless of whether it hit its mark or not, it'd explode in a bubbly explosion, that'd even manage to keep going straight and hit something else. Fortunately, he was pretty sure his Navi was out of that particular danger.
But at this point, she didn't overly care. She was getting sick of this thing messing with her head, and it was time to give it a painful lesson on why that was a very, very bad idea to try to pull on her. While all she could see was a party, at this point it was only making her mad, a reminder that what she was seeing wasn't reality, even though she wished it was. She swung her weapon, with enough force to disembowel a particularly anatomically correctly programmed Navi from one slash alone. Granted, the heat of the weapon would probably immediately cauterize it...but even if the illusion reacted accordingly, it wouldn't affect an ounce of her resolve. She'd just keep on cutting up partygoers, not caring if she cut them in half, or stabbed them in the crotch, or whatever. She wanted the cactus worm dead, and she wanted it dead quickly. Nothing more, nothing less.
[Order of Turn:
1-FireKnife chip attack on CactoCongo (60, Fire, B, Slashing)
2-FireKnife chip attack on CactoCongo (60, Fire, B, Slashing)
3-FireKnife chip attack on CactoCongo (60, Fire, B, Slashing)
4-FireKnife chip attack on CactoCongo (60, Fire, B, Slashing)
Shurimpy Order of Turn:
1-Attack on CactoCongo (15, Aqua, Spread 1)]
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While Shuri shook off her confusion and reluctantly identified the worm's illusion, the dancers she could see all reached out towards her together, friendly smiles pleading and hands beseeching her to just let go, and relax. Much as she might have liked to, Shuri wasn't having a bar of it, which was good news for her continued life as an independent ninja, however the reaching of the crowd seeped out to her as well.. it was just so tempting, wasn't it? Even knowing that it wasn't real, the purple wonder would feel her movements being just a little lingering, especially when it came to avoiding her 'opponent'.
Fortunately, for the time being, avoiding wasn't what she planned. Shurimpy led off with a high-arcing bubble that neatly doffed the worm's fantastic hat once again. The head turned slightly to cast a leery eye at the little SP, but its attention seemed mostly fixed on trying to lure Shuri still. From her own perspective, Shuri struck out at her illusory suitor and cut him deep (-80). The illusion wavered, and the male dancer, still with his hands outstretched towards her, looked a bit sad and crestfallen at her rejection... not really hurt or disembowelled, but quite disappointed. The imaginary dancers began to fade, though, and soon the ninja would begin to see the ghosting image of her actual target transposed throughout the conga line.
What she could see of the dancing cactus rippled and swayed amongst the tattered remnants of its illusion, and for a moment the ninja couldn't help but catch sight of the head's brightly swirling eyes as its peculiarly colourful gaze sapped her strength again. Her next swing came without hesitation, though, tearing through what was left of the illusion and slicing harshly into vulnerable cactus flesh as well (-100). This time she got a more encouraging reaction, and the virus cried out in a garbled sound of pain, drawing in on itself in a tight circle as its outer flesh grew tougher and more resilient in response. When the head popped up again it glared at Shuri, kaleidoscopic eyes spinning quickly, and for a moment it seemed as though its irrepressible party grin might falter. No luck, unfortunately, as Shuri's next attack went wide, passing between the body segments and the head as it bounced away from her, once more rocking to it's own music. When it landed on a new body, it bounced high and brought out yet another spectacular party hat. Even more sparklers had been added now, and there were even a couple of rapidly spinning pin-wheels too.
Continuing the game of hat-no-hat, Shuri was just as quick to attack again and strip the ridiculous headwear from the virus, but for now it turned the other cheek and continued on jigging and swaying to its party beat as if to spite her.
-=Moves to the Beat=-
CactoCongo.Worm: 300Hp [Come Dance!!][1-Hit Fabulous Party Hat, Now With Extra Sparklers and Pin-Wheels!: Broken!][Strengthen: 20][DR: 12 (2 turns)]
-=Light On Her Feet=-
Shuri: 150Hp [Melee range to CatcoCongo][Slowed! (2 turns)]
Shurimpy: 40Hp [Glitch: Hand Lock, plus cosmetic effects]
-=Well Blocked-up Street=-
All Terrain is Normal, but the street is fairly narrow.
Effects:
Hand Lock: Targets with this glitch can only use one 'hand' slot. This also prevents the use of chips requiring both hands. Lasts until cured or battle ends.
Fortunately, for the time being, avoiding wasn't what she planned. Shurimpy led off with a high-arcing bubble that neatly doffed the worm's fantastic hat once again. The head turned slightly to cast a leery eye at the little SP, but its attention seemed mostly fixed on trying to lure Shuri still. From her own perspective, Shuri struck out at her illusory suitor and cut him deep (-80). The illusion wavered, and the male dancer, still with his hands outstretched towards her, looked a bit sad and crestfallen at her rejection... not really hurt or disembowelled, but quite disappointed. The imaginary dancers began to fade, though, and soon the ninja would begin to see the ghosting image of her actual target transposed throughout the conga line.
What she could see of the dancing cactus rippled and swayed amongst the tattered remnants of its illusion, and for a moment the ninja couldn't help but catch sight of the head's brightly swirling eyes as its peculiarly colourful gaze sapped her strength again. Her next swing came without hesitation, though, tearing through what was left of the illusion and slicing harshly into vulnerable cactus flesh as well (-100). This time she got a more encouraging reaction, and the virus cried out in a garbled sound of pain, drawing in on itself in a tight circle as its outer flesh grew tougher and more resilient in response. When the head popped up again it glared at Shuri, kaleidoscopic eyes spinning quickly, and for a moment it seemed as though its irrepressible party grin might falter. No luck, unfortunately, as Shuri's next attack went wide, passing between the body segments and the head as it bounced away from her, once more rocking to it's own music. When it landed on a new body, it bounced high and brought out yet another spectacular party hat. Even more sparklers had been added now, and there were even a couple of rapidly spinning pin-wheels too.
Continuing the game of hat-no-hat, Shuri was just as quick to attack again and strip the ridiculous headwear from the virus, but for now it turned the other cheek and continued on jigging and swaying to its party beat as if to spite her.
-=Moves to the Beat=-
CactoCongo.Worm: 300Hp [Come Dance!!][1-Hit Fabulous Party Hat, Now With Extra Sparklers and Pin-Wheels!: Broken!][Strengthen: 20][DR: 12 (2 turns)]
-=Light On Her Feet=-
Shuri: 150Hp [Melee range to CatcoCongo][Slowed! (2 turns)]
Shurimpy: 40Hp [Glitch: Hand Lock, plus cosmetic effects]
-=Well Blocked-up Street=-
All Terrain is Normal, but the street is fairly narrow.
Effects:
Hand Lock: Targets with this glitch can only use one 'hand' slot. This also prevents the use of chips requiring both hands. Lasts until cured or battle ends.
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Even as she overcame the CactoCongo's mind games, Shuri could feel her body rejecting the truth a bit. ...What did that even mean? Perhaps she hadn't broken 100% free yet..."This is starting to get on my nerves...get out of my head, and back to hell where you belong!" She pointed her blade at the worm for emphasis, even though it might well not even be paying attention. She did at least feel a little better afterwards.
Meanwhile, Naomi was more concerned with everything showing up on her screen. "How much stuff does this thing have? That party hat's a defense, and right now it's got boosted offense and defense! And that's on top of all the weird hypnosis stuff!"
"Yeah, it's..." The ninja trailed off, an idea starting to form in her head. "Hold on. Exactly how is it buffed?"
"Um, let's see...offense is boosted with Strength, and defense via something called Damage Reduction. I think I can guess what that does, but...Shuri? Are you paying attention?"
"I heard every word." She smirked beneath her mask; it took a while, but her foe had finally slipped up. "I know how to bypass it, but we need to make these next shots count. I don't need to move, though, so send over PanelGrab."
"Okay...here. BattleChip, PanelGrab! Slot in!"
The ground below Shuri's feet glowed, enhancing her senses, and granting her better knowledge of exactly how everything in the area was positioned. Very simple, yet possibly very invaluable. "Step one, complete. Now, Damage Reduction is vulnerable to Impact, like barriers. We already blew FireHit, but we've got other ways of utilizing Impact, don't we?"
"W-We do!" Oh, she knew there was something with that effect somewhere...aha! Impact found! "Let's crush that defensive power! BattleChip, Quake! Slot in!"
A round light spark formed in the ninja's hand, and she flung it high up. Thanks to where she was, it was more vertical than anything, though it was a safe assumption she hadn't tossed it above herself. As it reached its apex, it suddenly grew in size, until it was a very large, very heavy Powie in crush mode. From there, its path went from being in an arc, to simply going straight down, not caring about a thing until it hit pavement...possibly going through the malware in the process. But it didn't care; it just wanted to crush, and even if it didn't connect, it'd crush the space where it landed, causing deep cracks to run through the vicinity. Satisfied at the local destruction, it vanished without a trace, which would be problematic if it'd landed on any loose papers.
"Er, don't we have something else...? ...Oh, right!" How'd she miss that one? It was even near the front so she'd be able to see it, since Shuri seemed to approve of it. "Here, you can use this to get away from the unstable area, too! BattleChip, DashAttack! Slot in!"
Instead of the default appearance of 'a Fishy appears on the body and the user flies forward', Shuri simply let her boots glow green. She eyed the not-exactly-a-virus, crouched slightly...and performed a jump kick a few feet in the air. But mid-kick, she suddenly froze, and was flung forward by an unknown force. She rocketed ahead, ideally giving the CactoCongo a very close look at her foot as it went through its head, and continued on for a bit. Eventually, it ran out of juice, and she gracefully landed with a small skid. That should also have the benefit of her being on safer ground, and not having to worry about the earth swallowing her up. But things were never completely certain in a battle, as proven by the fact that...thing was still there.
This was normally when she prepared to avoid whatever was thrown at her, but not this time. Here, she wanted to strike once again while the iron was hot. Literally, as she raised her kunai, reared back, and flung it at the worm. It was about out of juice, anyway; why not get rid of it now, and show it the true might of a ninja before it could fully adjust to her sudden change in location?
Any displays of ninja-quick sidestepping would instead be covered by her SP, as Shurimpy warily eyed the enemy in preparation of evading. That last attack hurt, and he didn't want to get smacked by it again.
[Order of Turn:
1-PanelGrab chip on Shuri (S, raises accuracy by 1 rank for one turn)
2-Quake1 chip attack on CactoCongo (100, C, Impact, Medium Cracked Terrain)
3-DashAttack1 chip attack on CactoCongo (90, C, Impact, Line Attack(5), Movement)]
4-FireKnife chip thrown at CactoCongo (60, Fire, B, Slashing)]
Shurimpy Order of Turn:
1-Dodge]
Meanwhile, Naomi was more concerned with everything showing up on her screen. "How much stuff does this thing have? That party hat's a defense, and right now it's got boosted offense and defense! And that's on top of all the weird hypnosis stuff!"
"Yeah, it's..." The ninja trailed off, an idea starting to form in her head. "Hold on. Exactly how is it buffed?"
"Um, let's see...offense is boosted with Strength, and defense via something called Damage Reduction. I think I can guess what that does, but...Shuri? Are you paying attention?"
"I heard every word." She smirked beneath her mask; it took a while, but her foe had finally slipped up. "I know how to bypass it, but we need to make these next shots count. I don't need to move, though, so send over PanelGrab."
"Okay...here. BattleChip, PanelGrab! Slot in!"
The ground below Shuri's feet glowed, enhancing her senses, and granting her better knowledge of exactly how everything in the area was positioned. Very simple, yet possibly very invaluable. "Step one, complete. Now, Damage Reduction is vulnerable to Impact, like barriers. We already blew FireHit, but we've got other ways of utilizing Impact, don't we?"
"W-We do!" Oh, she knew there was something with that effect somewhere...aha! Impact found! "Let's crush that defensive power! BattleChip, Quake! Slot in!"
A round light spark formed in the ninja's hand, and she flung it high up. Thanks to where she was, it was more vertical than anything, though it was a safe assumption she hadn't tossed it above herself. As it reached its apex, it suddenly grew in size, until it was a very large, very heavy Powie in crush mode. From there, its path went from being in an arc, to simply going straight down, not caring about a thing until it hit pavement...possibly going through the malware in the process. But it didn't care; it just wanted to crush, and even if it didn't connect, it'd crush the space where it landed, causing deep cracks to run through the vicinity. Satisfied at the local destruction, it vanished without a trace, which would be problematic if it'd landed on any loose papers.
"Er, don't we have something else...? ...Oh, right!" How'd she miss that one? It was even near the front so she'd be able to see it, since Shuri seemed to approve of it. "Here, you can use this to get away from the unstable area, too! BattleChip, DashAttack! Slot in!"
Instead of the default appearance of 'a Fishy appears on the body and the user flies forward', Shuri simply let her boots glow green. She eyed the not-exactly-a-virus, crouched slightly...and performed a jump kick a few feet in the air. But mid-kick, she suddenly froze, and was flung forward by an unknown force. She rocketed ahead, ideally giving the CactoCongo a very close look at her foot as it went through its head, and continued on for a bit. Eventually, it ran out of juice, and she gracefully landed with a small skid. That should also have the benefit of her being on safer ground, and not having to worry about the earth swallowing her up. But things were never completely certain in a battle, as proven by the fact that...thing was still there.
This was normally when she prepared to avoid whatever was thrown at her, but not this time. Here, she wanted to strike once again while the iron was hot. Literally, as she raised her kunai, reared back, and flung it at the worm. It was about out of juice, anyway; why not get rid of it now, and show it the true might of a ninja before it could fully adjust to her sudden change in location?
Any displays of ninja-quick sidestepping would instead be covered by her SP, as Shurimpy warily eyed the enemy in preparation of evading. That last attack hurt, and he didn't want to get smacked by it again.
[Order of Turn:
1-PanelGrab chip on Shuri (S, raises accuracy by 1 rank for one turn)
2-Quake1 chip attack on CactoCongo (100, C, Impact, Medium Cracked Terrain)
3-DashAttack1 chip attack on CactoCongo (90, C, Impact, Line Attack(5), Movement)]
4-FireKnife chip thrown at CactoCongo (60, Fire, B, Slashing)]
Shurimpy Order of Turn:
1-Dodge]
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If Shuri thought she was free of her target's head-games, the bouncing head of her target had other ideas. Even as the ninja prepared to capitalise on the worm's exploitable defence system, an undulating ripple passed through the virus and all the different cactus bodies went from bending inwards on each other, to swaying outwards again in all directions as the steady thump of the music increased. With the motion came another cloud of technicolour, glitter-sparkle pollen. Shuri had felt the disorientation of its confusion, and fought off the wiles of it's perception-warping illusions, now they washed over her both together.
Perhaps, because she was already hardening her mind against such intrusions, or perhaps because the worm itself was weakened, even though the confusion began to work its way into her system, and the illusion stuck its hold firmly, chances were Shuri wasn't going to fall under its sway this time anyway. That didn't mean she wasn't still seeing things, though... The dance party was back, more lively, sweaty and close-bodied than ever... and if anything, with even less excuse for clothing than before. The dance music had taken on a pulsing, primal beat that hammered out through the street; the kind that isn't terribly loud, so much as being physically felt through the body. A pair of rainbow disco balls presided over the centre of the party, spinning in a mad display of swirling colour. Once again, Shuri felt herself drawn irresistibly towards the dance party, this time until she was pressed directly up to a buff male chest that smelled... tempting. The dancer put a hand out to reach around Shuri's waist and attempt to squeeze her bum, but even this would not stop her from launching her attack. As Shuri made the best of her defence-crushing quake, though, she might probably feel her efforts being weakened by the multi-hued lights of the disco balls, before it could even connect.
Get off the ground it did, however, and up, and then down again with destructive force. The weight got lost somewhere in the crowded party of dancers, but by the sound of the short, ear-hurting shriek that followed, it definitely connected with something (-120). A moment later, Shuri would feel herself getting jostled and shoved roughly from all sides, though in her altered state she might have a hard time telling from what. Naomi and Shurimpy, however, would have seen the worm arch all of its bodies upwards at once, before sending a volley of cactus segments shooting outwards in rapid succession. In all, two of the wild segments actually managed to connect with Shuri, her slowed reflexes not helping in avoiding the projectiles (Well, that and her lack of dodging... -20 x 2). If she wasn't already feeling that way, the ninja girl might be starting to feel a little bit over-heated and reckless, too... but there was a good chance that Shuri, in her current state, wouldn't notice. If Naomia was paying attention to the PET though, she would read the resulting corruption as a minor glitch coming from the worm's physical attack.
Speaking of attacking, Shuri wasn't quite done yet, and she was ready to strike out with even more juicy defence-breaking assaults. Just as she wound up for it, however, the shuffling and dancing of the worm/party was over-borne by an ominous creaking, groaning sound. A crash sounded and, as the purple wonder flew forward, her target seemed to vanish. Shuri herself landed safely on what turned out now to be the far side of a moderately large pit, the cracked ground collapsing under the weight of the larger virus. The dance party had become a mosh pit of epic proportions now, and in her affected state, Shuri could see a packed pit of dancers jumping and raving energetically to the hammering music and colourful lights. If she was looking very closely, she might even notice that, in the tight pack of writhing bodies, a few of them seemed to have started getting involved in 'dances' with each other that were normally more horizontal in nature, but none of the other dancers seemed to mind, even as the press of bodies seemed to grow increasingly more packed by the minute (+30).
Shurimpy, unaffected, could see that the worm was now in the pit, and the worm was, despite this, still growing. Maybe not quite unaffected. The head of the worm glanced up in his direction, eyes spinning above its insane and, apparently unfaltering, grin, and the little SP would feel its strength draining away. While this was happening, Shuri threw away her FireKnife, scoring a still-potent strike on...someone in the crowd (-108).
Jigging and swaying, the head of the worm seemed like it had been taking extra long to bring back its party hat this time, but apparently it had been working on something: those still seeing straight would see the irrepressible hat return now with a pair of small rocket boosters on either side, spewing trails of rainbow-hued sparks. Between them, a neon sign with the word 'PARTY!' in squiggly font flashed its letters one at a time, then all together in pattern. The rocket boosters were apparently supporting the extra weight of all the additional sparklers, streamers and pin-wheels that accompanied this improvement, and it now also came with a chin-strap secured firmly underneath the mobile head, for extra support.
-=Moves to the Beat=-
CactoCongo.Worm: 102Hp [In a hole: Mosh Pit!!][1-Hit Fabulous Party Hat, Now With Extra Sparklers and Pin-Wheels and Jets and Neons!!][DR: 12 (1 turn)]
-=Light On Her Feet=-
Shuri: 110Hp [Melee range to CatcoCongo][Slowed! (1 turn)][Confused!][Illusion: Dance Party!][Glitch: Hot-Blooded (2 turns)]
Shurimpy: 40Hp [Glitch: Hand Lock, plus cosmetic effects][Debuff (20)][Opposite side of the pit to Shuri]
-=Well Blocked-up Street=-
20% Broken: Pit taking up middle of street (completely blocks passage). Full of Party Worm.
5% Cracked: Edge on the far side of the pit to Shuri.
75% Normal: Rest of terrain is Normal, but the street is fairly narrow.
Effects:
Hand Lock: Targets with this glitch can only use one 'hand' slot. This also prevents the use of chips requiring both hands. Lasts until cured or battle ends.
Hot-Blooded: Damage that the victim both deals and receives is increased by five points after all other calculations (This does not pierce undershirt). Lasts two turns.
Perhaps, because she was already hardening her mind against such intrusions, or perhaps because the worm itself was weakened, even though the confusion began to work its way into her system, and the illusion stuck its hold firmly, chances were Shuri wasn't going to fall under its sway this time anyway. That didn't mean she wasn't still seeing things, though... The dance party was back, more lively, sweaty and close-bodied than ever... and if anything, with even less excuse for clothing than before. The dance music had taken on a pulsing, primal beat that hammered out through the street; the kind that isn't terribly loud, so much as being physically felt through the body. A pair of rainbow disco balls presided over the centre of the party, spinning in a mad display of swirling colour. Once again, Shuri felt herself drawn irresistibly towards the dance party, this time until she was pressed directly up to a buff male chest that smelled... tempting. The dancer put a hand out to reach around Shuri's waist and attempt to squeeze her bum, but even this would not stop her from launching her attack. As Shuri made the best of her defence-crushing quake, though, she might probably feel her efforts being weakened by the multi-hued lights of the disco balls, before it could even connect.
Get off the ground it did, however, and up, and then down again with destructive force. The weight got lost somewhere in the crowded party of dancers, but by the sound of the short, ear-hurting shriek that followed, it definitely connected with something (-120). A moment later, Shuri would feel herself getting jostled and shoved roughly from all sides, though in her altered state she might have a hard time telling from what. Naomi and Shurimpy, however, would have seen the worm arch all of its bodies upwards at once, before sending a volley of cactus segments shooting outwards in rapid succession. In all, two of the wild segments actually managed to connect with Shuri, her slowed reflexes not helping in avoiding the projectiles (Well, that and her lack of dodging... -20 x 2). If she wasn't already feeling that way, the ninja girl might be starting to feel a little bit over-heated and reckless, too... but there was a good chance that Shuri, in her current state, wouldn't notice. If Naomia was paying attention to the PET though, she would read the resulting corruption as a minor glitch coming from the worm's physical attack.
Speaking of attacking, Shuri wasn't quite done yet, and she was ready to strike out with even more juicy defence-breaking assaults. Just as she wound up for it, however, the shuffling and dancing of the worm/party was over-borne by an ominous creaking, groaning sound. A crash sounded and, as the purple wonder flew forward, her target seemed to vanish. Shuri herself landed safely on what turned out now to be the far side of a moderately large pit, the cracked ground collapsing under the weight of the larger virus. The dance party had become a mosh pit of epic proportions now, and in her affected state, Shuri could see a packed pit of dancers jumping and raving energetically to the hammering music and colourful lights. If she was looking very closely, she might even notice that, in the tight pack of writhing bodies, a few of them seemed to have started getting involved in 'dances' with each other that were normally more horizontal in nature, but none of the other dancers seemed to mind, even as the press of bodies seemed to grow increasingly more packed by the minute (+30).
Shurimpy, unaffected, could see that the worm was now in the pit, and the worm was, despite this, still growing. Maybe not quite unaffected. The head of the worm glanced up in his direction, eyes spinning above its insane and, apparently unfaltering, grin, and the little SP would feel its strength draining away. While this was happening, Shuri threw away her FireKnife, scoring a still-potent strike on...someone in the crowd (-108).
Jigging and swaying, the head of the worm seemed like it had been taking extra long to bring back its party hat this time, but apparently it had been working on something: those still seeing straight would see the irrepressible hat return now with a pair of small rocket boosters on either side, spewing trails of rainbow-hued sparks. Between them, a neon sign with the word 'PARTY!' in squiggly font flashed its letters one at a time, then all together in pattern. The rocket boosters were apparently supporting the extra weight of all the additional sparklers, streamers and pin-wheels that accompanied this improvement, and it now also came with a chin-strap secured firmly underneath the mobile head, for extra support.
-=Moves to the Beat=-
CactoCongo.Worm: 102Hp [In a hole: Mosh Pit!!][1-Hit Fabulous Party Hat, Now With Extra Sparklers and Pin-Wheels and Jets and Neons!!][DR: 12 (1 turn)]
-=Light On Her Feet=-
Shuri: 110Hp [Melee range to CatcoCongo][Slowed! (1 turn)][Confused!][Illusion: Dance Party!][Glitch: Hot-Blooded (2 turns)]
Shurimpy: 40Hp [Glitch: Hand Lock, plus cosmetic effects][Debuff (20)][Opposite side of the pit to Shuri]
-=Well Blocked-up Street=-
20% Broken: Pit taking up middle of street (completely blocks passage). Full of Party Worm.
5% Cracked: Edge on the far side of the pit to Shuri.
75% Normal: Rest of terrain is Normal, but the street is fairly narrow.
Effects:
Hand Lock: Targets with this glitch can only use one 'hand' slot. This also prevents the use of chips requiring both hands. Lasts until cured or battle ends.
Hot-Blooded: Damage that the victim both deals and receives is increased by five points after all other calculations (This does not pierce undershirt). Lasts two turns.
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As Shuri found herself fighting off things inside her head once again, it fell on her SP to react to the...whatever one would call that thing on CactoCongo's head. And react it did, via the extreme motion of...tilting its head and staring at it confusedly. That thing had to be getting heavy. And possibly dangerous, with those rockets. At least his ninja outfit was safe, if not a bit gaudy at the moment.
"..." Despite having to deal with everything within her mind, the ninja managed to get off a stare at where the malware would be, and what it was trying to make her think was going on in there. At this point, it only annoyed her, since she already knew it could do that. "...Again? Everything's spinning and I can hardly tell which way is up, and you STILL have the gall to try that cheap trick? That's it...I know exactly how to punish you. Shurimpy! I need you to do something for me. Attack that stupid hat on its head! I'll provide backup fire!" Several throwing knives formed in her hand, each one gently grasped near their tip.
The crustacean looked at his Navi, slightly hesitant...but decided it was fine. Even if an errant knife smacked him, it wouldn't exactly be fatal. Once more, he formed a large, watery bubble in front of him, and gently smacked it with his tail fin. Instead of going sky high, however, it only made a small hop, before trying to fall down and knock off the giant, fire marshall disapproved hat. ...Although, it did have a strap this time, and he was definitely not feeling especially strong right now...too late now, though. At least Shuri would be pleased.
As she heard the bubble bounce, the ninja closed her eyes, trying to minimize the number of her currently questionable senses she was using. Instead, she focused entirely on trying to hear where the bubble explosion happened...pop! All right, if she heard it right, that was, if not the exact location, in the vicinity of where she needed to strike. And so, she flung her tiny blades forward, with the sole intent of rendering the cactus worm's head devoid of its beloved hat. That'd teach it to mess with her like that.
Naomi was content to just stare at the action, a little confused herself. Why was Shuri so bent on getting that hat off all of a sudden? Was her confusion manifesting itself in that way now? She really, really didn't get it...
[Order of Turn:
1-Buster attack on CactoCongo's fancy hat (10, Slashing)
2-Buster attack on CactoCongo's fancy hat (10, Slashing)
3-Buster attack on CactoCongo's fancy hat (10, Slashing)
4-Buster attack on CactoCongo's fancy hat (10, Slashing)
Shurimpy Order of Turn:
1-Attack on CactoCongo (0, Aqua, Spread 1)]
"..." Despite having to deal with everything within her mind, the ninja managed to get off a stare at where the malware would be, and what it was trying to make her think was going on in there. At this point, it only annoyed her, since she already knew it could do that. "...Again? Everything's spinning and I can hardly tell which way is up, and you STILL have the gall to try that cheap trick? That's it...I know exactly how to punish you. Shurimpy! I need you to do something for me. Attack that stupid hat on its head! I'll provide backup fire!" Several throwing knives formed in her hand, each one gently grasped near their tip.
The crustacean looked at his Navi, slightly hesitant...but decided it was fine. Even if an errant knife smacked him, it wouldn't exactly be fatal. Once more, he formed a large, watery bubble in front of him, and gently smacked it with his tail fin. Instead of going sky high, however, it only made a small hop, before trying to fall down and knock off the giant, fire marshall disapproved hat. ...Although, it did have a strap this time, and he was definitely not feeling especially strong right now...too late now, though. At least Shuri would be pleased.
As she heard the bubble bounce, the ninja closed her eyes, trying to minimize the number of her currently questionable senses she was using. Instead, she focused entirely on trying to hear where the bubble explosion happened...pop! All right, if she heard it right, that was, if not the exact location, in the vicinity of where she needed to strike. And so, she flung her tiny blades forward, with the sole intent of rendering the cactus worm's head devoid of its beloved hat. That'd teach it to mess with her like that.
Naomi was content to just stare at the action, a little confused herself. Why was Shuri so bent on getting that hat off all of a sudden? Was her confusion manifesting itself in that way now? She really, really didn't get it...
[Order of Turn:
1-Buster attack on CactoCongo's fancy hat (10, Slashing)
2-Buster attack on CactoCongo's fancy hat (10, Slashing)
3-Buster attack on CactoCongo's fancy hat (10, Slashing)
4-Buster attack on CactoCongo's fancy hat (10, Slashing)
Shurimpy Order of Turn:
1-Attack on CactoCongo (0, Aqua, Spread 1)]
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Confused, deceived by fanciful images she couldn't actually enjoy, and generally delayed and messed around with, Shuri sought to revenge herself upon the obvious perpetrator of these slights; The virus' ever more extravagant party hat, of course. This made perfect sense, to a temporarily addled ninja, apparently.
From Shuri's perspective, she was flinging knives at the source of her suffering. From the perspective of anyone else, she was wildly flinging her weapons all over the place. In one sense, it was probably a good thing that her senses weren't relaying these details to her properly anyway, because Shurimpy's guiding bubble missed its intended target by a mile. In her flurry of weapons, two missed, cutting through the illusory dancers and causing the fictitious image to begin fading away. One ended up hitting her own SP (-10)... and, thankfully, at least one of her wild attacks fluked out and sliced through the supporting chin strap on the worm's hat while it bounced back and forth and watched the ninja. With the strap cut, the hat listed badly to one side, and the cactus head paused to turn its eyes upwards monetarily, bouncing along a few more bodies in the same direction as it tried to stabilise it, but to no avail. The hat slipped off and disintegrated swiftly.
Now, the mad grin did falter, and the head of the worm came back to the body nearest Shuri, looking up at her with its eyes spinning more rapidly than ever. It frowned, seemingly put out, then appeared to concentrate for a moment. There was another second or two where the whirl of its eyes glowed and the whole head seemed to vibrate while it pulled out all the stops. Then, the hat came back.
This hat was far and away the most insanely extravagant rendition of its party hat yet. The chin strap was replaced and reinforced with a double layer of buckles to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. the first tier of the hat spread out broadly about a foot in radius from the virus head, and was a forest of multi-coloured sparklers that sputtered and sparked in an eye-gouging rainbow. rising up from the sparklers, a second tier of rotating pin-wheels stood proud and leaned outwards in three layers, all spinning rapidly and throwing of sparks as they did. In between these, a scattered array of party whistles rose and fell, being blown at random by some mechanism inside the hat. A total of eight rocket engines extended with supported struts from around the hat, each spewing a torrent of rainbow coloured sparks downwards, as well as sending showers of lights out to the sides for show. The centrepiece of the hat was a large spinning disco ball, encircled by a dozen coloured light projectors, each shining onto it and scattering their rays all over the street. Attached to the rocket supports, lacing between them, more neons spelled out the words 'PARTY' and 'TIME' alternating around the hat. Above, the neons traced lines upwards, to a point above the disco ball, forming a glowing rainbow cage around it, before fanning out again into a final sign board that revolved slowly enough to read and phasing through the colour spectrum in neon light. It read, for anyone interested: 'Never Stop Dancing!!'
The cactus grinned again. Its new hat was almost as tall as Shuri herself, in its totality. It bounced again, gleeful, as it moved towards a cactus body further back in the pack, but something peculiar happened. The head didn't come down from its bounce. Rather, it kept going up, and up, and up... the jet trail from the rocket attachments made a blaze of coloured sparks as they carried the head of the virus up and away from its body. In truth, the head didn't seem displeased with this development; it was still grinning madly, eyes dancing as it hammered out its musical rave, securely strapped in to its new hat-turned-party-rocket. It only took a few more seconds before it was out of sight completely, and the music began to fade into the distance.
Down below, the dancing mass of cactus bodies began to slow down, each sway taking longer and moving more slowly than the last. By the time the music had faded away completely, the bodies had begun to fall over, collapsing into a limp pile that then began to break down and disintegrate rapidly. Eventually, the hole in the ground restored itself too, leaving little behind save some junk data, some usable zenny, and a chip for Shuri... once she recovered.
-=Moves to the Beat=-
CactoCongo.Worm: DELETED
CactoCongo.Head: TO THE NEXT PARTY!
-=Light On Her Feet=-
Shuri: 110Hp
Shurimpy: 30Hp
-=Battle 5, victory!=-
Rewards: 1500z, Discord, 25 BugFrags
From Shuri's perspective, she was flinging knives at the source of her suffering. From the perspective of anyone else, she was wildly flinging her weapons all over the place. In one sense, it was probably a good thing that her senses weren't relaying these details to her properly anyway, because Shurimpy's guiding bubble missed its intended target by a mile. In her flurry of weapons, two missed, cutting through the illusory dancers and causing the fictitious image to begin fading away. One ended up hitting her own SP (-10)... and, thankfully, at least one of her wild attacks fluked out and sliced through the supporting chin strap on the worm's hat while it bounced back and forth and watched the ninja. With the strap cut, the hat listed badly to one side, and the cactus head paused to turn its eyes upwards monetarily, bouncing along a few more bodies in the same direction as it tried to stabilise it, but to no avail. The hat slipped off and disintegrated swiftly.
Now, the mad grin did falter, and the head of the worm came back to the body nearest Shuri, looking up at her with its eyes spinning more rapidly than ever. It frowned, seemingly put out, then appeared to concentrate for a moment. There was another second or two where the whirl of its eyes glowed and the whole head seemed to vibrate while it pulled out all the stops. Then, the hat came back.
This hat was far and away the most insanely extravagant rendition of its party hat yet. The chin strap was replaced and reinforced with a double layer of buckles to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. the first tier of the hat spread out broadly about a foot in radius from the virus head, and was a forest of multi-coloured sparklers that sputtered and sparked in an eye-gouging rainbow. rising up from the sparklers, a second tier of rotating pin-wheels stood proud and leaned outwards in three layers, all spinning rapidly and throwing of sparks as they did. In between these, a scattered array of party whistles rose and fell, being blown at random by some mechanism inside the hat. A total of eight rocket engines extended with supported struts from around the hat, each spewing a torrent of rainbow coloured sparks downwards, as well as sending showers of lights out to the sides for show. The centrepiece of the hat was a large spinning disco ball, encircled by a dozen coloured light projectors, each shining onto it and scattering their rays all over the street. Attached to the rocket supports, lacing between them, more neons spelled out the words 'PARTY' and 'TIME' alternating around the hat. Above, the neons traced lines upwards, to a point above the disco ball, forming a glowing rainbow cage around it, before fanning out again into a final sign board that revolved slowly enough to read and phasing through the colour spectrum in neon light. It read, for anyone interested: 'Never Stop Dancing!!'
The cactus grinned again. Its new hat was almost as tall as Shuri herself, in its totality. It bounced again, gleeful, as it moved towards a cactus body further back in the pack, but something peculiar happened. The head didn't come down from its bounce. Rather, it kept going up, and up, and up... the jet trail from the rocket attachments made a blaze of coloured sparks as they carried the head of the virus up and away from its body. In truth, the head didn't seem displeased with this development; it was still grinning madly, eyes dancing as it hammered out its musical rave, securely strapped in to its new hat-turned-party-rocket. It only took a few more seconds before it was out of sight completely, and the music began to fade into the distance.
Down below, the dancing mass of cactus bodies began to slow down, each sway taking longer and moving more slowly than the last. By the time the music had faded away completely, the bodies had begun to fall over, collapsing into a limp pile that then began to break down and disintegrate rapidly. Eventually, the hole in the ground restored itself too, leaving little behind save some junk data, some usable zenny, and a chip for Shuri... once she recovered.
-=Moves to the Beat=-
CactoCongo.Worm: DELETED
CactoCongo.Head: TO THE NEXT PARTY!
-=Light On Her Feet=-
Shuri: 110Hp
Shurimpy: 30Hp
-=Battle 5, victory!=-
Rewards: 1500
Quote (Discord)
HP: 50
Properties: Heavy
Object Damage: 50 + Impact
Damage Method: Throw, Telekinesis
Status Effect: Confusion + To-All-Clause (Enemies)
Accuracy: S
Description: Causes mass confusion in the enemy ranks.
Duration: 1 turn or until destroyed.
Element: Null
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...As her faculties fully returned to her, Shuri managed to look up just in time to see the head journey off to new lands, for new dance opportunities. That...did not go over all that well for her. "...Damn. I couldn't finish it off."
"No, but at least the area isn't clogged up anymore. Look!" Sure enough, without the head, the body ceased to exist, except in the form of reward money. "Go ahead and grab it!"
"Right..." The ninja Navi extended an arm and transferred the remaining data, which included a chip. "Hmm? There's a chip in there. See what it is while I desperately hope I didn't burn too much time there." She raced forward, with Shurimpy right behind her; he'd absorbed the remaining junk data at the same time.
"Right!" Let's see...that was an odd picture. Whatever it was, it was blue, looked kinda like a trumpet, and was wearing headphones. "It's called Discord. Appropriate...it lets you place something called a Tuby, which I guess is what the chip picture is, which in turn confuses all enemies! Kinda fragile, though...it can't take much punishment."
"No, but confusing your enemies...that should have some use. Make some room in the folder for it, if you would."
"Yes, your majesty..."
-------------------
Shuri burst into a small building, with little more than a counter in the only visible room. There was a door in the back, and a well-worn pink NormalNavi was starting to head for it. Upon seeing the other Navi, however, she walked back. "Hello, hello! I was just about to close up when you arrived...what do you need?"
"I'm here to pay Naomi Shimizu's rent for this month."
"Ah, Miss Shimizu! I was starting to worry she wouldn't pay! She's a sweet girl, so I wouldn't want that to happen..."
"Mmm." The ninja formed some money data in her hand, and handed it over. "That should be it."
"Lessee...yes indeedy! No late fees for Miss Naomi!"
"Well, thank goodness for that. I can hardly imagine how much she'd freak out if she had to deal with that..."
"..."
"At any rate, that's all I came here for."
"Nothing wrong with the house? No appliances going haywire or anything?"
"Everything's just fine."
"Wonderful!"
"At any rate, we're both busy women, so I'll be off. Take care." Shuri turned around and exited, taking a quick look at the ElecTown skyline as she went outside. "Well, that's that. Shall I head back?"
"Yeah..."
"...You don't sound all that happy. Something wrong?"
"Not wrong, per se, but something you said during that last battle was odd. While you were under that worm thing's spell, you said something about having never told me something...and that I was blaming you for it, even though I just asked if you were okay. My intuition tells me that wasn't entirely the confusion's fault, so...might I ask what that's about? Does it have something to do with the fact you won't tell me about your past?"
"..." Her quick look at the Net backdrop suddenly turned into a blank stare. "...Yeah, it does."
"I...see."
"..."
"......Aren't you going to jack out?"
".......Tonight."
"What about tonight?"
"...Eat, then find someplace quiet and comfortable to sit or lie down. I've decided. It's time."
"Time? ...Wait, you don't mean-"
"As long as you're in the dark about my past, questions are going to be raised like this. I..."
"If you're not comfortable with it, you don't have to. You know that, right?"
"No, I'm probably never going to be truly comfortable with it, so I might as well. You took a chance with a shady Navi...you deserve to know."
"Okay, so long as it's what you want."
"......I think it is. ...I'll head back now." And with that somewhat ominous note, both Navi and SP exited the Net, via beams of light.
(TO THE REAL WORLD)
"No, but at least the area isn't clogged up anymore. Look!" Sure enough, without the head, the body ceased to exist, except in the form of reward money. "Go ahead and grab it!"
"Right..." The ninja Navi extended an arm and transferred the remaining data, which included a chip. "Hmm? There's a chip in there. See what it is while I desperately hope I didn't burn too much time there." She raced forward, with Shurimpy right behind her; he'd absorbed the remaining junk data at the same time.
"Right!" Let's see...that was an odd picture. Whatever it was, it was blue, looked kinda like a trumpet, and was wearing headphones. "It's called Discord. Appropriate...it lets you place something called a Tuby, which I guess is what the chip picture is, which in turn confuses all enemies! Kinda fragile, though...it can't take much punishment."
"No, but confusing your enemies...that should have some use. Make some room in the folder for it, if you would."
"Yes, your majesty..."
-------------------
Shuri burst into a small building, with little more than a counter in the only visible room. There was a door in the back, and a well-worn pink NormalNavi was starting to head for it. Upon seeing the other Navi, however, she walked back. "Hello, hello! I was just about to close up when you arrived...what do you need?"
"I'm here to pay Naomi Shimizu's rent for this month."
"Ah, Miss Shimizu! I was starting to worry she wouldn't pay! She's a sweet girl, so I wouldn't want that to happen..."
"Mmm." The ninja formed some money data in her hand, and handed it over. "That should be it."
"Lessee...yes indeedy! No late fees for Miss Naomi!"
"Well, thank goodness for that. I can hardly imagine how much she'd freak out if she had to deal with that..."
"..."
"At any rate, that's all I came here for."
"Nothing wrong with the house? No appliances going haywire or anything?"
"Everything's just fine."
"Wonderful!"
"At any rate, we're both busy women, so I'll be off. Take care." Shuri turned around and exited, taking a quick look at the ElecTown skyline as she went outside. "Well, that's that. Shall I head back?"
"Yeah..."
"...You don't sound all that happy. Something wrong?"
"Not wrong, per se, but something you said during that last battle was odd. While you were under that worm thing's spell, you said something about having never told me something...and that I was blaming you for it, even though I just asked if you were okay. My intuition tells me that wasn't entirely the confusion's fault, so...might I ask what that's about? Does it have something to do with the fact you won't tell me about your past?"
"..." Her quick look at the Net backdrop suddenly turned into a blank stare. "...Yeah, it does."
"I...see."
"..."
"......Aren't you going to jack out?"
".......Tonight."
"What about tonight?"
"...Eat, then find someplace quiet and comfortable to sit or lie down. I've decided. It's time."
"Time? ...Wait, you don't mean-"
"As long as you're in the dark about my past, questions are going to be raised like this. I..."
"If you're not comfortable with it, you don't have to. You know that, right?"
"No, I'm probably never going to be truly comfortable with it, so I might as well. You took a chance with a shady Navi...you deserve to know."
"Okay, so long as it's what you want."
"......I think it is. ...I'll head back now." And with that somewhat ominous note, both Navi and SP exited the Net, via beams of light.
(TO THE REAL WORLD)