Electric Slide

In a fitting bolt of electricity, LightningMan arrived in the net he sought to travel. Sure, it was less work and more 'I'm busting here because I feel like it', but even criminal masterminds needed to take five.

"Hmm...LightningMan, I just thought of something."

"That being?"

"If I'm not mistaken, the Scarecrow virus favors Elec heavy areas such as ElecTown. And since you traded that Sunshine chip...I imagine it would be extremely taxing, maybe even near impossible, for you to defeat a group of them."

"Well, you see..." The Navi searched for an appropriate comeback, only to immediately flinch. "You see, I hadn't really given that much thought..."

"I doubt it'll be an issue, however. You can still deal with one or two easily enough, and even if we do encounter a lot of them, you're not rooted to the floor like they are. Just something to keep in mind as you proceed!"

"Hmph. How utterly careless of me. I've been so focused on building my electrical powers that I forgot to account for those that feed off of it..."

"Yes, that's what you did, in a nutshell. But all the more reason to diversify a bit, wouldn't you say? And how better to do that, than to gather random chips!"

"Fair enough. All right, let's get this started." He hovered a bit off the floor, and raced forward, in pursuit of viruses. Preferably the kind that couldn't siphon off his own power to boost their own, but if that's what he found, there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it. ...A thought that slowed him down just a tad.

(Searching for Battle #1)
Having pondered his new found inability to comfortably deal with a collection of immobile crop protectors, LightningMan headed off through the electown nets looking for... hopefully something else. The part of the net that he found himself in was full of high-rises and by-lanes intersecting them, many of which were covered in over-bright neon advertisements. This was likely not too surprising all told, however a short exploration say the mastermind navi coming up against a recessed watercourse running across his path.

The main walking space ended and split to the sides, following the water in either direction, with a guard rail in front. Beyond the rail, the ground sloped downwards until it found the water a few feet later, and up again on the other side. A fair distance off to LightningMan's right, there looked to be an arched bridge crossing over the remarkably straight river, while it seemed as though the path might lead to some kind of public lookout far off to the left. Over the other side of the river, the tall buildings continued unabated. If he was finding himself unsure which way to go, then fortune was with LightningMan; he was granted a reprieve from the decision in the form of the chattering of machine gun fire as it raked up the pathway towards him. A quick glance showed a lone FighterPlane bearing down on his position.

If the electric navi had some extra time to look around, he might also notice, sitting on the rail in the middle of the bridge, a metool that was waving its feet lazily. It's pickaxe was set down beside it, and instead it seemed to be holding a bag of bread crumbs, slowing tossing them into the water below. In the water, a pair of Larks circled each other, looking up at the little met and eagerly sucking up the breadcrumbs as they were thrown down.

-=Electown Targets=-

FighterPlane: 140Hp [Flying][Directly to LightningMan's Right][2 Movements away]
Metool: 40Hp [Normal][On Bridge over water][1 Movement Away]
LarkA: 100Hp [Sea][Directly Beneath Bridge][1 Movement Away]
LarkB: 100Hp [Sea][Directly Beneath Bridge][1 Movement Away]

-=Bringing the Thunder?=-

LightningMan: 150Hp [Normal][At Junction]

-=Terrain=-

10% Metal [Small area on either end of the bridge]
30% Sea [Broad river cutting across the area, left to right]
60% Normal [The rest]

-=Objects=-

Guard Rail A [Anchored][Near side of river]
Guard Rail B [Anchored][Far side of river]
Bridge: 200Hp [Anchored][Crossing the river to LightningMan's Right]

-=Battle 1, Start!=-

"...What? LightningMan immediately stopped as he came across a rather odd sight. One didn't really associate ElecTown with water...but, there he was, staring at a river. "That's odd. I don't recall a river of this size anywhere near here in the real world."

"Mmm, my guess would be that they added it to the virtual version to spice things up. Not everything needs to be high rises and skyscrapers!"

"Mmm, I suppose not. And this doesn't seem to be a very high traffic area, anyway, so I doubt it causes much inconvenience." That said, there was now multiple paths to take...which way to go? To the right...a Mettaur and some Lark. The helmeted virus looked like it was dropping something in the water, but he didn't care enough to go in for a closer look. "That looks boring enough. Let's check the left-" It was a good thing he looked, and didn't just start walking, as a plane suddenly took a few shots at the path. He looked up, noting the additional virus. "Seems that's my cue. Shall we commence the testing of our latest chips?"

"Didn't you use to have Strike, in your old folder? Or did you fully upgrade to Bolt?"

"Does it matter?"

"I suppose not." The future ruler of the world scanned the various pictures representing chips on his PET's hologram, soon touching one with a yellow Navi striking a RockCube with a thunderbolt. Why a RockCube? Who knew? "Strike BattleChip, in! Download!"

Unlike with many chips, there were zero outward signs that LightningMan had acquired any sort of data. He simply looked over at the virus that had tried to pre-emptively snipe him, and started to spark from the lightning rods on his head. Still not exactly indicative, given his natural abilities. Even the thunderhead forming high above wouldn't have raised many eyebrows. What would finally show that he wasn't utilizing his base abilities, however, was the sheer ferocity and intensity of the electrical discharge that came from the cloud. Almost instantly, it raced down from the heavens, seeking out the FighterPlane, desiring nothing more than to show who the true ruler of the skies was...and this time, a machine would stand no chance against the destructive force of nature. But regardless of its success, it would eventually hit the ground below, creating a small, charred hole.

Speaking of generation, part of the reason for the lightning's extreme appearance was revealed that, in fact, the electrical Navi had actually put in some of his innate power after all. A second, smaller bolt of lightning split off from the parent Strike, this one more interested in the propeller on one of the Larks' head. It wanted it for a lightning rod...no, it NEEDED it for a lightning rod. It would only be satisfied once it struck the pole, and descended and coursed through every inch of the ray virus's body, until it had nothing left.

Meanwhile, LightningMan, who barely moved a muscle the entire time, smirked at the destruction he had rained down onto the latest field of battle. With any luck, that destruction included more than a blackened hole in the earth. "Oh, yeah. Now that's the kind of power befitting the likes of me!"

"Powerful indeed! But, it's rather focused...perhaps we should step back before the survivors try something!" And by step back, he meant transfer a chip with an attacking Dominerd on it. "And for that eventuality, here! CurseShield2 BattleChip, in! Download!"

Fittingly, a Dominerd2 formed in front of the Navi, looking around to see what needed to be done. While it was decidedly less aggressive than the chip picture made it seem, that would all change once it intercepted a remaining virus's assault...it would simply rush to the offender, and give it a horrific bite that would make it rue the day it even tried harming what it sought to protect. But not for long, since death had a way of making things like that come to an abrupt halt.

[Order of Turn:
1-Strike chip attack on FighterPlane (240+5, Elec, B, Seeking, Drop Attack)
2-Lightning Bolt sig attack on LarkA (60, Elec, Stun, Drop Attack, Self Slow)
3-CurseShield2 chip on LightningMan (210, A, 1-hit shield, counters on being hit)]
Being surprised by a fighter attempting to increase his level of perforation didn't really seem to faze LiughtningMan in the same way it might others. Indeed, the navi betrayed very little visible reaction at all. The ever-eager fighter might possibly has assumed he was startled into inaction as it began to curve slightly and right its trajectory for another attempt.... right up until a truly scorching bolt from the skies crashed through the virus with enough force to scour it from the net and barely slow down on its path to ground.

In other news, the impressive display caused a squeak of startlement from the met on the bridge, and it tumbled backwards off the railing, to land on its helmet, roll over, then huddle under it for now, bag of bread crumbs forgotten as they tumbled wholesale into the stream below. The two larks were, temporarily at least, ecstatic about this development, but LightingMan had other plans. the second bolt of electricity found its mark easily, amplifying and redoubling itself multiple times over as it got the most out of the Lark's aqueous body, and the water it was swimming around in as well. for such a relatively small bolt, the result was distinctly over-kill... even if he'd been in the mood for cooked fish, it wouldn't have been worth eating by this point.

By the unusual physics of the net, the other lark, beside it, had avoided getting any part of the lethal shock, but after the initial shock it seemed mostly furious at LightningMan's unprovoked assault, it reared out of the water enough to launch a broad jet of water in his direction, but unfortunately for the vengeful virus, the genius navi was more than prepared for this outcome as well. Before the wave of water could hit its intended target, there was a rather imposing Dominerd in the way, and a moment later it became more imposing still, arriving in front of the poor virus in a moment, jaws of death opening wide. The aggressive shield faded away a few moments later, but it looked like there was nothing left in its place... the lark was gone.

All in all only a couple of seconds had passed since the FighterPlane's naive attack, and LightningMan himself had barely moved, but the field itself was more or less decimated now; just one single cower metool on the far bridge, quivering under its helmet.

-=Electown Targets=-

FighterPlane: DELETED
Metool: 40Hp [Normal][Guarding][On Bridge over water][1 Movement Away]
LarkA: DELETED
LarkB: DELETED

-=Bringing the Thunder?=-

LightningMan: 150Hp [Normal][At Junction]

-=Terrain=-

10% Metal [Small area on either end of the bridge]
30% Sea [Broad river cutting across the area, left to right]
60% Normal [The rest]

-=Objects=-

Guard Rail A [Anchored][Near side of river]
Guard Rail B [Anchored][Far side of river]
Bridge: 200Hp [Anchored][Crossing the river to LightningMan's Right]

"...Tsk." That was almost comically easy. Everything but that Mettaur was now ash, and fixing that would be just as easy...or maybe not, as it was hiding. Unfortunately, Mettaur helmets were pretty good at deflecting things, even thunderbolts. "Ugh, this'll be a pain. Ah well. At least it can't block this!" An electrical discharge shot out from LightningMan's rods, converging from three separate waves into a single ray as it shocked the remaining virus. While it could protect against damage, the helmet wouldn't save it as its strength was drained to nothing. Oh, it could TRY to inflict physical harm, but for the time being, it'd have more success pelting things with the bread crumbs it dropped. "And that officially makes it harmless. Now we just need to get by that shielding."

"Indeed! I'm sure you can just wait it out, then hit it-"

"Oh no, I have a much better idea. I don't like having my time wasted...and that will be the final lesson it learns in its pathetic life!" The criminal Navi leaned forward a bit, hovering forward with surprising speed towards his last foe. It didn't matter if it suddenly popped up and attacked, it'd be about as effective as slapping him with a feather. Before long, he neared the Mettaur, and looked on, annoyed at it was hindering his reward collection...and gave it a swift push. He was fairly certain it wasn't so heavy he couldn't forcefully alter its location, and if he was right, it should go tumbling into the water...where it would be utterly helpless.

[Order of Turn:
0a-Debuff subtype ability on Mettaur (12, negates next 12 damage of attacks performed)
1-Move over to Mettaur's location (Movement)]
2-Try to push Mettaur into water (Context sensitive action!)
3-Wait]
Ever vindictive, LightningMan had just the thing for the remaining virus: a diabolical plan of masterful cunning, to... tip the poor thing into the water. As it was, the metool was still cowering by the time the evil mastermind approached it, and it wasn't until he gave it a solid punt, sliding the virus helmet and all under the railing and over the edge of the bridge, that it reacted at all. Feeling itself move, the little guy popped up, teetered on the edge and scrambled to reclaim it pick. It managed to reclaim the weapon just as it fell, swinging it not at LightningMan, but rather in a last desperate effort to catch itself on the edge of the bridge. Unfortunately for the metool, it was at about this moment that it learned what LightningMan had done before tipping it. The pick struck the bridge and hooked... or it would have, except that rather than digging in and saving the little virus, the spike... bent. Robbed of all power, it provided about the leverage of a wet noodle, and with a last despairing 'Meep1', the virus tumbled down into the river, causing a satisfying splash.

If he deigned to look over the edge, LightningMan would see the shadow of the virus under the water, apparently thrashing about, but none of its struggles seemed to be effective at bringing it any closer to the surface. If he continued to watch it sink further, he might conclude that this particular met probably couldn't swim at all. It took a few more potentially uncomfortable moments longer, but after a short while, the water settled back to stillness again.

-=Electown Targets=-

FighterPlane: DELETED
Metool: DROWNED
LarkA: DELETED
LarkB: DELETED

-=Bringing the Thunder?=-

LightningMan: 150Hp [Normal][On Bridge]

-=Terrain=-

10% Metal [Small area on either end of the bridge]
30% Sea [Broad river cutting across the area, left to right]
60% Normal [The rest]

-=Objects=-

Guard Rail A [Anchored][Near side of river]
Guard Rail B [Anchored][Far side of river]
Bridge: 200Hp [Anchored][Crossing the river]

-=Battle 1, Victory!=-

Spoils: 650z

LightningMan let out a small smirk as his weakening of the virus had more effect than just turning its damage output to zero, then leaned over and watched as the shadow in the water shrunk and shrunk, until there was nothing but stillness over the water. "Heh. Class dismissed!" With that, he raised an arm, and drew in his teacher's fee in the form of the money the viruses left behind. "So, let's see. Option one, cross the bridge. Option two, follow the path. Of course, I'm already part way across..."

"I have a suggestion on that front, actually. I highly doubt we can find a proper spot for BIOS's base in the midst of office buildings and the like. But if you stay outside, and follow the path? Who knows, perhaps there's a lookout or something there. You can't tell me there's no potential there!"

"Hmm. You're not wrong." He looked back to where he'd been, following the road with his eyes. "I suppose that even though this is more of a pleasure trip, it couldn't hurt to see if ElecTown has our future home." He hovered once again, and started to slowly move back off the bridge, and along the path. Now that it'd been mentioned, he was a bit curious as to whether one of the organization's biggest hurdles, presently, could potentially be soon solved.

(Searching for Battle #2)
With the minor virus diversion dealt with, LightningMan opted to head along the leftward side path rather than plunging further into the forest of high-rises. This left a fair amount of open space to his right, where the manufactured river ran through, but the rail on the left soon gave way to a gradually rising cliff wall instead. For a short way, the path hugged the cliff side, curving slightly to conform to it, and it left the exploring navi in a fairly narrow position if her were to get jumped by more interlopers. fortunately, the coast remained clear until he arrived at what did, indeed, seem to be a small public look-out area; the rise of the cliff continued towards a peak on his left, but a broad deck had been constructed from the hillside, in a wide circle to the right. A tall guide rail ringed it, with zenny-operated binocular posts at regular intervals along the outer edge.

The space was paved in a simple manner, though there was a small oval of ornamented grass with flowers in it in the centre of the space. The view was probably passable at best - there was little to see beyond the built-up industry of the rest of Electown, but one could potentially see quite a lot of it from here at least. On the far side of the small look-out, the path continued on, curving about the cliff and winding around up to a higher level with a couple more binoculars. Though the raised section was much smaller, and probably offered a slightly better vantage, the extra climb probably meant tit saw fewer visitors as well. Presuming of course, that the look-out was frequented much at all - it might not be. The flowers in the grass patched looked like they might once have been deliberate decoration, but now looked mostly overgrown, and at least one or two of the binocular pedestals seemed to have been vandalised badly.

The hill seemed to crest just a bit higher than the top platform, but the path leading up to it was badly neglected and partitioned off with a chain fence. It was difficult to see much of the building that occupied the top, even from the lookouts below, but it was likely a maintenance building of some sort - buff and nondescript in the places that could be seen... though there was something that looked a bit like a bronzed dome visible as well.

Most of those kinds of examinations would have to wait for a bit, however, scene upon arriving at the look-out, LightningMan would also determine that he wasn't the only one here. In particular, a pair of cannon turrets didn't look at all friendly, guarding the path that lead up and around to the higher section. Visible up above, between two of the binocular posts, a twisty peered down a the newcomer... or rather between one binocular post, and the place where another should be. Not simply vandalised, the one beside the twisty was missing entirely, and a Scarecrow had been set up in its place. finally, directly in front of LightningMan, on the lower level, a single twitchy Magneaker was bristling at him from where it had been resting in the grass.


-=Viral Vandals=-

Magneaker: 70Hp [Grass][Lower Level]
CannonDumbA: 50Hp [Normal][Lower Level]
CannonDumbB: 50Hp [Normal][Lower Level]
Twisty: 80Hp [Normal][Upper Level]
Scarecrow: 100Hp [Metal][Upper Level]

-=Veritable Villain=-

LightningMan.Exe: 150Hp [Normal][Lower Level]

-=Terrain=-

10% Grass [Small oval in the centre of the lower level]
40% Metal [Small area under and around each look-out pedestal]
50% Normal [The rest]

Area is two levels: a broad open space below, in a roughly oval shape, with a circular path that hugs the wall, spiralling around to the smaller upper section. Height difference in total is about ten relative feet. Both upper and lower sections have guard rails on the out edge, and small look-out podiums evenly spaced - five spaces on the lower level, and three on the upper.

-=Objects=-

Guard Rail A: 200Hp [Metal][Anchored][Around the outer edge of the lower area]
Guard Rail B: 200Hp [Metal][Anchored][Around the outer edge of the upper area]
Binocular Turrets A-E: 50Hp [Metal][Anchored][One each on the platforms around the lower area]
Binocular Turrets F-G: 50Hp [Metal][Anchored][Edges of the upper area]
Binocular Turret H: DELETED [Was where the scarecrow is now]

-=Battle 2, Start!=-

LightningMan would've been a bit peeved if he'd been stuck walking up and around a cliff, but it was amazing what a little electromagnetism could do to make life a little simpler. Still, there wasn't much to do but go on. "If this leads to a dead end with nothing there, I'm going to be...unhappy."

"Bah, have some faith. Since when does exploring something on the Net not result in anything?"

"It's uncanny, true. But you never know...at any rate, I'd better pick up the pace a bit. If I got ambushed here, I'd be in trouble." Fortunately, that possibility didn't come to pass, and he reached the top. As expected, it was a lookout, though one that hadn't seen much use by the public lately...given the general aesthetics of ElecTown, it was hard to blame them. But he couldn't really take stock of the area in terms of base building, as a handful of viruses made themselves known. "Looks like you were right, in a manner of speaking. At least I get a fight out of it. And maybe a lot more...but we'll deal with that once I'm by myself." And speaking of his opponents..."Hold up, isn't that..."

"A Scarecrow...and one we must deal with if we wish to survey the area. Which we do. Very much. I say we deal with it firs-"

"No. I say we get rid of the rabble first, then we can worry about the actual problem. It'll let me concentrate my fire on it once the time comes."

"...I suppose that's a fair way to go about it, as well. Very well, let us do that! Perhaps we can try out some of our latest chip additions, while we're at it." Like this one, which had...some weird Navi with a plug wrapped around his arm. Where did they come up with some of these chip designs? "RemotePlug BattleChip, in! Download!"

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a large, two pronged plug appeared in front of the electrical Navi, with a small gravity defying green wire sticking out from behind it. He focused a bit onto the strongest virus that wouldn't simply absorb the attack, and allowed the apparatus to float ahead. Fittingly, he could still control it somewhat even afterward, so in case the initial try missed, he could have it swing around and try again. And once it hit the stationary virus...BZZT! Destroyed by the very source of its might. ...Electricity, that was. He doubted that if he flipped it over, he'd find a giant plug or anything.

"The nearby ones shouldn't be much trouble, either, thanks to your earlier escapades!" Again, the chip seemed to have a Navi picture on it...but this one was shooting electricity from its finger, and seemed less goofy than the other one. He almost wagered that he could sub in LightningMan as the Navi and it'd look natural. "ThunderBeam BattleChip, in! Download!"

LightningMan took on a more direct application of his element, as his right hand began to spark. He raised it in front of him, and allowed it to discharge as three balls of electrcity. But not all at once; he allowed the first two to leave without fanfare, and allowed each a chance to remove a cannon from the fight. The other one, he held on to slightly longer, letting it build in strength just a little more...and launched it at the grasshopper virus. Outwardly, it seemed to be no different from the others, but the power within was about 20% stronger, by his estimation. Not a major difference normally, but here it could eliminate the Magneaker by itself.

"That's everything but the one you're, quite frankly, terrible against. But, if we're fortunately, that won't be true for long!" Taking advantage of his absurd luck in randomized chip giveaway, he slid over a green Dominerd chip to his Navi. "CurseShield2 BattleChip, in! Download!"

The name was fitting, as any remaining viruses, Scarecrow based or not, would curse themselves if they dared strike the Dominerd2 that now floated in front of LightningMan. If one spark, if one shot connected with it, it would furiously fly over, and crunch down with enough force to make even someone covered in a LifeAura cringe. All that power, and he didn't have to lift a finger to use it. That was his kind of chip.

[Order of Turn:
1-RemotePlug1 chip attack on Twisty (80+5, Elec, B, Phasing, Homing)
1a-Buff subtype ability on ThunderBeam1 chip (+12 damage to one target)
2-ThunderBeam1 chip attack on Magneaker (60+5+12, Elec, A, Seeking), CannonDumbA, and CannonDumbB (60+5, Elec, A, Seeking)
3-CurseShield2 chip on LightningMan (210, A, 1-hit shield, counters on being hit)]
Not impressed with the current occupants of the look out, LightningMan set about doing his civic duty and cleaning up the area with swift efficiency. The twisty was beginning to call up its remote bit to take a pot-shot at the electric navi, but LightningMan was quicker, feeding it a direct line of gratuitous pain before it could manage its attack. The two cannons at the other end of the lower section had sprung to alert, but for now they both seemed occupied with drawing tracer lines onto their prospective target and lock on more securely.

Across from them, LightningMan wasn't nearly as hesitant, sending out several electrically charged attacks that each found their separate targets with unerring accuracy. A blaze of energy signalled the destruction of several more viruses. The Magneaker had done its best to jump clear of the attack meant for it, but despite its best efforts, it had been every bit as unable to escape its fate as the two anchored cannons.

The only virus, as it turned out, that actually managed to take a shot at the destructive navi, and hit its mark, was the troublesome scarecrow. It might have felt better about this fact, if the ever-prepared evil mastermind didn't have another trick up his sleeve already. As it happened, he did, bringing the intimidating Dominerd of his CurseShield around to face the beam just in time. the inevitable followed and the virus-turned shield lurched forward to hungrily devour the virus that dared to attack its wielder.

In short order, LightningMan was the only one left on the scene, and he'd barely had to move. At least now he had a proper opportunity to survey the area for potential.


-=Viral Vandals=-

Magneaker: DELETED
CannonDumbA: DELETED
CannonDumbB: DELETED
Twisty: DELETED
Scarecrow: OMNOMNOMNOMNOM

-=Veritable Villain=-

LightningMan.Exe: 150Hp [Normal][Lower Level]

-=Terrain=-

10% Grass [Small oval in the centre of the lower level]
40% Metal [Small area under and around each look-out pedestal]
50% Normal [The rest]

Area is two levels: a broad open space below, in a roughly oval shape, with a circular path that hugs the wall, spiralling around to the smaller upper section. Height difference in total is about ten relative feet. Both upper and lower sections have guard rails on the out edge, and small look-out podiums evenly spaced - five spaces on the lower level, and three on the upper.

-=Objects=-

Guard Rail A: 200Hp [Metal][Anchored][Around the outer edge of the lower area]
Guard Rail B: 200Hp [Metal][Anchored][Around the outer edge of the upper area]
Binocular Turrets A-E: 50Hp [Metal][Anchored][One each on the platforms around the lower area]
Binocular Turrets F-G: 50Hp [Metal][Anchored][Edges of the upper area]
Binocular Turret H: DELETED [Was where the scarecrow is now]

-=Battle 2, Well That Was Fast...=-

Spoils: 820z


Some Navis might've been stunned that things went off without a hitch, and everything capable of harming them was swiftly dispatched. But they weren't LightningMan, who just smirked and folded his arms, surveying his work. "So much for being concerned. Perfect strategy, perfect execution...as though we'd do anything less!"

"Indeed! Now, don't forget to gather the goodies before starting your survey!"

"Yeah. Sending it over now." And so it was done. No chip...pity, there were a couple he wouldn't have minded getting. "...But I think that surveying should wait until I check out the top. Getting ambushed won't do, especially when it's easily preventable."

"Ah, you mean that building? It seems rather abandoned, and we could easily destroy it beforehand...but why take chances, I suppose. Besides, perhaps there's something in there of worth. Go forth, and investigate!"

"...Mmm. But first..." First, he had a fence to get over. Sure, he could just climb, but what did he look like, a simple minion? Not even close. He snapped his fingers, causing a large spark to shoot out and hit a weak looking link. It spread throughout, causing various links around the fence to snap, until it eventually came apart and fell forward. "Y'know, that would've been a lot more annoying if they'd just used a wooden fence."

"Electromagnetism...perhaps needless flashy, but effective! Proceed!"

"As you command." LightningMan floated through with no resistance, though the fence itself seemed give off a bit of electricity as he hovered over it. Not that it mattered, as he proceeded up to the top, and check out that building up top.

(Searching for Battle #3)
The path curved away out of sight from the main area of the lookout for a short way, before terminating in a small, nondescript doorway, partially overgrown by untended plants. A sign on the middle of the door was faded and soe of the letters had chipped away, but it looked to read "Elec-U Observatory, Private Property." Below that, a smaller sign in friendlier letter said: "Please consult class notice boards for lecture times.", however both of these were made more difficult to read due to a large series of block lettering crossing over them at a diagonal, reading "Premises Condemned" the top section of the door had a window set into it, with a metal grill behind that more or less rendered the window pointless, except possibly to let some natural light in. If he tried the handle, LightningMan would find that the first test resisted, and caused a touch-pad alongside the door to light up red... which promptly flashed, sparked, and then shorted out, accompanied by the sound of the electronic bolts releasing. A second attempt would confirm that the door was now unlocked.

Still unaccosted by any more viral presence, LightningMan would need to venture inside if he wanted to search properly. Provided he did, he'd find that the lights, predictably, weren't working, and that many panels form the small corridor he parsed through first had fallen in. The floor and the walls were sturdy, though, and nothing actually seemed unsafe. the passage passed into a small foyer with a raised ceiling compared to the hall, with a couple of pieces of exceptionally old-looking furniture against two walls, and an old rotatable stand holding a variety of outdated fliers for astronomy, science and similar fields. There was also a reception desk, to the right, with a clock over the top that had long since stopped working, and an array of storage units that had been emptied long since, behind the desk. The carpet in the middle of the floor had more worn out spots than plush remaining to it, but the tiles elsewhere seemed more or less intact, if dusty. directly ahead, a large set of arched double doors led forward deeper into the building, but for Now, the arrival of a newcomer seemed to have attracted some more attention.

In particular, there seemed to be an overly large hive of some description, giving off a faint green glow, and a small swarm of three Elebees were hovering about it protectively with their sights set on LightningMan. The hive was high up in the corner of the foyer, to his left, and, let's be honest, a perceptive navi was likely to notice that it was rather angular in general shape as well. Meanwhile, a pair of metallic lumps on the reception desk shuddered and clanked their spherical shells open to reveal rather threatening cannon muzzles. They each fired warning shots, sending their cannonballs to either side of the intruding navi, and leaving their muzzles smoking. Of all the many things broken down and no longer working here, these two seemed quite functional indeed.


-=Roused Residents=-

ElebeeA: 90Hp [Flying]
ElebeeB: 90Hp [Flying]
ElebeeC: 90Hp [Flying]

HardHeadA: 60Hp [Normal]
HardHeadB: 60Hp [Normal]

-=Investigating Intruder=-

LightningMan: 150Hp [Metal][Near Entry Hall]

-=Timeworn Terrain=-

40% Metal [Centre of the foyer, and a broad strip leading from the entry hall to the far doors.]
5% Solar [Two small patches either side of the far double doors]
5% Magnet [Out of sight, one panel behind the reception desk, in the centre.]
50% Normal [The Rest]

-=Obvious Objects=-

Elebee Hive: 25Hp [Attached to the ceiling in the top left corner of the area][Faint green glow, and suggestive prism shape]

-=Battle 3, Start!=-
Before long, LightningMan encountered the excitement that was a door. But that clearly wasn't enough, so it also had some writing on it. Not the easiest to read writing, but it was there. "'Elec U Observatory, Private Property.' ...Never heard of Elec U."

"Nor have I. Granted, the only Electopian college I know of is DenTech."

"Well, based on the foliage, it's safe to say that even if it's not defunct, this place certainly is. Hang on, there's something else...'Premises Condemned. ...I suppose I should've read that one first, since it's ."

"Sounds to me like there's a building for the taking! But let's take a look first. If we just demolish it, we may lose something of value!"

"So basically, we do exactly what we were going to do anyway. Right." The electrical Navi pushed down on the handle, and pushed and pulled...but neither worked. Instead, a nearby touch pad lit up, causing him to angrily create an electrical ball in his free hand...but before he could slam it in, it malfunctioned, and he could hear (and slightly feel) the door unlock. "Hmph, not the tightest security ever."

"Well, that makes things easy on us. Go on, let's see what's inside!"

"Yeah. I'm not quite sure what an observatory brings to the table for the likes of us, but who knows?" He didn't, so he floated on in. Noticing a light switch, he flipped it, but it didn't work...disappointing. Instead, he caused some electricity to start sparking around his hand, giving himself a little extra light to work with. "Where to first..."

"...LightningMan, behind you!"

"What?!" He turned around, expecting an enemy...but instead, noted something less dangerous but still noteworthy. "Great, looks like I'm stuck here unless we find another exit. Or I jack out, since if this place manages to have a jack out barrier despite not having power for lighting, I'll eat my helmet."

With nowhere else to go for the moment, the electric Navi moved forward, ending up in a foyer...a university building with a foyer, he was utterly shocked. He picked up a nearby flyer, and examined it. "Hmm...this is pretty old. I'd say this place has been abandoned for at least 5 years, and it could easily be more."

"Makes you wonder why they even bothered keeping the place standing. At least if you demolished it, you wouldn't have to worry about providing viruses with a home."

"Mmm...and, speak of the devils." On cue, three Elebee showed up, with a hive nearby. But, wait, that looked suspiciously like something else..."...Is that Mystery Data?"

"...I can't get a 100% signal lock, but all the signs seem to point toward it. It's green, it's cubic, and based on the readings, it has a number of hit points similar to what one would have."

"As I thought. I'll need to take care with my..." Lightning clenched his teeth, having made an unpleasant realization. "...Wait. If I'm indoors, how am I going to strike these things down with lightning?"

"Well, you, er..."

"That's a definite ceiling, and I suspect there's at least another floor above...tch. To think we'd both miss something so obvious...next time, we're bringing LanceMan to deal with this." A pair of cannonballs whizzed by him, making him stop and take note of where they came from. "HardHeads...they're usually so still, I didn't even notice them."

"Well, their mouths are closed, so there's little point in expending energy on them right now...just be mindful of them, as you focus on the Elebee!"

"Right...any ideas that don't involve my namesake?"

"Well, luckily for us, the applications of electricity go far beyond that. Here, this should weaken them nicely!" Move the chip to LightningMan...like so. "ThunderBeam BattleChip, in! Download!"

The Navi's hand suddenly began to spark more than it had been, after being augmented by the power of the chip. He pointed it towards the three vespid viruses, and by some silent command, three balls of electricity shot out from it, each focused on hitting one of the aerial foes. Curiously, afterward his hand completely stopped...he didn't want to provide an easy target to anything.

It was also convenient in that it was about to be transformed anyway. "This should finish one or two off! Shotgun BattleChip, in! Download!"

LightningMan's hand gained a decidedly less elemental appearance, as it became a blue buster shape, with the tip and a single stripe midway down the barrel being black. He sighed, finding this one to be much less enjoyable, and tried to quickly line up the Elebee in a line before shooting off a burst of yellow energy. It didn't look like too much, but if it hit, the explosion would pierce the initial virus's body, to hit another behind it. So long as it didn't hit the hive, though, he wouldn't be too upset if perfection didn't happen. Maybe it'd get Roderick to send him more of the stuff he actually liked.

"That's enough for now. I'm not going to be a complete sitting duck." Now, for the all-powerful art of evading bee stings and cannonballs. Two things that naturally went together.

"Wait, you don't wish for CurseShield? That'll wipe one clean off of the face of the Net!"

"...Seriously? You forgot already? Those cannonballs HardHead shoot can break that in two."

"...Ah, yes, that would be correct. Well, that's one of the reasons I keep you and Edgar nearby, in case of such mental lapses!"

"...Right..." Okay, time to really size things up, and see which way he needed to float over to not take damage...

[Order of Turn:
1-ThunderBeam1 chip attack on ElebeeA, ElebeeB, and ElebeeC (60+5, Elec, A, Seeking)
2-Shotgun chip attack on ElebeeA (50, A, Spread 1) (Spread Target: ElebeeB)
3-Dodge]
With LightningMan's foray into the observatory halted by viruses, his operator gave him a helping hand in the form of a ThunderBeam chip, which did a reasonable amount of damage. Of course, they weren't about to take the damage sitting down, and rushed at him right after his Shotgun chip was downloaded. The rushed bees' attacks threw off his aim, and his shot went wide. Fortunately, it didn't hit anything else-- except for the green hive. The shot dislodged the prism off of its resting place and sent it bouncing all over the place! While he was busy dancing about the bees, another unpleasant surprise would be heading his way; the HardHeads seemed to have finished reloading themselves and were ready for another salvo!

-=Roused Residents=-

ElebeeA: 25Hp [Flying]
ElebeeB: 25Hp [Flying]
ElebeeC: 25Hp [Flying]

HardHeadA: 60Hp [Normal][Ready to Fire]
HardHeadB: 60Hp [Normal][Ready to Fire]

-=Investigating Intruder=-

LightningMan: 150Hp [Metal][Near Entry Hall]

-=Timeworn Terrain=-

40% Metal [Centre of the foyer, and a broad strip leading from the entry hall to the far doors.]
5% Solar [Two small patches either side of the far double doors]
5% Magnet [Out of sight, one panel behind the reception desk, in the centre.]
50% Normal [The Rest]

-=Obvious Objects=-

Elebee Hive: 25Hp [Bouncing wildly around the room][Faint green glow, and suggestive prism shape]
...Okay, after that cluster of insanity, time to review what happened. ThunderBeam was good. Shotgun, not so much. The EleBee trio nearly skewered him, that extremely mystery data-like hive was now bouncing around like a rubber ball, and the HardHead were preparing to fire again. ...Oh yeah, and he was atop metal flooring like an idiot. Before doing anything else, he hovered off of it as quickly as possible, and over to ground that wouldn't shorten his lifespan drastically. At least now, his course of action was obvious. "Quick, send me stuff! Those HardHead need to go down while they're vulnerable!"

"Very well!" Let's see...60 HP rating, so 60 damage ratings would work best...fortunately, there were a couple in the arsenal. "MaruBlaster BattleChip, in! Download!"

LightningMan's hand clasped down slightly, as though he was holding something...and a few moments later, it was; a ball of electricity had formed. It looked a bit odd though...graphically, it seemed to be slightly distorted. But if he noticed, he didn't care, and raised it in front of him, and shot it forward at one of the now open mouthed viruses. With any luck, that was one covered...now for the other.

And luckily, there was another 60 damage rating chip waiting in the wings. "Cannon BattleChip, in! Download!"

The Navi's hand quickly stopped sparking, and quickly transformed into a Canodumb head. Now he needed to aim it, activate the firing mechanism...and pow. An energy burst shot at the other HardHead. Very simple, but something that was the most effective means of attack. ...Of course, his focus in taking out the cannonball spitting viruses meant the insectoid ones had free reign on him...but so long as he wasn't on electricity conducting metal, the stings should hardly be lethal, thankfully.

[Order of Turn:
1-Get to non-Metal terrain (Movement)
2-MaruBlaster1 chip attack on HardHeadA (60, Elec, B, Glitch)
3-Cannon chip attack on HardHeadB (60, A, Knockback)]
As LightningMan realized he was on some potentially very lethally conductive flooring, he swerved off to the side, just in time to be swarmed by the disgruntled Elebees that had received the brunt of his earlier attack. One of them dashed past him, but the other two landed their stings true to their mark, and boy howdy was it painful. (-20x2) The electrical Navi wouldn't let this discourage him, of course, as he released a buggy charged ball at one of the HardHeads. Unfortunately, it went wide, and the HardHead's retaliation towards him let him realize his mistake quite well, with a heavy cannonball smashing into his hip and into the floor. (-30) Fortunately, the Cannon he let loose at the other HardHead did hit its mark, deleting it just before it could launch its cannonball at him as well. Seeing its comrade get swiftly dispatched, the surviving HardHead closed up its mouth quickly, its gleaming iron face protecting itself once again.

While all of this was happening, the Elebee hive that had been bouncing around the room got caught behind the reception desk in the middle of the room to his right, and ceased its erratic movement quietly.

-=Roused Residents=-

ElebeeA: 25Hp [Flying]
ElebeeB: 25Hp [Flying]
ElebeeC: 25Hp [Flying]

HardHeadA: 60Hp [Normal][Closed]
HardHeadB: DELETED

-=Investigating Intruder=-

LightningMan: 80Hp [Cracked][Near Entry Hall]

-=Timeworn Terrain=-

40% Metal [Centre of the foyer, and a broad strip leading from the entry hall to the far doors.]
5% Solar [Two small patches either side of the far double doors]
5% Magnet [Out of sight, one panel behind the reception desk, in the centre.]
5% Cracked [Under LightningMan's feet]
45% Normal [The Rest]

-=Obvious Objects=-

Elebee Hive: 25Hp [Magnet, behind the reception desk][Faint green glow, and suggestive prism shape]
Ugh. Urgh. Argh! That...was just stupid. How did he let himself get hit three times like that? He was far better than this...LightningMan shook his head, and looked on angrily at the viruses...though anyone looking would notice that he was struggling to maintain his hovering a bit. "I got careless..."

"Oh, it wasn't all you. Those viruses ARE trying to kill you, after all."

"Gee, I hadn't noticed." ...And then it suddenly dawned on him. He didn't HAVE to feel the full fury of their attacks. He had that one, simple trick...which he hadn't used in this fight until now. As though he hadn't felt foolish enough already. With a sigh, he raised his hand, and snapped his fingers, creating a tiny spark that landed on one of the stinging viruses. It would almost immediately find some of its strength being drained, though its sting would still pack a small punch.

"I was wondering why you hadn't been using that...ah well, no sense in dwelling on the past. Let us work on fixing this building's pest problem!" Two pictures of Bunny, both dragged over the Navi. "ZapRing BattleChips, in! Double download!"

LightningMan decided to not get too fancy with his weaponry this turn, allowing his hand to transform into a pink base with two wire-like extensions that resembled Bunny ears. He pointed it towards one of the aerial viruses, activated the mechanism...and just like that, a ring of electricity formed between them, and shot out at high speed towards its target. It was less than difficult to repeat the process, pointing at another Elebee and attempting to destroy it with its own element. He did make sure, however, to ignore the weakened one...if anything was going to survive and sting him again, it should be the one that wasn't fighting at full strength.

Speaking of which, while he himself wasn't 100%, he was still more than capable of avoiding incoming attacks, should it be required. He'd best take care of that, before they gave him an allergic reaction or something.

[Order of Turn:
0a-Debuff subtype ability on ElebeeC (negates next 12 damage dealt) (Source: Buff)
1-ZapRing1 chip attack on ElebeeA (40+5, A, Elec, Stun 1)
2-ZapRing1 chip attack on ElebeeB (40+5, A, Elec, Stun 1)
3-Dodge]
Transforming his hand into an emulated Bunny's head, LightningMan released a couple of rings of electricity at the bees, after weakening one with a tiny spark. Unfortunately, only one managed to land, but at least it deleted the bee for good, leaving one less enemy for LightningMan to worry about. They began to rush at him, and he attempted to sidestep out of the way, only to find his footing give way into the floor! The bees' attacks whisked over his head as he fell in, which was one good thing about it, one could infer. As he landed at the bottom, he could hear the telltale whir of the HardHead's steel visage opening up.

-=Roused Residents=-

ElebeeA: DELETED
ElebeeB: 25Hp [Flying over Broken]
ElebeeC: 25Hp [Flying near Broken]

HardHeadA: 60Hp [Normal][Mouth Open]
HardHeadB: DELETED

-=Investigating Intruder=-

LightningMan: 80Hp [Fallen into Broken][Near Entry Hall]

-=Timeworn Terrain=-

40% Metal [Centre of the foyer, and a broad strip leading from the entry hall to the far doors.]
5% Solar [Two small patches either side of the far double doors]
5% Magnet [Out of sight, one panel behind the reception desk, in the centre.]
5% Broken [LightningMan's position]
45% Normal [The Rest]

-=Obvious Objects=-

Elebee Hive: 25Hp [Magnet, behind the reception desk][Faint green glow, and suggestive prism shape]
"..."

LightningMan spent the first moment of being stuck in a pit stewing, getting quite upset at the whole falling into a pit thing. The second moment, of course, was spent thinking about how to destroy the remaining enemies with his few remaining options that didn't need to fall out of the sky. He'd have to be flawless from this point on, but it was at least possible. "Hmph. Gimme every chip I have left, that won't be affected by the fact we're indoors. If I can take them all out now, I can avoid disaster."

"As you wish. Let's see...ah. Thun-"

"Today! I know what they are already!"

"...You're really taking the fun out of operating!" Fine, Thunder, RemotePlug, CurseShield, all sent. Who knew Navis could be such spoilsports?

First things first; that HardHead needed to go NOW. But, because it couldn't move, he also knew exactly where it was. Which meant a weapon capable of altering its location would be quite handy...A large red electrical plug with a short green cord trailing from it formed in front of the Navi, who sent it straight up and out of the pit. Now, he was pretty sure he was facing the same direction he was before falling, which meant that the HardHead would be approximately...there. He sent it the instructions, causing it to change course, and head over to the metal virus. There were no guarantees, though, even though he couldn't really afford anything less than perfection at this point.

Next up, he continued to make use of his electrical abilities, creating an energy ball and sending it straight up as well. That one couldn't be controlled, but it should be attracted to a nearby EleBee. At least, that's what he figured...electricity often attracted more electricity. And on that note, he formed a green Dominerd above himself, and took a deep breath. "Hey! Stupid EleBee! Afraid of a hole? You want me, you come and get me!" Hopefully it'd take the bait, and go after him stinger first. And if it did...CHOMP. Last mistake it'd ever make.

The problem, of course, was that everything had to go EXACTLY as he planned. If it didn't, he might have to delve into the most unthinkable option of all...

[Order of Turn:
1-RemotePlug1 chip attack on HardHeadA (80+5, B, Homing, Phasing)
2-Thunder1 chip attack on ElebeeB (40+5, Elec, C, Homing, Stun 1)
3-CurseShield2 chip on LightningMan (210, A, 1-hit shield, counters one attack)]
Pondering his misfortunes from the bottom of his crumbled pit, LightningMan was, to be tactful, at the end of his tether. While he fume,d the first thing to happen was one of the remaining Elebees zipping in to hover over the hole and have a further go at him, though it couldn't seem to quite get the right angle to actually connect. It swerved slightly in the air as the vivid remote plug raced up out of the hole, but it wasn't going for the annoying insect. Instead, the peculiar attack bee-lined for the HardHead on the counter, which was just beginning to ratchet it's mouth closed again, but fortunately for LightningMan's sanity, not quite fast enough; the plug darted in, striking home before the virus could protect itself.

A ball of crackling energy was the next thing to emerge from the hole, nailing the bee that had already attacked at point blank range before it could get away, but the light show did bring the other one over to investigate. This one made a more concentrated effort at stinging the trapped navi, but that only made things worse for it, as its attack struck the readied shield instead and caused the defence to gape wide and bite upwards, devouring it in a satisfying chomp. This still left LightningMan in a hole which he would need to get himself out of, but for the time being, at least, the abandoned observatory's lobby area had been returned to stillness and something approaching quiet.

Behind the desk, the hive that the elebees had been guarding would indeed reveal itself to have been constructed around an old mystery data, which the evil mastermind would be free to inspect once her was back at ground level. Amongst the other remains, he'd also find some zenny, and a chip that he may have a passing use for.

-=Roused Residents=-

ElebeeA: DELETED
ElebeeB: DELETED
ElebeeC: DELETED

HardHeadA: DELETED
HardHeadB: DELETED

-=Investigating Intruder=-

LightningMan: 80Hp [Fallen into Broken][Near Entry Hall]

-=Timeworn Terrain=-

40% Metal [Centre of the foyer, and a broad strip leading from the entry hall to the far doors.]
5% Solar [Two small patches either side of the far double doors]
5% Magnet [Out of sight, one panel behind the reception desk, in the centre.]
5% Broken [LightningMan's position]
45% Normal [The Rest]

-=Obvious Objects=-

Elebee Hive: 25Hp [Magnet, behind the reception desk][Faint green glow, and suggestive prism shape]

-=Battle 3, Victory!=-

Spoils: 500z, Arrow1Damage: 100 + Homing
Accuracy: B
Description: Summons an Elebee virus, and sends it flying at an enemy. The Elebee is tenacious, and will hunt down its prey. It vanishes after stinging it's target, or after two turns.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Trader Rank: D


Open Elebee Hive GMD?