HoloBeta.NET VS Valkyrie.EXE

As the Navis jack in, their Net Operators are shown a 3-D model of the arena their Navis will be fighting in with various features labeled and highlighted as the presentation runs. At the end of the presentation, the environmental statistics for this arena are displayed for reference.

Quote (The Greenhouse)

Sweltering heat and oppressive humidity awaits those who step foot in The Greenhouse. An expansive dome spreading out an impressive one hundred-forty feet and standing seven stories high, the Green house was designed to keep its exotic inhabitants nice and comfortable. Within its lush environs one can expect to find any number of plants, from the near tame Netfrican Tangle Root to the carnivorous Tree-hanging Cage Plant. In the center of the glass-domed building is a circular area, about 70 feet across, which has been cleared of a great deal of vegetation, resulting in an ideal location for the fighters to duke it out. Broken stumps and trunks lie scattered across the battlefield, as well as a smattering of still healthy trees, all of which allows for moderate cover as well as improvised weapons. While the use of fire in a green house might seem a bad idea, the outright saturation these plants have undergone while gorging themselves on water, sun and soil rich with flame retardants have made these hardy plants near impervious to burning, allowing for unfettered use of fire attacks while battling.

Within the center of the arena is The Greenhouse's crown jewel, the rare and rather entertaining Electopian Whiplash Lily. This plant's petals are known for their extraordinary elasticity and are more than capable of propelling contestants upward 40 feet into the Skyvine Exhibit. While the higher vantage point may give an advantage, the Skyvines are thick and unruly, making movement difficult. Of course, should contestants wish to return to the ground, a healthy supply of Propeller Fruit awaits at the edges of the Exhibit.

Please note: While the flora surrounding the arena may look beautiful, they are in fact quite dangerous and can cause quite a hindrance to Navis unfortunate enough to enter their reach.

(==Terrain==)
Soil Terrain: 54% (Main Arena Area. Neither bonus giving nor penalizing terrain. Just dirt.)
Skyvine Exhibit: 38% (Above Center of Arena. Navis can attack through the vines, but take a one rank penalty to accuracy due to the vines' unstable nature. Vines inflict slow on any Navi in the exhibit, flying or otherwise. )
Propeller Fruit Tree Branches: 8% (Overhangs Soil Terrain and surrounds Skyvine Exhibit. No bonuses. Ending a turn in this terrain without grabbing a Propeller Fruit will result in a sudden, if predictable, meeting with the ground.)
Thick Vegetation: While not accessible terrain, the arena is surrounded by a staggering amount of plants, most of which are dangerous. Ending a turn on the edge of the arena, either by choice or otherwise, will result in a "Trapped!" status. Navis that are "Trapped!" must spend one action to break free, after which they will be on soil terrain far enough away to avoid another tangle.

(==Objects==)
Boulderbark Stumps: 300 HP, Immobile, Grounded, Immune to Microburst, Extremely Heavy, Damage Reduction 50. As if the point wasn't already clear, these things aren't moving, no matter how hard you try. Provides minor cover, whether through ducking behind or taking advantage of a hollow stump. Six Boulderbark Stumps are evenly staggered throughout the arena.
Glitchfruit Trees: 50 HP. Bears fruit, which when eaten will produce one instance of the Glitch effect. Those who eat a Glitchfruit cannot eat another, forced or otherwise, for the rest of the fight. USE AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!!! Also, tree provides minor cover, but will not appreciate it. Three of these trees grace the battlefield, their locations as random as their effects.

Wall-in-Log's-Clothing: 75 HP, Damage Reduction 25, Heavy. Physical contact will cause this seemingly normal log to spring up into a four foot wall. Moving away will cause the wall to revert to its natural shape. Using the Wall-In-Log's-Clothing as a weapon will result in a one rank accuracy penalty. Four of this deceptive plant can be found within The Greenhouse, two to each side of the arena.
Propeller Fruit: 10 HP, Immune to outside sources. Allows non-damaging movement from Skyvine Exhibit to the Main Arena. Can also be used as an Improvised weapon, in which case it gains the Homing attribute, cannot gain any more abilities, deals no more than 10 damage and explodes upon contact into a pulpy mess. A disgraceful way to receive a final blow. Eight fruit are equidistant around the upper level. Should one become destroyed, another will appear to take its place after one turn.

Electopian Whiplash Lily: 100 HP, requires direct attacks to overcome the elastic nature of the plant and damage it. This gigantic flower, its diameter easily reaching five feet, has the power to launch Navis into the Skyvine Exhibit. Should the Whiplash Lily be destroyed, it is replaced with Soil Terrain, any Navis in the Skyvine Exhibit are forcibly ejected as the vines retreat to the ceiling, and the one who delivered the fatal blow will have earned the scorn of botanists and nature lovers the world over. Navis who are kicked out of the Skyvine Exhibit take falling damage at the moderator's discretion. Only one Whiplash Lily is on the field, claiming the center of the arena as its domain.


Once the information is relayed to the Operators, they are given a few moments to strategize with their Navis before the match begins...
The first thing Holoß noticed was how the humid climate managed to make him feel just like someone was hitting him with an invisible fist. He had only been in the arena for moments and condensation was already dripping off of his projectors. A drop slid down the cool metal, falling off and sending a short through his arm as it decided to make friends with his delicate electronics. This... is not going to be fun... the holographic Navi thought as he looked around the clearing he found himself in.

Aelieth looked back to the console long enough to read out the technical specifications of the miniature jungle his Navi found himself in. "Wow... this is a lot more interactive than the other arenas... Looks like there's plenty of cover, and the lily looks interesting. Keep it in the back of your mind, since we might need to use it for a quick getaway." He commented on the specs, killing time as he waited. There was no earthly way they were going to pull this out, which was probably why he was so calm about facing someone as powerful as Valkyrie. But... that didn't rule out divine intervention...

Holo occupied himself with wandering around the arena. To think, with all this plant life, there was no actual grass across the soil strewn ground. Ah well... he lamented, waking the perimeter of clearing, keeping far enough away to not invite the surround plants to have their way with him.
Valkyrie beamed down in the pillar of light, arriving upon the soil holding her trademark spear. She didn't really seem to be in a talkative mood. In fact, she stepped on some plant parts that wandered onto her path with a bit too much enthusiasm.

Sieg also didn't seem to be ready to talk over strategy, not that that was out of the norm for either of them. Still, there was some kind of tension between the two, as if they had just been through a lengthy and tiring argument with neither side yielding to the other. He still sent the compromised data of her surroundings to Valkyrie though.

Valkyrie stabbed her lance into the ground (pinning a sneaky vine that was going for her leg), and nodded at Holo. It was the kind of nod that carried both the meaning of a greeting, assurance that she was ready for whatever was about to come, but mostly, "I'm in a bad mood and want to get over this quickly by breaking whatever appendages you might have". It's wonderful how much can expressed by a single gesture like that.
((Dark has asked to step down, so I'll be modding this. Modpost will go up when both of you post "READY"))
((READY))
Holo could almost feel the animosity flowing from Valkyrie, even as the bar of light triggering yet another transformation sped up his body. An armored boot took a step back as he recoiled. Her dark countenance was not present on HoloValkyrie's face, instead replaced with a neutral expression. Maybe a handshake isn't the best idea... he thought, spinning a newly formed lance in one hand before planting it firmly into the ground.

He returned the nod, signaling his readiness.

((Ready))
A third jack-in beam crashed into the soil almost directly under a hole in the vine exhibit above, dodging around the lily in the center before reaching the ground. As it formed into a female navi wearing completely drenched black clothes and carrying an umbrella, she spoke into a microphone that appeared out of nowhere.

"Hello and welco-oh my, they really picked out a nice arena for this round," she said, being immediately distracted by the exotic plantlife. She stared around at it for a few seconds, concentrating especially on the lily in the center, before seeing Valkyrie and remembering what she was there for. "Oh, right." Stepping away from the lily, she spoke into the mic again as though nothing had happened. "Good afternoon, my name is Rainfall and I will be the referee for this match. I know you two are probably anxious to start killing each other, so I'll keep this short."

She looked at Valkyrie. "Valkyrie, are you ready?"

Then to Holoß. "Holo...oh what's that say...Beta, are you ready?"

A pause. "Excellent, you may begin!" The navi called Rainfall beamed out.

_____


---Combatants---
Holoß.net: 140 HP (on soil)

Valkyrie.exe: 120 HP (on soil)


---Terrain---
Soil: 54% (Ground area)
Skyvine Exhibit: 38% (Upper level, centered)
Propeller Fruit Branches: 8% (Upper level, surrounding exhibit)

---Objects---
--Boulderbark Stumps (on ground level, evenly spaced around arena--
Boulderbark Stump A: 300 HP
Boulderbark Stump B: 300 HP
Boulderbark Stump C: 300 HP
Boulderbark Stump D: 300 HP
Boulderbark Stump E: 300 HP
Boulderbark Stump F: 300 HP

Glitchfruit Tree A: 50 HP (hanging down from Skyvine Exhibit)
Glitchfruit Tree B: 50 HP (at edge of Thick Vegetation, behind Valkyrie)
Glitchfruit Tree C: 50 HP (off to side, growing between Skyvine Exhibit and a Propeller Fruit tree)

--Walls-in-Log's Clothing (two each behind Holoß and Valkyrie)--
Wall-in-Log's-Clothing A: 75 HP
Wall-in-Log's-Clothing B: 75 HP
Wall-in-Log's-Clothing C: 75 HP
Wall-in-Log's-Clothing D: 75 HP

Propeller Fruit x8: 10 HP each (on upper level, evenly spaced around arena in PF Tree Branches)

Electopian Whiplash Lily: 100 HP (on ground level, in center of arena


---Other---
Thick Vegetation: Surrounding soil terrain

((PM your turn summaries to me by July 16, 11:12 EDT))
HoloValkyrie ripped the lance from the ground, intricately spinning it around to face his/her opponent. The menacing look being cast his/her way didn't appear to be letting up, and he/she was going to have to start doing something soon, preferably before the "I'm gonna kill you" vibe he/she was getting from Valkyrie became realized. Unsure on how to handle an opponent this tough, Holo merely stood there, wielding his/her weapon in a ready position while sending Aelieth a silent message.

"[[b]I'm at a loss. What should we do?[/b]]" questioned the projector navi, the simple block of text throwing Aelieth off guard. So far Holoß had handled the majority of the fighting on his own, only relying on his Operator for support. Rolling the question through his mind, Aelieth could only come up with a handful of solutions: stay mobile and hope she manages to take herself out somehow, resort to guerrilla tactics, eat at glitchfruit and hope for the best, seek refuge in the Skyvine exhibit and rain blows from above, or stand and fight. He noted with distaste at how many of these options resorted to running, but in the face of overwhelming odds.... What else could he do?

Resolute, Aelieth opened up a communication line with Holo to relay his thoughts. As he stood there in the empty room, though, something stirred in Aelieth's gut. Why go down like a dog when you can go out with a bang? The bluntness of the thought stopped Aelieth in his tracks. As alien as the idea sounded... the more he thought on it, the more it made sense. Why should he be resigned to losing? They deserved their shot, just like anyone else. Sure, they would be the underdog by far in this and every other fight left in the tournament. Sure, the chance of them actually winning was next to none. Who cared? As long as they gave it their all, there was no shame in losing. "If we're going to go out..." the operator said, his voice soft yet distinct, "... Then we go out fighting. "Holo," he said, turning his full attention to the PET and chips before him, "get ready to fight. They probably expect us to just roll over. I say we prove them wrong." A defiant grin spread across Aelieth's lips. In the sweltering arena, a similar look appeared on HoloValkyrie's face as he/she brandished his/her lance towards Valkyrie with a visible air of one who was set to win.

Reaching into his pile of chips, Aelieth rapidly selected the chips that'd cause the most damage. No defense in this run, it was do or die. Gathering them in a fist, he slotted them in one after the other, depressing the button that would transmit the weapons to his Navi once the last chip entered the Personal Terminal. Four streams of code illuminated within Holo's limbs as he/she received the data. One segment of chip data extinguished itself almost immediately as the holographic Navi's form began to fade and warp. Multiple images of the Navi appeared as he/she jumped, all of them promptly vanishing as their feet left the ground. The air above Valkyrie exploded in a flash of light as HoloValkyrie burst into existence, a gigantic bubble wand clenched in his/her gauntleted fingers. As Holoß began his/her descent, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Dropplets of water, each one distinct, began to lose that distinction as they coalesced together, forming streams of water that swirled into the bubble wand and created a flawless, shimmering film within the eye of the weapon. Pushing forward with a tremendous effort, Holo swung the wand forward. As it arced through the air the film ballooned out as it captured the air it passed through. At the apex of the swing the fully formed and now gigantic bubble detached from the ridged ring, lobbing the iridescent sphere towards Valkyrie. The force of the swing pushed Holo back up, sending him high enough to activate his third chip.

The gauntlets along his arms rippled as two halves of a magnet the size of his torso replaced his hands, the wave of change flowing through his body and replacing Valkyrie's fierce visage with his own, simpler one. Electricity sparked between the two magnetic segments as they locked together, fusing with electricity supplied by the projector Navi himself. A pulse of electromagnetic energy burst from the U-shaped protrusion, resonating with the metal of Valkyrie's armor. An irresistible jerk tugged at Holo's arms, dragging him through the air and straight towards his opponent. As he approached, he toggled the projector frame rate, sending not one, but two images of Holo crashing down upon his enemy with a plume of smoke and what he hoped was electrically charged water. As he stood from the impact, his projectors sprang into overdrive, a brilliant green glow radiating out from their innermost depths. He grasped the air in front of him, surges of electricity leaping from his palms and combining into ball of lighting. One more shot... Holoß thought, hefting his arms above his head and launching it at Valkyrie. As the arcing ball of energy flew through the air, the projectors toggled once again, and a deadly one-two Lighting1 punch zoomed straight for the armor clad warrior.

The power pulsing through his projectors gave out after the last attack, the inside of them darkening to the point that Holo nearly faded from existence. As the drain of pushing himself that hard began to take its toll on him, Holoß slumped forward. The triumphant grin he had worn as HoloValkyrie was still plastered on a panel below his eyes. If he had somehow managed to pull this off, he was on to the next round. If he hadn't...

Well, here's hoping this worked...


--Summary--
1. AreaGrab above Valkyrie.
2. BubbleStar1 (20 damage + Bubble Trap + 3 targets + Aqua. Targeting Valkyrie)
3. MagBolt1 (90 damage + stun + Elec + 5 damage (type affinity) + magnetic pull . Targeting Valkyrie)
-VHP: MI (15 damage. Targeting Valkyrie)

(==AfterBurner==)
α. Thunder1 (40 damage + Stun 1 + Homing + Elec + 5 damage (type affinity). Targeting Valkyrie)
-VHP: MII (5 damage. Targeting Valkyrie.)
-I KNEW I should've copyrighted the appearance...

Valkyrie raised an eyebrow in disbelief. What did her opponent expect? That she wouldn't attack the image of herself? Well, considering her recent failures, she wanted to beat herself to pulp, so that plan can be considered backfired. However, it did anger her, in a way no one else did so far. She fought both along and against what she could only consider as "scum", but even they got an ounce respect from her... which admittedly isn't that much, but it was still there. Everyone has the right to fight for what their goals, and no matter how low they are, she had to respect that.

But what does something without individuality fight for? Without an aim, there is no value in a fight. Like oxygen fuels fire, beliefs fuel a warrior's burning spirit. And what could an individuality less being like a virus, or Holo strive for? To be like everyone? Isn't that the same as being no one? Is an aimless, thoughtless existence really something you can fight for?

To be fair, Valkyrie probably didn't think it through like that. She just felt that she had been wronged, something important had been taken away. Maybe she put it down to Holo taking something that belonged her, stepping on her fiercely guarded individuality by copying her appearance. The bottom line is, she believed very, very hard at the moment that Holo deserves to be beaten.

------------------

The tournament folder was much bigger than the one he was used to, but he didn't let that slow him down. Sieg rapidly selected a few chips, and slotted them in rapidly. Would he not be so focused on the match, he'd have probably sported a cruel smile while doing so.

------------------

Valkyrie used the first chip, and she did smile. With her newly formed Rageclaw, she reached back, grasped...

- Hey, Betty... CATCH!

.. and then threw the glitch fruit she was holding at HoloBeta. A distraction, not even a very good one, but she needed some time to use the next chip, which she immediately did. Using these kind of chips wasn't her forte, but...

As soon as she was done, Valkyrie threw herself at her opponent, the jet of flames scorching some of the more unlucky leaves in her wake. Her weapon went through a transformation on the way, turning from a lance into something... bizarre. The weapon uncoiled itself into 9 snake like strands, with sharp tips for heads. The strands moved on their own, defying gravity and physics, contorting and expanding randomly. However, what made it really scary had to be the glowing aura around said heads, probably from the Attack+10 chip she used to empower the Varitails chip.

Valkyrie was eager to try this new arm, and she didn't have to wait long to reach Holo with her dash. She punched, leaning almost full body into the strike, her fist followed by the barbed "tails", each trying to tear into the impostor in a chaotic flurry of slashing attacks.

With so much momentum into the strike, she couldn't stop herself, and didn't want to anyway. She lashed out with this new weapon again, trying to grapple one of the propeller fruits. The strands grabbed onto the flying greenery, and so did Valkyrie, although only until she found the other navi in the arena wearing her face. With her target in sight, she let go of the fruit to try and drop herself on the very strong looking lady in armor, this time raining attacks from above. Each of the serpent tips stroke down, eager to drink their blades deep into Holo.

<<ACTIONS>>
1. Throw Glitch Fruit at Holo with Rageclaw
2. Attack+10 on Varitails1
3. Valkyrie ride (teleport+strengthen(30)) to Holo
4. Varitails1(9x(10+10)+30) Holo
5. Dodge
+ Speed Burst Varitails1(9x(10+10)) Holo
Holo would have had very little time to ponder how to act if not for Valkyrie's moment of disbelief and anger. As they finished, however, both took off, deciding the other needed to go down as soon as possible.

Valkyrie opened by reaching back to the glitchfruit tree behind her and hurling one of the fruits at her holographic double. Only when it reached Holo's starting point, it merely flew through one of the afterimages left behind, bounced against the ground and shattered against the nearest stump. Holo, meanwhile, had appeared in the air directly above Valkyrie, brandishing a bubble wand at her.

In the time it took for HoloBeta to swing the wand and shoot the bubble at Valkyrie, however, she had already empowered another attack and charged directly upward at the hologram navi and lashed out with the whiplike Varitails. Five of the tails struck, reducing Holoß to near critical condition in a single move and causing the bubbles to burst harmlessly against the ground.

At the height of her charge, Valkyrie lashed out and managed to grapple the propeller fruit branches, keeping her suspended. It wasn't enough to avoid Holoß's follow-up to the bubble attack, however, as he retaliated for the whip attack with a powerful magnetic chip that pulled her toward it, almost ripping Valkyrie out of the tree. The projector-based follow-up to that, however, missed as Valkyrie swung back out of the way.

After getting hit by the magnet, Valkyrie dropped out of the tree, lashing out again at Holoß as she fell. Only one of the strikes hit, however, and it exposed her to a final Thunder attack.

The second projector after-effect missed as well as Valkyrie landed, though both navis were now in critical condition.


_____


---Combatants---
Holoß.net: 1 HP (on soil) (-1 Action from Afterburner)

Valkyrie.exe: 1 HP (on soil) (Stun! -1 action) (-1 Action from Afterburner)


---Terrain---
Soil: 54% (Ground area)
Skyvine Exhibit: 38% (Upper level, centered)
Propeller Fruit Branches: 8% (Upper level, surrounding exhibit)

---Objects---
--Boulderbark Stumps (on ground level, evenly spaced around arena--
Boulderbark Stump A: 300 HP
Boulderbark Stump B: 300 HP
Boulderbark Stump C: 300 HP
Boulderbark Stump D: 300 HP
Boulderbark Stump E: 300 HP
Boulderbark Stump F: 300 HP

Glitchfruit Tree A: 50 HP (hanging down from Skyvine Exhibit)
Glitchfruit Tree B: 50 HP (at edge of Thick Vegetation, behind Valkyrie)
Glitchfruit Tree C: 50 HP (off to side, growing between Skyvine Exhibit and a Propeller Fruit tree)

--Walls-in-Log's Clothing (two each behind Holoß and Valkyrie)--
Wall-in-Log's-Clothing A: 75 HP
Wall-in-Log's-Clothing B: 75 HP
Wall-in-Log's-Clothing C: 75 HP
Wall-in-Log's-Clothing D: 75 HP

Propeller Fruit x8: 10 HP each (on upper level, evenly spaced around arena in PF Tree Branches)

Electopian Whiplash Lily: 100 HP (on ground level, in center of arena


---Other---
Thick Vegetation: Surrounding soil terrain

((PM your turn summaries to me by July 24, 10:45 EDT))
To be able to scream in cases of extreme pain is a luxury the vocal often take for granted. Holoß, unfortunately, did not have any such outlet for the anguish he felt as the razor sharp tips of the Varitails ripped through him, punching holes in his projections and causing major damage to his projectors. Audible discharge could be heard as sparks of electricity jumped the gap between broken circuits, shattered hard-light relays desperately compensating to reform the Navi's mostly missing limbs. This effort was made none the easier due to the fact that he had so little excess energy to spend, the burst of speed he recently went through draining most of his resources. In short, Holo's snowball's chance to win this just got a fair bit smaller. At least... he internally commented, a dry pitch resonating in his thoughts, ... Valkyrie looks to be just as bad off...

Aelieth observed the battle, his morale having taken a huge hit after seeing what he thought was their ticket to victory fail, and then an even larger blow from the severe beating unleashed upon his Navi. He began to shrink back into his shell. It was stupid to be that reckless... Holo's almost got nothing left of him and we could've just handed the fight over to Valkyrie... the Operator berated himself. Still, the strange inner voice responsible for this responded, we've taken the fight to her. She's on her last rope because we didn't just roll over and hand the fight over on a silver platter... He straightened up, resolutely gazing at the screen before him.

This isn't over yet! We can still win, or at least go down swinging.

Confidence swelled up inside of Aelieth, bolstering the faint belief that Holo might still be able to pull this off. Quickly sorting through the pile, he selected his next chips. Though strong arming it had served well in the beginning of the fight, some caution had to be taken while Holo recovered. "Holo, Chip data's inbound." He shot across their private channel, rapidly slotting the chips he had singled out into the PeT. In the arena, two more lines of code appeared, glistening, in Holo's databanks.

Guards? the holographic Navi started, surprised by his operator's choice of chips. After sending him on an all-or-nothing blitzkrieg, Holoß had figured that Aelieth would've continued along the same course of thought, maybe sending another Thunder, or even the ElecKnife. It seemed he would have to make do with what he was given, however. Activating both chips, twin panels sprouted from his forearms, giving Holo the appearance of a weirdly shaped 'H' as he crouched down. He was about to place both in front of him when an idea struck him. He could still try and knock Valkyrie out before she had the chance to recover. Fuel was given to this train of thought as he suddenly remembered an added effect of the Thunder chip he managed to hit her with shortly before: the chip had such a concentrated burst of electricity in it that it often overpowered a Navi's systems momentarily, rendering them paralyzed for most purposes.

Quickly drawing up the Guard resting on his right arm, the square shaped panel began to bevel at the corners, soon reassuming its original, circular design. Swinging his arm back behind the opposite shoulder, Holo sliced through the air before him, sending the Guard spinning forward like a giant, cross-bearing discus. The action had a twofold purpose: Firstly, it would curtail any direct assault on Holo, hopefully even reflecting such an attack back at Valkyrie. Secondly, spinning just behind it were two lag-produced afterimages, jerkily keeping pace with the improvised weapon. If the Guard couldn't take her out, those two had a much greater chance of doing so. Hoping that he would survive long enough to see the next series of chips from Aelieth, the projector Navi did the exact opposite one in his position would be expected to do. Instead of taking flight, trying to outrun his opponent's wrath in an attempt to draw out his remaining time, Holo fell prone, covering himself with the oversized shield. The move was unorthodox at best, but in doing so, he created only one path for Valkyrie to get at him and making it that much more likely that she would eat a face full of reflected revenge.

Assuming she doesn't start tunneling anytime soon... he smirked, imagining his opponent with a mole's snout and claws as he lay beneath his protective canopy atop the soil strewn ground.


--Summary--
1. Guard (Reflects one attack, bouncing back a maximum of 60 damage. Thrown at Valkyrie. Off action: 1 damage if hit unless otherwise specified.)
-VHP:MI (15 damage. Targeting Valkyrie.)
-VHP:MII (5 damage. Targeting Valkyrie.)
2. Guard (Reflects one attack, bouncing back a maximum of 60 damage.)
3. Afterburner
There wasn't any light to see, sound to hear, and as far as she could tell, Valkyrie didn't feel the heat of the tropical surroundings anymore either. As a matter of fact, all feelings were gone, as if she was floating in a void . There was something familiar about this state of being... get up

--------------
Sieg continued to relentlessly push the chip inside it's slot; each time getting the same response, followed by the chip being expelled. A cycle of the chip sliding in, the message popping up, and the click of the device as it denied it. Slip. 408 request time out. Click. Slip, 408 request time out, click. Slip 408 request time out click. Slip408 request time outclick. Slip408 request timeclick
Slip408 requeclickSlip408clickSlipclickSlipclickSlipclickSlipclickTHUD!
The operator's fist hit the plastic screen of the device his PET was jacked into.
-Get up!
--------------


She remembered now. This was just like the time before she was born. So much time had passed since, so many battles. Like just the last one right now... wait, what happened right now?
... wake up...fight

--------------
- I know you can hear me! We got this far... you were victorious twice already!
Siegs' fist pounded on the display once again, threatening to break either that or his hand.
- What did this... impostor do? Three rounds in, and it didn't manage knock out anyone! Do you really want to be the first to go down? WAKE UP AND FIGHT ALREADY!
--------------


She was fighting this... impostor, but things didn't go as smooth as she imagined. Oh yes, she did manage to rip into the doppelganger's body, but it retaliated with ferociousness that almost equaled hers. Oh crap. She wasn't in the PET, that was clear. So she was still not jacked out. That's good, it means she didn't get beaten yet. So she took heavy damage and then...

--------------
He refused to give up. His hands moving in a blur, he continued to send the chip data to Valkyrie.
- It will not end like this. I'm not going to give up. YOU WILL BE THE ONE...
--------------


So I'm unconscious and at a brink of my life, she concluded. About to get coup de grace'd, and unable to do anything. Well, that's not going to happen. She forced herself to consciousness once already, and that time she wasn't even born yet. And to lose against a cheap imitation? No. It will not end like this. I'm not going to give up. I WILL BE THE ONE...

Her senses roared back into her body like a nova. And in turn did the wounds make themselves known like a supernova, even though her systems already healed some of it. But they were irrelevant. With spirit and mind united again, the memories of the void started to fade... but not before they finished their battle cry in unison.
-...TO GRASP VICTORY!

Her hand shot out, palm open. That would not be enough to stop an attack; however the reflective barrier that the Guard chip created can do that and much more. For example, it can reverse an attack to hit her opponent instead of her.

Without thinking, she made use of the second chip Sieg slotted in, experiencing the sensation of being body-less for a split second once again. The Areagrab transformed her into a sliver of light, traveling along the ground at the speed of, well, light. So it took less than a millisecond to arrive behind the copy machine's back, rising from the soil as she was rebuilt from particles. In one hand, she held her trademark lance, in the other a small device, the product of the third chip that she received in quick succession.

Valkyrie muttered no words, no witty one liner. She just threw the energy bomb above HoloB. As the bomb's trajectory reached it's apex, her hands closed closed on the lance. With an inarticulate battle cry, she took a step back, then quickly slashed down with the lance, trying to drive the bomb down even faster. The violent explosion ripped the weapon from her hands, disintegrating soon after. The shock almost got her arm; it probably dislocated something because she lost feelings of her limb again. Not the rest of her body though. But it didn't matter. She may not feel it, but in the end, her hand will be the one to grasp victory!

<<Actions>>
1.Break stun
+Freyah's bless (heal 15)
2. Guard1
3. Areagrab behind HoloB
4. EnergyBomb (40x3) HoloB
As the electrical surge worked its way deep into Valkyrie's systems, Holoß produced two guards, an odd setup for a finishing blow but one that he seemed determined to work with. He swung back with the shield, then hurled it forward like a giant yellow frisbee, leaving two afterimages following in its wake.

As the improvised weapon drew closer, it fell victim to one of the many problems those who play with frisbees often know very well. Instead of hitting Valkyrie, it began to curve back, then landed harmlessly against the ground and rolled into the vegetation surrounding the arena before vanishing.

The first of the two afterimages veered off as well, just barely missing Valkyrie as she recovered from the stun and stood up with a battlecry, her healing systems bringing her back from the brink just in time to take the second afterimage full in the face.

Being just an afterimage, however, it caused very little damage, allowing Valkyrie to continue fighting and summon a shield of her own just as Holoß...hid under his own.

The stalemate persisted for several seconds before Valkyrie disappeared into a flash of silver light and rose from the ground behind Holoß, throwing a bomb at the holographic navi who now look more like a turtle than anything, then drove it down into the shield. As expected, it bounced off as it exploded, forcing the blast back onto Valkyrie.

Game over.

Or it would have been for her, if not for retaining her own shield, which re-reflected the blast back onto the now exposed Holoß, who had no defenses left to save him from defeat.

"Victory to Valkyrie," came Rainfall's voice as their referee reappeared nearby, raising her closed umbrella high above her head. "Congratulations to both of you, that was a really intense match. I don't think I've seen a tennis victory like that here yet." She added the last part as a somewhat irrelevant note as two Progs appeared, carrying the rewards of the match to the combatants.


_____


---Combatants---
Holoß.net: 0 HP (DEFEAT: Get 6000z or any one chip from tournament folder)

Valkyrie.exe: 11 HP (on soil) (THE ONE TO GRASP VICTORY: Get: Round 4 pass)

ROUND THREE OVER
-YEEEEAH!

All that pent up tension inside Sieg unwound at once as the outcome was announced. Apparently that was enough for him to forget about being a shut in, and thus his celebration of victory involved a jumping uppercut into the air. The landing wasn't perfect, and as he fell backwards from the pedestal, in his attempts to regain balance he pulled the link cable, jacking out Valkyrie before she had a chance to do any celebration of her own. That did stop him from falling on his ass though, so that was good.

Regaining composure, he hurriedly gestured goodbye to Aelieth after an embarrassed cough, then left the stage. Things were getting pretty rough, and it was time to get some intel on the competitors for the next round...
Off in the distance, a victorious cry caught Aelieth's ear. A flashing red message persistently vied for his attention, alerting him to his Navi's dangerously low health. The pile of chips before him, scattered before him due to the speedy search and slot the last fight called for, gleamed under the harsh fluorescent lights anchored above him. The Prog sat waiting for his preference of rewards. The realization of defeat, slightly delayed due to the speed of the fight, suddenly sparked within Aelieth's mind.

The operator smiled.

The flavor of dissapointment at not going further in the tournament still rose within his mouth, but he wasn't angry at losing. Quite the contrary, Valkyrie winning took the burden off of his shoulders to try and face the horrors of the next round.

The grin widened as, for the first time today, Aelieth truly relaxed. A beep from his PeT knocked him out of his reverie as Holoß, who was now standing from the crater the final blast-reflected-blast-reflected-blast left him in, tried to get Aelieth to pick their reward so that he could return the the comfort of the PeT and the repair programs therein. "Oh! Right..." mused Aelieth, "... We'll take the zenny, thanks." He waited until the funds were transferred to his PeT then recalled Holoß back to the PeT, withdrawing him from the jungle arena.