Yay Netopia!

Immediately reacting to the rainstorm, TennisMan raised his Guard straight up against the rain, reflecting the rain straight back at the Cloudy. It was quiet a spectacle as some of the rains clashed against one another and created a small firework of exploding droplets. Despite the little show, TennisMan threw a small serve that finally finished the virus off.

The Melodies and the Hardheads tried to make their move once more after sitting silently last time, starting with the little musical notes. They hopped and jumped all over the place, trying to find the perfect chance to attack the navi when its unguarded, but that wasn't going to happen. In a flash, multiple projectiles was fired right towards them and the result was, obviously, a painful deletion.

The Hardheads prepared for their attack as well, but one suddenly cowered out and clamped its mouth shut after witnessing what happened to the Melodys while another fired its cannonball. TennisMan was waiting for such opportunity and quickly dodged the attack and countered with the RingLog. The chip completely ran over one HardHead while it didn't even make a dent on the other.

Now the Cloudies and the Whompers were on the move again as more of them moved closer to TennisMan. The three Whompers appeared right next to the navi from the sky and let out three distinctly colored breaths that painted the terrain once again. Finally, the third Cloudy flew over TennisMan and poured another set of lethal rain, but thanks to Deuce's barrier, the rain was shortly negated and even guarded for TennisMan's half.

-Surrounding-
Hardhead EXA: DELETED
Hardhead EXB: DELETED
Hardhead EXC: DELETED
Hardhead EXD: 40 HP [IronBody]
Hardhead EXE: DELETES

-Near TennisMan-
Melody EXA: DELETED
Melody EXB: DELETED
Melody EXC: DELETED
Melody EXD: DELETED
Melody EXE: DELETED

Dharma EXA: DELETED
Dharma EXB: DELETED
Dharma EXC: DELETED
Dharma EXD: DELETED
Dharma EXE: DELETED

Cloudy EXA: DELETED
Cloudy EXB: DELETED
Cloudy EXC: 80 HP [Rainstorm: 60 Damage per turn!]

WhomperA: 130 HP
WhomperB: 130 HP
WhomperC: 130 HP
WhomperD: 130 HP [D-F Hiding]
WhomperE: 130 HP
WhomperF: 100 HP

-Far Away-
Cloudy EXD: 110 HP

Terrain: 10% Normal, 60% Lava, 20% Ice, 10% Wood

Tennisman.EXE: 130 HP [Guard Destroyed] [On 10% Normal]
Deuce: 60 HP [Barrier Destroyed]
Almost stuck looking down from the rain, Tennisman could see there was little room to move about considering that the Whompers had been busy. He was practically surrounded by lava panels. While he could probably dash over them in order to minimize the damage, there was practically nowhere he could run to, aside from the isolated patches of ice and grass panels.

Desmond let out an anguished cry, "YO! THAT'S BALLS! WHY'S THERE SO MUCH RAIN!? DUDE! CRUSH THAT CLOUD! QUAKE! SLOT-IN!"

A small grey sphere about the size of a tennis ball materialized in his hand. Knowing exactly what to do with it, he gave it a quick swat from his racket, lobbing it over the Cloudy virus. The ball hovered directly overhead the Cloudy, pausing only for a moment before expanding into a fat weight and plummeting like a rock. It crashed down hard, nearly shattering the panel beneath it.

Tennisman crouched down to his own normal panel and bid it farewell, replacing the pale whiteness with varying shades of green. The lava panels around him retreated back where the grass intruded, though the border between them was marked by a constant searing line of fire. With more space to move, Tennisman charged the Whompers responsible for the havoc.

"Flameline!" He called out and ushered forth a blazing wall of fire that pushed into the viral ranks. The grassy field only served to fuel his flames, sacrificed to sate his vengeance. Even though the full effect of the chip was being expunged from his systems, Tennisman could feel another sort of force building inside of himself. It yearned to be released, but no matter how much energy he poured into the Flameline it wasn't enough. Meanwhile, Deuce patched up more of his wounds with another mass of wires as he attacked.

Soon, the fire died down altogether, but the increasing charge inside him did not. He needed an outlet and that's when it occurred to him.

"Bodyburn..." He said.

"What?" Desmond grunted, "That chip? We don't even know what it does."

"We will." Tennisman replied and turned to face the approaching viruses.

The chip was slotted in, imbuing Tennisman with the same feeling he had experienced near the end of his battle with Sinistal. It was a escalating warmth that pulsed out from the emblem on his chest and circulated throughout his body. It interacted with the inherent charges he had been building, forming something entirely new inside of him.

Tennisman held out his free hand and began to summon forth the mysterious force of the Bodyburn chip, giving it shape and form. He also kept a careful eye on the approaching Cloudy, not willing to endure another shower.



((Deuce's Team passive ability splits damage evenly between him and Tennisman))
1 - Quake1 CloudyEXC (100 damage)
2 - Court Change - Grass (large area grass terrain)
3 - dodge
4 - Flameline WhomperA, WhomperB, WhomperC (70 damage) x2 from grass
Deuce - Restring Tennisman (Heal 30 HP)
5 - Buster Charge
6 - BodyBurn (Next turn: charge attack +20 fire damage + blast 3)
7 - (Deuce's Team Donated Action) - dodge
As soon as the pesky Cloudy above TennisMan was crushed by the heavy weight, barely missing TennisMan by an inch, the navi began to change the terrain to his own liking. Now low in number, all the virus began to attack at once, but they just couldn't keep up with TennisMan.

The Hardheads fired its cannonball, which missed by a mile, and one of the Whompers let out a hesitant attack, which only increased the grasses even further for the navi to use. When he was in the perfect position, TennisMan let out a burst of fire all over the place, swallowing anything that was in its way and incinerating it instantly.

The navi treated his wounds and began preparing for his next attack, while the hiding Whompers dropped down from the sky and another Cloudy came above the navi once more! It poured down like it did before with its friends, but this time, it was completely off. I mean, really really off. Though the cloud was right above the navi, none of the rains weren't hitting nor making any sufficient damage.

-Surrounding-
Hardhead EXA: DELETED
Hardhead EXB: DELETED
Hardhead EXC: DELETED
Hardhead EXD: 40 HP
Hardhead EXE: DELETES

-Near TennisMan-
Melody EXA: DELETED
Melody EXB: DELETED
Melody EXC: DELETED
Melody EXD: DELETED
Melody EXE: DELETED

Dharma EXA: DELETED
Dharma EXB: DELETED
Dharma EXC: DELETED
Dharma EXD: DELETED
Dharma EXE: DELETED

Cloudy EXA: DELETED
Cloudy EXB: DELETED
Cloudy EXC: DELETED
Cloudy EXD: 110 HP [Rainstorm: 60 Damage per turn!]

WhomperA: DELETED
WhomperB: DELETED
WhomperC: DELETED
WhomperD: 130 HP
WhomperE: 130 HP
WhomperF: 100 HP

Terrain: 30% Normal, 40% Lava, 10% Ice, 20% Wood

Tennisman.EXE: 160 HP
Deuce: 60 HP
Without further hesitation, Tennisman clasped his hands together around Deuce's grip and congealed his gathering energy into a compact and familiar form - A tennis ball. However, instead of a normal yellow covering, the exterior of this ball was completely red, inscribed with a continuous glowing line that identified it as a tennis ball.

"Whoaaaa..." marvelled Desmond.

With the intoxicating energy channeled out of his body, Tennisman's thoughts ran crystal clear once again. There was little to consider given that he held a racket in one hand and a tennis ball in the other. In one quick, fluid motion, he smashed the ball into the Whompers without completely knowing what effect it would have.

There was nothing particularly special about the speed at which the ball travelled, nor the path it took. However, the impact it made was beyond spectacular. In an instant, the entire horizon of Tennisman's view seemed to be engulfed in a hemisphere of pure, fiery radiance. At the epicenter of the explosion, he could barely make out a sparking mass of smaller bursts that seemed to feed the entire bubble. Soon, the enormous mass of energy collapsed in on itself, ending the attack.

Tennisman was speechless but Desmond cut the silence with a loud, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!? BODYBURN!?"

"Fireburn." Tennisman said as he raised his buster.

"I... Yeah, okay." Desmond uttered, trying to regain his composure.

Tennisman swept a line of flame across the area in an effort to clean up the stragglers. As he sprayed more fire into the area, he stepped out from under the rain and looked at the Hardhead to his side. It was finally vulnerable and Tennisman wasn't about to let that opportunity go to waste. He served two more normal tennis balls at the virus before focussing his sights on the Cloudy.

"Yo, I think we can use it now." Desmond added, "You know, Picketpocket."

Tennisman wasn't as confident as his operator but if there was any time to use that chip, it was now. Trying to stay out of the rain, Tennisman summoned his Bandacoon companion from the aether of the digital world. First, its mask materialized and spawned a head behind it. Its chubby body was quick to follow before the large bushy tail completed the materialization. It sniffed the air curiously as Tennisman pointed at the Cloudy. The Bandacoon snapped one glance back at Tennisman as if acknowledging its mission and darted towards the virus. Right before it reached the Cloudy, it pressed itself down to the ground in a comical fashion before leaping up into the air to intercept its target.

"MarkCannon and Heatshot." He added.

Two more gun chips slotted in, adapting themselves to his buster. The first round was fired with a rapid lock, quickly followed by another burst of fire courtesy of the second round. Lowering his arm, Tennisman looked around and waited.



((Deuce's Team passive ability splits damage evenly between him and Tennisman))
1 - Charge Attack WhomperD, WhomperE, WhomperF (64 damage + 20 fire damage + blast 3)
2 - Fireburn WhomperD, WhomperE, WhomperF (50 damage)
Deuce - Attack HardheadEXD (20 damage)
Deuce - Attack HardheadEXD (20 damage)
3 - dodge
4 - PickPocket CloudyEXD (Steal zenny or chip)
5 - MarkCannon CloudyEXD (70 damage + lockon + seeking)
6 - Heatshot CloudyEXD (40 damage + spread 1)
7 - (Deuce's Team Donated Action) - dodge
The incendiary Tennisball caused a gigantic explosion that swallowed the nearby Whompers in a painful inferno despite the inaccurate aim. As soon as the explosion dissipated, the poor virus was met with another wave of fire that ended their existence.

The Hardheads was also destroyed by shots that could have been easily shrugged off, leaving the Cloudy alone. The raincloud tried to pour another set of painful rains, but TennisMan was able to step out of the area just in time. As the navi was preparing his own attack, the Bandicoot leaped up towards the Cloudy and swiped its sticky paws across the virus and got a handful of Zennies! When it was confirmed by TennisMan, he began firing with all that he had and finally got rid of the pesky clouds!

-Surrounding-
Hardhead EXA: DELETED
Hardhead EXB: DELETED
Hardhead EXC: DELETED
Hardhead EXD: DELETED
Hardhead EXE: DELETES

-Near TennisMan-
Melody EXA: DELETED
Melody EXB: DELETED
Melody EXC: DELETED
Melody EXD: DELETED
Melody EXE: DELETED

Dharma EXA: DELETED
Dharma EXB: DELETED
Dharma EXC: DELETED
Dharma EXD: DELETED
Dharma EXE: DELETED

Cloudy EXA: DELETED
Cloudy EXB: DELETED
Cloudy EXC: DELETED
Cloudy EXD: DELETED

WhomperA: DELETED
WhomperB: DELETED
WhomperC: DELETED
WhomperD: DELETED
WhomperE: DELETED
WhomperF: DELETED

Terrain: 30% Normal, 40% Lava, 10% Ice, 20% Wood

Tennisman.EXE: 160 HP
Deuce: 60 HP

-BATTLE WON!-
3000z [+500[s]z[/s]] + 156 BugFrags + [HeatBreath] BattleChip
HeatBreath -
Damage: 90 + Lava Panel Change + Cone Attack
Accuracy: C
Description: Blast up to 4 enemies with a cone of fiery breath. Changes terrain to Lava and has an increased chance to Stun targets on all forms of Fire Terrain.
Duration: Once
Element: Fire
Special: Close range only. Small Terrain Change (1-4 panels).
"That was... Kiiiiinda rough." Desmond sighed.

Tennisman nodded in agreement and looked at what was once a perfectly white field turned chaotic. There were patches of fire, ice, and grass everywhere. What few normal panels still lingered were covered in scorch marks and damaged. He wondered if this network was better off without him exploring so deeply.

"Zenny for your thoughts." Deuce said.

"Why are we here?" Tennisman asked.

"Existentially?" Deuce mused, "Or here in the Netopia Network? Or possibly here on this specific spot? You'll need to clarify."

"Exit what?" Desmond interrupted, "We're here cause' we wanna be. Simple."

It was as good an answer as any but regardless, Tennisman felt compelled to continue along his path. Each battle grew harder and harder but there had to be a reason for it - Why this area was so dense with viral activity. Without another thought, he walked along his original path, steering clear of the blocks of magma.

As he walked, Desmond added, "This chip data looks neat. We'll replace Bodyburn for now. I wanna see what it can do."

((Folder: Bodyburn out, Heatbreath in))
((Battle 13))
Tennisman walked for several minutes without any of the swarms of viruses from earlier, until eventually the terrain was no longer the smooth, blank surface of earlier and had in fact become rocky, with boulders rising from the earth every twenty feet or so.

Eventually, he came to a large mass of rock that towered far above the others, easily forming a small mountain. Carved into the face by what had to be navi (or virus) tools was a cave leading into the earth and below ground.
"Trap." Deuce stated bluntly.

"...Seriously, who the hell programs stuff like this?" Desmond asked.

Tennisman was definitely curious about what was inside the cavern but also felt the risk was too great to proceed and began to look for another path around the odd entrance.
And so, Tennisman started walking around the giant rock, and eventually came to a second hole. Only this was not so much a hole as a deep crevasse in the rock face. Peering through, he could see light on the other side, indicating that the crack ran all the way through, and looked much less artificial than the hole bored into it that he had found before. It seemed that he had found another path around.

Strangely enough, virus activity in the area was completely nonexistent. He had gone now for several minutes without any sign of them, and the only sound to be heard was the constant flow of data around them and the whisper of voices within the crevasse...

Wait, voices?
"Trap." Deuce repeated, albeit in a quieter tone.

Tennisman sighed a breath of disappointment at his racket and approached the crack to see if he hear the voice any more clearly.

"This is weird," Desmond said, "Let's just go."

Tennisman covered his mouth with a single finger, silencing his operator.
Tennisman approached the crack, and the voices became clear enough to distinguish most of the words as they echoed from within.

"It's no use. The boss is eventually going to make us report," spoke one. It was a deep, gruff voice that could only belong to some sort of giant navi."

"What," spoke another. The second voice was higher-pitched, and carried a trace of panic with it. "So we tell her that after a month of tracking and searching, we find that ......... was deleted? We can't do that, .....either kill us on the spot or turn us into her next pet monstrosities." The panicked voice continued rambling, but the only word any of them could pick up until a third voice spoke was "bitch." It seemed, whoever they were, the owners of the voices didn't have too high respect for their 'boss'.

"Can't get much worse," came the third voice. This one was too faint to detect much evidence of tone. "...already this messed up. ...can't even take....damn hat off."
Tennisman listened intently on their conversation, wondering what they could be talking about. At that point, he had no idea what they were talking about and held no presumptions on their goals.

"What do you think they're talking about?" whispered Desmond.

Tennisman shrugged his shoulders but had no plans on what to do.

"I still think it's a tr-" Deuce said before Tennisman tightened his grip on the racket to silence him.
As soon as Deuce...started to say something, the voices quieted.

After several seconds of silence, they continued, presumably attributing whatever they heard to echoes.

"'Ow did it get deleted, anyway?" asked the gruff voice.

"As far as I can tell, it was chased into an offline homepage and killed by a personal navi," answered the panicky one.

The owner of the gruff voice let out a laugh. "Unlikely!" he barked. "That thing wasa war machine. Piffing personal navis woulden stand a chance."

"Nevertheless, that's the only conclusion we can draw from this."

"We could tell them the homepage collapsed and killed them both..." offered the third.

"If only," the second responded. "We could have brought him back when the homepage was restored if it did and the boss knows it. There was nothing left but junk data!"

"So...we're dead."

As they spoke, the shapes of three figures appeared in the crevasse. Though only visible as shadows, Tennisman could tell that one wore a large hat of some sort, one was a giant that carried something large and bulky over its shoulder, and the third eventually took the shape of...some sort of puppet?

They were walking toward the opening where Tennisman stood, but didn't appear to have noticed him.
Tennisman calculated what little information was available to him as the figures drew close. He still wasn't entirely sure of their motives but the term 'war machine' seemed to imply some kind of military activity. Also, the fact that the three navis were also meeting in such an obscure location also decreased the chances that they were doing anything good. But could he really hope to win against three customized navis if he engaged them or they decided to engage him?

"What now? They're coming." Desmond said.

Hesitant and running out of time to think, Tennisman simply darted a good distance back away from the crevasse and slowly began to walk towards it...
Tennisman moved away from the opening, waiting as the navis emerged into the light, revealing them to be some of the most peculiar navis he had ever seen, but at the same time oddly familiar.

The first, presumably the owner of the gruff voice from earlier, was an ordinary, yet giant, blue armored navi from the waist down. Above that, however, the armor bulged out, creating a rather bloated upper body appearance, and ended in a dome-shaped head sporting glowing purple eyes and a pair of spikes lining the top at odd angles. Its arms, too, appeared bulky, abnormally so rather than simply muscular. The navi carried a large hammer hefted over its shoulder.

The second to emerge from the crack was a shorter navi...shorter in this case meaning a relatively normal height, that nonetheless sported a black business suit and wore a giant hat. The hat itself was purple with a black sunglass pattern on the front, and large enough that it appeared to throw its wearer just slightly off-balance. Though the navi's face was mostly veiled in shadow by the hat, the light of a glowing yellow orb it carried revealed a red ring around where hat met head, suggesting that the hat was, in fact, melded to him and irremovable.

Even more jarring was the third navi to emerge. Rather than walking, it floated out of the crevasse, suspended a foot or two off the ground. The navi was covered in a white sheet that billowed as the navi lurched forward on a rope that extended into the sky and tied off...around the navi's neck. Completing the image, a hole was ripped in the sheet over the navi's face, revealing discolored skin and bulging eyes. A hat hung over the back of the navi's head, kept in place only by the rope around its neck.

They didn't appear to have noticed Tennisman yet.
___

GaiaNaviEX: 1500 HP
BigHatNavi: 1000 HP
WeatherNavi: 800 HP


Tennisman: 160 HP
Deuce: 60 HP


Terrain: 100% Normal

Locations:
-Giant Rock: Right behind you, stretching at least 20 moves on either side
-Crevasse: In giant rock, 2 moves to left (facing rock), 15 moves deep, opens on other side of rock
-Artificial cave: In giant rock, 8 moves to right (facing rock), unknown depth

<Combat has not yet begun>
"They look like viruses." stated Desmond bluntly.

As much as he wanted to give these mysterious navis the benefit of the doubt, their appearance made it difficult for him to attribute anything good to their characters. He was prejudiced but he didn't think much of it. In his mind, especially now, It was better to be alive and a bigot than deleted and politically correct. He adjusted his fingers on Deuce to accomodate a more appropriate grip for the inevitable battle ahead.

"So you really gonna hit em?" Desmond asked, "Hammer guy looks tough."

Deuce oscillated the equivalent of a nod to maintain their stealth.

There was still definite hesitation on Tennisman's part but he buried the feeling, trying to cover it with his hatred of all things viral. Deuce similarly covered his own vulnerabilties with a light barrier. He tried to commit himself to the idea of attacking first and made a hand gesture symbolizing the Elecpulse chip. Desmond slotted it in while Tennisman retained the data in his hands, ready to use a moment's notice.

Then he stepped into the open and extended his palm out at the group in a deceptively warm gesture, shouting out, "Excuse me!"

"OH MY GOD." Desmond cried out.

"You stupid bleeding heart..." Deuce muttered.

"My name is Tennisman." He continued, "I have not seen many navis around here. Why are you here?"

He couldn't do it. Without truly knowing their objectives, Tennisman was unable to follow through with ambushing a group of navis. Even if it meant taking a risk like this.



((Deuce's Team passive ability splits damage evenly between him and Tennisman))
Deuce - Equip (weapon junction)
Deuce - Overwrap Deuce (40 HP barrier)
1 - Elecpulse GaiaNaviEX, BigHatNavi, WeatherNavi (100 damage + glitch) IF THEY TURN AGRESSIVE

((I really hate doing this but I would like to use a turn splice.))
As Deuce prepared himself for a lot of potential pain, Tennisman...stepped out into the open and directly addressed the navis.

"What's this?" the hat navi asked, spotting Tennisman as he spoke. "Looks like a personal navi."

"We were discussing important business," the hammer navi growled, leering at Tennisman. "You overheard?"

"Doesn't matter," finished the hanging navi in the same panicked voice that they had heard earlier. "We tell the boss that her experiment was deleted by a personal navi. Here we have a personal navi that just turned himself over to us. Problem solved!" It retreated to the sky on its rope, then dropped down right next to Tennisman, preparing to attack.

In a panic, Tennisman fired off the Elecpulse, which hit the other two. The hat navi managed to shrug it off with little problem, though water began dripping rapidly from the brim of its hat. The other, however, sparked madly before turning to iron.
___

GaiaNaviEX: 1395 HP (Glitch: -5 HP per action) (IronBody)
BigHatNavi: 900 HP (Glitch: Create a sea panel under itself each turn)
WeatherNavi: 800 HP (Attacking)


Tennisman: 160 HP (5 Actions remaining this turn)
Deuce: 60 HP (40 HP Barrier)


Terrain: 100% Normal

Locations:
-Giant Rock: Right behind you, stretching at least 20 moves on either side
-Crevasse: In giant rock, 2 moves to left (facing rock), 15 moves deep, opens on other side of rock
-Artificial cave: In giant rock, 8 moves to right (facing rock), unknown depth

<Battle 13...already started>
"Guard!" Desmond shouted, slotting in the chip to defend his navi.

There was no longer any ambiguity concerning this confrontation. His opponents had been identified and their motives revealed. All of the reservations he held about fighting other navis had been removed and in the blink of an eye, Tennisman was completely battle ready.

There was a bright flash of yellow that pulsed out from Deuce's face before Tennisman brought the racket up to defend himself. The Guard data infused itself into the strings and frame, rendering his support program nigh-invulnerable. Rather than standing still, he instinctively charged forward into the WeatherNavi, pushing closer towards his attacker. It was like a game of tennis to him. Taking advantage of a counteroffensive, running to the next space for your attack. Drawing close, Tennisman lunged his arm out, trying to grasp onto the loose fabric that hung off the Weathernavi's body.

"Zapring." He uttered, swapping his clenched fist for a modified tesla coil.

A sudden discharge of electric energy sparked from his gun as he fired. The coils retracted and quickly reformed themselves into the shape of a normal hand. There was no time to ensure the attack hit as Tennisman threw his arm back and prepared for the final phase of his plan.

"Kunai."

A trio of blades spawned between his knuckles as he took aim. His target was small but he was trained for precision. He exhaled sharply with a lightning flick of his wrist, launching the daggers well over the WeatherNavi's head. They glided effortlessly towards the rope that kept the navi suspended in the air. Tennisman wasn't even entirely sure if it would have any effect if he severed it, but he had been eyeing that tether since even before the battle began. If nothing else, the end result would be enlightening.

Taking note of his other opponents, Tennisman could see that the GaiaNavi had taken on a metallic sheen while the BigHatNavi looked as if he was melting. He assumed they were probably afflicted by glitches but couldn't be sure. Another thought crossed his mind; if these look-alikes attacked anything like their viral counterparts, he could see himself having a lot of trouble with them. The best tactic would be to take them out one at a time but that was easier said than done.

"YO! WATCH YOURSELF!" warned Desmond and slotted in another chip, "V-GUN!"

It was an odd choice but it was better than nothing. Stepping away from the GaiaNavi, Tennisman took aim at his sopping wet ally instead, remembering how BigHat viruses fought. He wasn't looking forward to being blinded while fighting three high level opponents and started thinking of solutions.



((Deuce's Team passive ability splits damage evenly between him and Tennisman))
2 - Guard1 (reflect 60)
3 - charge into Weathernavi + grapple
4 - Zapring Weathernavi (40 damage + stun)
5 - Kunai1 Weathernavi's rope (3 x 30 damage + slashing)
6 - dodge
7 - (Deuce's Team Donated Action) - V-Gun BigHatNavi's grenade / BigHatNavi (50 damage + spread 2)
Tennisman defended himself just in time, as the Weather-lookalike navi blew from...somewhere under its sheet and blasted a cone of ice at him. The brunt of the attack was reflected, leaving Tennisman unharmed as the rest was spread to either side, leaving ice in its wake. He then took the opportunity to strike back, lunging at the hanging navi and grabbing hold of the sheet.

As he did, the navi rose into the air again, dragging Tennisman with it. As such, it proved to not be such a good idea when he fired the zapring, which successfully stunned the navi but forced Tennisman off and into a painful trip back to the ground.

Not one to let a nasty fall deter him, he followed through with his plan and fired a small stream of kunai back up at the navi. The first two fell short, but the third miraculously hit the mark, cutting through the rope and dropping the navi back to the ground. It landed on its feet...at least one would have to assume there were feet under the sheet and that's what it landed on..and wobbled in place for several seconds. Then, as if the navi had planned for such an occurrence, what was left of the rope around its neck pointed skyward, then grew in length, creating a new rope to hold it aloft and pulling it back up into the air.

As Tennisman's netop called for him to look out, the hammer-wielding navi, still in ironbody form, slammed its hammer into the ground, sending a shockwave toward Tennisman. It seemed that these navis were considerably more versatile than their viral counterparts. Rather than ponder this point, however, Tennisman took the sensible option and dodged the shockwave.

The third, 'melting' navi sprung into action soon thereafter, tossing a pulsing grenade object onto the ground near him. It seemed a bit duller than the usual flash grenades, but Tennisman shot it anyway, destroying it and hitting the hat navi as well. The other half of the V-gun projectile managed to hit the iron juggernaut...to no effect.

The hat navi, meanwhile, grinned. "Gotcha," he said, tossing a second orb down, this one flashing a brilliant yellow. The navi then slung a trio of kunai at Tennisman, much like Tennisman had done to the hanging navi before. The first two struck him in the chest, while the third barely missed by flying over his shoulder.
___

GaiaNaviEX: 1390 HP (Glitch: -5 HP per action) (IronBody)
BigHatNavi: 850 HP (Glitch: Create a sea panel under itself each turn)
WeatherNavi: 700 HP (High altitude) (Stun1)


Tennisman: 120 HP
Deuce: 60 HP (Barrier destroyed)


Terrain:
10% Ice (Cone-shape under Tennisman)
1% Sea (Puddle under BigHatNavi)
89% Normal (Everywhere else)

Locations:
-Giant Rock: Right behind you, stretching at least 20 moves on either side
-Crevasse: In giant rock, 2 moves to left (facing rock), 15 moves deep, opens on other side of rock
-Artificial cave: In giant rock, 8 moves to right (facing rock), unknown depth
"And now we know," Deuce noted, "Ropes regenerate."

Tennisman was distraught that his plan didn't work out as he had hoped, but at least it was a mistake he would never make again. On a more troubling note, he was preoccupied with feelings of being cheated by the BigHatNavi's trick. It felt as if they were taking advantage of his naivete. These were not viruses as much as they looked it. They were navis with access to all the benefits therein, including battlechips. With revenge fresh on his mind, he noticed the panels of ice surrounding himself. A smile almost formed across Tennisman's face as he formulated his next plan.

He whispered to Desmond, "Panelshot."

The chip data flowed into his body, upgrading his visual acuity and giving him the ability to scan of the flooring. The cracks that separated the tiles of ice were practically glowing along with varying shades of darkness indicating the weakest stress points. Tennisman gauged the distance between himself and his target before shifting his stance to accomodate his attack. With a twist of his foot and proper application of pressure in the right spot, a large block of ice literally popped out of the ground before Tennisman smashed it straight ahead with his racket. The ice panel shattered in the air into a shower of a thousand frozen shards. With the moisture practically dripping off the BigHatNavi, Tennisman knew he would be more susceptible to a cold attack.

He quickly raced after his panel projectile, kicking off the edge of the newly formed hole for added traction along the icy floor. He slid his way back to the edge of the normal terrain before he pulled back his arm and moved to just the right spot. Trying to line himself up with his targets, he unloaded a ball from his clip. He spun it once his hand for luck and called for another chip, "Aurahead."

The battlechip data flowed through his hand and into his racket. Tennisman was quick to execute a fleeting serve at the pair of navis in front of him. Though as soon as the ball touched Deuce's face, the chip data made another transition, transforming the small tennis ball into a massive destructive force. It barrelled forwards with a heavy rumble, resisting the pull of gravity as it soared straight ahead.

Tennisman moved away again, trying to catch a glimpse of the WeatherNavi. Out of his three opponents, that one worried him the most. Dropping down wherever he pleased and withdrawing just as quickly was a worrisome ability on viruses, let along a navi. Tennisman had managed to grab onto him once but wasn't sure if he could do it again. He lowered his body down and tapped his racket to the ground

"Netplay." He said, prompting the appearance of his tennis net.

Without hesitating, he quickly smashed several more tennis balls into the BigHatNavi with a focused rage. One ball turned to three and three turned to five. A large part of his fury had been quenched from the chain of attacks but he still wasn't close to being satisfied. Tennisman continued to move about, trying to make himself hard to lock onto. It was the only defence he had against the WeatherNavi until he could think of something better.

Desmond shared his navi's concerns and added, "Man, that ghost guy is creepy. Got any plans?"

Tennisman shook his head while he scanned the area.



((Deuce's Team passive ability splits damage evenly between him and Tennisman))
1 - Panelshot (Ice) BigHatNavi (60 damage + freeze + 5% missing terrain)
2 - move in closer
3 - Aurahead BighatNavi, GaiaNaviEX (90 damage + Break + line attack) x2 from vulnerabilites?
4 - dodge
5 - Netplay (1-hit shield + heal 60)
6 - Ace Serve BigHatNavi (4 x 30 damage)
Deuce - Attack BigHatNavi (20 damage)
Deuce - Attack BigHatNavi (20 damage)
7 - (Deuce's Team Donated Action) - dodge