Yay Netopia!

[Sorry if I didn't make it clear. Stanza is the leader, Granvia is the one in the black, and Esfluer is the female navi]

As TennisMan fortified his defense, Barcode also raised up a small shield in front to protect any harm towards him. "I guess we have no choice! From the look of it, you can hold your own weight, so don't count on me!" Pressing his index finger against his ears, the navi began to talk to himself. "Engaging the hostiles once more and there is an civilian navi who's willing to fight. Requesting back up on my current coordination. After a barely audible static, Barcode nodded his head and immediately jumped into action...

"And so we begin...Granvia, Esfluer, take care of that navi. Barcode is going after me!" The other two navi silently nodded and immediately began their assault on TennisMan. In a blink of an eye, the Granvia appeared behind TennisMan and gave a small push with his arm, literally launching the navi straight towards Esfluer. The female navi summoned two vile of perfumes on her hand and sprayed two puff of the unknown vapors at the flying TennisMan. The first, a eerie purple cloud hit against TennisMan's net guards first, causing the shield to go haywire and alter into different shapes and sizes until it turned into a rusty, fragile net. The second puff of perfume was dark blue and struck against the net, instantly freezing it and cracking into pieces to leave TennisMan wide open...

On the side, Barcode and Stanza was fighting each other...somewhat. Stanza tried to take the initiative by cracking his chain whip, easily shattering the ground beneath with its sheer force, but Barcode jumped right out and landed behind the navi. Retracting his whip, Stanza tried to run away from the impending danger but it was too late when the gray navi lashed out a handcuff and locked Stanza's hands in a blink of an eye. "Gotcha!" Unable to do anything else, Stanza backed away from Barcode with lightning-fast speed.

TennisMan barely flinched after the double team attack done by him and immediately went on with his assault. Esfluer didn't expect the navi to fight back so quickly and immediately averted into evasive maneuvers, only able to dodge few of the initial Ace Serves and took the full hit of the Kunais. Surprised by how much of a punch TennisMan carried, Granvia also took the defensive and erected a solid pillar right off the ground.

Stanza: 420 HP [Hold (Arm) / Buster Crash]
Granvia: 360 HP [Silence x2] [Hiding behind the Pillar]
Kinetic Pillar: 120 HP
Esfluer: 160 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

TennisMan: 285 HP [Shield Destroyed]
Deuce: 100 HP [40 HP Barrier / Brace]

Barcode: 320 HP
"Tennisman! Split Step!" Desmond ordered.

The term was familiar but the order was not. Not being given any time to ponder the instructions, Tennisman changed his footing accordingly and unexpectedly activated a new subroutine in his systems.

Desmond slotted in a new chip, "BigHammer the guy!"

There was a massive overload of power directed into the floor as he pushed off and disappeared. Tennisman and Deuce both flashed out of sight only for a moment and reappeared directly behind Esfluer with Deuce raised high above his head. The racket had taken on the form of an oversized hammer in the short lapse of time they were gone. The burst of speed and the element of surprise was all he needed to execute his attack as he brought the head of the mallet crashing down with all his might.

"Did he seem... Slow to you?" Deuce asked, resuming his normal form. Tennisman only replied with two quick serves to make sure he had finished his target off. This was no time to be overconfident.

"Geez, you guys were faster than I thought." Desmond muttered and cycled through his remaining chips, "Guard up and go after the second guy! Smash that pillar and don't hold back."

Don't hold back.

Tennis was about control and restraint. Too little power and the ball wouldn't go over the net. Too much and it would be considered 'out of bounds'. The limitation of keeping that ball from going too far had placed a subconscious limiter on Tennisman's abilities. As such, being told not to hold back wasn't something he was used to. Regardless, he channeled the Guard into Deuce's frame and charged forward into the strange pillar.

"Are you ready for this?" Deuce mused.

Tennisman took immediate notice of his surroundings as not to be taken by surprise during his attack. His peripheral vision seemed to widen as he enveloped himself in an aura of awareness and held his arm back to strike at the pillar. A surge of strength built up in his arm and he unleashed the full force of his attack on the barrier blocking his path in a devastating burst of wind and raw power.

"A little too backed up there, buddy." Desmond noted.



1 - Split Step (teleport)
Deuce - Split Step (teleport)
2 - BigHammer Esfluer (160 damage + break)
Deuce - Attack Esfluer (20 damage)
Deuce - Attack Esfluer (20 damage)
3 - Guard1 (reflect 60 damage) + reinforce (+2 hits to shield)
4 - dodge (move towards pillar)
5 - Reflex Volley (80 HP barrier)
6 - OUT! Kinetic Pillar into Granvia (microburst)
Two of the three navis began their attack on TennisMan, Granvia creating an array of strings through all of his fingers and shooting them while Esfleur fired a small burst of her buster gun. Fortunately, TennisMan disappeared in a blink of an eye, evading all of their attacks and appeared just behind Esfleur with a gigantic hammer. Though the element of surprise was with TennisMan, the female navi was much more agile than he thought and BARELY dodged the crushing blow. In retaliation, she took out a black vile of perfume and sprayed a quick puff towards the navi.

TennisMan accidentally took a small wiff of it, causing his vision to blur, his legs weakening, and even far as to nearly lose all control of his body. This didn't look too good, and TennisMan deployed couple of his defenses in rapid succession. "Gotcha!" Barcode approached Granvia with a night stick on his hand and swung away. However, Granvia also disappeared in a flash and appeared just in front of Esfleur and erected two more pillars in between TennisMan and Esfleur for defensive purpose. The navi was still dazed and confused, but he managed to fire to blast of wind at the pillar in front of him, sending the front pillar right against the pillar behind, leaving Esfleur and Granvia wide open...

Stanza on the side line tried to break through the handcuff placed by Barcode by surging powerful electricity through his body. It took a while, but it finally freed the navi from the temporary lock. "This is it, Barcode!" Stanza lashed his whip against the ground and flew head on towards his target. Barcode couldn't react fast enough and tried to fend him self with the charged night stick at hand. In a blink of an eye, Stanza began to twirl like a hurricane, creating a devastating spin attack with his whip and inflicted heavy damage on the navi. However, Barcode already braced himself for the powerful attack and countered with his night stick at the last second, causing a small bruise and a temporary stun to the navi.

Stanza: 400 HP [Stun]
Granvia: 340 HP [Silence] [In front of Esfleur]
Kinetic Pillar: 120 HP
Kinetic PillarB: DELETED
Kinetic PillarC: DELETED
Esfleur: 140 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

TennisMan: 285 HP [Guard / 2-hit Shield / 80 HP Barrier] [Confuse! / Caught in an illusion!]
Deuce: 100 HP [40 HP Barrier]

Barcode: 120 HP
Tennisman coughed and tried to shake off the effects of the sneak attack but it was no use. His senses had been completely compromised by the black mist and he could not longer trust them. To reduce the confusion, he reluctantly closed his eyes and tried to focus what remaining control he had into not going berserk. Fortunately, his signature Reflex Volley was still active and unhindered.

"Dude! Did you get hit?" Desmond asked.

Tennisman nodded grimly in response.

"Frig." Desmond snapped, "Alright, Deuce, you gotta lead him or something."

The racket groaned, "Me? Why me? Just have him swing attacks around wildly. I'm sure he'd hit something."

Desmond shouted into the PET, "WE'RE NOT SCREWING AROUND HERE. DO YOUR JOB AND SUPPORT."

Tennisman crouched down and tapped the floor with his hand. Grass immediately began to sprout everywhere around him in a small field. He wasn't sure why he did it but it was better than standing around doing nothing. Aside from that, none of his opponents seemed to favour fire based attacks nor did they seem to be wood types. Hopefully Desmond would take the cue and slot in a fire chip.

"Alright! Fireburn!" Desmond added.

"Tennisman, 1:30 and fire." Deuce directed to the best of his ability.

Raising his arm, Tennisman let loose a blast of flame slightly to his right. The sound of scorching fire mixed with the interference of his hallucinations forming an annoying static crackling. If he had the luxury to turn off his auditory senses as well, he would have.

"1:30! That's 2:00! Counterclockwise!" Deuce said with an annoyed tone.

Tennisman adjusted his aim without dimishing the fiery output but the fuel quickly ran out until only fumes sprayed from the tip of of his buster.

"Shoot, 5:45. Incoming." Deuce added again.

"Heatshot." Desmond said and slot in another chip

Tennisman spun around and moved to dodge an invisible threat but tried to aim his buster at the enemy anyways.

"No, 11:45." Deuce corrected in an instant.

With a flick of his wrist, Tennisman compensated and fired off the burning round. His senses were beginning to return but they were still taking their sweet time in doing so.



Deuce - Brace (block 1 attack for half damage)
1 - Court Change - Grass (large area grass terrain)
Deuce - Take notice of enemy positions / guide Tennisman
2 - Take Aim
3 - Fireburn Esfleur, Granvia (50 damage) x2?
Deuce - Take notice of enemy positions / guide Tennisman
4 - Heatshot closest enemy as dictated by Deuce (40 damage + spread 1) x2?
5 - dodge
6 - dodge
When TennisMan changed the terrain into a grass, the two navis that was attacking TennisMan was on full guard as they suspected an attack coming their way. Esfleur immediately ran away from her current position and Granvia created yet another pillar in front of him and besides him. When the Fireburn striked against the pillar, it only burned through the pillar, but pretty deeply as the structure almost went out after the attack. Granvia stretched his arm towards the pillar besides him and strings began to sprout out from his fingers and lift the object with ease, immediately throwing it towards the illusioned TennisMan. The attack was too abrupt for the navi to dodge, but thankfully, Deuce was prepared for an upcoming attack and took the pillar head on, crushing through the barrier and absorbed half of full damage for TennisMan.

Esfleur open fired at the navi as she slowly chipped away the barrier and sprayed a blood red mist. The perfume mist slowly eroded the barrier to a near deletion, but the defense was able to hold on and repelled the foul perfume away.

"Grr, that back up of yours is holding up pretty well! Those lousy bastards won't know what to do without me!" Stanza was all talk, but he was pretty useless as the stunning effect from night stick did a number on him. Before he could recover, Barcode was already on the move with his trusty handcuff on his hand, "That last one hurt alot! Let me pay you back!" With a swift swing, the handcuff was already on the leader navi and locked him from doing anything at all! Barcode was heavily injured from Stanza's last attack, but the need of revenge wiped all the pain away as he bashed the locked up navi non-stop with his night stick.

Stanza tried to dodge as much as he could, but he felt a straight blow to the head with the stick and felt the surge of paralysis through his body, and a burning sensation when TennisMan's stray heatshot burned the navi up a bit. Barcode momentarily stopped, erasing the stick right off his hand, and transformed his arm into a default buster. "This is it, Stanza..." Rather than firing right away, couple of vents opened up on the side of the buster and began to let out intense heat, charging the buster slowly but surely. "I can't bring you alive...but that'll be a soil in my name that I won't mind..."

Stanza: 300 HP [Stun/Hold/Buster Crash]
Granvia: 340 HP
Kinetic PillarA: 120 HP [To the side]
Kinetic PillarB: 20 HP [In front of Granvia]
Kinetic PillarC: CRUSHED
Esfleur: 140 HP [Far Away]

Terrain: 80% Normal, 20% Grass

TennisMan: 255 HP [Guard / 2-hit Shield / 2 HP Barrier]
Deuce: 70 HP [Barrier Destroyed]

Barcode: 120 HP [Buster Charged x1]
As the final hallucinations faded from view, Tennisman reopened his eyes to find the battlefield mostly unchanged from how he had left it. Pillars were obstructing his view of one of the enemy navis and the potion tossing one had escaped to longer range. Meanwhile, his ally looked to be locking down the third navi with various abilities.

Deuce interrupted Tennisman's survey, "Hey, 10:45. Attack with a-"

"I can see." Tennisman said, cutting off his support program.

"That's fantastic." Deuce replied, "Now get to work."

Out of all the available targets, Granvia looked to be the closest despite the constant annoyance of pillars he brought up. If Tennisman wanted a chance at bringing him down, he would have to break down his fortifications.

"Aurahead." Tennisman requested and charged forward to meet Granvia's defences.

Desmond was quick to answer and slot in the chip, "Got it."

Taking hold of one of his tennis balls, he charged the chip data into it, infusing it with piercing strength and multiplying its density several times over. There was no visible change in its appearance which would hide its destructive nature. With a quick toss and a power serve, the attack soared straight into the pillars ahead and into Granvia. What was left of his Reflex Volley somehow imparted his strike with more power than he expected but he wasn't about to complain.

"Don't let up! Windracket!" Desmond ordered.

Taking notice of Esfluer's position, Tennisman readied his racket to intercept her next vile vial as Deuce repaired the damage he had sustained from blocking the pillar. Without slowing his pace, he tapped Deuce's head along the ground once, initiating an automated Court Change. Sand replaced the normal scorched panels and what little grass remained after his previous haphazard attack. More importantly, it spread out faster than he could run and crept under his feet and slowed his charge but it was fine as he was in range to execute his attack. Tennisman ducked down and pulled back his racket.

"This gon hurt..." Deuce added just as Tennisman unleashed the full force of his attack.

A tremendous burst of air blasted outwards and cleared away a line of sand in its wake. A wave of dust and silt shot up in an instant, engulfing everything in Tennisman's line of sight. It wouldn't be enough to stop Granvia but it was a start.

"MarkCannon." Tennisman said.

Rather than rushing into the dust cloud to finish the job, Tennisman raised his arm and directed his buster to Esfluer's position far in the distance. The targetting reticle locked on and the single round was fired without a moment of hesitation.

"Why didn't you hit the summoner guy?" Desmond asked.

"Low visiblilty." Tennisman answered and while it was part of the reason, it would take far too long to explain his actual plan.



((Deuce Team passive - Deuce shunts half damage received to Tennisman.))
Deuce - Brace (block 1 attack for half damage)
1 - Aurahead Granvia (90 damage + 20 damage from barrier + line attack + break) x2 to objects
Deuce - Overwrap (40 HP barrier)
2 - Out! Esfleur's attack (microburst parry)
Deuce - Restring (heal 30)
3 - Court Change - Clay (large area sand terrain)
4 - Windracket Granvia (100 damage + knockback + microburst + gust / blindness?) x2?
5 - MarkCannon Esfluer (70 damage + lockon)
6 - dodge
Seeing how their leader was at a powerful disadvantage, Granvia and Esfleur looked even more determined to finish off TennisMan and aid Stanza. The perfumist took out a vial of milky white perfume and aimed it towards the locked Stanza, squeezing a few puff to blow a small cloud of it at him and then she turned her fullest attention at TennisMan once more.

Granvia prepared for his attack as he disappeared from where he stood, dodging the crushing serve from TennisMan with ease, and appeared behind the navi. Granvia's right hand began to shine green as he attempted to strike TennisMan down, but instead found himself hitting right up against a racket that exerted the equal power, throwing TennisMan and Granvia directly opposite from each other.

As soon as he landed on the ground, him and Esfleur changed his arm into a buster and began to fire rapidly at the navi. Fortunately, the defense provided by Deuce and TennisMan easily shrugged off the busters as if it were peashooters and placed the clay terrain beneath him for the next attack. The blast of the windy blade, powered by the bits of sands, slashed right through Granvia to deliver a devastating damage on the navi while the cannon was evaded by an inch when Esfleur dodged the attack.

"You've been a big pain, Stanza...Especially when you ambushed me with your underlings." Barcode was still charging his buster as Stanza helplessly looked up with his paralyzed, locked up body. "But they were worthless enough not to finish you off, aren't you glad?" Again with his talk; though his situation was obviously grim, the navi couldn't wipe the smirk off his face. When the buster was fully charge, the end of the barrel was pointed down at Stanza's bruised face "Very." Just as the end of the barrel heated up red, the puff of perfume finally reached Stanza, covering the navi in a bright white light and recovering his wounds in matter of seconds. Barcode realized something was off, but it was too late as the trigger was already pulled and he fired the charged shot directly at Stanza. The shot was clear, right on the mark, but the damage was lessened thanks to the white light surrounding the navi.

"AHAHAHAHA!" As soon as his paralysis was alleviated, Stanza rose up and cracked his whip down to the ground, activating a mechanism that made the whip stand up straight like a rod, and crashed it right up against Barcode in retaliation. "DIE, POLICE, DIE!" To follow up and to land the final blow, he directed his palm towards Barcode and began to charge up massive amounts of electricity. However, when it was fully gathered, it disappeared, like it was never there. The cuff set by Barcode before was taking its effect on Stanza, even when it was broken. "No! NO NO NO!" Barcode was heavily wounded, to the point of near deletion, and he needed to be away from the danger. Summoning a small grenade on his hand, he threw it right under Stanza to create a explosion of thick fume to slow the navi down. "Shit, that bastard's underlings are much more useful than I thought...CIVVIE, TAKE THEM OUT, NOW!"

Stanza: 260 HP [Slow/Blind/Buster Crash]
Granvia: 140 HP [Blind]
Kinetic PillarA: 120 HP [To the side]
Kinetic PillarB: CRUSHED
Kinetic PillarC: CRUSHED
Esfleur: 140 HP [Far Away]

Terrain: 55% Normal, 10% Grass, 35% Sand

TennisMan: 255 HP [Guard / Shield Destroyed / Barrier Destroyed]
Deuce: 100 HP [22 HP Barrier]

Barcode: 40 HP
Tennisman didn't appreciate the brash orders of his tentative ally but was still reluctant to disobey the request, even if it was rude. He wondered if Barcode would last much longer but he still had his own problems to worry about. Not one to give up any sort of advantage, especially those that he generated himself, Tennisman bolted straight towards Granvia while he was still blinded.

"Katana." Tennisman said and altered his normal tennis playing stance to fit that of a swordsman's. Deuce's frame shifted and reconfigured itself from being a racket to a lengthy sharpened blade.

Tennisman, with his weapon drawn to his side and a path to his enemy cleared, tried to close in quickly before Granvia could summon any more of his pillars. In a fraction of a second, he lashed out with two clean sweeps of his sword, cutting through the air in a vicious criss crossing swipe. Retracting the hilt, he performed one final stabbing lunge to finish his assault.

"Zapring." Tennisman said and looked to Esfluer.

While the chip was being slotted in, Tennisman mentally prepared for more close range combat, readying himself to deflect incoming attacks. With that in mind, he took a deep breath and pushed off the ground.

In an instant, he found himself standing behind his target with his Zapring fully charged and ready. There was a discharge of sparks and another duo of slashes before the light had a chance to fade.

Tennisman gave his weapon a light flick, causing Deuce to revert to his usual racket shape.

"I like that chip." Deuce murmured, "Very effective."

Conversely, an unpleasant expression of discomfort was scrawled across Tennisman's face over having to resort to such brutal tactics.



((Deuce Team passive - Deuce shunts half damage received to Tennisman.))
Deuce - Brace (block 1 attack for half damage)
1 - Dash to Granvia
2 - Katana1 Granvia (2 x 60 damage)
Deuce - Attack Granvia (20 damage)
3 - Rally Defence
4 - Split Step (teleport behind Esfluer)
Deuce - Split Step (teleport behind Esfluer)
5 - Zapring Esfluer (40 damage + stun)
6 - Katana1 Esfluer (2 x 60 damage)
TennisMan was quick on his feet as he approached Granvia with his katana. Esfleur tried to stop the navi with couple of her buster shots, but it was obviously took weak when Deuce easily deflected the attack and still maintained his barrier. The summoner navi was blinded and had little knowledge of what was going on, but it was certain that it would be targeted. Slamming its feet against the ground, it created yet another pillar for defensive purpose and raised its buster up, ready to react to anything that would come at his way. The Katana easily flayed through the pillar like it was nothing and this notified Granvia to fire his buster, only to be deflected by the guard just beneath it. TennisMan created a four-layered defense in front of him as soon as his guard was down, nullifying the powerful blast of chi sent shortly by Granvia.

Focusing on the next target, TennisMan disappeared and reappeared behind Esfleur, already preparing the zapring on his hand. Again, the flowery navi had an uncanny luck on her side as the attack barely nicked the navi, but the luck didn't stay as the two swift slash from the katana bore through her stomach. In final retaliation, she fired yet another shot which was shrugged off with the shield.

Stanza was in the middle of a thick smoke, unable to see anything further than a feet in front of him and the particles from the smoke made his movement extremely sluggish. "What will you do now, Stanza" Barcode's voice lingered through the smokes, causing the whip lashing navi to become tense, twisting and turning all around him. "I didn't think you were the type to do these type of strategy..." Stanza took his chain whip and coiled it around his right arm. Closing his hands into a prayer, he closed his eyes as the skies above him became dark with thunder clouds. "This is too troublesome..." Clenching his hands tighter, the clouds began to rumble and send a devastating lightning straight down to the cloud of smoke and Stanza. The force ripped through the smoke with ease and finally freed the navi from the distraction. The lightning charged the navi to become much stronger for a quick time, but it also dealt some damage to it self. "Well...This is what I just did." Barcode was surprised by the sudden change of plan, but he bit his tongue and went straight at his enemy with his palm forward. It struck against Stanza, causing few of his NCP and Sigs to be delayed, but it also left himself open for his attack. A blinding thunder struck right in front of Barcode, burning his eyes into complete blindness.

Stanza: 230 HP [ {UNDERSHIRT} Uninstalled! / {Collapse Rod} Burned!]
Granvia: 70 HP
Kinetic PillarA: 120 HP [To the side]
Kinetic PillarB: CRUSHED
Esfleur: 20 HP

Terrain: 55% Normal, 10% Grass, 35% Sand

TennisMan: 255 HP [3-hit Shield]
Deuce: 100 HP [4 HP Barrier]

Barcode: 40 HP [Blind x3]
"SHE'S STILL ALIVE!" Desmond's warning blared.

"Inconceivable..." Deuce muttered to himself, but Tennisman had not yet ceased his offensive.

Rather than chasing her down with another rush of melee attacks, Tennisman held his ground having already considered his options. There was only one logical course of action for him that began with a flick of his arm. A cluster of tennis balls scattered themselves in the air in preparation for his signature Ace Serve. Tennisman's eyes flashed across his round, yellow targets, locking onto each one perfectly as they descended. Then, in a preprogrammed flurry of swift serves, each ball was sent rocketing into Esfluer with expert precision.

"Yo, the other guy's getting destroyed over there," noted Desmond, "Think we oughtta help or something?"

Tennisman's attention turned to the other half of the fight to see Barcode losing his upper hand over Stanza. He stumbled about as if blinded, which seemed to be the case. Tennisman claimed a premature victory with Esfluer before dashing off to meet the remaining navis with no plans in mind. Meanwhile, Deuce wove a series of wires into Tennisman's superficial wounds, binding them shut.

"Let's test out the new chip." Desmond suggested, "Magnum. Sounds strong."

"With a name like 'Magnum', I'd hope so." Deuce quipped while resurrecting his barrier.

Tennisman nodded and prepared his buster for the arrival of the new chip data. As it was being sent, he could tell there was a single round to be fired as with most gun chips. However, this data seemed more 'malleable' than usual. It was almost as if he could force another use out of it by splitting off the original, duplicating the slug housed in the barrel.

"What's up?" Desmond asked.

"Standby." Tennisman answered and prepared to fire. If this worked, Magnum would prove to be one of his strongest chips yet. Locking onto his opponents, Tennisman pulled the proverbial trigger. The single shot burst from the tip of his buster with a surprisingly powerful recoil, sending his arm skyward. The Magnum round split off in the air - The original shell spearing towards Stanza while the copy blazed a path towards Granvia.

"Arghhh..." Desmond groaned, "Should have saved it for a Court Change. Magnum's fire! Eh, whatever..."

"TwinFang." Tennisman requested.

Steadying his arm from the last shot proved more difficult than he had imagined. The shaking in his wrist had not yet left and was making it hard to aim. Clearly, he was not used to using the Magnum yet. Taking a deep breath, he flexed and stopped shaking exactly long enough for him to take the second shot. The pair of ivory spires ripped through the air, following similar trajectories as the Magnum rounds.



((Deuce Team passive - Deuce shunts half damage received to Tennisman.))
1 - Ace Serve Esfluer (4 x 30 damage)
Deuce - Attack Esfluer (20 damage)
2 - Move towards other group (dodge?)
Deuce - Restring Tennisman (heal 30)
3 - Magnum charge
Deuce - Overwrap (40 HP barrier)
4 - Magnum Stanza, Granvia (120 damage + break + panel break)
5 - TwinFang Stanza, Granvia (70 damage)
6 - dodge
Esfleur, realizing that her end is near, pulled out her final perfume and sprayed it towards TennisMan's general direction. However, the shield easily dispersed the vapor while maintaining minimal damage. The array of serve shots came raining down onto Esfleur, forcing her to activate the EJO system and leave the battle, leaving TennisMan and Barcode against Granvia and Stanza. The summoner navi tried to fire a quick shot at TennisMan, but again, Deuce automatically blocked the incoming attack with his own body barrier to negate the attack, regrowing yet another one and mending TennisMan's wounds.

"This is it, Barcode. Now I have one less thing to worry about!"

Granvia was completely oblivious of the occurrence besides him, not knowing that one of his comrade was defeated and only concentrated to finish off Barcode. The first shot hit Barcode's chest, causing the navi to go into a critical state and panic, trying to take cover from the next attack. However, Barcode's blindness didn't help his desperate struggle as Stanza's buster was locked onto his temple. Just before the final blow was shot, a powerful blast of heat struck the navi's back, causing his shot to completely miss. He turned to see TennisMan with his Magnum and quickly dodged the next TwinFang attack. "Grrr! Granvia! You imbecile! You weren't able to take down that navi! MUST I DO EVERYTHING MY SELF!" Granvia sulked as he stood behind his pillar, able to survive the attack with one of his pillar withstanding the attack and another to fend off the fang.

Stanza: 110 HP
Granvia: 70 HP
Kinetic PillarA: 120 HP [To the side]
Kinetic PillarB: CRUSHED [B & C: In front of Granvia]
Kinetic PillarC: 50 HP
Esfleur: EJO

Terrain: 55% Normal, 10% Grass, 35% Sand

TennisMan: 285 HP [2-hit Shield]
Deuce: 100 HP [40 HP Barrier]

Barcode: 1 HP [Blind x2]
"One down!" Desmond noted with a cheer.

"...And one dying." added Deuce with a nonchalant tone, jerking towards Barcode's direction.

"What?" uttered Desmond in disbelief, "Wait! Deuce's right! That other guy's critical!"

Tennisman sighed and called for another chip, "Flameline."

Lowering his shaken buster arm to the ground, he pulsed the chip data through his palms into the floor below Granvia. While fighting, Tennisman noted that despite all his bulky walls, Granvia wouldn't be able to stop something that attacked him from below. Additionally, while tighly surrounded by his pillars, two of his escape routes were essentially blocked. Considering the wide range of the Flameline, potentially three escape routes were sealed. The final bits finished loading and the ground behind the fancy column burst with geysers of fire that coalesced to form a great wall of flames. The attack pushed foward in a small push before dying out in a haze of ash and cinders.

"Yo, should we help him or what?" Desmond asked.

Deuce interrupted, "Why? Let us worry about ourselves. There is no sense in getting deleted over some nobody we don't even know. Plus, every attack that he takes is one that we do not."

"Dude. Cold." Desmond said, "Tennisman, go do whatever. Ima back you up."

As harsh and selfish as Deuce's words were, he had a point. However it would take more than a single point to change Tennisman's attitude towards helping those in need and right now, he was needed. He quickly bolted to Barcode's aid and took up a defensive position in front of the battered and blinded navi.

"I have come to provide cover," Tennisman said, "Be careful."

The thought of his tentative ally's blind attack hitting him in the back was a concern but Tennisman's abilities had improved since his last fight. In his mind, he could see the edge of his influence and range. Nothing that entered that sphere would touch him as long as he held his racket and his breath. He locked onto Stanza with an icy glare as he prepared to try and end this fight with one final burst.

"Everything." Tennisman said.

"What, seriously?" Desmond asked back.

Tennisman nodded.

"Fine! Let's DO this!" shouted Desmond with a renewed vigour, "Slotting in AquaNeedle and Boomer!"

The chips were quick to load and take shape on the battlefield. A sudden rain of stalagtites crashed down over the remains of Granvia's structures to ensure his defeat as Tennisman infused Deuce with the Boomer data. As soon as the transfer was complete, he pulled his racket back for a sharp swing, ejecting a green and yellow wave of energy from the racket's face. It sickled across the ruined pillars once more for good measure before challenging Stanza. Tennisman took the opportunity to deliver a quick serve in the lull between attacks.

"...Tastes like leaves." Deuce commented.

"Dude, how do you even-" Desmond murmured before he decided to drop the subject, "Whatever. Yo-yo!"

This attack required less preparation, prompting Tennisman to snap his arm out at Stanza, summoning a spinning bladed disc from the air. It cut past him signalling Tennisman to retract the weapon in a quick jerking motion. The deadly wheel made a sharp u-turn and whizzed past the navi again before dissipating back into a mist of ones and zeroes.

"HiCannon!" Desmond continued.

Tennisman continued to hold his ground as he fired the powerful round from his buster. He refused to drop his offensive and poured more effort into his attacks while watching over Barcode.



((Deuce Team passive - Deuce shunts half damage received to Tennisman))
1 - Flameline Granvia, Kinetic PillarA (70 damage + ground attack + wide attack) x2?
2 - dodge
Deuce - Brace (block 1 attack for half damage)
3 - Rally Defence (80 HP barrier)
4 - AquaNeedle Granvia (3 x 20 damage)
Deuce - (All for One) Boomerang Stanza, Granvia (60 damage)
Deuce - Attack Stanza (20 damage)
5 - Yo-yo1 Stanza ([2-3] x 40 + immobilzes user + slow + block front)
6 - HiCannon Stanza (80 damage + knockback)
((Got lazy at the end :<))

Granvia didn't expect the sudden geyser of fire coming beneath him, his own fault for trusting on his pillar to defend all his attacks for him. He barely survived the attack thanks to his Undershirt and didn't stop his attack. Stanza, however, watched on the sideline as his buster was locked onto to the blinded Barcode. "...I guess I can't take the time to savor it." With a loud click, a shot was fired and it penetrated through Barcode's chest, causing the navi to immediately jack out before any further damage was done. "G-Goddamnit!"

While TennisMan was still concentrated towards Granvia, Stanza turned his buster towards his target and fired, causing Deuce to block the attack and break his barrier. TennisMan raised a barrier over his shield and fired three consecutive needles at Granvia, who in return, created a pillar and sent it straight towards TennisMan. The pillar absorbed all three shots and crashed against TennisMan, easily shattering through the barrier he just created and nicking the shield beneath it.

"Fine Job Granvia..." With a nod, Granvia realized his own limit and left the battle alone for his leader.

The chain-whip navi slowly walked towards TennisMan, completely ignoring the attacks thrown at him. Seemingly confident about his next attack, he dashed towards the navi with his whip up in the air. "CHAIN TEMPEST!" He began to twirl around and around, quickly inflicting heavy damage onto the navi. This attack would've prove fatal if Deuce wasn't around to withstand half the damage, which Stanza didn't account for. With a single blast of the cannon, it shot through the Stanza and also forced the navi to evacuate the network. "...TennisMan...It will be a name that I won't forget unless I'll permanently erase it from this world...Fair well."

Finally...The battle was over, but at some heavy casualty. Barcode couldn't make it through the battle and TennisMan and Deuce had an especially tough time. Seeing the pile of zenny laying in front of him, the Netopia was now open for further traveling.

Stanza: EJO
Granvia: Jack-Out
Kinetic PillarA: CRUSHED
Kinetic PillarB: CRUSHED
Kinetic PillarC: CRUSHED
Kinetic PillarD: CRUSHED
Esfleur: EJO

Terrain: 55% Normal, 10% Grass, 35% Sand

TennisMan: 210 HP [Barrier / Shield Destroyed]
Deuce: 25 HP [Barrier Destroyed]

Barcode: EJO

-BATTLE WON!-
4,000z + [ElecShock] Battlechip + 35 BugFrags

Quote ()

ElecShock
Damage: 80 + Panel Breaking + Cone Attack
Accuracy: C
Description: Blast up to 4 enemies with a cone of lightning breath. Breaks Panels and has a chance of dumping opponents when the terrain gives way.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Special: Close range only. Small Terrain Change (1-4 panels).
"Another crime boss who wants us dead. Excellent work." Deuce praised sarcastically.

"Who cares! We won!" Desmond argued.

"...This time." added the cynical racket, "But who knows when we might get ambushed again. Maybe they'll put out a hit on us."

Desmond didn't falter in his reply, "Let em! We'll take them ALL out! Right, Tennisman?"

Tennisman stared wistfully at the spot where Barcode had been standing. If only he was one step faster, he might have been able to save him but as good as he was, it still wasn't nearly good enough.

"TENNISMAN!" Desmond shouted.

The navi shook his head and turned.

"Y'alright?" his operator asked, "Still hurting from that last attack?"

Deuce mumbled, "...I'm the one who's pushing critical here..."

Tennisman shook his head with a succinct, "No," before continuing along with his exploration as there was nothing left to hold his interest here.

"By the way... NEW CHIP!" cheered Desmond, "Gonna pop out Quake. We never use that piece of crap anyways."

The new chip substitution didn't seem to interest him either. The open road was his only focus.



((Folder Edit
-Quake out
-ElecShock In))

((Battle 16))
((bump))
TennisMan can feel that he's gotten the attention of way too many a malevolent presence. As he continues into the net, he finds himself suddenly surrounded on all sides by fast moving viruses! He hadn't been able to detect them before due to their ambush tactics, but now they were around him in full force, each looking ready to attack. A light drizzle has started... perhaps a bad omen? The large standing puddles around the area indicate that there was much heavier rain recently...

At any rate, all of the melodies bouncing around and spookies porting around was sure to give TennisMan a headache if he didn't clear them soon.

CloudyEX A: 110 HP
Cloudy EX B: 110 HP
Cloudy EX C: 110 HP
Melody EX A: 110 HP
Melody EX B: 110 HP
Melody EX C: 110 HP
Melody EX D: 110 HP
Melody EX E: 110 HP
Spooky EX A: 50 HP (above sea terrain)
Spooky EX B: 50 HP (above sea terrain)
Spooky EX C: 50 HP
Spooky EX D: 50 HP
Spooky EX E: 50 HP

10% Sea, scattered around battlefield
90% Normal

TennisMan: 210 HP
Deuce: 25 HP

--BATTLE 16 START--
"Ahhhhhhhh Balls." cursed Desmond.

Tennisman didn't share his operator's concern regarding the viruses he was facing but he quickly realized how dangerous a situation it was for Deuce. Having just finished a fight, they had still not yet fully recovered. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch that his support program be taken offline by a single stray attack.

"Plans?" Deuce asked while erecting a small barrier around himself.

Without another thought, Tennisman bolted forward into the faintest gap between the ring of viruses.

"What are you doing!?" Deuce blurted out, his voice losing its usual composure, "I'm gonna get deleted like this!"

"Repair yourself." Tennisman ordered, not slowing down in the slightest.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" The racket snapped back, complying and knitting himself back together with a patchwork of racket strings.

As he reached the row of Cloudies, Tennisman pulled back his racket in preparation for a wide swing of his arm.

Desmond was still rummaging through the chip folder as his navi charged in, "Whoa! Whoa! I haven't even-"

"There is no time." Tennisman replied and promptly unleashed a concussive wave of air. Fortunately, Desmond managed to slot in a Windracket at the last second enhancing the light swipe into a intense torrential gust. It would have to provide enough of an opening for him to slip through as he quickly redoubled his efforts to escape. He dashed out a short distance before bringing up a tennis net to cover his exit from the rear.

"...Are we dead yet?" Deuce quipped.

Turning around to face his attackers, Tennisman readied himself to deflect incoming attacks as he plotted out his next course of action.



Deuce - Overwrap Deuce (40 HP barrier)
1 - Equip SP (weapon junction)
Deuce - Restring Deuce (30 heal)
2 - dodge
3 - Windracket CloudyEXA, CloudyEXB, CloudyEXC, (100 damage + microburst)
4 - Netplay + Reinforce (3-hit shield + 60 heal)
5 - Reflex Volley (80 HP barrier)
6 - dodge
Deuce - Brace (block one attack for half damage)
Jumping into the foray pretty quickly, Tennisman and Deuce begin recovery functions, patching up whatever wounds they had to their abilities' extent. Then, he dispatched the Cloudy group easily with a racket swipe, whacking the group clear away from him. The others, understandably, were quite pissed at this. They released a mound of attacks on Tennisman, the Melody swarming him with jumps and the like, and the Spooky lashing their tongues out in a most ill-mannered way. Some hit, some don't, give or take some HP.

CloudyEX A: 10 HP
Cloudy EX B: 10 HP
Cloudy EX C: 10 HP
Melody EX A: 110 HP
Melody EX B: 110 HP
Melody EX C: 110 HP
Melody EX D: 110 HP
Melody EX E: 110 HP
Spooky EX A: 50 HP (above sea terrain)
Spooky EX B: 50 HP (above sea terrain)
Spooky EX C: 50 HP
Spooky EX D: 50 HP
Spooky EX E: 50 HP

10% Sea, scattered around battlefield
90% Normal

TennisMan: 265 HP [2-Hit Shield] [Barrier Destroyed]
Deuce: 50 HP [Barrier Destroyed]
After having fended off a fair number of attacks and emerging mostly unscathed, Tennisman prepared himself to counterattack.

"AquaNeedle." he ordered, targetting the Cloudies. All of them were already heavily injured and he needed a quick and decisive blow to finish them off.

The chip was slotted in a moment later and was activated just as quickly, deploying a row of frozen spires from the sky. They descended on the airborne viruses with sparkling trails of ice and mist. Each stalagtite shattered into countless flecks upon impact before disappearing altogether, erasing all traces of their existence.

"We need something ranged." hinted Deuce, "Preferably wide enough to take out large groups together."

"We... Don't have anything like that." Desmond replied.

With a full view of his opponents, Tennisman was able to register incoming attacks more efficiently and took the necessary precautions. But when he considered their chips to find an adequate offensive approach, he came to the same conclusion as his operator. At the very least, nothing in their folder was powerful enough to take out the Melodies. The Spookies were another story - They were fast but they were also weak. One chip seemed appropriate but he wasn't entirely comfortable with its accuracy.

Not one to waste time, Tennisman requested it anyways, "Ringlog."

"I guess that'd work..." Desmond mumbled, not especially excited at the prospect.

The chip was slotted in and materialized in the form of two large chunks of tumbling lumber that headed straight for the ghostly virii. With the small twigs and bumps along their surface, the logs hopped and leapt along their paths as if they were alive. The wood elemental attack suddenly reminded Tennisman of the Boomer he also carried.

"Boomer." Tennisman added next.

"OH RIGHT!" shouted Desmond, "Forgot about that."

Taking up a backhanded return position, Tennisman channeled the chip data into his racket before pulling off a wide slash, sending a spinning green wave of energy chopping into the enemy ranks. There was only one wood chip left in his folder but the terrain wasn't ready to support it. Luckily, this problem could be easily rectified. Tapping his racket to the ground, the normal panels sprouted a lush carpet of greenery in an instant, replacing the dull white ground. The floor felt softer as Tennisman took a few steps and prepared to flank his enemies to reach the remaining normal panels. He took a moment to make a quick passing serve at one of the closer Melodies as he planned his route.



1 - AquaNeedle CloudyEXA, CloudyEXB, CloudyEXC (20 damage)
Deuce - Brace (block one attack for half damage)
2 - Rally Defence + Reinforce (6-hit shield)
3 - Ringlog SpookyEXC, SpookyEXD (50 damage)
4 - Ringlog SpookyEXA, SpookyEXB (50 damage)
Deuce - (All for one) Boomer SpookyEXB, SpookyEXC, SpookyEXD (60 damage)
5 - Court Change - Grass (1/3 to 2/3 grass terrain)
Deuce - Attack MelodyEXA (20 damage)
6 - dodge
Deleting the Cloudies fairly quickly with the AquaNeedle attack, TennisMan quickly ramped up his defenses with a quick Rally Defense. Then, he released a couple of logs towards the Spooky viruses, hitting three altogether. One of the remaining hit Deuce for a small amount before being deleted by a Boomer chip, while the other's hit got dodged. Then, the Melody moved in for a massacre, jumping around, singing some sort of horrific viral chant that burned the ears. Their attacks almost broke through TennisMan's defenses, but not quite.

CloudyEX A: DELETED
CloudyEX B: DELETED
CloudyEX C: DELETED
MelodyEX A: 110 HP
MelodyEX B: 110 HP
MelodyEX C: 110 HP
MelodyEX D: 110 HP
MelodyEX E: 110 HP
SpookyEX A: DELETED
SpookyEX B: DELETED
SpookyEX C: DELETED
SpookyEX D: DELETED
SpookyEX E: 50 HP

50% Grass
50% Normal

TennisMan: 257 HP [1-Hit Shield]
Deuce: 42 HP