Triple Trouble in a Foreign Land

Though it couldn't be seen through his thick beard, ZephyrMan was smiling widely at the Spikey's decision to help out before leaving the scene. "Stay safe, Spikey!" He gave the fire dog a quick wave with his free hand, before looking over at Ante; surprisingly, he wasn't giving her an 'I told you so' expression. "I understand that assisting an enemy isn't the wisest of moves. And perhaps I'm being naive on the battlefield, as before today I have never stood on one as a fighter. But based on what I have seen over the course of my existence, kindness begets kindness, and cruelty begets cruelty. I felt that if I assisted that Spikey, that somehow it would repay the favor, and if I simply attacked without mercy, it would react as an opponent. And fortunately for all involved, I was correct. Perhaps there are viruses out there that are less...benevolent, but-"

"Blah blah blah! Save the speeches, you have more things to destroy!"

"...Yes, that's very true! As while that Spikey was not openly hostile, the others displayed open contempt from the beginning! For myself, and for those who fight beside me, I shall not allow them to wreak havoc on us!"

"Just shut up and kill them!"

"Oh, very well!" Now, who would he focus on? That coal didn't look very pleasant, so he should probably avoid the enemies on it...ah, he knew what to do. Once again, the wind Navi began to move towards a group of viruses. This time, however, his intentions were a bit less noble. With his Guard attached to his left arm, he squeezed his right hand into a fist, as he activated a BattleChip request. It was granted, causing the free arm to crackle with electricity, and created a pair of sparks that began to rotate around him. Something was different with it this time, though, as this time, it seemed to have an extra power: the power to suck things into its range. Whether it was magnetic or simply wind power was unclear, but it was clearly trying to affect one of the BombCorns.

With his main attack activated, and his defensive shield raised, he began to work on ensuring that both corn viruses remained in the electrical field, not wanting anyone to be damaged by exploding popcorn...a fate that none of them should have to endure.

[Order of Turn:
1-Move over to BombCorns (movement)
1a-Gust subtype ability on RingZap2 (add Pull effect)
2-RingZap2 chip on ZephyrMan (40, Elec, damages enemy for each action within Melee range, Pull on BombCornB)
3-Stay within Melee range of BombCorns (movement)]
AWARD
Ace of Spades
Eight of Diamonds
Six of Clubs
Nine of Hearts
Jack of Clubs

Ace of Spades--> Ace of Hearts
Jack of Clubs --> King of Hearts

0 POINT AWARDED
TOTAL POINTS: 1
RANDOM SELECT: Hat
NO PRIZE

Ante gave a bewildered smile and nodded as ZephyrMan spoke, keeping one hand on her scepter and the other at her skirt. She felt upset with herself, mostly because she noticed she was harboring petty resentment towards her ally for proving her wrong. "Pride is my enemy," she reminded herself, closing her eyes and clearing her head. "We'll all be better off if I can set that aside."

She had to admit to herself that she didn't feel any better for the way things had come out. She actually preferred the battlefield to consists in pure black and white; the more things became shaded, the more difficult a warrior's job became. Still, deciding those sort of matters was just another trial for her. She would have to-

"Geez, are you zoning out, Ante? Some kinda hardcore mental exposition?" Teruko interrupted her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "ZephyrMan's not the only one that's long-winded... hehehe, winded..."

Ante frustratedly dismissed Teruko's comment, then focused on the enemies. She was still angry at herself; destroying viruses would be the perfect way to release that aggression. She expressed which chips she wanted to Teruko, then set right to using them. She electrified the spade-head at the end of her staff, then held the weapon like a javelin. With a powerful thrust forward, she did not actually release her grip on the hilt, but did shoot a bolt of lightning from the tip. The bolt would seek out the remaining Spikey.

After that, she powered up her staff with an infusion of chips, then blasted the chips out towards her enemies, the Beetanks. She then quickly transformed the head into a club, spun it around so that the head was oriented towards the ground, and smashed it into the net floor. A wave of cards came up across the terrain floor as it split open along a fault; the crack was heading towards the enemy plants.

"Speaking frankly, I don't want to think that viruses have a sense of camaraderie and justice just as we do, ZephyrMan. How could we handle our daily routine of virus busting if that was the case? If you are suggesting that helping that one out caused it to reciprocate good will towards us, how about the rest of the viruses? Should we be expected to continue to be nice to them until they realize they ought to act the same as that Spikey did?" she asked, pressing her hand to her forehead and thinking seriously despite her headache. "If that one virus acted that way, what about the others we slaughter daily?"

"I think you're thinking about it too hard. Even if viruses are bad guys, even they know not to bite a hand that feeds them, right?" Teruko asked over the lip of her drink as she took another draw.

"Then should we not always seek to offer a chance for that reciprocation?" Ante asked again.

"Well, er..."

"We cannot. They teach virus-busting in schools because viruses, at their basest, interfere with the ordinary operation of the technology that holds our society together. Why do some reciprocate good actions? I do not know, but it is clearly ingrained upon our society that we cannot count upon it."

"You sound like an old lady, Ante. Is that the drink talking?" Teruko giggled, trying to change the subject.

"Not at all, I'm simply giving my opinion. And I am sorry if I seem like an old lady to you, Teruko," Ante replied, pressing her hands into her skirt and clearly taking offense. "It might seem okay to do this now, but if we get caught up in the morality of all of this, we will find it is a subject we are not equipped to handle, due to the limited nature of our knowledge on the origin of viruses. We do, however, understand that viruses corrupt working-"

"Aaagh! Alright, Ante, I get it! Just stop lecturing!" Teruko begged.

1) Arrow1 @ SpikeyB [100 elec, B accuracy + homing]
*) Draw Hand buff to next attack [15 strengthen]
*) Swap Two buff to next attack [10 strengthen]
*) Variable buff to next attack [12 buff]
2) Shotgun @ BeetankB, spread to BeetankA [87 damage shot, A accuracy + spread1 (50 damage)]
3) ShockWave @ Killplant group [40 damage ground, C accuracy + line attack]
KaijuMan renewed his assault on the viruses, sweeping his tail in a wide arc. The force of the blow sent the injured Beetank, along with several burning coals, crashing into its compatriot. The injured virus shuddered before shutting down completely. The monstrous Navi unleashed a deadly roar, sending a hail of shrapnel straight through the weakened KillPlants, effectively pruning the two viruses. KaijiMan unleashed an electrical blast at the final Beetank, the surge of energy frying the virus and causing it to shut down.

ZephyrMan charged into battle, moving within melee range of the corny viruses. The Navi activated a surge of electrical energy that surrounded him, coalescing into twin spheres that orbited the Navi in irregular intervals. The sudden surge of energy seemed to draw one of the viruses into the orbit of the lightning orbs, frying the virus but not deleting it. ZephyrMan attempted to keep both of the viruses within range of his damaging aura, but only managed to hit the two BombCorns a single time each.

Meanwhile, Ante fired off a bolt of lightning that sought out the remaining Spikey. The bolt sent the virus spiraling to the floor and deleted it. The Navi then turned to focus her attention on the KillPlants. Unfortunately, that particular set of viruses had already been mowed down. Luckily, she had the presence of mind to refocus her attention and sent a shotgun blast at the two BombCorns, deleting them.

KillPlantA: DELETED
KillPlantB: DELETED
KillPlantC: DELETED
BeetankA: DELETED
BeetankB: DELETED
SpikeyA: DELETED
SpikeyB: DELETED
SpikeyC: GONE
BombCornA: DELETED
BombCornB: DELETED

Terrain:
20% Mud (Large ring)
30% Coal (Inside ring)
20% Grass (Around outside)
30% Soil (Further away from ring)

Allies:
Ante.EXE: 150 HP (Soil)
KaijuMan.EXE: 160 HP (Coal)
ZephyrMan.EXE: 150 HP (Grass)

Rewards:
Ante - 300z, CornShot1
Kaiju - 450z, MiniBomb
Zephyr - 250z, HeatShot

FXP:
Ante x Kaiju - 5
Kaiju x Zephyr - 5
Zephyr x Ante - 3 (Dissention - Chance for super gains once overcoming differences!)

Battle Complete!
Though doing so ultimately proved to be slightly detrimental to his ability to follow BombCorn, ZephyrMan listened intently to Ante's words. As the last viruses fell, he floated over to her, albeit making sure he wasn't covered in sparks. "Well, I'm certainly not telling you what to think, or what not to think. I will, however, say this. There are, without a doubt, viruses that truly wish nothing but harm to us. There are also those that clearly do not. And there are those that, as you mentioned, may not be truly evil, but due to circumstances, oppose us anyway. That's simply the way it is...throughout history, war has shown that. But deep down...it doesn't matter terribly much to me. Above all else, I have pledged my services to Ariel. If she wished it, I would gladly destroy every virus I see, no matter the reason, or even whether there was one. However, she grants me enough independence to avoid it if I feel it is right. It is that trust between operator and Navi...that is why I will not falter, no matter what kinds of viruses I encounter!"

"...Huh?" For whatever reason, the mentioned operator vigorously shook her head, nearly causing her to fall off her chair again. "Did you say something, ZephyrMan?"

"...Ho ho! Perhaps it's best that you didn't hear that, lest things become too sentimental!" However, his talk with the poker themed Navi wasn't finished. "But yes, I suppose that because of my grand reason for fighting, I'm free to assist if I wish, and not worry if it's successful. After all, if one has no reason to fight, they're no different from the normal depiction of viruses, wouldn't you agree?" As he spoke, a thought crawled into his mind...at first, he was able to cast it aside, but eventually it proved too much. "...Ho ho! My apologies for turning the conversation like that! After all, we're here to enjoy ourselves, not to philosophize!" Without looking, the wind Navi accessed one of the three packets of reward data, and had it transferred, almost as if the material rewards were an afterthought. "Ante! KaijuMan! Before it slips my mind, I'd like to say something...it has been a true pleasure fighting with you! As I said before, I have never battled before today. However, if it is possible to forge friends in the heat of battle, then it's truly something I've been missing out on!...Of course, I suppose that would be better said once we were finished. But so long as we're all in fighting shape, I see no reason to stop!" He looked each Navi in the eye, before turning to face the Net they'd yet to travel. "Shall we continue?"

(Ready for Battle #3)
In less than a couple seconds, KaijuMan completely cleared the center area of viruses, without giving the viruses enough time to even react. Standing on the bed of hot coals, he looked over towards one of the motionless (and partially melting) hulls of the former Beetanks, and placed one clawed foot on top of it. The armored body of the virus sank deeper into the burning coals as KaijuMan gave a quick, triumphant roar. The air around his body was rippling with heat, and the spines on his head and spine were twitching and swaying excitedly, due to the sheer amount of energy his body was absorbing from the hot terrain.

John clapped a few times upon seeing his Navi rather expertly dispatch the four viruses in his vicinity; he was quite impressed.
Great job, Kai!

John raised his glass and toasted his Navi's achievement and took several large gulps of his beer, almost emptying his glass. KaijuMan looked over the ground, his orange eyes were bright, and his pupils were especially small due to his high energy state. He gathered up some Zenny data, and brushed a Beetank's hull aside to retrieve a battlechip file as well.

He had heard the exchange between Ante and ZephyrMan, and felt his simple view of how things worked on the Net made a lot more sense than the rather philosophical debate on whether or not viruses can be allies, and if Navis should be decimating these possibly innocent programs. He looked over towards his allies as he started to walk over towards them, kicking up embers as he went.
Blah, blah, blah... If they stand in my way, or don't run fast enough, I crush them.

However, John had a slightly different philosophy. He put down his drink, and rubbed his chin slightly as he thought. He tried to give his own two cents, but his speech was slightly slurred.
Well... I guess if viruses really weren't as bad as weer lead tuh believe, they'd have like... awareness groops or somethin'

KaijuMan rolled his eyes at his NetOp's somewhat inebriated opinion, but then looked over towards ZephyrMan as the windy Navi addressed he and Ante. His head canted slightly from side to side, mulling his response over. What came out of the scale-covered Navi's mouth came as a bit of a surprised to John.
I will admit... you two are skilled in battle. I... woudn't be opposed to fighting more with you.

John smiled as he wiped some of the froth of his beer off his upper lip with a napkin.
Wow, Kai actually wants to be friends with you two! Thaz quite a firsht!

KaijuMan responded with a huff, blowing smoke from his nostrils as he reared up, standing much straighter in a form of dominance.
Hrmph. I simply don't feel like crushing them.

In response, John had a very odd look on his face; it seemed to be a mixture of poorly restrained humor and pained realization. He closed his eyes as he muttered/giggled something under his breath, followed by laughter.
*snrk* Tsundere...*choke* heeheehee

KaijuMan didn't know what his buzzed NetOp said, but he gave a frustrated sigh and made a small hop over the ring of mud terrain before he walked past his allies.
Let's find some more viruses to smash..


((Ready for Battle #3))
Ante's mind relaxed and her blood pressure cooled down as ZephyrMan reminded her that the whole reason behind her fighting was for her operator's benefit. "You're right, that was foolish of me. If Teruko or my allies wish for me to abstain from attacking a certain target, I should comply as well. Don't think ill of yourself for indulging me with a little argument, I'm the one who should have been focusing" she responded to ZephyrMan, feeling suddenly humble.

"There you go! All nice and made up," Teruko smiled, happy that Ante was friendly again. "Let's keep on so we can finish before John and Ariel get much worse. At this rate, I'm likely to need a wheelbarrow just to get them home," she muttered.

"You two have been the greatest companions that I could have asked for in this uncertain environment. Thank you again for accompanying me. I will count myself quite lucky that you have chosen not to crush us thus far, my friend," Ante chuckled, enjoying the comraderie.

"Aaaw! Group hug!" Teruko cheered, although she didn't follow up on her end. She thought it might be a little ridiculous, considering that she and Ariel were still shirtless.

Ante also opted out, coughing into one glove. "No, I'm afraid I'll pass. I feel as though I might be either squished or flung into the air by a tornado if I come to close into contact," she explained as she followed the others.

((Ready for Battle 3))
Confidently pressing on, the Navi trio hiked across several fields of low grass before coming across a large clearing. KaijuMan's size drew the attention of every single virus grouped there, although it seemed like some had already been moving in the Navis' direction. Faced down with a threatening variety of viruses, Ante, ZephyrMan and KaijuMan prepared to battle as their enemies spread throughout the clearing.

KilbyA: 90 HP (Far end of clearing)
KilbyB: 90 HP (Far end of clearing)
KilbyC: 90 HP (Far end of clearing)
VineyA: 80 HP (Soil, middle of clearing)
VineyB: 80 HP (Soil, middle of clearing)
NeedlerA: 70 HP (Left side of clearing)
NeedlerB: 70 HP (Right side of clearing)
DragrinA: 120 HP (Left side of clearing)
DragrinB: 120 HP (Far end of clearing)
DragrinC: 120 HP (Right side of clearing)
EarthDragon: 200 HP (In pot, far end of clearing)

Terrain:
90% Grass
10% Soil (Near middle of clearing)

Allies:
Ante.EXE: 150 HP
KaijuMan.EXE: 160 HP
ZephyrMan.EXE: 150 HP

TEAM BATTLE 3 START!

I don't do hugs.

KaijuMan scoffed the idea, joining Ante in disapproval. However, his focus was shifted from the conversation to what was ahead, thanks to the swarm of viruses before him and his allies. He widened his stance and gave a low, rumbling growl as his eyes swept over the battlefield, identifying the multitude of viruses in the area ahead. They were fairly spread out, but there were a trio of obviously plant-like viruses on the far side of the clearing, just perfect targets to get roasted by the hulking Navi.

KaijuMan lowered his head and started to heat up; a glowing mass started to well up in his throat. His nostrils were aglow as the molten chunk of rock emerged from his gullet, and was held back only by KaijuMan's teeth. He aimed towards the Kilby viruses directly in front of him, and prepared to lob the projectile in a shallow arc, to make sure he could make it travel the proper distance to hit the viruses. He tried to aim in the dead center of the group, and launched the projectile. It burned through the air, trailing glowing embers and black smoke as it arced towards his target, and exploded on contact with a large fireball and a spray of sparks and molten chunks of superheated rock.

John was a bit slow on the uptake due to his slight inebriation, plus Teruko's suggestion for a group hug, but he pulled a couple chips from his pocket, and started to slot them into the PET.
Let's give this one a try, we'll see how it works!

A glowing packet of data materialized in the center of the clearing on the soil terrain, before it started to build itself upwards, creating an approximately 8' tall cylindrical tower. As its image data started to load, KaijuMan could see the tower was actually a 3-stage totem pole, with reptilian designs on each side. One face had an open mouth, where a single flame burned between its jaws, and the other face had a closed mouth, but its eyes were aglow.

It also seemed John slotted in the RemoteBit chip as well, because a dark green puck-like object materialized next to KaijuMan, and its antenna extended upwards before the Bit it controlled appeared on the battlefield, and zoomed over to the right. It started to charge up as it started to move, and had achieved a full charge by the time it paused over the Needler virus. It immediately sent down a powerful electrical bolt, hopefully quick enough to blast the virus before it had the chance to take off and advance.


ACTIONS:
Lava Mortar: KilbyA,B,C (30dmg Fire Blast2 + 2TCD)
Totem1: Summon 100HP Totem on Soil (100dmg Fire Spread2 / Heal 50HP) [3 turns]
RemoteBit1: Summon 100HP Remote and RemoteBit (80dmg Elec + Panel Break) [3 turns]
--RemoteBit: Attack NeedlerA (80dmg Elec + Panel Break)
The responses of his allies made ZephyrMan chuckle to himself, though he elected not to respond to them; he didn't want them getting too embarrassed, lest he be trampled beneath a certain giant foot. Though, a certain suggestion forced him into words. "Yes, I believe that a group hug wouldn't be a very wise idea. As Ante alluded to, it could prove hazardous for all involved!"

"Well, that's not stopping me!" But, everyone was a little too spread out for everyone to embrace at once...she'd have to do it one at a time. First, she leapt out of her seat and launched herself straight into Teruko, unwittingly giving John another good view of their chests squishing against each other. Not that she would have cared; at this point, someone could strip her bare and she most likely wouldn't notice. "Thank you, Teruko!"

Like the wind, the pilot raced to her other new friend, and did the same with him...only due to drunkenness, she misjudged her height, ensuring that his face became covered in her cleavage. "Thank you, John!"

But just like that, she was gone, back in her seat. Exactly how she sped around the table that quickly without falling over would remain a mystery. "Seriously, thanks...tonight's been an awesome night, and it's all thanks to you guys!"

"...Argh!"

"...Hey, at least I don't sound like an after school special!"

"Not that!" A look at the PET screen revealed that ZephyrMan, along with the others, had encountered a nice helping of viruses, none of which appeared to be able to be coerced into defecting. "That's...quite a group..."

"Oh, ouch! Well, good luck with that! I'd help out, but, uh..."

"No worries, we'll simply continue what we've been doing! Simply approve of my chip requests, and I'll manage!" Now, who should he worry about? Looked like KaijuMan was worrying about the bamboo-like viruses, and since he knew Ante had that Aqua chip whose name escaped him, she could put a dent in the number of Fire viruses. Hmm...perhaps he should test out his new chip, since those two viruses...Viney, they were called? They looked rather grassy to him. It couldn't hurt, at any rate.

The lower twister that formed his lower body began to rotate slightly faster, causing the wind Navi to begin moving. He kept a close eye on the pair of stationary Wood viruses, circling them until they and him formed a straight line with their existences. He executed a single chip request, which was immediately approved, causing his usual hand to be exchanged for...a metallic looking gun, though there was no mistaking it; a harsh red glow could be seen from its vents and tip, that could warm anyone that so much as glanced at it. As he usually did when he acquired data for a weapon of its type, he raised it, and did what he could to acquire a good lock on his foes. Once he felt he had done so, a simple activation of its trigger caused a fireball to shoot from the gun, one with the same explosion technology of Shotgun. True, it wasn't the most exciting attack he'd ever used, but it wasn't as though he had limitless options.

"Ante! I believe it'll be up to you to defeat those Fire...er, things! Perhaps this will assist you with it!" Raising his free hand, he stirred the winds around one of the Draggin, in an attempt to draw it into a perfect line with the others of its kind. After all, Ante's Aqua chip attack, which he still couldn't recall the name of, worked better when enemies were in a straight line, right? At any rate, that was all he could do for the moment, without needlessly endangering himself. He wished he could do at least a little more, but all ZephyrMan could do now was prepare to avoid incoming enemy attacks...

[Order of Turn:
1-Line up VineyA and VineyB in a straight line (movement)
2-HeatShot chip attack on VineyA (40, Fire, Spread 1)
2a-Gust subtype ability on DragrinB (Pull so that all Dragrin form a straight line)
3-Dodge]
AWARD
Five of Clubs
Ace of Spades
King of Hearts
Ace of Diamonds
King of Clubs

SWAP ONE!

Five of Clubs --> Jack of Spades

8 POINTS AWARDED
TOTAL POINTS: 9
RANDOM SELECT: Bustier
TOTAL POINTS: 4
RANDOM SELECT: Skirt
NO PRIZE

Teruko just laughed and went along awkwardly with Ariel's hug, knowing there was no point in resisting. She watched with a blank expression as John got a face-full of Ariel as well. "Boy, it's almost like Tarzan stepped out of the jungle... she's really not afraid of anything," she muttered to herself, then sighed. "How are things with you, Ante?"

The bustier had just exploded off of Ante's chest, leaving her with just the skirt, hat, and undersuit. That was more or less fine with her, as it didn't reveal much to have it gone. "Well, I don't foresee any problems. ZephyrMan has assisted me in lining up the enemy dragons; they could be very problematic if left unattended. I'd like to use a wideshot against them, which should effectively extinguish their flames. In addition, an arrow will provide reliable damage against that intimidating opponent in the back," she answered.

As Teruko slotted in the chips, she smiled and gave a nervous glance to Ariel. "I've got my own battles to fight on this end," she sobbed.

Nodding, the navi accepted the chips and faced down the Dragrins. Grabbing the handle of her scepter with both hands, she waved it in a wide arc, releasing a blade of water from the spade-shaped card dispenser tip. With that accomplished, she electrified the head and hoisted the weapon up to shoulder height, then slung it forward like a javelin. Although she did not release it, a bolt of lightning sprang forth from its end to seek out a target.

"You can help your allies down with some of your queens too, right?" Teruko pitched in.

"Righto," Ante confirmed, then prepared three of her signature Queen of Spades cards. Slinging her scepter once more, she dispersed the cards among her opponents to dampen attack strength. As a final measure she lifted her skirt and prepared to dodge. It was interesting to note at this point that the skirt was entirely detached from other clothing and thus held up solely by the breadth of her hips.

"Hey, er, you should lay off John a bit. I'm not sure how you magically operate when you're about 400% over the average human's level of alcohol tolerance, but John probably can't operate with your boobs in his face," Teruko offered her drunken friend. Laughing, she shook her head and realized she'd inadvertently undermined her own abilities, which was unacceptable. "Of course, I'm fine operating under any circumstances. I've even operated during my workout! Ha ha ha!"

1) Wideshot1 @ Dragrin group [60 aqua shot, A accuracy + wide]
2) Arrow1 @ EarthDragon [100 elec, B accuracy + homing]
*) Draw Hand debuff to EarthDragon [15 (strengthen) debuff]
*) Swap Two debuff to NeedlerB [10 (strengthen) debuff]
*) Variable debuff to EarthDragon [12 (buff) debuff]
3) Dodge
KaijiMan kicked off the battle with a bang, launching a blob of molten stone toward the group of Kilbys. Two of the viruses vanished before the attack could land, but the third wasn't fast enough and was burnt to a crisp. The two who escaped rematerialized off to the side of the Navi group, flanking both Ante and ZephyrMan. The two viruses attacked with bamboo spears, impaling the Navi before they could dodge away. The two Kilby vanished once more, reappearing back from where they had come.

KaijuMan summoned two objects, a large totem and a control tower linked to a hovering remote. Flames washed over the totem before launching out in a massive fireball. The fireball smashed into one of the Dragrin, devouring the grass beneath it. However, the flames seemed to have no effect on the virus itself. The bit was a tad more effective, raining down a powerful bolt of lightning on one of the Needlers, frying the virus and ripping up the soil beneath it.

ZephyrMan started off strong, eliminating two viruses quickly with a blast of flames. The Viney were set on fire and quickly withered from the heat. However, the Navi then went about setting up a combo for his comrade, using a gust of wind to drag the three Dragrin into a line. Ante took quick advantage of this, firing off a wave of water that caused the three viruses to fizzle out.

However, Ante's next strike was far less effective. The jolt of electricity flew over the battlefield to smash into the EarthDragon's clay pot, doing nothing to the virus lurking inside. The force of the attack was enough to knock over the pot, revealing the dragon. It looked pissed and ready to strike. Luckily, Ante's debuffs worked like a charm and drained the strength of two of the viruses.

Speaking of viruses, the remaining Needler took off into the air and flew toward the Navi trio. The virus fired off a handful of needles in several directions. One pair fizzled out before it could reach ZephyrMan, though the nimble Navi was prepared to dodge regardless. Ante dodged away from a second pair. However, KaijuMan's large frame made an ample target and twin needles dug deep into his skin.

KilbyA: 90 HP (Normal)
KilbyB: DELETED!
KilbyC: 90 HP (Normal)
VineyA: DELETED!
VineyB: DELETED!
NeedlerA: DELETED!
NeedlerB: 70 HP (Near KaijuMan)
DragrinA: DELETED!
DragrinB: DELETED!
DragrinC: DELETED!
EarthDragon: 200 HP (Going to attack, far end of clearing)

Terrain:
50% Grass
40% Normal
10% Broken (Near middle of clearing)

Allies:
Ante.EXE: 120 HP
KaijuMan.EXE: 150 HP
-Totem: 100 HP
-Remote Tower: 100 HP
ZephyrMan.EXE: 120 HP
John laughed at the idea of a "group hug" amongst the Navis, and couldn't help but see KaijuMan stepping on someone. While he was picturing the hilarity that would have ensued, Ariel decided to drop some friendship on Teruko with a nearly topless, bust-squishing hug. John was just about to clap in amusement before Ariel turned towards him, and proceeded to hug him as well. However, fortunately? for John, instead of a standard hug, he found his face located directly in the center of Ariel's chest.

John's arms spasmed in surprise and shock, but then his right hand changed to a thumbs up, as he responded to her thanks, though muffled by her chest.
Ngh prblm (no problem)

Ariel released her hold on John and sat back down, not before the pair got a bit of ribbing from Teruko. John was left somewhat red-faced from the experience, but he quickly tried to shake it off and took another sip of his drink.
Certainly not the worst sitchuashon to be operating in, haha!

He started to wonder why he made that somewhat lewd comment, but he tried to distract himself by slotting in a few of his battlechips, so his Navi wasn't completely without backup from his Operator.



Meanwhile, back in non-inebriated netspace...
KaijuMan glared at the needles in his side angrily before he swiped his arm over them, pulling the metal spikes from his scales leaving them to clang on the floor. His eyes were aglow and started to spark just as he shifted his glare towards the Needler that attacked him, and unfortunately for it, was rather close to him. As soon as his eyes locked on the hovering virus, an electromagnetic link would have been made, and would bring the virus close enough to get completely zapped by an electrical discharge. The bolt would have looked almost like a pair of eye beams, and would hopefully tear the virus asunder with lightning.

With the pest presumably gone, he looked over towards the back of the field, where the shrub-like kilbys stood their ground. They were rather feisty, but he was going to change that. He lowered his head as he drew a bead on them, before a glow started to emerge from his gullet. With a pair of loud pops, he fired two projectiles from his mouth, which arced through the air and exploded on impact. The first emitted a spray of shrapnel, while the other detonated with a rather impressive explosion. The blast zone of both attacks were so large, it wouldn't be surprising if both viruses were caught up in them.

However, since the Kilbys seemed to have a relatively bad habit of moving through the ground to attack his Allies, KaijuMan kept the RemoteBit close by, which hovered just overhead and charged up its lightning rod. It tried to stay near all three Navis, and would quickly zoom into position and strike if any of the plant-like viruses decided to appear near them and strike.

Still in the center of the field, the Totem stood by, its mouth burning with a small flame. It's rather simple AI was scanning the field for any sort of movement, particularly towards the EarthDragon's Pot. Since it was one of the last things left on the field, it kept its focus on the overturned pot. As soon as it would have seen any sort of movement, it would retaliate by unleashing a massive lick of flames towards the virus, and cutting a swath of terrain in front of it with heat and fire.

ACTIONS:
1. Magbolt1: NeedlerB (90dmg Elec + Stun + Magnet Pull)
2. Shotgun: KilbyA,C (50dmg Spread2)
3. MiniBomb: KilbyA,C (60dmg Blast2)
--RemoteBit: Patrol nearby and attack a kilby if it strikes (80dmg Elec + Panel Break)
--Totem: Attack EarthDragon (100dmg Fire Spread3)
Unfortunately, Ariel wasn't paying a lick of attention to anything, least of all what her friends were saying. Somehow, the alcohol had gotten into her mental CD player, and was now blasting in her head at full force, preventing her from hearing what she normally could over the already noisy club. In fact, it was questionable if she even realized she was in a club at the moment. "You know what would hit the spot right now? Sushi! I think I'll get some on the way home!" ...At least she realized she was out of her apartment. "Yep, that'll be awesome!"

"Glad to know you have plans after this, but if you'd please, prepare for-"

"Hold that thought!" Without warning, the pilot grabbed the underside of her chest, and started doing...something...with it. Nothing explicit was revealed, but it was definitely odd looking. "...There! Dunno why, but my bra wasn't fitting quite right! But now it's fine!"

"The way you were grabbing the others a moment ago, I'm amazed it didn't go flying off..."

"Did you say something, ZephyrMan? I totally blanked just then."

"Not a thing! Now, if you don't mind, prepare to approve chip selection!"

"Chips? I just said I was going for sushi later!"

"Sigh..." Best to just leave that alone and hope she knew what she was supposed to be doing. First up, some chip testing, assuming that such was the case. And fortunately for everyone, it was, as a DBLCube virus doppleganger appeared in front of ZephyrMan. It began to rapidly spin between its two colors, but the wind Navi surprisingly paid it little heed. After all, he had no control over what happened, and no matter what it did, it'd be helpful to the team. At least he'd know when it happened, thanks to the flash of light it emitted.

With that more or less out of mind for the moment, he turned his attention to the dragon virus, which appeared to still be a fair distance away. If its massive amount of HP was any sign, when it did strike, it was going to hurt. A lot. Of course, it couldn't hurt anyone if it couldn't do anything...time for him to try and utilize that fact. The wind Navi extended his right arm, and opened his hand, creating an orb of electricity that floated a couple of inches in front of it. He performed a shoving motion, causing it to began traveling somewhat slowly, though at least it was kind enough to hover a few inches above the ground, ensuring that even the smashed area ahead couldn't stop it.

His duties for the moment complete, he began to eye the remaining viruses warily, not particularly wanting to be skewered, stabbed, or...whatever the EarthDragon did. He was half tempted to try something, but considering his operator's current condition, it might be pushing it to attempt another chip request...

[Order of Turn:
1-DBLBeam1 chip attack on all (40, To-All Enemies OR Recover30 To-All Allies/User)
2-Thunder1 chip attack on EarthDragon (40, Elec, Stun 1, Homing)
3-Dodge]
AWARD
Seven of Diamonds
Six of Diamonds
King of Clubs
Queen of Clubs
Six of Hearts

SWAP TWO!

King of Clubs --> Six of Clubs
Queen of Clubs --> Three of Hearts

10 POINTS AWARDED
TOTAL POINTS: 14
RANDOM SELECT: Skirt
TOTAL POINTS: 9
RANDOM SELECT: Hat
TOTAL POINTS: 5
RANDOM SELECT: Undersuit
NO PRIZE

Teruko sighed heavily, thinking to herself that the last thing they needed was to for Ariel to be arrested for public nudity. She shook her head quickly, trying to wipe away the image of Ariel bumbling around half-naked whilst looking for sushi at such an indecent hour. "Ante, I think Ariel might end up naked before you do," she sobbed. It was doubly concerning to see what nearly happened to Ariel's bra when she considered how tight her own was on her; it still needed a lot of breaking in, being so new and seldom worn.

In the mean time, Ante was recovering from a nasty spear wound and being forced to cope with the lack of her hat and skirt, which had both vanished into bursts of chips during the last attack. The undersuit was the last safety net protecting her modesty, she realized, and thus she couldn't manage to laugh at Teruko's statement. Folding her hands in front of herself, she already looked almost naked, lacking all of her bright red and her tremendous, feathered hat.

"Whoops. E-Er, don't worry, I'm sure we're going to wrap it up soon. These guys are drunk as skunks; they'll probably want to get home to bed soon," her operator offered, trying to cheer Ante up. "Now let's get you something that'll take care of that nasty dragon!"

Nodding, Ante received her chips and took a deep breath. She pulled the hood from around her head and shook her hair out, not liking the bald-cap look that her hood was giving her thanks to her new-found hatlessness. The shock of orange helped restore some of the color loss that had occurred when all of her red had vanished. "Very well, the only solution now is to make certain that the remainder of our battles conclude quickly," she reasoned.

Ante started by powering up her staff with as many chips as she could, running them through the hilt towards the tip. After raising the club-end high into the air, she brought the head down hard upon the net floor, releasing a surging shockwave that flung cards up from the ground as it moved towards the Kilbies.

When the club hit the ground, one of Ante's spectral holograms was also released under the net floor. The Jack moved around quickly, looking for a hole to exit through. After finding one such, he moved towards the EarthDragon and, with a scary face, swung his sword through the air in attempt to slash the creature in two.

Ante watched the enemies while keeping one hand on the now-exposed curve of her hip; the subtle movements of her body were much more visible without the veil of her skirt. "I pray that Teruko and I will both make it out of this situation with our dignity in tact," she muttered to herself, then smiled and shrugged lackadaisically. The situation would probably resolve itself.

1) Shockwave @ Kilby group [40 damage ground, C accuracy + line attack + ground attack]
2) Attack + 10 to next chip attack [10 (support) buff]
*) Draw Hand to next attack [15 strengthen]
*) Swap Two to next attack [10 strengthen]
*) Variable buff to next attack [12 buff]
3) SummonBlack1 @ EarthDragon [207 damage, A accuracy + slashing + wide attack]
((Bump))
Displeased with the needles sticking out of his body, KaijuMan ripped them out and merely stared at the offending Needler, magnetically dragging it closer and ending it swiftly. What followed after that was a myriad of attacks directed toward the Kilbys and a quick to-all heal thrown in for good measure. The bamboo viruses were struck with gunshots, explosions and plenty more, all amounting to two thoroughly deleted viruses. Several attacks flew at the EarthDragon as well, but they didn't end up mattering much as Ante's summon sped toward the virus and cut through it in an instant.

KilbyA: DELETED!
KilbyB: DELETED!
KilbyC: DELETED!
VineyA: DELETED!
VineyB: DELETED!
NeedlerA: DELETED!
NeedlerB: DELETED!
DragrinA: DELETED!
DragrinB: DELETED!
DragrinC: DELETED!
EarthDragon: DELETED!

Terrain:
50% Grass
40% Normal
10% Broken (Near middle of clearing)

TEAM BATTLE 3 COMPLETE!

Allies:
Ante.EXE: 150 HP
KaijuMan.EXE: 170 HP
ZephyrMan.EXE: 150 HP

Rewards:
Ante: SideBamboo1, 1200z, 5 FXP
ZephyrMan: 1320z, 5 FXP
KaijuMan: Rope1, 1200z, 5 FXP
KaijuMan looked over the battlefield hungrily, noticing nothing was left with exception of his allies. He grinned and made a satisfied huff before he gathered up some zenny data, and even discovered a new battlechip he could use. John smiled while he watched his PET screen, and saw his zenny total jump a respectable amount, and a new chip was added to his library. He slid a blank chip into the PET, and the data was coded in before it spit the new chip back out.
Good work, Kai!

KaijuMan popped his shoulders and neck as he tried to loosen up his muscles again, since they were still a little tight from the battle, but his side was now completely healed, thanks to ZephyrMan's doublebeam chip, which bathed the field in restorative energy at the end of battle.
Hm... still not satisfied... Let's find more to smash!

((Ready for Battle #4))
Hoorah, every enemy was now cut apart and/or toasted. ZephyrMan accessed the nearest bit of leftover data, slightly disappointed that it didn't contain chip data. Seemed Yumland wasn't his lucky area. On another note, KaijuMan was quite eager to continue. He didn't disagree with the sentiment at all, but took a quick look at Ariel, who looked as though she could hold up for at least one more battle before it was time to head time. Hopefully. "Well, it seems like a waste to not continue, when we're all in tip top shape!"

Er, actually, there probably was a reason to not continue, now that he thought about it for a moment. "Though...Ante, if we proceed much further, your...condition will probably begin to take a severe toll. If you wish to stop, I'll submit to your will on the matter. However, I admit that my desire for battle isn't quite fulfilled..."

"Pfft, yeah right! You just want that jumpsuit to come off!"

"Absolutely not. While I confess that I enjoy the female form, I find very little enjoyment when it occurs against their will. If I wish for such a thing, all I need to do is order another drink or two for you, and I'll have all the stripping anyone would need!"

"O-Oww..." In one blow, Ariel went from a goofy, happy expression to looking like she just heard her pet cat had died. "I...I'm not that much of a floozy...am I...?"

"My apologies, that's a bit harsh. But I remain insulted from that insinuation. Never mind my operator, she'll be fine in a few minutes once the alcohol reaches this particular memory. But my question remains, of course..."

(Ready for Battle #4)
Ante sighed in relief, happy for another victory. She turned to ZephyrMan, surprised to hear that he was concerned with the condition of her wardrobe. "Please, don't allow this to be a deterrent. I don't have any reason to suspect that either of my allies have any intentions other than fighting alongside me, therefore, I have no reason to worry about this irregular condition. I'll remain the same fighter no matter what happens to me," she explained, pressing one hand to her chest with a calm and tranquil smile.

Her eyes opened up briefly as ZephyrMan said something about the female form, then quickly closed again, returning her to her peaceful expression. "While my body may be that of a woman, I-I'm sure we can put that aside if it comes down to it and simply ignore the distraction," she reaffirmed.

Teruko actually felt more sorry for ZephyrMan than she did for Ariel. Ante's operator could see that ZephyrMan was apologetic for his words, but she really couldn't argue with what he'd said. She wouldn't call Ariel a total floozy, buuuuut...

"Teruko, is everything alright? I'm ready to continue as long as my partners would like," Ante reiterated.

"Oh? Oh! Yeah, everything's cool. Let's keep on clubbin," she replied, laughing awkwardly. She also couldn't help but be concerned with Ante's attitude. It was one think to ask your allies to be mature and so forth, but she'd never seen underneath Ante's undersuit herself. If there was something really bold under there, Teruko really couldn't reprimand the other navis (or John/Ariel, for that matter) if they said something about it.

((Ready for Battle #4))
As the group continued on through Yumland, they came across a rather peculiar sight. A large candle stood in the middle of a field, radiating light and heat. The grass that had been near the candle was burned away to reveal the soil beneath it. Near the candle were too pools of molten lava that bubbled slowly. Within each pool was a single virus that looked like a lamp of sorts. The lamps seemed to be bathing themselves in the lava.

A line of Boomers stood between the pools of lava and the grass that marked the edge of the candle's heat. They were pointing outward, toward the Navi in an attempt to guard the lava pools and the viruses within. A large fiery virus stood just behind the Boomers. It was a CanDevil who was orchestrating the whole scene.

A couple of trees were scattered within the grass, each with a Shrubby huddling behind it. They looked more worried about the lava than they were the arrival of the three Navi. Two spiders stood near one of the trees as well, lazily spinning their webs. Two bear cubs were laying in the grass, relaxing in the warmth provided by the candle and seemingly unconcerned by everything going on around them.

BoomerA: 60hp (Soil)
BoomerB: 60hp (Soil)
BoomerC: 60hp (Soil)
ElemperorA: 100hp (Lava)
ElemperorB: 100hp (Lava)
CanDevil: 120hp (Soil)
Candle: 60hp [Heatbody] (Soil, between Lava pools)
--Grass--
TeddyA: 100hp
TeddyB: 100hp
ShrubbyA: 50hp (Behind TreeC)
ShrubbyB: 50hp (Behind TreeA)
ShrubbyB: 50hp (Behind TreeB)
SpiderA: 80hp
SpiderB: 80hp

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

Allies- (All on grass)
Ante.Exe: 150hp
KaijuMan.Exe: 170hp
ZephyrMan.Exe: 150hp

Terrain: 30% Lava situated into two pools on the far side of the clearing, 30% Soil surrounding Lava pools, 40% Grass

Objects:
TreesA-C: 30hp, scattered around grass terrain

Battle 4: Fight!