You Jelly? Because Blub's jelly.

Even as he held a giant jellyfish, SplashMan had little issue sidestepping the hammers. It definitely helped that this wasn't the first time he'd run into a Gaia. Now, to get his SP in range to end things. Although... "You know, now that I think about it, isn't it kinda mean to make Blub attack jellyfish viruses?"

"Now that you mention it, it's kinda weird...but he's not even hesitating or anything, so I don't think it's bothering him much. I think, anyway. Sometimes it's a little hard to tell just what he's thinking..." It was easy for Sabrina, however, to tell what she was thinking: 'hey, my Navi's HP isn't maxed out, that's bad'. Good thing she had the cure for that ailment. "Before we wipe some more Gaia off the face of the Net, I'm healing you up, just in case something really, really wrong happens sometime! BattleChip, Recover150! Slot in!"

For what was probably the millionth time, pink healing energy surrounded the stout Navi, and removed some of the pain from the previous zappyness he had taken. In high spirits and even higher HP, he raced across the bridge, until he was practically right next to the menacing hammer wielding statues. "You're up next, Sabrina!"

"On it!" Of course, there was only one option in this situation, and everyone knew it. It was why SplashMan had run right into enemy territory so quickly. "Smash 'em up, Blub! BattleChip, GutsImpact! Slot in!"

The chip data passed from PET to Navi, and from there, sent it over to Blub. Two of his tentacles suddenly began to enlarge, forming gigantic fists that would make more sense on a hulking, manly Navi than a mid-sized, jellyfish SP. Despite his normal lack of hands, however, he knew how to use his new weapons, and engaged in the extremely manly activity of trying to bash in the faces of his enemies. POW! POW! POW! ...Wait, weren't there only two viruses? Eh, maybe he attacked one twice...it was kinda hard for SplashMan to see, since even though Blub wasn't completely opaque, he still had a combination of translucency and distortion effect that he couldn't really see through or anything.

Anyway, three punches meant that he'd lose the fists, and regain his plain, ordinary tentacles. Which meant that it was time to get out and dodge. And one about face later, he did just that. He looked back as he ran, though, to see if he even had anything to be running from at this point. Since, if he did, he'd have more fancy footwork to do...

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
1-Recover150 chip on SplashMan (150, S, Recovery)
2-Get Blub close to Gaia
3-Send GutImpact to Blub
4-Flee from melee range
5-Dodge
6-Dodge]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-GutImpact chip attack on GaiaB (160, B, Impact, Break, Knockback)
2-GutImpact chip attack on GaiaC (160, B, Impact, Break, Knockback)
3-GutImpact chip attack on GaiaC (160, B, Impact, Break, Knockback)]

The Shake3 misses its follow up attack and falls off the bridge into the lava, melting away.

The Gaias swing their mighty hammers at Blub, as Blub swings his manly fists at the Gaias, and SplashMan dodges while still holding Blub. Both Gaias miss the constantly shifting SP, while Blub only manages to hit one of them, smashing it to pieces.

SplashMan and Blub leave melee range, quickly out-distancing the slower virus.

-Viruses-
GaiaA: DELETED
GaiaB: 100HP [Stonebody] [Furnace] [1-Movement Away]
GaiaC: DELETED
VolcanoA: DELETED
VolcanoB: DELETED
HeatJellyA: DELETED
HeatJellyB: DELETED

-Terrain-
20% Furnace [Bridge]
80% Lava

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 490HP [Furnace]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Furnace]

[Pickpocket: FireBomb1]

Well, dang. That was one lucky Gaia. SplashMan couldn't help but stare at it for a moment, just out of shock that it wasn't collectable data chunks by now. "Aww...I thought this'd be over!"

"...Dang, that's one lucky Gaia!" Sabrina Jetto: Master of the Obvious. "Well, we've got two choices. Either you can finish up for Blub-"

"Never! I'm probably pushing it by carrying him around!"

"...OR...we can play the waiting game, and wait for the perfect chance to strike. I thought you might say that, so here's said way of striking!" An entire BattleChip! The gall! The intrigue! "BattleChip, CircleGun2! Slot in!"

As usual, the data materialized in the Navi's hands, and he subsequently sent it over to his SP...but since he was literally holding said SP, the transfer was more than a little hard to see. "You heard the boss! Wait until it turns from gray to purple, then let it have it!" And so he begin to stand around, waiting for the Gaia to do its thing. And when it did...zoom! He was outta the way. Even if it was an earthquake, he jump as high as his feet would take him. Which...wasn't very high, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying.

The jellyfish raised a tentacle, which formed some sort of ray gun one might see an alien use in a cartoon, and placed another one below it, to steady his aim. Like his boss (and his boss) said, he just had to wait for the Gaia to change color, signifying that it dropped its defenses, and then...PEW PEW! Laser shots would be emitted, hopefully frying the virus before it could attack. Now, how good a quick draw was he...?

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
1-Send CircleGun2 chip to Blub
2-Dodge
3-Dodge
4-Dodge
5-Dodge
6-Dodge]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-Wait for GaiaB to shed its defenses
2-CircleGun2 chip attack on GaiaB (120, A, Seeking)
3-CircleGun2 chip attack on GaiaB (120, A, Seeking)]

The Gaia bounded forward and brought down its hammer, on nothing. As someone dodged out of the way. Blub took the opportunity to blast the Gaia with his CircleGun2, and missed.

The second shot hit, but by then the Stonebody protection was raised. As such he barely scraped a hit point off.

-Viruses-
GaiaA: DELETED
GaiaB: 99HP [Stonebody] [Furnace]
GaiaC: DELETED
VolcanoA: DELETED
VolcanoB: DELETED
HeatJellyA: DELETED
HeatJellyB: DELETED

-Terrain-
20% Furnace [Bridge]
80% Lava

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 490HP [Furnace]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Furnace]

[Pickpocket: FireBomb1]

If it was possible for a Navi with only a pair of eyes for a face to grimace at the rotten hand of fate, SplashMan most definitely did so as he looked on at the still existent Gaia. He shifted Blub over to his left shoulder, who wasn't especially pleased; he knew what that entailed. "Don't worry, Blub, that was just terrible luck! We'll just say that's where the battle ended, and the streak can continue!"

"I guess you don't need me for this part, huh? All right, I'll just sit back and enjoy the, er, scenery..." Yeah...the real world had as much of a hellish landscape as the cyberworld for Sabrina. "Um...or maybe I'll just hang around and watch you pump that virus full of...uh...whatever it is your buster shoots out!"

"I dunno either. I just know that it works!" The watery Navi pointed his right arm at the hammer wielder, which by now had acquired a buster gun shape. With an internal command, it began to shoot burst after burst of pink energy shot, all set to pepper the Gaia with the most basic of all attacks. It wasn't how he really wanted it to end, but, well, now he was getting bored with this area, and wanted to move along. Fortunately, his buster was more than capable of solving that.

Blub, of course, was perfectly content to rest on his master's shoulder, and watch the action...

[Order of Turn:
1-Buster shot on GaiaB (50, Break)
2-Buster shot on GaiaB (50, Break)
3-Buster shot on GaiaB (50, Break)
4-Buster shot on GaiaB (50, Break)
5-Buster shot on GaiaB (50, Break)
6-Buster shot on GaiaB (50, Break)]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-Dodge
2-Dodge
3-Dodge]

Finally having enough, SplashMan blasts the Gaia full of holes.

-Viruses-
GaiaA: DELETED
GaiaB: DELETED
GaiaC: DELETED
VolcanoA: DELETED
VolcanoB: DELETED
HeatJellyA: DELETED
HeatJellyB: DELETED

-Terrain-
20% Furnace [Bridge]
80% Lava

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 490HP [Furnace]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Furnace]

~Battle 7: Victory!!~
Rewards: 1960z, 47 BugFrags
Pickpocket: FireBomb1

FINALLY. As SplashMan shifted his hand back from a gun, Blub hopped off of him, and started snatching up bits of what had been left by the viruses. The Navi, however, focused on the concentrated bit that appeared after a thorough thrashing. "That was one lucky Gaia, huh?"

"Eh, I don't think so. As soon as it ran into you, it was history!"

"Yeah, but just look at all the moves that missed it...I mean, how often do you see that happen? And we've done a lot of busting!"

"Well, yeah...but it didn't matter in the end, so whatever! Lemme know when you're all set to move on, by the way. Actually, do you wanna take a break? You've been there for a while..."

"Nope, I'm still feeling good! And so's Blub!" The jellyfish turned around to make an 'OK' sign with a tentacle, then scooped up the last of...whatever it was he was scooping up. "Looks like Blub's done, and so am I! We just got cash, but it turned out we swiped a chip from the Volcano, too!"

"Really?" Sabrina excitedly looked at her PET screen...only to be crushed at discovering just what that chip was. "...FireBomb? That thing drops FireBomb? That...is a bummer and a half..."

"Yeah...but we'll figure out something for it! And I'm sure sooner or later we'll find something else new!" After wordlessly signaling Blub to follow, SplashMan got around to fully crossing that bridge, and into more rarely explored regions of Hades.

(Searching for Battle #8)

Leaving the lava behind, the two come upon a steaming hot battlefield. It was hard to see through the layer of heated fog. But what they did see was a large contingent of fire-dragon viruses, ready to fight. As well as lots of steaming holes.

The biggest and scariest dragon of them all appeared out of one of those steaming holes, roaring at the sky before it slithered back into its hole, disappearing from sight. Two large pots also stood on either side of the field, probably holding something dangerous.

-Viruses-
Lavagon EX: 230HP [Hiding] [Missing]
MagmaDragonA: 200HP [Hiding] [Furnace]
MagmaDragonB: 200HP [Hiding] [Furnace]
DragrinA: 120HP [Heatbody] [Furnace]
DragrinB: 120HP [Heatbody] [Furnace]
DragrinC: 120HP [Heatbody] [Furnace]
DragrinD: 120HP [Heatbody] [Furnace]

-Terrain-
70% Furnace
30% Missing [In 5% Panels]

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 490HP [Furnace]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Furnace]

~Battle 8: Start!!~

Another batch of viruses. Nothing he couldn't handle, of course, but SplashMan could sense something inside one of those holes. Something strong for a regular virus. He had to wonder just what was in there...but he wasn't dumb enough to peer over into the abyss. "What's in that hole? I can feel something powerful in there, but I dunno what..."

"The PET says it's called a Lavagon...whatever that is. But we've got lots of other stuff to deal with, so let's worry about it later!"

"Um, all right..." He honestly wasn't completely sure if he could do that, with the relatively fragile Blub around, but...well, if it wasn't coming out, there wasn't much he could do about it for the moment..."So, how do you wanna approach this? Blub's raring to go!" Sure enough, the jellyfish had made his way in front of his master, giving the visible enemies an extremely menacing glare...by his standards, at least. With his big, almost googly-like eyes, it somehow managed to be adorable anyway.

"Well, I don't think we can hurt the dragons while they're in their pot, and if we can, I don't remember how...so we'll work on the Draggin first. They look more like sea horses to me, but what do I know..." Well, she knew a good way to deal with three of them at once. That was something. "BattleChip, MetaGel! Slot in!"

After the requisite transferral from PET to Navi to SP, the latter pointed up at the sky with three tentacles, triggering three blue light flashes high above. They seemed insignificant at first, but they grew bigger and bigger...and unceremoniously slammed into the ground, preferably that which was inhabited by fiery sea horses. The Slimey viruses turned around and saluted Blub; bizzarely, instead of their usual faces, they simply had Blub's eyes. Which...made them look a lot like him, except for the lack of tentacles part. And with that observation made, they disappeared, their duty fulfilled. "I really don't know what Blub does to those chips, but it really makes you wonder sometimes..."

"Yeah, but I try not to..." Sabrina did, however, think of ways to delete viruses. Admittedly, for a group like this, with an arsenal like hers, that wasn't especially hard. "All right, let's worry about the others we can see now! Blub, if you can hear me, wait for those potted dragons to appear before using these, okay?" A salute let her know that the SP heard every word. "I'll take that as a yes. BattleChip, AquaDragon2! Double slot in!"

A pair of the jellyfish's tentacles elongated and pointed forward, but did nothing at first. Much as his master's master had instructed, he waited for the MagmaDragons to pop out. Waiting, and waiting, and w-oh, there was one. A WaterDragon burst out from one of the tentacles, ready to wreak havoc on whatever got in its way...even fiery brethren. And now for the other...there it was. A second WaterDragon emerged, also ready to destroy as it brought forth rarely seen wet terrain into the area it slithered over. Unfortunately, they were rather hard to control, so there wasn't much anyone could do but watch and hope for the best...

Except for SplashMan, who picked Blub up and set him atop his head, and prepared for evasive maneuvers, as he was prone to do. Or, at the very least, shield his SP with his body. That was something he was always good at.

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
1-Give MetaGel1 chip to Blub
2-Give AquaDragon2 chip to Blub
3-Give AquaDragon2 chip to Blub
4-Pick up Blub
5-Dodge
6-Dodge]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-MetaGel1 chip attack on DragrinB, DragrinC, and DragrinD (90+10, Aqua, B, Slow, Drop Attack)
2-AquaDragon2 chip attack on enemy viruses (150+10, Aqua, C, attacks until 25% Sea is created) (AVOID LAVAGONEX IF POSSIBLE)
3-AquaDragon2 chip attack on enemy viruses (150+10, Aqua, C, attacks until 25% Sea is created) (AVOID LAVAGONEX IF POSSIBLE)]

Facing the equivalent of at least three forest fires and a few exploding ovens worth of heat energy, SplashMan... seemed to have little cause for concern, for reasons that need not be pointed out. Meanwhile, his trusty partner Blub did his damnedest to look threatening. By most generally accepted standards he probably failed, but that didn't really matter when you could drop giant blobs of gel from the sky. Which Blub did, with great aplomb. The tentacles went up, and the gel came down upon the unsuspecting Dragrins, cooling the panels they floated above instantly. Unfortunately, one virus was not quite so unsuspecting and got itself out of the way. It retaliated quickly with a pair of brilliant flames that inflicted some damage upon the Navi-SP team. Mildly unfazed, Blub continued his delegated assault with a counter-draconic offense directed at one of the MagmaDragons that had now burst from its pot expecting to wreak havoc. Instead, it got a dragon to the face. Not how anyone really expects to start their day. The second MagmaDragon had more luck, emerging while the second AquaDragon was busy coating the other side of the battlefield in water. By the end of their display the battlefield looked like it had been hit by a tsunami, then a volcano, then another tsunami. Another one of the Dragrin went missing sometime during this. SplashMan and Blub were now situated on the sea panels, while the MagmaDragon had coated the viruses' side in lava. The Lavagon emerged at this point, somewhat confused since it was pretty sure it had chosen a nice spot with lots of furnace panels. Not taking too long to cope, the fearsome beast (which had emerged somewhat closer to SplashMan and Blub) attempted to fry the pair but merely boiled some sea panels as SplashMan took off with Blub situated securely on his cranium.

-Viruses-
Lavagon EX: 230HP [Missing, Sea section]
MagmaDragonA: 200HP [Lava]
MagmaDragonB: DELETED
DragrinA: DELETED
DragrinB: DELETED
DragrinC: DELETED
DragrinD: 120HP [Heatbody] [Lava]

-Terrain-
45% Sea
20% Lava
5% Metal (Where Dragrins were)
30% Missing [In 5% Panels]
100% Confusing

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 470HP [Sea]
Blub.SP: 60HP [Sea]

As he looked over the battlefield conditions, SplashMan quickly drew a conclusion: whoever came here after him was going to be seriously confused about all the water he was making. He then drew another one: that dragon in the hole was actually kinda intimidating, even though he knew he could beat it in a single shot. Made him wonder just how strong high level ones were...and imagine if it came in elements like PotDragons. An electricity shooting, super strong dragon...that was NOT something he wanted to think about.

Naturally, his operator was more interested in what kind of chips such a virus gave out. "I'm pretty sure you saw this one coming, but we're gonna try and find out what kind of chip dragons in the hole give out! BattleChip, PickPocket! Slot in!"

A Bandcoon appeared in front of the duo of water tank and jellyfish, who watched as it looked over the remaining enemies, freezing upon seeing the larger flame emitting dragon. Wringing its hands in mirth, it spun into a ball, raced forward, and leapt into the air...swinging its hooked tail into the virus, and grabbing a chunk of data from its innards. As it landed, it whipped out a (thankfully fireproof) treasure chest, threw the data in it before anyone could see what it was, and locked it tight. It dusted its tiny hands off, satisfied at its work...but made the unfortunate move of looking down, showing that it hadn't leapt far enough to escape the empty hole the Lavagon occupied. One could almost hear it shout 'going down!' as it fell into the abyss, hopefully vanishing before the off chance that it created a giant splat down in Rogue Net.

"Well, uh...let's just end this before we get too bored, okay?" And nothing said unboring quite like sending multiple version of the exact same chip, right? "BattleChip, WideShot3! WideShot2! Uh...would I go triple slot in, since there's three total chips? Or would I say it separately, since they're technically different types of chips?"

"I think you got the point across, so just send 'em!"

Click! "Sent!"

SplashMan accepted the data, only to turn around and transfer the water attacks right into his SP. Blub responding by extending all but two of his tentacles, and growing sharp blades over them. One of them was noticably bigger than the others, though. He looked over each virus, wherever it was, figuring out where they might be...and then extended all of his razored extremities. Three of them went sailing away from anything that could be called an enemy in the fight...but the others had a perfectly good chance of hitting. Possible destruction of the Draggin. Potential annihilation of the MagmaDragon. And since the biggest blade was going towards it, maybe obliteration of the Lavagon. Perhaps.

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
1-PickPocket chip on LavagonEX (B, steals reward data from one enemy)
2-Send WideShot3 to Blub
3-Send WideShot2 to Blub
4-Send WideShot2 to Blub
5-Dodge
6-Dodge]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-WideShot3 chip attack on LavagonEX (110+10, Aqua, A, Wide Attack)
2-WideShot2 chip attack on MagmaDragonA (90+10, Aqua, A, Wide Attack)
3-WideShot2 chip attack on DragrinD (90+10, Aqua, A, Wide Attack)]

Remaining mostly unfazed by the mishmash of terrain that had covered the battlefield, SplashMan and Blub looked on as their operator summoned some passive backup to assist in maximizing fiscal profits. In other words, a Bandcoon appeared and made a beeline for the Lavagon, attempting to snatch some treasure before making an unceremonious exit through one of the holes in the area. The result was a tidy amount of zenny, garnered handily and left sitting in the giant puddle that covered almost half the battlefield. Not content with this much water, SplashMan received an extra salvo of aqua power to throw at the viruses. He passed it over to Blub, who once again attempted to look as threatening as possible with his new ordnance. Taking into account the lethal looking blades on his tentacles this time around, by some standards he had probably succeeded. The jellyfish stared down its foes with all the rage a jellyfish can presumably muster before launching a barrage of WideShots. The viruses were hard-pressed to avoid all that water, but the Dragrin did its damnedest by getting clear out of the way of its intended demise... only to join the MagmaDragon in its.

Well, E for effort.

-Viruses-
Lavagon EX: DELETED
MagmaDragonA: DELETED
MagmaDragonB: DELETED
DragrinA: DELETED
DragrinB: DELETED
DragrinC: DELETED
DragrinD: DELETED

-Terrain-
45% Sea
20% Lava
5% Metal (Where Dragrins were)
30% Missing [In 5% Panels]
100% Confusing

BATTLE 8 COMPLETE!

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 470HP [Sea] PickpoGET: 500z
Blub.SP: 60HP [Sea]

Rewards:
BodyBurn1
1260z
56 BugFrags

And, that was a wrap. SplashMan checked all the data that had been acquired...chip data, good. Sabrina wouldn't be completely happy, though, since it didn't come from Lavagon. But at least it was something new. "So, we got something called HotBody, which comes from Draggin. And we got cash, which never hurts...and I think that's about it."

"Huh, neat. Maybe I can trade it for something sometime...and yep, cash is always good! And don't forget, Blub has to absorb those data fragments for whatever reason."

The Navi looked over at his SP, who was happily gathering less useful pieces of virus data and ingesting them. "Yeah, but I think he's almost done. ...What do you think? Wanna take a break, or should we keep going?"

"Eh...we'll go a little further, then we'll head back to the inn, just in time for supper!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Hmm...looked like Blub was all done, too. And so, with a wave, he signaled him to follow, and headed even further. Kinda made him wonder just how many Navis got this far, even in a regular Net...not many, probably.

(Searching for Battle #9)

Finished reaping the rewards from their most recent skirmish, SplashMan and Blub continued on through the network. It started to get noticeably hotter once again, with pockets of lava panels appearing often. Finally, the Navi-SP pair came across a particularly large pool of lava, its surface radiating intense heat. Upon the pool were two imposing figures; a pair of Catacks each floated on their own small metal platform. The viruses' spotters immediately laid eyes upon SplashMan and sounded the alarm, causing the pool's surface to ripple violently. The Catacks held on for dear life as their platforms rocked, and SplashMan watched as a trio of Champu emerged from the pool and turned to face him. Finally, another pair of viruses approached... much less imposingly, skittering in from the other side of the pool. Two CirKills set off around the pool, each going around a different way to begin their assault.

And yet, despite all this firepower a more important question presented itself: how did those Catacks get there?

Viruses:
Champu EX-A: 120 HP (Lava)
Champu EX-B: 120 HP (Lava)
Champu EX-C: 120 HP (Lava)
Catack EX-A: 160 HP (On Metal platform in lava, left)
Catack EX-B: 160 HP (On Metal platform in lava, right)
CirKillA: 110 HP (Approaching around left edge of pool)
CirKillB: 110 HP (Approaching around right edge of pool)
Dominerds: ??? HP
Terrain:
75% Lava (Large, deep circular pool)
5% Metal (Two floating platforms)
20% Normal (Area surrounding the pool)

Allies:
SplashMan.EXE: 470 HP (Normal)
Blub.SP: 60 HP (Normal)

BATTLE 9 START!

Upon reaching the large lava pool, SplashMan scoured the area, seeing some fairly strong viruses in the process. He looked them over, and plotted...and plotted...and plotted. It felt like he was plotting for months, maybe years...

And eventually, Sabrina could take no more. "Hey, SplashMan! You stuck in an infinite loop or something?"

"Eh?" The water Navi came to his senses, and looked around, a bit dazed. By this point, even his SP was looking at him worriedly. "...Did you say something, Sabrina? I think I might've gotten myself caught in a logic loop or something..."

"...Never mind, not important. Soooo...what do you say we try and swipe some goodies before the main event?"

"...Do these even have anything we need?"

"No, but it couldn't hurt to try." Which meant it was time for some fancy chip action. "BattleChip, PickPocket! Slot in!"

A Bandcoon formed in front of Navi and SP, as the very epitome of fluffiness and theft. It took a moment to think, but decided that this time, there would be no goofy tricks. Curling into a ball, it sped around the rim of pool, violating the commands of many a lifeguard, and rapidly approached the CirKill. As it neared, it prepared for the faithful moment...and as it passed by, its tail extended, and swiped a piece of data from the deadly virus. Before anyone could see what it was (besides the Bandcoon, it was just that good), it pulled out a treasure chest from within its fur, slammed the data inside it, and locked it tight. It then started to push the chest back towards its summoner...but it was quite heavy. It probably wouldn't get there until after the battle was over. Until then, whether it was chip data, cash data, or crud data, one could only speculate...

While a fun diversion, Navi and SP both kept watch over the viruses. It was nothing they couldn't handle, but it could be rough without some sort of protection..."All right, time to do a little testing! Send this over to Blub!" Time to try out that chip...the one with the big gray Navi on it. "BattleChip, StoneBody! Slot in!"

Heavy gray data appeared in SplashMan's hand, and he tossed it over to his jellyfish companion. Almost instantly upon receiving it, Blub began to solidify, essentially turning into unmeltable ice. It looked like his eyes and two frontmost tentacles were still capable of moving freely, though. Somehow. He raised one them high, and formed it into a rough thumbs up shape to show he was fine, just not as moveable as before.

"...Huh. You'd think he'd turn into stone, and not, well, ice. Weird SP..."

"Well, at any rate, we need to do something to cut down on this virus population. Any ideas?"

"As a matter of fact, I do! Now, I'm going to send two chips. Transfer the first one to Blub, but keep the second for yourself! You'll see why in a sec!" And chips...in! "BattleChips, Gaia2! WindRacket! Double slot in!"

More heavy data was sent from operator to Navi, then to SP, while the Navi got some significantly lighter for his personal use. A racket-like fan replaced his right hand, while the jellyfish's right-front tentacle formed into a giant hammer. "Wait, he's gonna-"

"Yep! And you can use that to help make sure you don't get caught in it!"

"...Oh, man..." SplashMan definitely felt some trepidation. He'd have felt it in the pit of his stomach, if he had a stomach to feel. As he braced himself, the SP happily raised his weapon high, then slammed it onto the ground with all his strength. A massive shock wave emanated from the epicenter in every conceivable direction, indiscriminate in its targets. Champy, Catack, CirKill...even battle participants whose names didn't start with C wouldn't be immune to the earthquake. But that's where tactics came in. As the shock wave neared him, the aquatic Navi powerfully swung with his WindRacket straight down. If Sabrina was right, he'd go sailing upward, high enough that by the time he landed, he'd be out of the danger zone. And if not...well, he was a tough Navi. He could handle one little quake. And if nothing else, it was indeed possible to pull it off, as the Bandcoon handily sprung into the air to avoid the power of Gaia. The chest seemed unaffected...it was definitely made to last.

Problem was, that by itself would not end the battle, even with the greatest of luck. But of course, that was easily fixed. "Okay, if my math is right, the Catack can takethat. But, if you do something on top of that, that'll be enough. Like this! BattleChip, TwinFang3! Slot in!"

After yet another transferal, the tentacles capable of movement became as sharp as needles, and each was pointed at its own tank virus. The points were quickly fired, jetting forward like missiles to penetrate and destroy their targets. ...Not a very flashy way to do it, but Blub was a tad immobile to get too fancy. He just needed to be accurate for now.

And of course, the Navi was prepared to try and avoid any flaming fists or gunfire aimed his way. If he was lucky, there wasn't anything left to do so...but since when were Navis that lucky? Never, that's when. And thus the need for vigilance remained...

[Order of Turn:
1-PickPocket chip on CirKillA (B, steals from one enemy)
2-Send StoneBody to Blub
3-Send Gaia2 to Blub
4-WindRacket chip attack on nobody (100, A, Microburst and NorthWind on impact, Gust) (Gust: Propel SplashMan straight up to avoid Gaia)
5-Send TwinFang3 to Blub
6-Dodge

Blub:
1-StoneBody chip on Blub (S, StoneBody for 2 turns)
2-Gaia2 chip attack on all viruses (130, C, Ground Attack, To-All Enemies)
3-TwinFang3 chip attack on CatackEXA and CatackEXB (130, A)]

The battle comes to a strange halt as every virus stops to stare at the strange, out-of-place Bandcoon, who fearlessly runs the perimeter of the lava pool, intercepting a CirKill and swiping at it. To the little thief's delight, it comes out of the encounter with a modest sum of Zenny; the CirKill mourns the lost contents of that mystery virus-wallet where viruses presumably keep their Zenny, and shakes its gun-arm in fury at the Bandcoon's retreating back.

And in a snap, the silly moment ends, and the battle resumes as normal. With the help of his Navi, Blub manages to get his Stonebody up just in time for a Champu to come rushing in, flaming fists of fury flying...and skittering quite neatly off the rock-solid jellyfish. Another Champu attempts an attack as well, to a similarly-futile result. Then Blub makes to retaliate...with a giant hammer of extreme prejudice. The two Champus are squashed flat beneath the hammer itself, let alone the shockwave it goes on to radiate. Ouch...

The shockwave blasts over the crowd of viruses, creating a wave of destruction as it goes. However, the rest of the viruses are mostly unharmed, managing to either ride out the shock or, in the cases of both CirKills, avoid it altogether; one Catack gets rocked onto its side, sustaining heavy damage, but remains alive. SplashMan himself manages to avoid taking damage with masterful use of a WindRacket, the gust of wind carrying him up and over the area of effect with ease...however, it carries him just a little too far, and he lands smack-dab in the pool of lava, suffering a minor burn to his tootsies even as he continues on sending his SP chips.

Blub's TwinFang, in a spectacular fashion...misses both Catacks completely, fang-like missiles veering off course as though possessed by the spirits of drunk Waldons. Unimpressed, both Catacks retaliate with full-scale tank warfare, uncaring that their cannons, though visually impressive, do ultimately very little to SplashMan's plucky little SP. The final three viruses tire of the nigh-invincible SP, and decide to go for the somewhat more vincible of their two foes. SplashMan proves that a mobile water tank can do a very good job evading a Champu's flaming fists...but, sadly, a CirKill's energy blast pegs him regardless, taking a slight chip off his HP count.

Viruses:
Champu EX-A: SQUISHED
Champu EX-B: SQUASHED
Champu EX-C: 120 HP (Lava)
Catack EX-A: 160 HP (On Metal platform in lava, left)
Catack EX-B: 30 HP (On Metal platform in lava, right)
CirKillA: 110 HP (Retreating around right edge of pool)
CirKillB: 110 HP (Retreating around left edge of pool)

Terrain:
75% Lava (Large, deep circular pool)
5% Metal (Two floating platforms)
20% Normal (Area surrounding the pool)

Allies:
SplashMan.EXE: 440 HP (Lava) [Pickpocket = 500z]
Blub.SP: 54 HP (Normal) [Stonebody: 1/2 turns remaining]

"Ow ow ow!" Needless to say, even as he kept doing things, SplashMan wasn't exactly happy to be standing around in lava. Or maybe dancing was a better word, as he shifted between feet at a rapid pace. "Sabrina! Lava! Hot!"

"Don't be a baby! You're tough enough to take that!"

"PAAAAAAIN!"

"...Or, maybe not..." Just when she thought he was done with the 'ow, I'm taking minor damage, and it hurts really bad' thing, there he was, doing it. Sigh. Well, he wasn't in the frame of mind to solve the easily remedied situation, so she'd have to do it for him, like old times. ...Well, maybe it wasn't old times, per se. But it was pretty old to her. Oh well, this was why she kept a certain chip up front; it always came in handy. Always. "BattleChip, AreaGrab! Slot in!"

In a flash, the watery Navi vanished from his hot spot, reappearing next to his SP. Fortunately for his aching feet, he'd managed to get in a sitting position in the instant it took to transport him. "Ooooh...I know my HP didn't go down that much, but that HURT!"

"...Really?"

"I'm like, all water inside! Have your insides ever boiled inside you? As in, lterally boiled? I didn't think so!"

"Huh...when you put it like that, ouch."

"I'll be okay, I just need to hang out in a spot that doesn't treat me like a giant tea kettle!" SplashMan looked over at his ice sculpture/companion, noting some small chips from the myriad attacks he'd just taken. "Wow, we're lucky that worked, or you might've been history...I hate to say it, but I think we've hit your limit." Blub's eyes immediately began to look sad, as though he thought he'd failed his Navi. Even though there were plenty of SPs that couldn't have done what he'd just pulled off. "You did great, Blub, really! But, this calls for a Navi's power!"

The water tank Navi got up on his feet, wincing slightly upon realizing how hot they still were. He eyed the viruses with surprising ferocity, and clenched his fists tight. "You almost wiped out my friend, so in return, I'm wiping YOU out! It's been fun watching Blub fight on his own, but now it's my turn! Bring it, viruses!"

"Yeah, now they get to face the greatest power there is...the power of the bond between Navi and operator! And, uh, a folder full of awesome chips doesn't hurt, either. ...Yeah, I just killed the mood."

"Pretty much."

"Well, let's see how the mood is once you and Blub are the only ones still standing!" That said, the chip she'd just grabbed wasn't too conducive towards helping with that...at least not at first. "This should surprise 'em...BattleChip, CurseShield! Slot in!"

A Dominerd formed over SplashMan's left arm, ready to intercept whatever attack came his way, and make the sender pay with a horrifically powerful bite. The Navi put it in front of him, but tilted his upper area slightly. "Uh, actually, since Dominerd's in Hades Isle, isn't it possible they know exactly how it works?"

"Even better! Then they won't even try, and you can just pick 'em off!"

"I dunno if that's how it works..." Still, picking them off one by one sounded good to him. For the first time in what felt like ages (even though he knew he'd done it not that long ago), he rapidly built up water pressure in his twin cannons, as he lowered them down over his shoulders. Keeping his eyes trained on the intact Catack, he fired, allowing the twin water blasts to rocket forward, and potentially rid himself of his most endurant foe in a single blow. Always a handy thing to be able to do.

"Now, let's get to the picking off...ing." ...It was like her ability to say proper words suddenly died. Oh well, he knew what she meant. "BattleChip, CircleGun2! Slot in!"

The aquatic Navi's right arm transformed, becoming not unlike the right arms of the CirKill circling the area. His, however, was decidedly stronger, though decidedly not more durable. Seeking to change that by making their guns junk data, he started to point it over at them. He didn't actually have to do more than that; the auto-targeting system in the gun automatically locked onto and fired a laser intense shot at each of them as it detected viruses. Not that he was done, by any means, and repeated the process on the souped up Champy, hanging out over the lava that had hurt him so much in terms of pain, even if his HP didn't reflect that.

Blub, meanwhile, was still feeling down from no longer being the main fighter. But, even without chips, he could still help out. He looked over at the virus his Navi was neglecting, and focused. A frozen tentacle raised up, pointed at the weakened Catack...and in rapid succession, three icicles shot out from it, each capable of impaling the tank virus, and render it non-functioning. And then, he'd still be useful, and not at all a failure.

[Order of Turn:
1-AreaGrab chip to near Blub (S, Teleport, Accuracy Up)
2-CurseShield1 chip on SplashMan (160, C, 1-hit shield, counters successful hit)
2a-Reserve Tank R signature move (Buster Charge, Passive)
2b-Reserve Tank L signature move (Buster Charge, Passive)
3-Water Splash charge attack on CatackEXA (200, Aqua, Break)
4-CircleGun2 chip attack on CirKillA (120, A, Seeking)
5-CircleGun2 chip attack on CirKillB (120, A, Seeking)
6-CircleGun2 chip attack on ChampyEXC (120, A, Seeking)

Blub:
1-Regular attack on CatackEXB (30, Aqua)
2-Regular attack on CatackEXB (30, Aqua)
3-Regular attack on CatackEXB (30, Aqua)]

Safely out of the lava, SplashMan took a brief time out to have a heart-to-heart with his SP, before deciding that enough was enough, and taking matters into his own hands... so to speak. Ever eager, the Champy zipped over to give SplashMan a quick one-two, or at least, it tried to; the navi had just readied his own particularly ferocious defence, and the moment the flaming fist struck it, the dominerd-shield's eyes glowed brightly. There came a groaning screech as its maw opened, lunging outward towards the virus with an enthusiasm that almost tugged it from its navi's grasp, before the jaws slammed shut again a moment later. As the shield dissipated, its job done, there was literally nothing left; not of the shield, and not of the poor champy either... it seemed to have been completely devoured.

While this was going on, the two Catacks telescoped and twisted their turrets about, as though puzzled by the results of their previous actions. Had something gone wrong? That didn't seem right. The stronger of the two decided to have another go at it, even as SplashMan charged up enough force to blast it from the net for good. It managed to take a final shot at the surprisingly resilient SP before SplashMan's charged blast annihilated it, so only one of the tanks saw the result; a direct hit on the less than squishy Blub, who shrugged it off with barely a scratch, and a blast that send a myriad of cracks over the ground surrounding the SP. Though the blast wave failed to deal any damage to SplashMan himself, right beside his SP, the lacework of panel damage spread out beneath his own feet as well; best tread carefully.

The best way to do that and still fight, of course, was to initiate a chip that handled most of the targeting work itself, and Splash's CircleGun made for an excellent choice. As much as the first CirKill arced evasively, the all too familiar shot found its mark before the virus could even manage to return fire. The second circling virus changed the direction of its arc just as SplashMan fired his next shot, and the chips targeting failed to compensate fast enough. If the sudden shift was enough to throw of the chip's auto targeting, however, the same was true of the CirKill's own weaponry; it missed its counter shot just as badly.

The main difference now, between the two, was that SplashMan still had another shot, while the CirKill didn't. The navi made sure this one counted, and that meant there was only one virus left.

This was it: the final showdown of the battle, the ultimate grudge match! One virus, one SP. The damaged Catack stole the initiative and fired a shot. It made its mark, but Blub's crystallised form was more than a match for the pitiful attempt at damage. Unfortunately, there was more to this attack than first appeared. The already cracked ground beneath their feet suddenly gave out with a terrible shattering sound, leaving both Blub and his navi to tumbled into the roughly broken hole. Was this the end? Had the virus won!? No! Blub might have been down, but he wasn't out yet. He could do something his master couldn't, too. One tentacle reached up to peek over the edge of the hole and delivered a volley of icy lances that snatched victory from the brink of defeat, and swiftly ended the viral threat... for now.

Just in time, Blub's hardened body returned to its far more adorably squishy form, and it was time to acquire the spoils.


-=Viruses=-
Champu EX-A: SQUISHED
Champu EX-B: SQUASHED
Champu EX-C: OMNOMNOM
Catack EX-A: DELETED
Catack EX-B: DELETED
CirKillA: DELETED
CirKillB: DELETED

-=Terrain=-
75% Lava (Large, deep circular pool)
5% Metal (Two floating platforms)
10% Normal (Area surrounding the pool)
10% Broken (Neat blast circle centred around Blub)

-=Allies=-
SplashMan.EXE: 440 HP [Broken Hole] [Pickpocket = 500z]
Blub.SP: 52 HP [Broken Hole] [Stonebody Ended]


-=Battle 9, Victory!=-

Spoils: 2100z, 46 BugFrags

Despite their experiences with being in other states of matter, both SplashMan and Blub returned to their normal levels of matter density as the battle came to a close. Sure, they were both stuck in a hole, but it wasn't like they were going to get shot at, with all the viruses history. "Well, that was fun. Aside from the whole boiling alive thing. And Blub nearly getting creamed."

"Yeah, I think we could use a break. We've been at it for a while, now."

"We could, but...I've got a hunch. Going a little farther would be a great idea!" Fortunately, the walls of the hole were surprisingly rocky, so even someone without legs could climb out with ease. Or, in the case of those with lots of stretchy legs, just reach up, grab the ledge, and pull out in one move. After reaching the top, the SP reached down, and helped his Navi up to the surface. "Thanks, Blub! ...Yeah, I can feel it. We need to keep going a little longer!"

"No, I hear you, we'll keep going. But, don't you think it'd be smart to pick up all that stuff first?"

"Huh? ...Oh, right! Can't believe I forgot!" Considering how often he'd done it, it was kind of hard to believe that he didn't remember to grab the loot from his victory. Let's see...cash, cash, and more cash. A pretty good amount, considering how little effort it took. Oh, and he couldn't forget that chest containing the Bandcoon's goodies...even more cash. Not bad at all. Blub, meanwhile, was content to stand around and absorb all the junk data the viruses left behind into himself. A nice bonus on top of all of that.

"All right, let's go. I think the last ferry back to shore leaves pretty soon, so we probably shouldn't waste more time!"

"...Er, maybe we should stop, then. It'd be rough if you had to spend the night there!"

"Hang on, I'm bringing up the ferry schedule now...oh, we've got plenty of time! So that's not an issue. Now, march!"

"Marching!" While he couldn't do a very good job of it thanks to his lack of legs, SplashMan did indeed march onward, ever deeper into the depths of Hades. Blub couldn't really follow suit...any attempts to do so would just get his tentacles tied up.

(Searching for Battle #10)

Enough net experience had long since taught SplashMan that, if they pushed on a little more, something interesting was bound to show up. He wasn't mistaken, either, and they'd only trundled on another minute or so when a very peculiar sound broke the air. It sounded vaguely fluid, a sort of slow, heavy burbling, but it also sounded... angry? Gleeful? It was hard to tell.

A look around showed that the pair were.. yep, still in the wholly inhospitable Hades net. This particular part of it seemed focused around a small pool of lava, residing at the base of a very tall, rocky peak to their left. A clef tin the mountain released a thick waterfall of molten rock, presumably the source of the pool, and though it flowed quickly, for lava, the pool wasn't growing. Chances were it was quite deep, and was running off underground as well.

A rocky bank of hot coals ringed the pool, though it was only a thin strip before the rest of the area turned to scalding, hazy furnace. Whether it would all stay that way, with the watery duo on the scene, was debatable, but for now, it look like a fire-types ideal hang-out. Which might have explained the strange sound a little more. Possibly. It was coming from high above, back beyond the crest of the lava-fall, but it was getting louder, and closer.

Soon enough, the source came into sight: cresting the river of lava, a strange, orange-red object... creature? Shot out from between the rocks, then began to plummet towards the lava pool at great speed. It looked like some sort of amorphous blob, with wet flecks of lava flying off its body as it fell, and several elongated tentacles trailing behind the bulk of its form.

It landed in the lava with a splash, sending globs of magma everywhere, then surfaced to present two overly-large yellow eyes to the newcomers. Apparently, the little blob didn't like what it was seeing. Something akin to angry eyebrows formed into ridges over its eyes, for the express purpose of drawing down, and it raised several tentacles into the air. They waved furious as it rose up in the lava enough to reveal a thin slit of a mouth that was making a greatly exaggerated frown at them, before it began to bubble and gurgle at the pair in what was quite certainly anger this time. It seemed it didn't want to deal with the presence of any water-type shenanigans around its swimming pool.

Without wasting any further time, it gave one last soggy battle cry, and gobbed an impressive-sized spit ball, made entirely of molten lava, towards them. The ball fell short, but splashed and skittered dangerously across the furnace panels just in front of SplashMan and his SP.

-=Furious Magma Flan, Blob.bak=-

Blob.bak: 300Hp [Lava][10hp Fire Barrier][10Hp Fire Casing]

-=Unwanted Water-types=-

SplashMan.Exe: 440 Hp [Furnace]
Blub.SP: 52 Hp [Furnace]

-=Lava-Park=-

35% Lava [Circular pool, back left hand side of the area]
15% Coal [Thin ring around Lava pool]
50% Furnace [The Rest]

-=Battle 10, begin!=-