Rockman.EXE:The College Years-3-82:Great Battle of Light(sp)

[Xel]

You've sped up your updating schedule didn't you? Didn't you just update yesterday or is it just me? <_< Anywho, nice use of the Undernavis and ColdMan. That trick with Mistman's lamp was quite nice. The same with Searchman's warp gun. But wouldn't Coldman be full of ice? I mean if he work's like Wily's verison. <_< but meh. It was still better then his BN4 story. >_> No seaching for those fire chips. Instantly better. =p

Just one question though. I know you've been focusing on other heros but I have to ask, what happened to the style changes? Like BN4 their disappearance wasn't explained at all and I was wondering. I figure Hub Style can get away with being all misterious and everything but Axl, Blues and Searchman(Full Syncho counts right?) have no such excuse. Just wondering what answer you could cook up. :]

[Midnight]

He updates at random intervals, though I have noted that he is shortening his intervals.

Once again, another combat-heavy chapter. Both fights had their high points. The first combat was markedly better than the second, I believe, since the second one degenerated into the CoA much too quickly.

And again, you have repeats from the games' plots. Especially the epilogue with Chillski. Sure they may not have had an adequate chance to be utilized in the game, but I've said it time and again--you must put them in situations that don't exactly mirror the games' plots. Put a little variety into it!
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[SonicNigma212]

Okay, I know that I'm a bit late with trying to give out my reviews for the two chapters that you've put up, but I've been a bit busy with trying to help out my family as of late. Now, here's the review for the two chapters that you've put up.

For the first one:
It's good that you were finally able to put in both Nenji and NaplamMan as well as Lilly and her Navi WindMan into the story along with Tory and IceMan. Not to mention the fact that you were able to add the character Phakchi and SlashMan from the new season of the anime as well as the new Battle Network 6 battle game. The way that you were able to describe the four way battle that you've put in this chapter as well. Of course, it was a bit difficult trying to figure out the battle. A bit confusing if you want my opinion. In any case, the battle wasn't bad, but the plot could still use a bit of work.

For the second one:
Now for this one that you've put up recently. Now, it a bit better than the last one that you've put up. It's good that Princess Pride, Laika, and Mitani working together to stop a Net Criminal from the Red Sun and Blue Moon games. Of course, the battle that you've put up is better than all of the other recent chapters that you've put up. But from reading it, this chap is almost like the other ones that I've been reading, however it's still better than all of the other ones that I've read.

That's about it for me on my reviews. Now, here's what I think about what you should do on future chapters. I know that you've probably heard this already, but this is really going to be the last time. Honestly, I really think that you should put more thought into Lan and Maylu's relationship. And what about that female shrink that you've mentioned in chapter titled "Work!" It seems to me that you've got something planned Sophia Crowley and her Navi Psyche. Well, just keep up the good work. Later!

Maurice A. Nigma ^_^ :grr:

[Anime Master ZERO]

This chapter contains three RPG cameos. Jack Kaloo and Kaloo are property of Kaloo. Terra Mitarasi and Diesel are property of Terra. Gamenerd and Tiefling are property of Grand Lord Tiefling.

***BEWARE OF EXE6 SPOILERS***

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CHAPTER 3-57
Famous Players

Four people stood together locked in a NetBattle with another individual. One of them was a fourteen-year-old teen with black hair and blue eyes. His real name was unknown, but he called himself Gamenerd. Then there was an old sailor named Kurohige. Next to him was a girl with clown face earrings named Chirol. Last was a blind fifteen-year-old black-haired teen named Jack.

“This battle is ours!” cried Kurohige.

“Not quite.” The four-man team’s opponent grinned and pushed up his glasses, “Let’s end this, team.” Inside the battle grid, the Navis of Gamenerd, Kurohige, Chirol, and Jack – a large demonic Navi named Tiefling, a blue submarine named DiveMan, a fat four-handed clown name CircusMan, and a dark purple Navi armed with a shield named Kaloo – stood against another foursome.

“Come on, it’s just one guy controlling four Navis,” Gamenerd urged, “There’s no way he could pay attention to all of them at once.”

“Kaloo, who are we up against?” asked Jack.

“Our opponents are GateMan, Punk, KendoMan, and FootMan,” Kaloo answered.

“Wait, I know those names. Then that must mean we’re battling against Mr. Famous!”

“No need for formalities,” Mr. Famous replied.

“Time to finish this off,” GateMan announced as he opened his chest, “Gate Cannon!” A cannon popped out from his torso and fired. His attack hit CircusMan and logged him out.

“My turn!” KendoMan held his kendo stick tightly and dashed towards DiveMan. With several powerful and quick swings, he forced the submarine Navi to log out.

“We just lost two teammates, Jack,” Kaloo reported.

“Tiefling, take them out now!” commanded Gamenerd.

“Entropic Claw!” Tiefling ran up to the foursome and lashed out with his claws. Punk quickly rushed in and blocked the attack with one of his shields.

“K Cutter!” Kaloo’s shield released a blade of energy which could easily be mistaken as a metal blade and ran ahead. FootMan got down into position and stared him down as he approached.

“Hell Tackle!” Two more FootMen appeared on either side of the original and they charged towards Kaloo. The purple Navi slipped past them and took out the clones, leaving only the original.

“Magnum Kick!” FootMan kicked his ball into the air and it came crashing down on top of his opponent, forcing him to log out.

“Rage of Pandemonium!” Tiefling roared as he unleashed his attack, but Punk retreated inside his protective shell and spun around.

“Mad Roller!” He slammed into his opponent and knocked him back as his spikes continued to cut deeper and deeper until Tiefling finally logged out.

With the match over, Kurohige, Chirol, Jack, and Gamenerd surrendered their Battle Points and their rarest chips before leaving.

“Well done, team,” Mr. Famous congratulated. His four Navis returned to his PET.

“Ow! Punk, your spikes are pressing against my back!” FootMan cried.

“I can’t help it. KendoMan’s kendo stick is poking my eye!” Punk argued.

“That wouldn’t be the case if FootMan wasn’t so big!” barked KendoMan.

“I have no control over that factor. But if GateMan didn’t keep leaning over me like that…”

“This PET is too cramped for me to stand upright,” replied GateMan.

“FAMOUS, GET A BIGGER PET!” shouted all four Navis.

* * *

Across from the Official Center, Speedy Dave sat at the café enjoying a quick coffee while staring out at the ocean. Sitting next to him was the freelancer Zekk.

“So Mr. Famous is challenging people in the Official Center?” asked Dave.

“So it seems,” Zekk answered, “Spider’s just been itching for a shot at him. He battles with four Navis.”

As they talked, a fifteen-year-old boy with black hair and brown eyes came out from the Official Center and walked over to them.

“He’s still there and he just beat another team of four,” he reported.

“Thanks, Terra,” Zekk responded, “Now we just need another team member and we’ll have four people to take on Famous’ Navis.” The three of them thought for a moment and then Terra pointed towards a depressed-looking blue-haired youth reading a book at another table.

“What about him?” he asked.

“That’s Dark Kirisaki,” Zekk noted, “I doubt he’d want to battle alongside us.”

“Actually, I’ve been wanting to battle Mr. Famous all day,” Kirisaki interjected. Dave, Terra, and Zekk looked up and turned towards him.

“How…?” Terra began.

“I heard every word.” Kirisaki shut his book and put it away before turning to the trio.

“Well, guess there’s no point in wasting any more time,” Dave concluded, “Let’s go.” Together, he, Terra, Zekk, and Kirisaki entered the Official Center and approached Mr. Famous.

“Famous,” Zekk announced, “We’d like to challenge you to a NetBattle. Us four against your Navis.”

“Alright.” Mr. Famous took out his PET, “Alright, you four. Time to stop bickering about space and to get ready for battle. Jack in!! GateMan, Punk, KendoMan, FootMan, power up!”

“Jack in!! QuickMan, power up!”

“Jack in!! Spider, power up!”

“Jack in!! Diesel, power up!”

“Jack in!! KillerMan, power up!”

Inside the battle grid, Mr. Famous’ Navis appeared in a line on one side of the field while the others appeared on the opposite side. Terra’s Navi Diesel was a very large machine with enormous arms and legs and heavy armor along with two exhaust pipes on his back and a head that resembled a truck cab.

“So, how many Battle Points will it be?” asked Mr. Famous as everyone slotted in their Battle Point chips.

“Who cares?” replied Kirisaki, “There are only two spots left in the finals, anyway.”

“Already?” asked Terra.

“Well then, we better hurry this battle up,” Zekk responded. Everyone picked a random number and Mr. Famous wagered the sum of their bets.

BATTLE START

“What did you learn from watching him, Terra?” asked Dave.

“From what I could tell, everyone worked as a team to take on all four Navis at once,” Terra replied.

“So that means each one of us should take one Navi and stick with him,” Zekk thought out loud.

“Everyone, pick a dance partner!” Spider called out.

“Mad Roller!” Punk pulled himself into his shield and rolled towards the other Navis. In response, KillerMan raised his scythe and charged forward. He swung his weapon and it collided with Punk’s spikes, forcing the red Navi to unfold and lash out with one of his arms. The cyber-personification of Death quickly swung out with his arms and entangled his opponent’s attack with his chain.

“Obsidian Lance!” Diesel formed a large dark purple jousting lance over his arm and opened the hatches in his lower legs, forearms, chest, and back, “ Missile Barrage!” Countless projectiles shot out from his body and homed in on Mr. Famous’ three remaining Navis.

“I’ve got this one!” FootMan got down on his knee and split into his copies, “Hike!” He passed his football to one of his clones, who threw it into the air while the real FootMan and the other copy ran past Diesel. One of them caught the ball and then kicked it at the large Navi’s back.

“Quick Boomerang!” QuickMan flew forward and threw a yellow boomerang that had materialized in his hand. KendoMan swung his kendo stick and deflected the weapon aside.

“Your speed can only help you so much,” he warned. Meanwhile, Spider drew his first five cards and faced off against GateMan.

“I’ll play this for my first move: the four of spades!” The bounty hunter took a card between two of his fingers and held it out for his opponent to see. He then turned his hand to the side and flung the card at him. GateMan opened his chest gate and allowed the lethal piece of cardboard to fly in before closing back up.

“That should remove your card from play for a while.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Spider drew a card and discarded two before drawing two more, “Check it out. I got a straight!” He revealed his hand to GateMan before un-fanning his cards and holding his arm at the side. Then without warning, he unleashed his hand like a machinegun. GateMan braced himself against the attack and managed to overcome to assault.

“Gate Soldier!” The tall Navi opened his chest and three small troopers armed with lances and shields hopped out and marched towards Spider. The gambler Navi grinned as he drew another hand and flung more cards.

* * *

“Killer Eye Beam!” KillerMan stood upright and planted the end of his scythe against the floor. He held his arms out and a beam shot out from the eye on his chest. Punk quickly detached one of the shields from his shoulders and used it to block the laser.

“Killer Phantom!” A dark aura seemed to surround KillerMan as three ghosts appeared before him and flew towards his opponent.

“Mad Roller!” Punk retracted and rolled through the phantoms, deleting them as he passed, and sped towards KillerMan.

“You’re begging for a deletion wish, aren’t you?” The grim Navi drew back his scythe and swung. His blade hit Punk’s Mohawk, but the crimson Navi refused to be knocked back and continued pushing forward.

“You’re persistent,” growled KillerMan.

“Same goes for you,” Punk replied.

KillerMan quickly thrust his arm down and caught his opponent’s spikes in his chain, stopping him in his spin. He then raised his hand and threw him into the air before aiming his eye at him.

“Killer Eye Beam!”

* * *

“Quick Boomerang!” QuickMan threw two more boomerangs and KendoMan deflected them just as he had done with all the others, which lay scattered on the floor all around him.

“Quick Blade!” The red-armored Navi dashed in towards his opponent and swung out with his arm blades. However, his attack was blocked when KendoMan raised his kendo stick.

Incredible! Dave thought to himself, He managed to block every one of QuickMan’s attacks. But how? QuickMan is one of the fastest NetNavis ever created.

“I see from the puzzled look on your face that you’re wondering how QuickMan’s attacks are being dealt with so easily,” Mr. Famous suddenly called out. Dave snapped out of his daze and looked at the NetBattle expert.

“It’s quite simple,” Mr. Famous explained, “QuickMan is, indeed, fast. However, that fact only extends as far as his own speed. The speed of his attacks is a far different matter. In addition, KendoMan has been using his other senses to find your attacks.”

“Now I’ll show you what I can do.” KendoMan took a step forward and dashed. His eyes closed and he listened carefully. The rush of the wind in the area indicated the direction in which his opponent was headed and how quickly. He suddenly made a ninety-degree right turn and swung. His kendo stick connected with QuickMan’s chest and knocked him away.

“How’d he get me?” the speedy Navi exclaimed. He quickly regained control and threw another Quick Boomerang at his opponent.

* * *

“Magnum Kick!” With his copies running towards Diesel, FootMan kicked the football high into the air and it came crashing down on top of the bulky Navi.

Because of his size and bulkiness, Diesel can’t move during battle, thought Terra, He’s built solely for power. But we can still win this one. We just have to do it right.

“Bound Throw!” FootMan threw his football and it bounced around on the floor before hitting Diesel.

“JusticeOne Battlechip in, download!” Just as the football players prepared for another attack, Duo’s fist suddenly came crashing down from above and hit all three of them. The copies faded, leaving only the original FootMan.

“Thanks, Terra,” Diesel said.

“We’re still far from finished,” called FootMan, “Hell Tackle!” He got back down into position and charged.

* * *

“Gate Cannon!”

“Counter Card!”

As GateMan fired his cannon, Spider raised a wall of cards in front of him and blocked the blast. His shield absorbed the attack and they disappeared, reappearing as a set of cards in his hand which he immediately fired at his opponent.

“Gate Soldiers!” GateMan opened his chest and more troops poured out.

“You don’t just give up, do you?” asked Spider as he discarded and drew three cards, “Full House!” After displaying his hand, he unleashed another attack that wiped out the soldiers.

“Spider, do you remember that card I took from you a while back?” asked GateMan, “Well, here it is again.” He opened his chest and the four of spades that Spider had thrown at the beginning of the battle shot out and hit the bounty hunter squarely on the chest.

“Clever,” commented the purple-haired NetNavi, “But let’s see how you handle the Queen of Hearts!” He held out the mentioned card and threw it at his opponent. Again, GateMan prepared to take it in, but instead the thin projectile struck his knee and exploded.

“All I gotta do is watch my aim,” Spider smirked.

* * *

By now, a crowd had gathered around and everyone watched in anticipation to see how the team battle would turn out.

“Shadow Battlechip in, download!” Kirisaki slotted in a chip and KillerMan faded black, which caused Punk’s arms to pass right through him.

“Who do you think will win?” a spectator asked.

“I’m guessing Famous,” another answered.

“But these guys seem to have this thing in the bag,” a third replied.

“Death Touchdown!” Two goalposts appeared behind Diesel and FootMan began running towards them.

“Missile Barrage!” Diesel opened up his hatches and unleashed another bombardment of missiles. His opponent ran back and forth trying to avoid getting hit. He clutched the football tightly in his hand and increased his speed.

“Terra, he’s going to run around me!” cried Diesel, “I can’t stop him!”

“No, but I can! Quick Boomerang!” A yellow boomerang shot out and hit FootMan’s helmet just above the eyes, catching him off guard and causing him to fall over. QuickMan flew in and threw another Quick Boomerang.

“Want to switch?” he offered. Diesel accepted and the two of them exchanged opponents.

“Training!” KendoMan split into three copies of himself and they began battering Diesel from all sides with their kendo sticks. The large Navi raised his Obsidian Lance and waited. When the right moment came, he thrust it forward and impaled the real KendoMan in the chest just as he appeared in front of him.

“Very good,” he commended, “However, you’re a little late.” The kendo Navi’s kendo stick was plastered against Diesel’s head and the two of them pulled back and fell before logging out.

“I’m out,” Terra announced.

“But you got KendoMan out of the picture,” Zekk replied, “Good job. Leave the rest to us.”

“Okay.”

* * *

“Remote Gate!” A giant gate appeared in front of GateMan and blocked the Straight Flush that Spider had just used. The doors opened and a giant purple hand reached out to grab him.

“I’ve got something for the likes of you,” Spider grinned as he was captured. He flicked out two cards and stick them into the palm. Then he drew another and sawed away at the fingers. Before long, his arm was free and he used the same card to cut himself loose. He landed back on the floor and watched as the first two cards he used exploded and destroyed the hand. The stump retreated back into the Remote Gate and it closed.

“The Joker’s my strongest card.” Spider revealed the card he had just used and drew another five, “What do you know? And on my first draw.” He held up his cards and they began to glow.

“Royal Flush!” A massive explosion engulfed GateMan and forced him to log out.

“Good card!”

Meanwhile, QuickMan was having more trouble with FootMan than he thought. He flew back to get away and he charged after him. Taking a glance behind him, he saw the fight between KillerMan and Punk and an idea struck him. Turning around, he flew ahead at full speed and his opponent followed.

“Screw Crusher!” Punk detached his blades from his shoulders and threw them at KillerMan.

“Hell’s Sickle!” The dark purple Navi swung his scythe and knocked the blades into the air. He then stood up and fired another Killer Eye Beam. At that exact moment, QuickMan dashed past the attack, just missing it by a centimeter, and flew ahead. FootMan, who was in hot pursuit, was unable to slow himself down in time and got caught in the fire.

“I suppose it’s better than nothing,” KillerMan commented. He raised his scythe and swung it down on the football player, forcing him out of the battle.

“We’re actually winning!” Dave exclaimed.

“Or are you?” Mr. Famous asked with a smirk. Punk’s two blades turned around in midair and flew back towards him. They struck QuickMan and Spider in the backs and forced them to log out, leaving as the only one KillerMan left.

“So it’s down to one Navi each,” Zekk thought out loud, “Kirisaki, make this count.”

“I actually like it this way,” Kirisaki replied, “Now there’s nothing to hold me back.” Back inside the battle grid, KillerMan ran at Punk and swung his scythe. His opponent used his hand to block before lashing out with his other arm, which he wrapped around the grim Navi and pinned his arms to his sides.

“You can’t use that scythe of yours if you can’t move your arms.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” asked KillerMan.

“What’s that?”

“This. Killer Eye Beam!” KillerMan fired his attack right into his opponent’s snake-like arm and broke free. He grasped his scythe in both hands and swung down, but Punk pulled back his arm just before his opponent could chop it off.

“Mad Roller!”

“Killer Phantom!”

Punk broke through his opponent’s ghosts and continued rolling. KillerMan grinned as he readied his scythe and chain.

“Screw Crusher!” Suddenly, the Mohawked Navi launched his sawblades and stopped. They spun towards KillerMan, cutting two trenches into the floor.

“I won’t go down without dealing one final blow! Hell’s Sickle!” He threw his scythe at Punk and blocked the sawblades with his chain. However, the spinning projectiles cut through the metal link and into his body. At the same time, his weapon sank its blade deep into his opponent’s chest. The two of them fell and logged out simultaneously.

“Well, looks like we’ve come to a draw,” noted Mr. Famous, “Well done, all four of you. But because it was a tie, nobody lost so everything stays as it was.”

“A draw’s not so bad,” said Terra.

“No reason for me to stick around anymore,” Kirisaki muttered. He put his PET away and left the Official Center without another word.

“Well, I certainly had a good time during that battle,” Zekk said.

“So did I,” added Dave.

“Indeed,” Mr. Famous replied, “It’s fortunate, though. Had your team won, you’d then be at each other’s throats trying to claim the last two spots in the finals.”

“Good point,” answered Terra.

“Well, our job is done. I’m going.” Zekk bid farewell and left. Dave exited the Official Center a moment later and Terra soon followed.

“However, those last two spots are as good as taken,” Mr. Famous said as soon as everyone left, “I regret I won’t be taking either of them, but the way things have been progressing, it won’t be long.”

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End of chapter 3-57.

CHAPTER PREVIEW
Lan: There’s only one open slot left in the Battle Network finals.
MegaMan: Everyone’s rushing to get it.
Lan: Takuya’s offered to help Maylu, but even if he doesn’t have enough points.
MegaMan: He’s going to help her into the finals.
Lan & MegaMan: Next time on Rockman.EXE: The College Years, “The Final Slot”.
Lan: Soon the finals will begin.
MegaMan: Let’s see who gets in.
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[Dark Liger]

FINALLY! The finals are coming! It's about time, too; I was worry they would never come. Oh well...

Well, I must say, I was quite drawn to that battle. The battle between Famous' Navis and Quickman, Killerman, Diesel, and Spider was done well, IMO. Hopefully, future chapters will be even better.

My rating: 9 out of 10. Good job! :]

[ForteZero.EXE]

'Bout time the tournament chapters will be coming to an end, next after the next chapter is the Finals.

We know Baryl and Colonel are in the finals, makes you wonder who else is in. I suspect Saiba and his Navi are in as well.

The last chapter was great. Famous operating GateMan, Punk, KendoMan, and FootMan with team work was great, as for Spider, Desiel, KillerMan, and QuickMan.

Hope the next few chapters will be this great. I rate 9/10. ^_^
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ForteZero ~ The White Shadow

[Midnight]

Although the combat was good, I'll admit, your policy of digging deep into the pool of unused characters still rages on...

So many characters that probably should have been utilized better rather than pawns in a tournament...and this one was just to the brim with them.

I for one am quite overjoyed that this tournament arc is coming to a close--it's really getting quite tedious and hard to read.
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[SonicNigma212]

I've got to say that this tournament is coming so long and hard to follow to be more precise. In any case, it may have it's ups and downs, but it's good that it would soon coming to an end. Now, onto the review.

Well, it's a pretty confusing battle that you've put up here for when you have Mr. Famous to use all four of his Navis at once. Not to mention the fact that you've managed to put some characters from the new Exe 6 game that's now in stores in Japan. In any case, it's good to see a battle like the one that you've put up. It was giving me a headache while trying to see who's going with who, but I've managed.

That's all from me for now, and I hope that the next chapter would prove to be interesting. Later!

Maurice A. Nigma ^_^ :grr:

[Abiisan]

Sorry I haven't reviewed lately, but anyway; I actually thought that chapter was pretty good and that you did a good a good job of shifting from character to character in the 4v4 battles. Even though I'm not a huge punk fan, I found that punk, rather than my usual favorite of kendomanwas much more interesting than the rest in my oppinion. One thing that got me was that you didn't tell us which navi was with which operator, instead leaving me to try and reach deep into my memory of past seasons. Lastly, I think you should make a post containing a list of the finalists, as this is info that the competitors would posses. I don't even remember if Netto is in or not, so if you or someone else could tell me that'd be great. Overall, I liked this chapter though.
_________________
Formerly known as LunarSun

Banner and icon by Xhunter17

[Anime Master ZERO]

***BEWARE OF EXE6 SPOILERS***

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CHAPTER 3-58
The Final Slot

The train pulled into the station and all the passengers disembarked. The conductor, Kunio Kurogane, checked the cars to make sure no one was left and found a short old man fast asleep. He gently shook him away and informed him that they had arrived.

“Everything about this tires me out,” the old man yawned.

“Well it’s almost over,” Kunio informed him, “There’s only one slot left in the finals and everyone is rushing to claim it. Once it’s taken, we can relax.”

“Indeed. My name is Roushi.”

“And I am Kunio.”

* * *

“Wow, Maylu. That’s impressive,” commented Takuya.

“Yeah, I’ve got ninety-nine Battle Points. I just need one more,” Maylu answered.

“Then we have to hurry,” Roll piped up, “Everyone’s now desperately clawing for that last spot.”

“Agreed,” MangaMan concurred with a nod.

“So which way should we go?” asked Maylu.

“That’s a good question,” was Takuya’s response, “With all that’s going on right now, there are a lot of places that would best be avoided. We should try to find someplace that isn’t overcrowded with NetBattlers trying to mug everyone for their Battle Points.”

“So where would that be?” As if to answer her question, Maylu’s PET beeped with a message. Roll opened the envelope and brought it up for her operator to read.

Do you need one last Battle Point but don’t want to get harassed by the panicking masses? Come to the freight train station near the edge of town. Hurry, because there’s not much time left.

“Roll, who sent this?” asked Maylu.

“There’s no name, but there’s an e-mail address. The domain name is denrail.com.”

“Isn’t DenTech City’s train system called Den Rail?” asked Takuya.

“You mean the metro?” replied MangaMan.

“No, that’s Den Metro. I’m talking about the surface trains.”

“Well, let’s go.” Maylu put her PET away and headed out to the freight station with Takuya right behind her.

* * *

The numerous warehouses and cargo cars were a clear indication that they had arrived. Train tracks lined every inch of the ground. Maylu and Takuya looked around hoping to find the person who had sent the e-mail.

“Have you come for the Battle Point?” the two college students turned at the sound of the voice and a train locomotive pulled up next to them. Kunio poked his head out of the window and looked down at them.

“Yes, we have,” answered Maylu.

“Then let us get started,” Roushi piped up from his place on top of a crate. He got off and Kunio disembarked from the train.

“I’ll fight alongside you, Maylu,” said Takuya.

“Thanks, Takuya. Jack in!! Roll, power up!”

“Jack in!! MangaMan, power up!”

“Jack in!! ChargeMan, power up!”

“Jack in!! TenguMan, power up!”

The four lasers met and a battle grid was formed. Roll and MangaMan appeared on the red half of the field while TenguMan and ChargeMan appeared on the other side.

“Battle Point chip in, download!” Everyone slotted in their chips and their counters appeared overhead.

“Let’s each wager one Battle Point,” Roushi suggested.

“We accept,” replied Takuya, “This is it, Maylu. Win this and you’ll qualify for the finals.”

“I’m here to support you, Roll,” MangaMan assured the pink Navi.

“Thanks, MangaMan.” Roll then turned to Maylu, “Let’s go, Maylu!”

“Right, Roll. Battle routine, set!”

“Execute!”

BATTLE START

“Charge Tackle!” Smoke blew out of ChargeMan’s smokestack and his whistle sounded before his wheels started turning and he charged forward. Roll and MangaMan sidestepped and let the train Navi pass between them. Before reaching the wall, he turned around and came back around the perimeter before charging again.

“ChargeMan will keep moving throughout the battle,” Kunio explained, “He won’t stop.”

“That’s fine for us,” responded Takuya.

“Tengu Thrust!” TenguMan’s nose extended and he thrust it at the two Navis.

“Roll, watch out!” MangaMan pushed Roll aside and held out his hand, “Doujinshield!” A doujinshi book appeared and blocked TenguMan’s nose.

“Support Stars Battlechip in, download!” Takuya slotted in a chip and a separate window opened up on the opposite side of his PET display from his custom menu. Shown were several manga panels with different characters in each one.

“What’s that for?” asked Maylu.

“Something that can help us,” answered Takuya, “Meanwhile, I think it’s time to retaliate. Don’t you agree, MangaMan?”

“Indeed I do, Takuya.” MangaMan’s Doujinshield suddenly opened and flipped through its pages until the image of Dragonball Z’s Goku appeared. The artist Navi smiled and pointed his book at TenguMan.

“Kamehameha!” A powerful ki blast erupted from his doujinshi towards TenguMan.

“Charge Cargo!” ChargeMan suddenly drove right past the beam’s path and released several freight cars. The attack hit them and exploded, destroying the cargo but not hitting TenguMan.

“Charge Bullet!” ChargeMan suddenly picked up speed and rushed towards MangaMan and Roll.

“Support star,” Takuya pressed his finger against one of the manga panels on his PET display, “Hikaru Shindou!” An image of Hikaru no Go’s Hikaru Shindou appeared and held up four Go stones. Immediately, four large Go stones fell down around ChargeMan and immobilized him.

“Go for it, Maylu!” Takuya called.

“AquaTower Battlechip in, download!” With ChargeMan unable to move, Roll summoned a pillar of water and it washed over the train-themed NetNavi. Hikaru then disappeared, as did the stones, and ChargeMan was free. He continued running at his regular pace, but not before firing some blazing hot coals from his smokestack that hit both opponents.

“Wild Tornado!” TenguMan swung his arm and launched a powerful tornado with his fan. It surrounded Roll and a series of hits to her.

“Roll!” gasped Maylu.

“Santoryuu Battlechip in, download!” Three swords appeared in MangaMan’s hands. He unsheathed one and placed it in his mouth and then unsheathed the other two and held them in his hands. He ran towards TenguMan and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Oniigiri!” He swung with all three swords and cut deep into his target’s body. TenguMan cried out in pain as the swords passed through him. He clutched his wounds as MangaMan came to a halt behind him.

“I’ve got you now!” ChargeMan bellowed as he charged towards the black and white Navi. MangaMan’s eyes widened at the sight of the incoming Navi and with no room to dodge he prepared to defend himself.

“WindRacket Battlechip in, download!” Roll’s hand transformed into a fan and she waved it at ChargeMan, sending a powerful gust of wind across the battle grid that blew him off course and sent him toppling.

“Thanks, Roll!” MangaMan called to his partner.

“Tengu Thrust!” TenguMan took advantage of this moment to attack and thrust his nose into the artist’s back.

“Ow!”

“Tengu Thrust!” The bird Navi continued to stab MangaMan with his nose while ChargeMan got back onto his wheels.

“Charge Cinder!” He fired more fiery coals, but Roll blew them away with her fan.

“Support character: Kotarou Inugami!” Takuya touched another panel and the image of Kotarou from Ken Akamatsu’s Mahou Sensei Negima appeared and dashed towards TenguMan. He dealt a punch to the masked warrior’s face and MangaMan escaped and returned to Roll’s side before the wolf boy vanished.

“Are you okay, MangaMan?” Roll asked with concern.

“Nothing a little food won’t heal,” answered MangaMan. Takuya summoned Sanji from One Piece and the cook fed the artist’s Navi some food before disappearing.

“ChargeMan, attack now!” Kunio ordered.

“Charge Tackle!”

“Heart Slash!” Roll blew a kiss and unleashed a rain of pink hearts onto the train Navi.

“Tengu Drive!” Without warning, TenguMan suddenly flew towards Roll and slammed into her.

“Charge Cinder!” ChargeMan fired coals towards MangaMan, who summoned his Doujinshield and blocked it. The pages opened to a picture of Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto and three kunai shot out. Kunio slotted in a Barrier and the shield protected his Navi from the knives.

“Wild Tornado!” TenguMan launched another tornado and Roll flew away from it as quickly as she could, but the whirlwind was too fast.

“Roll, get behind me!” MangaMan summoned another Doujinshield and Roll dove behind him. The tornado hit the cover and doujinshi opened to a page displaying a shot of Horo Horo from Shaman King. Several ice shards burst forward and hit TenguMan.

“Trident Battlechip in, download!” A fish appeared in front of Roll and three needles shot out from its mouth and hit the flying Navi. She then fired three Roll Arrows and they hit him on the chest.

“Let’s try to end this now, MangaMan,” Takuya said.

“I was thinking the same thing,” MangaMan agreed. Takuya touched two manga panels.

“Support characters: Bo-bobo and Yugi Moto!” As TenguMan and ChargeMan regrouped the image of Bo-bobo from Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo appeared in front of MangaMan and struck a pose. His afro opened up and out popped Yugi Moto from Yu-Gi-Oh!. The King of Games summoned Saint Dragon of Osiris and it unleashed its powerful Super Evangelism Wave Thunder, which completely overtook TenguMan and ChargeMan.

“Time for us to finish this, Roll,” said Maylu, “Program Advance! DoubleNeedle, TripleNeedle, QuadNeedle Battlechips in, download!”

“Arrows!” Roll’s hand transformed into a bow and she fired multiple arrows into TenguMan and ChargeMan, forcing them to log out. Kunio’s and Roushi’s scores dropped by one point each and Takuya’s rose by the same amount and Maylu’s shot up from ninety-nine to one hundred.

“We did it, Maylu!” cheered Roll, “We achieved one hundred Battle Points!”

“Congratulations,” Roushi said stroking his beard, “You’ve obtained the necessary points required for the finals.”

“Unfortunately, we also have some bad news,” Kunio added.

“What is it?” Maylu asked worriedly.

“During our NetBattle, someone else achieved one hundred Battle Points and took the last spot in the finals.”

“Oh.”

“We were so close,” Roll sighed, “All that hard work for nothing.”

“I would not say it was a complete waste,” Roushi interjected, “You may not have made it to the finals, but just look at all that you’ve obtained from this tournament. You should feel proud.”

“He’s right, Maylu,” said Takuya, “You did really well.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, we better go,” Roushi piped up.

“We wish your friends the best of luck in the finals,” Kunio added. He and Roushi bid farewell and left and Takuya and Maylu headed back to the university.

* * *

That night, everyone was gathered in front of the TV eating microwave dinners while waiting for the Battle Network tournament finalists to be announced.

“Was it really necessary to skip a properly made dinner for this?” asked Yai.

“You don’t have to cook,” Tory replied.

“Shut up, guys. It’s starting.” Lan stuffed another plastic-tasting shrimp into his mouth as Ribbita came into view.

“And so the bulk of the Battle Network tournament has come to an end,” she announced, “Thousands entered, but only sixteen made it to the end and I’m here to bring you the news. The sixteen finalists of the Battle Network tournament are: Greg Gospel, Sean Obihiro, Colonel Baryl, Eugene Chaud, Nicol Nebula, Diana Dark Nation, Miss Yuri Oozono, Lan Hikari, Mamoru Ura, Noah Kaiyou, Dark Miyabi, the independent NetNavi Zero, Waya World Three, Laika Antonvich Rovnovski, Kain Lynx, and Saiba Yami and his mysterious NetNavi. These sixteen individuals will compete for the grand prize of the Battle Network tournament. The final matches will take place at a later date. All finalists will receive an e-mail with all the details. And now onto our top stories. Kevin Spacey is trying to kill Queen Latifah…” Chaud switched off the TV and the room fell silent.

“Well, nothing left to do now but to wait for those e-mails,” Lan thought out loud.

“Yeah.” Sean finished his shepard’s pie and took the empty box to the garbage before grabbing a pear from the fridge, “And so begins a new era of the Battle Network tournament.”

----------------------------------
End of chapter 3-58.

CHAPTER PREVIEW
Lan: We’re on our way to the Battle Network finals.
MegaMan: The tournament stakes are rising higher.
Lan: First, we journey to the location of the finals and then the battles will take place.
MegaMan: The competition’s going to be harder. No one wants to lose.
Lan & MegaMan: Next time on Rockman.EXE: The College Years, “Destination: Battle Network Finals”.
Lan: We can no longer hold back.
MegaMan: We must beat all our opponents or be defeated.
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[Dark Liger]

Okay, AMZ. I must say that this chapter was probably by far the weirdest. -_-;

It's too bad Maylu didn't make it to the finals. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. The battle wasn't too bad, beside the fact that it was, well... weird!

My rating: 8 out of 10. Not bad.

[SonicNigma212]

I'm going to make this short so that you would know what I think about this fic so far. Now, as for the review:

Well, this is one of the shortest fics that I've ever read. Well, in either case, the battle that you've put for this chapter is good. Both Roll and MangaMan both battled good against both ChargeMan and TenguMan. That was something that I would never thought I would read about. It's still good that you've added the characters that you've put up in the new game Exe 6. Well, I'm sure that the finals are going to be quite good. It's too bad that both Roll and Maylu didn't make it to the finals. Oh, well, it's going to be a good chapter ahead. Well, later!

Maurice A. Nigma ^_^ :grr:

[Abiisan]

That chapter was indeed wierd, but it can be whatever it wants to be for all I care, because the finals are coming. By the way, thanks for listing the finalists. I guess that chapter was a bit too odd for me to really say much more.
_________________
Formerly known as LunarSun

Banner and icon by Xhunter17

[Midnight]

Hmm.

At long last, the main tournament comes to an end. Yet another combat-heavy chapter, to follow those that have come before it in the previosu five or so chapters.

As much as the combat was somewhat engaging to read, I can't help but feel that you could have done a better job than to just take random characters from other anime series and toss them into one confusing combat scene.

Other than that, I have nothing else to say...
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Anime Master ZERO]

I borrowed the support character thing from Jump Superstars.

This chapter features an RPG cameo. Kain & GrenadeMan are property of Comic Master Alpha.

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CHAPTER 3-59
Destination: Battle Network Finals

Over the next several weeks, life went on as usual. With the Battle Network tournament virtually over, everything seemed to go back to normal. Classes continued as if nothing happened. However, for all the Battle Network tournament finalists, this was just the calm before the storm. Ever since the television broadcast, everyone had been anxiously anticipating the arrival of the e-mails and everyday they found nothing of the like in their inboxes.

“What’s taking so long?” Noah whined as he sat in the CAB with Lan.

“God, Noah,” the brunet groaned, “With your schedule, I thought you’d be too busy studying for midterms to worry about the finals. Can’t you do anything else besides whine about it?”

“Unfortunately, whining is the only thing he’s good at,” Chaud interrupted as he walked up.

“Chaud, stop picking on him,” Lan scolded, “What did he ever do to you? And if this has anything to do with last year, get over it.”

“So how have your exams been going?”

“Just finished my last one. Now I’ve got the whole Reading Week free.”

“So do I,” Sean chimed in as he joined the group, “I just got out of my last midterm.”

“My last one is on the Friday before Reading Week,” Noah groaned. He rested his head on Lan’s lap and dropped his plushie into his face. No sooner had he done so, his PET screamed “Taiyohhhhhhhhh!” At the same time, the others’ PETs began ringing. Sean took his out and read the message. His eyes widened.

“Guys, it’s the tournament e-mail!” Everyone snapped to attention and took out their PETs to read the e-mail.

----------------------------------------
Dear Battle Network finalist,

We congratulate you for making it to the tournament finals. We apologize for keeping you in anticipation, but your wait has finally come to an end. Below is vital information you will require to continue on in the Battle Network tournament.

The finals will begin on the third Sunday of February. All finalists are to meet at the DenTech International Airport no later than eight o’clock in the morning. Anyone who is late will be disqualified. A private jet will be waiting to transport you to the location of the finals. All participants are welcome to bring one friend. The finals will take place over the course of the entire week and all contestants will return on the following Sunday.

We look forward to seeing you soon and we wish you the best of luck in the finals.

Sincerely, the Battle Network tournament organizer
-------------------------------------

“There’s no visible e-mail,” Axl noted.

“That doesn’t matter,” Lan replied, “We’ve got what we’ve been waiting for.”

“The week of the third Sunday of February,” Noah mumbled thoughtfully, “That’s Reading Week!”

“Coincidence?” asked MegaMan.

“Highly unlikely,” ProtoMan answered, “Whoever set this up must have access to the university’s calendar.”

“ProtoMan, everyone have access to the university’s calendar. It’s up on the website.”

“Well, now we have to prepare for the trip.” Sean put his PET away and turned to his friends, “I’m going home to start packing.” He bid farewell and headed back to the house.

“Sunday’s only four days away,” Lan noted as he got up, “I’m going with Sean.”

“I’ve got one more class to attend,” Chaud brought up.

“And I have two more exams to write today,” Noah piped up.

“So we’ll see each other later, then.” Lan said his goodbyes and went back home.

Over the course of the next couple of days, everyone was busy either studying for exams or preparing for the tournament finals. On Saturday night, everyone was making one final check of their belongings, making sure they had everything they would need. Since the e-mail said they were permitted to bring one friend each, Lan invited Maylu and Sean decided to bring Yai. Chaud and Noah offered to bring Dex and Tory along, but the two politely declined.

“Someone has to stay in the house to make sure the landlord gets the rent,” was Tory’s response, “Even if it’s just for a week you guys are gone.”

In his room, Lan finished packing his largest backpack and zipped it up and snapped the clasps shut. He stood up and stretched his arms.

“That finishes my packing,” he announced.

“I’m already finished,” Chaud responded as he lifted his dark red duffel bag, “Now let’s take these to the door.” He and Lan took their luggage downstairs and placed them near the front door, where Sean’s backpack was already waiting with Maylu’s and Yai’s bags.

“I wonder what’s taking Noah so long,” Lan wondered.

“He said he still has a few things he wants to pack tomorrow morning because he’s still using them tonight,” Sean called from the living room, “That’s why he hasn’t brought his bag down yet.”

“Like what?”

“Toothbrush, pyjamas, you know. The basic essentials.”

“I see. Well, good to know.”

“Well, I’m going to bed.” Sean shut off the TV and got up from the sofa.

“Sean, it’s only ten-thirty,” Lan reminded his friend.

“I know, but I want to be able to get up tomorrow morning to catch the plane. Good night, guys.” Sean headed upstairs and Chaud and Lan followed. The brunet got back to his room, he was surprised to find Zero waiting in his computer.

“Zero! What brings you here?” he asked.

“I came to ask if I could get a ride to the finals in MegaMan’s PET,” answered Zero, “Being an independent Navi, I can only travel to connected systems through the net, which is why I came to you.”

“Sure you can, Zero,” Lan replied, “Hop on in.” He held out his PET and Zero beamed himself into it. He appeared next to MegaMan and looked down at him.

“Hello, MegaMan. Good to see you again.”

“Hey, Zero. Same to you.”

The next morning, everyone got up for an early breakfast and quickly got ready to head out.

“Noah, hurry up and get that hairless prepubescent ass of yours down here!” Lan called up the stairs.

“I’m coming!” Noah came down the stairs rummaging through his backpack and muttering to himself as he made one last check on his things, “Spare clothes, extra socks and underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste, Gameboy, swimming trunks and goggles, Battlechips, solar sensor… Yeah, I’ve got everything.” He zipped up his bag and slung it onto his back before strapping on his Velcro-bound shoes. Tory had offered to drive them to the airport and Laika had gotten a ride with his sister, who would also be transporting a part of the group. It took them an hour to reach the airport and when they arrived it was seven forty-five. Upon entering, they saw all the other finalists had already arrived. Needless to say, none of them were too thrilled to see Saiba and his crew there even though it was to be expected.

“Phone me when you guys get back and I’ll come pick you up,” Tory instructed, “Oh, and Dex and I want to give you guys these. They might help in the matches.” He held out his arm and dropped a FreezeBomb and a GoldFist into Lan’s hand.

“Thanks, Tory. See you later,” said the headbanded brunet. Tory said farewell to his friends and left the airport.

“Everyone’s here now,” and eighteen-year-old teen with short, thick, dirty blond hair and brown eyes noted. Lan assumed he was Kain Lynx, since he was the only person there he didn’t recognize.

“Well, looks like all the finalists are here,” a familiar voice called out. Lan looked ahead and saw Higsby and Ribbita walking towards them.

“Higsby? Ribbita? Are you guys the tournament organizers?” he asked.

“No, we’re just here to cover the finals,” Ribbita answered, “Us and the two cameramen who are coming along. But we did meet with the organizer and he wants us to take you guys out to the plane, so let’s go.” With her leading the way with Higsby, everyone followed them through security and customs and out onto the tarmac. It was still fairly early in the morning, so the air was still a bit nippy. They soon arrived at the Boeing 747 that would take them to their destination and got on. To everyone’s surprise, the entire interior was designed like a First Class cabin.

“Looks like we get to travel in style,” Lan said with a smirk. Everyone took their seats and stored their luggage away. Lan, Sean, Maylu, Yai, Chaud, Laika, and Noah sat as far away from Saiba’s crew as possible. They at least wanted the flight to be an enjoyable one. Before long, they were airborne.

“Next stop: the Battle Network finals!” Lan yelled.

“Shut up!” Greg shouted from the other end of the plane. Lan sighed and looked around the cabin to see what everyone was doing. Sean had taken out a book he had brought along and had started reading it. Laika was doing the same. Chaud had put on a set of complimentary headphones and was surfing through the channels on his personal TV. Yai was reading a magazine and Maylu looked out the window. Noah had pulled out a blanket from the overhead compartment and wrapped himself up in it to get some sleep. Dark sat calmly in his seat with his eyes closed and Miss Yuri was reading. Mamoru was watching a movie on his portable DVD player, Baryl was staring out the window, and Kain was listening to music. Lan didn’t want to bother finding out what Saiba was up to. Things being as they were, he thought it would be best not to think about him or his teammates altogether. However, curiosity overtook him and he glanced behind him. Saiba was sitting in his seat talking with his Navi through a headset, which piqued Lan’s interest. This could be his chance to finally see Saiba’s NetNavi. He contemplated this for several minutes and when he finally made his decision, it was too late. The white-haired NetBattler had already put his PET away. He sighed and sat back in his chair. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

* * *

“All passengers, we are arriving at our destination. Please return your seats to an upright position and stow away all carry-on luggage and tables.”

At the sound of the announcement, everyone stopped what they were doing and prepared for landing. Lan checked to see how everyone was doing and saw that Noah wasn’t feeling too well. The boy was hunched over with a motion sickness bag under his chin. He noticed that Maylu was also looking at the young genius and was just as worried as he was. When they finally landed, the two of them attended to the child prodigy while everyone else gathered up their things.

“Are you feeling alright, Noah?” asked Lan.

“I’m okay,” Noah answered weakly, “I just get air sick sometimes.”

“Here, this should make you feel better.” Maylu handed the boy a stomach settler and he immediately took it.

“Where are we?” asked Lan as he looked around.

“Some kind of remote tropical island, by the looks of it,” Sean answered as he scanned the landscape. Beyond the tarmac, everyone could see several tropical trees and a big sandy beach. A ways down along the said beach, they could just make out what could be presumed to be seaside cabins.

“This way, everyone,” Higsby called out as he and Ribbita walked away from the tarmac. Everyone followed them to a large building and they gathered around in some sort of lobby.

“Welcome, finalists,” a voice greeted through the speakers on the walls, “You’ve made it this far. Now you’ve come to face one another in the finals. During your time on the island, you will all be staying in the oceanside cabins along the beach. Your friends will be placed in their own accommodations. As far as the tournament goes, there will be no NetBattling today. Instead, you shall spend the day to enjoy the many pleasures the island has to offer. Tomorrow, you shall gather back here after breakfast to find out who your opponents will be. Until then, have fun.”

Everyone looked at one another and then back at separate speakers all over the walls.

“Well, looks like we’re on our own until tomorrow morning,” Lan noted.

“And now you’ll be taken to your cabins,” Ribbita announced.

* * *

The sun was shining brightly on the island as everyone went about doing various things all over the place. Lan, Maylu, Sean, Yai, Noah, and Mamoru had decided to spend the day playing on the beach. Chaud had gone off with Dark and Baryl to explore the island. Laika was looking around the immediate area while Kain sat plastered at the bar. Miss Yuri had gone back to the first building to find anything she could on who the tournament organizer was. Saiba, Greg, Diana, Nicol, and Waya had disappeared off to some other part of the island and no one had any idea what they were up to.

“Gotcha!” Noah jumped out of the ocean wearing a pair of white swimming trunks with a pair of red stripes running down the right side and a pair of blue stripes running down the left side onto Lan, who stood waist-deep in the water.

“Nope, got you!” Lan dove under and dragged the boy with him. He resurfaced a moment later with Noah still clinging to his back.

“Sneaky, Lan.”

“And you weren’t?”

“Hey, I’m small.”

“Hey Lan!” Sean called from the shore, “Head’s up!” A ball flew out towards the brunet and smacked him on the head.

“Ow!”

“Sorry, Lan!”

“Don’t worry about it, Sean!” Lan called back as he swam back to land with Noah right behind him. Meanwhile, Maylu sat on a blanket on the sand with Yai and Mamoru, who was wearing orange swimming trunks and an open Hawaiian shirt with his sunglasses resting on his forehead enjoying a tall cold glass of tropical punch.

“It’s too bad these fun and games only last for one day,” the chestnut-haired boy commented.

“Yeah, but we should enjoy it while we can,” Maylu replied. Elsewhere on the island, Chaud made his way through the thick foliage with Dark and Baryl behind him.

“Why hold the tournament finals on a remote island out in the middle of nowhere?” the ace NetBattler wondered.

“Indeed, this does seem suspicious,” agreed Baryl, “Something about this whole tournament, in fact, just doesn’t seem right.”

“Then we must hurry if we are to discover the truth,” Dark said emotionlessly.

* * *

On a completely deserted end of the beach, Saiba watched as his crew enjoyed themselves under the sun. Greg, in his black, Gospel logo emblazoned swimming trunks, was wrestling a helpless Nicol, who was dressed in a white T-shirt and red shorts as he had been dragged in against his will, in the water. Waya was sunbathing nude and Diana was strutting around like a supermodel in a very revealing white bikini.

“Waya, at least wrap a towel around yourself,” Saiba groaned.

“Hey, chick dig all-over tans,” Waya argued.

“Only on hot men,” Diana replied.

“Greg, could you get off me? Please?” Nicol begged as Greg dunked his head into the water for the umpteenth time. Saiba sighed and looked at his PET.

“I certainly hope you’re ready for this,” he said to his Navi. His response was a simple nod of acknowledgement.

* * *

That night, everyone sat together for an enormous banquet. Tables bearing food in quantities that could rival even the SciLab Christmas parties were lined all over the grand hall in the main building. Lan, being the ravenous eater that he always was, inhaled any food that he could get his hands on. After dinner, everybody spent the next several hours relaxing in the hot springs.

“This is better than any vacation I could have ever planned,” Lan sighed contently as he sank deeper into the steaming hot water.

“A day on the beach, a large banquet for dinner, and now a dip in the hot springs,” Noah listed off, “This day couldn’t get any better.”

“By the way, Chaud, did you guys find anything?” asked Lan.

“We couldn’t cover the whole island, but from what we scoured we didn’t find anything,” answered Chaud, “But I still can’t help overcome this foreboding feeling in my gut.”

“Then don’t listen to your gut.”

“Have you guys already forgotten what past experience has taught us?” asked Sean, “The best way to find out about a trap is to walk right into it.”

“So what you’re saying is that we should just go on ahead and let events occur as they come without thinking about possible consequences,” Laika summarized.

“Yes.”

“It’s worked before,” Lan said with a shrug.

“Well, if we don’t have any other option…” Laika began.

“Which we don’t,” Noah interrupted.

“…then we’ll just go along with things,” the soldier concluded.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” said Sean, “let’s continue enjoying this day. Tomorrow, we can worry.”

* * *

The pilot of the plane heard something coming from the cargo hold and went to check it out. When the door opened, a hand shot out and grabbed his head. It lifted him off his feet and threw him aside. A figure that appeared to be Sean’s old alterego, Shuryou Gospel, stepped out and looked ahead at the lights coming from the buildings in the distance.

I can sense his presence, thought the Dark Messiah as he stood inside the head of the robotic lookalike of the former NetMafia leader. A deep growl from below turned his attention to his loyal pet.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get our chance.”

-----------------------------------------
End of chapter 3-59.

CHAPTER PREVIEW
Lan: The finals have begun!
MegaMan: Sixteen finalists enter, but only one will emerge victorious.
Lan: The first match is about to begin.
MegaMan: It’s Dark against Greg.
Lan & MegaMan: Next time on Rockman.EXE: The College Years, “Shinobi Battle”.
Lan: Two ninja Navis go head-to-head in the first round.
MegaMan: And this match will be the first step to determining the victor.
_________________

[Abiisan]

That weas a pretty good chapter, but I think that you could've taken it a bit farther, although it did do a pretty good job of serving its purpose.

The best part in my oppinion was when Lan shouted, “Next stop: the Battle Network finals!” and got completely shot down by Greg.

Not much else to say as this chapter was really only seemed meant to get them to the finals.
_________________
Formerly known as LunarSun

Banner and icon by Xhunter17

[Xel]

It was quite good for a story chapter, even though that part where Chaud's group was seaching through the forest could have been done better, felt like it tried to be adistraction and an cliffhanger at the same time and ended up feeling empty. I bet you're going to wait a few chapters worth of battles to explain more on that, right?

But now, one quick gripe or two.

Miss Yuri Oozono , is that another fan creation? I don't remember hearing about her at all.

And the sudden appearance of Serenade, Shadowman and Zero, that was off. I could understand it the tournament was still going on because their reasons for bothering with the tourney at all would have been explained. This way it just feels too random. Yes, I know you've been doing the random navi thing since for a while, but with three navis who seem like they wouldn't bother with such a tournament, it's that much more confusing.

Good luck on the following chapters though, I hope the finale is as good as season one's was.

[Midnight]

[SonicNigma212]

Well, from what I've read thus far, this is an interesting way to start up the finals. The way that you got the description on how to start things up on the finals good. Well, it almost sounds like that show Surviver or something like that. In any case, it's good to see some of my favorite characters be in the chapter of this season. But the most funniest part of this chapter is that how Lan got diss by Greg. Almost like a road trip comdey if you want my opinion. Well, in either case, this is a good start to the end and I'm sure that there would be more to come. Later!

Maurice A. Nigma ^_^ :grr:

[ForteZero.EXE]

The last two chapters were fairly good. In my opinion, Lan being shot down by Greg was indeed funny. Comedy road trip sorta thing.

Just what is the Dark Messiah up to... hmm... he might of sensed [spoil:8ac2a9d9d6](Navi's name blanked out)[/spoil:8ac2a9d9d6] and has decided to resurface after his disaperance from near the end of Season Two.
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ForteZero ~ The White Shadow