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

[Midnight]

I wasn't too enthralled with this one either, though I have to admit it was better written than that of the past few chapters. Combat was moderately well done, and the end was spectacular only because of the firepower. Other than that, this was pretty dull.
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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]

Among all of the other chapters that you've made other than the one with FreezeMan's return, this one has become one of my favorites. I mean, the way that you've got both Axl and Phantom going on out in the forest is truly amazing. Although, I've still got to admit that Phantom using ninja hand signs in order to use the power of Battlechips and Program Advances is still a bit over the top. However, using the Gospel Chips to Axl's advantage is good and the way that you've mentioned the Crest of Arcadia's true function is good. I can't wait for what the true purpose of the chip to take in Navis is. Well, later and keep up the good work.

Maurice A. Nigma ^_^ :grr:

[SSHiei]

I have a couple nags.

A. The battles are SO predictable, I know who wins before you write up the frickin' chapter! There was, however, one time when you surprised me- Zero v Leviathan. I thought Leviathan would win, to be honest.

B. Omega X= Obvious as hell.

C. In Megaman v Serenade, Holy Dream calls on the power of Holy Panels. It would remove them, but if the panels are permanant, Holy Dream becomes literally unstoppable. Major hole in your logic.

D. Phantom's moves= ripped from Naruto.
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Credit goes to Hikari Angel for the sig!

[Anime Master ZERO]

CHAPTER 3-69
MegaMan vs. Zero

Everyone sat watching the wheel in anticipation as it spun.

Zero’s shown how well he can cope with any battlefield, thought MegaMan, Hopefully, the one we’ll be fighting on won’t give him so much to work with. The wheel finally stopped on a segment showing a picture of some kind of marshy area.

“How’s it going with the teleprompter so far?” inquired Higsby.

“We’ve called for a teleprompter repairman,” the producer answered, “Anyway, you guys are back on.”

“Wait!” Higsby pleaded, “Can’t you at least give us something like cue cards?”

“We don’t have time to write them up for you,” the producer replied, “Just make it up as you go along. Now get back out there. You’re on in two, one, go!”

“And the battlefield for the next match is the Swamp arena,” Ribbita explained. Lan turned to a separate TV screen displaying Zero’s face and the blond swordsman looked back at him.

“See you there.”

“The wish is mutual, Lan.” Zero logged out of the TV and headed over to the battlefield via the island’s systems while Lan stepped through one of the doors.

“The Swamp is one of the most treacherous battlefields created,” Ribbita explained, “A very moist and humid environment riddled with a few, possibly sick, trees. Both NetNavis will have to be on the lookout for any poison panels as they litter the ground. Anyway, let’s go and see how our competitors are doing.”

* * *

Zero arrived ahead of his opponents. The air around him was very warm and humid. Rain constantly fell onto the entire area. Trees surrounded the outer perimeter and one particularly large tree stood in the center surrounded by filthy water. As he analyzed his surroundings, MegaMan landed on the opposite side of the field.

“Looks like both competitors are in place,” Lan heard Ribbita’s voice, “Now let the second match of the secondary elimination round begin. Battle routine, set!”

“Execute!”

BATTLE START

Zero morphed his hand into his Z-Saber and ran towards MegaMan, who was covering his mouth and coughing.

“Ribbita was right,” he said to himself, “You can really feel the poison in here.” He morphed his hand into his Mega Buster and started firing at his opponent. Zero dashed through the shin-deep swamp water and evaded his shots as he made his rush toward the blue Navi and swung his sword. MegaMan blocked the attack with his buster and jumped back with Zero not far behind him.

“Shotgun Battlechip in, download!” Lan slotted in a chip and his Navi’s buster changed shape. MegaMan pointed the barrel at his opponent and fired a rapid barrage of blaster fire. Zero swung his Z-Saber around and skillfully deflected every shot that came his way.

“Sonic Boom!” Once he was out of danger from the Shotgun, the swordsman chopped down and sent an energy wave from his blade toward MegaMan. The blue NetNavi dove to the side and it sliced through a tree.

“Style Change: HeatShadow Style!” Lan watched as a red Style Change symbol appeared on his PET screen and MegaMan’s clothes and armor turned red. His helmet changed shape and a scarf formed around his neck.

“HeatShadow Style!” Now in his new form, MegaMan leapt off the ground and landed on a tree trunk. He held his buster at his opponent and fired. Zero danced out of the way and ducked behind a large root. He quickly looked around at his surroundings and saw some branches overhead. He immediately fired a Sonic Boom up to them and severed them from the trees. The limbs fell towards MegaMan and crashed right on top of him.

“HeatShadow Buster!” There was a blast and a fiery explosion destroyed the branches. At the same time, it also caused extra damage to both combatants.

“What just happened?” asked Lan.

“Swamps have all sorts of gases and chemical fumes,” Zero explained, “That last attack must have set off a flammable gas.”

“Well this certainly changes a few things,” MegaMan replied, “Using Fire-element attacks will result in nothing more than fiery explosions that’ll damage us both.” He quickly disabled his HeatShadow Style and changed back to his normal form.

“Okay, so all fire chips are off limits.” Lan sorted out all the fire Battlechips from his folder and put them inside his pocket, “ElecSword Battlechip in, download!” MegaMan’s hand transformed into a sparking blue sword and he ran towards Zero. The two of them clashed blades and they exchanged blows, splashing up swamp water with their shuffling feet.

“I’ve looked forward to this for a long time,” Zero said as their swords locked again.

“The feeling’s mutual,” replied MegaMan. He pushed himself back and spun around with another slash that his opponent blocked. Zero quickly thrust out his fist and punched MegaMan across the face, forcing him to stumble back. Once he had made some distance between them, he sliced off a piece of root from a large tree and threw it at his opponent. MegaMan recovered quickly from the punch and saw the piece of wood coming toward him. He immediately drew back his arm and swung, cutting the root in half and allowing the pieces to pass him on either side. He then jumped up and struck his ElecSword into the swamp water, sending a powerful current that hit Zero with incredible force. The blond swordsman broke free of the electrical field that gripped him and rushed up to his opponent before doing a Zet Saber. MegaMan was hit thrice and he retreated.

“TankCannon3 Battlechip in, download!” Lan slotted in a chip and his Navi’s ElecSword was replaced with a large cannon. He pointed it towards Zero and fired. The recoil pushed him further back and he landed on top of a tree. Meanwhile, his blast hit his opponent in the chest and threw him against the center tree.

“This has only just barely begun.” Zero pulled himself loose and dashed towards MegaMan’s tree. He passed his Z-Saber through the trunk and it started falling. The blue NetNavi rushed down the trunk and jumped off right before it crashed. He landed behind Zero and they both turned around to face each other. The taller Navi lashed out with his sword, but Lan slotted in an AntiSword and MegaMan was able to catch the blade in his hands and retaliate with a triple Sonic Boom attack. Zero stumbled back, but he quickly recovered and attacked with his Denjin Saber attack.

* * *

“This is an amazing battle, folks!” Ribbita reported, “Come on, Higsby. You can it if you try.”

“I guess I don’t have a choice until the teleprompter repairman gets here,” Higsby sighed, “But I don’t know what to say or how to say it. When’s that teleprompter repairman going to get here?”

“We’re on an island in the middle of nowhere, Higsby,” Ribbita replied, “It takes time for him to get here.”

“But I need to know what I have to say!” The DNN news anchor sighed and looked towards the producer.

“Why do we even need someone to fix the teleprompter anyway?” she asked, “Can’t we just give it a good whack?”

“Does the teleprompter repairman even exist?” Higsby whined.

“Oh, Lord.”

“He’s pathetic,” Noah commented looking towards the chip otaku.

“And yet when you ask him about Battlechips, he’ll give you a full length lecture completely from memory,” Sean muttered.

“Ribbita does have a point, though,” Axl commented, “Can’t we just smack the teleprompter?”

“We’re not even allowed to go in the so-called studio area,” was Sean’s response. He looked away from his PET and returned his attention to the TV screen.

* * *

“Soul Unison: Zero Soul Battlechip in, download!” There was a flash of crimson light and MegaMan quickly donned his Zero Soul armor.

“Z-Saber!” His hand morphed into his sword and he launched himself at his opponent. The two combatants clashed Z-Sabers and they slid apart with a loud metallic scraping sound. Zero spun around and swung his blade, but MegaMan ducked under it and retaliated with his own sword slash toward his opponent’s legs, which the blond NetNavi blocked by sticking his weapon into the ground in front of him. They pushed back and ran up the trees before propelling themselves at one another. They passed the tree in the center of the swamp and their blades collided. They landed back on opposite ends of the battlefield and launched towards each other again. Their continued hit-and-run attempts brought them closer to the ground one leap at a time until they were finally back in the swamp water.

“Sonic Boom!” The two NetNavis swung their Z-Sabers and simultaneously unleashed three Sonic Booms each, which intercepted each other.

“Spreader Battlechip in, download!” MegaMan’s free hand morphed into a spread gun and he fired a single energy burst, which exploded into nine shots that rained down on Zero.

“Rekkyoudan!” The former virus’ sword immediately turned orange and he swung it around and reflected all the shots back towards MegaMan, who ducked under a root to avoid getting hit.

“Raikousen!” Zero dashed toward his opponent and struck him with an electrified Z-Saber, “Juuhazan!” Once he had dealt the first blow, he turned back around and delivered a heavy downward slash that could pierce through armor and forced MegaMan out of Zero Soul.

“MegaMan!” Lan shouted his Navi’s name as frost covered Zero’s sword.

“Hyouryuushou!” He jumped into the air, taking MegaMan with him and spun around while dealing multiple ice-based slashes to him. When he finished, he landed on his feet and his opponent fell headfirst into the water.

“I’ve developed new skills as a swordsman,” Zero explained, “all of which I’ve been saving for this day.”

“So I’ve noticed,” answered Lan. He heard a groan and turned to see MegaMan as he slowly got back up to his feet and turned toward Zero.

“I’m glad to see you’re enjoying this fight as much as I am, Zero,” he said, “You’re really giving me a run for my money.”

“The feeling is mutual, MegaMan,” replied Zero. There was a brief pause before the two combatants launched themselves at each other and engaged one another once again. Lan armed his Navi with two Katana3s and a Muramasa that MegaMan held between his teeth. The blue Navi rushed at his opponent and slashed with all three swords. Zero jumped back and fired another Sonic Boom, which MegaMan deflected with his Muramasa.

“You’re aware that the number of swords you hold doesn’t determine how well you perform in battle, right?” asked the blond swordsman, “In fact, you’ll only do worse if you don’t know how to use them properly.” And with that, he rushed up to MegaMan and dealt another Zet Saber, which disarmed him of all three swords.

“Juuhazan!” Lan quickly slotted in his Guardian and Zero’s attack hit the idol instead, triggering its Punisher counterattack. With Zero still recovering from the blast, MegaMan quickly dove under his legs and dashed to the other end of the swamp.

“AirHockey Battlechip in, download!” A metal puck appeared in the emerald-eyed Navi’s hand and he threw it behind him. It slid along the ground and bounced off the trees and roots, hitting Zero with every pass. Finally, the ex-virus activated a PanelOut3 and sliced a deep trench in the ground between him and the puck and watched as it fell in. He then turned to MegaMan and jumped towards him.

“Soul Unison: Proto Soul Battlechip in, download!” Red armor with white shoulder guards covered MegaMan’s torso and his boots changed to match ProtoMan’s while his gloves turned red with black surrounding the hands and a shield on his forearms. His helmet changed to match ProtoMan’s and a green visor covered his eyes while his hair reformatted its style. He clenched his fist and morphed it into the Proto Sword just in time to block Zero’s next attack. He quickly brought forth his other arm and shoved his opponent back with his shield.

“Denjin Saber!” Zero immediately jumped into the air and spun with his Z-Saber out, but his opponent was able to leap back to avoid getting hit, “Mikadzuki Saber!” As he came back down, he targeted MegaMan and flew towards him while continuing his buzzsaw-like attack. He collided with his shield and the two NetNavis were thrown back from each other. As he flew, MegaMan spun into a barrel roll and cut off a large branch from a tree and kicked it towards Zero before plunging his sword into the ground to stop himself. On the other side, Zero sliced the branched in half as it came towards him and grabbed onto a tree with his free hand. Using the momentum, he swung around the trunk and threw himself back at his opponent as MegaMan planted his feet firmly on the damp ground, pulled out his sword, and ran forward. They met back in the scum-filled water and resumed sword fighting.

“You’ve grown a lot over the years, MegaMan,” Zero complimented.

“Thanks.” MegaMan pushed his opponent back and splashed water onto him with his shield. Zero roared as it hit his mask, which gave his opponent the chance he needed to stick his sword into his stomach. The pink blade came out of Zero’s lower back and MegaMan pulled it back out.

“Well done, MegaMan,” commented the large Navi, “However, I’m not beat yet!” And with that, he stuck the Z-Saber into MegaMan’s chest and lifted him off the ground.

“I understand why you fight, MegaMan,” Zero continued, “and I have been helping you since the start. However, only the stronger of the two of us can advance to take down our foe. So forgive me for having to end this.” MegaMan coughed and slowly began to speak.

“Yeah, Zero. Too bad that you won’t bet he one to end the battle.” The emerald-eyed Navi reached out and grabbed the blade of the Z-Saber with his hands. With all his might, he forced himself back down onto the ground and lifted Zero into the air.

“Lan, give it to me!”

“Right! Sword, WideBlade, LongBlade Battlechips in, download!” MegaMan released his left hand from the Z-Saber, adding extra strain to his right arm and formed the LifeSword. He swung at Zero and forced him out of the battle.

* * *

“And MegaMan has won!” announced Ribbita.

“Yes indeed, Ribbita,” Higsby replied.

“Glad to see you’re making progress without the teleprompter, Higsby,” Ribbita commented, “Anyway, that’s the first half of the second elimination round. Coming up is the battle between the leaders of the two teams that battled Nebula during its second reign. Eugene Chaud and Colonel Baryl will face each other in the third bout, so make sure you don’t miss it.”

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End of chapter 3-69.

CHAPTER PREVIEW
Lan: It’s a battle between Chaud and Baryl.
MegaMan: The leaders of Team ProtoMan and Team Colonel face off against each other in the next match.
Lan: It’s another decisive battle between two exceptional swordsmen.
MegaMan: They’re both so skilled, I can’t tell who will win.
Lan & MegaMan: Next time on Rockman.EXE: The College Years, “Leaders Raid”.
Lan: Who’s stronger: ProtoMan or Colonel?
MegaMan: This match will decide that.
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[Midnight]

...that was really quite boring, to tell you the truth.

This combat was just somewhat...bland. Nothing about it stood out, nothing about it seemed to stick in my mind while I was reading. It has been pointed out before that it's farily easy to tell who wins based on the pairings, and it really takes a lot out of the impact of the chapter if one knows with relative confidence who shall win.
_________________
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

[Elementalman.EXE]

Now That was boring. You seemed to be doing so good with these finals, Now they are almost the same as the Battle Point chapters. You could of atleast done something instead. You could of had MegaMan ask for a Salamander Chip, resulting in a huge explosion, and having him win because He was propped up by a tree or something

Slow down, these started to get boring about the time you speed posted them. Just slow down, and maybe thew quality will go up

[Anime Master ZERO]

CHAPTER 3-70
Leaders Raid

Tory and Dex were sitting on the couch watching the Battle Network finals with a few cans of pop and beer, two extra large pizzas they had ordered, and a large tub of popcorn, leaving an incredible mess in the living room.

“Looks like Sean and Lan will be fighting in the semis,” Dex observed.

“I’m kinda worried about Noah, though,” Tory brought up, “He’ll be up against his older brother in the match after this one.”

“Saiba’ll wipe the floor with his ass,” commented Dex.

“You have absolutely no faith in Noah, do you?”

“What I’m interested in right now is the battle that Chaud’s going to be fighting.”

“You’re right.” Tory crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the TV, “He’s up against Baryl of the Netopian army. They’re both about equal, so it’s hard to decide who’s going to win.” There was a knock at the window and the two friends turned to see Zack standing outside. Tory got up from the couch and opened the window.

“Zack, what are you doing here?” he asked.

“I started a pool on the tournament finals and I’m here to see if you guys wanted to place any bets,” Zack replied.

“Why didn’t you use the door?”

“Because a stray dog left something on the steps.”

“Oh dear God…” Tory moaned.

“So, you interested?” asked Zack.

“I guess it can’t hurt so long as I don’t wager too much.” Tory took out his wallet, produced a 2000 zenny bill, and handed it to Zack, “Two thousand zenny on Lan winning the finals.” Zack took the money and slipped it into his vest pocket and wrote down Tory’s name, the person on whom he wagered, and how much he had bet.

“How about Dex?” asked the black-haired teen.

“For his sake, I suggest we leave him out of it,” whispered Tory before closing the window.

“What was that all about?” asked Dex as the chestnut-haired teen returned to his seat.

“Nothing.”

* * *

“It’s time to begin the next match!” announced Ribbita, “Eugene Chaud versus Colonel Baryl. Let’s spin the wheel and see where they’ll battle!” All the blank spaces had already been removed and the remaining segments had been enlarged to cover the rest of the wheel. Higsby spun it and it eventually came to a stop on a picture of a set of railroad tracks.

“And the next battle will take place in the Terminal!” Ribbita exclaimed. Chaud and Baryl got up and stepped through the doors to the battle zone.

“This battlefield is set in yet another skyscraper-rich environment,” the news anchor explained, “But unlike the City Under Siege field from earlier, this one is centered in a very busy train terminal. There are lots of passages and platforms for our contestants to use. And seeing as how slicing up parts of the battlefield has become a favorite technique for everyone, there are several things on which this can be used. Train tracks run through the arena and, as many would expect, trains will in fact pass through at random intervals from random directions. Both competitors will have to keep a sharp lookout for them because getting hit by a train will automatically force you out of the battle. Now let’s check in and see how our two contestants are doing.” The image on the TV changed and everyone could see Chaud and Baryl enter a recreation of Grand Central Station from opposite sides. They stood on opposite platforms with a set of tracks running between them.

“Colonel Baryl, retired from the Netopian army and once the leader of Team Colonel,” Chaud acknowledged, “Also known as ‘The Immortal Baryl’.”

“Eugene Chaud, ace NetBattler and top-ranked Net Savior in Electopia and former leader of Team ProtoMan,” Baryl acknowledged in return, “Well, it’s come down to this.”

“Let’s get this battle started. Jack in!! ProtoMan, power up!”

“Jack in!! Colonel, power up!”

ProtoMan and Colonel appeared on opposite sides of a massive train terminal. Due to the insane amount of distance between them, there was no point in trying to acknowledge each other. They simply formed their swords and took up their stances.

“Battle routine, set!”

“Execute!”

BATTLE START

The moment the buzzer sounded, the two swordsmen leapt across the train platforms and headed straight towards one another. They had almost reached each other when a train suddenly passed through the center set of tracks and cut between them. Both Navis skidded to a halt and nearly ran into the fast-moving vehicle. They quickly regained control of themselves and waited for the train to pass. Once the path was clear, the two of them resumed their attack plan. ProtoMan’s Proto Sword clashed with Colonel’s Colonel Saber and sparks flew from their blades on contact. They landed on the tracks and Colonel took another swing at his opponent. ProtoMan raised his own sword to block and countered with a WideSword slash. Colonel jumped back and onto the platform with the other swordsman in pursuit.

“Screen Divide!” The caped NetNavi unleashed a column of energy from his sword and it zigzagged across the platform toward ProtoMan. The scarlet swordsman brought out his shield and blocked the attack before countering with a Sonic Boom, which Colonel blocked with his cape.

“Militant Missiles!” The black-armored Navi threw back the blue cloak and morphed his sword into a missile launcher. He pointed it into the air and fired three missiles, which shot up and zeroed in on ProtoMan as they came down. The silver-haired warrior danced out of the way and they exploded against the ground. Colonel switched back to his sword and charged. ProtoMan blocked with his own blade, but the impact pushed him back several feet.

* * *

“Higsby, do you have any comments on this match so far?” asked Ribbita.

“Well Ribbita, you and I both being former members of Team Colonel, we already know many things about Colonel,” Higsby answered, “He and ProtoMan are both extremely skilled swordsmen. However, ProtoMan is built more for speed whereas Colonel is designed more for power. So in terms of skill, these two are evenly matched. It looks like it’ll all come down to which attribute prevails.”

“Thank you, Higsby. And congratulations on doing such an excellent job on commentating without the teleprompter.”

“Um, yeah.” Higsby’s eyes turned back towards the teleprompter, which was still smoking and displaying complete gibberish on its staticy screen.

* * *

ProtoMan and Colonel jumped away from each other as another train passed between them. The former quickly stopped himself from sliding off the platform and into another train that had just come up behind him.

“Sonic Boom!” The red-armored Navi swung his sword and sent out an energy wave from his blade.

“Screen Divide!” Colonel unleashed another energy column from his sword and the two attacks hit each other midway, cancelling one another out. The two combatants rushed into the cloud of smoke and their blades collided.

“There’s another train coming, ProtoMan,” Chaud warned.

“So soon already?” ProtoMan replied. He pushed his opponent away and jumped back onto the platform. However, Colonel remained on the tracks.

“Colonel Cannon!” He fired his massive cannon at the tracks just as the train came and the explosion blew it clear off the rails and into the air. ProtoMan dashed away in time before it could crash down on top of him. Another train came by on a different track and he quickly jumped on top of it. He rode it until he reached Colonel and leapt off, bringing his sword down on top of his opponent, who took a step back and sliced a lamppost that he kicked towards the scarlet swordsman. ProtoMan chopped the pole in half and the pieces landed behind him on either edge of the platform.

“Delta Ray Edge!” The silver-haired NetNavi’s colors inverted and he dashed around Colonel in a triangular path and slashed him with each pass. When he had finished, he had left a red energy trail outlining his path. However, his opponent also had a powerful move planned.

“Cross Divide!” Colonel sent out two Screen Divides and they zigzagged towards ProtoMan, crossing paths with each other, and hit him at the exact same time.

“Did it hit, Colonel?” asked Baryl.

“Yes, it did,” Colonel reported, “However, he’s still not finished.” He picked up a bench and threw it into the smoke. Several flashes of light could be seen reflecting off ProtoMan’s sword as he sliced the bench into pieces. A split second after the flashes vanished, he burst out from the smoke with his shield out in front of him and rammed into Colonel. The caped Navi grunted as he was pushed back into a tall pillar. ProtoMan put away his shield and slashed his opponent twice, once across the chest and the second only to be blocked. Colonel pushed him away and jumped up to the second level of the terminal. ProtoMan quickly went after him and the two NetNavis continued their exchange of blows inside the corridors over the tracks. Their swords left deep gashes in the walls as the intensity of their battle heightened.

* * *

“This is awesome!” Axl exclaimed as he stood beside MegaMan watching the battle on a video window, “Two of the greatest swordsmen on the net going at it like there’s no tomorrow!”

“You’re sure excited about this,” commented MegaMan.

“What can I say? I live for epic battles like this.”

“Riiiiiight…” MegaMan scooted away from his friend and resumed watching the fight.

* * *

ProtoMan continued to back away from Colonel as the two of them continued their ferocious duel. He felt his heel bump into something and glanced behind him to see a set of turn styles. He deflected another one of his opponent’s blows and backflipped over them onto the other side.

“Please deposit two hundred zenny.”

Colonel jumped over the turn styles and swung down on his opponent, causing the machines to repeat their message. ProtoMan sidestepped and took a stab at the caped NetNavi’s side, but he missed when he stepped aside and swung his sword aimed at his head. The red-armored Net Savior ducked and rolled under a turn style back to the other side.

“Please deposit two hundred zenny.”

ProtoMan then leapt on top of the machines and fired a Sonic Boom, which his opponent broke apart with his sword. Colonel jumped up and the two of them fought on the turn styles.

“Please deposit – Please deposit two hundred zenny.”

Every time the two swordsmen passed between the machines, the same message kept repeating themselves. However, neither of them seemed to notice. They landed back on the outside and crossed swords.

“Screen Divide!” A column of energy exploded from Colonel’s sword and streaked toward his opponent. ProtoMan flipped over the turn styles and the attack destroyed them. The Netopian military Navi ran through the smoke and thrust his blade at him. ProtoMan deflected it with his sword and continued backing away.

* * *

“This is an intense match!” exclaimed Ribbita, “I haven’t seen a sword duel like this since ProtoMan’s earlier match against Harpuia. Colonel just might give him a run for his zenny!”

* * *

At this point, the two NetNavis were fighting at the foot of a stairwell. Colonel chopped down twice on his opponent’s sword and quickly tried to get behind him. ProtoMan followed his movements to keep him in front and began his own offense. Colonel swung his blade quickly to block and slowly backed away.

“Colonel Army!” Two soldiers appeared behind ProtoMan armed with swords and they slashed at his feet. Their target flipped into the air and landed on their heads before jumping behind them and decapitating them.

“Militant Missiles!” Colonel fired more missiles at his opponent and ProtoMan sliced them all in half. He switched back to his sword and charged. ProtoMan retreated to the escalator next to the stairs and got on. Colonel followed and stepped the moment he set foot onto the moving steps. Both NetNavis stood absolutely still as the escalator moved them up to the next level. Once ProtoMan reached the next floor, he continued running and Colonel continued his pursuit the moment he stepped off the escalator.

“Screen Divide!”

“Sonic Boom!”

The two attacks collided halfway and exploded, creating a large smokescreen.

“Colonel Army!” Colonel summoned four soldiers, this time armed with guns, and gave them the order to fire. Each one began to unleash a rapid barrage of bullets, but they ricocheted off something and hit the soldiers, deleting them instantly. Colonel looked forward as the smoke cleared and saw ProtoMan crouching on the floor with his shield raised.

“Very good, ProtoMan,” Chaud commended, “Now let’s keep going. NeoVariable Battlechip in, download!” ProtoMan’s hand morphed into a shimmering arrow-shaped sword and he fired a Sonic Boom at Colonel, who cut out a piece of the ceiling that fell in front of him and blocked the attack.

“SuperVulcan Battlechip in, download!” Baryl slotted in one of his own chips and his Navi’s sword was replaced by a golden gatling gun. Colonel came out from behind the piece of debris and opened fire. ProtoMan dashed away and fired another Sonic Boom that sliced through the floor and hit his target. The caped NetNavi got back to his feet and fired his Colonel Cannon at the roof over his opponent’s head, causing it to fall on top of him. ProtoMan dashed out of the way and dove out the window. Colonel blasted out part of the wall and followed. The two of them landed back on the train platforms and they switched back to their default swords before resuming combat. Two trains came up on either side of them and trapped the NetNavis on the same platform.

* * *

“The trains that run on the outermost tracks are electrical trains, right?” asked Noah.

“Looks that way,” Sean noted.

“But they should be fine,” Lan commented, “I’m sure Chaud, ProtoMan, Baryl, and Colonel know about which rails are the electrified ones. It’s the second and fourth rails.”

“The second and forth rails from which side?” asked Sean. Lan opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it as he gave it some thought.

“I think I’ll stop talking for now.”

* * *

Most of the fighting was taking place near the center of the train terminal, so both ProtoMan and Colonel were far from the electrified tracks. However, the danger of the trains was still present as they began to come in faster now and a lot more frequently. Chaud sent in a TimeBomb3 and ProtoMan tossed it onto the tracks behind him. The counter hit zero just before a train hit it and exploded, blowing the vehicle into the air. Colonel fired his missiles at the derailed train and blasted it away.

“Screen Divide!” ProtoMan backflipped down the platform as the Screen Divide chased him and he sliced off the pillar at the end, which fell in front of the energy column and blocked it.

“Colonel Cannon!” Colonel fired at the floor over his opponent’s head and the debris plumaged toward him. ProtoMan turned around and swung his sword rapidly, slicing apart the concrete and metal and it fell harmlessly around him. A train burst in from the archway beside him and he quickly grabbed on. It pulled him towards Colonel at an alarming speed and he slashed him across his shoulder as he passed. He let go of the train and his feet landed on a lamppost, which he pushed off toward his opponent. Another train came by and Colonel grabbed onto it just in time to avoid ProtoMan’s attack. He pushed himself off onto the roof of another that was just coming in. His opponent jumped on and they fought on top of the moving vehicle. They both exchanged blows both high and low until they reached the other end of the terminal, where they jumped off onto opposite platforms.

“Screen Divide!”

“Sonic Boom!”

Their attacks hit the train at the exact same time and derailed it. Both combatants leapt into the air as it came crashing back down and continued their fight. They landed back on the ground and fired off another Sonic Boom and Screen Divide. ProtoMan blocked with his shield and Colonel with his cape.

“ProtoMan, attack with full power!” commanded Chaud.

“Bloody Quartet!” ProtoMan’s other hand changed into a sword and two more appeared on his elbows as he ran towards his opponent. In one swift stroke, he passed his quartet of blades through Colonel and landed safely behind him with simulated blood dripping from the edges.

“Well done, ProtoMan,” complimented the Netopian military Navi, “However, we’re still far from finished.” He tore off his cape and threw it into the air. ProtoMan fired Sonic Boom after Sonic Boom at it, but his attacks failed to knock it away. It landed on him and covered him completely.

“Climax Swipe!” Colonel rushed in and delivered a powerful and rapid series of slashes and stabs at his opponent. When he was finished, he stepped back and pulled his cape off ProtoMan and re-secured it onto his back where it magically repaired itself.

* * *

“They just used their most powerful attacks on each other!” exclaimed Noah.

“And yet they’re both still standing,” Maylu observed.

* * *

Trains continued to pass through the terminal as Colonel and ProtoMan stood breathing heavily after taking heavy damage from each other’s most devastating techniques. Both combatants were covered with countless wounds with pixels slowly streaming out from their bodies.

“One final attack?” ProtoMan asked.

“Sure,” Colonel replied.

Both NetNavis readied their swords and stared each other down. They turned their blades so that the edges were angled for cutting and charged. They held their weapons ready until they met and swung simultaneously. There was a slow-motion moment between them as they passed with their swords outstretched to the sides.

A well executed maneuver, ProtoMan, thought Colonel.

Thank you for such an incredible battle, Colonel, ProtoMan thanked mentally.

Both NetNavis stopped on opposite sides of the platform and stood absolutely still. The last train finished passing through and left a wind in its wake that blew over the battlefield. ProtoMan staggered momentarily and his body vanished.

PROTOMAN LOGGING OUT

* * *

“And there’s the exciting conclusion of the third secondary elimination match!” announced Ribbita, “It was a fierce battle, but in the end it was Colonel who triumphed over ProtoMan!”

* * *

“You did very well, Chaud,” Baryl commended as he shook hands with his opponent.

“You and Colonel were exceptional, as well,” replied Chaud. He took out his Z-Saber and handed it to Baryl, but the retired army colonel declined.

“I do not need your chip, Chaud. You should keep it. You’ll need it in the future.”

* * *

“And Baryl will advance to the semifinals,” Higsby reported, “His opponent will be the winner of the next match, which will be Noah Kaiyou versus Saiba Yami. We’ll bring you live coverage of this event when we come back right after the break!”

“And we’re clear,” declared the producer.

“Well done, Higsby,” Ribbita complimented, “You did really well.”

“Thanks, Ribbita,” replied Higsby, “I figured that I can do just fine without the teleprompter.”

“That’s the spirit.”

“Higsby, can I stop scrolling text now?” NumberMan asked.

“Huh?” Ribbita watched as Higsby walked off the set and picked up his PET, which had the display on with NumberMan scrolling a text file he had slapped together at the last minute. The chip otaku just sweatdropped and laughed nervously.

“I just said I could do without the teleprompter,” he admitted guiltily, “I never said anything regarding a substitute, though.”

---------------------------------------------
End of chapter 3-70.

CHAPTER PREVIEW
Lan: It’s Noah vs. Saiba in the next match.
MegaMan: Two brothers going at it in an all-out match.
Lan: We’ve seen how Saiba and Omega X battle, so it’s going to be a tough match.
MegaMan: Noah’s got a few bones to pick with his brother, so he’s going to be a tough contender, too.
Lan & MegaMan: Next time on Rockman.EXE: The College Years, “The Brothers’ Brawl”.
Lan: It’s finally come to the match Noah’s been waiting for.
MegaMan: And it’s going to be a hard one.
_________________

[SonicNigma212]

Sorry for the delay in comments. It's just that my one strength and my one weakness is getting in the way again: thinking too much. Well, onto the reviews:

Number 199:
Well, I've got to say that you a little overboard for when it came to the battle between both MegaMan and Zero. Also, it was a bit extreme for you to be using the Soul Unisons. Also, the program advances that you've put for Zero was a bit over the top. Not to mention that you seemed to have something else planned for the finals. Well, in either case, the battle wasn't bad.

Number 200:
Now, this is one of the most interesting battles that I've ever witnessed. Well, read anyway. The battle was better, or for that matter greater, than any of the other battles that I've ever read within the story so far. I mean, both ProtoMan and Colonel going at it. I mean, talk about survival of the fittest. Oh, and it's also good that you've put the references of the game and the anime into the season as well the rest of the chapters.

Well, Later and keep up the good work.

Maurice A. Nigma ^_^ :grr:

[Midnight]

Hmm.

Again, I'm not very impressed with this chapter, it seems. However, I did not expect the ending, so I suppose that was a bonus for your end. Combat was hardly linear, which again is a bonus, but nothing about it stood out again.

Decent job. I'm still waiting for this big twist thta should shake up the plot...if it will ever come...
_________________
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

[Mugen.exe]

Good chapter, but I can't wait to see the next one! That should be an entertaining read. The train station chapter was good, but it would have been cool if you'd have done more with the turn-stile. I just think it would have been morally funny if those two turn-stile-jumpers had been punished for that~instant log-out, you know. Still, the unexpected ending was good. Slo-mo-moment was awesome. If the next chapter has an unexpected moment too, that'll be a major plus!
_________________

False Swipe is a great finishing move!
Witty robots, spunky orphans, and invincible pilots, this link's for you! A Gundam RP

[Anime Master ZERO]

This past week was my Reading Week and as many of you may have noticed, I took that whole week off from writing.

-------------------------------------------
CHAPTER 3-71
The Brothers’ Brawl

“We’re down to the final match of the secondary elimination rounds,” Ribbita announced as they came back on the air, “If you’re just joining us, here’s a recap of everything that’s happened so far.” Several clips of the events that had happened during the finals since the very first match flashed across the TV screen with all the highlights. When it ended ten minutes later, Ribbita was once against standing next to the wheel. There were only three segments left and each of them had been expanded to cover one-third of it surface.

“Well, let’s see where the next match will take place.” She spun the wheel and everyone watched as it turned.

“There are only three battlefields left to choose from,” Noah whispered to himself as he rested his chin on his plushie’s head. His red and blue eyes watched as the wheel spun and it slowly began to come to a stop. When it did, it landed with the pointer on the segment showing a picture of a cloud.

“And the next match will take place in the Sky Domain!” announced Ribbita. Noah and Saiba got up from their seats and proceeded through the doors.

“The Sky Domain takes place very high off the ground,” the news anchor explained, “In fact, there’s no ground at all! The competitors will only have a number of floating platforms to stand on. Should either of them fall off, the match automatically goes to the other. This is designed especially for Navis capable of flight, so those who can’t fly are out of luck on this field.”

“Thank God Lumine can fly,” mumbled Lan.

* * *

“Is all this really necessary?” asked Noah as several resort staff members strapped him into a harness.

“When you fall out onto the battlefield, you’ll realize it is,” one of the staff replied.

“Don’t you mean ‘step out onto the battlefield’?”

“No, we mean fall.” The staff finished securing Noah’s harness and stepped back, “Prepare for release!”

“Wait, what are you going to…” Noah’s sentence was cut off by his own scream as the floor dropped away from under his feet and he fell straight down. He was cut short when the line to which his harness was attached jerked him to a stop and the boy genius found himself dangling in midair from the top of a tall metal tower.

At least I’m not falling anymore, he thought. A few minutes later, Saiba dropped in front of him and the two brothers stared each other down.

“Ready for battle, little brother?” the elder of the two asked.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment since the day we met,” Noah replied as he tied his plushie to his belt.

“That would have been when you were born.”

“Okay, the second day we met.”

“Anyway, think you can handle a NetBattle while dangling several meters in the air?” taunted Saiba, “Are you so scared that you’d actually wet yourself?”

“I can assure you that I am not scared,” Noah shot back, “The fact that I may or may not have wet my trousers is neither this nor that.”

”So are we going to do this or what?”

“I’m not waiting any longer.” Noah took out his solar sensor and attached it to his PET, “Jack in!! Lumine, power up!”

“Jack in!! Omega X, power up!”

Inside the battle grid, Lumine landed on one of the floating panels and Omega X appeared on another on the other side. The entire battlefield was just as Ribbita had described it. With the exception of some hovering platforms and several clouds, it was just one massive blue sky with no ground in sight.

“Battle routine, set!”

“Execute!”

BATTLE START

“Crest of Arcadia Battlechip in, download!” Saiba quickly slotted in the infamous chip and Omega X quickly donned his armor.

“Seraphim Mode.” A white light engulfed Lumine and completely silhouetted his body as he levitated off his panel and feathers flew out from him. When everything turned back to normal, the lavender-haired NetNavi sprouted six mechanical angel wings from his back and faced his opponent. Omega X rose off his platform and hovered before the Navi floating in front of him.

“Let’s go!” shouted the white-haired heterochromic brothers. Right on cue, Lumine and Omega X flew towards each other and thrust out their fists. Their punches intercepted one another and the two combatants pushed past each other and flew to opposite sides of the battlefield.

“X Buster!” Omega X whipped around, morphed his hand into his buster, and fired several golden plasma shots at his opponent.

“Heaven’s Judgement!” Lumine spread out wings and fired countless feathers from his wingtips. They streaked across the sky and intercepted Omega X’s shots.

“Not a bad move, baby bro,” Saiba commented. Noah frowned at being called his opponent’s “baby bro”.

“I may be your brother, but I’m not a baby!”

“At least I can’t say things about your eye colors,” Saiba replied, “After all, mine are the same.”

“Okay, fair enough,” answered Noah. Back in the battle grid, Lumine materialized three shining feathers in his hand and threw them at his opponent.

“Feather Kunai!” Omega X flew back away from the deadly knife-like feathers and blasted a floating panel into their path. They exploded against it and the said panel fell back into place. Omega X flew around the battlefield and fired several more X Buster shots at his opponent. Lumine closed his wings around himself and the blasts bounced right off. He spread them back out and flew toward the other Navi.

“God’s Hand Battlechip in, download!” Saiba slotted in a chip and Omega X’s hand began to glow with a holy white light. He cocked back his arm as Lumine came close and swung out with all his might. The lavender-haired Navi quickly thrust out his hands and caught his opponent’s punch. He then aimed his wings right at him and fired a Heaven’s Judgement at point-blank range. Omega X was blasted back, but he managed to grab onto a floating platform and pushed himself off with his feet back toward the other angelic Navi. Lumine saw his opponent coming toward him and quickly grabbed one of the floating panels. As soon as Omega X was within range, he threw it at him and it struck him on the chest before he could retaliate.

“Lumine, fly into the clouds!” commanded Noah. Lumine complied and quickly flew away from his opponent and disappeared into the clouds.

“Omega X, follow him,” Saiba ordered. Omega X quickly recovered from the blow of the panel when it hit him and flew after Lumine.

“Where are you?” he growled. His answer came when three Feather Kunai struck him in the back. He spun around and fired his X Buster into the clouds, but his attack hit nothing.

* * *

“A very clever move by Lumine,” Ribbita commentated, “He’s using the surrounding environment to his advantage by using the clouds as a cover. Higsby, any thoughts on this?”

“Um… Well… Hello?” Ribbita sighed.

“Can we please just hurry up and get the stupid teleprompter fixed?”

* * *

“So you and your Navi want to play hide-and-seek, huh?” Saiba asked.

“What can I say? I’m a kid,” Noah replied, “I love to play.”

“Well then, let’s see how you do when you’ve got no place to hide. Arcadian Gale Battlechip in, download!” A powerful wind blew over the field from behind Omega X and the clouds were blown away, revealing Lumine’s position.

“Looks like your hide-and-seek game is over,” Saiba smirked.

“Then we’ll just have to play a new game,” replied Noah.

“What sort of other games could you integrate into a NetBattle?” asked Saiba, “Your chips are all Boktai themed.”

“Doesn’t mean I still can’t kick your arse. Even if we’re dangling in midair.” Noah carefully took a chip out of his hoodie pocket, making sure not to drop it, and slotted it into his PET, “ZeusHammer Battlechip in, download!” A gargantuan red hammer appeared in Lumine’s hands and he flew toward his opponent. He hefted the mighty weapon up and swung it at the other’s head. Omega X quickly dropped and let it pass over him before flying back up and tackling the lavender-haired NetNavi. Lumine managed to hold out against the impact and quickly slammed his ZeusHammer down on top of his opponent. Omega X was hit and he was sent flying toward the non-existent ground. He was quickly able to recover and flew back up.

“Yotta Cannon Battlechip in, download!” Omega X’s hand transformed into a giant cannon and he fired a powerful blast of energy at his opponent. Lumine threw his ZeusHammer at it and intercepted the attack.

“YamatoManV4 Battlechip in, download!” Noah slotted in a chip and watched his PET display. Instead of summoning the samurai NetNavi to the field, a large spear appeared in Lumine’s hands. He grabbed it and flew toward Omega X. He thrust his weapon toward him and hit him on the chest. Saiba’s Navi tried to bring up the Yotta Cannon, but his opponent would not allow it and promptly knocked it aside with the end of his spear, resulting in the blast being fired downward. He then jabbed at Omega X multiple times.

“Havoc Wings Battlechip in, download!” Saiba watched as his Navi’s wings started to glow and then saw as he launched into a spin and attacked his opponent with the shining appendages like a buzzsaw. Lumine received multiple hits and he quickly pulled back. His spear was good for ranged attacks, but it was completely useless against close combat.

“You’ve been doing good so far, little brother,” Saiba commented.

“Will you please stop belittling me like that?” requested Noah, “It’s getting old.”

“But you just make it so easy,” chuckled Saiba, “Everything about you is small.”

“Keep in mind that I was the one who kicked you in the groin,” the boy genius reminded his elder sibling.

“Touché, Noah.”

“Indeed.”

“Quite.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

“Well then, perhaps we can continue our exchange of monosyllabic expressions of arrogance after we finish this Netbattle,” suggested Noah.

“’Course.”

“Right.”

“Good.”

“Fine.”

“Transcendent Sword Battlechip in, download!” Omega X’s Yotta Cannon vanished and was quickly replaced by his shining, golden, rune-emblazoned sword. The Arcadian NetNavi flew toward his opponent and sliced. His blade cut through the spear’s handle and cleaved it cleanly in two. He then kicked Lumine in the chest and sent him flying backwards.

“Muramasa Battlechip in, download!” A steel sword appeared in Lumine’s hand and a demonic aura surrounded the blade. He flew back toward his opponent and swung. Omega X did the same and their swords clashed. They pushed off each other and landed on separate floating platforms. Omega X fell back and used his feet to turn his panel upside-down and kick it into the air. He flew up after it sliced it into pieces before sending them toward his opponent. Lumine surrounded himself with his wings and shielded himself from the bombardment. However, Omega X was far from finished. He held up his Transcendent Sword and the blade began to resonate with a heavenly aura. He then chopped downward and sent a golden blade beam at Lumine. It broke through his defenses and hit him dead-on. It cut through him and the panel on which he stood and he fell back toward the abyss.

“Shining Cross Battlechip in, download!” While still floating in the air, Omega X posed in the shape of a cross and a shining golden crucifix shot out of his body.

“LeafShield Battlechip in, download!” Noah’s chip surrounded Lumine in a cocoon of leaves and when the Shining Cross hit it, the leaves absorbed the energy, converted it into a usable form for the lavender-haired NetNavi, and restored his health.

“Lumine, are you alright?” asked Noah. Lumine spread out his wings and halted his fall.

“I’m fine now, Noah,” he replied, “Thank you.” He looked at his Muramasa and saw that the demonic aura had weakened greatly.

“But now the Muramasa has been weakened.”

“Don’t worry, Lumine. I’ve just the thing. Z-Saber Battlechip in, download! Otenko Battlechip in, download!” The Z-Saber appeared in Lumine’s hand and Master Otenko onto a nearby panel. He plucked the Messenger of the Sun off and placed him on his back. The blade of the Z-Saber began to glow with a bright gold as the power of the sun was poured into it. Noah held out his right arm so that sunlight fell onto his solar sensor.

“You’re going down.” Lumine clenched his sword and charged. Omega X flew toward him and their blades collided. They pushed each other off and the former quickly attacked again, but his opponent dove down and flew to the side to avoid it before stabbing his Transcendent Sword at him. Lumine flipped over the blade and its wielder and stopped behind him before both Navis whipped around and clashed swords again. Omega X came down with his weapon and his opponent blocked before attacking again. The Arcadian NetNavi morphed his other hand into his buster and used its shield to deflect the blow.

“CountSP Battlechip in, download!” The Count of Ground-Soaking Blood appeared in front of Lumine and attacked Omega X with Blood Rain before launching a row of Blood Spires, which seemed to come out of thin air and hit him from below. The diabolical vampire then disappeared and Noah slotted in his Gun Del Hell. The Dark Gun appeared in Lumine’s other hand and he fired several dark shots at his opponent. At this moment, Noah covered his solar sensor with his hand, giving the Gun Del Hell more power.

“It’s going to take more than those to defeat me!” Omega X swung his sword and flew at Lumine while avoiding all the shots. He came up close and attacked only to have his blow parried.

“Gun Del Sol EX Battlechip in, download!” The solar-powered Z-Saber and Otenko vanished and the Gun Del Sol EX appeared in Lumine’s hand. Now armed with two guns, he pulled away and fired bursts of light and darkness at Omega X. The shots came within such close proximity of one another at times that he often found himself flying as far away from them as possible in case they collided.

“Noah, be careful with those things!” shouted Saiba, “Do you know what will happen when light and darkness come together?”

“They create chaos,” answered Noah, “I’m fully aware of that and I’m also fully aware of the results if I were to launch a chaos blast. However, seeing as I can’t exactly use the Pile Driver on a field like this, I just might do it.”

“You’re insane, Noah.”

“So are you, Saiba. I guess that’s what makes us siblings.” Lumine held the two guns together with the barrels side-by-side and aimed them at his opponent.

“You’ll destroy us all!” shouted Omega X.

“I’ve got protection!” Lumine cried. And with that, he pulled the triggers at once. The solar shot and the dark shot fired out at the same time and they fused together as they approached their target. Right on impact, a massive explosion of chaos energy erupted throughout the entire battlefield and destroyed everything. Lumine closed his wings around himself and Noah reinforced his defenses with a couple of chips. When the chaos subsided, no other physical entity remained. However, Omega X had somehow managed to survive.

“I can see you’re not fooling around, little brother,” Saiba muttered darkly, “Alright, then. Maybe I should end this now. Transcendent Wings of Arcadia Battlechip in, download!” A white light swallowed up Omega X and the Crest of Arcadia shined brightly and appeared on his armor over his chest. A third pair of wings appeared on it, totalling six on the red diamond.

“Lumine, ultimate attack!” commanded Noah. The Gun Del Sol EX and the Gun Del Hell disappeared from Lumine’s hands and the sky suddenly turned to a dark purple.

“Paradise Lost!” The white Navi closed his wings around his body and locked them into place.

“Rip through him, Omega X,” growled Saiba. Omega X flew toward Lumine with unparalleled speed and smashed into his wing barrier with incredible power, knocking his shield open. He flew high over him and formed a giant ball of white energy in his hands.

“Wrath of God!” He brought the ball over his head and threw it down at his opponent. It completely engulfed Lumine and he morphed his hand into his X Buster. Streams of energy flowed into the barrel as he charged it up.

“Charged Shot!” A powerful burst of energy erupted from Omega X’s weapon and pierced through Lumine. The young angelic Navi gasped and he was quickly logged out.

LUMINE LOGGING OUT

“Lumine!” Noah looked at his PET screen as his Navi appeared inside the portable device, “Lumine! Are you alright? Please answer, Lumine!”

“He’s fine, Noah. Save your brother,” muttered Saiba. Noah looked up from his PET at his brother and glared at him angrily.

“I hate you, Saiba,” he mumbled, “Very much. So very, very much.”

“I get a lot of that,” Saiba said casually. Noah growled before giving out a yelp as he was hoisted back up by his cord with Saiba right below him.

* * *

“And it looks like Saiba and Omega X will be advancing to the semifinals,” Ribbita announced, “Noah Kaiyou may be a child prodigy, but even gifted people like him have their limits. Higsby, have you got anything to say about this?” She looked at Higsby and saw that he was beginning to have a nervous breakdown.

“How will we ever be able to function without our teleprompter?!” he screamed.

“Oh for crying out loud.” Ribbita got up from her chair, walked off the set to the teleprompter, and smacked it hard. Instantly, the static disappeared, the smoke stopped, and the text returned to normal. Satisfied, she returned to her seat.

“There! I told you all it needed was a good whack!”

“Uh, I knew that,” Higsby replied, “I just didn’t want to violate union rules.”

“Whatever,” sighed Ribbita. Higsby looked at the teleprompter and began reading the words out loud.

“From DNN News, I’m Higsby Yamitarou.”

“And I’m Ribbita Midorikawa. We’ll see you all again tomorrow as we bring you live coverage of the Battle Network tournament semifinals!”

“And we’re off,” the producer announced.

“Did you know that the first teleprompters were made of wood and had to be hand-cranked?” asked Higsby.

“No they weren’t,” answered Ribbita.

--------------------------------------
End of chapter 3-71.

CHAPTER PREVIEW
Lan: We’re down to the semifinals.
MegaMan: Competition from hereon end is going to be a lot tougher.
Lan: Our next match is against Sean and Axl.
MegaMan: They’re friends, but we haven’t battled them in so long.
Lan & MegaMan: Next time on Rockman.EXE: The College Years, “Desert Storm”.
Lan: Whichever one of us wins will advance to the final match.
MegaMan: It’s going to be a battle of transformations.
_________________

[Midnight]

Hmm.

I'm telling you, you've lost whatever made the first few chapters of this most recent arc enjoyable to read. I found that the rivalry between the two combatants in this round was rather petty, and the cheap verbal potshots that Saiba employed to try to intimidate his opponent only strengthened this idea. The only thing that stood out about this chapter was your protagonist's spectacular loss, and even then it does little to save this chapter.
_________________
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 mean, this is the very first time that I've ever seen both Saiba and Noah acting like a normal pair of siblings. Well, siblings that have Navis to fight their battles for them anyway. In any case, this is a good chapter that you've managed to put up during that Reading Week. Not to mention the fact that you were able to get both Ribbita and Higsby arguing and talking as if they are comic prompters. Other than the fact that its like the relationship that me and my little sister use to have, this chapter is good. Keep it up! Later!

Maurice A. Nigma ^_^ :grr:

[Mugen.exe]

An interesting chapter. I agree that their arguments seemed to come out of nowhere, and were quite petty; I feel you still did a good job of portraying said argument. The battle was interesting, if not complicated. The loss was out of nowhere; it really was a spectacular face-smashing, wasn't it. A shame Noah lost; he was one of my favorite characters...
Oh well. Great chapter, but like others have said, your earlier ones were a little better. Keep up the good work!
_________________

False Swipe is a great finishing move!
Witty robots, spunky orphans, and invincible pilots, this link's for you! A Gundam RP

[Anime Master ZERO]

CHAPTER 3-72
Desert Storm

Higsby and Ribbita sat in their chairs facing the camera as they came on the air.

“Today, on DNN News,” sang Higsby.

“Stories. Simple stories on DNN,” Ribbita sang. Higsby then got up from his seat and continued singing.

“Stories, on the tourney finals.” Ribbita copied her co-host’s actions and also stood up.

“Great NetBattles…”

“Reported to you live from the Battle Network finals.” The two anchors were now singing in unison and launched into a song and dance.

“Live coverage! Exclusive interviews! Right here on DNN News toooodaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy!” As they sustained the last note, Higsby accidentally kicked Ribbita’s chair off the set into a framework. The impact caused it to vibrate and shook loose one of the stage lights attached to it. As soon as the two anchors stopped dancing, Higsby chanced a glance upward and saw the falling fixture. He screamed and quickly tackled Ribbita away just in time and the stage light hit the floor.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
PLEASE STAND BY

“Okay, and we are back,” Higsby announced with a tone of relief in his voice. Ribbita’s chair was back in place and the two hosts were seated again.

“We had a slight technical difficulty with one of our stage lights, but we’re ready to go now,” Ribbita informed the audience.

“And cue intro,” announced the producer. On the TV, the DNN News introduction flashed across the screen.

“Today,” Ribbita’s voice announced, “we bring you live coverage of the Battle Network tournament semifinals. Today’s matches are Lan Hikari versus Sean Obihiro and Colonel Baryl versus Saiba Yami. It’s all coming up right here on DNN News!” The introduction ended and the camera panned down onto the two hosts.

“Good day and welcome,” greeted Ribbita, “I’m Ribbita Midorikawa.”

“And I’m Higsby Yamitarou.”

“The Battle Network finals draw to a close as we come down to the final three matches,” Ribbita reported, “Our semifinalists will compete against each other today for a shot at the championship crown. The winners in today’s two matches will advance to the final round of the tournament. But first, let’s recap what’s happened so far.” After twenty minutes of recapped events, Ribbita and Higsby returned to the screen, but this time they were sitting in another part of the studio. They were now sitting side-by-side and a third chair stood across from them as well as some kind of holographic projector.

“Before we begin giving you coverage of the tournament, let’s first interview each and every one of our competitors beginning with the four semifinalists,” said Higsby, “Let’s start with the famous Lan Hikari.” An applause track played over the speakers as Lan walked onto the set and shook hands with Higsby and Ribbita.

“Welcome to the set, Lan,” greeted Higsby.

“Thanks,” Lan replied, “It’s a pleasure.” He took his seat and jacked MegaMan into the console on his armrest and a life-size hologram of the blue NetNavi was projected beside him, sitting in a similar chair.

“So Lan,” Ribbita began, “you and MegaMan are quite a legend among NetBattlers. You’ve saved the world and the net numerous times in the past. It must be hard to keep up with all of it and still lead a normal life.”

“Well Ribbita, I wouldn’t exactly say our life is normal,” Lan answered as his name appeared at the bottom of the TV screen, “Sure, we do a lot stuff other people do but our days have seen a lot more oddities than most people.”

“Anyway, Lan, we’ve received a lot of e-mail from viewers asking questions that they’d hope you can answer,” Ribbita continued, “So let’s check into the E-mail Sack and see what we’ve got. The first e-mail reads ‘Dear Lan, I’m one of your biggest fans. How do you and MegaMan get your power?’ Well, Lan?”

“Well Ribbita, I’d say our power comes from the strong bond of friendship we have,” answered Lan, “You see, MegaMan’s not just a NetNavi. To me, he’s a partner, a friend, and a brother.”

“Sure, we may not always get along at times,” MegaMan continued, “but that happens. Lan and I just forgive each other and keep going on. When a NetNavi and an operator share strong bond with one another, you can do anything.”

“Thank you. Now let’s move on to the next letter.” Ribbita set aside a set of paper and picked up another one, “This one says ‘Dear Lan, You’re a great NetBattler. I want to know why is it that you NetBattle.’”

“Well, I’ve always liked to NetBattle since I was little,” Lan replied, “I guess I NetBattle because I think it’s fun. A lot of people may be in it for the glory of winning, but I do it just for the pleasure. My belief is as long as people keep NetBattling in a special place in their hearts, they’ll always love it.”

“Amen to that, Lan,” MegaMan said nodding.

“Well, we’ve got time for just one more question,” said Ribbita as she began to read the next e-mail, “This one says ‘Dear Lan and MegaMan, You guys are my heroes. You saved the world so many times already. How do you do it?’”

“We do it just because we love our worlds,” MegaMan answered, “Both the real and the cyber worlds are our homes and we’d be willing to sacrifice everything to protect them.”

“That’s deeply motivating,” Higsby commented.

“Thank you for your time, Lan and MegaMan,” Ribbita thanked.

“The pleasure was all ours.” Lan shook hands with the hosts again and jacked out MegaMan before leaving as the applause track played again.

“Next is Lan’s next opponent, Sean Obihiro,” Ribbita introduced. A third applause was played as Sean came out, shook hands with Higsby and Ribbita, sat down, and jacked Axl into the projector.

“Welcome, Sean,” greeted Ribbita, “You’re most well-known as the former leader of Gospel. Would you like to elaborate on that?”

“I’d rather not,” Sean answered, “It’s kind of painful to talk about my past.”

“That’s quite understandable,” commented Ribbita, “Well, why don’t you tell us some of the good things? Like when you first met Lan, for example.”

“When I first met Lan, I was still under the identity of Shuryou Gospel,” Sean explained as his name appeared right under him on the TV screen, “After the defeat of Gospel, Lan offered me his friendship. It was the first time anyone had been nice to me since my parents had died. Lan was my very first friend. I was so happy I actually cried.”

“Awwwwwwwww…”

“Can you please not play the audience tracks?” asked Axl, “It’s really annoying.”

“Anyway,” Sean continued, “after disbanding Gospel, Lan introduced me to his other friends and we all became a really close-knit group.”

“That’s a touching story, Sean,” Ribbita commented, “Anyway, you seem to have attracted a lot of attention and most of the e-mails for you ask the very same question, ‘How did you get the Gospel chips?’”

“When I was leading the NetMafia Gospel, I created the chips in case I ever needed to use Gospel’s power for other purposes. Of course, great power comes with a great cost so I kept them locked away for years until the time rose when I would need them.”

“Sean, could you please show me the Gospel chips?” Higsby pleaded, “In fact, why don’t you show the whole world the Gospel chips?” Sean felt uncomfortable with this proposition. He knew how obsessed Higsby was with rare chips and since each Gospel chip was one-of-a-kind, he was very reluctant to bring them out. Thankfully, Axl was able to save him from carrying out such a request.

“We feel it’s best if the fans get to see the chips in action.”

“That is so very true,” replied Ribbita, “Anyway, thank you for your time, Sean. Good luck in your next match.”

“Thank you, Ribbita.” Sean got up and shook hands with the hosts as the applause track played again and he left with Axl back in his PET.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we unfortunately were not able to reach Baryl or Saiba for comment,” Ribbita informed the audience, “So now let’s go straight to the first semifinal match.”

“Only two battlefields remain,” Higsby explained, “The final match will take place on a special battlefield designed for such a big event. Now let’s see where Lan and MegaMan will do battle.” With only two fields left, instead of putting one on each half of the wheel, they had been split into eight segments and arranged in an alternating order. With everything set, the wheel was spun and everyone watched as it came to a stop on a picture of a pyramid.

“And it looks like the next match will take place in the Desert Ruins!” announced Ribbita. As Lan and Sean headed off, she turned to Higsby who began to explain the battlefield.

“This battlefield is set in a never-ending desert,” the chip otaku explained, “The ruins of an ancient Egyptian city will be the place where most of the battles take place. However, there is also open desert all around this city. Sand will slow down our competitors if they’re not prepared for it and there are plenty of obstacles and walls to use. Now let’s check in and see how our semifinalists are doing.”

* * *

It wasn’t so much of a desert setting as it was a large portion of the beach that was farthest from the ocean with a small replica of the sphinx in the middle. Still, it was a sunny day and it was very hot. Sean had worn his tear-aways that day, so he simply ripped them off, revealing a pair of cargo shorts, and them behind with his jacket, shoes, and socks before stepping barefoot onto the sand. Somehow, Lan also had the same idea as he stood across from Sean in his summer attire also barefoot in the sand.

“Ow, that’s hot. Ow, that’s hot.” Lan repeated the line with every step he took across the beach until he stopped opposite from Sean.

“You ready for this, Lan?” asked the crimson-eyed teen.

“Yes, I am,” Lan answered, “Jack in!! MegaMan, power up!”

“Jack in!! Axl, power up!”

The NetNavis appeared inside the battle grid and looked around. The two of them stood in the center of an ancient city. Several tools lying about indicated that it had actually been an archeological excavation. Buildings of stone stood in ruin around them. There were also tall columns left behind after possible temples had collapsed and statues of various Egyptian gods could be found in certain areas.

“Think you’re a match for me, MegaMan?” asked Axl as he got into his battle stance, “It’s been a while since you and I have NetBattled.”

“And that’s what makes it so challenging,” MegaMan replied as he took up his own stance, “Let’s go.”

“Battle routine, set!”

“Execute!”

BATTLE START

MegaMan and Axl quickly jumped away from each other and fired their weapons. They landed on opposite ends of the plaza and took cover behind some walls.

“DesertDNA Battlechip in, download!” Sean slotted in his first chip and Axl’s entire body quickly dissolved into sand and he sank into the ground. Meanwhile, MegaMan peered around his corner to look for his opponent, but there was no sign of him.

Where could he have gone? he wondered. Axl’s hand suddenly shot out of the ground and grabbed onto his ankle. The blue NetNavi yelped in surprise and tried to pull himself free. Axl’s upper body soon came up and he pointed his Axl Gun at his opponent.

“Gotcha, MegaMan!” He grinned widely as he started firing. MegaMan thrust his buster down toward him and launched a blast, but it passed right through Axl and hit the wall behind him. The redhead grinned and sank back into the ground.

“Damn! He’s using the desert to his advantage by using DesertMan’s power,” MegaMan muttered.

“That’s okay, MegaMan. We’ve handled this before. Soul Unison: Search soul Battlechip in, download!” Green armor covered MegaMan’s torso as his square boots going up to his knees covered his legs. His right hand transformed into a sniper rifle as shoulder guards appeared over his own and his left glove turned green. His helmet changed and a microphone appeared next to his mouth as a targeting lens appeared over his left eye. Once the transformation was complete, he quickly locked onto Axl’s signature and targeted him beneath the surface. He planted his gun against the ground and waited.

“Scope Gun!” MegaMan pulled the trigger and a burst of energy shot down and hit Axl. The shapeshifter quickly resurfaced and dropped his DesertDNA.

“Clever move, guys,” Sean commented, “But we’ve got our own share of surprises.” And with that, he slotted in another chip, but didn’t declare it.

Sean’s done this before, thought Lan, When you don’t announce your Battlechip when you slot it in, your opponent doesn’t know what’s in store. And as there’s no rule against this, there’s nothing to stop him. His attention was quickly drawn back to the battle by a loud scream from his NetNavi. MegaMan had just been attacked and he was sent flying into a statue of Horus, forcing him out of Search Soul.

“MegaMan!” Lan gasped, “Are you okay?”

“Can you please try to pay more attention to the battle?” asked MegaMan.

“What happened?” asked Lan.

“Axl got me in the back with a DrillArm3,” was the response. MegaMan pulled himself back up to his feet and turned around to see his opponent dashing toward him, using his jets as thrusters, with his drill pointed forward.

“AreaGrab Battlechip in, download!” MegaMan teleported to safety and Axl’s attack hit the statue. It drilled through the feet and the stone structure soon fell on top of him. The scarred Navi pulled himself out from under the fallen statue and went after MegaMan.

“Katana3 Battlechip in, download!” Lan quickly slotted in a chip and watched as his Navi’s hand transformed into a sword.

“Katana3 Battlechip in, download!” Sean inserted the same chip and Axl’s left hand also morphed into a samurai sword. The two Navis met and started exchanging blows with each other. The sound of steel hitting and scraping against itself echoed through the street on which they were fighting. Their boots kicked up sand as they tried to keep up with each other’s movements. As Axl was left-handed, MegaMan was having a harder time trying to keep up than his opponent. Almost all Navis were right-handed, but Axl was specially designed so he always had an advantage when it came to swords. Only the best swordsmen on the net such as ProtoMan and Zero were able to match his advantage with their skills.

“Still haven’t gotten the hang of lefty opponents?” Axl taunted as he pushed MegaMan’s blade aside before slicing down his chest. The blue Navi cried out and backed away. Axl grinned as he brought his sword in front of his body and charged. MegaMan quickly ducked as his opponent pounced and the redhead flew over his head through a window.

“Are you okay, MegaMan?” asked Lan.

“I’m fine, Lan.” MegaMan picked himself up and carefully stepped into the house through the door. As soon as he set foot inside, Axl leapt off the stone stove he had landed on and chopped downward. MegaMan raised his sword and deflected the attack. He pushed his opponent away and Axl landed on the ceiling with his feet and pushed himself back down. He landed a few feet away from his opponent and made a run at him. MegaMan sidestepped and his opponent’s Katana3 just missed the side of his head. He drew back his arm and thrust his blade into Axl’s abdomen. The younger Navi grunted and then coughed as the sword impaled him. MegaMan pulled out his katana and Sean slotted in a Recover200. Axl’s wound quickly healed and he tackled his opponent. The two Navis crashed out through the wall and back onto the dusty street. The redhead grabbed onto MegaMan’s chest and thrust him against the ground, using the recoil from the impact to push him off.

“Soul Unison: Guts Soul Battlechip in, download!” MegaMan quickly gained his Guts Soul armor and he ran toward his opponent and threw a fist at him. He hit Axl squarely in the jaw and sent him flying down the street, but the youth activated his hover jets to slow himself down and grabbed onto the ground to regain control.

“Rocket Guts Punch!” MegaMan thrust out his arm and sent his fist flying forward. Axl saw it coming and jumped out of the way before running toward his opponent. The fist return to its owner and MegaMan readied himself. Axl came with a punch and he quickly caught it in his large hand. He threw another and MegaMan caught that as well. With both hands immobilized, there was nothing the redhead could do. MegaMan smiled behind his mouthguard and flipped his opponent over his head.

“GutsDNA Battlechip in, download!” Strength filled Axl’s body and he landed on his feet. He leaned his head back and looked straight into MegaMan’s surprised expression. He grinned and summoned all his strength to flip his opponent over his head and throw him forward. The emerald-eyed NetNavi crashed against a set of pillars, which caused them to collapse on top of him. He was forced out of Guts Soul, but Lan quickly equipped him with Metal Soul and he broke free.

“Metal Fist!” MegaMan ran toward his opponent and jumped into the air with his arm raised. Axl swiftly jumped out of the way and the punch struck the ground.

“Cursor beats Breaking!” Sean declared as he slotted in KillerDNA. KillerMan’s eye appeared on Axl’s chest and he fired the Killer Eye Beam at MegaMan. Lan dragged and dropped a Guard and a Mettaur helmet shielded his Navi from the beam.

“Sorry, Axl. Better luck next time,” MegaMan yelled.

“I don’t need luck!” With KillerDNA still active, Axl summoned KillerMan’s scythe and ran towards MegaMan. The metallically-armored Navi readied himself, but his opponent quickly did something unexpected. He used the end of the scythe to pole-vault himself into the air and onto an overhanging archway. He swung the death weapon and sliced off a piece that fell on top of MegaMan, who broke free from the rubble while still maintaining Metal Soul. However, this was not to last.

“MarkCannon3 Battlechip in, download!” KillerDNA vanished and Axl was armed with a MarkCannon3. He targeted MegaMan’s unarmored parts and fired. Two shots hit his legs, one into his lower back, one on his neck, and one at his crotch. MegaMan crumpled into a heap at the last attack and he reverted back to his normal form.

“That was cheap!” he yelled.

“No rule against crotch shots!” Axl hollered back as he leapt across the rooftops, trying to stay on the intact ones. Megaman lied in that position for ten minutes before he could finally get up and walk again.

“I need better armor,” he moaned.

“How about Soul Unison: Dragon Soul Battlechip in, download!” Dragon Soul flowed through MegaMan as the dragon hide armor covered his body. Now equipped with better protection, he spread his wings and flew after Axl.

“Dragon Flare!” His right hand morphed into a dragon head and he started firing on his opponent from above.

“Axl, above you!” Sean warned. Axl turned around and looked up to see MegaMan shooting at him and quickly leapt across the rooftops at an even faster pace to avoid getting hit.

Now things are starting to look up, thought MegaMan as he resumed his attack.

“MegaMan!” Lan cried, “Watch out for that…”

*WHAM!*

MegaMan had just crashed into a statue of Anubis. Seeing his opponent temporarily stunned, Axl turned to his operator.

“Sean, give me something strong!” he shouted.

“Okay. AquaGospel Battlechip in, download!” Axl’s hand morphed into Gospel’s head and he pointed it at his opponent. A massive blue beam erupted from the mouth and streaked toward him.

“StepCross Battlechip in, download!” MegaMan teleported out of the way and the AquaGospel blasted off Anubis’ head. He reappeared next to the scarred Navi and cross-slashed with a pair of WideSwords.

“ProtoDNA Battlechip in, download!”

“Soul Unison: Proto Soul Battlechip in, download!”

Axl transformed into ProtoMan and MegaMan changed to resemble the silver-haired Navi. Both combatants morphed their hands into Proto Swords and their battle resumed. They fought across the roofs, slicing any obstacles they could use against each other and blocking with their shields whenever something too big or powerful for their swords came their way.

“Sonic Boom!” The two Navis launched an energy wave from their blades and they collided halfway, sending miniature Sonic Booms flying out in every direction. The buildings on which they stood collapsed from the multiple slices and they landed safely several feet away. They stared at each other for a moment before dashing for one another’s throats again.

* * *

“This is pointless,” Mamoru commented, “Perfectly symmetrical violence never solves anything.”

“Neither of them is going to win at this rate,” Chaud muttered as he picked up a cookie off the snack table.

“Can I have some of that?” asked Noah.

“Okay.” Chaud handed Noah the cookie. The boy immediately twisted it open and licked off all the cream before putting the two halves back together and returning them to Chaud.

“You know what? Just take the whole thing.”

* * *

As the NetBattle wore on, Axl underwent many more transformations. Likewise, MegaMan went through several more Soul Unisons. Axl launched his FireGospel and MegaMan flew away with the help of his Gyro Soul. The blast hit the ground and created a large crater.

“Condor Battlechip in, download!” A Fishy 3 appeared under Axl’s feet and he flew on it toward his opponent. Lan slotted in a DashAttack and MegaMan’s Gyro Soul expired, but a summoned Fishy was able to catch him.

“You guys are good, Lan and MegaMan,” Sean commented, “But we better finish up this battle.”

“I totally agree,” Lan concurred, “Let’s finish it.”

The boys took out one Battlechip each and their Navis ran toward each other like madmen. Just as they reached one another, their operators slotted in the chips at the exact same time. There was a flash of light and they landed behind each other.

“Looks like we both used the same chip,” MegaMan said.

“Yes,” Axl confirmed, “But one of us took more damage.” He smiled before falling forward and collapsing in the sand.

AXL LOGGING OUT

Sean took a deep breath and made his way over to Lan.

“Congrats, Lan. You won.”

“Thanks, Sean. You and Axl were great.”

* * *

“That concludes this match,” Ribbita announced, “Stay tuned, everyone. We’ve got more interviews coming up plus the semifinal match between Baryl and Saiba!”

-------------------------------
End of chapter 3-72.

CHAPTER PREVIEW
Lan: It’s Baryl against Saiba.
MegaMan: Whoever wins this will fight us in the final match.
Lan: The battlefield’s a giant maze!
MegaMan: How are they going to battle in this environment?
Lan & MegaMan: Next time on Rockman.EXE: The College Years, “Labyrinth of Darkness”.
Lan: This will decide our opponent.
MegaMan: Will it be Baryl or Saiba?
_________________

[SonicNigma212]

That was good. I mean, the interveiw that you've put both Lan and MegaMan as well as Sean and Axl in was a nice touch. The setting that you've put up for the match is good as well. Not to mention the fact that you've still put up Higsby's old and yet rising habit of collecting battlechips is a good throw in the mix with Sean and Axl's interview. My most favorite moment is for when MegaMan got in the crotch! That was so funny on many levels! Well, that's it for me. I can't wait for Baryl and Saiba's match. Later!

Maurice A. Nigma :grr: ^_^

[Midnight]

Well..

You probably know how I'll respond to the chapteer in general, so let me just pull up two salient points that I must gripe about.

[Anime Master ZERO]

Midnight: I never said it was all done in one MarkCannon shot.

-------------------------------
CHAPTER 3-73
Labyrinth of Darkness

“So how do you feel about your loss against Saiba yesterday?” asked Ribbita.

“Well, all I can say is that I hope Baryl or Lan can kick his sorry arse for me,” Noah replied as he sat in the interview chair hugging his plushie tightly for comfort.

“Thank you, Noah.” Noah walked off the set and rejoined the others.

“Well, that was a waste of five minutes of my life,” the boy thought out loud as he sat down between Lan and Maylu.

“Well, it’s time to begin the second semifinal match,” Ribbita announced. Everyone watched as Baryl and Saiba left.

“This match will take place on the battlefield known as the Labyrinth,” Higsby explained, “It’s a giant underground maze. There’s plenty of cover to hide behind and it’s very easy to get lost. Fortunately, the operators will have maps of the maze so they can navigate their Navis. Also, this battlefield provides one major restriction. Due to the design, the ability to fly has been disabled.”

“That’s a relief,” Sean sighed, “If Omega X can’t fly, then Colonel should be able to stand a chance.”

“Now let’s go to the battle zone!” declared Higsby. The image on the TV screen changed and showed Baryl and Saiba standing in an underground chamber with a scale model of the maze that they would be fighting in between them.

“Jack in!! Colonel, power up!”

“Jack in!! Omega X, power up!”

Colonel and Omega X appeared at opposite entrances to the maze and holograms of them appeared on the model.

“Battle routine, set!”

“Execute!”

BATTLE START

“Crest of Arcadia Battlechip in, download!” Saiba wasted no time and immediately inserted the Crest of Arcadia into his PET. In a flash, the Crest emblazoned itself over Omega X’s icon and his angelic armor appeared on his body.

“Listen carefully, Colonel. I will navigate you through this maze,” Baryl instructed.

“As you command, Colonel Baryl.” Colonel morphed his right hand into his sword and waited for his orders. Aside from the model in front of them, both Saiba and Baryl had a computer screen next to them showing a complete map of the maze.

“Colonel, advance down to the end of the corridor!” commanded Baryl.

“Arcadian Seeker Battlechip in, download!” The Crest of Arcadia appeared on the floor beneath Omega X’s feet and it dashed through the maze with alarming speed. It navigated it without difficulty and hit Colonel.

“We’ve got a lock, Omega X,” Saiba said triumphantly.

“Excellent,” replied Omega X, “Now we know exactly where our opponent is, so let’s wipe him out.” He closed his eyes for a moment and then reopened them before dashing into the maze.

He knows exactly where Colonel is! Baryl realized.

“Colonel, be careful,” the soldier warned, “He knows your exact location. Hurry and take the left passage until the third branch and then take a right.”

“Roger, Colonel Baryl.” Colonel turned to his left and began following the directions his operator had given him. On the other side of the model, Saiba snickered and slotted in another chip.

“Arcadian Shadow Battlechip in, download!” As soon as his PET registered it, Omega X vanished.

Where did he go? Baryl asked mentally. Suddenly without warning, Omega X burst out of the wall behind Colonel and fired his X buster into his back. The caped Navi heard the shot and spun around in time to deflect the shot away. His opponent chortled silently and disappeared back into the wall.

“He’s gone!” exclaimed Colonel.

“What sort if chip is Arcadian Shadow?” Baryl demanded.

“I guess you deserve an answer, old man,” Saiba replied, “Arcadian Shadow is the special Stealth-element chip for the Crest of Arcadia. There’s one for each Battlechip type. The Arcadian Tracker I used earlier was the Cursor-type chip. And the Arcadian Gale I used in my battle with my brother was the Wind-type chip. They all have special effects so get used to them.”

Colonel spun around as Omega X continued to phase in and out of the walls, floor, and ceiling with a repetitive assault of sneak attacks.

I can’t take this anymore! the caped swordsman thought, I have to put an end to this attack quickly!

“Baryl, give me a tracker of my own!” he called.

“Immediately. Sensor3 Battlechip in, download!” Omega X phased of the ceiling and prepared to fire again. Suddenly, a JokersEye virus appeared and zapped him with its eye beam. He fell out from the ceiling and landed on the floor.

“There you are! Screen Divide!” Colonel fired a column of energy and it zigzagged towards Omega X. Fortunately for the winged Navi, his armor protected him from paralysis and he was able to dodge the attack by ducking behind a corner. He quickly brought his X Buster around it and fired. Colonel swung his sword to deflect the shots and backed away. His foot came down on a switch and the maze began to rumble.

“What’s going on here?” demanded Saiba. Suddenly, all the walls shifted and the labyrinth took on a new form.

* * *

“Higsby, please tell us what just happened,” Ribbita requested.

“Well Ribbita, it looks like there was one thing I forgot to mention,” Higsby answered, “There are switches all over the maze that will change its structure when triggered. It looks like Colonel stepped on one such trigger.”

* * *

A wall shot up between the two Navis and cut them off from one another. This, however, did not seem to affect Omega X in any way and he simply charged up his buster.

“Charged Shot!” He fired a beam at the wall and blew a large hole in. He stepped through and caught a glimpse of a blue cape disappear around a corner. He turned to face the direction and dashed after it. A sword blade suddenly swung out when he got to the corner and he veered away from it just in time.

* * *

“I just remembered one more thing about the battlefield,” Higsby suddenly blurted, “It’s riddled with all sorts of traps. Plus I think there’s a minotaur in there somewhere.”

* * *

A poisoned arrow shot out from a hole in the wall and just narrowly missed Omega X’s head. He advanced towards Colonel and charged up his buster again.

“Militant Missiles!” The caped Navi fired three missiles at the ceiling and caused it to collapse on top of his opponent. Omega X was quickly buried in rubble. Colonel changed back to his sword and readied it in case his opponent tried anything. Sure enough, Omega X soon burst up from the debris and fired his X Buster at the caped NetNavi.

“Just because we’re fighting on the same level doesn’t mean I won’t be defeated so easily.” He continued his relentless attack as Colonel continued to use his sword and cape to deflect the shots away.

“Arcadian Saber Battlechip in, download!” Omega X’s buster morphed back into his hand and a large white sword appeared. He grabbed onto the hilt and charged toward Colonel. He sliced down on him, but the black-armored Navi sidestepped out of the way and countered with a slash directed as his neck. Omega X pulled back, dragging his sword along the floor and cutting a deep gash into the surface, and his opponent missed him completely. He rolled down the passage and flipped back onto his feet before grasping the hilt tightly. He held it over his head and spun it around before placing the flat side of the blade against his back.

“Omnislash!” Omega X threw his sword and it split into ten copies of itself, which surrounded Colonel. The caped Navi looked around and saw he had no way of escaping. One by one, the swords flew toward him and slashed him as they passed. After each one had had a turn, all ten swords turned on Colonel and attacked him at once.

“AntiDamage Battlechip in, download!” Baryl slotted in the chip just in time and the swords all stabbed a dummy of Colonel. Meanwhile, the real Colonel appeared behind Omega X and threw his cape over him.

“Climax Swipe!” Once his opponent was covered, he rushed in and started delivering countless slashes and stabs. After seventeen hits, he jumped into the air with his sword raised over his head and chopped down on Omega X with full force. He got back up to his feet, pulled his cape off his target, and refastened it onto his back where it magically repaired itself into mint condition.

“Is that all you have?” Omega X groaned as he laid before his opponent’s feet.

“Arcadian Healing Battlechip in, download!” Saiba inserted a chip into his PET and a holy light surrounded Omega X. His wounds quickly healed and he got back up.

“Impressive work,” Saiba commented, “Colonel actually managed to deal critical damage to Omega X. Too bad it was all in vain.”

“X Buster!” Omega X fired three more shots at Colonel, who quickly dashed behind a corner. He ran after him as Saiba inserted his Transcendent Sword, equipping the winged Navi with the powerful blade. He sliced down and sent an energy wave streaking toward his opponent.

“Colonel, behind you!” warned Baryl.

“Screen Divide!” Colonel launched his own sword attack and it intercepted Omega X’s wave, “Cross Divide!” He launched two more Screen Divides and they crisscrossed down the passage. Omega X simply smirked and took two steps back. The energy columns crossed the spot where he once stood and passed him on either side, completely missing him.

“Colonel Cannon!” Colonel brought up his massive cannon and fired five shots. Omega X swung his sword and sliced each one apart before dashing down the corridor. Colonel switched back to his sword and the two NetNavis engaged a sword duel. A guillotine trap separated them temporarily, but they brushed off the incident like it was nothing and resumed. As they fought, Colonel stepped on another switch and the maze shifted again. However, the trigger hadn’t caused a wall to rise up between the two combatants and they continued. Omega X thrust his sword forward and Colonel ducked, causing the blade to hit the wall. He tried to pull it out, but it was stuck fast. Colonel took the opportunity and immediately attacked. His opponent took a few hits, but he was able to withstand it. After several more unsuccessful attempts to free his sword, Omega X finally gave up on trying and simply blasted the wall apart. With his weapon no longer trapped, he resumed his assault on Colonel. A spike pit trap opened up beneath them and the two Navis jumped to opposite sides of the hole. As soon as they landed, they triggered spear traps on both sides. They stepped back and sliced the spears as they shot out.

“This battlefield may restrict flying, but it can still be used at a low altitude,” Saiba thought out loud before giving his Navi his next command, “Omega X, you know what to do.” Omega X switched to his X Buster and flew into the pit. He blasted the spikes apart and grabbed several that were still whole and flew back up.

“Take this!” He threw the spikes at Colonel and added several extra X Buster shots. The caped soldier fired his Colonel Cannon into the ceiling and a massive amount of debris fell in front of him. The spikes harmlessly hit the large pile of rubble, but the buster shots were able to blast it apart. However, it had given Colonel the time he needed to retreat down another passage.

“You can’t run forever,” Omega X called. Saiba slotted in a chip called Arcadian Breaker and a giant hammer appeared in his Navi’s hands. The holy-armored warrior swung the weapon and smashed through the walls as he followed after his opponent. Colonel, hearing the smashing of rock, turned around and readied his sword. When Omega X appeared, he unleashed a special Screen Divide Z and hit his opponent dead-on.

“Charged Shot!” The caped Navi dodged the counterattack and fired another set of Militant Missiles. Omega X slammed his hammer against the ground and sent a giant shockwave that broke the floor apart. His counter intercepted the projectiles, hit Colonel, and destroyed an entire row of walls.

As the battle raged on, Saiba noticed something else on his map approaching the two NetNavis. He looked down at the maze model and saw a creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull approaching them.

“Omega X, minotaur approaching!” he warned. Omega X ceased fighting for a moment and listened. Sure enough, he could hear the minotaur’s footsteps as it ran toward them. It wasn’t long before the Greek mythological beast appeared and charged at the combatants.

* * *

“It looks like Colonel and Omega X have reached the very center of the maze as they have finally encountered the minotaur!” Higsby announced. Off to the side, everyone watched the match carefully.

“I always wondered while the Minoans were so obsessed with bull-headed figures,” Laika thought out loud, “Come to think of it, I still do.”

“Well if anyone had to be a minotaur, it would most certainly be Lan,” Chaud commented.

“Hey!”

* * *

Colonel and Omega X jumped out of the way as the minotaur ploughed right between them.

“X Buster!”

“Screen Divide!”

They launched their attacks simultaneously and hit the beast with enough power to fell it. The then turned their attention back to one another.

“It’s time to end this,” declared Saiba, “That way I can finally fight Lan and defeat him.” He took out four chips and began to slot them in one at a time.

“Harpuia, Phantom, Fefnir, Leviathan Battlechip in, download!” His PET registered all four Navi chips and locked them together. Immediately, four Crests of Arcadia appeared on the floor in front of Omega X and the NetNavis of Waya, Greg, Nicol, and Diana rose up with their weapons ready.

“Program Advance.” A dark grin broke across Omega X’s face, “Neo Arcadia!” Harpuia dashed ahead and ran his lightsabers through Colonel with Phantom close behind him, who followed up with a spinning slash from his shuriken. Next, Fefnir grabbed the caped Navi in his Torch Claw and slammed him headfirst into the floor. Then Leviathan ran in and jabbed him numerous times with her spear. When all four of them were finished, they vanished, allowing Omega X to finish the job with a powerful holy attack.

COLONEL LOGGING OUT

* * *

Everyone just gaped at the screen after seeing the spectacle that had just taken place before their eyes.

“And that concludes the semifinals!” Ribbita announced excitedly. For all of you who are watching this at home, you won’t want to miss our show tomorrow!”

“Because tomorrow, we’re going to bring you coverage of the final match of the Battle Network tournament!” Higsby cried.

“The winner of this tournament will be determined on a very special battlefield that we’ve kept secret all this time!” Ribbita continued, “Find out what it is by tuning in tomorrow to DNN News!”

-------------------------------------
End of chapter 3-74.

CHAPTER PREVIEW
Lan: This is it. The Battle Network tournament final match!
MegaMan: It’s us against Saiba and Omega X.
Lan: It’s finally come down to this.
MegaMan: Let’s beat them once and for all!
Lan & MegaMan: Next time on Rockman.EXE: The College Years, “The Final Match!”
Lan: We’ve seen their power, so let’s give it everything we’ve got!
MegaMan: All our power, spirit, and skill together in one!
_________________

[Elementalman.EXE]

Well, aside from being One sided, bland, based of Yu-Gi-Oh, and predictible, I supposed it was okay. It was sort of obvious who was going to win, You went back to all of those Forbidden type chips back in your first arc. Omega X seems to get alot of powerful chips to himself.

I hope you put a good show into the last chapter. Please try not to rip of something, say like, MMZ1's ending with Omega X playing as Copy X, and saying all he ever wanted to be was a hero and so forth.
_________________

Elementalman.EXE
Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted.
1000 Post on Sept. 18 2005 at 6:29pm

[SonicNigma212]

I think that the battle that you've put up against Omega X and Colonel is good. I mean, those two Navis just went all out and didn't hold back a thing. Of course, I would've expected the minotaur to add a bit more of a challenge to the two Navis, but it was short. Talk about cutting it short. It's also good that you've put up the moves that Colonel used in both MMBN 5 and 6 in this part. Not only that, but you've also managed to put in the details on the chips that Omega X uses. Good way to describe them. I could only image what would happen to both Lan and MegaMan for when it was their turn to fight them. I can't wait to read about that match. Make it a good one to remember. Later and keep up the good work.

Maurice A. Nigma
^_^ :grr: