A/N: This is a slow chapter, but it'll be introducing some topics and issues that come into play later more dramatically. Not only the more obvious issues, either.


Two weeks later, on a Tuesday afternoon, List came to Enzan with a request.

"Help me train my Navi."

After the Nebula attack, Enzan – and List, and SciLabs – had settled into a more or less regular pattern. List had been ecstatic about meeting the Hikari Yuuichiro, and was now testing new Navi customization methods with him on a daily had gone back to his administrative work, dropping by once in a while to talk with List. There had also been no further Nebula activity or aggression since. Enzan wasn't sure whether to be relieved or suspicious, but was nevertheless communicating closely with Netto and other Net Saviors in the field, keeping a lookout for any sign of danger.

Netto, in particular, had been disappointed that he wasn't called for the last attack. "Geez, you guys have a new defender? Now I don't have an excuse to buy new chips for Rockman any more!"

"Wha-? That's not the point-" Enzan had spluttered, and Netto, laughing, had finally promised he was joking and hung up. That boy worried him sometimes, Enzan thought resignedly. But Netto was undeniably his friend, and whatever else could be said about him, he always meant well and eventually came through in the end. The Net Saviors really couldn't have done without his and Rockman's inexplicable skill.

List, on the other hand. They were friends of a sort now. Enzan rather liked having someone his own age who wasn't Netto to talk to, and they'd had quite a few conversations about Official work and research. Yet, Enzan could not shake the feeling that they weren't on the same plane of thought at times. There seemed to be something vague and undefinable about List, something off, even aside from her odd Operating.

Come to think about it, he hadn't seen her Navi in a while...

"...Enzan! You're spacing out again."

"Sorry, sorry." Enzan held up a hand and sighed. "I thought you had been working with Dr. Hikari on Navi customization – what's with the change of subject?"

List shook her head. "We finished the last first-round customizer programs yesterday – you know, the ones based on form-change chips? Before we move onto the second round, though, I thought I should figure out whether the tactics I've been relying on need to be retested and improved, and since Dr. Hikari told me you're a skilled Netbattler -"

Enzan blinked at her. It was List's turn to sigh. "I never told you specifically how my chips work, huh?"

They ended up in the holographic Netbattle practice room a half hour later. Enzan had borrowed a generic training Navi from one of the Officials, trying not to remind himself of his own, empty, PET. Still, despite the discomforting memories, he couldn't help but be interested in what exactly List was doing. List, on her side of the Netbattle table, had set up something that looked like a video camera with attached keyboard, and a large amount of the black chips that Enzan had grown familiar with.

"All right. So!"

List slotted in a chip into her PET and plugged it into the table. A red Navi – Luc? Or one of those other six? Enzan thought – appeared in a moment. Save for its changed suit color, it was as unremarkable as Enzan had previously seen it.

"This is normal form." List said. "Buster, basic offense and defense tactics, prefers ranged attacks to melee combat. Try attacking it."

Somewhat skeptically, Enzan plugged his own training Navi in and selected a few basic chips at random. "Sword!"

The training Navi formed a sword and lunged at List's Navi, who strafed and leaped out of the way before firing a few buster shots in return. Enzan looked up and saw that List wasn't even holding her PET, made a mental note to ask later, and selected another chip. "Vulcan!"

A barrage of shots flew towards List's Navi, who dashed sideways, but wasn't quite fast enough. Several shots sent it flying towards the back of the stage. List looked up from her typing and nodded. "Right. The normal form is useless in advanced Netbattling. Now, this is where forms come in."

She pulled a black chip from the ones on the table and slotted it in. "Defense form. You saw this earlier; it's slower than normal form, but has shielding tactics and a cannon for long-range attack. Shoot it again!"

Enzan's Navi sent another barrage of shots, and this time List's Navi didn't move at all as the shots struck. Then, through the smoke, a single cannon blast shot through and would have blown off the training Navi's arm had Enzan not hurriedly sent in a Barrier chip. The glowing red shield sported by List's Navi was now visible through the smoke.

"Interesting." Enzan commented, and slotted in a Long Sword. List looked up, grinned, and pulled out another chip. "Fighter form now. Go!"

Enzan's Navi lunged, sword at the ready, and was met in midair by List's Navi, who no longer sported a shield or cannon but the curved sword Enzan had seen before. A flurry of exchanged strikes later, both Navis landed. The training Navi was breathing heavily with exertion, while List's Navi remained unchanged and emotionless.

It was almost a little creepy, Enzan thought, but was interrupted in that thought by List. "There. That's fighter form, sacrifices defensive capability for pure speed of attack. It's close-ranged of course, so I'll need to add a long-range attack to make it more effective, but you can see-"

"All right, hang on." Enzan was beginning to realize where exactly he had seen and heard this before. "List...did you play video games?"

List grinned. "Exactly! These forms are basically role-playing classes, each with associated strategies for offense and defense, and equipment to boot. But the difference from a game is - I've built up each of them over a period of Netbattling, learning from other Operators' fighting strategies, and developing tactics to win in each possible situation. This is what all this is for," and she indicated the recorder equipment with a wave, "so I can record your battling strategy and upgrade, or recreate, my chips to respond accordingly. Any questions?"

"That's..."

On one hand, Enzan could see that List's program had potential. He had admired Rockman's ability to perform Soul Unison; what List was suggesting almost seemed as if it could be used as a way of giving similar abilities and strategies to all manner of Navis. But on the other hand, he couldn't help but wonder if it was all actually necessary. This was a strategy which gave most of the power of control to the Operator; what did impressing chip-based tactics do for Navis who had their own ideas about fighting?

"...interesting." He shook his head. He needed more information, and that particular thought wasn't relevant at the current point. List was looking at him curiously. "No questions. Let's start, then."

"Good!"

It was only after several hours of intermittent battling and List furiously typing, and after she had left for the day, that Enzan came to a decision.

There were certainly questions he had to ask. He had carefully observed List's Navi through each battle, and noticed no visible change in its demeanor when switching from one combat strategy to another, nor any resistance from it to suddenly changing tactics. Furthermore, he suddenly realized, he had never heard it speak, or make a single sound - even when injured by an attack.

"Willpower...?" Enzan speculated to himself, but he knew that was impossible. The only thing that he could be sure of, now, was that Luc did not act like a normal Navi. His Netbattle-caused euphoria now gone, Enzan found himself more puzzled and disturbed than excited. Luc was an enigma, and the battles had only given rise to more questions than answers.