Chapter 7: It's the ladies' turn

08:27 AM (Japan Time), Sunday September the 19th…

"… Cutting Flower!"

A female Navi was standing inside of a network somewhere.

Some yellowish patterns traveled across her helmet's forehead forming the drawing of a tree without leaves: her eyes' irises were purple.

She was of standard height (close to a meter and seventy) and she was colored brown except for the forearms, which were colored in a shade of pink: her emblem was a flower's yellow nucleus with eight cobalt petals.

She had heeled boots colored black.

She threw the same flower towards a Mettool and sliced it in half.

"Hmpf!"

A Garuu showed up next and shot fire towards her, but she jumped into the air.

"Battle Chip, Mega Cannon! Slot In!" A woman's voice commanded.

"Mega Cannon!"

She aimed at the Garuu's mouth as it was about to attack and destroyed it: she made a smug smile.

"Heh."

A standard Navi armed with two Long Swords showed up next: she landed on the ground and procured a black thorn-filled whip: she licked her lips and looked psychotic.

"Eat medicine!"

She swung it and coiled it around the enemy's right leg: she then tugged it and made it them the ground before she pressed the heel of her right boot against its chest.

"Hmpf. Men. Vanish." She scoffed.

"Battle Chip, Neo Variable! Slot In!"

She sliced off his neck while having a psychotic looking grin on her face.

"Hmpf. Weak." She boasted.

"Yeah. True." The Operator confirmed.

A woman on her late twenties or early thirties walked inside of Silver Arrow's HQ server room.

Her hair was short and tinted red while her eyes' irises were blue.

She wore a jeans and a green raincoat above a reddish shirt.

She was looking at herself in a small portable mirror with a serious and dull face.

"Good afternoon, Nemenaya Mies – san. Are all preparations complete, am I to assume?" Janus greeted as he turned the revolving chair around to face her.

Nemenaya closed the mirror and pocketed it on the raincoat: she looked up and folded her arms.

"Hmpf. So… We finally get a decent target?" She asked.

"Yeah. The target might be a bit busy right now but it shouldn't be much of a trouble: you'll go and deal thoroughly with it. You should teach it your arts." Janus told them.

"Interesting, Mies – sama. It is worth a try, is it not?" The Navi asked.

"Yeah, Salome." Nemenaya confirmed.

Janus rummaged in the desk and took out a paper plane: he threw it towards Nemenaya, who caught it and looked at something which was written on it.

"It's not any grunt. A "Net Savior"… This'll be worth our time, even! Tee, heh, heh." She muttered before she giggled.

"Good luck. You'll need it, I believe."

08:49 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Hawk Claw!"

"Battle Chip, Neo Variable Sword! Slot In!"

Rock Man drew the Neo Variable Sword and blocked off Hawk Mans' attempt to hit him with his claws.

"Hrah!"

"Hrua~h!"

They struggled in the deadlock, but Hawk Man suddenly moved upwards and dragged Rock Man along, to his surprise.

"Wha! Netto – kun! I need the "Falzer" form!" He called out.

"Bestialize Chip, Falzer! Slot In!"

"HUA~H!"

Rock Man gained the Falzer form and canceled his Neo Variable Sword to break free and float in the air.

"Heh! It's become interesting." Hawk Man looked amused.

"Sheesh." Rock Man grumbled.

"Battle Chip, Custom Bolt! Slot In!"

"Custom Bolt!"

"Heh! Air Dive!"

Hawk Man shot higher into the "sky" while Rock Man's attack missed: he gasped.

"I missed?"

"You fool!"

Hawk Man then dived and rammed into him until they crashed against the ground with Hawk Man having plunged his claws into Rock Man's shoulders.

"Grah!"

"Heh."

"Damn. Battle Chip, Salamander! Slot In!"

Rock Man was surrounded by the Salamander and Hawk Man had to break apart to avoid being burnt by it: Rock Man shot upwards and then plummeted towards Hawk Man.

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield! Slot In!" Phoenix announced.

The Curse Shield popped out, but Rock Man broke through it and hit the enemy, setting him on fire.

"GRUO~H!"

He roared and then had to step back while smoking and having several burnt marks on his body: he panted and growled something under his breath.

"W-why didn't the Curse Shield stop his movements…?"

"Did you think these forms are just for show-off? They increase Rock Man's power, too! Thus, his power was too much for the Curse Shield to handle." Netto told them.

"Hmpf. Then you are no rookie." Phoneix scoffed.

"Janus told ya that?" Netto sounded skeptical.

"No. You looked like it."

"Heh! You're like many others: you fail to see that anyone can be powerful with enough training!"

"Damn. I feel like I've been roasted alive." Hawk Man grumbled.

"Want some more?" Rock Man challenged.

"I'm off!"

"Damn. And I know who's gonna come." Netto grumbled as if foreseeing what was gonna happen next.

"Me!" A female voice exclaimed.

Salome dropped in while having a smug smile on her face.

"Janus – sama orders you two to pull back." Nemenaya told them.

"Hmpf. What are ya? His lapdog?" Phoenix scoffed.

"How dare cha!" Nemenaya growled.

"Maybe you want another round?" Salome taunted Hawk Man.

"Grfjtx! Plug Out!"

Hawk Man escaped while Salome faced Rock Man.

"… So. You wanna take me on." Rock Man calmly guessed.

"I'm not going to "take you on". I'm going to teach you a lesson which you won't ever forget." She announced in a strange tune of voice.

She took out the black whip and Netto gasped in horror: he suddenly turned pale as his eyes widened and his hands trembled.

Damn. Ivan knew this and he's planning to inflict PSTD into otouto by bringing up what happened in May!

"Netto – kun! I need a Chip!" He called out.

"… Huh? Ah! Yeah, yeah…! Chip, Chip…! Eh… Yeah! Battle Chip, Machinegun! Slot In!" Netto snapped out of it.

Rock Man drew the weapon and shot several rounds towards Salome, who merely made a smug smile and brought up her left hand: she had built what seemed to be a circular cobalt-colored shield there: it made the rounds bounce off it.

"Hmpf."

"Damn." Netto cursed.

Rock Man merely beat his wings and shot skywards.

"Feather Shoot!"

He took out the special weapon and shot several feathers towards Salome: they made contact but a cloud of smoke ensued and a chibi doll was left on her place.

"Kawarimi!" Rock Man gasped.

"Yeah! Lesson One: never stand up to your Mistress!" Salome's voice rang out from behind.

Rock Man felt a kick on his back and he was propelled towards the ground but he managed to brake and land while turning around.

"Where…?" He wondered.

"Lesson Two: always kneel in front of your Mistress!"

Rock Man felt the whip hitting his back, but thanks to the extra armor the "Falzer" form provided, he didn't notice it.

"Battle Chip, Hell's Burner! Slot In!"

"Hell's Burner!"

Rock Man turned around and shot a stream of fire, but it bounced off that same shield.

"Lesson Three: you're a servant. You are not allowed to see the glorious form of your Mistress or argue. You will obey and live." Salome announced next.

"I dunno what you mean: all I know is that you're the enemy." Rock Man grumbled.

"Hmpf. It's useless to pretend." She shot back.

"Battle Chip, Super North Wind! Slot In!"

The two spirals cut through the shield but she merely drew her whip and shot it forward: it coiled around Rock Man's right leg but he didn't notice that or paid no particular heed to begin with.

"My "Falzer" form gives me extra armor. I don't feel anything." He calmly told her.

"Sheesh. Eyesore." She grumbled.

"Program Advance!"

"Program Advance!"

"Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Slot In!"

"Dream Sword!"

The Program Advance shot forward but Salome merely stood there and let it hit her: she didn't blink at all.

"Battle Chip, Muramasa Blade! Slot In!"

"I win!"

"Battle Chip, Shirahadori! Slot In!"

Rock Man stopped the blade with both claws and then broke it, to her astonishment.

"No way!" She cursed.

"Way." He dully replied.

"Obey me, servant!" She commanded.

"Who said I was your "servant"?" Rock Man didn't seem to be impressed at all.

"Sheesh! Bothersome men." She cursed.

"I'm not a "man". Legally speaking, I'm still a "boy"!" Rock Man corrected with a hint of annoyance.

"Hmpf. Politics." She scoffed.

"It's not "politics"! It's common sense!" He complained.

"Shut the hell up! Die, then!" She roared.

"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon! Slot In!"

"Eat this!"

The tank cannon's powered blast hit her fully and sent her flying until she crashed in a hard manner across the ground: se cursed and stood up while panting: her body had several bruises there and there.

"… My appearance…! You ruined my appearance! Unforgivable! Rock Man!" She cursed.

"You attacked me. It's obvious I would defend myself." He shrugged and didn't seem to care.

"Hmpf! Brag while you can. One day I shall make you a prisoner of the Sapphire Kingdom. Then you shall lose your sanity and become good merchandise." She announced.

"… Damn. An S&M sadist…" Netto cursed.

"Oh… So you've had experiences with one." Nemenaya teased.

"Need Not To Know." He shot back.

"Hmpf. Interesting." She looked amused.

"Playtime's over." Someone announced.

Rock Man looked at a higher platform and spotted Sergei standing there while humming the Imperial March tune from Star Wars.

"… Sergei." He icily muttered.

"Heh. We meet again, Link – kun!" He announced.

"… Is that your new nickname for me or what?" He questioned.

"Huh? Ops! I got carried asides… Cousin Saito." He corrected himself.

"Salome. We've gotta pull out. Sergei – dono will take care of the rest in a gallant manner." Nemenaya ordered.

"Roger, Mies – sama. Remember it, Rock Man! Such is your fate! Bwah, hah, hah, hah!"

She escaped out while Saito aimed the Feather Shoot at Sergei: he lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

"Sorry. But our showdown will have to wait. Will you play with my new-brand pet in the meanwhile?" He replied with a smile.

"Damn." He cursed.

"We're in trouble." Netto cursed.

"Bravo, Cousin Netto. You're starting to realize the limitations of your own power." Ivan teased.

"Shut the trap up." Netto growled.

"Hmpf. Bye – bye!"

He snapped his right hand's fingers and vanished.

"Sheesh!"

The whole area became filled with sand and turned into a desert-like terrain and something crawled under the sand.

"Desert Man or what?"

That "something" suddenly jumped out of the sand: it was a gigantic black scorpion with two pincers and a tail which had a red eye with a blue rim and another two eyes inside each pincer: a holographic screen popped out above its form.

"Millennial Armored Insect: Mordogatto"

"Guess that's its name…" Netto rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. And it looks menacing enough." Saito grumbled.

The scorpion suddenly moved its right claw forward and caught Saito before it then tensed its needle and moved it towards Saito.

"Battle Chip, Heat Body! Slot In!"

The Heat Body melted the claw and allowed Saito to break free just in time as the needle hit the sand: the scorpion then tried to catch him with the left claw.

"Falzer Claw!"

Rock Man cut it off and the scorpion dived under the sand while seemingly trying to pull a surprise attack on him.

"Sheesh. Come out, you monster!" He challenged as he looked around to locate it.

The scorpion came out and tried to use its tail, but Rock Man plunged both claws into the eye and it let out a pitchy shriek before it broke down into data.

"… Too easy." He grimly muttered.

"Great Lion Head!"

"Gra~h!"

The attack caught him off-guard and kicked him across the sand as Desert Man appeared.

"Ho, ho, ho…"

"Desert Man again!" He cursed.

"You're not gonna tell me Sunayama is around here." Netto grimly muttered.

"Yo! Someone called me?"

Sunayama Noboru opened his communications window and pushed his hat a bit upwards.

"Sunayama!" Netto cursed.

"That's a cool man's name!" He exclaimed.

"Sergei approached you!" Rock Man guessed.

"… Yeah… A really good fella… He gladly provided me with Field Power Bonus… Today shall be you lowlife's end! Rock Man!" Desert Man proclaimed before he began to laugh.

"I don't think so. Ice Tower!"

"Guoh!"

Freeze Man's diamond suddenly dropped in while Desert Man had gotten a large and ugly-looking wound on his body.

"W-why, you…!" He cursed.

"Ah! Freeze Man! Shuryou got a hold of this?" Rock Man guessed.

"Correct. He still wants this one to pay for his murder attempt." Freeze Man confirmed from inside of the diamond.

"What murder attempt?" Sunayama frowned.

"That was before he became an "Asteroid"." Rock Man let out.

"My, my. You must mean "Nebula", then. It'd seem they were really serious, after all. But I rather doubt them of being able to sprout this show. Heh, heh, heh…" Sunayama looked amused.

"Sheesh! Bestialize Chip, Greiga! Slot In!"

Rock Man became "Greiga" and quickly shot forward.

"Greiga Claw!"

He made several cuts to Desert Man and plunged both claws into his forehead.

"Guo~h!"

"Ice Stage!"

The ground became ice and Desert Man looked around: he had nowhere to hide at and he was leaking data from the earlier wounds.

"S-shit…" He growled.

"Damn. I'll be back!" Sunayama threatened.

Desert Man escaped and both Navis sighed in relief.

"Good thinking, Freeze Man." Rock Man told him.

"Thanks. Once you change the terrain, he lost his bonus, so that's why he had to run off." Freeze Man sounded amused.

"I owe one to Shuryou. I better remember to return the favor." Netto sighed in relief.

"Don't mind it. I'll be going. Farewell."

Freeze Man's diamond floated upwards while Rock Man canceled his "Greiga" form and stretched.

"Okay. Let's head back, otouto."

"Roger! Plug Out!"

Saito returned to the PET and then projected into the real world while removing his helmet.

"Maybe they're not that hard to handle after all… But we'll have to stay cool and remember to count on our friends." Saito commented.

"Yeah. I feel motivated by now." Netto smiled.

"Puku! I'm not gonna fall for the same trick twice! Puku! You WILL buy my Anti – Eyesore Cannon! Puku!"

"Try beating Napalm Man's guns before that." Saito challenged.

"Napalm Man, puku?"

"Yeah. A fire-works maker... The hottest Navi on Earth..."

"Heh, heh, heh! Puku! If I beat 'em then Bubble Man – sama is gonna be the coolest Water – Attribute Net Navi out there then! Puku! Get ready, de puku! I won't lose to that punk like I did to the "rare metal" safe a LONG time ago! Puku!"

"So! As we thought: he was the author of those tooth marks when he'd attempted to steal off the "rare metal" which Burner Man then got his hands on." Netto wasn't surprised.

"He's predictable. Napalm Man will boil him into steam. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!" Saito giggled.

"Huh… Well… I dunno why… But… I feel like the roles got switched around… Whatever. Ivan! I'm gonna beat you! Get ready!"