Chapter 13: Beast VS Death

09:33 AM (Japan Time), Saturday December the 17th…

"… Man! What an adventure…"

"Yeah. We should be glad we came out in one piece out of it, too."

Netto was speaking with Saito after he'd changed into his usual clothes for the weekend: Saito just kept his bodysuit sans the helmet on.

"And something tells me we're gonna have a new clash with the guy: he won't stop so easily next time." Netto muttered with some annoyance.

"Yeah… We'll have to bring out more firepower next time around: I dunno how much the guy can take in." Saito sighed.

Netto's PC beeped: the typical email icon showed up onscreen.

"Mail? From who?"

"Lemme check… Huh… "Jeremy Armenian Club."…" Saito replied as he typed into it.

"Jeremy Armenian Club? What the heck is that?"

"Hum… It says here they are holding an open meeting in Japan's Net City District 3." Saito read.

"A trap! Well then! Let's show 'em what stuff we're made of!" Netto stood up.

He rummaged inside of a drawer and took out two unique Chips.

"The "Bestialize Chips"?"

"It's our only way to stand up to them." Netto told him.

"Yeah. We're gonna show them our true power, otouto!"

Saito materialized the helmet and then dematerialized to return inside of his Link PET.

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!" Netto announced.

Saito transferred to Internet City's main avenue and used the main streets to walk towards District 3: he reached an open plaza which was being crossed by lots of Navis.

"This doesn't look like a trap…" He frowned.

"Maybe it wasn't, after all…" Netto muttered.

Someone collided with him and left in a hurry.

"Ah! Huh? What's this?"

He noticed a torn paper coiled around his right leg: he crouched, picked it up and read it.

"Internet City District 7, Warehouse 4. Do not be late." The note merely commanded.

"Ah. Then… They called us here to give us the true message. Let's go meet Trap – sama, then." Saito calmly muttered.

"Yeah. And let's tell 'im he's fired." Netto joked.

"Eh… District 7 should be… Heading east." Saito checked his bearings.

He calmly walked down the streets until he reached a sinister-looking warehouse building which had a paper stuck on the door.

"Jeremy Armenian Club: Open Meeting."

Saito opened the door and some condensed heat swept out: the whole warehouse's atmosphere had a bluish atmosphere to it: a nearby thermometer read minus 5 Celsius degrees.

"Damn." Saito cursed.

"Only one guy would do that." Netto grimly muttered.

The door slammed shut and was frozen: Saito tried to ignore the cold and the white breath which came out of his mouth as he looked around while having the Rock Buster drawn.

Where…? He wondered.

The infamous Kanji showed up again and his forehead began to ache: Saito brought the left hand there.

"Ugh… What a headache…! The Kanji program is messing with my pain receptors… It's almost like I was Harry Potter and Voldemort was roaming close by…!" He sarcastically muttered.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah… I did get inspired by such a film. Obihiro can have bright subtle ideas." A familiar icy voice rang out.

"Shit. I knew it. Death Shadow!" Saito cursed.

A pale blue glow began to shine two meters in front of Saito and it gave way to Death Shadow's imposing figure: he was articulating his left hand's skeleton-like fingers.

"I said it: I would challenge you in less than 5 days. It has been 3. Thus, I am still inside of my self-appointed deadline." Death Shadow icily announced.

"And Saruba wants to make the "show" serious by having you delete me, then?" Saito questioned with some annoyance.

"Ah. Emperor S, you mean to say. I do not know what he wishes for. He respects my power and I am free to make any choice. He will gladly abide by it. A comprehensive man, he is." Death Shadow replied.

"You want a battle? We'll give you one!" Saito challenged.

"There is no need to hold back: you will need your true power to be able to stand up to me! Showdown! Hikari Brothers!" Death Shadow challenged.

"Battle Chip, Custom Bolt! Slot In!"

"Custom Bolt!"

Saito drew an electrical device and shot several electrical attacks: Death dodged them just by floating a few centimeters above the ground and quickly moving from place to place.

"Grah! Fast! In that case… Battle Chip, Boomer! Slot In!"

Rock Man shot the attack but Death quickly dodged that too.

"Death Columns!"

He shot energy towards the ceiling and blue frozen columns formed around the area thus hindering Rock Man's movements.

"These columns again…! I can't maneuver!" Saito cursed.

"Battle Chip, Silver First! Slot In!"

Saito hit the columns with the Silver Fist and shattered them while Death kept on switching from place to place.

"Death Orbs!"

He shot several energy orbs from his arm cannon.

"Rock Buster!"

The Rock Buster made short work of the spheroids.

"Program Advance!"

"Program Advance!"

"Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"

"Giga Cannon!"

The attack hit Death but it didn't even stop his movements around the area.

"Is that all?" He taunted.

"Heck! Battle Chip, Triple Bomb! Slot In!"

"Take this!" Saito announced.

"Death Barrier!"

Some algae appeared and formed a circle around Death while quickly growing on height and thickness: the Triple Bomb bounced off and hit the ground elsewhere, shattering the ice, which quickly regenerated afterwards.

"Damn. We'd need to have Breaker – elemental attacks at hand…" Saito cursed.

"Raise Dead!" He announced.

Death flashed and shot forward: he then started to levitate above the ground as an energy sphere formed around him.

"Damn! He's healing!" Saito called out.

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

"Hell's Burner!"

Saito shot a stream of fire towards Death and the barrier exploded: Death landed back on the ground creating a shockwave which spread across the area: Saito jumped at the last second to avoid that.

"That shockwave thing looks dangerous! We'd be better off timing how to dodge." Saito called out.

"Yeah. Let's be ready for his next tactic!" Netto confirmed.

"Death Clones!"

He flashed and an identical copy appeared which flipped towards the right while the original moved towards the left: they started to spin around together and making it impossible to discern them by sight.

"Not this "Shadow Clone" trick again! Magic Man, Shadow Man, and Magnet Man used it… Now there's a fourth?" Netto complained.

"Netto – kun! Instead of complaining… Send me a Chip!"

"I'm on it! Battle Chip, Corn Shot! Slot In!"

"Corn Shot!"

The bomb hit the ground and caused multiple explosions which hit one of the two identical combatants: he exploded and the true one stopped.

"Hmpf. Useless!"

"What?" Netto grumbled.

Death flashed again and created yet another clone: they shot forwards in different directions and both started to levitate and recharge energy at the same time.

"We need an attack which can hit both of them!"

"A combo attack, then!" Saito exclaimed.

"Roger, niisan! Battle Chip, Tornado, Variable Sword! Double Slot In!"

Saito spun around inside of a tornado and shot Sonic Booms in all directions thus hitting the two enemies: one of them exploded while the other landed back on the ground causing the deadly shockwave.

"Yikes! He seems to do that every time we stop the regeneration of energy… We gotta have that on mind!" Saito called out.

"Gotcha!"

Death flashed two times and now three enemies filled the area: they all spun around in unison and rammed into Saito from different angles with their right shoulders.

"Grah!" Saito groaned.

"Niisan!" Netto called out.

"Hah! Taste this! Death Spheres!"

The clones levitated into the air, moved around and shot energy spheres towards the ground: Saito jumped out of harm's way.

"Battle Chip, Air Wheel! Slot In!"

Saito threw the Air Wheel at the middle of the room and it generated a tornado which hit all three enemies: the clones exploded and Death landed back into the ground while causing the shockwave.

"Jump!"

"Roger!"

Saito jumped and dodged it while Death hovered above the ground.

"Not enough! Death Flames!"

He summoned two more clones and shot a continuous stream of fire forward, while he spun around with the copies.

"Yikes! That was close…!" He muttered.

Saito ducked to avoid the fire while Death jumped into the air and cancelled the copies.

"Death Beam!"

He shot an inclined blue beam towards Saito: he rolled across the ground towards the left to dodge.

"Huh! We're not getting anywhere…!" He cursed.

Death landed with force and caused the annoying shockwave.

"Then…! Bestialize Chip, Greiga! Slot In!" Netto decided.

"HRA~H!"

"Coming!" Death sounded eager, for once.

"Greiga Claw!"

Saito transformed into "Greiga" and shot forward, trying to slice Death into pieces.

"Death Barrier!"

Saito collided with the algae barrier and was deflected thus leaving him stunned for some seconds while Death accumulated energy on his left hand.

"Blue Beam!"

He shot a blue energy beam which attached to Saito's chest emblem and he collapsed into his knees.

"Niisan! What's going on?" Netto asked.

"He's… stealing… my HP…!"

"What?" Netto asked, surprised.

"Hah, hah, hah… Soon you will know what "death" truly is about…"

"We won't let ya! Bestialize Chip, Falzer! Slot In!"

"HRA~H!"

The energy column broke Death's energy transfer beam and Saito flew skywards.

"Feather Shoot!"

He shot several quick projectiles towards Death, who dodged.

"Red Beam!"

Death laughed and shot his energy transfer beam towards Beast Out Falzer: the beam was now colored red and Saito yelled.

"What now?" Netto asked.

"Huh…! He's inflicting a bug into me …!" Saito cursed.

"Damn it! Battle Chip, Dream Aura, Slot In!"

The barrier broke the energy transfer beam and Death laughed again.

"Battle Chip, Recovery 100! Slot In!" Netto announced.

There was a buzz and Netto cursed something under his breath.

"Recovery Battle Chips of values above 50 are invalidated!"

"That's cheating!" Netto growled.

"Hmpf. You are slowly trekking the road to the Naraku. It is awaiting your pitiful souls." Death icily announced.

"Not the Naraku speech again…! Niisan! We're gonna risk it! Program Advance!" Netto grumbled before calling out to Saito.

"Program Advance!"

"Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword!"

"Dream Sword!"

The attack hit Death fully and he didn't bother to move, block or dodge it as he stood there: Saito panted and dropped into his knees as the "Falzer" form was cancelled: he cursed under his breath.

"You tried to bet it in one attack but it did not work. Hmpf. Maybe your "Alternate" was better, even." He taunted.

"Shut up…!" Saito cursed.

"Battle Chip, Muramasa Blade, Area Steal! Double Slot In!"

Saito drew the Muramasa Blade and warped before he hit Death from behind with it and made a large cut on his back which began to leak data out: Death growled something inhuman and stepped forward in an erratic manner before collapsing into his knees.

"Hah… So… You did have a last desperate resource… However…" Death muttered.

Some black pieces of data came out of the wound and spread around its surface: it slowly began to regenerate until it healed.

"What was that?" Saito gasped.

"Auto – repair nanomachines… They heal all damage in mere seconds' time!" Death announced as he stood up although his balance wasn't good enough.

"I see that even you have your limits to damage. But this is a tie-in." Saito coolly told him.

"Hmpf. So it would seem. Maybe I got a bit too much analytical… But that does not matter, anyway. Your life does not interest me. Your combat data does. Hence the reason for this so-called "trap"..." He sounded unimpressed.

"What? Combat data? Why do ya need that to build a tank?" Netto frowned.

"Who said we were building a tank?" Death sounded amused.

"No – one. It's a random guess." Saito shot back.

"Hmpf. Then you are wrong by a hundred milestones." Death turned serious.

"What's going on in here?" Someone asked.

The door was rammed into the floor and Blues ran in while having a Long Sword drawn: he stopped on his tracks upon seeing the scene.

"You lowlife…!" Blues cursed.

"Hmpf. More bothersome mice are walking into the picture… I shall be departing but do not forget something: we are serious." Death muttered with a hint of annoyance.

He charged up his arm cannon and shot a blast which caused a hole on the ceiling to open along with one of those Time Space bubbles.

"Farewell! Rock Man EXE! Blues EXE!"

He suddenly crouched and jumped into the air while crouching to enter the bubble: it vanished immediately afterwards and the ice began to self-delete.

"Are you alright? Saito?" Blues asked.

"Yeah. Somehow… But this guy was no joke." Saito replied.

"I can guess that… Some people said there was a terrific scandal coming out here, so we dropped by to check it out in case some grunts were having a disco party." Enzan admitted.

"I'd rather had a disco party to that guy. One thing is clear: he has tricks on all of him. It took the Muramasa Blade to finally stop it after about ten minutes of fighting." Netto sighed.

"Whoa. That's gotta be the hardest battle ever… Did you get any hints or info?" Enzan whistled in surprise.

"One thing is clear: it ain't a tank. And they want "combat data"!" Netto replied.

"Combat data… You use it to analyze patterns and try to find a flaw or a counter to their patterns…" Enzan frowned.

"And it'd seem they don't have enough with recordings like the N1 Grand Prix or posterior events: they wanted up-to-date battle patterns. And I'm sure they'll be coming after us to get ours, too." Blues guessed.

"Yeah. But… What kind of "weapon" needs battle patterns to work? I don't think there's such a thing out there, is there?" Saito frowned.

"Dunno. I guess they want to go for an original invention… But I still can't narrow down the base technology which was being researched in the 70s and is still being worked on and improved nowadays." Enzan sighed in defeat.

"Anyway… This place gives me the creeps. Let's go to the Net Police HQ and I'll gladly present a formal report."

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Go on ahead. I'll get there ASAP." Netto told them.

"… Here: the combat data of Rock Man EXE."

"Splendid."

Death was talking with Hunter Man inside of the underground refuge: some machines which looked like a factory's conveyor belts had been set in the space along with some other devices: Death handed Hunter Man an USB device and he picked it with his left hand while smiling.

"How is the development of the "Manager" going like?"

"We're making some progress. But the files aren't enough. We may have to consult a specialist on the topic. We're a bit short of hands, you know, even though Sidier volunteered to give us extra help. Shun – sama needs to take his breaks, too." Hunter Man replied.

"I will not complain. I was not expecting the whole machinery to be complete in just two days. We may take a whole week to work on it but it shall be worth it." Death shrugged.

"Yeah. O. K. I'll store the data in one of the extra HDD devices and we'll then calmly look at it and pick what interests us. The program to analyze it is half-done as well."

"Good. I shall try to put the finishing touches to the interface design: I will work on the internal details if I have time for it as well." Death calmly nodded in agreement.

"… A… le… le… a… le… le…"

"Slow."

"A – le – le…! A – le – le…!"

"Quicker."

"A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Better."

"Phew."

"We're not over yet."

"Grah!"

"Sing."

"A le le! A le le!"

"Too fast."

"A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Good. Keep that speed."

"A – le – le! A – le – le!"

Sidier was standing inside of his room while Kagehi was seemingly acting the music teacher: she had a small cylinder with a thin rod which ended on a sphere on her hands: Sidier had his eyes closed and was blushing while Kagehi looked rather amused at the situation.

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le!" Sidier chanted.

"Good. Keep at it." She commanded.

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Take a 30 second pause. Then continue."

Sidier breathed deeply and then slowly expired before he tensed up and stood firm.

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Tee, heh, heh."

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Good! That kind of pitch is the one I was looking for. You'd do good vocals for our music band." She teased.

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Good, good! Increase that speed, Sidier - chan."

Sidier blushed again but didn't stop.

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! Ah…!"

Sidier suddenly coughed: he looked out of breath from singing so fast and in such a manner: he panted and tried to regain his breath.

"Hmmm… I guess you need some more training. But I'll leave at here for today. And don't try to fool me by going to camp out with Solo to the Fortress Temple." She grinned.

She stepped out of the room and Sidier collapsed on his chair.

"Man…! What a nightmare! I don't want to EVER do that ONCE again. It must be a living Naraku for all men out there cursing 1st of elementary school…! Music class…!" He grimly muttered.

He then climbed into his bed and stretched while he let out a yawn.

"I feel tired… I need to rest for a little while and I'll then go give Obihiro and the others a helping hand." He muttered.

"… Somari – chan! What have you done to Sidier?"

"Come on, Saruba! It's not like I'm an S&M sadist! It ain't like he's gonna die from doing that, either."

Yamikawa was confronting Kagehi and didn't look amused while she shrugged like it was nothing.

"I know you aren't, thank goodness. But tiring Sidier out when he was going to help Obihiro doesn't amuse me. We won't STS rolling and into production soon enough if you do that again." He told her with a bored look.

"… Trying to pick on me?" She suddenly sounded annoyed and had a skeptical look to her.

"I'm being realistic! STS is important stuff! I'm not kidding around this time, you know!"

"Guess so if you're making such a fuss about it. I thought you were coming up with new engines for your car. Engines which can beat the bat-mobile Bat-Man uses…" She shrugged.

"I never had a car!" He annoyingly replied.

"Tee, heh, heh."

"Jeez." He grumbled.

He slapped his face on defeat and stormed out of the room while she sat on the throne and materialized a guitar while having a smug smile drawn across her face.

"Tee, heh, heh. Empress Kagehi – sama is in charge today."

"… Sidier! You alright?"

"I think I'll survive, my lord… Solo was right, sir!"

"Damned right. Somari – chan can be cruel when she wants to!" Yamikawa groaned.

"Guess that, yeah. Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh!"