Chapter 14: Joy and despair

19:41 PM (Japan Time), Sunday March the 19th…

"… That's…! It couldn't be!"

"What's wrong, Blues?"

The "Team" members had come inside of the Reverse Internet 4 and Blues gasped in surprise before signaling the furthest spot of the area: a purple-colored Colonel was standing in the Boss' position and looking serious: everyone else gasped in surprise too.

"Colonel! He's alive!" Blues exclaimed.

"Colonel" remained silent and seemed to stare at them with enmity: the atmosphere turned tense.

"Wait! The situation looks strange…!" Meddy pointed out.

"Colonel…?" Blues tried to call out.

"… Are you guys the Officials' pawns?" He drily questioned.

"W-what the heck? What's that guy saying?" Napalm Man was baffled by his question.

"Colonel! Don't you realize who we are?" Enzan called out.

"Given how Regal – sama saved my life I swore loyalty to him. Protecting this area is my duty." He dully replied.

"It couldn't be…!" Enzan gasped.

"No way…! They've applied him a "Darkloid" remodeling like they did to me before, then…?" Blues realized.

And this is what "Mr. Smith" meant!

"That's how it looks like… We must make it to the depths somewhat. We MUST recapture capture Colonel – dono yet… These "Dark Panels" numbers don't allow us to be straightforward…" Shadow Man muttered while looking around.

"Was to be expected… Even for the great me's fire-power this is like blood & bones…" Napalm Man grimly muttered.

"So this is where I come in, it'd seem." Meddy exclaimed.

"Hum… Do you have some plan?" Shadow Man asked.

"By using my "Twin Liberation"… By "Liberating" a long row of "Dark Panels" from edge to edge… You can "release" them at once!" She explained to them.

"That's a good idea… I myself don't have a strong "Liberation" ability yet… If you will assist us then we'll gain some battling potential." Shadow Man muttered.

"That strategy sounds good enough. Let's go retrieve Colonel from Nebula's hands!" Enzan rallied.

"… Roger, sir! Ahem! The targeted "Liberation" is within 10 "Phases"… Let us go!" Blues exclaimed.

"Time for the French lesson! My buddy went to the tailor's to have his cloak mended back… It is first-quality stuff ya know! Ya can't go and cut it up like it was a beggar's cloth! It's like the Lórien elf-cloaks the Fellowship of the Ring was granted!" "Demon King" laughed as he floated over "Colonel" and looked down (literally) on them.

"You lowlife…! What have you done to Colonel?" Blues growled and aimed the Long Sword at the guy.

"Maybe Mr. Smith will tell you once he does some snooping? He obviously doesn't know our HQ yet he has many ears and eyes… Heh, heh, heh. Or maybe he'll boil his brains to think of the trick?"

"Che." Enzan grumbled.

"We're making some progress, though… The first "Dark Hole" got freed and I got the first "Barrier Key"… Search Man – dono can handle the traps, right?" Shadow Man reported.

"Yeah. I've disabled some already."

"Well then… Let's wait to see Ms. Nurse in action and then we'll start the class."

"That sounded ugly!" Jasmine protested.

"You mean macho?" He giggled.

"Yeah! You ugly guy!"

"Truly. The first time someone calls me ugly." He laughed.

"Che!"

"… Our "Phase" is over…" Blues muttered.

"So! Justice Navis! Who will be the one to cleave this "Dark" and battle me?" He challenged.

"All of us!" Meddy shot back.

"Ahem, ahem! Allons! Fini de rire! Lâche cette bouteille!" The guy began to exclaim.

"Hum… "Enough! No more laughing! Bring over that bottle!" … What bottle are you talking about?" Blues translated.

"Ma bouteille, sacripant! Trahison! Vengeance! Renégat! Hérétique! Esclavagiste! Technocrate!"

"… "My bottle, you rascal! Treason! Vengeance! Renegade! Heretic! Slaver! Technocrat!" … That's some wording." Shadow Man muttered with a hint of amusement.

"Flibustier! Végétarien! Pacte-à-quatre!"

"… "Filibuster! Vegetarian! Four-powers-deal!" … That lost one was somewhat intriguing… Heh, heh, heh."

"… S'il fait le méchant, j'aurai vite réglé son compte…!…"

"… "If he's acting mischievous then I'll set him straight…!" … Who are you going to set straight?" Meddy asked.

"… Pirate! Corsaire!"

"… "Pirate! Corsair!" … Yeah, and?" Blues challenged.

"…. Holà! Du calme ! Viel ivrogne!"

"… "Hey! Calm down, you old drunkard!" … Who are you calling an "old drunkard"?" Shadow Man fumed.

"… Arlequin! Hydrocarbure! Zoulou!"

"… "Harlequin! Hydrocarbon! Zulu!" … That's the first time I've heard someone be called "hydrocarbon"…" Blues sounded surprised.

"But ain't "Zulu" somewhat blunt?" Enzan wondered.

"… Canaque! Gyroscope!"

"… "Villain! Gyroscope!" … You came up with a new insult?" Shadow Man wondered.

"… Vengeance!"

"… "Vengeance!" … On whom?" Blues questioned.

"… Emplâtre! Doryphore! Noix de coco! Zouave! Cannibale!"

"… While you talk and such we've freed a large patch of the area and we're at the last of the "Dark Holes"…" Search Man reported.

"… Hum… "Plaster! Colorado beetle! Coconut! Zouave! Cannibal!" … And "Zouave" was a French African battalion made by natives… That's another strong word." Shadow Man reported.

"… Anthropopithèque! Iconoclaste!"

"… "Ape-man! Iconoclast!"… Ape-man? I thought that word had never been used in any real fossils and was a Frenchman's idea of a "missing link" between apes and men…" Blues muttered as if he'd recalled what it meant.

"… Paltoquet!"

"… "Insolent!" … And who is that insolent one?"

"… Anacoluthe! Invertébré! Jus de réglisse!"

"… "Anacoluthon! Invertebrate! Liquorices!" … 1st one is a rhetorical device which implies the change of syntax within a structure… 3rd one is a plant…!" Blues began to sound skeptical.

"… Canaille! Vampire! And that's all!"

"… Hum! "Villain! Vampire!" … And where did you rip that off from if we may know?"

"Hergé's The Crab with the Golden Pincers… Part of the Adventures of Tintin: works of reference throughout Western Europe!"

"Hum. And who says those words?"

"Well! Captain Haddock: an old sea wolf… But I see that you're within your buddy's attack range so brace yourselves…"

"… Eat this! Colonel Saber!"

"Grah! That was powerful!" Search Man hissed.

"The way's clear! Let's go! Meddy! You go on ahead!"

"Colonel – san! Do you know me?" Meddy asked.

"…I recall seeing you. I don't why, but seeing you… It excites my heart. It'd seem that you really are an existence which I must defeat no matter what." He drily announced.

"You're the "Leader" of "Team of Colonel" and Barrel – san's Navi!"

"…That name… Ugh… What's with this excitement in my heart! The only one to whom I swore loyalty was to Regal – sama! The "Dark Power" I received from Regal – sama… I'll test it out in your body! Come!"

"No use! He won't listen! Alright! Let's go! Meddy Capsule!"

"Hmpf. Screen Divide! Colonel Army!"

Meddy got caught between two of the soldiers and the Screen Divide so she suffered a big deal of damage in the 1st turn: she groaned but managed to make her capsules hit "Colonel" and paralyzed him: he groaned while Meddy grinned.

"Now! Gun del Sol 3! This should be effective given how I'm standing in the park and gathering sunlight! Go!"

"Gruwa~h! No… That won't be enough! Colonel Cannon!"

"Kyah! I'm almost at my limit!"

"Recovery 300! Che! The HP is too high… We won't make it on time! Let's go! Mega Energy Bomb!"

"Hah! Your little tricks are of no use!" "Colonel" proclaimed.

"Reset Bomb!"

"Grah! My power went down… But… Time's up!"

"Oh no! We failed…!" Meddy gasped.

"Don't worry! The others will take over!" Enzan relieved her.

"Is this the justice power? But that won't suffice to defeat me…" He scoffed.

"Blues! You go next! Meddy took out about one third of his HP: you can take out a lot more!" Enzan rallied.

"Go ahead and try, Ijuuin!" "Demon King" challenged.

"I've got you on my marks." Shadow Man warned.

"Mark a pack?" He joked.

"Hmpf."

"Delta Ray Edge! Bug Bomb! Magma Seed!"

"What! Guwah!"

Blues performed his best attack on "Colonel" and then tossed him the "Bug Bomb" to inflict an HP bug on him and finally tossed the "Magma Seed" to set the ground around him on magma thus worsening the HP drop rate.

"Heavy Gauge! Custom Sword!"

"Eat this!"

"What combination…! But not yet…! Ugh!"

"Oh crap." "Demon King" muttered.

"Iai Form! Variable Sword!"

Blues warped forward and attacked "Colonel" before backing up and then hitting him with the Variable Sword next.

"Another little bit…! Go, Blues! Yoyo!"

"Grargh!"

"Colonel" was brought to his knees and he collapsed out of energies while Blues panted.

"So strong…!" He muttered.

"I-impossible… Me! Me who am above you lowlifes in all…! Is this the power you call "justice" then…?" He growled.

"Che! I'm outta here!" "Demon King" grumbled.

He flew out of the zone while "Colonel" was pushed into a corner and was having trouble standing.

"Guo~h…" He grumbled.

"Colonel!" Blues called out.

"Kuh! He wasn't totally dyed by the "Dark Power" yet then!" Cosmo Man's voice rang out with obvious annoyance.

"That voice… Cosmo Man!" Blues cursed.

"Gu~h…"

"Colonel! Momentary pull-out!"

That weird spatial distortion effect which Blues had used when he'd been corrupted by Nebula happened and "Colonel" vanished from the scene: they gasped.

"Colonel!"

We were so close…!

"…You guys win today's battle! But you will only be immersed in the afterglow of victory for another few days! Wah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h!" Cosmo Man laughed.

"Another few days…!"

The area regained its usual coloring and the "Team" gathered to discuss the results of their "mission" yet they didn't feel glad about having freed the last area ruled by Nebula.

"We couldn't retrieve Colonel – san …" Meddy sighed.

"Yeah… But at least we know he's alive. We'll definitely rescue Colonel no matter what! My word!"

"Yeah! I'll do my best too!"

"Guys. Our decisive battle with Nebula is drawing near. But we'll need to rescue Colonel before we can go settle the score with them! And the whole "Team" will fight as one! That's all! Disband!" Blues commanded while trying to sound firm.

The members departed while the Navi of "Mr. Smith" came in while looking around: he bowed in front of Blues.

"A splendid job. Mr. Knight Man and I witnessed it. Yet in the end we have not advanced besides freeing the Internet from Nebula's hands."

"Yeah. That's something. Yet we still don't know why the wanted the dog so badly." Enzan grumbled.

"I am afraid I cannot help you in there."

"If Mr. Barrel says you can be somewhat trusted then we'll take your word for the truth… But try to stay out of harm's way."

"Of course. I'm trying to consolidate my position and be able to flee the vicious world I am trapped within… Well then… Farewell."

20:04 PM (Japan Time)…

"…Hikari Yuuichirou… Guess I could say it was to be expected of you: you didn't confess at the end… However, your struggling has become meaningless by now…"

"C-can't be…!"

Dr. Regal was talking with Yuuichirou inside of the command room as Yuuichirou lied on one side in the floor with his arms and legs bend backwards and some ductile cyan restrains closed around his wrists and ankles: he was making a grimace as he looked at Regal standing over him and upon seeing his triumphant smug smile.

"…You father was a great scientist… Who'd said that he'd transformed the "Hikari Report" into the shape of a dog…? It was to be expected: even I didn't realize it…" He admitted.

"R-Regal…! Gau… What do you intend to do by using Gau?"

"To complete it, you see… To complete "Heart Network"!" He announced with an ever broader grin.

"Heart… Network… Can't be… If you do that… Then… The world…"

"True! My idealized complete evil world shall be completed!"

"I wouldn't have thought that "Heart Network" would be completed in this manner… I'm sorry… dad…" He muttered to his own.

"… Heh. Witness, Hikari Yuuichirou…! The shape of Japan being dyed by evil…!"

He turned to the console and pressed a button.

"Witness, Hikari Yuuichirou… The shape of Japan being dyed by evil… Regal… Move "Nebula Grey" to the 3rd Experiment Server… True… Set the communications speed at "MAX" and transmit into the "Mini Servers" set within Japan… I don't mind if you momentarily stop "Dark Chip" production. Yeah, true…" He told someone.

He turned around to mock Yuuichirou again with his victorious smile.

"With this the arrangements have been completed… Alright, Hikari Yuuichirou… Why don't you come along and witness the results of the experiments as well?" He invited.

"You lowlife's… ambitions… will definitely… collapse…" Yuuichirou managed to hiss.

"Heh, heh, heh… Your hope will soon change into despair, I guess… And we shall reaffirm that humans are but weak living beings! Someone! Bring over a camera: I intend to tell the whole nation about the experiment's start!" He called out.

"Yes, sir!" A man replied from a distance.

"Netto… Rock Man…!" Yuuichirou muttered.

"Someone contact those two. I have an idea." He added.

"Roger."

"Those two…? What are you going to do…?" Yuuichirou demanded.

"Ah, see. Introduce you to my two brilliant collaborators… They've handled things in the Cyber World while I was busy trying to find the "Hikari Report"… "Demon King"! "Demon Prince"! You came."

"Dr. Regal. What is the matter?"

"Easy, aibou. We get rum as a reward."

"… Jeez…! We're Net Navis! We can't drink rum and I ain't 13 years old yet. Stop coming up with silly mottoes which you ripped off somewhere I dunno…!"

Both cloaked villains came in and stood next to Dr. Regal while being seemingly curious at the sight of Yuuichirou.

"Net Navis…? In the real world… How's that… possible?" He asked with a gasp.

"Copy Roid. I'm sure you've heard the name before."

"Saiba City's… World fair…!"

"Bravo. We stole a few of them and made our own innovations to the system… Somewhat crude yet effective enough…" "Demon King" made a giggle.

"… You…! The short one…! That voice…!"

"Yeah, I know. Reverse of the coin yet another coin altogether."

"What have you done to Netto… and Rock Man…?"

"Don't worry… Hakase. They've become excellent assets. They've done good field jobs… Yet they're still light-years away from beating Solid Snake to sneaking…" "Demon King" giggled.

"Don't try to come up with more puns… This is serious stuff."

"Alright, you win. I'm off to dancing with the Mirkwood spiders."

"The Mirkwood spiders? You took that from The Hobbit, right?"

"Yessir! Maybe ya would prefer dwelling in Lake-City?"

"Scram already."

"Sure, Admiral Nelson."

"Demon King" giggled and "Demon Prince" fumed while Dr. Regal looked slightly amused.

"Excuse me, Dr. Regal. Partner has some cheap humor from time to time which gets hard to control. I assume all is proceeding as scheduled?" He politely asked.

"Indeed. Your magnificent idea will be carried out yet wait until those Official dogs get here… A drama needs an audience… And just six of us won't do… Let's call over another 7… Or should I say 14? Heh, heh, heh, heh… Go prepare everything… I am going to do the nation-wide broadcast in the meanwhile." Dr. Regal told him: he was rubbing his beard and grinning.

"Acknowledged."

Netto… Saito…! Fight…! You must fight… and defeat Regal!