A/N: Ah, that's okay, MI3! Busy happens - it certainly has for me this year. I'm just glad you're still reading and enjoying, and that you had time to leave a review again. And on the age thing, no problem! I can see where it might be really confusing, especially when most of these people are usually twelve or so, yet Kaita and Mary have decidedly less power and experience... I think I might stick something about it in my profile, too, so it's not lost in the middle of this fic. The writing class has turned out to be pretty interesting! It's given me a lot to keep in mind as I keep writing original stuff. And now, your wish comes true - at last, Enzan and Blues round off the first set of Netbattles!
"I hope Kalama's all right," Kaita said as the Technos and Midis began to file out of the battlefield, leaving the grass pristine.
"Me, too. That was really harsh." Nobody seemed to be coming onto the battlefield, so Turboman asked, "Was that the last one?"
Dingo said, "Can't be. Enzan must be next."
"Enzan?" Kaita asked. He could barely remember where he'd heard the name after such a long day. "The Net Savior?" he asked, after watching the white-haired teen enter the battlefield with Blues at his side. "But I'm starting to get hungry..."
"Aw, come on, you've gotta stick around for this one!" Dingo told the doubtful boy, "You just watch-Meiru's really good, but Enzan's no pushover, either!"
A slender woman with a long ponytail and a small, blade-like ring in her hair walked out, her red coat billowing behind her a little with each step. A gray-faced Navi with a red helmet, red-and-blue chest armor, and two enormous blades mounted on either shoulder followed her.
"That's Metalman... so that must be Tamako!" Kaita was confused, so Dingo explained, "A friend of mine knew her. She's supposed to be pretty good. With Enzan and someone like her fighting, this match should be great!"
As usual, no sooner had the two gotten into position than the announcer said, "Let the match begin!"
"Metal Missile!" Out of three holes on Metalman's back came a trio of red-capped rockets. They locked onto position and zipped forward, much faster than Kaita had expected. Blues' right glove shifted into a red sword, and he cleaved all three apart with apparent ease. But that wasn't the end of the attack. There was only a slight pause before another set of three missiles came out, and Blues ripped them apart once again.
As more missiles came rocketing out, Kaita noticed, "He can't move like this. Shouldn't Enzan-?"
Down below, the Net Savior said, "That's enough." This time, Blues shot to the side, leaving the three missiles to crash into the ground. The next barrage was dodged just as easily. The white-haired Navi was starting to come closer to Metalman, and there seemed to be nothing the larger Navi could do to stop it.
Dingo grinned. "See? It wasn't about getting out of the way. They've got Metalman's number now!"
Tamako didn't seem to be set back by this. She said, "Guess there's no use playing keep-away! Do it, Metalman!" Metalman ran forward, then jumped toward Blues as a pair of thrusters ignited on his back. The extra speed catapulted him at Blues in the blink of an eye. The red-armored Navi ducked under and sidestepped, but Metalman whirled around, still focused on his target.
"Metal Blades!" Metalman brought the two saw-like rings down only for Blues to block them with his sword. The two stayed locked in a stalemate for a few seconds, each unable to overpower the other.
"Battlechip: Yo-yo! Slot-in!" While Blues' sword hand remained steady, his other glove was replaced by a silver holster.
"Oh, no you don't! Area Steal!" Before Blues could send out the Yo-yo, Metalman disappeared in a blur of color. The red-armored Navi turned slowly, keeping an eye out for his opponent.
To Kaita's surprise, Metalman reappeared where no Netbattler he knew would bother looking: only meters away from the spot where he'd first vanished. Blues whirled around as Metalman detached his jagged blades. "Metal Wheel!" Though Blues was clipped by one of the blades, he managed a solid hit of his own with the Yo-yo still attached to his left arm.
"Not bad," Enzan said with a smirk.
"You're not too shabby yourself!" replied Tamako.
"Kaita..." Mary had gotten out of her seat. "I'm worried about Kalama-chan..."
It was hard for Kaita to decide whether to focus on the two Navis fighting with their blades below or Mary, who had a good point. "I know, but... Uh..."
"Tell me all about the match when we get back, okay? I'm going to go find her." She turned back to her Navi. "Ring-chan, you can stay, too." The yellow-clad Navi tried not to look too relieved as her Operator left the stands.
Down below, Metalman was pressing down hard on Blues' sword. The white-haired Navi pushed himself away from Metalman, backing away even as Metalman yelled, "Metal Wheel!"
"Kouri Hougan, slot-in!" A light blue bomb appeared in Blues' hand, which he hurled at one of the incoming blades. It hit its mark. Now much heavier, the blade fell to the ground, where it froze into place. "Neo Variable!"
"Sonic Boom!" One hit Metalman's glove as he tried to evade, but he'd activated his boosters by the time the other came toward him.
Tamako clenched her fist as she said, "We're gonna finish this now. Do it, Metalman!" The huge Navi drew back his fist, boosters still propelling him toward Blues as a blue light started to build on his hand.
Just then, the door to the stands opened, and Kalama and Mary came through it. The tanned girl's eyes were red, and she was wiping her nose. That wasn't what startled Kaita. Mary looked furious, the hand that wasn't holding Kalama's clenched into a fist at her side. Kaita had never seen his friend so mad-or mad at all-before. For the first time since the Netbattle had started, he forgot it was even going on, instead looking at Mary in amazement.
"Atsuki..." she explained, looking behind her-probably to make sure she hadn't been followed. "I'll explain later." With that, she and Kalama took their seats.
"Metal Fist!" That snapped Kaita's attention back to the fight. Metalman had brought his fist-and all the energy built up inside it-down on Blues, who barely managed to sidestep in time. Even the wind from that powerful attack was enough to make him stagger. But he had the advantage now; Metalman was still trying to recover from that massive attack when Blues sliced down with a newly-received Long Blade, giving his opponent a long cut on his back. Metalman grunted, then whirled around. "Metal Wheel!" Blues easily sidestepped the first pass. But as the circular blade started to come back, its owner vanished. Blues evaded the Metal Wheel again, stepping right into the clutches of the newly-reappeared Metalman. The larger Navi's fist was already drawn back. "Metal Fist!" He slammed it into Blues' stomach.
Kaita stared in shock as the smaller Navi doubled over. "Huh? But Blues totally could've gotten away from that!" The red-armored Navi staggered backward, clutching his gut. Metalman grinned and ran forward, charging the Metal Fist that would defeat his opponent. But something had changed in Blues' countenance. He let himself fall backwards, gravity bringing him down before Metalman's fist could reach him. His arms took his weight as he shot his legs into the top-heavy Navi's ankles. In the position he was in, Metalman couldn't balance; as he fell, Blues' Wide Blade swiped through his left arm and some of his torso. Metalman's body froze, morphed into the words 'LOG OUT', and vanished.
"Whoa..." Tamako's shocked look turned into a grin. "That was some fight!" she called to her opponent. To her Navi, she said, "Great work, Metalman."
Kaita was speechless for the second time that day. If he had to fight against Enzan and Blues, he felt certain the match would be over in a matter of seconds. He only hoped he wouldn't have to for the next round.
"Hey, Kaita..." Ring poked his shoulder.
Kaita looked over. "Huh? Hey, where is everyone!" Both the stands and the stadium below were deserted. Kaita could faintly hear footsteps and people laughing from outside.
"They went to dinner without you," Ring giggled. "Better hurry and catch up!"
Kaita ran downstairs, where he found an empty seat next to Turboman. Now that there were fewer Navis, everyone seemed to be splitting into groups: Enzan, Meiru, their blonde friend, and their Navis at one end; Kaita and his friends nearby, but closer to the middle; and on the other side of them, a few scattered contestants and the Nova members at the end. Black, Atsuki, and Yumi were talking about something that was apparently funny. Kaita figured it was bad news, whatever it was. Arrow was missing, but Burnerman and Punk stood on either side of the group, silent.
"I can't believe that guy," Mary said, pointing out Atsuki.
"What'd he do?" Kaita asked.
That seemed to make Mary mad all over again. "Winning wasn't good enough for that creep. When I found Kalama-chan, he left, but the whole time before... Just because someone's won doesn't mean they can harass the loser." She looked over at the Nova end of the table, her gaze steady and cold. "But if they're Nova, we'll run into them again. And when we do, Ring-chan and I'll teach them a lesson on Kalama-chan's behalf!"
"They won't know what hit 'em," Kalama said. "You were really good in your Netbattle today, Mary-chan!"
"Um, thanks," Mary said modestly, fiddling with one of the strands of hair that hung over her ears. "So, Kaita, what'd I miss?"
"Well, it was really close," Turboman began.
"Yeah, but Enzan-san was ready for anything!" Kaita said. "That thing he did at the end-that was so cool! One hit point weaker and he never could've done it! And managing to pull off a win like that, even though Metalman was super-tough-but Blues was way too fast for him!"
"Uh, Kaita-kun, she was there for that," Turboman cut in.
"But it's just like I said, right?" Dingo asked cheerfully.
"Oh, yeah!" Kaita said, "I can't wait for his next Netbattle! Tomorrow's going to be so cool..."