Chapter 27: Fierce battle
10:37 AM (Japan Time), Wednesday December the 28th…
"… Ah."
Netto was sitting on the bench placed on the playground while looking around: he looked somewhat depressed.
"What's up, Netto – kun?" Saito asked.
"… You know what's up." Netto merely replied.
"You're worried about the fact that those two robots showed up in Cream Land and Choina to battle Pride and Jasmine?"
"Damn. It's always the same thing. I'm always putting my friends into danger! And I can't stop it from happening!" Netto cursed.
"Otouto! Please be rational: you're getting obsessed with the idea. Look there: they're doing this in purpose to provoke you and fool you into recklessly charging at them only to get killed!" Saito scolded.
"… True…! So that's why they did it…!"
"Cool it down, otouto: we need to act rationally. And if we all join forces, we can be like a hundred persons fighting at the same time! Remember our motto? We can achieve infinite power!" Saito told him.
"… Yeah. You're right, niisan. Together, we can achieve infinite power and defeat any adversary who gets in the way." Netto managed to smile and he looked up.
"See? That's your classical self. If you don't let them depress them then you can fight at your true potential."
"Charmed." A cold voice rang out with obvious sarcasm.
Netto felt a shiver go down his spin and he stood up to see Togakawa walk into the area: he'd taken off his sunglasses revealing those murderous-like red eyes.
"Togakawa!" He cursed.
"Hikari. Hmpf." He made a smug smile.
"Stealth Man…!" Saito hissed.
"Hmpf." Stealth Man made a smug smile as well.
"Today I can battle in the same terrain as you." Togakawa announced.
"Crap." Netto muttered.
"Dark Synchro Chip: Version 2!" Togakawa announced as he took it out of his jeans' right pocket.
"Version 2… Ivan and Sergei came up with it… It no longer corrupts the Navi, the Operator or forces the Navi into "Cross Fusion"… It just artificially increases the "Synchronism" ratio…" Saito grimly muttered.
"Craving your own grave, Rock Man? But the Organization has a use for you so our orders are to capture you and your Operator alive. You should be grateful of it." Stealth Man grinned.
"Sgt. Sneaky ordered you to do this. The jerk…! I wanna beat the guy a thousand times by now." Netto guessed.
"Heh! Dimensional Converter: Activate!"
Four "Dimensional Converters" popped out around the playground's perimeter and formed a "Dimensional Area" around them: Togakawa's smug grin grew wider.
"Dark Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"
"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"
Both performed "Cross Fusion" sans a hitch: they assumed combat positions while standing five meters from each other.
"CF" Togakawa's design was similar to Stealth Man's normal design: he'd added some navy blue patterns across the knees and elbows and around the neck as well.
His helmet's forehead had the kanji for "koroshiya" or "assassin" written on it using a purple color: overall, he gave off a sinister aura.
Some crimson red lines were drawn across his forearms and legs below the knees.
"Invisible Mode!" "CF" Togakawa announced.
"What!" "CF" Netto gasped.
The opponent turned invisible and "CF" Netto quickly began to step back until he found the edge of the "Dimensional Area" behind him: he began to scan using his "Cross Fusion" capabilities.
"I can't pick up their signature, otouto! But they must close by: I guess he's aiming to end the fight quickly!" Saito whispered.
"In that case… Battle Chip, Salamander!" "CF" Netto muttered.
The flames which formed around him hit something as evidenced by a yell of pain and some frizzling which revealed "CF" Togakawa's invisible shape barely one meter in front of him: "CF" Netto then shot skyward and quickly dived down to bathe the area in flames: the opponent was forced to stand back and recoil.
"Battle Chip, Thunder Ball!"
The Thunder Ball hit the target and electrocuted it: the camouflage slowly shattered like glass and revealed "CF" Togakawa.
"Battle Chip, Fumikomi Cross!"
"CF" Netto warped and aimed for his chest emblem: but "CF" Togakawa arched his body backwards and the sword plunged through empty air.
"What?"
The enemy then gripped it with both hands and pulled forward in an inclined angle: "CF" Netto was propelled forward and he hit the edge of the "Dimensional Area" in front: he slid down it and into his knees while rubbing his body.
"Crap. Battle Chip, Dream Aura!"
"Battle Chip, Golden Fist!"
"CF" Togakawa's Golden Fist broke through the Dream Aura but "CF" Netto then delivered a kick to the stomach area.
"Eat this!"
The blow momentarily left "CF" Togakawa sans breath and he was disconcerted for a second: "CF" Netto then tackled him with his right shoulder and pushed him into the ground.
"Battle Chip, Aqua Blade!"
"CF" Netto was about to plunge the Aqua Blade into the chest emblem when "CF" Togakawa suddenly recoved and planted both feet on "CF" Netto.
"What?" "CF" Netto gasped.
He used the legs to propel him forward and into the noth edge of the "Dimensional Area": "CF" Netto hit it and fell into the ground again while "CF" Togakawa jumped towards him as if he was a wild animal.
"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon!"
The close-quarters blast sent "CF" Togakawa flying but he could recover in mid-air and flip to land on a crouched position while stopping his skid move across the ground: he looked up and quickly drew a Yo-yo Battle Chip.
"Battle Chip, Yo-yo!"
"Battle Chip, Hell's Burner!"
The Hell's Burner burnt the Yo-yo and its string: but "CF" Togakawa was already on his feet and running towards "CF" Netto.
"Damn. Battle Chip, Ice Cannon Ball, Air Shoes! Double Slot In!"
"CF" Netto threw the Ice Cannon Ball at the ground before he used the Air Shoes to hover: the ground froze up and "CF" Togakawa slid across it until he met the east end of the "Dimensional Area" edge.
"Whack!"
He collided with it and the impact pushed him into the ground: he immediately stood up and got his bearings.
"Jet Vernier!"
He ignited his boots' jets and flew towards "CF" Netto.
"Battle Chip, Long Sword! Double Slot In!"
"Battle Chip, Curse Shield!"
The Long Sword hit the Curse Shield: it opened its arms and pushed "CF" Togakawa back before he recovered control: he looked around and didn't spot his target.
"I know what you're planning. Take this!"
He turned around and hit "CF" Netto: a chibi doll showed up.
"What?" He gasped.
He suddenly felt how three shuriken embedded on his back and he fell into the ground from their weight.
"Guh!"
He quickly took them out and looked around: "CF" Netto was standing at three meters from him and in the south-east corner of the area and was unhurt.
"Battle Chip, Super Vulcan!"
"Battle Chip, Shotgun!"
"CF" Togakawa let the Super Vulcan rounds hit him as he aimed the Shotgun's three lock marks and shot three blasts at "CF" Netto: they impacted and he was pushed back.
"Huh!"
"CF" Togakawa crouched to then jump across the air while heading for "CF" Netto.
"Ah! Battle Chip, Mega Cannon!"
The blast from the Mega Cannon hit "CF" Togakawa's upper torso but he was unaffected as he landed in front of "CF" Netto and quickly closed his right hand around his neck and drew a Long Blade Battle Chip.
"C-Charge Shot!"
The blast shot at close-quarters forced "CF" Togakawa to recoil but he looked like he wasn't feeling any pain at all.
"Weird. Rock Man! Can someone disable the pain receptors while in "Cross Fusion"?" "CF" Netto asked him.
"No. You can't. I guess he's been trained to bear with pain." Saito replied in a hushed tone.
"Groa~h!" "CF" Togakawa roared as he charged towards "CF" Netto.
"Shit. Battle Chip, Bug Bomb!"
The Bug Bomb met its target and "CF" Togakawa's body frizzled and seemed not to respond to his commands: he fell into his knees and was seemingly trying to get it to respond.
"Battle Chip, Wide Sword!" "CF" Netto announced.
He rushed towards "CF" Togakawa: he suddenly recovered and gripped "CF" Netto's chest emblem with his right hand: he began to try to pull it out and some parts of the Cross Fusion began to break up.
"D-damn! Let go, you…!" "CF" Netto cursed.
He kicked the forehead of "CF" Togakawa's helmet: it made that persistent echoing sound and "CF" Togakawa let go: "CF" Netto kicked him on the face and the force of it pushed him into the ground again.
"R-Recovery 100!"
He recovered energy and then aimed his Rock Buster towards "CF" Togakawa's chest emblem.
"Charge…!"
"Hah!"
"CF" Togakawa suddenly jumped into the air and appeared behind him: he gripped his shoulders by sliding his arms behind: "CF" Togakawa seemed to be about 10 cm higher than "CF" Netto given how his neck was at the same height of "CF" Netto's head.
"Ever heard of the living hell, Hikari? That's where you're headed to right away…" He announced.
"Shit. You people are an S&M club!" "CF" Netto cursed.
"Not exactly. It's a source of money. But the Organization is more than just that." "CF" Togakawa corrected.
"And you think I'll sit idle and let you lowlifes do whatever it suits you most, don't you?" A voice rang out with a hint of annoyance.
"Forte!" "CF" Netto gasped in relief.
Forte was standing behind them and looking rather annoyed: he'd opened his cloak and looked ready for battle.
"Who the…?" "CF" Togakawa cursed.
"Dark Arm Blade!"
Forte quickly warped in the space between the two of them and hit him.
"Guoah!"
The Dark Arm Blade had left a diagonal indentation on "CF" Togakawa's chest emblem and his "Cross Fusion" began to turn unstable.
"Eat this!"
Forte then kicked his upper torso and "CF" Togakawa let go of "CF" Netto out of instinct: Forte then plunged his Dark Arm Blade into the chest emblem and "CF" Togakawa groaned something as the "Cross Fusion" forcefully broke apart.
"Guwra~h!"
The reformed Link PET ejected the broken "Dark Synchro Chip" and Togakawa collapsed into his knees.
"Hruh! Grah…!"
The sound of police car sirens filled the air and Togakawa cursed as he picked the PET and stood up: he then looked at it and made a grimace.
"Your Navi isn't in shape to interact with the "Dimensional Converters" and I've set firewalls on them as well as a little surprise for any of your accomplices which may try to break inside of their Cyber Worlds." Forte announced.
The "Converters" suddenly detonated in a sequence thus abruptly ceasing the "Dimensional Area": "CF" Netto reverted out of "Cross Fusion" and calmly picked his Link PET.
"Shit." Togakawa hissed.
Two police cars parked on the playground's entrance and four policemen rushed there while Forte kept Togakawa in place by shooting Hell's Buster shots around him to stop him from trying to run away.
"Charge!" One of the policemen commanded.
Togakawa drew a gun but another policeman had already his drawn and shot it out of his hand: Forte stood in the way to ensure he couldn't pick it up while the other policemen reached him and quickly handcuffed him while placing his arms behind his body.
"Togakawa Emil! You're under arrest with the charges of attempted abduction, attempted "Net Savior" deletion, break – in with a gun and 11 murders! Take him away!" The lead policeman commanded.
The policemen forced Togakawa into a patrol car.
"Phew. We caught the guy." Netto sighed in relief.
"Yeah. It was close." Saito sighed in relief as well.
"I couldn't stand sitting idle anymore. I wanted to do something." F
"We need to heavily interrogate the guy. He's part of something bigger than we thought. This "Organization" thing seems to be part of a complot involving an S&M club." Saito warned.
"In short: Twilight's so-called "secret empire" guys… If he could see us, then he must be rejoicing at it." Forte growled.
"Yeah… Let's go back." Netto grumbled.
Forte dematerialized while Netto put on his skates and headed out of the playground: he failed to spot Sidier hidden behind some bushes: he looked somewhat amused.
"S&M… I read about it and watched some videos. It looks intense but it can shatter someone's mind if taken to extreme ends… They must want to turn them into mere merchandise… But that wouldn't do fine for Emperor S – sama's climax for this show. But given Forte's stubbornness, he'll most likely deal with it on his own. Heh, heh, heh…" He chuckled.
He suddenly felt hot and began to sweat: he frowned and tried to vent some air with his hands.
"… Weird… We're in December and I feel hot while being outside… And today they said temperatures would lower, too… I didn't bring anything to produce heat with me, did I?" He muttered.
He turned around and gasped: the Eye of Mordor was hovering behind him and starting at him while projecting a message written in English into the air.
"… "What will you do?" … Dousuru? I don't know, whoever you're supposed to be… Don't you know it? Obihiro told me you believe your own hide to be Sauron, after all." Sidier grumbled as he tried to vent off the heat.
The Eye looked around and then focused its gaze on Sidier again while expanding: Sidier began to pant and looked like he couldn't concentrate because of the heat.
"W-what the… This heat…! But… If it really was this hot, then… the bush would be burning by now…!" He protested.
The Eye merely spun around and looked at all the eight directions before focusing forward again.
"Ah…! I can't…! I'm gonna…! My processor is slowing down…! We Navis aren't designed to work with a lot of heat… unless we're Flame Attribute Navis…!" Sidier cursed.
His sight began to cloud and he felt dizzy: he finally collapsed face down on the ground while having seemingly lost consciousness.
"… Sidier! Oi! Sidier! Answer me!"
Sidier slowly opened his eyes and tried to calibrate them as he spotted someone's face looming over him.
"Sidier! Wake up! It's an order!"
Sidier gasped and quickly sat up while saluting: Dark Ryuusei was sitting next to him and looking at him.
"Dark Ryuusei – sama!" He gasped.
"What the hell happened? I sent you out to scout and you didn't report for over 45 minutes! I got worried and picked your last coordinates. I come to the playground and find you unconscious." Dark Ryuusei questioned.
"Uh… Ah! The Eye of Mordor…! It began to heat up the atmosphere and my processor was affected by it…! It entered emergency shutdown mode and I don't remember anything else…" He reported.
"The Eye of Mordor did? Did it give out any messages similar to the ones Obihiro and company were given out yesterday morning?" Dark Ryuusei questioned.
"No, sir… It only asked me "what will you do?" and it then began to heat up the atmosphere. Maybe it was testing to see how much heat I could endure even if I am an advanced Net Navi…"
"So it'd seem. Catch my hand. We're heading back." Dark Ryuusei sighed in relief before extending his right hand.
"Ah… Yes, sir. By your orders." Sidier confirmed.
Dark Ryuusei helped him stand up and they then entered a purple gateway with a grayish mass set inside of it: they vanished inside.
11:01 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Heh, heh, heh. Our little experiment was a success. Heat can knock out these Navis, too. Ah… I'm a genius! Or so I say myself…"
The Eye was floating inside of the old WWW base while making a monologue and sounding amused.
"Whatever… I won't let the "Net Saviors" see me yet: that'd be spoiling the big surprise! They'll hear about me. But they won't find me. Who'd want to come and search here, anyway? They must be thinking by the cliché: the villain always has a secret base filled with cool advanced tech which he uses to beat the good guys up! Heh, heh, heh!" The voice chuckled.
The Eye moved to another room and looked at the remains of the entrance: the lake outside had frozen up and the main entrance shaped like a skull was no more than a gigantic hole in the mountain.
"Who'd said that Pharaoh Man's explosion could do so much damage, anyway? The guy was the arrogant and prideful guy… He somehow managed to set the computer to automatically restart if someone tried to shut the system off from the Cyber World! But he lacked imagination: the satellite wouldn't have made it past the atmosphere: its components are very sensible to heat and can easily break under stress… Couldn't ya look it up somewhere?"
He brought up imagery displaying the "original" Pharaoh Man standing inside of his pyramid.
"… You damned fools! As the Absolute King that I am… As the Ruler of the Universe… You damned humans who rebel against the King… Redeem for your sins with your bodies…" He proclaimed.
"You sure were fond of old-fashioned speech but it's no wonder seeing how you thought you were a Pharaoh's incarnation… Off you go."
The imagery faded and a sigh echoed.
"Anyway… That's all for today. Staff roll!"
