Chapter 29: Unleashed Freelancers
09:29 AM (Japan Time), Saturday October the 9th…
"… Commissioner! We have reports of various simultaneous Navis causing incidents: they are Silver Arrow's freelancers!"
"Damn!"
Manabe came to report to Kifune, who looked like he was getting one of his bad mood moments.
"Mobilize all Net Navis: "Net Saviors" or civilians!" He commanded.
"Yes, sir! ASAP."
"… Heh! Ya set the explosives and I set fire to 'em. Good combo: ain't it, aibou?"
"Yeah! There's nothin' better than an incendiary combo."
Roast Man and Demolition Man were setting explosives: Roast Man then set them on fire to cause widespread destruction.
"Sonic Boom!"
"Scope Gun!"
Both attacks caught the two freelancer Net Navis off-guard and they had to shield themselves: Blues and Search Man appeared.
"The red punk…!" Roast Man cursed.
"The green punk…!" Demolition Man cursed.
"You lowlife. No – one shall rescue you lowlifes this time around." Blues announced.
"Give it up: you cannot stand up to us." Search Man added.
"Who's gonna give up at the very climax? Go! Roast Man!" Smokin' yelled.
"Go! Demolition Man! Demolish 'em up!" Mole commanded.
"Roastin' Flames!"
"Demolition Rolling!"
Roast Man drew his two flamethrowers and began to shoot fire towards Blues, who jumped into the air to dodge.
"Hmpf."
Demolition Man compacted into a sphere shape and rolled across the ground towards Search Man.
"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon! Slot In!"
"Battle Chip, Ice Cannon Ball! Slot In!"
Search Man drew the Tank Cannon and shot one close-quarters shot to Demolition Man, pushing him back and making him crash against a nearby building while leaving a deep hit mark there.
"Uack!"
Blues threw the Ice Cannon Ball at Roast Man and his fire quickly became steam as he was frozen and trapped inside of an ice block.
"No way!" Smokin' gasped.
"Shit!" Mole cursed.
"Give it up!" Enzan commanded.
"You lose." Laika added.
Suddenly, though, a strange noise was heard and both Navis were automatically retrieved.
"Huh? I didn't touch anythin'!" Smokin' exclaimed.
"Dunno…" Mole muttered.
"… Scram." A distorted voice announced.
Both Operators quickly ran off while the "Net Saviors" growled.
"Damn. They pulled them out. They sure knew something." Enzan cursed.
"And they won't come out again anytime soon, either." Laika cursed.
09:35 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Armored Punch!"
"Napalm Bomb!"
Napalm Man was facing off against Armored Man in another of Internet City's districts.
"Nenjirou! Beat the guy up!" Nenji rallied.
"I AIN'T NENJIROU~!"
The Link PET suddenly heated up.
"Ouch, ouch! Hot, hot!"
"Hmpf. What a foolish combination." Armored Man taunted.
"Delete them." Breakez ordered.
"Roger."
"Vulcan Arm!"
"Hmpf."
The rounds bounced off his body while he made both fists glow and punched them into the ground.
"Beam Rain!"
Several steel beams materialized: they had a sharp and cutting edge on the lower end of them: they began to drop down and Napalm Man had to roll and jump to dodge them.
"Sheesh! Oi! Nenji! Use a Battle Chip!" Napalm Man called out.
"Okay! Eh… Battle Chip, Magma Seed! Slot In!"
Napalm Man jumped into the air and tossed the Magma Seed at the ground, trapping Armored Man: he was suddenly retrieved and Napalm Man growled.
"Damn it! Ya coward! Face me if ya have the guts!"
09:41 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Needle Cannon!"
"Feather Storm!"
Needle Man was having a face-off with Hawk Man atop some of Internet City's buildings.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"
Hawk Man opened his wings and began to beat them: a strong wind began to push Needle Man back while Hawk Man shot several sharp feathers towards him.
"Battle Chip, Dream Aura! Slot In!" Yuriko commanded.
"Shah, shah, shah, shah!"
The Dream Aura bounced all feathers off and Hawk Man cursed something under his breath.
"Needle Attack! Messy Shooting!"
Needle Man made his needles grow larger and delivered some quick and well-laid attacks on Hawk Man: he growled and stepped back while flying into the sky.
"Shah, shah, shah, shah! So! Not so strong, eh?" He taunted.
"You barbarian…! Die!" Hawk Man roared.
He dived towards Needle Man, but he suddenly grinned: he'd been expecting such a move.
"Battle Chip, Custom Bolt! Slot In!"
"Custom Bolt!"
The attack hit Hawk Man and electrocuted him: he roared and then collapsed on a nearby rooftop while his body smoked and he cursed under his breath: he was also retrieved and Needle Man growled.
"Fuck 'em all!"
09:49 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Roll Arrow!"
"Battle Chip, Barrier! Slot In!"
The Roll Arrow bounced off the Barrier Agatha was using: she had a weird lust on her eyes and looked eager for something: the place was a warehouse somewhere in Internet City.
"Another boyfriend thief…! There's a plague of 'em!" Meiru cursed.
"Boyfriend thief…? Wrong." Atamane put up a smug smile.
"… Wait a min… Those glares… No way…" Meiru made a grimace.
"Yeah. Sharp instincts, little girl. You'll soon be part of my club." Atamane announced.
"No way! Roll! Beat that smug-faced Navi!" Meiru told her.
"O. K.!"
"Hmpf. Crave your grave: you'll soon wish you were dead." Agatha announced.
"Sheesh. The Navi, too… Program Advance!" Meiru cursed.
"Program Advance!"
"Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"
"Giga Cannon!"
The blast overpowered the Barrier and hit Agatha, who had to shield herself: she got some wounds and bruises, but she kept on looking in top shape.
"Playtime's over… Agatha! Be ready." Atamane announced.
"Roger! Tee, heh, heh, heh!"
Before she could move, though, she was retrieved and Atamane gasped.
"You lose! Baka~!"
09:53 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Shadow Blade!"
"Battle Chip, Shirahadori! Slot In!"
Shadow Man was facing Cecile in one of Internet City's alleyways: she stopped the Shadow Blade's attacks with her hands and grinned.
"Sheesh. This woman is no amateur." He muttered.
"Hmpf."
Cecile jumped into the air and put some distance between her and Shadow Man.
"Battle Chip, Triple Bomb! Slot In!" Odoroida commanded.
The Triple Bomb exploded and Shadow Man stood there while looking unaffected.
"Hmpf."
"Battle Chip, Cannon Ball! Slot In!"
"Cannon Ball!"
The Cannon Ball hit him, too, but he didn't bother to counter.
"Now. Battle Chip, Muramasa Blade! Slot In!" Miyabi announced while looking amused.
"What!" Karina gasped.
"Muramasa Blade!"
Shadow Man's attack hit Cecile and she collided against a pile of empty containers: she cursed something under her breath and tried to stand up while ignoring her wounds.
"You cannot fool a ninja clan descendant." Miyabi grinned.
Cecile tried to run for Shadow Man but was forcibly retrieved.
"Veni, Vidi, Vinci."
09:58 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Tee, heh, heh."
"You!"
Rock Man was standing inside of another warehouse and Salome had showed up with a smug smile on her face.
"Nemenaya! You'll pay for torturing my friend!" Netto told her.
"Hmpf. Brag while you can, Hikari. My club awaits your flesh to exploit it and gain profits."
"Damn." Netto cursed.
"Craving your own grave, I see. Fine. I'll make this quick. Salome! You know the plan." Nemenaya told her.
"Roger, Mies – sama." Salome confirmed.
"… Gotta end this quick… Rock Man! Ready?" Netto muttered before calling out to him.
"Yeah! Go ahead, Netto – kun!" He confirmed.
"Bestialize Chip, Greiga! Slot In!"
"UWRA~H!"
"No way!" Salome cursed.
Rock Man assumed his "Greiga" form and readied his claws which glowed with a menacing glitter.
"Greiga Claw!"
He shot forward and tried to hit Salome, but a chibi doll showed up and four shuriken hit his back: the weight of them made him collapse on the ground.
"… Hmpf… Hah. "Fool me once, you're to shame. Fool me twice, I'm to shame." … The same trick won't work twice. Salome! Now!" Nemenaya muttered before commanding.
"Tee, heh, heh. Pain Chains!"
Some black-colored chains materialized and coiled around Rock Man's upper body, immobilizing him.
"What the…!" Netto cursed.
"Beast Breath!"
Rock Man tried attacking them, but they shone and an electrical discharge travelled down his body: he reverted out of "Greiga" form and made a grimace.
"Plug Out!" Netto commanded.
A beep sounded and the "ERROR" message showed up onscreen: Netto turned pale as he stood inside of the public phone cabin.
"Damn! I need backup!" He cursed.
He didn't spot a non-descript black wagon parking on the emergency lane behind him.
"Tee, heh, heh, heh."
In the meanwhile, Salome began to use the heel of her right foot to hit the spot of Rock Man's privates: he closed his eyes and tried to hold back his gasps of pain.
"Tee, heh, heh. It'd seem that the pro sadist you met before trained you well. Your body is very responsive. You'll make good merchandise and we'll get high profits." Salome announced.
"… Damn. The phone and email doesn't work, either. That jerk's messed with it somehow. But I can't leave niisan there either!" Netto cursed in the meanwhile.
He didn't see Nemenaya walking towards him from behind and carrying a steel rod on her right hand.
"Calling on Missile~!"
"What the fuck?"
Suddenly though, a whistle rang out and Nemenaya spotted a small missile flying towards her: it hit the floor and caused a small explosion and a cloud of smoke.
"Huh! What…?"
Netto gasped and turned around: Wily was there with his robot cart and it had the missile launching tube open.
"Wily!" He gasped.
"I called for backup." He announced.
"Damn." Nemenaya cursed.
"That's as far as you come!"
Gospel jumped down from a nearby roof and loomed over Nemenya, who made a grimace.
"Ice Tower!"
Several Ice Towers popped out around Salome in a circle formation, making up a cage.
"What!" She cursed.
Freeze Man dropped down (while leaving his diamond to hover in mid-air), landed, and gripped the chains: they froze and they then broke: Rock Man quickly stood up and drew the Rock Buster.
"I owe you one, Freeze Man." He told him.
"We wouldn't let such lowlifes get away with it."
"I was close!" Salome cursed.
"Damn." Nemenaya cursed.
"Give it up." Gospel commanded.
Nemenaya suddenly jumped into the rail adjacent to the lane and used it as inertia to jump next to the wagon: she quickly climbed inside and sped away.
"Wily! Shoot another missile!" Netto rallied.
"Sorry, but… The second tube broke and I still have to fix it." Wily admitted.
"Sheesh! I'll be back!" Salome cursed.
She escaped: both Rock Man and Freeze Man made a grimace.
Saito – niisan! We'll defeat that creep next time around!
Yeah! Such creeps don't deserve to roam free!
"… Shit. The old man got in the way and so did that otaku freak… Bah. I'll find another opportunity. No – one is lucky forever."
Nemenaya was cursing as she drove the wagon car away from the district and looked annoyed.
"… You're close to shattering my patience, Nemenaya Mies…" An angry voice rang out.
"W-whoa! Mies – sama…! S-Sergei is here!" Salome gasped.
"Damn." Nemenaya cursed.
"You messed with my rival. And I don't like that." Sergei told Salome while looking rather annoyed.
"Fool. Once you have a chance, you seize it." Nemenaya shot back.
"Hmpf. Then go seize someone else a thousand kilometers away from here: but no – one steals off my rival. I have my plans for him. Don't make me repeat things. Farewell." Sergei replied.
He swung his sword and warped out of the Link PET while Salome sighed in relief and Nemenaya cursed under her breath.
"… Thank you, Wily. And Gospel, too. I don't know what could've happened without you two."
"Heh, heh, heh. I'm somewhat of a stalker."
"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me, Dr. Wily."
Netto was speaking with Wily and Gospel: Wily looked somewhat amused while Gospel didn't seem to be surprised.
"I hid a tracer inside of the car. The police are already on its trail."
"Good! They won't be able to run away." Rock Man smiled.
"Yeah. That one's done for." Gospel announced.
"No – one falls for the same trick twice." Wily added.
"… WHAT?"
"Yeah. It was a very close thing."
"Damn."
"I know."
Netto had met up with Enzan on the Science Labs' locker room and he looked shocked by what Netto told him: Blues also looked angered while Saito sighed in relief.
"Well… Given how the police are on their trail by now, I'd say we can wrap this one up… We'd be pending Atamane: she seemingly is trying to target Sakurai." Enzan commented.
"Yeah. We must round up these sick people before they can inflict further pain to innocent people." Netto agreed on it.
"But I won't be fooled twice, either." Saito told Blues.
"Yeah. That's the spirit, Saito. I'm glad you're alright." Blues looked somewhat relieved.
"… So? What do you think of my idea, lil bro?"
"Hmmm… Yeah. Let Cousin Netto feed on his own powerlessness and leisurely be tempted by the Dark Side."
Sergei had returned to the server room and Ivan had exposed something to him: Sergei looked amused.
"DELETE!" Both exclaimed.
