Chapter 51: Light VS Shade
11:51 AM (Japan Time), Sunday July the 29th…
"… I'll go first. This is the "Special Ability" of me, Umbra… "Chaos Unison"…"
"What? "Chaos Unison"?"
"A mockery of "Soul Unison"… "Blues Chaos"…!"
"Whoa!"
Umbra's body glowed with purplish and golden light as data formed around him and gave way to the "Blues Soul" but its colors were purple and golden instead and the shades were blood red in color: the blade had switched to golden color too.
"Yeah, I know… It's a corruption… He came up with that as mockery of "Soul Unison" and used one based off Vadous on the day of the "Twilight Tower" to battle Shade Man and delete him in a savage and painful manner… The guy never stood any real chance…"
"But you've removed all "Dark Aura" from your body, right?" Saito asked without being too surprised.
"Yeah, I sure did. This thing only swaps the color palette and I removed the power-up… Let's try seeing who's more skilled at these."
"Fine! Soul Unison: Blues Soul! Slot In!"
Rock Man gained the "Blues Soul" and drew the sword: both jumped for each other and began to parry but without intending to harm each other as seen from their poses or how some attacks were made to hit the shield in purpose: they stopped after one or two minutes.
"By the way! If you say Shade Man had been deleted… How did he cause the wound on my "alternate" which was your origin?" Rock Man asked.
"Oh. That… Well. I told you "Duo" formed the "Past Tunnel"… A facility was built in the Utah crater to study that and try to control the "Past Tunnel" thing which was "Duo" wanted us to do anyway…"
"I see! So Shade Man accidentally time-skipped?"
"Yeah. A "Past Vision" of roughly half a year before was displayed and when Twilight delivered the final blow the energy release was so great that it overloaded all equipment and accidentally pulled the guy into the present but in a horribly damaged status… He didn't know what had happened and began to run amok demanding for Twilight to show up: you and Enzan plus Yuriko managed to beat the guy but he didn't die. Bubble Man then provided him the power, he managed to recall what had happened, and you know the rest."
"Huh! But… Did "Twilight Tower" do…?"
"Yeah… The same thing Regal wanted to do. The building in your story is identical too: he simply altered the last stage."
"And what was that?" Netto asked.
"Twilight showed it to me: Regal was intending to use a "Dark Synchro Chip" into an armchair which would have Laser Man inside and be connected to the system… He'd do "Cross Fusion", beat Shade Man too and then form gigantic Laser Men across the world… Twilight, being the rip-off jerk he was, used the "Ultimate Blue-Eyes Dragon" instead: and then Regal wanted to combine the power of the "DSC" with the other "SCs" to create a gigantic bunshin to fuse with and go into a destructive rampage…" Umbra explained.
"What in the fucking… A gigantic bunshin!"
"Yeah. The guy came up with some Gojira robot wannabe armed with lasers, missiles and machine-guns. After a desperate attempt by you two to stand up to the thing using "Soul Unison" in "CF" mode you only got yourself exhausted. Enzan tried with a "Program Advance" but got no further either… When all seemed lost… The Navis who were being forced to become energy for the "DCs"… Began to pour their power into you and you achieve perfect "Synchronism" or "Full Synchro"… You blew the thing up and Twilight escaped by mere inches."
"Whoa! "Full Synchro"… Sounds like the "Saito Style"…"
"Huh? "Saito Style"? What's that?"
"Well. We used it once two years ago to beat the "bunshin" program Twilight snuck into our "CF" body mindset… It's a powerful form which has a power unlike another… Apparently it was a dormant ability Papa set into me… But I'm not sure if we could bring it out again: we haven't really tried to ever since then because there was no need."
"Huh. That reminds me of your "fusion" with Forte…"
"Yeah. We know about the "Spectrum" adventure…"
"Well. Let's continue! "Search Chaos"!"
The "Search Chaos" swapped the green and yellow for orange and blue instead and the visor gained a yellowish color instead.
"Scope Gun!"
"Soul Unison: Search Soul! Slot In!"
"Satellite Ray!"
"Hum. The shuttle will be here in 11 minutes' time…" Legato checked a holographic screen's readout.
"Plenty of time."
Both attacks met the ground or the walls in purpose: they then began to scan each other and Rock Man spotted something.
"Huh? There's some program which is being denied access into your main processor… Gotta be one of those damned things…"
"Really? Huff. I did well on changing the processor password: and since Twilight can't control me live then he can't figure it out right now: not like I'll give the jerk a chance to."
"That's the spirit!" Netto encouraged.
"Thanks, Netto – kun! I needed this encouragement."
"Sure. Say…"
"What's up?"
"Where is "Regal Tower" at? Nobody told us."
"Why shouldn't they, I wonder… You know the Akihara Tower? Right next to there… underground."
"So it's underground! How was the guy going to take it out?"
"Using a maintenance shaft which had been excavated when forming a tunnel which made its way across the district… The guy was so fond of dramatics that he'd have some kind of special effects show to make it look like the tower had sunk and this one rose on its place… But it amounted to opening the cover and using a heavy-duty elevator to lift the building up: given how most of its insides would be hollow then…"
"I see! And in this "arch" it remains underground, rotting away."
"Yeah. Omega and the others sabotaged it, I think."
"8 minutes left…" Legato reminded.
"Alright! "Number Chaos"!"
"Soul Unison: Number Soul! Slot In!"
The "Number Chaos" used a purplish color palette plus a dull tone of orange for the backpack which was also used on the band arching over his head and for the dome's lightened squares.
"Dice Bomb!"
"Dice Bomb!"
Umbra's dice ended up being a "3" while Rock Man's was a "4": the detonations pushed them back a bit but neither of them was really hurt to begin with.
"Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"
"Same over here! Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"
"GIGA CANNON!"
Both began to load up their Program Advances while Legato checked the display again showing a small blue dot heading towards a bigger blue dot across space: there was a small annotation on the SE corner which read "IFF Radar Code. Blue: Ally. Red: Enemy. Memorize them, you morons. By Mr. Secretary" which made Legato looked somewhat annoyed.
"What, they mixed them around? 3:45 minutes until contact. They surely know how to open the docking bays too… The ramp thing goes by segments united by reversible-polarity magnets… Speaking of magnets, maybe we should check out that "this" Tesla Magnets doesn't get any funny ideas… That "birthday countdown" was weird. And claiming that duel was a "fair and square battle ring" when it was 5 VS 1… That woman sure was a spoiled CEO daughter, or so I got to know by Umbra – sama over there…" He muttered aloud.
"Did the guys really not know how to tell radar signatures apart? Or was this implemented after they got proven to dunno about how to properly use the radar…?" Netto looked skeptical.
"Dunno." Umbra admitted.
"That "Secretary" guy surely had ego." Rock Man guessed.
"As far as I know he was supposed to give the idea that "IQ" was some old man on his 60s who employed a young runt as proxy… And since everyone went by the Godfather cliché then…"
"Loading: completed! Netto – kun! Take shelter: just in case."
"Legato! Take shelter too."
"Roger, sir!"
"OK!"
Netto crouched on the NW corner of the bed using the space between it and the wall: both Giga Cannons shot and met each other to then provoke a large explosion the shockwave of which could be felt across the room but it didn't actually damage anything.
"Draw." Legato announced.
"I thought as much… Number Tembou!"
"Number Tembou!"
Both drew the "Tembou" sticks and clashed: they didn't yield so they jumped backwards.
"Number Ball!"
"Number Ball!"
Umbra's one displayed "13" while Rock Man's one displayed the number "25": both collided and cancelled each other: they then began to push each other by the hands but got nowhere.
"Heh. This remembers me of something during the "Zoanoroid" incursions into Earth… I got told that by the jerk after he supplied me with sensor data but which was edited to only show battles… "Zoan" Number Man snuck into the Science Labs to investigate "alternate" Rock Man and his "juuka" ability witnessed by "Zoan Pharaoh Man"… The real Number Man came in but everyone seemed to be SO dumb that they didn't notice their differing color pallets and their emblems… Both began to attack each other but were matched in strength!" He explained.
"What in the… And why not contact Higure – san to tell them apart by transferring Battle Chips?" Netto asked.
"He was busy with something else… I dunno what it was…"
"So? How did they tell them apart?"
"They attacked both of them and that forced the fake to go "Juuka Mode": taking profit of some distraction he fled for it but was able to report that it wasn't Rock Man who could use "Juuka Mode" but it was the "Synchronizer" the one which provided it… A race to get their hands on it began and in the end it'd seemed "Greiga" won but the "Beyondard" envoy managed to expel them outta their PET using the touch-pen: your "alternates" found them and rescued them yet, as I told you, the "Beyondard Wily" did get his dirty hands on the chap by using a pair of grunts: they used some distraction or another too."
"Really… At the very least they could expose the imposter… But if only they'd bothered to check their emblems…"
"02:11…" Legato called out.
"Hum. Alright. Let's settle it here. I just wanted to get an idea of your battling tactics: you've got all that "VR" experience all…"
"Fine. You OK with this, Netto – kun?"
"Yeah. I don't have a problem."
"Not so fast, you lowlifes… This ain't over yet, by Mercury!"
"Oh shit."
"Damn."
"Fuck."
"Crap."
Twilight (looking more repaired but still missing parts of his helmet, right shoulder armor, left knee armor, SW and NE chest armor, missing the whole armor starting at the right elbow) came in but his balance wasn't perfect and it'd seemed like he'd come out of impatience without waiting for his repairs to end after being struck by Legato earlier.
"I'll turn you into 0s and 1s right here and now!"
"Program Advance! Vulcan, Triple Slot In! Mugen Vulcan!"
"Program Advance! Fumikomi Cross, Triple Slot In! Zeta Fumikomi!"
"Program Advance! Cannon, Hi Cannon, Mega Cannon! Slot In!"
"Zeta Cannon!"
"GO~!"
"Seal of… MUGROUWRA~H!"
Twilight had begun to load up energy when the 3 "Program Advances" met the target and a large explosion ensued.
"That didn't do it." The four of them grimly muttered.
"Fuck… 01:38…" Legato muttered.
The smoke cleared to reveal that Twilight had gotten some wounds and part of his exposed clothes had been torn revealing Navi "skin" beneath it and some of it starting to leak data: the guy chuckled and began to form a black spheroid of energy.
"Mwah, hah, hah! We all die together!"
"The guy's lost it." Netto cursed.
"Totally!" Umbra cursed.
"Shit." Legato hissed.
"I won't let them! Netto – kun! Battle Chip, Black Hole!"
"I see! Battle Chip, Black Hole! Slot In!"
"Black… HOLE~!"
Rock Man formed a mass of energy into his hands which he shot upwards and it began to suck thing up: it sucked one of the chairs but Umbra quickly picked his inert body while warping away to some meters away: Twilight's energy was sucked up into it and the "black hole" collapsed to provoke damage: Twilight gasped.
"00:53…! Hurry it up…!" Legato grumbled.
"Fuck… How's this instead! Chaos… BEAM!"
He shot a powerful black stream of energy which seemed to overcome the speed of sound: Netto smirked and silently placed a Chip on the Link PET: the "monolith" Davis had used formed, opened, and took the attack in before warping and showing up behind Twilight: the attack hit the guy from behind and blew up his cape and the whole of his rear armor while propelling him into the ground, groaning.
"Lucky~! Charles lent me a copy of this and I reprogrammed it."
"Nice, Netto – kun." Umbra grinned.
"00:34…"
"What's with… the damned countdown, you Neo Punk…?" Twilight groaned and tried to sit up.
"The Doom Countdown."
"DON'T SCREW ME~!"
"Meteors!"
"Wind Cutter!"
"Burning… JET!"
"Mugra~h! YOU LOWLIFES!"
"Hey! Don't forget about us, Danna. We wanna shine too~!"
"Hrum! Foolish plebeians!"
"Heh, heh, heh! Burn, burn and BURN! A burnin' fella~!"
Pharaoh Man, Video Man and Burner Man suddenly came in and attacked Twilight when he'd stood up: they grinned, chuckled or looked immovable as Twilight turned to face them.
"You damned fools! Video Man! I gave you a "Dark Chip" and told you to delete Rock Man: you failed!"
"But I did get to spread fear and terror with my "Star Potter Strategy", ya see, Danna~!" Video Man grinned.
"Burner Man, you MORON! I got nice there, gave you a "Dark Chip" despite not deserving it, and you got deleted!"
"Not my problem. Were it not for that "Aqua Soul" thing…"
"Hrum! I was never your pawn!"
"Damn it! I bothered to pick your "Zoan" data remains and design a new body for you!"
"But you did not even attempt to rebuild me in a proper manner."
"Heh, heh. 00:12…"
"I'll destroy you lowlifes! Mighty Avalanche~!"
Boulders materialized in the ceiling and began to fall around but didn't hit any of the presents: Burner Man began to form walls of fire to trap him while Pharaoh Man dropped the blocks to surround him: Video Man held out his tape and formed a large-sized Garuu which vomited flames into the guy.
"The Threesome Hot Burning Battle~!" Video Man laughed.
"Right in the mark!" Burner Man laughed.
"Hrum! Learn your own powerlessness!"
"Heh, heh, heh… 00:04… Close, close…"
"Mugra~h!"
"Cosmo Buster!"
"Thousand Spear!"
"Elec Storm!"
"Swallow Cutter!"
"Icicle Fall!"
Burner Man got electrocuted by Cloud Man's sudden attack, Cosmo Man's planetoids landed on Legato, Yamato Man's quick attacking hit Video Man, Freeze Man made icicles rain down on Pharaoh Man and Swallow Man attacked Umbra.
"Shit. They've docked and the pressure got re-established… Let's hope they can get here in time…" Legato cursed.
"Twilight – sama! It was reckless to try to fight: your repairs, which had reached the 95% percentage, got damaged in the earlier fight and you lost 48% of your energy! We managed to restore up to 80% before you, sir, came out in a rush and came here! Your HP is below 5.3%!" Cosmo Man grabbed Twilight and they hovered into the air.
"Fuck. I got impatient…!" He groaned.
"Well, sir! No offense! But that won't do us any good, sir." Cosmo Man warned him.
PING!
"IT'S OVER!"
"Charged shotgun shot!"
"Plasma Round!"
"Hrah! Zero Saber!"
"Double Thunder!"
"DAMN YOU! KYOUDAI~!"
"By all the… It looks like we got here just in time."
Sigma suddenly rammed into Swallow Man using his right shoulder, Blood Shadow shot at Freeze Man and hit his chest armor, Omega's plasma round burnt up the right torso armor of Cloud Man, Zero's energy slices caught Yamato Man with the pants down and Vadous made his swords (frizzling with electricity) form the shape of the "X" letter before shooting a burst at Cosmo Man: Twilight fell into the ground and cursed as he stood up in a weak manner.
"Mr. Twilight." A distorted voice suddenly came in through Twilight's radio all of a sudden.
"Ah! Cha! Good timing! Use the "DC" Control Program and warp us outta 'ere: I'm providing the coordinates in live! Quick! NOW!"
"Roger."
A white column of light formed at Twilight's feet and expanded towards the ceiling: he hovered and then his body was slowly erased while the "Darkloids" de-materialized and escaped: the fighting ended and everyone remained quiet.
"Damn. So "KO" exists, in the end… Who the hell is that guy?"
