Sorry everyone, but Cloudy Strife Omega sent his phoenix after Webbuilder, so the author isn't around to finish the fic anymore, he's in the hospital sob. I'd use the backup files to complete the story, but those got burned to a crisp when the phoenix attacked... So I'm the new Author and you'll have to put up with me. puts on stern look

I'll do my best to finish this; I do know what's supposed to happen, and I'll try to write the ending as best I remember thinks hard. This will be a more serious match.

Friend of the late Webbuilder.

Laura,

Wednesday 9:55 DNN Studios.

"Well, well, you showed up." Chaud's voice cut through the air. "And you brought Lan to bail you out too."

"Chaud, why can't you let it go?" I asked, letting his insult slide.

"Because I'm a winner, loosing isn't in my vocabulary."

"Neither is sportsmanship." I muttered under my breath, "alright then, I'm leaving." I turned to head out the door; I had nothing to prove to Chaud or anyone else.

"You are scared of me aren't you?" The Op taunted after me. "I knew you were second rate since day one, and I bet that you're glad that you've gone blind, it gives you a great handicap."

That was too much for me to handle, "You jerk!" I shouted at him, "Take a good long look in the mirror, you'll see the one that's second rate. That hairstyle matches your personality perfectly, it looks like a skunk and you are one."

"Then prove it," Chaud's voice was equally tense; "I want a rematch."

"Why don't you-"

"Just knock it off and jack in." The Op interrupted me, "And whatever you do, don't throw this match."

"As long as you don't." I sighed.

Lan guided me over to a desk of some kind, "Here, the terminal's right in the center."

It was easy enough to find the connection.

"Ready," Chaud said to me without waiting for a reply he continued, "Jack in, Proto-Man." His voice sounded subdued.

"Jack in, Roll. Power Up!"

"I'm in!" My Navi reported a few seconds later.

"Battle Start!" The computer droned.

"Long-Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!" Chaud exclaimed.

I grabbed one of my chips and smoothly slid it into my terminal; the motion had become second nature to me. "Area-Steal, Battle Chip in, Download!"

I heard Proto-Man slash through space.

"I'm alright," Roll announced.

"Now, then," I said, "Aqua-Tower, Battle Chip in, Download! Wood-Tower, Download!"

I listened as Roll sent one attack after another at her opponent.

I listened to the Aqua-Tower roar on without connecting with anything. Then a loud crash sounded.

"He slashed right through the Wood-Tower!" Roll shouted to me.

"Look out, he's coming for you!" I knew this as surely as if I had seen it, "Bubble-Wrap, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Bubble-Wrap!" My Navi repeated. Seconds later I heard Proto-Man's sword connect with the barrier. Then I heard him hit Roll, seconds later she hit the ground with a crash.

"What happened to the shield!?" I grabbed another cartridge, "Cloudy-Virus, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Wide-Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!" My opponent announced.

"Area-Steal!" I panicked, knowing that the virus wouldn't last long against a Wide-Sword, "Download! Heater, Battle Chip in, Download!"

I listened to the Area-Steal take effect, and Roll warp out of Proto-Man's way.

"Heater!" My friend cried as I heard her squeeze of a shot.

"Hero-Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!" Chaud shouted.

"Roll, look out!" I cried. It was too late; Proto-Man bashed his way through all of our defenses, and hit Roll dead on.

"Maylu!" She gasped as she hit the floor.

"What do we do?" I ran a hand over my chips; "We're outmatched, and another hit like that and you'll have to logout."

"Don't give up!" Lan's voice came to my ears, "I know you can do it!"

"Finish this." Chaud instructed his Navi, "Cyber-Sword Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Maylu!"

"Style Change!" I slapped the chip into my terminal, "Wood-Shadow!" A small plan was forming in my mind as Roll transformed, I just hoped it would work.

"Grass-Blade." Roll's voice came to me, as I heard the two battlers' weapons meet. The sounds continued for several seconds, as they both parried their blades.

"It's now or never," I thought, 'here goes my last Area-Steal.' "Area-Steal, Battle Chip in, Download! Popup, Download! Roll, drop that sword."

"Ha, like that'll work." Chaud snapped. "We can track her even if she turns invisible."

"You can do it, Maylu!" Lan tried to drown out my opponent's voice.

"O.K.!" Roll agreed with me just before I heard her vanish.

"Proto-Man, blind mode, now!" I remembered what Lan had told me, Proto-Man had a special ability, where his sight lowered but his other skills increased dramatically. But there was one flaw in that mode I intended to take advantage of.

"Roger that," The red raider agreed, "I've got her!"

"Cloudy Virus!" Roll shouted.

"Come on…" I whispered straining to hear that telltale sound. There! I heard Proto-Man slash through the virus, "Body Double, Battle Chip in, Triple Download! That should give us some breathing room!"

"Right!" My friend agreed.

"Great move, Maylu!" Lan hollered.

"Chaud, I can't trace her!" Proto-Man sounded uncharacteristically hesitant; "The body-doubles are… interfering with me. I can't tell which is the real one."

"It's because you're in blind mode! Quick, switch back to normal!"

"Ready?" I asked.

"He's too late!" Roll agreed, "Let's do it."

"The Program Advance!" Roll and I cried in unison.

"Typhoon, Battle Chip in, Download!" I slammed the correct chip into my Terminal.

I inserted a chip, "Hurricane, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Hurricane." Roll repeated.

"Proto-Man do know which one she is yet?" Chaud asked.

"No! There's too many of them!"

"And Cyclone Battle Chip in, Download!" I finished, "Program Advance:"

"Desert Storm!" My friend agreed, as the sounds of the Advance ran its course.

"Program Advance!" Chaud instructed, "Cyber-Sword, Wide-Sword, Long-Sword, Download!"

I listened as Proto-Man unleashed his own Advance, a loud explosion sounded.

"Roll, what happened?" I asked after a few seconds.

"They neutralized our Advance, but I think Proto-Man got caught in the resulting explosion." She explained. "Wait, he's up!"

"Long-Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!" my opponent instructed.

"It's now or never, Roll." I commented.

"Let's give it everything we've got." She agreed.

"Variable-Sword, Battle Chip in, Download."

Footsteps sounded as Roll and Proto-Man closed in on each other. I could hear their blades rip through the air. I pressed the first button on my terminal, transforming the arena into a grass type. Roll would need every advantage we could get.

"Impressive," I heard Proto-Man mutter, "You're skills have improved."

"Proto-Man stay focused." Chaud snapped.

"Yes SIR!"

I listened to them dodge and parry. This would be very close.

"Maylu." My Navi called to me; "It all comes down to this."

"Do your best." I instructed.

The two resumed their match, and five full seconds passed before I heard Roll shout. She'd been hit.

"Just give up." Chaud taunted us.

"No!" Roll and me cried in perfect unison, "You wanted a fight, well, you've got one!"

"Chaud, her energy levels are increasing." Proto-Man reported, "At an astonishing rate!"

"We can take them, Fire-Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Nice try Chaud, deactivating Style Change!" I pressed the button, "That removes any advantage that your fire attack gave you."

Roll and Proto-Man resumed their sparring.

"Gotcha!" Roll had just landed a hit on her Opponent.

"Enough fooling around!" Chaud instructed, "Wave-Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Right!" I heard the Raider release a wave of energy from his sword.

"Reactivating, Style Change," I cried as I inserted the chip. "Leaf-Shield Download. Thanks for the refill, Chaud."

The Leaf-Shield had an interesting side effect, when anything struck it, it transferred some energy into the Navi using it. So when Proto-Man's attack crashed into the barrier, Roll gained some more Health Points that, plus the fact that she could restore her own health and the grass environment's healing power, meant that we were back up to full power. And there was nothing Chaud could do about it.

I heard Proto-Man breathing heavily; we had succeeded in slowly draining his energy away.

"And Bamboo-Sword!" Roll and I commented, "Download now!"

"End this!" Our opponent shouted, "Electro-Sword!"

"I will." The red Navi agreed.

"You can do it, Maylu!"

"Thanks, Lan." Me and Roll said, "Chaud, this is it."

"I know."

Roll and Proto-Man charged toward each other…

Proto-Man Logging Out.

"Again!" Chaud was incredibly frustrated. "Let's go Proto-Man."

I felt drained, we had given it our all, and then some. "Nice match, Chaud." I offered him my hand.

"Whatever." The Op replied, without even returning the gesture, his footsteps old me that he had walked away.

"Jerk." I muttered.

"Great match Maylu," I could hear Lan running up to me, "That trick with the Body Doubles was excellent."

"I hate to say it, but I never would have thought of doing that if I hadn't gone blind." I shook my head at the irony, "It was one of the most frustrating things I had to deal with, I couldn't tell one person from another unless they were talking."

"I know, but you did a great job." My friend continued.

"Thanks, Lan." I nodded for him, "Let's go home, for some reason I feel tired all of a sudden."

See ya.

Cloudy Strife Omega, we're just joking around. No hard feelings O.K.?