D. Zero: Wait… these guys're still alive?
Z: I was starting to doubt it myself.
D. X: What's with the FF reference?
Z: I don't know, it just came to me.
------------------------------------
Pyrogirll23: Thanks for the style girls, and I'm thinking about it, yeah.
TJ and Rikumon: Yeah, I got it! Thanks! ^_^
RCM: Thanks. (PS: Look out for Sol, alright?)
Sol Sabre: Hallelujah. (D. Zero: "Since when are you a believer?") I'm not. And Red asked me to tell you his comment wasn't personal.
Aori Tsuki: Thanks for liking it. And yes, I don't mind if you send it in, but I'm not sure if I'll receive it yes or no.
Trinity: I know, I know. Look, I'll have him removed as soon as I can. I just needed a good plot-device to get the story going again. BTW, tell Song I finished the Christmas special on my own. Thanks for the review with the flaws by the by.
Alitia Lee: Oh! Thanks for correcting me on that one! And sorry about the Japanese, I'm not really all that good with it. I just use the words I've seen around in other stories. And about Muramasa (small piece of BG info), in the real life, Ray went to a MA school, and those people believed in God and referred to Him as 'Kami-sama'. It just stuck with Ray.
toomuchanime: Thanks for liking the story.
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Chapter VIII Part 3: Red Mage Of Chaos
"Something's going to happen soon."
"I know."
"……Do you happen to know what?"
"…No."
"Whoa, great help you are."
"Shut up."
--
Jinn balanced a pen on the edge of his desk, and waited until it lay still, before slamming his hand down on the end of the pen. It flew up in the air, spinning wildly, but Jinn easily caught it in his hand. There was something going to happen, he could just feel it. But if you asked him what was going to happen, he didn't know.
The boy sighed softly and placed his hand on the table with the fingers spread. He then set the pen he still held between the thumb and forefinger of the hand lying on the table. Face contorted in concentration, he started jabbing his pen in the table by alternating the spaces between his fingers.
Jinn was one of the few people who could do that, and not stab himself in his fingers. He could do it blindfolded if he really wanted to, but that went a little too far for his own taste. He wasn't really a daredevil, and he most likely never would be.
Unlike a certain Navi he knew.
Yeah, that Razor really was a violent Navi, and also a goddamned daredevil. If he wasn't careful, it'd get him deleted someday. Then again… Razor didn't really seem to care about that.
That really seemed typical about that guy; action first, consequences later. Not like it really mattered. It was Razor's data, not his.
Tossing the subject out the window, and the pen easily into the small box with all the other pens and pencils he owned, he slammed a fist against the wall, making a book on a shelf topple over and into his outstretched hand. Another thing special about Jinn, was the strange rhythm of his lifestyle. By just looking at his behavior, you'd say he was very calm and composed, while in truth, he was anything but that.
With a sigh, Jinn got up and walked to the bed, flipping open the book he was holding.
'Now let's see here, where was I… oh, right.'
Dropping onto the bed, he started reading again.
--
Dr. Cossack's Navi was deleted for the deeds he was suspected to have done. It would be much later before the scientists would realize that the independent Navi had nothing to do with everything going on. The network, Alpha, was the source behind the Net's strange activities. Because somehow, Alpha had mutated into an artificial life-form, developing a will of its own, however twisted it may have been.
It took months, but Alpha was finally locked away. Strangely enough though, it had never occurred to anyone to delete every trace of Alpha forever.
After Alpha was sealed away, people became more cautious of their actions, and made sure not to make the same mistake twice. Yuuichiro Hikari took over his father's work on the network, after Dr. Tadashi Hikari passed away. Yuuichiro had been forced to stop several times, due to complications with his own family, but everything finally worked out. One of Tadashi's old colleagues, Dr. Kai Thimoto, helped the still young scientist, with the help of his own son a couple of years Yuuichiro's senior.
They started a project they dubbed 'Omega', but it never quite worked out, so the idea had been banished before even brought into motion. Dr. Thimoto swore to get rid of the data, and as he never mentioned it again, to anyone, it was presumed that he kept his word.
Dr. Cossack's idea for Navis was still used, only now they made sure not to make them independent. And even though the good doctor did not take part in this, he was given most of the credit.
--
After hours of reading, Jinn finally closed the book, and sat up again. After stretching, he looked over at his PET, and noticed that Ragna was just recharging. The red and green Navi seemed obvious to just about everything, as he just sat in the PET, seemingly to be as calm as Jinn would appear to be.
But Jinn knew it was far from the truth.
"Hey Ragna," Jinn said calmly, making the Navi look up in surprise.
"Hmm??"
"Do you remember where we heard the name 'Omega' before?"
Ragna thought about that for awhile, furrowing his brows slightly.
He finally shook his head, and said: "Not that I can remember. How so?"
"No reason, just wondering."
"Worried?"
"…Little. I just have the strangest feeling that something bad is going to happen soon."
"I know what you mean. It's been too quiet. But what could they possibly be after?"
Jinn shrugged his shoulders as he pulled out his PET and put it in his holster.
"I don't know, but we should try to figure it out. Let's go."
Something was changing, it was evident in the air, but nothing gave away what was changing. As Jinn walked across the streets, his mind was light-years away from where he was at the moment.
A lot of stuff had happened that required a lot of thinking, and he wasn't all that sure where to start. Everything had started with those resurrected Navis, and now things had taken a different turn, sending everyone into waves of confusion. First there was the trouble with the drill, then the crystallized Net, and then there were the MegaMan Killer Navis. Even though Jinn and Ragna had only seen one of them, they knew that there were most likely more of them.
The battle with Bass had really been a fight they wouldn't soon forget. Even though Bass had nothing to do with Zahler, it had been a harsh fight that could've gotten them all killed if they hadn't been so lucky. Then again, it might've had something to do with their teamwork, because if they hadn't worked together, they never would've won at all.
But the energy around the Net had been shifting, up to a large scale, and it was now really beginning to show.
And that only meant trouble.
Needing some sort of release from all the stress, Jinn bought a ticket at the metro-station, and almost blindly headed for the Official Center. He needed to clear his mind, and quite fast.
--
By the time Jinn had arrived, the sun was already high in the sky, shining down brightly on everyone present there. Instead of heading for the Center, like he had first planned, Jinn made his way for the seashore.
Once there, he stared across the vast sea, watching the waves crash against the shoreline. Usually, it always calmed his mind, but this time, it was failing miserably.
Something was going to happen…
Soon…
Very soon…
--
Ragna gingerly twirled his lance around in between his fingers. It really looked like something was going to happen soon, but whatever it was, he had no idea.
And still, his dream would not leave his mind.
*Dream sequence*
Blood dribbled past pale lips, as eyes had widened to almost twice their normal size, the color draining from the pale face.
Heavy coughs, dark blood being spit from a clogged up throat.
Knees buckling under the body's weight, while arms wound around the bleeding wound in its stomach.
Dark black blood poured from the wound, and the body shook in contained pain and agony.
A digitized voice screamed in absolute terror, as the tremors grew, before stopping completely, making the body drop down to the floor.
Blood pooled over the once marble tiles, now drenched a deep red and black.
Smoking gun, in the doorway, raised casually, and the smoke blown away, a small sound coming along with the small blow.
Deep, icy eyes sparking with what appeared to be anger, but closer to hate than anger.
Screams of fury, incoherent words, cool response.
Artificial light reflects on jewelry, and still the blood continues to spill…
Always spreading…
Never ceasing…
Always…
And…
Forever…
Spreading…
*End Dream sequence*
Ragna furiously shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts from his mind. He shouldn't think about it. It wouldn't help anyone.
Then again, that dream had been bothering him for some time now.
With a sigh, he simply watched his Operator for awhile. Jinn didn't seem to realize that he was stressed, but he didn't bother. He didn't need anymore stress.
--
Jinn watched as the water leapt up, trying to get to him and to pull him under, but he was out of its reach. He had absolutely no intentions of joining the water.
Strangely, the weather had practically made an 180 degrees turn, making the days less hot and a touch colder to make it seem like spring instead of summer, and the water had cooled down to extremely cold temperatures. One would be crazy to leap into the icy waters now.
Tucking the loose strands behind his ears, Jinn turned on his heel and headed for the Center. But Jinn was so lost in thought, that he banged right into someone when ascending the staircase.
And he would've tumbled down if that someone hadn't grabbed hold of his hand when he nearly fell.
"You alright?" an unfamiliar voice asked.
Jinn looked up, staring into dark gray eyes for a moment, before answering: "Yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Should've watched where I was going."
"Ah, don't bother," the blunette said calmly, putting his hands in his pockets, causing his hair to tumble in front of his left eye. "Oh dangit!" he mumbled, pushing the annoying strands away.
Jinn chuckled a little.
"Hey, just a question, but, do you feel up for a NetBattle?" the blue haired man asked calmly. "I'm rather bored, and I need something to do right now."
Jinn frowned a little, then shrugged his shoulders, and said: "Sure. I was looking for something to do myself anyway."
'Anything to forget about this annoying feeling.'
--
"Plug in! Ragnarok.EXE!! Transmission!!"
"Plug in! RedChaosMage.EXE!! Transmission!!"
--
Both Navis warped down into the arena, taking in their opponent. Ragna glared the other Navi down, before raising his hands, as though he was about to grab something in front of him, and within seconds, his lance appeared, and he grabbed it tightly in both hands.
Red frowned at the gesture, before he finally raised one hand and shouted: "CHAOS SWORD!!!"
First came the outline, before the massive sword had turned solid and was grasped in the Navi's grasp. It curved a little near the end, but not by much, and the handle moved back to just graze over his hands. Red grasped the handle with both hands, and held it in a dueling stance in front of him.
Ragna was unimpressed, and followed the other Navi's example.
--
BATTLE START
--
Almost immediately, Red was launched at the red and green armored Navi. Ragna easily blocked the swing aimed at his face with his lance, and twirled around his lance. Red's sword moved with lightning-fast speed to block the hit to his head, and started hacking at the other Navi.
Ragna however, easily kept up, and blocked every single hit with ease. Red finally got enough of this game, and caught the taller Navi by surprise by punching him to his jaw. Ragna was sent flying, but he calmly landed back on his feet.
The redhead watched the taller Navi, who didn't move for awhile, before he raised his head. A small stream of blood came from the corner of his mouth, which was calmly wiped away.
"Ouch," Ragna said, though it was clear by the look in his eyes that he didn't mean it.
Red frowned a little. This couldn't be good.
--
"Red Tsunami!! Slot in!!"
--
Ragna slammed his hand down onto the ground, and within mere seconds, a large wave or red liquid erupted from all around his hand, sent straight at the redhead.
"Oh shit!!" Red cried out in surprise.
--
"Area Steal!! Slot in!!"
--
Red was gone from his spot before the wave could hit him. But the second he reappeared, something crashed straight into his chest, and sent him backward with a fierce shove. When he crashed into the ground, he was painfully aware of a violent pain on his chest.
The redhead groaned as he sat up, holding one hand to his chest, flinching when he felt the warm liquid pouring from in between his fingers. When he removed it, it only confirmed what he had suspected,
The scar on his chest had been reopened.
Ragna could tell that Red was in pain, but not as badly as Bass had been when he had gotten a lash across his scar. The lash had caused Bass to go into a "coma" of about three hours, whereas others would've been deleted on the spot. Apparently, Bass just had a lot of endurance for deletion.
Red growled a little, and suddenly, the wound healed as if by magic.
"What in the?!" Ragna exclaimed in surprise.
--
"Do you honestly think I'd let my own Navi bleed to death?!" Sol asked over the arena.
Jinn looked up in confusion, but did not respond in any other way, before looking back at his Navi. It didn't really matter that Red could heal himself, because they weren't finished yet.
The duo had a new trick up their sleeves.
--
"Keep your head up, Ragna," Jinn's voice called out.
"Right," Ragna said with a nod, right before a mouthpiece slid across his face.
He rarely used it, but he felt like using it right now. He never used it in virus-battles, but sometimes used it in battles against other Navis.
Red frowned a little at the sight, before he reached up and pulled down the pointed crystalline visor to cover everything of his face safe for his mouth. He raised his sword, and took on a fighting position again.
They were at each other again within the blink of an eye.
--
"Speed+40!! Slot in!!" both Operators called out at the same time, slotting in identical chips.
--
Both Navis changed into blasts of colored energy, and slammed into each other multiple times, the sounds of metal clashing ringing out through the arena. With every hit, a blinding flash would follow, and Jinn was the only one standing around who seemed capable of staring straight into it.
Several other people stopped whatever they were doing to watch the battle in awe, unable to believe what they were seeing with their very eyes.
"Ragna! Be careful!!" Jinn shouted out.
"Red!! Trash him already!!" Sol shouted, not bothering with the leer sent his way.
The shorter Operator growled a little, then turned back to the fight.
--
"Ragna! Duck-cover maneuver 12!" Jinn's voice called out.
"Roger!"
Ragna easily ducked under the upcoming attack, and dived aside to avoid the next one, before he slammed headfirst into Red's gut, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Tumbling over and over, until Ragna was below, and sent the other Navi flying over him.
"RAGNA!! NOW!!
"Roger!"
--
Sol blinked in surprise, unable to comprehend what was going on.
--
"PROGRAM ADVANCE!!!" both Ragna and Jinn shouted at the exact same moment, merging their voices together.
--
"Triple Lance!! Slot in!!"
--
Ragna's free hand suddenly clasped a large trident, though it was completely shaped like a lance.
--
"Triple Spear!! Slot in!!"
--
His own spear suddenly made place for a large spear-shaped trident, and it glimmered ever so slightly.
--
"Tetra Needle!! Slot in!!"
--
Red watched in surprise as the weapons Ragna held in his hands shimmered almost violently. Ragna twirled the lances around in his hands, before slamming them together in front of him.
The blinding light made the redhead shield his eyes with his arms quickly, even though they were shielded behind the visor on his face. The light was way too bright to stare in with your eyes open.
--
Sol shared that opinion with his Navi, but Jinn didn't even blink, as his pupils simply dilated until they were hardly visible. Sol watched the other Operator, frowning when he noticed the younger boy didn't squint at the light.
--
"HYPER-LANCE!!! ACTIVATE!!!" the duo screamed as a rather large lance formed in front of Ragna.
Red gulped a little, the only thought running through his head: 'Uh-oh…'
Ragna's eyes narrowed, before the lance was released from his grip and sent soaring straight at the redhead.
--
"Oh shit!" Sol exclaimed, before pulling a chip from his pocket. "Dream Aura!! Slot in!!"
--
The aura surrounding Red gave him a small sense of reassurance, but that surely didn't last long. This was one of the newest, and strongest, PA's around, and it burned straight through the aura. The blast slammed straight into Red's chest, sending him flying back with a yowl of surprise and pain.
His sword clattered across the ground for a few seconds, before it dissolved. Red shook his head drowsily as he sat up again, rubbing over his aching chest with one hand.
"Ow," he mumbled, standing up. "I'm starting to think you don't like me," he joked a little, smirking slightly through the pain.
Ragna frowned and pulled out his own lance again.
"And what gave you that idea?" Ragna mumbled.
Before Red could either respond or heal his wounds, whichever he'd been planning to do, Ragna's lance had lashed out across his chest again, making the dark cyber-blood pour from the wound like crazy.
--
Red screamed at the pain, and Sol's hand shook as he watched the taller Navi lash out again and again at his own. Sol nervously bit on his nails for a moment, before an idea suddenly popped up in his head.
"Red!! Aqua Elementral!! NOW!!" he shouted.
--
From behind his visor, Red's eyes sparked a pure green for a mere second, before he leaped up and into the air. Ragna watched in surprise, and Jinn in slight curiosity.
Data started to surround the redhead, but Red seemed not to care, as he simply allowed the data to attach to his armor, forming a total new look. A set of swimming-like fins sprouted from Red's back and forearms, and on his legs formed a set of mini-turbine jets filled with what seemed like water. Not much else changed, safe for that his armor shifted into one certain shade of blue.
Finally, Red dropped back onto the ground, easily landing in a crouch, before he stood up again.
"Let's end this," he said resolutely.
Ragna frowned at the other Navi, then nodded and got into a battle-position.
"For once, we agree."
Red's fist clenched, and suddenly, he made a punching motion, and his arm suddenly shifted into a large stream of water. Ragna yelped, but jammed his lance in the ground, and within seconds, he was launched into the air as his lance extended.
The redhead's eyes followed the other Navi's move, and he frowned, pulling back his arm. The jets hummed to life, and within a second he was also airborne, and crashed straight into Ragna, headfirst.
Problem was, they crashed headfirst against each other, both of them.
Both Navis dropped back down, clutching their aching heads.
"Damn! What the hell are you made off?! Titanium!?" Red demanded, rubbing over his head.
"No, data," Ragna said sarcastically.
--
Jinn chuckled and Sol smirked a little.
"They can't stand each other, huh?" Sol asked.
Jinn shrugged his shoulders with a shake of his head.
--
"Red! Let's finish this already!!"
Red nodded plainly, and suddenly pulled out a Buster-Cannon. After taking aim quickly, he fired. Ragna easily avoided the blast, and was quite surprised, when it encased a rock behind him in a massive barrier of ice. It reminded him of the effects of the Freeze Bomb chip.
But Red wasn't about to give up. His arms shifted into water again, before they morphed into massive hammers. Red screamed out as he slammed them both against the ground, sending massive shockwaves through the Net, and shattering multiple panels as they went.
Ragna frowned and once again slammed his lance into the ground, but this time a little diagonally, so that he was sent soaring across the other Navi. Red saw it a second too late, before the staff of Ragna's lance slammed down roughly on top of his already sore head.
"OW!!!!" Red screamed, grasping his head in his hands, just before Ragna's lance slammed into his stomach, making him double over in pain.
With one more hit, the redhead was sent flying, and he crashed into the ground face-first.
Ragna finally pulled out his own Buster and hurriedly blasted a massive pelt of plasma at the other before he could have a chance to get up.
--
"PLUG OUT!!!" Sol shouted, and Red dissolved into the blue words "LOG OUT".
Jinn looked up in surprise as Sol gave a soft sigh and pulled up his PET.
"Sorry, Sol," Red said quietly.
"Ah, don't bother, Red!" Sol said plainly, before placing his PET away again.
Jinn plugged out as well, and put his PET in its holster again.
Sol approached the shorter lad, and said: "That was a mighty good battle back there, kid."
"Thanks, I've been practicing with Ragna a lot. That and my friend Mike offered a little help," Jinn said casually.
At the mention of Mike's name a sudden surge of recognition flashed through Sol's eyes, but it was so miniscule, you could've easily missed it.
"Aha," the blunette said calmly. "Anyway, I should get going, I might see you later, alright?"
The two men shook hands for a moment, before Sol left the arcade.
--
Once back on his hotel room, Jinn pulled out his PET, and set it into the recharger. Ragna's face popped up on the screen, and light green eyes looked up at him casually.
"Talk about a way to get your mind off of things, huh?" Ragna said calmly.
Jinn chuckled and said, placing his hands in his pockets: "Tell me about it. …Huh??"
The blonde pulled out a strange disc, one that hadn't been there before. On the disk was a thin crucifix, pierced through the center of an omega emblem, of which the top stopped just below the horizontal line. The emblem was unfamiliar to Jinn, and he studied it from all angles.
"What is that??" Ragna asked in confusion.
"I don't know…" Jinn mumbled, before putting the disc into his PC.
What he learned from the single disc, was something he certainly hadn't expected.
--
The moon was nearly full, and the world was already in deep slumber, except for one person, standing quietly in an alley, leaning against a wall. The figure pulled a small cylinder from his pocket, putting it to his lips, and lighting it with a lighter.
Once lit, he put the lighter back in his pocket, breathing in the heavy nicotine from the cylinder. He breathed out again, though it was more like a sigh as the small clouds circled up and around him. He put his head back against the wall, eyes closed in something akin to bliss as the nicotine pumped through his veins, giving him a calming feeling.
Tap… tap… tap… tap…
Soft footsteps told him someone was approaching him.
A soft breath, before he breathed: "You're late."
"Terribly sorry, My Lord. I had several difficulties getting past security."
His eyes opened to look at the figure bowing to him from the waist.
"Rise," he breathed calmly, and the other figure rose calmly. "Have you prepared yourselves? The both of you?"
"Yes, Sir," a digitized voice said. "If we're not ready now, we'll never be."
"Quite true, My Lord. We've done all we could."
He smirked at them and dropped the cylinder to the ground, using his heel to butt it out.
"Then I expect it to go flawlessly. Don't you think?" he asked, still in a breathy tone.
A hesitating pause followed before the other figure spoke again.
"We cannot assure that, My Lord. No one can be sure of what will happen, but we will do our best."
A smirk crossed his face again, and he approached the other figure until he was 3 feet away.
"I have no doubts about that. Because you, are most likely one of the best we have right now."
The figure did not respond for a while, before bowing politely again.
"Thank you, My Lord. I appreciate that you think so highly of me."
"And I have every reason to. Do not disappoint me."
"No, My Lord, of course not."
--
"Your mission is clear, correct?" the darkest of the two figures asked the other, shorter one.
"Yes, Sir. It is. And I will do all it takes to succeed."
The figure grinned a ferocious grin and said: "Good. The Grand Prix is not far away now. We must act quickly."
"Understood."
--
Suddenly, the figure tensed up, and whispered: "Someone's here."
He whirled to the lit street, and could just see an unfamiliar figure sprint of.
"After her!!" he screamed, and the other figure turned and was sprinting after the eavesdropper with speeds unmatched.
--
"CHAUD!!!" Shine screamed as she stormed into the mansion again, her face deathly pale as she rushed up the stairs.
On the next floor, she banged into the chest of the person she'd been searching for.
"Shine?! What's the matter!?" Chaud asked, trying to steady the panting girl by holding onto her shoulders.
Shine's breathing was erratic and her eyes were wide with panic and fear. She could barely speak, that's how erratic her breathing came out. The other whitehead, gingerly led her to the kitchen, and poured her some water to calm down. She gratefully accepted it, and downed the glass in one gulp.
A hiccup was her reward for that.
Finally, she had calmed down enough to speak, sitting on one of the chairs and Chaud sitting across from her.
"X… he's planning something… I don't know what… but it's bad… very bad…"
--
Z: Crap… my head hurts…
RCM: Well, maybe you should try to stick with one story for once!
Z: Ugh! That's what I've been trying my whole life!
D. Zero: And by the looks of it, it didn't work. [CLANK!!] OW!! Alright, alright! I'll shut up!!
Z: :( You better!
RCM: Do you two always argue like that??
D. X: Ah, don't bother. They never argue for too long, so it's no big deal.
RCM: Well… okay, if you say so.
Z: Hey Red, did you finish that armor of yours already?
RCM: Whuh? Oh! I'm working on it!
Z: Okay. OH FUCK!!!
D. Zero: Huh?!
RCM: Wha?
Z: CrapshisonofacripeshiiiiFUCK!!!
D. X: Whoa! What was that for?!
Z: Point 1, I felt like it…
D. Zero & D. X: -_-;;;
RCM: Um… right.
Z: And point two, N1-Grand Prix.
RCM: OO!! Crap! Nearly forgot!!
D. Zero: Right. Who's going to fight whom?
Z: Let's roll up the participants first.
D. X: Sure.
Z: Okay! The participants, for the N1-Grand Prix, are:
--
Glyde.EXE
GutsMan.EXE
IceMan.EXE
MegaMan.EXE
Muramasa.EXE
ProtoMan.EXE
Quint.EXE
Ragnarok.EXE
Razor.EXE
RedChaosMage.EXE
Roll.EXE
ZeroOmega.EXE
Mystery Navi No. 1Mystery Navi No. 2
Mystery Navi No. 3
Mystery Navi No. 4
--
D. Zero: The four mystery Navis will be revealed once the N1-Grand Prix begins, as we can't give those away yet.
RCM: Um… who exactly are those Navis?
Z: Oh, Skreegha, Heemab, Rink and Stints.
RCM: oO???
Z: Anagrams! ^^
RCM: Oh!
Z: Anyway, let's go! [beams out in a blast of purple]
RCM: I agree! [warps out in red flames]
D. Zero: Pff.
D. X: Showoffs.
D. X & D. Zero: [warp out and away]