Chapter 12: Confrontation

16:49 PM (Japan Time), Friday December the 16th…

"… Shit! What wind."

Netto was walking down an avenue in Akihara while struggling against the wind gusts.

"The weather forecast predicts strong winds all the way until Monday, Netto – kun." Saito reported.

"Lovely. I wanna go to Higureya for a moment and this wind will make me take an eternity." Netto grumbled.

"Bear with it, otouto! It's not like anyone can control the wind!"

"Speaking of elements! What became of that Element Man guy who stirred up trouble in the city pool? He made a run for it and we never saw anything else about him, did we?" Netto recalled.

"Nope. I guess the guy is at a thousand kilometers' distance from here nowadays."

"O. K. Anyway! Please check the forecast! I'm afraid that we're gonna have a colder winter than last year's. To think just one year ago we were trying to put an end to the "Cybeast War" in the "Wily Laboratory"! How time flies by!"

Saito returned inside of the Link PET while Netto used his right arm to shield himself from the gusts.

He saw Higureya right in front of him but didn't see a navy blue Toyota van silently following him.

The side door was open and one or two figures were looking out.

"Bloody wind… No way I'm gonna lose my chance to get some Discount Day Chips…! 50% off…!" Netto muttered.

"Hop!" Someone exclaimed.

A lace flew out of nowhere and closed around his torso, tightening.

"Wha?" He uttered.

The rope tugged and dragged backwards with great speed, ending up inside of the Toyota.

Before he could shout for help, he felt a hit on the back of his head, and he blacked out.

"… Netto – kun! What's going on?"

Rock Man had been looking at the weather forecasts when he noticed the strange movement.

Tape began to wrap around him, immobilizing him and stopping him from either shouting or seeing.

W-what the…? Abduction…?

He felt a jolt on his neck and everything turned black.

The Toyota sped away and entered an abandoned warehouse.

Two persons climbed down from it, carrying buckets of glue and rolled up posters, and began to apply glue on its body.

"Brilliant!"

"Sheesh. Quit it." Another growled.

"You two! Hurry it up." Someone commanded.

"We don't have time to stand idle." Someone else warned.

"Pronto! We gotta end this ASAP." The other person muttered.

They glued some ads for a security company on the body of the van before grabbing the brushes and buckets while jumping back inside.

"Part 2: Complete. Let's move out." One ordered.

"We're back in action: the Four Heavenly Kings!"

"Save us the nicknames! Move it!"

"Move by speedy movement!"

17:17 PM (Japan Time)…

"… My head…!"

Netto felt consciousness returning in a painful manner.

Damn. I have ropes on my legs below the knees, on the ankles, around my torso, on my shoulders elbows and wrists plus a black blindfold. I'm sitting in a chair as well. But I've got my clothes on, thankfully enough. I carry my ace-in-the-hole on my right sleeve… Who the hell abducted me? This must be Yamikawa's new idea for the "show". He's nuts.

"… and then the fiancée goes and marries her beloved man! It's a perfect scenario!"

A pitchy voice rang out nearby, sounding love-struck.

"You and your scenarios…"

Another voice sighed as if fed up.

"You come up with silly things the whole time!" A third man growled.

"Hmpf. This idiot then goes and claims none of us is "artistic" or whatever it's called. I'm not fond of subtleness. I prefer direct and rough action."

Netto – kun! Are you alright? What happened? Saito called out.

Abduction! Four culprits! I can't move at all. What about you?

I'm immobilized with what feels like duct tape and I feel like a mummy inside of a sarcophagus! There are four culprits over here too.

"Should we add some VFX? Lighting and rain, for example? I'd make nice scenery! Don't you think so, my fellow conspirers? I'm a genius, yessir!"

"No! What we need is an endless desert in which sinners are condemned to spend an eternity…" A dry and hoarse chuckle echoed.

"You two are impossible." A third voice sighed in resignation.

"Sheesh. I'd like to make bits and bytes of that brat, but Boss forbid us and he looked like the serious type." A heavy voice grumbled.

Those voices! I know them! Narcy, Sunayama, Saiko and Inukai!

This means that the Navis are Video Man, Desert Man, Flash Man and Beast Man! Saito added.

I'm sure that the stuff you're wrapped with is Video Man's video tape!

Crap. What a mess. Saito cursed.

Someone knocked at a wooden door.

"What does Job 38:11 say?" Sunayama asked.

"Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further." A familiar voice replied.

"Welcome! Are you our employer?" Saiko asked.

"You've done a good job. I'm bringing the payment over."

"Good, good!" Narcy laughed.

"Hmpf. Fine." Inukai scoffed.

I'm hearing electronic money transfer. Netto reported.

I'm sure I know the author of that voice. Saito grumbled.

We're gonna be left alone. Look! I can use the ace-in-the-hole to break free and I'll then bring out the Salamander Battle Chip! Video tape is extremely flammable. Netto suggested.

Let's wait.

"Hmpf. Money… Whatever. I'd loved to torture the brat but we'll get another chance one day." Flash Man muttered.

"Sheesh. Can't be helped! This guy is serious." Beast Man grumbled.

"But they will all sink into my sands anyway…"

"That'd be worth recording." Video Man chuckled.

"Okay! We're done in here. Let's go." Sunayama instructed.

"Let's leave before we're caught." Saiko added.

"Bye-bye!" Narcy laughed.

"Have at cha, Hikari Netto!" Inukai taunted.

The door slammed shut and they heard someone walking towards them.

Netto calmly used a small knife hidden on his right sleeve to cut the ropes around his wrists and was now waiting.

"Je suis le descendant de Rackham le Rouge!"

"… Sidier."

"Red Sidier." He announced.

"What did you blurt?" Netto demanded.

"…"I am Red Rackham's descendant!"… So?"

"Dunno where ya got that from… And this is your master's idea to test if I'm gonna fall for the "desperation" thing and try to feed on the Dark Side just to beat you and take a step into it?" Netto guessed.

"Hmmm… You would make a good detective, Hikari. Maybe you'd beat that Edgowa Conan guy to it, even!"

"Then go to Paris and climb the Eiffel Tower."

"Maybe I'll do that one day. Anyway… It'd seem the room is way too hot by now… I'll go fix it."

Netto heard him stepping away and he leant the chair backwards.

He hit the Link PET against the wall and make it fall off its strap and into his hands.

Netto caught it with his fingertips and began to input commands.

Spell "Salamander" in Alphabet to me, please, niisan.

S, A, L, A, M, A, N, D, E and R… Saito dictated.

Okay. Burn the tape, come out, cut my ropes, and we then strike the guy from behind. Netto instructed.

Roger.

"To lower temperature… Here… I spin this dial… And I'll have to wait a bit for the change to take effect." Sidier was muttering.

Netto waited and he noticed Saito's presence behind him.

Saito grabbed the knife and cut the rest of the ropes while Netto removed the blindfold.

"… This thing sure is slow." Sidier muttered with a hint of annoyance.

Netto grabbed the chair by the legs, lifted it above his head, and hit Sidier with it from behind.

The chair broke and the hit was enough to propel Sidier into the ground from his crouched position in front of the heater.

Both ran off before he could recover.

"Now!"

The outside was an abandoned district and this small hut stood on the very edge of it.

A city's lights were visible many kilometers away and there was a curved road climbing down the mountain.

"Damn. Where do you find a car when you need it?" Netto growled.

"Let's hurry it up." Saito replied.

"Battle Chip, Yo-yo!" Someone yelled.

The Yo-yo shot and coiled around Netto's lower torso, tying his arms and he was reeled back at the source.

Sidier aimed a Long Sword to his neck.

"That was a lowlife's trick, Hikari."

"You were the one who brought out the former "Neo WWW" guys to kidnap me to begin with! You're as nuts as Yamikawa! Life isn't a TV show! Learn some common sense!" Netto growled.

"Don't try shooting, Rock Man. Or else this one gets hit." Sidier warned.

Saito made a grimace as he aimed the Rock Buster at Sidier.

"Hmpf. You're not going anywhere. You will not defy the will of Emperor S – sama." He announced.

Netto, though, kicked him on the face with his right foot and used his knife to cut the cable open.

He ran off while Saito shot at Sidier to cover him.

"Shit. I won't let you run!" Sidier growled.

"Battle Chip, Blinder! Slot In!" Netto announced.

The flash forced Sidier to close his eyes and, when he opened them again, he found no trace of them.

"There's no point in hiding! You can't hide forever!" He roared.

"… Quick!"

Both ran down some stairs into a basement room and they shut the door.

Saito set up a barricade and looked around.

There was a small compartment on the ground and a rolled carpet was leaning against the wall.

"Netto – kun. Hide there and transfer me the Battle Chips!"

"Okay."

Netto hid there and left one small crack to be able to breathe while Saito placed the carpet over it.

He readied the Rock Buster as he heard footsteps running above him.

Damn. He followed otouto's heat imprints.

"You can't run away from this fate!" Sidier yelled.

I dunno where he got the mottos from but they're so unoriginal! I'm not impressed anymore!

He climbed into the first floor and shattered a window.

Does he want to try a sneak approach?

Saito began to charge energy as Sidier tried to open the door but couldn't because of the heavy cupboard acting as a barricade.

"… You've asked for it! Battle Chip, Count Bomb!" Sidier roared.

Saito heard the familiar beeps and there was an explosion as the armored door deformed and bent inwards.

Sidier began to kick and punch it until it detached from the hinges and leant against the cupboard.

"Futile!"

He began to punch and kick it but Saito narrowed his eyes and aimed.

"Charge Shot!"

The shot caught Sidier off-guard and he pushed him back before colliding with the stairs.

"You lowlifes…!" He roared.

Saito heard a sound and Sidier broke through the cupboard while setting it on fire, using a Salamander Battle Chip.

"Battle Chip, Aqua Tower. Slot In." Netto whispered.

The Aqua Towers formed and created a barrier as Sidier's salamander hit it and the water evaporated.

The salamander lost most of its heat and it stopped.

"Battle Chip, Long Blade. Slot In." Netto announced next.

Saito drew the Long Blade while Sidier drew that same customized sword, so they began to clash and struggle in the deadlock.

"Where is your brother?"

"Need Not To Know." Saito taunted.

"You lowlife…!" Sidier growled.

"That's Blues' motto." Saito shot back.

Sidier jumped back and made a feint, which almost hit Saito.

He ducked just in time and then noticed how the cupboard was still burning and starting to emit smoke, building up on the room.

Crap. I need to take the fight somewhere else. He thought.

Gotcha, niisan. I know how. Netto replied.

"Battle Chip, Area Steal. Slot In."

"Catch me!" Saito taunted.

He warped out of the basement and Sidier snarled as he followed him.

Netto came out of his hiding place and ran upstairs into the ground floor.

I had better hide in another house! This one will be on fire soon enough. At least it'll warn the fire fighters.

Netto hid in an alley and saw Sidier and Saito clashing swords some meters to the south before they entered another empty house.

Netto ran towards the right and entered the fourth house to the right of the one burning.

This should be safe enough.

"Battle Chip, Variable Sword. Slot In." He whispered.

Saito drew the second sword and swung it to kick Sidier's own from his right hand and make a cut to his forearm.

Sidier ignored it and calmly jumped away.

"Battle Chip, Sword Fighter X!"

He drew two slightly curved and indented blades on his wrists and crossed them before assuming a combat pose.

"Sonic Boom!"

Saito shot the Sonic Boom, but Sidier bounced it off and jumped towards Saito, who used the Neo Variable to block him off and they began to struggle as well.

"Give it up, Rock Man! You cannot defeat me." Sidier hissed.

"I won't know until I try." Saito calmly replied.

"Hmpf! Could you alone have bested the three Temples in just one month by using just normal Battle Chips and never recurring to elemental weaknesses? I was unable to get past Somari – chan but that was enough for me. My worth was proved." Sidier told him.

"What! Battling all of those guys, alone and not using elemental weaknesses – exploiting tactics… In just one month…?" Saito gasped.

"You couldn't! Only I could!"

The sound of fire fighters' truck sirens began to fill the air and Sidier glanced at the earlier house.

Its ground floor was burning and so was its first floor.

"My own recklessness has brought unnecessary witnesses! They cannot know who we are! I'll leave it at this for today, but, next time… Not even your "Bestialize" power will be able to defeat me! Rock Man!"

Sidier grumbled before he jumped back and aimed his sword at him in a challenging manner.

He swung it from a vertical position and drew a whole circle before vanishing, leaving some golden diamond patterns on his wake.

"Finally!"

Netto ran towards him as they heard a car's roar and Yuriko's yellow car parked there with a screech of brakes.

"Yuriko!"

"Let's go! The fire fighters are on their way here to put out that fire! Guess you'll have to report what happened to the Net Police."

18:08 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I apologize, my Lord. I failed my mission and I even caused environmental damage. Please announce any punishment. I shall gladly accept it."

Sidier was kneeling in front of the throne, lowering his head.

"It matters not. It was foreseeable. This "show" meant to be a chance to collect battle data on those two. As well as a chance to prove the skills that you've built up."

"Thank you very much."

"So raise your head, Sidier. Feel prideful!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Sidier looked up with confidence and Yamikawa nodded in approval.

"What do I do if Forte or Freeze Man interfere, sir?"

"Hmmm… Death – dono has his sights set on Forte. I wouldn't like to interfere with him, so as for Forte… Ignore them. Run away, if needed!"

"As you command!"

"Put on the rabbit ears and jump until outer space!"

Kagehi stepped in and laughed at her joke.

"Sheesh! That's a Smash Bros reference!" Yamikawa grumbled.

"It's useful when you want to clash madness vs madness! And the end result is upper madness!"

"I think you're exaggerating things!"

"Don't mind it! A slogan is a slogan! As long as it sells…"

"Sure, sure. When did this turn into a slogan discussion, anyway?"

"Dunno! Maybe when the butterfly began a strike?"

"Sheesh! It makes no sense! Please give me a break!"