Chapter 22: Intrusion
11:11 AM (Japan Time), Thursday December the 22nd…
"… Nothing odd yet."
Miyabi stood on the roof of a tall building and oversaw the streets around the Hikari house.
"Too quiet! Airstar told me that they've blown up another robot today's morning. However… I feel like they have more of them to replace it."
"And I guess they're going to "Special Summon" it, too."
They heard the whistle of one of the robot's jetpacks and Miyabi turned around to face it as it came out of a gateway in the sky and landed down on the roof.
"Unit Thanatos – Two: acquiring targets. Targets ID: Dark Miyabi and Shadow Man EXE. Orders: annihilate."
"Go back to the Naraku, you machine." Shadow Man announced.
"Science Labs! I need a "Dimensional Area"!" Miyabi called out.
"Again…! Roger! Dimensional Area: Activate!" Meijin cursed.
The "Dimensional Area" formed and Miyabi drew his "Synchro Chip" out of his tunic's pocket.
"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"
"CF" Miyabi showed up on the scene and quickly drew both katana swords to aim them at the robot.
"Shadow Blade!"
"Battle Chip, Gold Fist. Slot In."
"Damn."
The Gold Fist blocked the blades and "CF" Miyabi hissed something under his breath as he assumed a defensive position by jumping some steps back and having his blades ready.
"That's a "Dimensional Area"… I guess another of those has showed up!"
Netto sat on his house's living room sofa, having a bandage around the right shoulder.
He was reading a book while distractedly examining the classical color distortion caused by the presence of a "Dimensional Area" there.
"I guess someone will be busy handling them. Anyway… Let's keep on reading." He muttered.
"Lift your hands." A voice commanded.
Netto found a gun aiming for his forehead, floating in the air as if by magic.
"YIKES!"
He complied and tried to focus his sight, noticing a person's shape, concealed by optical camouflage.
"W-who…?" He demanded.
Togakawa disengaged the stealth camouflage and Netto gulped, because his eyes looked cold and impersonal.
"What do you know about Sgt. Sneaky? Speak or I'll shoot your knees!"
"Sgt. Sneaky…? That Cuban guy that abducted Tooru – kun! But the SWAT Team in Hong Kong caught him over a month ago! He should be in jail!"
"So! You never plotted his downfall?" Togakawa questioned.
"No! Tell that to Sidier's boss! His buddies leaked out his location! They were boasting about that a while ago even!" Netto shot back.
"What! Sidier's boss helped the police arrest my master and they then go and call me "useful" by having me search your house to see if there is any documentation of top-secret projects? Double – edged lowlifes!"
"To begin with! What's your name?" Netto questioned.
"Togakawa. Togakawa Emil. My Navi is Stealth Man. And I could calmly press the trigger and leave you dead there." He coolly announced.
"W-what!"
"But those idiots seem to have a use for you, so they actually went and replaced the bullets with blanks when they gave me this gun. This scout knife is a fake as well. But I'd have enough with my own hands to strangle you to death. I've claimed ten Government agents. No civilians yet but that can change." He icily announced.
Someone grabbed Togakawa from behind and immobilized him by using a judo technique.
Saito had appeared, his face contracted into anger.
"You…! You won't hurt my Operator!" He announced.
"Shit! I forgot this guy could come out of the PET…!" He cursed.
"Nice, Rock Man! We gotta call the Net Police."
"Don't try to wrestle your way out. I've got several more tricks up my sleeves even without Battle Chips and strength limiters."
"Strength limiters…!" Togakawa gasped.
"I'm as strong as a normal human adult! And Navis normally can exert more strength. Thus, these limiters are on place."
"You really are unreliable, Togakawa… You need a baby-sitter to follow you anywhere…" A frustrated voice rang out.
Both looked at the left to see Sidier stepping out of the kitchen, and walking over to them while looking bored.
"Hmpf. I've got no time to play with you two. Emperor S – sama was very explicit on that. Togakawa! Get lost. And don't try contacting us again! We've increased security." Sidier dully told him.
"Sidier! You lowlife! You were the one whose master plotted to take my master down!" Togakawa growled.
"That show was getting boring. And this show is fresher." He shot back.
He snapped his right hand's fingers and the machine appeared.
"Farewell."
The "Converter" ignited, warping Togakawa away.
Sidier crossed his arms and seemed to be looking at the Converter's circuitry before it vanished.
"Don't move!"
Rock Man commanded as he aimed the Rock Buster from behind.
"Hmpf." He looked unimpressed.
"Rock Buster!"
Sidier merely opened his right hand's palm and closed it when the shot hit, absorbing it.
"You copied that from Slur!" He cursed.
"So it'd seem. But it's of little importance. I'll make you guys experience the Infinite Naraku one day. You will end up half-dead and you will call on the Dark Side to have revenge on me."
"Get outta our house. Now." Rock Man hissed.
"Hmpf. Whatever."
Sidier snapped his right hand's fingers and vanished while only leaving that trail of diamonds behind.
"Damn. Two intruders on our house and one is a high school age guy who is an assassin! Could things get any worse than this? Damn it!"
"I was on the bathroom and I'd come down when I saw what was going on. Luckily, they gave the guy fake weapons! I'm afraid of what can happen if we have to face Sidier's true form…" Saito muttered with a hint of fear.
"Don't worry, Saito – niisan. Yamikawa will want us to stay alive until the show's climax, so he'll most likely order Sidier to limit himself to kicks and blows while making sure not to break any bones." Netto sighed.
"Sheesh! I hate it that our lives depend on that creep's moods!"
"I apologize for my delay…" Someone called out from Netto's PET.
"Knight Man?" Saito asked.
"Correct. I had to make my way through a thick barrier!"
"Miyabi alone versus one of those things! I wonder if he'll be okay, I mean, the very first one was hard enough to beat…"
Netto scratched the back of his head.
"The good news is that we destroyed another one earlier one and larger remains were recovered. They are being analyzed."
"Maybe we'll be find a physical defect on them which can be exploited…"
"Hopefully! Is it me, or they're lately hindering me out of all people?"
"Could be. Maybe they think your close-range style is difficult to counter."
"Possibly! Sheesh! I'll go report to the Princess!"
"Take care!"
The door's bell rang and both headed over there to check it out and see that Enzan was standing outside.
"True. I'd forgotten… We arranged for Enzan to come today. I'll go greet the guy." Netto recalled.
"Buruusu has come, then. Good timing." Saito smiled and looked relaxed.
Netto opened the door and Enzan stepped in before he closed it behind him as the "Dimensional Area" began to fade.
"Hello." Enzan greeted.
"Hello, Enzan! What's up?" Netto greeted.
"I just got a call from Miyabi! The robot fled even though Miyabi wasn't able to inflict severe damage to it. It'd seem they want to go by a "hit and run" tactic so as to make each robot count." Enzan explained.
"I see."
"Mr. Universe pulling the strings through his shatter-point Special Ability."
"That's a good one, Buruusu!"
"Thanks for the compliment, Saito."
"Enzan! You gotta post a search warrant on a guy named Tokagawa Emil! His Navi is Stealth Man!" Netto brought up.
"Tokagawa… Haven't I heard that name before?" Enzan muttered.
"Enzan – sama. The murder of a government official ten months ago was the work of such an individual." Blues brought up.
"Ten months ago! February! We were dealing with some stuff preceding the "Phantom Navis" and Cache… Like Element Man and Jugde Man…"
"Then… The triumvirate has hired the guy?" Enzan worriedly asked.
"Not exactly! He's acting out of revenge for that Sgt. Sneaky guy but Sidier and co. wanted him to steal some of Papa's documents! Instead, he tried to question me if I'd had any involvement on the downfall of that Sgt. Sneaky guy. Sidier then showed up and told him he was fired."
"Then he's been left to act on his own accord! This could be dangerous indeed. A search warrant would be a good idea to keep thm at bay."
"Netto – kun! A transmission from Miyabi." Saito informed as he looked at the PET on Netto's arm strap.
Netto grabbed the PET and patched the call while both he and Enzan sat down on the sofa.
"You're also there, Ijuuin? Good, then!"
"What's up, Miyabi?" Enzan asked.
"Knight Man told me what I feared! Tokagawa had been there while the machine kept me busy."
"So you knew he'd be coming after me?" Netto asked.
"Naturally… With my ninja instinct!" Shadow Man chuckled.
"Now's not the time for jokes! I casually saw the man discussing with Sidier and the others via a cell phone. He found them somehow. I decided to be night watch at the hospital and my hunch proved correct. He showed up there intending to delete Rock Man, but I intercepted him and stole his weapons before he was helped to flee."
"That guy is really dangerous!" Saito cursed.
"We'll lock him up if we catch him!"
"You must! That guy is so dangerous!"
"Obviously enough!"
"Don't worry! My curse of the laziness will handle it!"
"Sheesh. Stop spreading that of the curses. This is serious."
"Then I'll spread my arts…"
"Sheesh. As long as it's not annoying…"
Netto placed the PET back on its spot and leant back on the sofa…
"What a prospect." Enzan grimly muttered.
"I really need to learn to defend myself in the real world, too. They'll begin attacking from there. This wound should heal soon enough, so I'll quickly start training. Niisan! Can you teach me?"
"Leave it to me, otouto. I'll teach you the basics which will be enough to handle any grunt. And remember: I'll be there with you."
"Thank you, niisan."
"I guess you'll have to call him Saito – sensei." Enzan joked.
"Maybe?"
"The hammering hammers of hammers…" Shadow Man chuckled.
"Save me the tongue-twisters! There's work to do!"
"Sheesh. Shadow Man! We have enough trolls! Don't fuel them!"
11:44 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Shit! Damn! Fuck! The dogs…! The worms…!"
"Togakawa – sama…"
Togakawa kicked empty crates while inside of a storehouse somewhere and Stealth Man looked surprised.
"Shit. I gotta scram far away again and wait for things to cool down. My camouflage will do fine, anyway." He muttered.
"Nice lookin'… And the guy stepped into our territory without realizing it!"
"We're gonna save ourselves some trouble…"
Two thugs showed up from behind the crates and Tokagawa aimed at them with the fake gun.
"You lowlifes wanna die, too?" He icily challenged.
"D-damn! T-that's no punk… It's a pro!" One cursed.
"Shit. Let's go find "recruits" elsewhere." The second cursed.
They both ran out while Tokagawa used the rear door to leave.
"… "Recruits"… Hmpf. Sgt. Sneaky used that same motto five years ago! Weren't it for him, I'd be a useless whelp who'd keep on being bullied for the rest of his pitiful life. But I'm now I'm a player…"
"That's right, but…"
"And the losers who fail to do a good work are punished with death… Such is our way…" He muttered while making a smug smile.
He scoffed and spat some saliva at the ground before heading over to a car parked there and drawing his PET.
"Stealth Man. Do a good job." He commanded.
The care opened, so Tokagawa climbed in and turned on the engine.
Sidier! You'll pay for your conspiracy. I'll settle it with you!
11:55 AM (Japan Time)…
"… See, Miyabi… That neophyte wasn't worth it in the end."
"Stop with that wording, will you?"
"Then let us name them that rejected disciple."
"Oh come on."
Miyabi was making his way across the city when Shadow Man began to joke again, so he grumbled.
"Saturday and Sunday are going to be quiet."
"I believe Yamikawa is human enough to respect Christmas."
"Maybe he'll dive in the lagoon."
"I heard he already did."
"And I think that those "Light Armors" could've protected us from those waters too."
"You've been studying them?" Miyabi asked with some curiosity.
"Too bad Knight Man would sink and would have it very had to rise again!"
"Don't bring up the battle with him two years ago."
"What? You when "Gospel" hired me to delete him, the Anti – Virus System? What happened back then with Freeze Man was a just a way of putting them out of their misery! Dr. Wily didn't have a use for them anymore, anyway." He shrugged.
"I know. Your previous Operator sure had you earn a lot of enmity! I guess the man never cared for what happened with you."
"He let me loose most of the time and only cared about the money flowing into his accounts… But I don't remember them! Maybe Dr. Wily erased that from me when he revived me."
"I'm not a robber like Deep Kabase. Don't mistake me for a mere common mercenary. I have my rules!"
"The exile?" He joked.
"Not "exile", the disgraced…" He corrected with some annoyance.
"And since he was former ninja he was granted a swordsman named Sword Man… A stray soul the fool sure was."
"When will you tell me what's the point of that "stray soul" title you always come up with, Shadow Man?"
"Who knows? Maybe when the new Ninja Gaiden game comes out?"
"I give up. Stray souls, Naraku… Why can't you think of something else? Or is that your way of saying you're original?"
"Ask my lawyer."
"You don't have a lawyer and never had! Let devil bite me if I'm mistaken on that."
"I feel good-humored."
"No wonder. Let's go to the mountains on the weekend to meditate and relax. I need to practice with the environment as well."
"And meet Mountain Man and Mountain Woman."
"Hmpf… Whatever… This isn't over. Not by a long shot…"
"Of course not…"
"Miyabi! The man I needed! Tell me how to open a safe!"
"What? Dingo! Open a safe? What for? You want to become a thief?"
"Of course not! It's to retrieve my pride!"
Dingo ran over towards Miyabi and began to plead, but he wasn't impressed by his behavior.
"That tool isn't your pride. It's dangerous."
"Told ya~!" Tomahawk Man grumbled.
"Damn them all! I'll get it back! No matter what!"
