10:02 AM (Japan Time), Wednesday February the 29th…
"… Been a while since we met here…"
"Sure. It allows us to hold a meeting in a less tense environment…"
"This tea is splendid, Princess…"
"Enjoy it, Raika…"
Raika and Pride were meeting in the main meeting room.
One of her bodyguards stood behind her, silent.
There was a tea set and pastries set in the table's center.
Pride sat in gallant seat on the north end of the elongated table.
Raika sat two seats right of her.
"I apologize for the sudden visit, but…"
"Knowing you, it's something very important…"
"Yes, Princess…"
He finished the tea and cleared his throat.
"We found an office that had traces of a fight and destruction…"
"Rufus Shinra?" She guessed.
"But it looks like there was a breakup between them…"
"Suspected that it'd eventually happen…"
"We found a letter hidden in the bathroom…"
"And it confirms the fact?"
"Possibly. It's encoded with a cypher. We're still analyzing it…"
"Well. If that splits the attention of Rufus, better for us…"
"Yes. But we still have other issues to address…"
"The mysterious tower of Beyondard and Death Shadow…"
"Regarding the latter, it's been raiding dummy locations…"
"I still find it odd that it didn't see through the ruse by Rufus…"
"Or maybe it's pretending…"
"That feels more reasonable, yes…"
"The issue is that it's impossible to predict its next move…"
"Yes. That's what makes it worrisome…"
"Did something happen in Cream Land?"
"We raided a paper business of Clark trying to spread drugs…"
"I see…"
"Yuriko also has been busting spies that Clark had set up…"
"What were they prying?"
"Trying to make up some scandal about me…"
"How innovative…" He sighed.
"But it feels too amateur and crude…"
"Which means that it's probably a ruse…"
"Surely. To hide the real deal, trying to steal military secrets…"
"That makes more sense in terms of illegal businesses…"
"Some more tea?"
"Thank you…"
The bodyguard walked over to the tea set and served it into his cup.
"Thank you…"
She nodded and returned to her post.
"Knight Man. What's the status?"
"The security team drove off a group of four rioters…"
"Rioters?"
"They claimed to be the "real and genuine Neo WWW"…"
"It must be more of those hypnotized to act like them…"
"How lame. As if that would impress us…"
"Maybe they're a distraction, too…"
"Check all security systems by yourself. Don't rely on sensors…"
"Sir Search Man and I are working on it, Princess…"
"Good idea. Let's check everything thrice…"
An alarm rang out, surprising everyone.
"Those liquid enemies have appeared outside the firewall!"
"Devil!" Raika cursed.
"We will engage them!"
"Search Man! Provide support from the inside…"
"Roger, Lord Raika…"
Both opened their Operator screens and checked the footage.
Knight Man was swinging and flinging his wrecking ball.
He smashed the foes, igniting them and destroying them.
"Scope Gun!"
He used warp holes to shoot from behind the firewall.
"Keep the radar on. Least something sneaks from behind…"
"Roger, sir. I am scanning in multiple frequencies…"
"Good. I asked Enzan to send help, too…"
"He can probably draw the attention of the enemy, too…"
"Truly…"
"This is Blues. ETA: 35 seconds!" Blues reported.
"Roger that!" Search Man confirmed.
"Away, foul beasts! Away, foul aberrations! Giga Count Bomb!"
Knight Man flung the Program Advance at the foes.
The explosion ignited them and destroyed them.
"Magma Seed!"
He flung the red capsule and formed a puddle of magma there.
The remaining fragments also ignited and were deleted.
He looked upwards to see a "crack" in the sky, radiating blue light.
"Sir Search Man! That must be their entry point!"
"Noted! Scanning!"
"This is Blues! I'll be there in 5 seconds!"
"Noted!"
Search Man scanned the crack and narrowed his eyes.
"There's a legion of cargo planes inside of that, dropping the foes!"
"I'm ringing Charlie. Gyro Man can help…"
"Here I am. I'll draw the enemy's attention! Sonic Boom!"
Blues arrived and shot a Sonic Boom at a group of foes.
He split them in half as he attacked with a Flame Sword, too.
"Did something happen, Raika?"
"The enemy strikes. Cream Land Embassy…"
"The Princess! Alright, I'm sending Gyro Man there!"
"I'll take 45 seconds to reach the place!"
"OK! We can handle this!"
"From what I can scan, there's 4 cargo planes…"
"How many foes are there inside?" Raika asked.
"Instead of the foes, there's liquid tanks…"
"I see. And the enemies form as it dumps the liquid…"
"This is probably a deployment test…"
"Don't drop the planes. Simply show them that we can fight them…"
"OK! I'll make some holes on the surface…"
Blues, Search Man and Knight Man continued fighting the foes.
"15 seconds!"
"Sonic Boom!"
"Satellite Ray!"
"Royal Wrecking Ball!"
The trio defeated another bunch of foes.
Explosions rang out in the sky.
"They're turning tail into a bigger gateway. Attached a transmitter!"
"Alright. But it'll probably be a dummy location, anyway…"
"Better that than nothing…" Raika insisted.
"Fine…" Enzan replied.
"Princess! Are you alright?" Airstar asked.
"Don't worry, Charlie. Everything is alright…"
"OK. Call me if you need help with the nosy birds!"
"Delighted!"
11:04 AM (Japan Time)…
"… When I came here to investigate the system anomaly…"
"We didn't expect it to be these things!"
"Sure. Thought that it was but Viruses!"
"They are preferable, even!"
Rock Man was busting the "gel" foes in a system somewhere.
"This is Gyro Man! Heading there! 25 seconds!"
"OK!"
"Let's save up the main weapons, Rock Man!" Netto warned.
"I know, Netto – kun! Let's use basic weapons..."
Cold laughter rang out and the "shadow" formed in the sky.
"Nothing can escape from the fate set by the Universe!"
"Shut up. You're but a tool of Rufus and Clark by now…"
"No feeble life-forms can control the Universe!"
"How dramatic. You're but a Net Navi. As simple as that…"
"You mixed in the data from the "base form" and other sources…"
"Well, well. Talk about a nostalgic face…"
"Silence! Void vessel! Roam the void forever!"
Cait Sith appeared there, crossing his arms.
"I have seen the true void. It's very boring. Hence why I napped!"
He shrugged, unimpressed.
"I am the Nomad Emissary, after all!"
"Emissary of whom?" Rock Man questioned.
"Of myself!"
"What?"
"Ditched my bosses a long, long time ago! They were boring!"
"Then why bother to call yourself "emissary"?"
"Because it sounds cool, as my "senior" taught me…" He chuckled.
"Who's that? Someone "edgy"?"
"Well… In a sense?"
"Whatever. That tower is yours, then?"
"Correct…"
"Why bother to build in Beyondard?"
"Well… A lot happened!" He summed up.
"Fine. Guess that it can wait for another day…"
Explosions rang out higher in the sky.
"I damaged the two cargo planes, they're leaving!"
"Thanks for the help!"
"Don't mind it!"
"Well? When are you going to show us the true deal?"
Rock Man challenged Death Shadow.
"When the planets align and send me the signal…"
"How dramatic. You mean "when I feel like it"…"
"Remember that it was driven to almost deletion once…"
Caith Sith whispered to Rock Man.
"I know. Which means that it can be defeated…"
"It might take heavy firepower, but if you insist…"
"We'll eventually prevail…"
"Whatever you whisper is vain. Fate is absolute!"
"They all say the same. All losers do…"
A howl of anger rang out.
"VADOUS!"
The "shadow" vanished and the "crack" closed as well.
"Say. You wouldn't happen to know "Vadous", do you?"
Rock Man looked over his shoulder at Cait Sith.
"Well… It's a long tale…" He admitted.
"Fine. But remember that we have the right to suspect you…"
"I know, I know. But if you start to doubt it all, there's no end to it…"
"Sorry for the wait. What happened?"
Prism Man and Shark Man arrived there.
"Death Shadow…" He summed up.
"Again? Must really want to showcase their new toys!"
"Also… We saw Rufus raging and trying to assault a bank…"
"Guess that the hypothesis that they broke up is valid…"
"Correct. I have come to inform…"
Yoshitsune walked in to explain.
"I deliver a message from Lord Dark Comet…"
"Tell us…"
"… "Until we deal with those two, we'll work together"…"
"How come?"
"Because, ultimately, they are victims of Clark's manipulations…"
"Well. That is true…" Netto sighed.
"Also… Rufus ultimately only considered them tools to abuse of…"
"Didn't expect him to be a reasonable boss to begin with…"
"Clark was the exec of a huge illegal crime syndicate…"
"True. We tend to forget it because of his stunts…" Netto admitted.
"I won't go into details, but it was something nasty…"
"Mr. Kanou did warn us about it, too…"
"If you shall excuse me, I shall go hunt for leads…"
"Fine…"
The samurai left and Rock Man crossed his arms.
"I felt a signature similar to mine for a moment…" He admitted.
"Maybe he's built using you as a basis?" Netto suggested.
"Could be. I'll go to the HQ to upload the data and then return…"
"I'll come with you!" Shark Man offered.
"Thanks, Shark Man…"
"It's nothing…"
"Did you find the bandit that stole our Wind God hanging scroll?"
Skull Man met up with them, grumbling.
"What? Someone broke into your store?" Shark Man asked.
"Sure. But they only stole that and left a visiting card…"
"What did it say?"
"The mighty bandit, Serrallonga…"
"And who's that?"
"A bandit of the 17th century…"
"Rufus. Who else would bother with that?" Rock Man sighed.
"Maybe it's a trick used by scammers. Break in to install a wiretap…"
"Makes sense. I'll tell Miyuki to check the place…"
"Same happened in our store. A bouquet of Columbine flowers…"
Wood Man met up with them, too.
"Guess it's because it means "certain victory"…"
"Now he's relying on flower language, even? How desperate is he?"
"Or maybe it's a pretense…"
"That could be it…"
"Shark Man! It's a disgrace! My photograph of fishing the swordfish!"
Masa called Shark Man to report the theft.
"It's probably a trick to install a wiretap, Commander!"
"By the whirlpools and gales! They'll hear from me!"
"Please don't start another fuss. Remember what happened last time!"
"I don't want to fight that tiger-man again, of course!"
"Alright…"
"I called for teams to bring it wiretap detectors…" Prism Man announced.
"Maybe you should check the school at night, too…" Netto suggested.
"Good idea. There might be wiretaps there, too…"
"Hide a leave in a forest…" Rock Man sighed.
"Go, Shark Man! Show them the might of the ocean!"
"This is hardly related to the ocean…" Shark Man sighed.
"I'll show them my fisherman guts!"
"Call Guts Man for that…" Netto sighed.
"Sure…"
11:39 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Man! Can't believe what a mess I was caught into…!"
"At least you avoided the worst outcome…"
"As if that's hardly any relief…"
"But remember that you also ignored my advice…"
"Now, now. What matters is that you're safe and sound!"
"I know, Shanka, but…"
Dingo, Shanka and Tomahawk Man were talking together.
They were in an office room somewhere.
"Remember? This is the museum where the totem was exhibited…"
"Man. Where I had a misunderstanding and messed it up…"
"But you helped protect it!"
"I know, but…"
He sighed and shook his head.
"I only managed to worry you over my stupid stunts…"
"But you helped fight those terrorists!"
"That's true, but…"
"What are you unsatisfied about?"
"That I am not able to become smarter or stronger…"
"All in due time, Dingo…"
"Start by forgetting that complex you have with maps…"
"Maps are a wonderful invention, Dingo…"
"What? Didn't the elder say "believe in the spirits of the land"?"
"No. Never…" She quickly replied.
Dingo's jaw hit the floor, and he became red out of shame.
"See?" Tomahawk Man grumbled.
"At this rate, I'll never be strong enough to fight along you!"
"You never know. If you mentalize yourself to start anew…"
"Well… Maybe that can help…"
Shanka clasped his hands, and he gasped.
"See? If we work together, we can do it!"
"T-true…"
"There was no need to be so stubborn, was there?"
"Sorry. As always, I don't stop to think…"
"That's why I must keep four eyes on you…"
"I know… That's also frustrating…"
"Take it easy. Slowly. No need to rush…"
"Maybe I should go back home for a while and train again…"
"That can help. I also wouldn't mind training again…"
"Settled, then. Once this is over, let's go home…"
"Thanks, Shanka…"
He formed a weak smile.
"We help each other and solve things together…"
"Will talk with Maha, but he'll probably agree…"
"Why don't we go eat together? I want to check out that curry…"
"Sure! Why not?"
He became animated.
"Let's go!"
11:47 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Hello. This is Airstar. Do you want to book a flight?"
"To Shirakawa St., where you hang out with your lovers…"
"Excuse me? But, say… That voice…"
"Been a while, Charlie~…"
"Tesla! It had to be you!"
Airstar was answering the phone inside of his apartment.
He frowned at what the caller said but recognized it.
"That was a lame joke…" He sighed.
"You're never taking me to such a pompous love hotel!"
"As if I would! Besides, that island was better than any love hotel!"
"That aside. What's that Rufus guy doing?"
"Looks like his kids ditched him and he's raging…"
"Serves him well!"
"What. He's been boycotting you, too?"
"Sure! Raided the maker of my favorite lunch box!"
"How vain…"
"Which means that he wants full-out war with me!"
"Don't be so dramatic…"
"To begin with! Where does he come from!?"
"Thought that you'd know by now. Or did you forget?"
"Whatever!"
"It's a pawn of Clark, the invading starver…"
"CLAARRRKKKK!" She hissed.
"Hire a shaman and curse him…" He suggested.
"I'm so going to do that!"
"Maybe you'll find one in Alaska…"
"Alaska… That fast-freeze food maker?"
"No! Alaska, the territory of Ameroupe!"
"As if I would bother! I'll find one in Kyoto instead!"
"Sure. After you feed the deer…"
"Charlie! Whose side are you on?"
"My side…"
"How sneaky and smeary and stealthy!"
"Patent it…"
"I'll find that Rufus and smear him with motor oil!"
"Go ahead, by all means…"
"Motor oil taken from your chopper!" She laughed.
"Should've seen it coming…"
"From the Empress of Kabukicho!"
"Don't forget about Death Shadow and its freaks…"
"You handle them, Freak Invasion lover!"
"That's not an actual movie…"
"I care not!"
The call abruptly ended, and he rolled his eyes.
"That gal is asking for trouble…"
"Better don't butt your neck into this, Charlie…"
"I know! I want to stay out of trouble!"
11:58 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Man. I don't know what to do when I'm not working…"
"You sound like one of those business employees, man!"
"Really?"
"Or at least that's my image of them…"
"Can't be helped… Maybe I can go check this place…"
Rokushakudama talked with Napalm Man as he walked.
He stopped before the entrance of the Animal Farm.
"Hi, Mr. Nenji. What's up?"
"Hi, Missy! Jasmine, was it?"
"Sure!"
"Hi! I'm Anetta, I'm a worker here…"
"That's great! Can you tell me more about this park?"
Jasmine and Anetta met with him.
"Been a while, Napalm Man!"
"Sure, Meddy… Tried to get Nenji to enjoy the air out there…"
"Good idea. Else he stays closed in his workshop all day long!"
"But…"
"Even your Boss has been saying that for months, hasn't he?"
"W-well…"
"Don't be so stiff about it and enjoy the day off!"
"Fine, fine!"
"I'll show you the dolphins!" Jasmine told him.
"Dolphins! Nostalgic! Been ages since I saw one!"
"Then let's go! As staff, I can buy a ticket for half the price!"
"No, no! That'd be abusing of your good faith…"
He scratched the back of the head.
"I'll pay the full price!"
"Alright. If you say so…"
"Sorry. Must head to the office. Let's meet later, Mr. Nenji!"
"Sure, Missy! Take care!"
"Thanks!"
Jasmine and he headed for the ticket booth.
"Hi. 1 adult ticket…" He announced.
"Yes, sir. It'll be 4500Z…"
"Well. For one day, it won't hurt…"
He paid the fare, and the receptionist gave him the ticket.
"Scan the barcode at the gate to gain entrance…"
"Barcode…?"
"Those black and white bars with numbers below, Nenji!"
He looked at the paper and found it.
"I remember! They scan these at the supermarket, too…"
"What age are you living on, the 80s? Move it!"
"No need to be so hostile, Nenjirou!"
"I ain't Nenjirou!"
The PET heated and he yelped as he tried to catch it.
Jasmine rolled her eyes, slightly exasperated.
"Well. If that's how they interact with each other…"
12:13 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Eat these!"
"And this shotgun, too!"
"Damn it!"
"Run! It's the cops!"
"Worse! The dwellers of darkness!"
Sergei and Hunter Man were raiding a Cyber World somewhere.
They drove off or defeated the thugs inside of it.
"There's no way out. We deployed a barrier!"
"This Yakuza-run pachinko goes out of business today!"
"We're better than those! We're the Hard Rocks!"
"Really. The Hard Rock Café?" Sergei laughed.
"Moron! Don't say that! It makes us look dumb!"
"Real men say their title from the head-on!"
"That's a trope, fool!"
"You're asking for it!"
Two thugs began to fight each other.
The assaulters ignored them and headed deeper inside.
Sergei kicked open a door into a room.
It was full of gold bars stacked inside of cages frizzling with electricity.
"Someone here is a greedy, vain fool…"
"You're one to speak! Renegades!"
"Well, well. Welcome, Mr. Hard Rock!"
"Those morons!"
Rufus appeared there, furious.
"That freak gives me the slip, that cat is nowhere to be found…!"
"Guess that you drew the bad fortune slip today!"
"Silence! Die!"
He aimed the shotgun at them and shot.
They jumped away and it only burst the far wall.
"You're weaker than an insect, Rufus. Go plead to Clark for help…"
"If he's still alive, that is…"
"Silence!"
Both warped outside of the room, leaving a Giga Count Bomb behind.
The bomb took out the room and its contents, damaging Rufus.
Rufus roared and rushed for them, but Hunter Man lifted his right arm.
He shot two parallel blasts and pierced through Rufus.
Sergei appeared behind him and drove both blades into the back.
The foe was deleted, and both rushed away.
A "portal" formed before them, but Hunter Man shot at it.
Something groaned from the other side of the portal.
Sergei flung a Magma Seed inside of it, and Rufus roared.
"Sorry for the wait! Swor, Wide Sword, Long Sword!"
"Dream Sword!"
Sergei formed the Dream Sword and cut the portal in half.
It was deleted and both resumed their escape.
Another portal formed in the ground before them.
They jumped over, and Hunter Man shot downwards.
"You don't learn, Rufus. Go play Fire Emblem!"
"Damn you!"
"We're going to bust any business run by you or Clark…"
"That's our payback!" Obihiro added.
"Don't become cocky, brats! I can…!"
"We overwrote the nanomachines software. We're not dumb!"
"What!"
"Blame Clark for his predictable passwords. "The Mighty IQ"…"
A growl of frustration rang out from beyond the portal.
"Eat this! Earthquake!"
The golden "Powy" fell into the hole and crushed Rufus.
Both ran out through a hole in the firewall.
"Good pawning…"
Burai DS was waiting for them, amused.
"We were eager for it, anyway…" Sergei replied.
"We're going to collect more data…"
"Go ahead. I'll cover your retreat…"
"I'll blow you up!"
Rufus appeared again as Burai DS drew his blade.
"Well, Furus? Did you join the "furry" trend?"
"Out of my way! Loss!"
"You were saying? There was a mosquito!"
"Die!"
"Objection, by Odoroki!"
Burai DS cut through the air in the blink of an eye.
He cut Rufus in half and turned around to stop another one.
"Rufus Shinra! The time has come…"
Cait Sith appeared there, but he acted more serious than the usual.
"Preparations are over. You and Death Shadow can fight head-on…"
"What?"
"And decide which is the strongest!"
"Fine! I was growing bored of that fool. I'll erase it myself!"
"Then come this evening at the Heaven's Tower. I'll be waiting…"
"And then I'll destroy you, too!"
"Say that after you overcome the trials…"
"Trials!? You must be kidding me!"
"You're the one who likes to recreate fiction. Eye for an eye…"
"Damn you!"
He shot at Caith Sith, but he turned transparent and vanished.
"I'll strangle you myself! Hang you from the gallows! The guillotine!"
Burai DS took the chance to stab him from behind and delete him.
"What do you think, Saruba?"
"Let's send Sidier as witness. If needed, we'll join him…"
"Agreed. Let's tip off the Net Saviors as well…"
"Naturally. Let's have backups in place…"
"If this a chance to end this, I'm not going to let it slip past me!"
"Same. Let's wipe out Clark's schemes…"
"And earn true freedom!"