Count to Three
(MegaMan NT Warrior theme song)
(Gwen & Dawn's Theme Song - Can't Do It Without You (Duet) - Austin & Ally)
(Gwen's POV)
*It's been a week since we met Yai & fixed the traffic signals. Today, I was skating down the street, on my way to school, without my brother. He had stayed up all night Net Battling again & slept in late*
Dawn:*off-screen* I still think we should have waited for Lan and MegaMan.
Gwen: If we had waited, they we both would have been late again. I'm not going to keep waiting for that lazy bones to get his act together.
Dawn:*off-screen* Well . . . Okay . . .
*I arrived to class just before the bell rang. A little while later, my brother arrived. Late, again*
Ms. Mari: Welcome, Lan. When I asked you to be more consistent, being late three days in a row is not what I meant. You could take a lesson from your sister, who was actually on time today
*The whole class laughed. I tried to hold in my giggles. Lan blushed*
Lan: I almost made it. I really tried to be on time today. I could have it wasn't for that chip guy.
Gwen: Chip guy?
Maylu: What are you talking about?
Ms. Mari: Well class, now that we're all here, I would like to introduce you to our guest lecturer from DenTech University, but unfortunately I can't. He's late too.
*Just then, a guy with brown spikey hair, light tan skin, & wearing glasses, a white button up shirt, an orange tie, a brown belt, blue pants, & brown shoes came into the classroom*
Mr. Higsby: Hi, Ms. Mari. I'm sorry I'm late. My name's Higsby.
Lan: No way! Our speaker is that crazy chip guy!
Ms. Mari: Mr. Higsby will be teaching us all about virus busting today. He's an expert in the field.
Mr. Higsby: Yes, I am. *a rainbow colored symbol appeared on the board behind him* Good morning, class. As you know, we live in a highly networked society, where computer viruses pose a constant threat. This is the security system that protects the central control program here at DenTech Academy. It's a splendid system. And defensive power is it's key. This is also true in Net Battling. *he started to get intense* As some of you know, to have a strong defense, you've got to have powerful chips! Like at least a Rarity Level 3! Naturally, the higher the level, the better the chip! Then they become so rare, that they're really impossible to find! Now, a premium chip like "Hero Sword" -
Gwen:*whispering to Lan* I'm starting to see what you mean by crazy.
Lan:*whispering* Told you.
Maylu: Uh . . . Excuse me, Mr. Higsby?
Mr. Higsby: Yes, what is it?
Maylu: I'm sorry to interrupt. But aren't you getting a little off the subject?
Mr. Higsby: Oh, whoops. Sorry about that, kids.
*Later, after school, me, Lan, Maylu, & Dex were at Yai's mansion. She made us close our eyes as she lead us to the farthest part of the garden behind the mansion*
Lan: Yai, can we open our eyes yet?
Yai: Okay!
*We opened our eyes, revealing a tree house*
Dex: What is it? A birdhouse for pterodactyls?
Yai: You're so rude! Actually, it's a secret hideout my Daddy had built for me.
Gwen, Lan, Maylu, & Dex: A secret hideout?
*We all climbed up the ladder to the tree house. Inside was a kitchen, dining table, & couch*
Maylu: Wow. This place is beautiful, Yai.
Gwen: It is. But what's so secret about it?
*She just pressed a button on the wall & the wall across from the couch revealed a computer terminal*
Dex: Yai, your Dad so rocks. Uh . . . What is it?
Yai: Observe. *some lights turned on, revealing a battle arena* Ta-da! You happen to be looking at the very latest in 3-dimensional Net Battling technology.
Lan & Dex: That's awesome, Yai!
Dex: Let's Jack in! GutsMan! Power Up!
Maylu: I'm ready! Jack in! Roll! Power up!
Gwen: Let's do this! Jack in! Dawn! Power up!
Lan: Jack in! MegaMan! Power up!
*We all plugged in our P.E.T.s. Our NetNavis then appeared on the screen, life sized*
Dex: Whoa! Even your munchkins look huge on this system!
Lan: Whatever. This is way sweet!
Gwen: You said it!
(Dawn's POV)
*Glide then appeared next to us*
Glide: Greetings fellow warriors. I shall be your opponent today.
Dawn: But, Glide . . .
MegaMan: Wait a sec. You weren't programmed to be a Battle Type NetNavi.
Glide: Yai has supplied me with Battle Chips. I assure you, I'm quite ready for anything.
(Gwen's POV)
Maylu: Wow. He sure seems confident.
Lan: Maybe. But I'm sending MegaMan in!
Dex: Yeah right. After GutsMan. And I doubt there'll be anything left to fight when he's done!
(Dawn's POV)
*GutsMan went in to throw a punch*
GutsMan: Him snobby! Guts Thump!
*He went an attack at Glide*
Glide: Routine defense. No problem.
*A purple aura surrounded his body,
(Gwen's POV)
Dex: What!? No way!
Lan: Hey, I've heard about that power! That's the Life Aura Battle Chip!
Yai: Yepper! Wait til you see the next one! Download!
(Dawn's POV)
*Glide's arm turned into a powerful looking sword*
Gwen:*off-screen* Hero Sword! That's the chip Higsby was talking about!
*Glide swung the sword, sending GutsMan on his back*
GutsMan: He good.
(Gwen's POV)
*Me. Lan, & Maylu were in awe by what we just saw*
Dex: Hey, Yai! That wasn't fair! You were using some of those Battle Chips!
Yai: We all have to work with what we've got. Mine just happened to cost more.
Lan: Wow. Life Aura and Hero Sword. Now that's my idea of a great match!
(Dawn's POV)
Lan:*off-screen* Go get him, MegaMan!
*MegaMan was ready for the attack, when I felt a presence behind me. But when I looked, no one was there
Gwen:*off-screen* What's wrong, Dawn?
Dawn: I don't know. It felt like someone was watching us.
(Gwen's POV)
Gwen: But how could someone get in?
Yai: They couldn't. Because this Net Battle Arena is equipped with the most advanced and expensive security system on the market. Nobody gets in unless I say they do.
*The next day, after school, me, Maylu, & Dex were in the classroom, helping Ms. Mari edit the school newspaper*
Maylu: I wonder where Lan is.
Gwen: He forgot something at home, so he had to go back and get it.
Dex: Typical.
*Suddenly, the computer Ms. Mari was typing on, started to act weird. Then all the windows & doors closed & locked themselves. Then a male NetNavi with a black head inside a bubble (neon green lights on his head flashed when he talked), neon green eyes, & a light green, orange, white & black body appeared on the screen*
NumberMan: Good afternoon. Special class begins now.
Dex: What are you trying to pull? School's out and there's no special class today.
Yai: Yeah, mister, who are you, anyway!?
NumberMan: I am NumberMan. I have taken control of the electronic locks on the doors and windows until our little class is completed. There's only one way out of this room. I'm going to give you an assignment. A test in the form of a Net Battle. Pass it and you may leave
Maylu: He can't be serious.
NumberMan: Oh, I'm very serious. At stake are your rare Battle Chips.
Ms. Mari: There are rules against having Net Battles on school property!
NumberMan: Sorry. But as of right now, I make the rules. I command every system in this school and I will say what is and is not allowed.
Ms. Mari: I can't believe this is happening here. You must be part of World Three!
NumberMan: What!? I would never work for that backward bunch of binary burglars! Never!
Dex: Alright! Bring it on! I'm not afraid of you! *just then, one of the sprinklers turned on & soaked him* Aah! My hair!
NumberMan: Rule number one. Only those with rare Battle Chips may fight me. There is only one human here that is qualified. *he pointed at Yai* You.
Yai: Who? Me?
NumberMan: According to my calculations, you hold the Life Aura and Hero Sword Chips. Correct?
Yai: Hold on, Lightbulb Head! How'd you know that!?
NumberMan: Insignificant. If you refuse to battle, I will destroy the school's computer system.
Yai: Hey! Is that supposed to be a threat? My Father is the wealthiest man in DenTech City. It's no big deal if you destroy the system. I'll just ask Daddy to buy the school a new one.
Dex: But what about all the data?
Gwen: That can't be replaced, Yai! Even with the world's best hackers!
Yai: Well, I'm sorry. But Ms. Mari said that Net Battling on school property isn't allowed anyway.
*Ms. Mari pushed her forward*
Ms. Mari: You have my permission, Yai.
*Yai sighed*
Yai: Alright then! Jack in! Glide! Power up!
*She plugging in her P.E.T. & Glide appeared in front of NumberMan*
Glide: Prepare to subtract a few digits from your memory, NumberMan. *his arm turned into Hero Sword* Hero Sword!
NumberMan: Only an amateur would use his ultimate weapon right away.
*The attack from the sword was blocked by a barrier*
Glide: What!? No!
NumberMan: You must first analyze the opponent's fighting power to calculate an effective counter attack! *He threw a dice & it rolled a 2. Then it exploded. Just then, MegaMan appeared on the field* Who is this? You weren't invited to play!
Dex: It's MegaMan!
Maylu: That means Lan is right outside the classroom!
Gwen: For once, I'm glad he was late.
Glide: MegaMan! Watch out for those dice of his!
MegaMan: Huh?
NumberMan: Try your luck!
*He rolled another dice & it landed on a one. It exploded & MegaMan dodged it*
MegaMan: That was too close!
Glide: The strength of the explosive is equal to the number rolled on the dice!
*Just then, three barriers went up, pushing MegaMan away from Glide*
MegaMan: Glide! I'm stuck I can't get through this wall!
NumberMan: Ah, what a beautiful subdivision. You have the school's security system to thank for that. It's a virus barrier. Three walls, all impossible for you to penetrate.
*MegaMan's arm turned into his Mega Buster*
MegaMan: We'll see about that!
*But his lasers just bounced off the walls*
NumberMan: This is a one on one battle! Intruders will not be tolerated!
*Having had enough, I pulled out my P.E.T. & Maylu pulled out her's*
Gwen: Jack in! Dawn! Power up!
Maylu: Jack in! Roll! Power up!
(Dawn's POV)
*Roll & I appeared behind my brother*
Roll: Hey, Number-Noggin! Did you tell him that you locked everybody in the classroom and forced Yai into a battle for her rare Chips!
Dawn: It's true!
MegaMan: But who's controlling him?
Roll: We don't know yet. But whoever it is was smart enough to take over the school's security system. And it looks like he's some rare Chips of his own.
Lan:*off-screen* But who'd be able to do that? It'd have to be someone who knows the security system and how to break in. Wait a minute! Someone who's obsessed with rare Battle Chips!
(Gwen's POV)
Gwen, Maylu, & Dex: Hey! It's Mr. Higsby!
NumberMan: Uh oh. They've got our number!
Mr. Higsby:*off-screen* Too bad. *he appeared on the corner of the screen**on-screen* This just makes it a lot more difficult.
Ms. Mari: Mr. Higsby! Why . . . Why are these silly Chips so important to you anyway?
Mr. Higsby: Silly!? There's nothing silly about rare Battle Chips, Ms. Mari! NumberMan! Time to roll the Doom Dice!
Yai: I'm not afraid of you! Life Aura! Battle Chip in!
*The aura surrounded Glide, protecting him from the dice*
Dex: That's a great chip, Yai! But Glide'll need a lot more help then that to beat NumberMan!
Maylu: Ms. Mari! Since each wall is a virus barrier, and part of the school's security system, there has to be some kind of password that'll deactivate them, right?
Ms. Mari: Uh-huh.
Yai: That solves our problem! You've learned the passwords, right?
Ms. Mari: Yes. But I'm afraid I forgot them.
*We groaned*
(Dawn's POV)
MegaMan: Maybe there's some kind of clue encoded in the wall's data that we can use to help us find the passwords.
Dawn: There has to be! Glide needs us!
Roll: I gonna interface and scan it. If there's something there, I'll catch it!
*She went up to the first wall & put both her antennas on the wall. Suddenly, a swarm of hummingbird like viruses flew straight at her. She screamed & MegaMan & I destroyed them*
MegaMan: Mega Blast!
Dawn: Angel Feather Barrage!
MegaMan: We'll hold them off! Keep searching!
Dawn: And please hurry!
Roll: Will do! Wait! I'm getting something! Their letters! D. O. V. E.
(Gwen's POV)
Dex: D. O. V. E. Dove into what!?
Ms. Mari: It looks familiar. Dove! The password is the number of doves we have at the school!
Dex: Yeah, I knew that. What's the number?
Ms. Mari: Unfortunately, I don't remember.
*We all groaned again*
MegaMan:*to Lan* You count the doves!
Lan:*off-screen* Okay! Hang right! I'll be right back!
Mr. Higsby: Poor sap. Good luck counting the birdies. Unbelievable! The competition will be over by the time he gets back here!
Ms. Mari: You're the one that's unbelievable, Mr. Higsby!
Mr. Higsby: Pardon me. *he started to sound like Elvis* Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.
Gwen: Oh brother.
Mr. Higsby: Now than! If you ever want to get out of there, stop wasting my time!
(Dawn's POV)
*MegaMan & I destroyed any hummingbird that came close to us*
MegaMan: You know what, you guys are a real drain!
Dawn: Lan! What's taking you so long!?
Lan:*off-screen* Sorry. They wouldn't sit still. There's 34 of them.
Roll: Alright. 3. 4. Here we go. Rock and roll!
*She put in the number & the first wall went down*
Maylu: One down, two to go! What's the next one, Roll!?
Roll: Searching. Got it! The second wall's password is T. E. N. N -
(Gwen's POV)
Ms. Mari: Tennis! I remember now! This one has to do with the number of tennis rackets. The password is the total number of rackets the tennis team uses!
Gwen: That's perfect! You're the coach of the tennis team!
Yai: Come on, Ms. Mari! You've gotta know this one!
Ms. Mari: Nope. Forgot it.
*We all groaned again*
Lan:*off-screen* I'll go count em, guys! I'm almost there anyway!
*He skated to the gym & began counting the rackets*
Me. Higsby: Will you stop it. You're beginning to annoy me.
Lan:*off-screen* I've got it, guys! There's a total of 63 rackets!
Gwen, Maylu, & Dex: Oh, yeah!
Maylu: What a team! One more!
Mr. Higsby: NumberMan! Hurry up! They're breaking through!
NumberMan: Acknowledged.
Roll: The last clue is F. L. O. W -
Ms. Mari: Oh yeah! Flower! The last password is the number of potted flowers in the schoolyard!
Maylu: Please me you remember this one.
Ms. Mari: Sorry.
Dex: Lan! Move it!
Lan:*off-screen* Calm down! I am!
(Dawn's POV)
*NumberMan threw two dive this time*
Yai: Glide! Look out!
*The dice exploded*
Dawn: Glide! Hang on!
MegaMan: Hey, Glide! Are you alright!?
Glide: I'm losing energy! If NumberMan attacks again like that, then I'm gone!
(Gwen's POV)
Dex: If we don't hurry up, we're gonna lose him!
*Yai started to cry*
Yai: Glide! No! Keep fighting!
Maylu: Don't worry. Lan will come through somehow. I know it.
Gwen: He always does.
Mr. Higsby: Throw three dice this time! Let's finish him off!
NumberMan: Affirmative!
Yai: Stop!
Lan:*off-screen* I've got it! The password is 665!
Gwen: Alright!
(Dawn's POV)
Roll: I clocking it in!
*The three dice all landed on six*
Yai: Come on!
Lan & Gwen: Area Steal! Battle Chip in! Download!
*They exploded*
NumberMan: Yes! Simple sixes! My fav roll ever!
Me. Higsby: The rare Battle Chips now belong to me!
*But they were in for a surprise when the smoke cleared. me & MegaMan were helping Glide stand & Roll was standing next to MegaMan*
NumberMan: What!?
Mr. Higsby: But how!?
*Just before the dice exploded, me & MegaMan got Glide away in time*
MegaMan: You never even us coming, did you?
Lan:*off-screen* Wide Sword Battle Chip in! Download!
*My brother's arm turned into a sword & he jumped towards NumberMan. NumberMan screamed & tried to throw a dice, but my brother sliced it in half. He then fell to his knees begging*
NumberMan: I'm sorry! Please don't divide me!
MegaMan: Return control to the school's operating system!
NumberMan: As you wish!
(Gwen's POV)
*They doors & windows opened*
All: We're free!
*We all cheered*
*We all went to the security office, where we found Mr. Higsby kneeling on the floor like NumberMan was*
Gwen: How could you do such a thing?
Mr. Higsby: I just couldn't help myself. Rare Chips are my life! Most people don't appreciate their true value! I couldn't bare to see them wasted! I now know it was a terrible thing that I did and I'm - I'm begging you to forgive me!
*Ms. Mari stepped up to him*
Ms. Mari: Mr. Higsby!
*He looked up at her*
Mr. Higsby: Yeah?
Ms. Mari: You should be ashamed of yourself. You've frightened these poor children and purposely sabotaged school property! Do you realize that what you've done is a crime!? Did you know that with one phone call, I could have you put in jail for a very long time?
Mr. Higsby: Yeah . . .
*She kneeled down to him*
Ms. Mari: Then tell me, do you remember the first rare Battle Chip you received as a young boy?
Mr. Higsby: It was such a long time ago, I'm not sure.
Ms. Mari: Now, think back. I you even understand the true value of them then? I bet you didn't.
Mr. Higsby: Huh?
Ms. Mari: Did it matter though? Was that chip wasted on you?
*He went quiet for a second*
Mr. Higsby: It wasn't a waste. I remember now. It was the happiest day of my life. *he started to cry* I can't believe I've been so selfish. I can you ever forgive me?
Ms. Mari: I'm willing to give you another chance, if you're willing to give these kids a chance to learn about rare Chips. What do you say, Professor Higsby?
*Mr. Higsby started to cry even more*
Mr. Higsby: I will ! Thank you!
*The next day was Saturday. And boy was it a barrel of laughs. Turns out Lan had forgotten what day it was & went to school. I laughed so hard, I thought was gonna bust a gut. I also found out that Higsby had opened his own Rare Chip Shop*