SZ: It time for the spooky month!
GT: Ooh~ Very scary! …Well, it is for the guys in the chapter down below.
SZ: Oh totally. Ahem…without any delay and stuff…and while we get stuff set up for halloween…GT? Disclaimers?
GT: Yep. As always, we do not own Okami nor Megaman. They are owned by CAPCOM. We also own none of the other properties used in this. Please enjoy! Oh, and before I forget…*hangs up a picture of Castlevania's Dracula on the curtains* There we go. *walks off* Best get outta here, man. It's not gonna be pretty.
SZ:...oh for…*runs into the bunker*
Simon Belmont: *roars while throwing a Fire Bomb, blowing up the stage*
Thunder rumbled over the inactive volcano. Deep within, Imps hefts and grunted, working on digging out more of the ruined base within. Karasu stood upon a mangled railing, gazing down below at them all with sharp red eyes that sported a red ring in them, before looking at a massive container filled to the brim with a dark, glistening purple and black sand-like material. A green Imp pulled a lever, causing a part beneath the dome to slide open, allowing the 'sand' to spill into a machine that hummed to life. The conveyor belt beneath twitched and groaned before slowly starting to move…producing DarkCards that other Imps looked over. At times, one would shriek, grab a DarkCard, and throw it back to an Imp flying overhead on a paper kite, who would fly over the top of the dome and drop the chip back into the 'sands,' causing it to shatter and dissolve back into its materials.
"How is our production?" the figure asked, approaching Karasu.
"My Lord, production has begun and distribution can begin within a day," Karasu replied calmly.
"Hmm…I see, I see…" the figure nodded before gazing out to another part of the unearthed factory, "Do you feel it?"
"Ah…A powerful grudge, one worthy of an Onryo," Karasu replied, "Allow me to welcome that which desires form, my Lord."
The figure nodded, waving him off. Karasu spread his wings and flew down to the line. Looking among the DarkCards that were approved of, he plucked out one, showing the image of a heart with '9999' on it. With a nod, he walked off towards a hallway, searching for what he felt. He came upon a half-melted computer, looking as if it had been part of a security measure for stalling intruders.
"So this is where you hide, Onryo…" Karasu noted before producing the DarkCard, "Let your darkness fester…let it grow and become more…allow the Grudge you hold take shape and become more."
With that, he flicked his wrist and the DarkCard slapped onto the computer. It glowed before seeping into the machine where a dark aura erupted from it, giving the shape of a menacing face with a jagged mouth and three demonic eyes made of a magenta glow. Karasu stepped back as a raspy cackle erupted in the air. The Karasutengu smirked.
Sonia yawned as she stretched her back, dressed up in her Oina outfit, while standing in the middle of a forest clearing, "I know I only need a few minutes of sleep between the nighttime and sunrise to be fully charged, but a girl still likes to just lay in bed and cuddle her mate…"
Lyra giggled, "I know you do, Sonia, but we did agree to come to Okuda Valley in Miyuki's email."
"Right," Sonia nodded, "Guess Ellie-chan figured out how to change so we're going to start the Kunoichi training."
"She has, kyu."
"?!" Sonia tensed up a bit as she turned, seeing Miyuki approaching her in her fox form while a wolf with silver-white fur followed behind, a familiar highlight in her head fur as a blush was on her face.
"...Ellie?" Sonia guessed.
"...y…yes…" she whispered.
"Kawaii!" Sonia beamed as she knelt down and petted her, causing the wolf to lean into the hand while closing her eyes in comfort, "...Eh?" she ran a hand through her fur and blinked a few times, "...Quills?"
"We…honestly have no idea why she has hedgehog quills hidden in her fur, kyu," Miyuki admitted, "In fact…this is possibly a first for an Oina to have two different animal traits."
"Guess we're all firsts, ne?" Sonia noted.
"Kyu?"
"Well…First pure Oina to have a Wave Change," Sonia gestured to Miyuki then to Ellie, "First Oina, pure or honorary, to have two traits." she then pointed at herself, "And first Oina to be a reincarnated goddess."
"Oh, that is true," Miyuki giggled, "Okay, Ellie-chan, let's change and then we'll get started on your first lessons, you two."
"O-Okay/Hai~!" both replied.
Miyuki smiled a bit as she and Ellie jumped and flipped into the air, changing into their human forms and let Sonia see what they were wearing outside of their VG Hunters. Ellie blushed, wearing a black swimsuit-like outfit with silver trimming on the arm holes and leg holes, a pastel-yellow skirt emerging from the swimsuit's leg holes. A pair of gray stockings with dark gray trim covered her legs with black high-heeled combat boots that sported pastel-yellow plating on the knees and fronts over her feet. Black gloves covered her hands with a dark-gray fabric reaching up to just below her shoulders, silver straps holding the material in place on them. A small blush covered her face, hidden behind the black mask that hid the lower half of her face.
Miyuki, meanwhile, wore an ice-blue 'swimsuit' with an intricate silver pattern to it, the sides of her waist covered in a dark-teal coloration that was separated from the ice-blue by the silver pattern. Her upper arms were covered in ice-blue bands with silver trim while her lower arms and hands were covered in ice-blue and dark-teal gloves. On her shapely legs, she sported similar stockings and boots to Ellie's but in ice-blue and dark-teal.
"Oh! Sugoi!" Sonia complimented, her tail wagging a bit, before turning to Ellie…who sported a pair of wolf ears and tail, "It feels nice keeping them out, ne?"
"Um…w-well…kinda…" Ellie admitted, running a hand through her tail fur as her ears twitched, "I…I see why you prefer keeping them out so much."
"And to think you wanted them to go away," Miyuki giggled at the red-head before clearing her throat, "Now then…another key part of an Oina warrior's training is to master their surroundings and blend into the shadows, much like the shinobi of old."
"...a…and the reason why our outfits are so…?" Ellie began as she motioned to her outfit.
"A Kunoichi would often use their beauty to distract their opponent, making them lose focus and leave themselves wide open," Miyuki explained before her fox ears and tail appeared, reaching into it as she pulled out a sheathed katana, "The weapons of a Oina warrior are often weapons you can hide on your person…such as katana, shuriken, and tanto."
"Tanto?" Ellie repeated.
"A pair of twin daggers used for quick and precise attacks," Miyuki explained, "Though…Misora-chan has a weapon no one would expect; her brush."
=I still call BS on that thing= Minor grumbled.
"You've seen me use it how often?" Sonia asked as she pulled her brush out.
=In your Wave Change= Minor replied before Sonia turned to a tree and made a swipe with her brush…before the tree fell over =...=
=Close your mouth, sister. You'll catch a Mettenna in it= Major deadpanned as Sonia tapped the air with her brush and a tree grew beside the stump.
=...Shut up, Major…=
=So you ackn-=
=I don't acknowledge shit!=
"Okay, okay, calm down," Miyuki giggled as Sonia put her brush away, "Now as to why I'm explaining about weapons is on the chance you end up without your partner to Wave Change with. It's best to have something on hand to help you in a fight or escape." She reached into her tail once more before pulling out a pair of sheathed tanto in pastel-yellow and pink sheathes, "Ellie, these are for you."
"Oh…th-thank you," Ellie whispered as she took them, "...but...how d-"
"You see those training dummies over there?" Miyuki questions as she pointed at a set of wooden dummies, "You will use those to hone your skills with your respective weapons. Same for punches and kicks should you end up losing your weapons." she turned to Sonia and pointed at another pair of wooden dummies, "Misora-chan, those over there are yours. Practice fighting in your wolf form on one and your human form on the other."
"Hai~!" Sonia saluted before pausing, "Ano…Ellie-chan, will you be alright with those?"
"Um…I-I did tell Miyuki that I know how to use swords due to my upbringing in a sword dojo," Ellie replied, "I'm p-pretty decent in tonfa to be honest."
"That's good. Tonfa are also a good weapon to use, kyu," Miyuki nodded a bit, "Okay! Show me what you've got, girls, and I can start planning better training regimens for you both, kyu!"
"Hai/R-Right!" Both replied.
"Okay, we're lost," Axl noted, he and Kazuma walking down a street.
"We are not lost, Axl," Kazuna argued, "We know the address."
"Yeah, but you refuse to use the dang blang GPS," Axl argued.
"Because GPS is for ninnies!" Kazuma argued.
"Well…we're gonna have to resort to asking directions to the Stellar abode," Axl sighed, putting his hands behind his head before pulling out a USB, "Just our luck. We get the data on some NetNavis that were under DarkChip influence to show the dangers…and now we're lost because we can't find them like we planned."
Kazuma sighed, ruffling the back of his hair, "Right…Gonna need to verify that we're friends, too. Maybe show our list of Brothers?"
"Oh brother…" Axl groaned.
"...D-Did you just pun? Now of all times?" Kazuma groaned.
"I wasn't making a pun that time…"
"You just did!"
"Focus on finding his place," Axl sighed.
"Ahem."
"Gh?!" both jumped and spun around, seeing Luna looking at them.
"Is everything alright?" Luna asked.
"..."
"...um…excuse me?" Luna frowned a bit, noticing how silent Kazuma was acting, "It's rude not to answer ya know."
"Heh-heh. Sorry 'bout my aibou, Kazuma, here," Axl aplogized, putting an elbow on Kazuma's shoulder, "He's shy around girls."
"N-No I'm not, Axl!" Kazuma argued, blushing.
"Axl's the name, this guy's Wizard," Axl introduced.
"Y-You're a Wizard?" Luna asked, tensing up.
"...Oh, you're not a fan of Wizards, are ya?" Axl asked.
"N-No, that's not it! Just…not much luck with human ones," Luna assured.
"Eh, that's fair. We human-looking ones are quite magical in a way."
"...Was that meant to be a pun on the normal meaning of wizard?" Luna deadpanned.
"She got it!" Axl beamed before Kazuma's elbow rammed hard into his gut, "GUH! Ah…N-No regrets…"
"What have I told you about that level of bad puns!?" Kazuma demanded as he grabbed Axl's arm and judo threw him into the river, "I am so sorry for him. He has a bad Humor program or something in him I haven't been able to locate."
"Much like finding Geo's place!" Axl replied, poking his head out of the water with a frog on his head.
"Shut up!" Kazuma barked, shaking a fist at his partner.
"Geo? As in Geo Stellar?"
"Um…Y-Yeah," Kazuma replied, holding his PeT Omega up, palm to the sky, and displayed his BrotherBand list, showing Geo, Sonia, Ellie, and Miyuki, "I-I'm supposed to be helpin' him with some stuff today. Um…A-Any chance ya know where his place is? Axl got us lost."
"You're the one with the map!" Axl argued.
"Will you get out of the river already?!" Kazuma demanded.
"Nevah! I'm feelin' froggy now!"
"...I'd jump in there and maim you with a large rock, but I don't want to mess up a friend's floors with water damage," Kazuma deadpanned, "So…Shoe, Slot In."
"Oh n…" Axl began before the green wooden slipper appeared and smacked him upside the head, "GAH!"
"Huh? Is that…a BattleChip?" Luna pondered, bending a bit closer to Kazuma to look at the grayed out BattleChip.
"Um…Y-Yeah…" Kazuma replied, blushing once more, as Axl pulled himself out of the water.
"Ugh…A-Trans!" Axl called as he was replaced with a large green werewolf-like being with red eyes and gold accents.
"Ah!" Luna yelped, moving behind Kazuma as Axl got on all fours…and proceeded to shake like a wet dog.
"Ah! Gah! Axl!" Kazuma snapped, moving himself and Luna back, "Wizard Off! Wizard Off!"
"Hehehehehehehe…" Axl snickered.
"I am so sorry for him," Kazuma apologized, facepalming.
"R-Right…" Luna nodded before clearing her throat and standing up properly, "I know where Geo's house is. I'll take you there."
"Really? Th-Thanks."
"But in return, you're telling me how you managed to get a BrotherBand with him and Sonia," Luna replied, showing her VG Hunter's BrotherBand page, "It's difficult to get Sonia, but near impossible with Geo."
"Ahh…eh, fair, I guess," Kazuma shrugged a bit, 'That photo did not do her justice…'
"You're sure you don't feel any different, Omega-Xis?" Geo asked, wearing a simple red shirt with a flame decal on the left sleeve and baggy blue shorts, while he sat across from Omega-Xis.
"I'm tellin' ya, EM-based lifeforms evolve when they meet the right conditions," Omega-Xis huffed, "I'm not like the out-of-tune harp and evolving with that god stuff. Mine are probably something else…like how mating with Sonia was yours."
"H-Hey!" Geo blushed, trying to not look down at his chest and the hidden red tattoo on his chest, before the doorbell rang, "...This is not over, Omega-Xis."
"I think it's over," Omega-Xis smirked.
"Mmm…" Geo frowned a bit as he got up and walked towards the door, opening it to see Luna and Kazuma, "Oh! This is a surprise."
"Hey there, Geo," Luna greeted.
"Y-Yo," Kazuma waved.
"Oh great. He found us," Omega-Xis groaned.
"I was honestly expecting you ten minutes ago, Kazuma," Geo noted.
"We got lost until Luna helped," Kazuma sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"I did have some business with you and Sonia today," Luna noted, looking at Geo.
"Huh? O-Oh. Um…Sonia isn't here right now. She went off the Okuda Valley for the day," Geo explained.
"Shoot. Was hoping to get it from you both," Luna frowned, "But still, this will be quick." she pulled out a pair of tickets, "Considering you two were what led to the new exhibit my family's hosting, I was hoping to invite you both as VIPs for the event."
"Really?"
"Of course. We wouldn't be able to have this exhibit without you two releasing Issun and leading us to learn more about Electropia's past," Luna noted, "Though we did get some more objects yesterday for it that we weren't expecting."
"You can thank Kazy here for it," Axl chuckled as he hopped out of the PeT Omega and sat on the back of the couch, "All the bunkers the exhibit's gotten their stuff from are owned by him."
"Huh?!" Luna gawked, looking at Kazuma.
"Um, well…Yeah," Kazuma admitted.
"So you probably know more than anyone else then about some of the stranger objects," Luna noted, "We could really use some help with those."
"Oh! Um…"
"Sure thing, ma'am!" Axl grinned, "Kazy would love ta lend a hand for a new friend!"
"Perfect!" Luna beamed, "Would tomorrow around noon be good?"
"Er…I…"
"Yep! We don't got much to do," Axl replied.
"Excellent!" Luna beamed before her Hunter beeped.
"Luna, we have that appointment in thirty minutes and it will take us fifteen to get there fifteen minutes early," Vogue spoke up.
"Oh shoot! Alright. I'll talk to both of you later," Luna spoke, looking at Geo and Kazuma before making her way off.
"..." Kazuma managed to wave, his cheeks pink with a blush.
"...Is he okay?" Geo asked.
"Eh, he's fine~" Axl assured, "Though, I don't think he's human."
"Huh?!" Geo gawked.
"Yeah. He's a lobster. Look how red he is," Axl grinned before Kazuma drop-kicked him.
"SHADDAP!" Kazuma barked before clearing his throat and forcing down the blush, "A-Anyway…Thought you may want some new…or, rather, old info on something the Dark Power can cause."
"Huh?" Geo pondered.
"Did you see a Wizard going berserk from using a DarkCard?" Kazuma asked.
"Yeah, the day before we met you, a berserk Wizard rampaged," Geo explained.
"It developed a Dark Soul," Kazuma informed, "A 'Soul' that is made from the darkness inside of someone that is brought out by just touching a DarkChip or DarkCard. Rock and Roll both developed one from touching one left behind by a Darkloid, but were able to handle it and gain a stronger power from conquering their Dark Souls."
"Wait, wait. Darkloid? What's that?" Geo asked.
"They were NetNavis that were infused with DarkChips to the point their bodies transformed, becoming beings of pure darkness and could be revived by the Dark Power alone as much as they wanted," Axl explained as Kazuma sent Geo some files in an EMail attachment.
"Seriously? That stuff can cause an evolution?" Omega-Xis asked as he floated over with Issun on his head.
"Yep! That stuff is insane!" Issun replied, "Darkloids were nothing to trifle with unless you were strong enough to fight them like Team TwinLeaders did."
"TwinLeaders?" Geo repeated.
"An Anti-Nebula task force created by Chaud Blaze and Commander Baryl when Nebula took over the entirety of Electopia's Network," Issun explained, "Lan and Maylu were members of it. The official files have the names of the members blocked as per their request."
"But we have unofficial ones they kept," Kazuma grinned before frowning, "Still…If a Wizard can go berserk from Dark Power, this also means there's a chance they can become a Darkloid." he tapped the VG Hunter, "I sent you the info on all the ones that were back in 20XX. Maybe we can figure something out if Wizards do become Darkloids."
"You're really gung-ho on dealing with these guy if they show up," Omega-Xis noted.
"Of course we are. The Dark Power is something our ancestors battled and tried to get rid of. It's up to us to finish what our ancestors started," Axl replied, patting his chest with a fist with a determined look.
"Think they're saved in that simulator?" Omega-Xis asked.
"Could be," Kazuma shrugged as he looked around, "Think you could make some space for it?"
"Huh?" Geo pondered as Kazuma pulled out a small cube, "What the…?"
"I asked Mack for anything I didn't know about the simulator," Kazuma explained, "One of them being…" he twirled the tiny cube, "It's portable."
"That's convenient," Omega-Xis noted.
"I'll say," Axl nodded, "Now if we have to go on trips, we can bring it along and practice on beating the Ranked. That Giga Chip belonging to Rank 3 will be ours once day! Then the sweet, sweet Program Advance it makes will be ours and it will be glorious!"
"How so?"
"I've only seen videos of Lan and Rock using it, but it is capable of bypassing protective measures and one-shots anything," Axl grinned.
"Bullshit."
"The Dark Messiah Program Advance is on-par or stronger than MasterStyle," Kazuma spoke as Geo and him moved the couch up to the wall, allowing Kazuma to put the cube on the floor before it twitched and expanded into the NetBattle Simulator, "While I look them up to see if they're in here, you want to look at the list?"
"Sure," Geo replied as he pulled the EMail up and opened its attachment, "That's…quite the list."
"Most them were once NetNavis used by the World Three that became independent when their NetOps were thrown into jail," Kazuma noted, looking at a holographic display on the simulator, "Others were NetNavis that were released by their NetOps or were Deleted by Rock, Roll, or Protoman and then revived with the Dark Power. But the ones that are highlighted in purple on that list? …They were born from the Dark Power."
"Born?" Omega-Xis repeated, Geo looking up from the files.
"It means they weren't made from NetNavis that traded their 'soul' in for the Dark Power, but were actually born from the power itself," Axl explained, "No one made them, no one customized their looks, weren't born from two NetNavis doing the deed after receiving HeartBATCH or SoulBATCH…Nope. They just emerged from the Dark Power itself. Often they were the strongest kinds of Darkloid because of their origins. The only exceptions being four specific Darkloids."
"...What the…?" Geo gasped as he noticed two names on the list, "How the…When did they…wh-what?"
"That's a bit of a touchy subject for our family," Axl admitted awkwardly, looking away from Geo, "But the point is, they overcame it and Nebula Gray was destroyed."
"Well…Good news, bad news. Almost all the Darkloids are available…but there's a lock," Kazuma frowned.
"Not another one!" Axl whined, "What's the lock this time? We don't gotta do shinobi training again, do we?"
"No. It's more esoteric. 'Must conquer a Dark Soul,'" Kazuma replied.
"...Nope!" Axl declared.
"So what's this lock thing about?" Omega-Xis asked.
"It means that while we can run simulations, we can't personally battle them for their BattleChip data," Kazuma replied.
"Oh…"
"But it also means it will be a bit harder to make countermeasures if these do come back or Wizards become Darkloids similar to them, right?" Geo asked.
"Precisely," Kazuma nodded, "We won't be able to test countermeasures accurately for battling them or battling someone that is like them."
"That one looks ridiculous. It's a giant snowball on skis!" Omega-Xis snorted a laugh as he looked at a few of the designs, "And that one's a giant fridge in a scarf and hat! What were people back then thinking when making these guys?"
"Well, the fridge AKA Coldman caused a global-wide blizzard on Earth," Axl replied, "And the 'snowball' AKA Blizzardman turned all of the ACDC Network into a frozen hellscape in less than an hour and kept it that way for several days until TwinLeaders liberated the ACDC Network from Nebula's control."
"You're kidding me about the global blizzard."
"We have the news articles and footage," Kazuma replied.
"...And you're sure it wasn't the snowball?"
"Yes, this was before Blizzardman was born from the Dark Power," Kazuma sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Ice-based NetNavis are a pain in the ass on so many levels!" Axl complained, "We got colds when we fought Iceman and he froze the whole Network for the Water Treatment plant in the middle of the night. Freezeman engulfed the whole Network in glaciers and ice and when we fought him, I had to spend a week defrosting the lower half of my body and then having it be repaired due to all the damage. We got stuck in non-Darkloid Coldman's fridge for several minutes and I regret drinking the soda in there." he shuddered, "Seriously, don't do that."
"...N-Noted," Geo slowly nodded.
"So…Where's your other half?" Kazuma asked, noticing a distinct lack of Sonia.
"She's out training with Ellie under Miyuki," Geo explained, glad for the change in topics, "Hopefully, she'll be back by dinner."
"Guess you made sure Issun couldn't follow," Kazuma noted.
"Mmm…" Issun pouted, his radiation red in annoyance.
"He had gotten into trouble with Omega-Xis, so I shoved them both into the VG Hunter and Star Carrier before Sonia got the message from Miyuki," Geo replied.
"I blame the Gnat," Omega-Xis blamed.
"It was your fault, Baka-Ryu!" Issun argued.
"How was it my fault?!"
"You know what you did!"
"Oh what?! Calling you out on your perverse BS?!"
"I am so sorry for them," Geo sighed.
"Eh, we're sorry you've gotten stuck with Issun," Kazuma replied, "Seen old vids of his small period of being active in the past. Fortunately, he doesn't do this on married women."
"See?! I have standards!" Issun snapped at Omega-Xis.
Geo ignored the two and looked at the files once more, "...Huh? Why does Shademan have this 'WND' on him?"
"Because he, as the acronym says, 'Will Not Die,'" Kazuma replied, "Until Nebula Gray was destroyed, he seemed to constantly revive. He was even hit by the power of a weapon designed specifically to kill vampires…and he still didn't die!"
Geo blinked a few times, "Say what?"
"We have videos of it. It is strange, confusing, and proves the Undernet is a place that acts as a link to alternate realities," Axl spoke.
"Wait. 'Is?'" Geo repeated with a bewildered expression.
"Alrighty! We can at least do some sim watching!" Axl cheered, "Oh! Let's do some Napalmman!"
"No," Kazuma deadpanned, "You always want Napalmman."
"Why not? He's so explosive and awesome and tons and tons of dakka!"
"It gets boring just using him all the time," Kazuma rolled his eyes.
"Blasphemy! That's like saying the RYNO is not the perfect killing machine!"
"I agree with the kid!" Omega-Xis declared, "Bring on the RYNO!"
"...I am so sorry for him," Geo and Kazuma apologized to one another, sharing exasperated expressions.
"Okay…I think I've got a good understanding of you two now," Miyuki nodded as the two girls sat before her, "Alright. I can come up with some good exercises for individual training, kyu. But first, the basics."
"Basics?" Sonia repeated.
"Hai. First is something I want you two to keep at an arms length on you at all times," Miyuki informed, "They are the six essential tools of the shinobi and kunoichi." she reached into her tail and pulled out a baseball cap, "Amigasa. Originally a wide-brimmed hat, it was use to hide one's visage from others and doubled as protection from light. In the modern day, a baseball hat like this is acceptable." she put it back and pulled out some rope ending in a three-pronged hook, "Kaginawa. Perfect for climbing up and down various heights if you cannot Wave Change. But it can also be used to restrain people, seal sliding doors, grab things from a distance, and so much more that I'll teach you two." she put it back in and pulled out three thick sticks of graphite, slate, and charcoal wrapped in a paper bundle, "Sekihitsu. Perfect for taking notes or leaving discreet markings for tracking, finding one's way back, and to warn others. While you could use a carpenter's pencil, you'd also need a blade to constantly sharpen it while these have no need to be sharpened and are always at the ready." back in the tail it went and out came a small medical kit, "Kusuri. The medicine is called worm's killer, and is an essential tool. If you get sick in the field, you will not be able to accomplish your task, so you should carry this with you at all times. Modern technology allows us to carry more medical supplies in the same size as smaller amounts back then." she put it back and pulled out a long three-foot cloth, "Sanjaku Tenugui. You have no idea how vital and important this one tool is compared to any other. It has thousands of uses both known and unknown as of yet." it went back in with more care than the others before she pulled out a strip of striking steel and a strip of magnesium, "Uchitake. It is a tool that allows you to create fire. It can be used to make a campfire, yes, but it is meant for jiyaki, the art of ground burning. You can also use it for arson or other methods where flames are needed."
"A-Arson?!" Ellie gawked.
=Ooh-hoo-hoo~! She's a naughty gal~!= Minor laughed.
"It's meant to act as a distraction to perform infiltration and escape," Miyuki explained with a frown aimed at the VG Hunter on Ellie's arm, "For Kunoichi, we are taught everything that Shinobi are taught…and more."
"More?" both girls repeated.
"Yes. You are going to be trained in the three priorities of the Shinobi: Survival, Travel, and Intel Gathering. But Kunoichi also received more than this. We are taught assassination, attaining information through conversational tactics and our beauty, infiltration, and hiding in plain sight," Miyuki spoke with a small smirk, "Such as being a retired idol or a pair of world-travelling wrestlers."
"Oh~" Ellie awed a bit at that.
=...So you gals fuck to get intel?= Minor blurted out before a fan smack was heard =OW!=
"It used to be a thing, yes. But that has not been a necessity in modern times, kyu. So basically flirting is the limit I'll go to teaching that type of intel gathering."
"I am fine with the teasing since I will admit to doing it for extra ice cream at ice cream parlors, but no one gets the goods unless their name is Geo Stellar," Sonia stated with a firm look in her eyes, her tail flicking as her ears flattened on her head.
"O-Oh my…" Ellie whispered, blushing at both Minor's question and Sonia's statement.
"But that won't be trained on today," Miyuki spoke, earning a soft sigh of relief, "For now, it's just a basic review since I need to work on your training plans."
"O-Of course/Hai," Ellie and Sonia nodded.
=Boo~!= Minor complained before music played =EVIL!=
Ellie muted her VG Hunter, "...Huh…That really does work."
"When is their next match again?" Miyuki asked, "Karai should be better once they have a match."
"Another week before probation ends for good behavior on Aoiro's side," Ellie replied.
"Soka," Miyuki nodded, "Well, at least it will be nice to have a match against her without commentary from Karai."
"Yeah…" Ellie nodded...before muttering a bit, "When you're not locked in one of her leg locks…"
=Mail for you, Sonia= Lyra spoke up =It's from Geo=
"Geo-kun?" Sonia looked at it, "Oh! It has an attachment."
"Well, intel from your boyfriend," Miyuki noted.
"Oh! It's about the Dark Power," Sonia noted, "Seems that there may be a chance that if Wizards use too many, we may end up dealing with them turning into something called Darkloids. The attachment is the files about known Darkloids from 20XX." she sent a copy to Miyuki and Ellie, "Here."
"...This one called 'Laserman' feels like he's more of a puppet than an actual being," Miyuki admitted.
"This one called Shademan is creepy…" Ellie shuddered.
"Urp…" the two looked at Sonia, who was keeping a hand over her mouth as she quickly dismissed the screen displaying the file.
"Misora-chan?" Miyuki asked in concern as Sonia swallowed.
"Ugh…E-Even pictures involving this Dark Power make my stomach feel like it wants to do the tango and throw my breakfast out…" Sonia mumbled.
"...Is it because you're the reincarnation of the Sun Goddess?" Miyuki guessed.
"I think so…" Sonia whispered as she began to calm down.
"You got really bad when that corrupted Wizard attacked the party," Lyra recalled, popping out of the VG Hunter, "You needed Geo to use your brush to break its blade to let the boys deal with it."
"That really happened?" Ellie asked as she looked at Sonia in concern.
"Hai…Shat if…" Sonia paused as she looked at her master, "The Dark Power…or rather from what it came from…was once part of Orochi?"
"Well…We know that the original Dark Power back in 20XX came from this Nebula Gray thing, kyu," Miyuki recalled the video Sonia shared with her, "So maybe the Dark Power we're dealing with is made from Orochi?"
"No wonder you get ill," Lyra noted, "Recall that elder's tale about Shiranui and Orochi? Maybe as Amaterasu, you were bitten and had his poison in you long enough that his indirect presence is having your soul influencing your body to react negatively to Dark Power in general?"
"I hope not," Sonia frowned, "We need all hands on deck for fighting this stuff."
"Indeed," Miyuki nodded in agreement.
=V-Vulpecula is with them…I d-don't want her to continue ruining people's lives…= Frost whispered from Miyuki's VG Hunter.
"It will be alright, Frost-chan," Miyuki assured, gently petting the top of her VG Hunter, "We'll take care of her, no sweat."
=I want a pound of radiation from her, too! Lousy psycho bitch owes me for all her illusion bullshit she pulled on me back on Planet FM!= Minor snarled.
=I wouldn't mind a bit of revenge myself= Major admitted =She was always the most radical of King Cepheus' followers…that and she ruined my favorite meditation spot…=
=You mean sleep= Minor retorted =I know the difference, sis= music played once more =GRAH! YOU SUCK!=
Ellie muted her VG Hunter again, "And that's on mute for five minutes."
"...Maybe we need to do exposure therapy," Lyra suggested.
"Exposure therapy?" Sonia repeated.
"You mean where we introduce what makes her feel sick to her in small bits and pieces until she doesn't get sick all the time, kyu?"
"Exactly," Lyra confirmed, "Maybe when we get home Sonia and I can start it so she can get some positive reinforcement from Geo."
"Good idea," Miyuki nodded, "It's always better to do it where you'll feel safest."
"So long as it's not actually an allergy," Ellie noted in concern.
"...Your brother?" Sonia guessed.
"No. My sister-in-law Clover by mistake," Ellie replied.
"Oh…"
"You know, the more I hear about your brother, the more I'm going to enjoy seeing his reaction to whenever he finally finds you here," Miyuki admitted.
"E-Eh?"
"Well, you can Wave Change and you're being taught the art of the Kunoichi and Oina," Miyuki noted.
"You're also Brothers with a retired pop idol that's the reincarnation of a sun goddess and can Wave Change, a wrestling pro and professional model that can also Wave Change, a former 'criminal' and his NetNavi-turned-Wizard, and the Blue Bomber who saved the planet from three grea threats," Sonia added, wrapping an arm over Ellie's shoulders in a side-hug.
"...True…" Ellie whispered, "Still….he can be very…stubborn when it comes to me…"
"I could always Wave Change and put a block of ice over the upper half of his head to cool him off," Miyuki offered.
"M-Miyuki!" Ellie exclaimed, trying to not laugh at the mental image.
"Maybe soak his head first with a little Deluge," Sonia giggled, pulling her brush out and twirling it.
"S-Sonia!"
Miyuki giggled, "Okay, okay. How about we do a little wrapping up with a bit of a run in our animal forms and then call it a day, ne?"
"Hai," Sonia nodded as she and Ellie stood up.
Two puffs of smoke and a burst of flame later and three animals replaced three human women. Ellie tilted her head as she noticed the mirror on Ammy's back.
"I thought I was just imaging things with that mirror when you changed the first time around me, Sonia," Ellie noted, humans hearing her would have only heard barks.
"No. This is Lyra," Ammy replied, twisting a bit to let the fire-coated mirror move enough to show Lyra in the reflection of the mirror.
"And I still question how…" Lyra sighed.
"And you look very fluffy, Ellie-chan," Ammy giggled, nuzzling the hedgehog/wolf hybrid.
"Oh! Um…Th-Thanks?" Ellie thanked before Miyuki hopped on her back.
"Well, let's go out on a run through the forest. Misora-chan, could you use your Brush Techniques to add ways to traverse when we come across spots?"
"Hai~!" Ammy replied, "It'll be good practice for doing it in this form."
"Huh? But how will you…?" Ellie began to ask before Ammy turned around and poked her with the tip of her tail, leaving ink on her snout, "Ah! Y-Your tail is your brush?!"
"Yeah, we're still trying to figure things out with Sonia when she's like this," Lyra noted.
"Oh…I…I see," Ellie whispered before shaking her head, batting at her nose to try and get the ink off, "...th-this won't stay on, will it?"
"No. It comes off with water or saliva," Ammy replied.
"Saliva?" Ellie repeated before Ammy licked her nose, wiping off the ink, "?!"
"As you can tell, Misora-chan is a bit deeper into being her inner animal than most," Miyuki noted, "As you train in this form, you won't be weirded out by that and may even do it yourself to those you consider as friends or family."
"...That would've been awkward then," Ellie whispered as she shook off the shock, her cheeks a bright pink.
"Eh?" Ammy tilted her head.
"Though to be honest, I think Misora-chan leans more towards dog than wolf most days," Miyuki admitted.
"Hah?! What's that supposed to me…" Ammy began before Miyuki flicked her tail and let a ball come out and sail over her, "BALL!"
"Oh not again!" Lyra yelped as Ammy ran after the ball, barking.
"See what I…" Miyuki began before blinking, looking around to see Ellie nowhere in sight, "...Now where did…"
"BALL~!" Ellie cheered, joining Ammy in chasing it.
"..." Miyuki put a paw to her face and sighed, 'This is going to be a long session.'
"Okay…I am really glad these guys are gone," Geo admitted, he and Kazuma sitting on the couch as the hologram faded, "Especially that Laserman one."
"I do not want to know what'd happen if we got hit by that blue laser of the guy's," Omega-Xis grimaced.
"Same here," Axl shuddered, "What if it takes away all my A-Trans ammo? Kazy and I worked way too long and hard to get all of 'em."
"Honestly, it's Cloudman I'm worried most about returning in some way or form," Kazuma noted, "From what I've read, he's the reason for…" a ringing from Geo's VG Hunter went off, "?"
"It's Ace," Geo spoke, "Browse." A screen popped up, showing Ace on the screen, "Hello."
"Hey, Geo. I tried to call Sonia, but I guess she's still out training with Miyuki and Ellie?"
"She did say they'd be gone for most of the day."
"Blast. We have a situation here at Spica Mall," Ace explained, moving his screen to show officers securing the area with several people lying facedown on the floor beneath white sheets, "It's…not a good scene."
"?!" Geo tensed, "What happened?"
"It's a bit complicated to explain over a call. Get here ASAP," Ace ordered before hanging up.
"Think it could be those DarkCards again?" Omega-Xis asked.
"Maybe," Kazuma replied before snapping his fingers, "Axl."
"Got it," Axl nodded as he jumped into Kazuma's glove.
"Shall we head on out?" Kazuma asked.
"Right," Geo nodded.
"Good. …Because I have no idea where Spica Mall is and I do not want to get lost again because of Axl."
"You got us lost, not me!"
"You should've read the directions more clearly!"
"I did! You took the opposite directions!"
"Wizard Off," Geo deadpanned, making the two pause their arguing and have Kazuma look at him, "...Sorry. Reflex from Omega-Xis and Issun."
"Methinks they need couples counseling," Axl chuckled.
"Oh screw you, ya shapeshifting shooter!" Omega-Xis growled.
"I am perfectly sane!" Issun argued, brandishing his tiny sword and pointing it at the air above.
"Let's just get going," Geo sighed, turning into Megaman as Kazuma became Axl Rod.
"Agreed…" Axl Rod muttered as the two rushed off.
"There you are!" Ace exclaimed as Megaman and Axl Rod materialized from the Wave Roads, "And ya brought our newest partner!"
"Not your partner," Axl Rod huffed, dropping CrossFusion and letting Axl appear beside him.
"..." Axl frowned, seeing the various white tarps on the floor.
"What happened?" Megaman asked.
"Nothing good, I'll tell you that," Ace frowned, "We think it was a rogue Wizard infused with a DarkCard that caused this." he walked over to a tarp, "You may want a trash can near you."
The boys raised a brow at that before Ace pulled the tarp off. Both human males jumped back, seeing a body of what looked to have been a young woman, but her skin was stuck to her bones and looked as if she had been mummified.
"Oh that's just nasty!" Axl shuddered.
"All these covers? Each one has a body in the exact same state," Ace explained.
"...Almost as if…their blood was sucked from their bodies…" Megaman whispered as he looked down at the body, noticing a pair of bite marks on the woman's neck, "...Kazuma, I…may have a hunch on who did this."
"I think I've got the same idea on the perp, Shooting Star," Kazuma grimaced, narrowing his eyes at the bite marks.
"Hmm?" Ace raised a brow at that.
"Even when the Internet was switched for the Wave Roads, he still won't die…" Axl groaned.
=Who won't die?= Acid asked.
"Shademan, a really dangerous Darkloid," Axl replied.
"Darkloid?"
"Monsters born from the Dark Power either from the power itself or from one intaking too much of it," Kazuma summed up, "My ancestors Lan and Maylu fought the one called Shademan before with their NetNavis Rock and Roll. It was…"
"Move!" Omega-Xis barked, ramming the two boys out of the way of a barrage of bats with red eyes slamming down at where they had been.
"My my…I'm surprised you saw that coming," a voice chuckled, making the group tense as they got up and prepared themselves, "And you…you are a descendent of those two insufferable humans?"
"..." Kazuma scowled.
"Perfect…that all but confirms it…" the voice noted as the bats began to convirged together into a figure.
The figure was tall, possibly as tall as Taurus Flame, but rather slender. He wore a dark-blue bodysuit that bled into white as it reached his white talon-like feet with a bulky regal-looking purple armor over his upper body that turned into long sleeves that ended at his sharp, four-fingered hands, his shoulders and where bodysuit turned into armor decorated in gold detailing and decorations. His skin had a pale green tint to it with the whites of his eyes a pale yellow with purple bags beneath them, the coloring allowing his sharp scarlet eyes to be all the more intimidating, while he sported a well-trimmed beard and mustache. Over his head was a purple, angular helmet, with the sides shaped to resemble the ears of a bat with a yellow interior. In a ring on his torso laid a crest of a purple background being 'eaten' by crimson fangs.
"NetNavi?" Ace asked.
"Darkloid," Axl corrected, narrowing his eyes.
"Hm? Those eyes…" the Darkloid spoke, looking at Axl, "Ah…You are their child, aren't you?"
"..."
"Who is this guy?" Ace whispered.
"Shademan," Geo replied.
"Oh? You've told them about me, you two?" the Darkloid asked in amusement, looking at the Hikari boys.
"How the hell are you still alive?" Kazuma scowled, "I thought from the journal Lan left, you were obliterated from the GunDelSol BattleChips and the PileDriver Program Advance and then erased when Nebula Gray was destroyed."
Shademan chuckled, "My grudge against you Hikari and the humans of this world is too strong for hell to claim me."
"So you're the one behind all this?" Ace asked, narrowing his eyes at Shademan as the trio transformed.
"Of course. I was quite hungry after all. Being nothing more than a bodiless mind for two centuries can leave one quite… famished," Shademan replied.
"Tch…" Megaman gritted his teeth at that.
"Why you…Spreader, Slot In!" Axl Rod declared as his right arm/fist became a blocky blaster that he quickly fired, unleashing a barrage of plasma bullets at Shademan, who smirked and backhanded them away, "Ah!"
"BattleCard Predation! BreakSaber!"
Shademan held his hands up and caught the blades of Megaman and Acid Ace in the palms of his hands. He squeezed and the blades shattered, surprising the two, before Shademan's fingers grew out and a red membrane formed between his fingers and up to the insides of his sides. He flapped his arms and a tornado of dark winds erupted from him, knocking the two away with cries of pain and shock onto Axl Rod.
"A pity. I expected something more," Shademam shook his head, "Well, I've filled myself well enough. May as well find a nice little dessert." His body broke apart into bats that flew away, "Until we meet again…"
"Gah…Kuso!" Axl Rod cursed as they untangled from one another.
"Ugh…That felt like I was hit by five of Joker's best attack…" Acid Ace grimaced.
"That felt like a punch from Andromeda," Megaman compared, holding a hand to his aching chest.
"And just think…this guy was a threat 200 years ago…" Omega-Xis growled.
"And was just as strong," Issun nodded.
"We can't let him escape," Axl Rod grunted as he forced himself up, "If he's back…I fear what kind of damage he'll do."
"Didn't he say he was gonna 'find a nice little dessert,' Kazuma?" Axl asked.
"...Shit, he's going to find a girl to drain dry and convert," Axl Rod paled.
"What?!" Megaman and Acid Ace looked at him in surprise.
"Are there any women between our age and thirty that are made of EM Radiation or data?" Axl Rod asked.
"Huh? Um…I'm not su-Ace, why are you turning as white as your armor?" Megaman asked.
"Uh…Y-You're probably wondering why I'm not collapsing as often as I used to when I Wave Change with Acid, huh?" Acid Ace asked, "F-Funny story there…ya see, when you get broken apart by Joker, you're kinda…converted into half EM Radiation in order to be scattered…"
Megaman's eyes widened, "He's going to look for Luna!"
"What?!" Axl Rod exclaimed.
"MOVE!" Omega-Xis snapped.
-linebreak-
"Mmm~That was really fun," Sonia noted, wearing a pink shirt and lime shorts that reached an inch above her knees with her necklace, as she walked beside Ellie, the two carrying a few bags.
"Um…Th-Thanks for helping me shop for some groceries," Ellie thanked, "I had nearly forgotten to get them if you hadn't talked about food on the way back here."
"The one thing I hate about being stuck in here? Can't enjoy food," Minor grumbled.
"I kept telling you to behave so you'd get less probation time," Major reminded.
"Sonia~!"
"Hm?" Sonia's ears twitched as she turned to see Luna walking over, "Oh! Luna-chan! It's good to see you!"
"Gla to see you, too," Luna replied before seeing Ellie, "Oh! Hello there. My name is Luna Platz. Nice to meet you."
"H-hello," Ellie greeted, "I-I'm Ellie Tsukikaze…a pleasure, miss Luna.."
"We met when I traveled to Missouri earlier this month," Sonia explained, "She's an apprentice to Sensei, too."
"Oh? She's being trained by Miyuki as well?" Luna asked before shaking her head, "Ah, this isn't what I was planning to do when I saw you. I was hoping to see you, Sonia."
"Eh?" Sonia titled her head before Luna pulled out a pair of tickets.
"These are tickets for the new exhibit," Luna explained, offering them to Sonia and Ellie, "I hope you'll be able to attend the pre-opening event."
"H-Huh? Um…Wh-Why are you giving me one?" Ellie asked.
"Well, why not? You seem really nice and I would like to get to know you," Luna replied with a smile.
"Oh…well, th-thank you," Ellie smiled a bit.
=Ugh…It's not one of those boring museum exhibits, is it?= Minor groaned before a smack was heard =OW!=
=My apologies for her, Ms. Platz= Major apologized.
"It's not boring, so to speak," Luna frowned at the VG Hunter, "It's an exhibit of Electopia's forgotten past when it was known as Japan. It's honestly appalling to see how much we've forgotten."
'Oh…oh wow. What timing…' Sonia thought, recalling back to her training session with Miyuki and Ellie, "Sounds like it'll be fun. I'm interested in learning more about Japan myself."
"S-Same here," Ellie nodded before Sonia's VG Hunter rang.
"Oh! One moment," Sonia spoke as she looked at her VG Hunter, "An email from Geo-kun. 'Call me immediately.' …Oh, that doesn't sound good."
"When it's Geo wanting an immediate call, it never is," Luna noted, a worried expression on her face as Sonia quickly did so.
"Sonia!" Megaman called.
"Geo-kun?"
"Sonia, is Luna near you?" Megaman asked, "We need to find her quickly!"
"I'm right here. What's wrong?" Luna asked, moving to stand beside Sonia.
"Luna, you are in danger!" Megaman explained, "You need to stay with Sonia and get to WAXA."
"Wait, what?!" Luna asked, her eyes widening in surprise, "What's going on?! Why am I the one in danger?!"
"Because a crazy vampire NetNavi from 200 years ago is wanting to drain you dry from two holes in your neck," Omega-Xis replied.
"Omega-Xis!"
"What? It's the truth."
"D…drain me dry?!" Luna panicked.
"Don't worry, Luna-chan, we won't let that happen," Sonia assured.
"It would likely be best to go on the Wave Roads to get to Waxa," Major advised.
"Good idea," Ellie nodded a bit…yet she was just as nervous as Luna was at the moment.
"You managed to call her?" Axl Rod's voice asked.
'Kazuma?' Luna thought.
"Yeah, Sonia's with Luna."
"Alright. I am so glad I had done these when the alert went off before we met," Axl Rod noted before Sonia's VG Hunter buzzed.
"It looks to be BattleCard Data," Lyra noted, materializing and pulling out some blank BattleCards to absorb the data, displaying an image of a sleek gunmetal gun of sorts in three different backgrounds, "'GunDelSol?'"
"The ultimate anti-vampire weapon. With your Brush Technique, you've got unlimited ammo for it since it converts sunlight into the ammunition," Axl Rod explained, "Unfortunately, I hadn't worked out how to let it keep the Program Advance that would've been perfect for fighting this guy."
'Brush Technique?' Luna thought, glancing at Sonia, recalling her actions at the get together.
"Please, stay safe. All of you," Megaman spoke, "Shademan is powerful…really powerful."
"We will," Sonia assured before the call ended, "...This isn't good. I got queasy from looking at just pictures of these Darkloids."
"Darkloids?" Luna repeated.
"You remember that berserk Wizard and that unusual BattleCard that Issun put the o-fuda on?" Lyra asked, "They're from a source known as Dark Power and they can corrupt those that use them, turning them into beings called Darkloids. Because of a recent power Sonia and I obtained, this Dark Power leaves Sonia sick when it's near her."
"And we were discussing how to help her get over it, too," Ellie groaned as Sonia turned into Lyra Note.
"Kazuma-san said that this uses sunlight to make ammunition…" Lyra Note recalled as she looked at the afternoon light, "...Oh, I'm going to be in big trouble later with meteorologists, but emergencies are emergencies."
"Huh? Mete…" Luna began before Lyra Note cast Sunrise and sunset changed to sunrise, "?!"
"Ano…so…that new power is…kind of a sun goddess's power?" Lyra Note sheepishly explained.
"..." Luna looked at her with wide eyes.
"I swear on my Mama's grave that I'll explain everything to you when we're at WAXA or we deal with Shademan. Whichever happens first," Lyra Note swore as Ellie changed into Canis Trinity, "Better Predate these now than later. BattleCard Predation! GunDelSol 1 - 3!" a trio of blasters appeared in gunmetal, cobalt, and rose colors that she caught and handed the cobalt to Luna and the rose to Canis Trinity, "I have no idea what this can do, so don't shoot unless you see that Darkloid."
"..." Luna inhaled before exhaling slowly, "Alright. I'll hold my questions in until after we're in a safe place."
"Y-Yeah…" Canis Trinity nodded, holding her blaster close as she cautiously looked around the area..
"Okay, it's best we go on the Wave Roads," Lyra Note spoke as she put her back to Luna, "Hop on my back, Luna-chan. We'll get you to WAXA as fast as we can."
"Right," Luna nodded as she got on Lyra Note's back before the two Wave Changed humans hopped onto the Wave Roads and ran off.
-linebreak-
"From what we watched on the Battle Simulator, Shademan is a tricky opponent," Megaman noted as the trio shot down the Wave Roads.
"Until he was slammed with the Piledriver from Django and Rock working together, he was immune to all attacks except for those fueled by a DarkChip," Axl Rod explained as he recalled Lan's journal on how they weakened him.
"Django?" Acid Ace repeated.
"Solar Boy Django."
"You're kidding me. That old franchise?" Acid Ace asked in disbelief.
"The Undernet is full of unusual things," Axl replied.
"I have the BattleChips needed to form the Piledrive Program Advance, but we'll need to keep him distracted long enough for me to use the actual thing," Axl Rod explained.
"We'll give you that time," Megaman assured.
"We'll cover ya, buddy," Acid Ace added as he held up his blaster.
Axl Rod nodded, "Now we just need to find the damn bat bastard."
"Why do you think we've been leading?" Omega-Xis asked, "I managed to memorize his signal." he narrowed his eyes, "Tch. Looks like he's heading in the direction of WAXA."
"Can he sense beings that are partially transformed?" Acid Ace pondered.
"Who knows?" Axl Rod frowned, "All I know is that this freaky vampire is going down."
Luna sighed as she sat on a bench in the deeper parts of WAXA HQ, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to process it all, "Okay…so you…" she gestured to Sonia, "...are actually the reincarnation of a Goddess that revoked all her powers just so she could reincarnate in order to experience life as a human. But your past life's past came back to haunt you by the living embodiment of evil coming by with some of your power. You didn't know what it was, fought it, and ended up breaking the container it had and ended up absorbing the power you lost."
"Uh-huh," Sonia nodded, sitting across from her.
"And there are other gods-your past life's kids-that you have been finding either hiding or having to fight to purify. And they all give you powers that you can only use with a brush and ink," Luna pointed at Sonia's brush, "But your body transforms each time you are given these powers which is why…" she gestured to Sonia, her necklace off to show off her full height and figure, "...you look like a runway model that had an Amazoness for an ancestor."
"Yes," Sonia nodded.
"And right now, that very evil is attacking you indirectly through proxies that are currently putting their energy into BattleCards that corrupt any who use them and let alone touch them and you getting that ill at the party was because those DarkCards' very presence affects you negatively," Luna finished.
"Uh-huh."
"Right. …Anything else I'm missing?" Luna asked.
"Um…I can turn into a white wolf with red markings that only a few people can see."
"...Because of course you were that adorable wolf of Geo's," Luna groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, "What else? Just…Just let it out now so I can scream later."
"Um…Geo-kun's been absorbing the techniques from the Fudegami's children and he's kinda like me now? And we, um…well…" Sonia blushed.
"...When?" Luna asked.
"We admitted a few weeks ago and, well, escalated only a few days later?"
"..." Luna facepalmed, "I knew you two were close, but already having sex after barely oficially dating?"
"Mm…" Sonia whined a bit as she looked down, a bit of a blush on her face.
"Are you at least using protection?"
"O-Of course! Though…w-we do end up using a whole box when we do…b-but I'm also taking birth control pills!" Sonia assured, "W-We're not ready for anything from it yet! Not until the troubles going on right now are handled!"
Luna shook her head with a sigh.
"...Y-You're not mad, are you?" Sonia asked.
"No, just…a bit disappointed that I didn't try harder," Luna admitted, "I'm sad I wasn't the one who got to Geo first, but I'm honestly glad that it was you and not someone else."
"..."
"But still…this helps relieve me of some of the worries you two gave me at the get-together," Luna spoke, "Especially with your bad reaction to that berserk Wizard hopped up on that Dark Power."
"T…true…" Sonia whispered as Luna sat beside her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Seriously, though, you should show this off more," Luna suggested, "We do need someone to show off some of the outfits at the special early access event at the exhibit. You could easily earn the attention in one of those."
"Ah! Uh…I-I'm not sure…" Sonia blushed.
"Oh come on. It's like the outfits you wore before you announce your retirement earlier this year," Luna pointed out.
"Mmm…" Sonia blushed harder.
"I'm sure it'll make Geo really wild in bed~"
"?!" Sonia's ears and tail shot up as a puff of steam came out of her ears.
'Hah gotcha,' Luna smirked at Sonia taking the bait. "My time away, I learned that boys can be very eager for certain things…like girls with animal tails and ears."
"Geo-kun is really good with his fingers when it comes to scratching them…" Sonia admitted.
"I mean when it comes to mating. Like the tail being wrapped around them or a little…"
"Please stop! I act weird when I get….in the mood…"
Luna giggled, "Alright, alright. Still…you think you'd be up for modeling for the event?"
"...Okay, okay," Sonia caved in, "I'm not going to be the only one for them, will I?"
"Was hoping to ask that Ellie girl. Bud's already agreed to showing some of the male wear," Luna replied.
"...Hmm…Maybe I could ask sensei if she could assist as well," Sonia muttered as she scratched her chin in thought.
"Oh, that'd be amazing!" Luna beamed.
"Glad to help," Sonia giggled, her tail wagging a little.
"...So…how is Geo in bed anyway?"
"Ack! L-l-l-luna-chan~!" Sonia whined, her blush returning as Luna laughed until Sonia grunted, holding the side of her head, "I-Ite…"
"Sonia?" Luna asked in concern.
"Ugh…" Sonia groaned, "I…I think he's close…hurp!" she covered her mouth and swallowed back the bile, "Ugh…"
Alarms began to go off and Ellie ran in, "B-Bats! Big swarm! Very big!"
"Bats?" Luna repeated before the lights suddenly turned off, "?!"
"Sonia!" Lyra called as she popped out of the VG Hunter.
"Ugh…G-Gotta w-wave change…" Sonia groaned.
"R-right!" Ellie nodded as she quickly changed into Canis Trinity, both Kuro and Shiro appearing right next to her.
"Finally some action!" Kuro groaned out as she stretched a bit before she noticed Sonia's condition, "...hey uh…is she alright?"
"Did you not listen to them earlier?" Shiro frowned at her sister, Luna helping Sonia to stand, "The Dark Power seems to have a negative effect on her health."
"Ngh…" Sonia grunted as she struggled to stand.
"Well now…seems my presence alone hinders the so-called Goddess of the sun," Shademan's voice echoed, making the girls tense up, "He was right on going after the women. I can't wait to see Hikari's face when he and the new Megaman catch up. Oh and for the ones called Aoiro and Karai…" his voice spoke as gold bars were dropped before the twp, "...his bonus for a great job. I suggest you take it and leave or I make a dinner out of you both."
"..." Shiro just frowned in response as she stood ready.
"Tch. Much as I'd like ta just leave…" Kuro huffed before scowling, "Like hell I'm leavin'!"
"Karai?" Core pondered.
"If anyone's gettin' the bodacious figures here it's gonna be me!" Kuro declared, pointing at the ceiling, making Core and Shiro facepalm.
"I am so sorry for my sister, Ms. Platz," Shiro apologized with a sigh.
"Just stand back and let the pros handle the creep, Ms. Torpedo Tails," Kuro grinned as she cracked her knuckles, "Ellie, you better take note of how we fight if we're fighting together…Otherwise next time we fight in the ring, I'll get very…handsy~"
"Ah! R-Right!" Core nodded, readying the GunDelSol.
"GH! That gun…" Shademan hissed, "Where did you get that infernal…It was the Hikari, wasn't it?"
"Oh, ya don't like this gun, eh?" Kuro sneered.
"If the bats are any indication, it's obvious he's a vampire," Shiro pointed out.
"Well…" Kuro began as she took Core's blaster..and aimed at a side of the room, "EAT HEAT BITCH!" she laughed as she pulled the trigger, causing a bright ray of light to fire..and brighten up the entire room, "GAH! FUCK!"
"Too bright!" Luna exclaimed as she covered her eyes.
"Gh…" Sonia looked into the light, blinking a few times, 'Huh…I…I don't feel ill…'
"EYYYAAARGGGH!-!-!-!" Shademan's voice screeched, "That infernal gun!"
"Huh…Kazuma was correct in these being the perfect weapon to fight you with," Shiro noted, her visor tinted to act as sunglasses before firing a blast of lightning, hitting a bat and sent it crashing through a wall, transforming into the Darkloid.
"Gh…blast you…!" Shademan hissed as he dug a claw into the wall, smoke coming off of him as he glared at the girls.
"Blame him; he probably wants you to lose." Shiro informed him.
"Oh?" Shademan smirked. "You think you understand him…I see darkness like his…and you haven't seen anything I can do yet."
"Blah blah die now." Kuro spoke as she fired off again, her visor quickly forming this time to avoid the bright flash of light.
"Come on!" Shademan declared before suddenly a gold kanabo smashed into Kuro and Shiro's heads, slamming them into the ground, making a large crater., "?!"
"What the…?" Luna gasped before looking at where the kanabo had been thrown.
Emerging from a hole in the wall was a man who looked to be in his twenties, grinning widely to show several fangs in his mouth. His body was sleek yet showed a hefty amount of muscle to it wearing a dark-blue and dark-gold yukata with flame designs going up the right side. The left half of the outfit was unworn, showing off the left half of his upper body along with the intricate tattoos on the arm while his wild red hair sporting a pair of horns growing out of the top.
"Oi, Shady...run…"
"You tell me to retreat?!"
"Mission….cleared….The boss calls…." the man replied as he held his right hand out and the kanabo shot out and went right to it, "Your matsuri can continue later."
"Matsuri?" Sonia repeated, "...Are you…one of Vulpecula's allies…?"
"Kitsune…failure…Oya-san…end her matsuri."
"?!" Sonia tensed.
"Wh-Who are you?" Lyra asked.
"Hm? Ore wa…Shuten-doji," the man replied, "I…love…the matsuri."
"...This isn't over," Shademan hissed at them before swinging an arm out, unleashing a blast of black-tinted air that knocked Canis Trinity into Sonia and Luna and sent all five to crash against a wall.
"Ooh! Really wanna have…matsuri…with you," Shuten-doji chuckled before slamming his kanabo down, making a sliding wooden door appear beneath them that slid open and dropped them into the shadows within before it closed and vanished.
"...Oh this isn't over…" Kuro scowled…currently stuck underneath the pile of girls as she glared at where Shuten-Doji was, "I'm gonna kill him."
"Girls, we're here to save….." Megaman started as he, Acid Ace, and Axl Rod arrived.
"Yeah…good job. We're totally saved…." Shiro growled, feeling a massive headache.
"What happened here?" Acid Ace asked as they helped the girls up.
"That Shademan guy attacked!" Luna explained before turning to Axl Rod and smiled at him, "Your BattleCards were a big help! He seemed to be hurt a whole lot when he was hit with them!"
"Ah! It…It was nothing," Axl Rod assured, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"Hmm…as a reward, How about you and I go out to eat?" luna smiled.
"...Eh?!"
"Well I don't know if Shademan might come after me and I need a bodyguard. Geo's taken or am I not fun to be around, Kazuma?"
"Umm umm…ano…."
"Oh boy…" Megaman sighed as he helped Sonia to stand, a worried expression on his face, "Sonia, are you…?"
"...Geo, there was someone else who appeared…and…and he said Vulpecula is dead."
"She's dead?!" Omega-Xis gawked.
"So is he her replacement?"
"No…but they might know," Sonia pointed at Canis Trinity Kuro and Shiro.
"I've never seen that man before," Shiro replied.
"But sounds like they work with the guy who hired us to attack the sexy wolf idol," Kuro added, earning a slap upside the head by Shiro, "Ah! Bitch, I will end you and let a kappa rip your soul out your ass!"
"Well, glad to see you've been paying attention to the yokai stories Issun tells," Shiro noted.
"...Interrogation?" Acid Ace suggested.
"If they keep this up." Sonia sighed
"No need for that," Shiro noted, "Honestly, we've told you everything we know about who hired us that we knew. Called himself 'Jorogumo,' wore a cloak that hid everything we could use to identify him."
"Actually, Sis, if ya looked closely, you woulda notice he was wearin' what looked like an old fashion mask that resembled the face of a spider, but upon closer inspection, it had this mechanical appliance to the area his mouth should, be implying he can't speak our language thus using his mask as a translator," Kuro suddenly revealed, making Shiro blink, "...What? I can be observatory!"
"Observational," Shiro corrected.
"Oh screw you!"
"No thank you," Shiro replied.
"That will make things difficult," Acid Ace noted as he, Megaman, and Axl Rod dropped Wave Change, "But good eye on the details, Karai."
"Oh, and from his height…I'd say he's a highschooler with white hair….oh and a preference to avoid coffee-related foods."
"Where did you get that from?" Shiro asked, more astounded by this side of her sibling
"His manner of speaking implies he's close to the hottie doggie and her boyfriend's age; also if you recall, I had black coffee and he slapped it out of my hand but coolly acted like he wanted my full attention, letting me get a small glimpse of his hair under that hood," Kuro grinned.
"...Who are you…and what have you done with my sister?" Shiro asked, feeling a bit scared.
"..." Core pulled out a swimsuit calendar with the cover being a group photo of the female wrestlers in their organization.
"MINE!" Kuro shouted, pouncing at it, missing when Core moved it away and let her crash into Omega-Xis and Axl.
"GWAH!" both shouted.
"...And the balance is restored…" Shiro muttered, facepalming.
"Oh fuck you…" Kuro groaned from within the pile.
"GAHH!" Shademan screamed as wooden stakes nailed him to a lab table, "What is the meaning of this?"
"It's a reward for amusing my dear old friends Ammy and Megaman," Jorogumo spoke as Karusu tended to Vulpecula's cocoon. "Also thanks alot for making me confirm Hikari's bloodline is around. He's going to be….a hassle; but good news, I'm gonna upgrade you so that gun don't hurt….if you survive this, that is"
Shademan chuckled, "This pain is nothing compared to the torments the Hikari, Sakurai, and that damn Solar Boy laid upon me centuries ago…nor of the endless darkness I endured in that device."
"Oh I know. I can feel your pain…and trust me; I can make that pale to what I'm gonna do to you…" he said,, taking out a cracked black orb oozing with strange energy "...If you have any last words…say them now."
"Your words mean little to me on the meaning of pain," Shademan replied, "Bring this test of yours upon me! I will endure and become something greater! You will know me as the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven and I will bathe this world in the darkness I was born from!"
"I'll hold you to that….but don't invoke Nobunaga, he can pop unexpectedly," at that, the orb shined and blasted Shademan, making the Imps wince at the blood curdling scream as Shuten-douji ate popcorn and he and Jorogumo watch as Shademan turn into data and seemingly was deleted.
"His Matsuri ended?"
"No. He's tenacious," Jorogumo replied as the hovering data forced itself back together, "...prepare the Darkloids for reconstruction. It works..." he said as the orb's cracks….healed, "So you next…" he looked towards an imposing figure that was pitch black with pale neon blue grid-like designs all over its body with a blue visor as its sole feature on its face…with a pair of arching 'spikes' curving out of its back, "...I remember you from another time. Let's see if you're just as dangerous and commanding as him."
"Yeesh…Even when it's behind all that glass, you can still feel the darkness it gives off," Axl shuddered as the group stood in Dr. Goodall's lab, the DarkCard sealed up in a reinforced glass case with several cables connected to it.
"It's honestly startling on how our systems can't pick it up on any scanners," Goodall noted, grimacing as she motioned to several computers showing different scanning programs all showing nothing on the DarkCard.
"Yeah, that was the thing with DarkChips, too," Kazuma noted, "They actually give off an anti-signal that basically cloaks them from all manner of detection outside of the feel of them."
"Ooguh…" Sonia groaned as Geo helped her stay up, "I don't feel good…."
"Huh…They only have negative effect on users. You're acting like their Kryptonite…Did they modify them…?"
"Maybe it's from different sources," Axl suggested, "Remember the old stories Mack told us? Amaterasu as Shiranui was once 'killed' by Orochi's poison. Since these are likely made from Orochi's Dark Power…Sonia's soul is reacting negatively to it as phantom pains from the poison?"
"Sh-Shoot me…" Sonia gurgled.
"Huh?!" Geo gawked as Sonia managed to pull out a GunDelSol BattleCard, "Uh…"
"Hmm…" Omega-Xis ate it and spat out the gun, "Alright."
"Wait, what?!" Geo freaked as Omega-Xis shot her, "Ah! Bright! Very bright!"
"Warn a guy, ya Baka-Ryu!" Kazuma barked, rubbing his eyes.
"What? She asked," Omega-Xis huffed as Luna and Ellie smacked him with paper fans, sending his head into the trash can nearby, "Gah!"
"Sonia, why did you ask that?!" Geo asked, blinking away the spots.
Sonia stretched a little, looking healthier, "I think these guns have a positive effect on me."
"Huh?"
"Oh! It's because they use pure sunlight, right?" Luna realized.
"Hai," Sonia nodded a bit, "It feels like I'm normal when I get shot by one…which is weird if you think of it outside of the context."
"...ok fair point," Luna muttered.
"Still...At least we know what to use when Sonia's feeling…ill from the Dark Power," Ellie stated.
"I say we use if for ourselves," Karai spoke, the sisters allowed back to their human forms.
"You're only saying that because you want to summon a dark flaming dragon…" Aoiro pointed out.
"With flaming wings!"
"No. Absolutely not," Kazuma scowled.
"But it'd be awesome~!"
"Yeah…and your sister would cry because you'd be dead."
"Hah?!"
"Did…Have you not been paying attention to anything we've discussed?!" Aoiro demanded her sister.
"I was tuning out and was thinking how to make Ellie's boyfriend my fuckbuddy…."
"...she what?" Ellie blinked, "...K-Karai, can you come over here real quick?"
"Huh? Oh sure. Whatcha…"
*WHAM! CRASH! CRUNCH!*
"MY MAMORU!" Ellie barked, her tail and ears popping out as she glared down at the half-buried Karai, her rear sticking up in the air from the hole in the reinforced flooring.
"Ugh…Ellie…that just turns her on and makes her just want to try harder…" Aoiro sighed.
"Anyway no one is using these. We are going to find a way to destroy them…again," Ace said as everyone but him saw the DarkCard flare in darkness as if hearing his words.
"Umm Ace…"
"Fair warning, old guy…" Kazuma spoke
"O-Old…?!"
"DarkChips had the ability to appear in Folders of those who were developing Dark Souls, meaning they have a bit of sentience to them," Kazuma warned.
"...umm guys…" Omega-Xis spoke up.
"What?"
"Duck!" he shouted as dark lightning blast through the glass, but not breaking it, as everyone dodge.
"I thought it was contained!" Geo yelped.
"It was! I didn't expect a blast of lightning! " Goodall explained before one nearly hit Luna and she blocked it with her VG Hunter, sending her flying back.
"Ah!" Kazuma yelped, jumping and managing to catch her before they hit the far wall on the other side, "Ugh…Y-You alright there?" he asked as the lightning stopped.
"I…I think so…" Luna replied, both of them opening their eyes.
"Ah! M-Ms. Luna!" Vogue panicked as she floated over with Axl running up beside the Wizard.
"You guys alright?" Axl asked, a worried expression on his face.
"What…no electric jokes or something?" Kazuma asked.
"Absolutely not when it comes to something like this," Axl replied before blinking a few times, "Huh…Uh…Vogue, are you a magic bunny?"
"Huh? Um n-no…" Vogue replied, "I like watching magic shows, though."
"Ah…" Axl nodded before looking down at Luna's VG Hunter…which had changed to resemble the head of a king cobra in shades of purple and dark-green, "...Um…Dr. Goodall? We may have an issue then."
"What?" Luna asked before…
"Where in the name of the king am I?!"
"Gh?!" Lyra and Omega-Xis tensed as they looked at the altered VG Hunter.
"Ah! Wh-Who said that?" Vogue asked, going into the VG Hunter before zipping back out and behind Luna, "Eep! S-S-Snake!"
"...Well…This is not good," Ace summed up.
GT: Happy Halloween, folks!
SZ: Hope you all enjoyed this rather spoopy chapter! Also as a heads up, next chapter…will probably end up being exclusive to A03, aka Archive of Our Own.
GT: Eeyup. But don't worry, folks on FanFiction, we'll make sure the chapter after that will have a small recap of anything important that happens.
SZ: Yup…and to help explain why a certain snake is back once again. So until next time folks…read and review!