Chapter 8: Bold and sudden

14:04 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday July the 23rd…

"… "Zoan" Number Man!"

"You summoned me?"

"I have a mission for you!"

"Excellent!"

An unidentified figure was talking to "Zoan" Number Man.

Like other "Zoanoaroids", his color palette was different.

"… Here is the data…"

"I see. I will fight this Net Navi…"

"I need more data on what they can do…"

"I know! "Zoan" Dark Man!"

His fellow conspirator stepped into the light.

He was about a meter and ninety tall.

His head, covered in a glass dome, emerged from a neck-guard.

He had yellow eyes without irises.

His mouth and nose were covered by white bandages.

He wore a purple half-open cloak over his body.

Two large "horns" emerged from his shoulders.

The center of the cloak had his army emblem drawn on it.

The legs were dark brown.

His feet ended in a triangular extension.

"Then go!"

14:19 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Number Stick!"

"Battle Chip, Long Blade! Slot In!"

"Long Blade!"

"Dice Bomb!"

"I kick it back!"

"Devil!"

Rock Man was battling "Zoan" Number Man atop a half-erased tower.

The "desert" that covered the city extended as far as the eye could see.

"Zoan" Number Man tried attacking with the stick.

However, Rock Man used his Long Blade to block it.

The foe dropped dice on the ground, but he kicked it back at the source.

It exploded right before the foe's face, startling him.

"Why, you…! Pesky brat!"

"Heard that a billion times by now. So much for "Zoanoroids"…"

"I'm the brains of the army!"

"Really. And not the buffoon?"

"What the hell is that?"

"Use an encyclopedia, Mr. Brains…"

"I don't need to! My newest algorithm…!"

"Is outdated. Ran out of use 31 years ago…"

"Ridiculous!"

"Is that there's to you?"

"NO!"

The foe roared and "Bestialized".

"I'll bite off your limbs! One by one!"

"Cleanse your teeth! Ice Cannon Ball!"

He flung the projectile inside of the chest mouth.

It froze him from the inside, stopping his movements.

However, a group of bats suddenly surrounded both.

"Bats!? Shade Man!?"

"Wrong, blue Net Navi of "Beyondard"!"

They flew higher into the sky and combined.

"Zoan" Dark Man became visible.

"Another "Zoanoroid"!?"

"Indeed! For I am "Zoan" Dark Man!"

"It's a new foe, like that "Zoan" Punk. Careful there!"

"Killer's Beam!"

He shot a beam at the tower.

Rock Man jumped away into another tower.

The beam shattered the roof and "Zoan" Number Man fell inside the hole.

Rock Man quickly tried to locate the foe, but it was out of sight.

A white "portal" opened to his right and a giant claw emerged.

He jumped off the tower to dodge it, landing on a ledge.

"Flame Towers!"

The foe reappeared before him and forced Rock Man to jump away.

"Killer's Beam!"

He predicted his next move and destroyed another ledge.

"Jet Vernier!"

He used his jets to hover.

"This guy is different. It's smart!" Rock Man hissed.

"Alright. Time to use our wits, too!"

"Ice Rays!"

The foe's body switched to an ice blue color.

Energy slices and shards of ice flew for Rock Man.

"Heat Body!"

"Killer's Beam!"

The foe quickly switched to yellow and shot the beam again.

Rock Man cancelled the jets and dropped for the ground.

He ignited them a couple of meters over it and flew away.

The colony of bats chased him, though.

"You can't escape!" The foe claimed.

"That's to be seen…!" Rock Man muttered.

He headed for a half-buried two-story building.

He landed atop it and quickly searched for the foe.

The bats surrounded him and hampered his movements.

They reformed into the foe, which laughed.

"Dark Shadow!"

He formed an axe, which flew for Rock Man.

"Guts Punch!"

He used that powerful punch to bounce it away.

He noticed something behind him and jumped to escape.

The giant claw closed around empty air.

"It's relentless!"

"Don't give up! Justice Cannon!"

"Reinforcements? Matters little. I can do the same…"

Davis came in to help Rock Man.

"Come! "Zoan" Guts Man!"

"Here I am!"

"Zoan" Guts Man looked smarter than "normal" Guts Man, even.

"Guts Hammer!"

"Rock Man! Handle that one. I'll deal with the plotter!"

"OK!"

"Plotter? I am a strategist!"

"Whatever!"

"You must be the famed "Synchronizer"… You shall be ours!"

"Some crap that Twilight stuffed them with, I see!"

"Probably to make them persistent and restless!"

"No surprise!"

"Soul Unison, Guts Soul!"

"What!?"

"Mega Guts Punch!"

"Guts Soul" Rock Man punched "Zoan" Guts Man on the face.

He was knocked out of the roof and into the sand.

He gasped as he began to sink on it.

"Quicksand!?" Rock Man gasped.

"Devil. We're lucky that we didn't step on it!"

"Or so you thought! Area Steal!"

"Devil!"

Rock Man jumped into the sky as the foe returned to the rooftop.

He hit it with the Guts Hammer.

It collapsed and he fell inside.

"Who built a nest of Bestialized Viruses here!?"

Sounds of a scuffle ensued.

"Get off me! Morons! Guts Hammer!"

"Chaff will fight chaff…"

"… "Zoan" Dark Man! How dare you make me through that!?"

"Only one of us shall become the representative of the Army!"

"Zoan" Number Man made it there, full of wounds.

His accomplice scoffed, unimpressed.

"Then solve it between the three of you and leave us alone!"

"As if we would! We will defeat "Falzer" with this!"

A familiar giggle ensued.

"Monokuma!" The defenders growled.

"Who!?"

"Your sponsor, my chaps!"

"Sponsor…?"

"Monokuma" appeared on the ledge of a higher building.

"The battle royale for control of the "weapon" has begun!"

"And we shall be the winners!"

"Falzer!"

"I am "Zoan" Snake Man! The "Synchronizer" shall be ours!"

"Zoan" Snake Man appeared on another ledge, hovering over it.

He was surrounded by a legion of "Roy Hawk" Viruses.

"Go!"

The Viruses swarmed everyone on the ground.

"Guts Punch!"

"Justice Punch!"

"Dark Shadow!"

"Guts Hammer!"

"Number Stick!"

They were forced to fight their way out of the assault.

"Snake Buster!"

The foe moved next to them and shot his guns at them.

"Snake Bite!"

He hid inside of the jar and flew for Rock Man.

"Guts Punch!"

"Why, you…!"

Rock Man punched him and stunned him.

"By the way. THAT is the "Synchronizer"!"

He signaled the "Monokuma".

"What!?"

"Don't you feel an aura of malice from it?"

"Now that you mention it!"

"Then it shall be ours!"

"Not so fast!"

"Zoan" Dark Man became bats and escaped the rush of Viruses.

"Zoan" Snake Man hissed and chased him.

"Hold it!"

"Zoan" Guts Man gripped the jar and pulled it down with both hands.

"Number stick!"

"You bastards!"

"… Let's use the chance to scram…!"

"Sure…!"

Rock Man and Davis used the chance to escape the area.

"Zoan" Guts Man and "Zoan" Number Man were beating their rival.

"You are ours, "Synchronizer"!"

"What? Why did it turn into this!?"

Not even "Monokuma" expected that turn of events.

He ran up the outer wall of the tower to try to outrun his pursuer.

"The hunter becomes the hunted… Fitting for you, Clark…"

"Not you again!"

A bulky Navi covered in a cloak and hood stood on the rooftop edge.

It was looking down at "Monokuma", chuckling.

"You're a cornered bear…" They taunted.

"Gungir…!"

"Slow!"

"What!?"

The cloaked Navi extended the right arm forwards.

A thin laser beam shot out and pierced across the bear.

He dropped from the wall, but "Zoan" Dark Man caught it.

"We have the "Synchronizer"!"

"Or so you thought!"

A figure flew across the air and snatched the bear.

"I, "Zoan" Sword Man, will bring it to Lord Falzer!"

"Zoan" Sword Man held the bear on his right hand and laughed.

"Damn you! Killer's Beam!"

"Spiral Swords!"

The two heads behind him detached and combined.

They spun clockwise and deflected the beam.

"How petty!"

"Have fun with our toys, too!"

More "Roy Hawks" appeared and assaulted "Zoan" Dark Man.

"Victory for us…!"

"Monokuma" self-destructed without previous warning.

The blast took out most of the right arm.

"What!?"

A giggle rang out.

"Too bad! That was a dummy!"

"Why, you…! Do you dare to defy us!?"

"Sure! Because I'm not the weapon, but your maker!"

"Nonsense! Lord Falzer is our maker!"

"Your own script backfires on you, Clark…"

The bulky Navi laughed, his voice echoing.

"Shaddup! Why the nerve of this punk come from the Wild West!"

He formed a Count Bomb and flung it at the Navi.

He merely lifted the right arm and shot the beam to intercept it.

"Monokuma" appeared behind him, yielding a chainsaw.

He swung it for the Navi, but it became transparent.

The bear couldn't stop his impulse, tripped with the edge, and fell.

"Mine!"

The giant claw gripped him and "Zoan" Dark Man laughed.

"Victory is ours!"

"Fools…"

The cloaked Navi shot the beam at the bear.

It detonated, destroying the claw.

Some fragments flew for "Zoan" Dark Man.

He became a bat colony and reformed higher in the air.

"I'm fed up! Solve it yourselves!"

"Damn it! A chance to seize victory…! It's your fault, Falzer!"

"As if it would! You suck at it, Greiga!"

"Killer's Beam!"

"Great Sword!"

"Snake Bite!"

"Guts Punch!"

"Dice Bomb!"

14:39 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Let devil bite me! An imposter!"

"Imposter? No! I am the strongest!"

"What you want!?"

"Surrender the "Synchronizer"!"

"As if I knew what that is! Fake!"

"Silence! I am "Zoan" Quick Man of the Greiga Army!"

"This jerk is nuts!"

Quick Man was trying to shake his "Zoanoroid" counterpart.

"We were living quietly and this jerk had to come annoy us!"

"It was smart! Hiding it in plain sight! But it's over!"

"Again! I dunno what you mean!"

"It's pointless to pretend! "Beyondard" Net Navi!"

"Maybe this one of those "Neo Gospel" nutjobs?" Hayami hissed.

"Wrong! I only serve the mighty Lord Greiga!"

"Whatever!"

"Zoan Boomerang!"

The foe detached the boomerang on the forehead.

He flung it for the "real" Quick Man.

"Curse Shield!"

He used the shield to block it.

"Quick Boomerangs!"

He shot several boomerangs in a row.

He swiftly moved behind the "real" Quick Man.

"V-Sword!"

He flung down the right arm and struck with the weapon built there.

The "real" Quick Man hissed and jumped away.

"The speed values are way higher!" He hissed.

"Is that all!? Net Navi of "Beyondard"!"

"Save me the crap!"

"Woody Towers!"

"What!?"

"Wood Man!?"

"Been a while…"

"Saloma!"

Wood Man appeared there and surrounded the foe with the towers.

Saloma contacted Hayami, who was surprised.

"How did you find us?"

"The MOS has a radar to detect these foes, the "Zoanoroids"…"

"Impressive!"

"I had Wood Man scout the area and saw that you needed help…"

"… No time to play cool. Our survival is at stake!"

"We'll talk about the rest once we make it out of this!"

A familiar giggle ensued.

"Naturally!" Saloma sighed.

"If isn't Lame Quick Man who was caught off guard by Tarou!"

"You mean Cut Man? Don't remind me of that!"

"Monokuma" appeared there, giggling.

"Who's that, anyway?"

"Believe it or not, the leader of "Neo Gospel"!"

"What!?"

"Or, rather… His avatar to avoid coming out in person…"

"Well! Can't expect a hermit of the mountains to know me!"

"Monokuma" giggled and scratched the back of his head.

"Hermit? Sure, sure…"

"Did you know? Hermits meet tragic ends at the hands of their lovers…"

"How dramatic! Must've pulled that from some movie!"

"Lovers? Sure, sure…" Saloma fumed.

"Well. Not like I cared, anyway…"

"Naturally! You only care about parodies!"

"I feel praised!"

"I'll turn you into charred wood, fool!"

"Reinforcements? How convenient…"

"You're late, "Zoan" Spark Man!"

"Had to shake off two annoying pests!"

"Zoan" Spark Man made it there, equipped with flamethrowers.

"Tsunami!"

"What!?"

Wood Man formed the tidal wave, and it crashed down into the foe.

The foe was washed away and Wood Man jumped for them.

They tried to ignite the weapons, but they didn't work.

Wood Man punched the ground.

A huge wooden pillar emerged and stabbed the foe's back.

The foe was propelled skywards.

"We have superior numbers!"

"More of those!?"

"Zoan" Sword Man appeared there.

"Objection… Explosion!"

"Another interloper!?"

Shadow Man dropped there and flung a fireball at the newcomer.

It hit his back and surprised him.

"Anyway. The "Synchronizer" is a lie by that teddy bear over there…"

"What!?"

"Because that thing is the weapon that you seek!"

"Not again!"

"Catch it!"

"I won't allow you, Falzer!"

"Same! Guts Punch!"

"Good timing, "Zoan" Guts Man!"

"Zoan" Guts Man joined "Zoan" Quick Man next.

He punched "Zoan" Spark Man to stop him.

"Zoan" Quick Man quickly moved behind the bear.

"V-Sword!"

"HOW!"

The bear groaned as he dropped to the ground.

"Zoan" Quick Man grabbed it and ran away at top speed.

"… Is it a good idea to allow them to…?" Hayami whispered.

"It's a lie to make them fight each other. Don't mind it…"

"Alright…"

"Let's pull out before more of them come…"

"Roger…"

"I'll go poke the bear, too…" Shadow Man chuckled.

"Damn it! The thing exploded!"

"You damned Falzer! You tried to trick us!?"

"That's what I'd like to say! You damned Greiga!"

"Zoan" Quick Man growled, clutching his missing right forearm.

"Zoan" Guts Man growled at "Zoan" Spark Man.

"Make Shadows!"

He produced a flash and generated "shadows".

They attacked both "Zoanoroids" and they had to fight back.

"Can you best your own selves?" "Zoan" Spark Man laughed.

"DAMN YOU!"

"This is heating up!"

"And chilling, too. Ice Cannon Ball!"

"What!?"

Shadow Man flung the projectile at the bear and froze him.

"Victory for Falzer!"

"Zoan" Spark Man stabbed his spears there and escaped with it in tow.

Shadow Man shrugged, unimpressed.

"Chaff will fight chaff!"