Chapter 24: Proxy war
05:03 AM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 14th…
"… This is the place, Star Man?"
"No doubt about it, Desert Man…"
"My blades are eager for a campaign…"
"I'll be first and be rewarded!"
"Shut up, Spark Man…"
"Are you asking for a fight!?"
"If you behave like that, those morons will beat you!"
Star Man brought Desert Man and Spark Man to somewhere.
Those two were arguing with each other, to Star Man's annoyance.
"Well, well. Sand Man is back in NYC!"
"Less humor. Let's show them what strength is about…"
"The power of stars? Puny! Compared to the power of the Universe!"
Swallow Man, Yamato Man and Cosmo Man appeared there.
"Lion Head!"
"Swallow Cutter!"
Desert Man shot the "Lion Head", but Swallow Man counterattacked.
"Spark Waves!"
"Thousand Spears!"
Spark Man shot his electrical bolts, but Yamato Man stopped them.
"Meteor Shower!"
"Cosmo Gate!"
Both made objects rain down, cancelling each other.
Cosmo Man noticed something and jumped away.
"Damn! Almost there!"
"Fridge Man joins the brawl!"
"Cold Man! Moron!"
Cold Man had tried to crush Cosmo Man with his compact form.
He hit the floor instead, and Swallow Man laughed at him.
"What are you doing here!? Weren't you fighting "Zoan" Flame Man!?"
"Who cares for some moron!? I'll beat these and become an executive!"
"What nonsense are you talking about!? There's no ranks amongst us!"
Star Man lashed out at him, annoyed at his nonsense.
"Too bad, Mole Man! I can smell you!"
"Gravity Hold!"
Swallow Man laughed as he dodged Gravity Man's attack.
"Another moron!? What happened to your appointed battle!?"
"Override orders. Eliminate all obstacles to becoming an executive…"
"Again!? There are no "executives"! We all serve Lord Shade Man!"
"I can tell your malice, swordsman!"
"Sword Press!"
Yamato Man dodged Sword Man's stabbing attack.
"Don't tell me that…"
"I shall be the one and only executive!"
"… Wait. Are these fakes set up to incite us to fight each other!?"
Star Man became skeptical.
"The timing is too good, and all of them acting stupid is odd, too…"
"Bravo, Holmes!"
Swallow Man made a mock applause.
"Men! Get out of there! Something's coming!" Freeze Man ordered.
The trio cancelled their actions and escaped at once.
"What is coming!?" Star Man gasped.
The others didn't pay heed because they were busy fighting each other.
"Iceberg Press!"
"Lion Head!"
"Gravity Hold!"
"Spark Waves!"
"Sword Press!"
"Fine! Have it your way, morons!"
Star Man escaped from the scene as well.
A piece of music rang out.
They stopped, surprised.
A familiar chuckle echoed.
"The mighty director, Video Man, directs this grandiose end!"
"Video Man!?" They all growled.
"I shall be the only executive ever!"
"That throne is ours!" They all roared.
"Try beating THIS!"
"What the hell is that!?"
"Meet the Executor, the mightiest Star Destroyer of the Empire!"
"What in the…!?"
The shadow of the colossal spaceship loomed over them.
"By the way. This is the Imperial March!"
"As if we cared!"
"Become prey to these turbo-laser cannons!"
Huge, green laser beams rained down.
They were bigger than any of them.
Desert Man, Gravity Man and Spark Man were wiped out by them.
Sword Man and Cold Man escaped from the area.
Craters formed across it.
"This is where we become executives!?"
"I'll beat you to it, Vegetable Man!"
"Silence! Savage!"
Plant Man and Burner Man appeared next.
"Welcome to your untimely annihilation!"
"W-what in the…!?"
"Deletion!"
They were hit by those huge lasers and were wiped out, too.
"Those fools! I'll outsmart all of them!"
"Same!"
Flash Man and Beast Man also arrived there.
"What's this!?"
"Your doom, my fellows!"
"You damned traitor!"
"It's called being 100 steps ahead of the rival! Bye!"
They were easily wiped out as well.
"Check it out! The throne of executive will be mine!"
"In your dreams, sparkling dust! Max output!"
"IMPOSSIBLE~!"
Bright Man came there, motivated.
But he roared when he was hit by the laser and deleted.
"Let's see… Out of 15, 6 left, including myself!"
He chuckled.
"But "Lord" Shade Man sure is careful…"
"Naturally! Because we'll stop you instead!"
"You damned traitor!"
"Well, well. Fridge and Cerberus are back for more!"
Sounds of a scuffle rang out at Video Man's end.
"Too bad, though. I can do this!"
"What!?"
"Input emergency code! Code 444!"
Roars rang out along with two explosions.
"The self-destruct code! 4 are left! Me included!"
He laughed.
"When I take them out, I will become Lord Regal's representative!"
"I knew it! I'm going to warn His Grace!"
"Go, Starry! Become a star!"
"You'll pay for this!"
05:33 AM (Japan Time)…
"… What!? Video Man is a traitor!?"
"Yes! Regal gave him a ship to take out everyone else, sir!"
"REEEGAAAALLL!"
"You called for me? Shade Man – kun…"
"YOU BASTARD!"
"You knew that this would happen, anyway…"
Star Man kneeled and reported to Shade Man.
He stepped and opened his wings, enraged.
Regal's voice echoed, further enraging him.
"But taking you out that easily would be a shame, really…"
"You don't say!" He hissed.
"Why don't we settle the score of 3 years ago already?"
"What?"
"Out of the way…"
A bulky figure covered in a cloak appeared behind Star Man.
It kicked him away and he landed on the stairs.
"You bastard!" Shade Man hissed.
The figure threw away the cloak.
"Laser Man!"
"Indeed…"
Laser Man stood there.
"I can never tell which is which!"
"Fool… I am an extension of His will…!"
Laser Man swept the right arm across the air, drawing a green line.
The throne shattered into pieces behind Shade Man.
He wasn't impressed.
"Noise Crush!"
"Cross Laser!"
Their attacks mixed and exploded together.
"I remember your moves! You won't catch me unaware!"
"Same over here…"
Star Man recovered and raced down the stairs to place distance.
"I'll take out the traitor at the very least…!" He muttered.
He crossed his arms, thinking.
"Fight poison with poison! I can also play proxy war, too!"
He escaped from the area.
"Red Wing!"
"Fool…"
"As always! Becoming a hologram to run away!"
Shade Man became a bat colony and tried to attack the foe.
However, he was replaced by a hologram instead.
"I never said that I would play nice…" Regal laughed.
"Bastards! Always relying on proxies!"
"Same applies to you. Relying on those pawns…"
Shade Man hissed.
"Die! Regal!"
"Bring it on, fool…"
07:02 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Man! The feeling of power! This is what an "executive" is about!"
Video Man laughed as he leant on a throne.
It was built inside of the ship's command bridge.
Normal Navis acted as the crew.
"I guess that Lord Regal will take care of Shade Man…"
He rubbed his chin, amused.
"As for Starry… All in due time!"
"There you are. Time to settle our score, too!"
"What!? Who!?"
"Charge Shot!"
"Devil!"
A voice rang out behind him, surprising him.
A blast of energy hit the throne, breaking it.
Video Man jumped off it and took up a fighting stance.
"A blue bug has come to hinder me!?"
"I see. You really don't have memories of back then…"
"As if I cared! I am Lord Regal's representative!"
"Perfect. Then we'll have you confess his whereabouts!"
"Wait! You were on His blacklist! You're Rock Man!"
"I feel praised!"
Rock Man was there, aiming his Rock Buster.
He wasn't surprised by Video Man's attitude.
Video Man signaled him with a finger, hissing.
"Whatever. A human puppet cannot defeat me!"
"Soul Unison, Blues Soul! Slot In!"
"What's that!?"
"Something beyond your comprehension!"
Rock Man activated the "Blues Soul".
He drew a Long Sword and charged energy there.
He shot a powerful spiral of wind forward.
It hit Video Man, and he was propelled towards the viewing windows.
"Ridiculous! How can that cosplay be that strong!?"
Rock Man didn't bother, warping and reappearing right before him.
"Rock Man! A huge energy signature is coming!" Netto warned.
"Let's get out of here, then!"
"OK!"
"What now!?"
Video Man groaned and recovered, jumping back to the platform.
He noticed a green glow drawing closer.
He turned around and looked upwards.
All the color left his face, and he was horrified.
"T-t-t-that's…!"
A huge energy beam cut through the whole bridge.
"LORD REGAL! WHY!?"
He was deleted along with the whole bridge.
The beam continued and hit the ground, opening a huge hole.
The huge spaceship lost control and began to fall.
It stabbed the ground at high speeds, breaking upon impact.
The mole dropped along the ground, forming a depression.
"There is always a bigger fish, Video Man… Good work out there…"
Regal's voice laughed.
"That's… The "Death Star"!?"
"Come on! Regal! How exaggerated you are!"
Rock Man reappeared at some distance from the crash site.
He looked at the skies to see the huge planetoid.
He fumed.
"It has been a while, gentlemen!" Regal laughed.
"… I see. You used Video Man as bait to lure us out!" Netto hissed.
"What better bait but your biggest fear?"
Rock Man clicked his tongue.
"Once I'm done with Shade Man – kun, I shall be coming for you, too…"
"We feel praised!" Rock Man shot back.
"I don't like leaving loose ends that'll come hinder me…"
"Such as Yuriko, which you meant to take out from the start!"
"Indeed. I am careful. Unlike Wily!"
The planetoid vanished and the area became silent.
Save for the sound of fires burning across the wreckage.
"Let's go report before he uses that to hit the others!" Netto urged.
"Agreed…!"
Rock Man left as Star Man became visible.
"Damn you, Regal!" He growled.
07:37 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Bubbles! Are you alright, Lord Shade Man!?"
"Managed to shake off that stupid puppet, somehow!"
"What do we do next!? Bubbles!"
"Strike Regal at their hideout!"
"I have the coordinates and secured the machines! Bubbles!"
"That's what I want to see!"
Shade Man snarled as he leant against a wall somewhere.
He had half-open wounds across his body and face.
Bubble Man laid on his fours, making a reverence.
Shade Man was clearly annoyed, and Bubble Man gulped.
"Where is the bastard!?"
"As Flash Man said, the jerk has a huge base in Jawaii! Bubbles!"
"I take it that you have the coordinates!"
"Naturally! Bubbles! I intercepted their transmissions!"
"Fine. Time to use this!"
He formed a "Dark Chip".
It activated and the "face" formed behind him.
He absorbed it and his wounds quickly healed.
"I didn't want to rely on Regal's toys, but I need to be at full strength!"
"Yes, sir! As you order, sir!"
"Ready the machines! We're going to war!"
"Right away! Bubbles!"
"Stick out your neck, Regal!"
12:45 PM (Jawaii Time), Tuesday August the 13th…
"… We will deploy the B Team on this front to reinforce A Team…"
"Excellent. A pincer attack…"
"If the militia doesn't surrender, we take them out…"
"Naturally. We gave them a chance. It's their decision…"
Opoulos and Platinum were holding a meeting.
A map of a battlefield somewhere was displayed onscreen.
It illustrated the intended maneuver to encircle the adversary.
"Found you, Regal! DIE!"
"What in the…!?"
Shade Man appeared onscreen, roaring.
"That's Shade Man, no!?" Platinum gasped.
Before Opoulos could say anything, the ground rumbled.
A yellow "hole" formed on the ground before them.
A "Dimensional Converter" emerged and climbed upwards.
It ignited, emitting its trademark hum and glow.
"This is Emerald! An attack by a "DC"!"
"This is Sapphire, on the heliport! Same!"
"It's me, Pearl! Viruses on Block C!"
"Diamond reporting! A tiny Navi is shooting water at us!"
"How!? Didn't Dr. Clark set up jammers to prevent this!?"
"As if I'd know! Ask him!" Emerald grumbled.
"REEEGAAALLL!"
Shade Man's roar rang out from nearby.
"CRUSH NOISE!"
It was followed by the sounds of destruction.
"What in the world is this fuss!?"
"Another human puppet! Where's Regal!?"
"You're Shade Man!? What in the world is going on!?"
"That's what we'd like to know, Mr. Freeze Man!"
"I'll act as a decoy and pull this fool away. Run to the shelter!"
"Alright!"
The duo used the chance to escape.
A scuffle was going on at the eastern end of the corridor.
Freeze Man yielded his blade and Shade Man stopped with his right wing.
"REEEGAAALLL!"
"Fool! This isn't Regal's base!"
"As if I care! I'll lure them out!"
"The hunter becomes the hunted, Kranos Opoulos…"
"Regal! You bastard!"
"No need for pretenses. We both know that the smartest wins!"
"Shit!"
Regal's voice rang out from the speakers next.
"Where's Dr. Clark when you need him!?"
"I remember! He went to the islands to bust a surveillance system!"
"Shit! Regal! He aimed for this timing!"
"Let's evacuate!"
"I know!"
12:53 PM (Jawaii Time)…
"… Emergency! Emergency!"
"What!? When!? Where!?"
"Cancelling VR Training!"
"Isaac! What the heck is going on!?"
"An attack!"
"For real!?"
Nelaus was sitting in a chair recreating that of his plane's cockpit.
He had his helmet on and was operating the mockup controls.
An alarm blared and he snapped out of it.
"It's that Shade Man vampire that was in the files!"
"That was meant to be our next training target, too!"
"Don't worry about the vampire, young Jack…"
"What!? Who's there!?"
He unbuckled the seatbelt and jumped off the flight simulator.
Regal stood next to the door.
His wrists were clasped behind his body.
"You're Regal!"
"Indeed, young Jack…"
"… Suit yourself…"
"I see that they trained you well. As expected of that insidious man…"
"Whatever. State your business!"
"I simply meant to remind you that you're not invincible…"
"As if I didn't know that already!"
"I didn't mean to tell you, but Clark…"
"Then tell him yourself!"
"That wouldn't leave such a strong impression…"
"Are you playing psychological warfare next?" Isaac grumbled.
"In a sense…"
"Don't bother hitting the man. It's a Copy Roid!"
"Naturally! I didn't expect them to be that careless!"
"I feel praised, young Jack…"
Nelaus was about to say something, but he contained himself.
"Well? Did you meet Lieutenant Pliskin yet?"
"I won't confirm but won't deny either. Use your imagination!"
"Bravo. You can now stand court and defy that swordsman…"
"I fail to see the correlation between each!"
"Ask Clark to introduce you to Turnabout Trial 5…" He chuckled.
"I don't need to!"
"I see that the mighty hero is following the breadcrumbs trail, too…"
"What? You've lured someone here apart from the vampire!?"
"You'll soon see if your strength is as almighty as you think it is…"
"I never said that…!"
The Copy Roid reverted to a default state and its core exploded.
It broke and dropped to the ground.
"The jerk wasn't kidding. A Navi appeared outside the firewall!"
"Can't be helped. Let's buy time until Dr. Clark returns…!"
"I know. Our first real battle…!"
