Chapter 27: Spotted! Spy!
07:39 AM (Japan Time), Friday July the 11th…
"… Damn them! Video Man!"
"Shade Man – sama? Did you call for me?"
"I did. Now listen: I've got a mission for you."
"Command me!"
"Bubble Man's been bringing me battle data and all but I feel dissatisfied at how easily Beast Man fell. I need more info on Rock Man and those new abilities! Record them and then flee! That's an ORDER."
"Roger, Shade Man – sama."
"Speak with Bubble Man to figure out the guy's location. Don't get engrossed: just record, produce something to keep them busy for a few seconds and come back here."
"I understand, sir! I won't be as stupid as Beast Man."
"Prove it."
"Roger, sir."
Video Man had been summoned by Shade Man to be granted a mission: Video Man bowed while Shade Man was calm.
"Use these!"
He produced two "Dark Chips" and tossed them at him: Video Man picked them and grinned before warping away.
"… Sonic Blade!"
"Spark Whip!"
"I'm the strongest!"
"I'm the ultimate!"
"By damnation! Sword Man and Spark Man AGAIN?" He growled.
"Shade Man – sama." Flash Man called out through a radio link.
"Flash Man! Put some order! Tell Plant Man to stop Spark Man! Plant beats Elec!" Shade Man grumbled.
"Please leave it to me."
"Do it!"
"… Hypnosis Flash!"
"Uack! Ugh… Huh…!" Sword Man gasped and then sounded like he'd suddenly fainted.
"Rose Needle!"
"Uack! Paralysis! What the fuck are you doing?"
"Shade Man – sama ordered us to stop you." Flash Man replied.
"We're just abiding by his orders." Plant Man added.
"Wha~t?"
"Spark Man! Behave!" Shade Man growled.
"Yikes! S-Shade Man – sama! R-roger!"
"Someone split them into two rooms!"
"Leave it to us." Flash Man affirmed.
"Move it, you savage." Plant Man dully commanded.
"Says the fucking screwing jerk…!"
"Grurh… I'll remember… this!" Sword Man grumbled.
"Damn it! Twilight! You lowlife want us to destroy each other before we could think of striking you lowlifes, huh? Wait and see! We're not over yet: this is just about to begin!"
Like last time around, Cloud Man had been spying from the outside.
Heh, heh, heh. That's what ya think but ya are but a pawn! Heh, heh, heh!
08:02 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Wind Cutter!"
"Stop this rampage. Go home."
"Rock Man! So you showed up: as schemed!"
"Sure, sure. Video Go Home."
"Wha~t?"
"Blu-Ray and DVD have come to replace you."
"NO WAY~!"
"Way."
Video Man began to attack Internet City as if hoping to draw Rock Man out and he sure did it but Rock Man was unimpressed: he and Netto merely taunted Video Man.
"Damn you~! Wind Cutter!"
"Slow. My turn. Elemental Cyclone, Netto – kun!"
"Battle Chip, Elemental Cyclone! Slot In!"
"W-what's THAT?"
Rock Man began to spin around his axis as he formed air currents which drew countless green leaves into it to gain mass: the cyclone moved forward and hit Video Man several times in a row: Video Man groaned but then Rock Man landed a kick on his forehead to push him into the ground and he drew the Sigma Sword.
"W-what's that ridiculously HUGE blade?"
"The Sigma Sword. It's come to tell you you're fired."
"No way!"
Rock Man lifted it up and began to load energy into it before hitting the floor with it: the energy sent Video Man flying.
"Uwa~h!"
He landed, hard, 10 meters further south and somehow got to his feet but Rock Man had warped there and tried to hit him with the sword after loading up energy again and spinning towards the left to try to hit him with the flank.
"Tapeline! Fast Escape!"
He formed some intercrossing tapelines to hinder him as he warped and appeared right behind Rock Man.
"Wind…!"
Rock Man suddenly lifted the blade and let it fall behind him to hit Video Man's forehead and momentarily stun him: Rock Man used the window to load up further energy and hit the floor with the sword to open a crevice from which a stream of reddish energy flowed out drawing spikes as if it was a radio signal: it got a higher spike shape when it reached Video Man and inflicted burns on his body: Video Man gasped but then found Rock Man falling from the sky towards him with the sword ready: the lateral hit landed on his neck and the blow sent him flying to crash his back against one of the buildings: he groaned.
"There. Had enough?" Rock Man calmly asked.
"Video Go Home!" Netto grinned.
"Damn you~…! What the heck is that thing…?"
"Something you "Darkloids" will never decipher." Rock Man taunted back without being surprised or impressed.
"Wha~t?"
"And if you were expecting me to panic then think again: I've grown a lot ever since 3 years ago on the mall. Or maybe you don't remember that and how Shade Man deleted you afterwards because you'd been cooperating with "Nebula"…"
"No way! Shade Man – sama did that?" He gasped.
"I knew it: Shade Man tolerates him because he didn't remember his "betrayal" of 3 years ago." Netto muttered.
"But! I've got a new ability myself!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Playback!"
"Huh? What's that?"
"Playback! Playback! Playback! Playback!"
Video Man held his tape out and formed several copies of Rock Man with the Sigma Sword which began to grow in numbers and surrounded the original Rock Man who gasped.
"I've been recording your hide ever since the battle began! All the moves you've done until now will be repeated by them! And I can multiply them to the infinity too! Mwah, hah, hah!"
"… Video copies… Netto – kun! Heavy Shake & Elec Sword!"
"Roger! Battle Chip, Heavy Shake!"
"What are you gonna do? HMPF! Whatever you do is… USELESS!"
Rock Man simply placed the Heavy Shake on the ground and jumped atop it while the copy Rock Men began to try to hit him with their imitation Sigma Swords but failed.
"Battle Chip, Elec Sword!"
Rock Man hit the Heavy Shake with the Elec Sword and an expanding magnetic shockwave wiped out the whole of the copies: Rock Man calmly looked up.
"I got told by Omega that Twilight once produced "gelatin soldiers" using this ability and how he defeated them so I remembered. Video-tape is extremely weak to magnetism in case you'd forgotten." Rock Man told Video Man with a challenging glare.
"Oh heck! Shade Man – sama will have my neck!"
"It ain't our concern."
"Hmpf! Did you know what? I've invented a motto!"
"What motto?"
"… "Spotted! Spy!"…"
"That's a joke taken from Pocket Monsters: there's a different theme for each type of trainer which spots you. And you claim of having invented "spy" trainer class." Rock Man wasn't impressed.
"Heh, heh, heh. Oh by Lucifer and Zeus! Didact – dono!"
"What! Twilight? Where?"
Rock Man glanced around but Video Man sneered and warped away: Netto grumbled and Rock Man shrugged.
"Guess he only wanted the battle data but that'll teach Shade Man that we won't make it easy unlike back then."
"Sure."
"Mwah, hah, hah. So! You're about to date Bloody~ Shadowy~?"
"Sigma. Stop babbling nonsense in public."
Rock Man fumed as Sigma showed up behind him while grinning and kidding as usual: he landed back into the ground.
"SIGMA! MESSING UP THIS EARLY ON THE MORNING?" Vadous snapped over his radio band.
"Huh! Boss! Eh… Well… No, not really, but…"
"Get moving and try to find any more data on the Hind "A" the Net Police confiscated! We need to try to get an idea of the island's location: "110 km SSW of Honolulu" and "volcanic island" don't suffice because there are a lot like them in a 30 km radius!" Vadous ordered.
"Roger… Man. Nobody's in the mood for some jokes today or WHAT?"
"Don't ask me! Just move it and NOW. The sooner the better! Sigma!"
13:40 PM (Honolulu Time), Thursday July the 10th…
"… Program Advance! Here we go~!"
"Oh yeah! Program Advance!"
"Flame Punch, Triple Slot In!"
"Flame Hook!"
"Hmpf! Diamond Shield!"
"Oh crap!"
Isaac was training with Freeze Man: he tried to attack him with a Program Advance but he suddenly formed a transparent round shield with his crest imprinted on its center: the attack on it only made Isaac bounce off and he had to recoil.
"Diamond Blade!"
He formed a sword that had a transparent blade with countless particles shining inside of it: grinning, he quickly ran forward while Isaac formed a Long Blade and a Wide Blade to block the assault: Freeze Man cut through them and aimed the sword at his neck.
"So?"
"Area Steal!"
"Classical." He amusedly muttered.
Isaac tried to attack with the earlier Program Advance but, when he hit Freeze Man, he only broke an ice sculpture which seemed to have been using some optical effect to pass off as Freeze Man: Isaac wasn't surprised and quickly formed a Met Guard shield to try to block off Freeze Man's new attack from behind: Freeze Man cut through it and hit Isaac only for a cloud of smoke to ensue: a chibi doll dropped into the ground and Isaac bombarded Freeze Man with as much as 10 shuriken shot one after the other without breaks: Freeze Man groaned and collapsed into the ground while Isaac formed the earlier Program Advance: he hit Freeze Man's back and opened a wound there but Freeze Man simply stood up.
"Heh, heh, heh. Were it so easy!"
"Huh? What?" Nelaus wondered.
"Crap!"
Freeze Man suddenly thrust his blade backwards and cut through Isaac's right hip to hit the Navi flesh beneath it: Isaac winced but suppressed his exhale of pain: Freeze Man then formed a prism of ice around him with several spikes protruding out of it: they shot out and began to bounce on the ground and in the air against invisible obstacles: they formed a cage of spires moving everywhere and greatly limiting the range of Isaac's movements: Freeze Man then turned around and drew a bluish circle beneath Isaac.
"Ice Stage!"
A pillar of solid ice rose into the "sky" and Isaac gasped when it stopped 10 meters over ground level: it suddenly became but steam and he began to fall down.
"Ua~h!"
"Heck! Battle Chip, Air Shoes, Flame Sword! Double Slot In!"
The Air Shoes slowed down his fall and Isaac quickly drew a Flame Sword as Freeze Man showed up in front of him and tried to punch him with his right punch: Isaac swung the Flame Sword and cut off the right hand but Freeze Man quickly regenerated it up again.
"Were it so easy." He challenged.
"Heck. No wonder he's the Field Commander. Cosmo Man was strong but this guy…!" Nelaus whistled.
"Don't give it up yet."
"Roger!"
"Come!"
"Alright, Danna!"
"Program Advance!"
"Program Advance!"
"Corn Shot, Triple Slot In!"
"Corn Party!"
"Diamond Shield! Huh? What!"
Isaac surprised Freeze Man by aiming towards the sky first but then he suddenly jumped into the ground and shot it at his legs: the consecutive 16 explosions which damaged his legs momentarily stunned him: Isaac dropped from above and hit his right shoulder with an Elec Sword: Freeze Man growled as he got electrocuted and collapsed: Isaac jumped away and remained in a fighting stance while Freeze Man tried to get back to his feet yet he lost balance and collapsed.
"Huh…! That was a splendid battle, Isaac…! I hadn't had one in a very long time… Heh, heh, heh…" He chuckled.
"Whoa. We won… This was what, the 5th attempt? We always fell short at some point or another… That Diamond Blade sure is terrific for any opponent…" Nelaus whistled.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh… If you've come this far… Then… Those guys will run into trouble when they have to face you…"
"Really? The Net Police, you mean?"
"Yes… We purposely made the rebuilt Darkloids weaker to give them a sense of confidence and of quick victory: they'll be confident in settling it in one or two blows but… Then they will know they've run into trouble and that they'll have to rebuild all of their strategies."
"Cool." Isaac grinned.
"You really think on ahead!"
"Of course: that's how plans are made. By thinking on ahead…!"
"I saw it too. Very impressive. You two. You're rather worthy of the title."
"What title, Twilight – senpai?"
"The title of "Darth"…" He sneered.
"Well. I don't know what that is but it sounds cool." Nelaus seemed to grin in the real world.
"Soon enough those "Darkloids" will have fulfilled their roles… Let them go as wild as they want and be deleted in a foolish manner… They are but Cyber World residues… Heh, heh, heh."
"Residual Man strikes from the NNE!" Anaya's voice rang out.
"My lady…! That was… it wasn't fun!" Yoru Yami complained.
"Tee, heh, heh. So the outdated Count Dracula will be told to go collect lilies and built a lilies castle~?"
"That wasn't original or funny either." Nelaus muttered.
"Maybe this will do? "Fry frying"… Tee, heh, heh."
"Vincent's mottoes are stupid to begin with." Isaac groaned.
"But the little Miss withstood them perfectly… Tee, heh, heh."
"We knew that, my lady."
"Alright! Send those guys to cause some turmoil and then provoke Shade Man into attacking Vadous… Let's see what they'll do this time around with the guy: maybe they'll finally delete them."
"It wouldn't surprise me if he thought that'd be the faster way to end the "conflict"… I'll take care of spreading the incentive to operate alone to the "Darkloids" and incite them to hit some targets…" Twilight thought aloud and trailed off as if thinking.
"Target a targeting target!"
"That wasn't original either…" Freeze Man complained.
"You know Anaya – sama. When she gets in the mood then… Trouble."
Well! Soon Nelaus and I will be able to test those guys… Heh, heh, heh!
