Chapter 3: Prophetess
15:34 PM (Japan Time), Saturday June the 7th…
"… Well, Needle Man?"
"Checked the area. Found a bunch of Navis in an odd state…"
"Odd state?"
"Their HP had dropped to 1 point and were out cold…"
Needle Man reported to Yuriko.
She was hiding behind some crates near a warehouse.
"Weren't they used as batteries for "Dimensional Converters"?"
"But didn't those things deplete all HP and delete them?"
"Maybe Regal improvised them to repurpose the abducted Navis…"
"I see. Refill their HP and reuse them…"
The PET beeped.
"A call from Miyabi!"
"Connect it…"
"Yuriko. I have found something…"
"Knocked out Navis at 1HP?"
"That, too…"
"… "Too"? What else did you find?"
"A huge "Black Bomb". It's over 100m tall…"
"Ridiculously huge!" Needle Man gasped.
"Where?"
"Inside of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building…"
"The virtual one, I take it…"
"Naturally. It's inside of the central section…"
"And how come nobody else has noticed that?"
"It's disguised as the main pillar…"
"I see…"
"If this thing goes out, it might take out a big bunch of Cyber Tokyo…"
"Assuming that it's real and not a dummy…"
"I did consider that, too…"
Yuriko quickly checked her surroundings.
"I'd say that we monitor it for a while…"
"Agreed. Don't want to come close to it… Right, Shadow Man?"
"Sure… A small bomb is one thing, this is more like a nuke…"
"As for me, I'll scout this warehouse and leave…"
"Fine. See you…"
She ended the call and drew a flashbang grenade.
She flung it inside of the warehouse from a broken windowpane.
It detonated, but nothing else happened.
She put distance from it and hid behind another warehouse.
A vehicle turned on and its engine hummed.
Something broke through the garage shutter.
An excavator machine emerged, having a spinning cylinder attached to it.
It had several spikes over its surface.
"It means to crush anything on its path, I take it!"
She headed towards the edge of the port area.
She jumped into a water bike and ignited it.
"Time to scram!"
She sped away from the area.
The excavator broke through another warehouse.
However, several explosions happened beneath it.
"It must've crushed ammunition or fuels and ignited them!"
The explosions damaged the underside of it.
Fire ravaged, and its engine exploded as well.
"Regal sure bothered with a fancy stunt…"
"It's the same man who tried to drown that kid in sand…"
"True. Using that Desert Man brute…"
She sighed and shook her head.
"Can't speak much better for myself. Tried to take out that kid, too…"
"We all did stupid things…"
"I know…"
"Speaking of water bikes. What about that cave thing?"
"Someone is using it from time to time, but we dunno the who yet…"
"Maybe it's related to these "Rama" folk?"
"Wouldn't be strange…"
She followed the coastline until she reached another warehouse area.
Workers were transporting materials from trucks to them.
"Let's go further north and head to the next area…"
"We should see what to do about that huge nuke, too! Yuriko!"
"I know! That infamous man!"
15:51 PM (Japan Time)…
"… But, yes! Despite often appealing their presence…"
"They never do anything and don't show up… Is it?"
"Yes, Ms. Ward. Feels like a new form of teasing or bullying…"
"It does sound like it, true, Ms. Tamashita…"
Two people were meeting in a small office somewhere.
Two teacups were set on the table.
One of the persons was a woman on her mid-30s.
She had long, blonde hair.
Her eyes were blue.
She had reading glasses.
She wore a green shirt, a long skirt, stockings and heeled shoes.
She had a notebook where she was writing down notes.
"But maybe she wants to create that impression…"
The interlocutor was a teenage girl.
She had blue eyes.
Her hair was orange.
She wore a green sleeveless shirt, jeans, and black boots.
A black purse was hanging from the chair's back.
"And then show up in person?"
"It might be a wild idea, but…"
"One can never discard the possibilities…"
"True. It's an insidious character, after all…"
"I did ask some questions, too…"
"And?"
"That tale about the upper girls' school of Kyoto was a lie…"
"I knew it. She'd never make it past the entrance exams…"
"She changes names and faces, jumping around…"
"Must act like the boss of a women's hoodlum group!"
"Possibly. Maybe dressing like one…"
"With long skirts and carrying a razor inside of the sleeves…"
"Well. That's a trope, doesn't necessarily have to be the case…"
"True…"
Tamashita crossed her arms.
"Also. I did also have my devices checked, and found that app…"
"That fake wiretap app… A new form of scam, clearly enough!"
"Or maybe it's someone with perverted intentions…"
"Wouldn't be strange…"
"There's no harm to being careful about things…"
"Roger!"
"That apart, I see that high school life is going smoothly insofar…"
"Yes, yes! I did pass the mid-term exams with good grades, too…"
"Wonderful…"
"And I entered the literature club, too…"
"Knowledge makes one smarter and refined…"
"Refined? I like the sound of it!"
"It's a must when you become an adult, my dear…"
"Then I'll gain more knowledge and show them my intelligence!"
17:17 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Well, Dave? Did you find something in your patrol?"
"Nothing major. A couple of hot-blooded students having a brawl…"
"No surprise…"
"But when they saw a Yakuza-like man emerge from a pub…"
"They ran away…"
"It wasn't the real deal, but a hardened construction worker…"
A young man and his Navi were talking inside of a small office.
He was about a meter and eighty tall.
He could be in his mid-20s.
His silver, messy hair formed bangles before his forehead.
His irises were blue.
He wore a navy-blue overcoat with a silver belt keeping it closed.
He had black leather trousers.
He wore white sneakers.
He also had a black and orange piece of armor over his right arm.
It also had protection over the right hand.
He carried a silver and brown PET.
Its emblem was a golden cross.
"… Well. If it works to stop those kids from doing stupid things…"
"I know…"
"This isn't the 80s and brawls aren't to look cool…"
"Sure. They were because folk were bored and needed a pastime…"
"Before the advent of videogames…"
The Navi was about a meter and eighty tall.
His irises were chestnut brown.
His face was shaped after a man on his mid-20s.
His helmet was red.
The golden kanji "seigi" ("justice") was drawn on the forehead.
His chest's armor was brown.
His emblem was the golden cross, surrounded by a silver edge.
He had a blue sleeveless vest over his chest.
His black arms had brown stripes running down their faces.
His forearms had gray armor over them, and a red dome inside each palm.
The legs had green patterns drawn over them.
He had silver boots with golden edges.
"By the way. I saw the Golden Surfer…"
"Cosmo Man?"
"Was arguing with Yamato Man about Shinjuku…"
"What's wrong with Shinjuku?"
"They smell that Regal is plotting something there…"
"Wouldn't be surprising… Freeze Man pulled a stunt there, too…"
"But more than them…"
"Maybe we should worry about interference from "Rama"…"
"Wouldn't be strange if they show up to poke at us…"
They heard a bike stop outside.
"Speaking of the devil…"
"They came in a Yamaha motorbike…"
Both rushed past a meeting room and into a corridor.
Someone was climbing up the stairs.
Davis, the Navi, glued his back to the wall.
He formed a golden Mega Cannon.
Charles formed a sky-blue pyramidal saber with a white hilt.
"For a Senate, it sure is small! No?"
A woman's voice giggled.
Both sighed and rolled their eyes.
"I know! It's the Senate of Neighborhood Issues!" She giggled.
A string of airsoft pellets hit the wall.
"A BB gun!?"
"Don't worry. It's for self-defense…"
The subject finished climbing the stairs.
It was a woman.
She could be about a meter and eighty tall.
She wore a rider's suit.
The chest zipper was partially open, showing the outline of her chest.
A black helmet covered her head.
Blond hair came out from behind and reached past the neck.
The purple Kanji yogensha (prophet/ess) was drawn on the forehead.
Her PET had a transparent red carcass.
The green Kanji majo (witch) was drawn over a golden background.
"Maybe I'm like Eva and I'll seduce you?" She giggled.
"Whatever…"
She flung the device into the ground of the foyer.
"Plug In! Witch, Transmission!"
She was about a meter and eighty tall.
Her eyes were golden.
Two long strings of red hair stretched from behind her head.
She wore a witch's hat over her blue helmet.
A red leather bodysuit covered her body.
She had mail over her arms.
She sported long black leather gloves
Her legs also had mail over them.
She wore long boots.
She carried a golden rod with a black spheroid atop it.
"Can't be helped!"
Davis returned to the PET.
"Plug In! Davis, Transmission!"
Davis entered the system.
"Justice Sword!"
He drew a golden Long Sword and jumped towards Witch.
She placed her staff horizontally and blocked him.
"Justice Cannon!"
Davis shot the Justice Cannon at close quarters.
A purple round shield formed and bounced the attack back at Davis.
He was pushed to the ground.
"This thing bounces back your attack and doubles its power! No kidding!"
He groaned.
"Instead of 100 HP it drained me 200 HP!" He cursed.
"Flame Spell!"
"Useless!"
The spheroid glowed red, and a circle of flames formed around Davis.
They increased their height before closing on him and setting him on fire.
A log was burnt instead, and she gasped.
"Justice Cannon!"
The attack hit her from behind.
"Ice Spell!"
Ice Towers emerged, forming a cage around Davis.
He calmly cut them with his Justice Sword and rushed towards Witch.
"Lighting Spell!"
Lightning bolts fell around Davis.
He used his sword to absorb them and shoot them at her.
Her Witch's Barrier deflected it, but he'd run past her to dodge it.
"Playtime's over! I'll be serious! Earth Spell!"
The ground was filled with grass.
Weeds grew over the grass, spreading across the floor.
Davis jumped across the air and ignored them as he headed for Witch.
He hit her knees with the Justice Sword and jumped back.
"Not yet! Light Spell!" She grimaced.
Blinding streaks of light emerged from it.
She tossed a Prism Battle Chip into the air to scatter them.
One hit Davis but he was replaced by a stone.
Four shuriken hit her from behind.
"Guess that you can bite!"
"Naturally. Been dealing with roughnecks for years!"
"Cool it off, Witch!" Prophetess commanded.
"Yes, Mistress. Dark Spell!"
A purple energy sphere flew towards Davis.
Some hit him, but he wasn't impressed.
"Spell Fusion!"
The spheroid's colors shifted around as it built up energy.
It projected an energy shockwave.
It hit Davis and sent him flying but he didn't display any pain.
"Wait, wait! Ancient fell for that trap! It's a Muramasa strategy!"
"Catching up?" Charles grinned.
"Why, you…! So that's what you were planning!?" Witch hissed.
"Let's level this up! Annihilator Chip, Slot In!"
A black aura surrounded her.
The glow on her eyes was replaced by a faint purple sparkle.
Her body accumulated energy.
The hollow voice rang out.
"What do you gain from remotely controlling them, anyway?"
"Their full potential is unlocked by a password that only I know…"
"What?"
"They jump from 50% potential to 100%!" "Puppeteer" exclaimed.
"Then their actual HP is not 1600 HP but 3200 HP!?"
"Not only that! All stats double!"
"Double!?"
"If a Giga Cannon inflicts 500 damage, it'll now inflict 1000 points!"
"Devil!"
"Witch's Barrier will return four times the original damage!"
"That Ronin Man didn't look so strong…"
"He was a distraction!"
"Hell. The minor performer!"
"You've stepped into our carefully calculated trap!"
"This is smarter than "Dark Chips" or "Atomic Chips", even!"
"Craving your own grave, then! I'll fulfill that wish! Meteor!"
The staff hit the ground and incandescent meteors rained.
He tried to attack her, but her barrier formed.
He barely avoided hitting it.
"Devil. If this battle prolongs, we'll be at a disadvantage!"
"I know that, but… How do we make it through that?"
"Feeling the despair yet, Hauptmann?"
"Whatever. You'll feel it when you see Windows 7's Recycle Bin!"
"Storm!"
A storm formed and rain fell around the area.
"Winds!"
Winds blew across the field, pushing Davis away.
"Floods!"
A river formed across the field, and it grew out of bounds.
"Lightning Rods!"
Charles formed several lightning rods across the field.
The thunderbolts fell into them.
"Justice Giga Cannon!"
Davis formed a golden Giga Cannon and shot it at Witch.
The barrier activated and bounced back the damage.
However, the beam suddenly vanished.
"What!?" The "puppeteer" gasped.
It reappeared inside of the barrier, above and behind her.
It hit her in the back, and she hit the inner side of the barrier.
She was damaged by the energy forming the barrier.
"Devil! I lost 75% of the max HP!"
"I can also play with warp systems, too!"
"Interesting! But can you handle this one?"
Witch spun the staff and hit the ground with it.
The terrain was erased until it became a small square.
It was only about 4 square meters.
"Desperate, aren't we?"
"Hardly! It's to increase motivation!"
"Fine. Don't blame me if I send your pawn home in pieces…"
"Enough barriers. I'll go all out!"
Witch turned off the barrier and the energy flew into the spheroid.
It detached and hovered before the left hand.
She grabbed it and flung it into the air.
It became a huge plasma spheroid.
Plasma beams rained down across the small arena.
She transformed the staff into a plasma sword next.
She rushed for Davis, who managed to block her.
"No kidding! These beams pack 1000 points of damage!"
"I see… Then…!"
Davis ran in circles around the outer edge of the field.
Witch hovered and chased him by cutting across the field.
Davis slowly made the circle narrower.
The outer edge was being erased by the beams.
Once there was less than 50cm left between both, he acted.
"Boomerang!"
He flung the boomerang at her, momentarily knocking her.
He rushed next to her and stopped for a second.
He flew away as a plasma beam hit Witch.
She silently collapsed, out of HP.
She was automatically retrieved.
"Hell!" Prophetess hissed.
"Plug Out!"
Davis escaped as the last traces were erased, too.
The spheroid finished its role and vanished, too.
The device stopped working as well.
"Your own setup backfires!"
Prophetess merely aimed her BB gun at him.
He drew his saber.
Davis materialized next to him.
"Enough. Retreat!"
"Roger…"
She grabbed the device and flung it at a window.
It broke through it.
She jumped out from it and rolled across the ground.
She ran for her bike, jumped into it and ignited it.
She raced away, throwing a flashbang grenade behind her.
"There goes the witch's apprentice…" Charles sighed.
"The issue is… The repair bill of the window…"
"Maybe we can improvise something?"
"Well. If the others agree…"
"At least it's not the winter, so…"
"Let's try to negotiate with the insurance company first…"
"Fine. Least they start complaining about trying to loophole…"
Charles sighed and rolled his eyes.
"I still want to blame my younger self for my naming sense!"
"Can't be helped. What's done is done…"
"I know, big bro, I know…"
"There. It's not like it's the end of the world…"
"Easier said than done…"
"That aside… They are becoming deadlier… This is dangerous…"