Chapter 6: Future
08:43 AM (Japan Time), Sunday June the 8th…
"… Good morning, Lord Enzan…"
"Hello, Blues…"
"Your sleep time was 7h 16m, sir…"
"How much compared to last night?"
"You gained 11m, sir…"
"I see…"
Enzan, wearing red pajamas, woke up and stretched on his bed.
Blues projected from the PET, in a charger atop the nightstand.
"Any urgent topics?"
"Yes, sir. A challenge letter sent to the Net Police HQ…"
"Let me guess. It's my turn?"
"Yes. The remaining member, codename Future…"
"Can't predict anything from their names…"
"Yes, sir. Present's Axe Man did feel like of another age…"
"Unless this one does bring a "futuristic" Navi…"
"The issue is how does one define that, sir…"
"I know… When and where?"
"10AM. A warehouse in the wharf…"
"Alright. Go and scout the location as I get ready…"
"Right away, sir…"
"What kind of challenge is waiting for me…?"
09:55 AM (Japan Time)…
"… You're early, Mr. VP!"
"Is that an issue?"
"No. I was praising you…"
"You don't say…"
Enzan made it to the warehouse.
Future was leaning before a black Honda bike.
He spoke in Kansai dialect.
"If you're not careful, the octopus will drag you into a watery grave!"
"Whatever. Let's get this over with…"
"Sure. Good ol' burnin' and meltin' business…"
He signaled the device set on the ground.
"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!
"Plug In! Destruction Man, Transmission!"
Destruction Man was a meter and eighty tall.
Black shades hid his eyes.
His helmet was blue with silver edges.
A matrix of nine red spots was set on his forehead.
He had blue and silver armor pieces all over his body.
His left arm ended in knife-like fingers.
His right arm had an incorporated missile launcher atop the right palm.
It could hold up to 10 missiles.
His body had brown energy conduits originating from the chest emblem.
His emblem was set on the center of his armor.
He had a belt, too.
His legs had jets attached to them from behind.
"I'm Destruction Man! I sweep the ground with the fellas standin' on it!"
"Bring it on…"
"Yessir! Showdown!" Future laughed.
"Oh yeah!" Destruction Man exclaimed.
"Drill Arm!"
"Destroy Missile!"
Destruction Man aimed his right arm forward and shot the missiles.
Blues jumped towards him while making the Drill Arm spin.
The foe's chest compartments opened and created a small black hole.
It made the Drill Arm break down into data and reform on his left forearm.
Blues didn't have time to react as the Drill Arm plunged into him.
The missiles combined their damage as well.
Blues growled and jumped back to recover.
"Did ya like the Black Hole Armor? It can steal the toys!"
"Golden Fist!"
Blues jumped over the air towards Destruction Man.
He ignited his jets and drew the left closed punch forward.
Small knives appeared on the knuckles.
Blues changed his course and hit the helmet's forehead.
The red spots glowed and frizzled with electricity.
"What?" Blues gasped.
A streak of electricity travelled up Blues' body.
Destruction Man punched him in the lower jaw with the right first.
He sent him to the ground before he calmly landed back.
"It analyzes the damage and returns it multiplied by 1.5!"
"Devil! Dream Sword!"
"Come!" Destruction Man challenged.
Blues roared as he swung the Dream Sword.
Its shockwave left a crevice across the arena and hit Destruction Man.
The attack flung back at Blues, who dodged just in time.
"Destroy Fist! Go~!"
The fists glowed with red energy until they looked like molten metal.
He shot forward with his boot jets.
Blues ducked and grabbed both his right leg and left arm.
He performed a judo technique to make them roll across the ground.
Blues stood up and so did Destruction Man.
"This is where it gets thrillin'! Machine Shooters!"
He opened compartments on his arms and drew two small gun muzzles.
They began shooting a spree of bullets around the area.
Blues dodged and jumped to avoid.
"Iai Form!"
Blues quickly drew a complicated pattern.
He left some cuts and wounds on Destruction Man's body.
He kept on shooting at Blues.
"Neo Variable Sword!"
"Sonic Boom!"
The attack hit Destruction Man, and he shot his ten missiles around.
Blues sliced them but then found the man in front of his noses.
"What!" Blues gasped.
He hit him on the chest and kicked him to the ground.
Blues quickly used the Variable Sword to block the incoming attacks.
"I see that yer startin' to build up hopes! But this can still turn around!"
"Data Sonic Boom!"
A blue Sonic Boom formed and shot towards Blues.
He barely dodged by ducking, but it bounced off a wall.
It hit him from behind, kicking him into the ground.
"I can copy an enemy's attack, too, at 1.5 times its normal power!"
"Custom Sword, Heavy Gauge! Slot In!"
Blues dashed forward and hit one of the machinegun muzzles.
He then sliced the other off.
He kicked Destruction Man on the lower jaw and forced him to recoil.
"Muramasa Blade!"
"What!" Future gasped.
"Thrill! Comin' from straight ahead!" Destruction Man laughed.
Blues plunged the cursed sword into the forehead sensors.
He quickly jumped back as the sensors tried to calculate the damage.
"Your attack will be returned with a whoopin' 727.5 HP of damage back!"
Destruction Man laughed.
"Say bye, Blues! Data Muramasa! The End!"
The brutally amplified attack flew towards Blues, but he was waiting for it.
"High Guard!" Enzan announced.
"No way!" Future gasped.
Blues drew a green and oval shield which glowed with energy.
The attack bounced off while leaving several cracks on the shield.
It hit the foe, and an explosion ensued.
The retrieval sound could be heard from inside of the smoke.
A large patch of the ground that he'd been standing in was deleted.
"So?"
"Man! Using the Special Ability against 'im… I should praise ya!"
Future laughed.
"Been a while since I had so much fun!"
"And?"
"True, true. Big Boss told me that he'll soon show up…"
"About bloody time…"
"You need a Bloody Mary to recall the extra hours that you lost?"
"Don't talk as if it was a lover who died…" Enzan sighed.
"By the way. That chap who loves Shulkin' Shulk…"
"What of it?"
"Makes ya wonder if it's really that Zataki fella or not…"
"I don't care. Any help is welcome…"
"Includin' that Colonel fella come out of a mothball?"
"Very funny. Try telling him. He won't beat an eyebrow…"
"Sure thin'! Must be hearin' and boilin' his lil grey cells…"
He laughed and tapped the bike's seat.
"Ya know the deal, Mr. VP! Chase the strawberry princess, not me!"
"As if I would… She's the one chasing me around…"
He rolled his eyes, as if he was too used to that.
"An undesirable but inseparable relationship, don't ya think so?"
"Are you one of those who need to poke their nose into everything?"
"No, man! Was waitin' for the babe to heat up…"
He jumped into the seat and ignited the bike.
"Enjoy the California wrapped rolls with strawberry milk!"
He laughed as he sped away from the warehouse.
"YOU make those!" Enzan grumbled.
He slapped his head, exasperated.
"Struggling with the mobs, ronin?"
"Not you next. Go fight that Ronin Man subject!"
Yamato Man's hologram appeared there, taunting him.
"Yamato Man!" Freeze Man roared over the radio.
He gasped and vanished.
"Why do they all need to go AWOL? Clark! Do something about it!"
"I analyzed the damage. It's nothing major, sir…"
"Good. Let's go to the MOS…"
"Affirmative, sir…"
"I'll use public transportation. No need to call for the limo…"
"Understood, sir…"
"But it doesn't take away that they can be dangerous, too…"
"Yes, sir… Dangerous, truly…"
10:48 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Sorry for the wait, Present… Axe Man's updates finished…"
"I apologize for causing you so much trouble, Lord Manfroy…"
"It's not your fault. If any, it's mine for not properly doing it…"
"Nevertheless…"
Present was kneeling before a large LCD screen somewhere.
The screen showed a middle-aged man.
He had brown irises.
He wore a dark red hood with a golden edge.
Part of his face was hidden by the shade of the hood.
An ominous music echoed in the darkened space.
The only light was the glow of the screen.
"I appreciate that you take everything very seriously, but…"
The man sighed.
"I am not perfect. You are not perfect. Is that clear enough?"
"Yes, sir. I apologize for being overconfident…"
"I'm sending you the data…"
Present checked his PET.
Axe Man reappeared on it.
"In terms of looks, nothing changed. But improved his systems…"
"Understood, sir…"
"Test it in the simulator. Afterwards, resume your usual duties…"
"It shall be done, sir…"
"You are dismissed…"
Present stood up and walked out of the room.
A couple of minutes later, Future stepped in.
He kneeled before the screen.
"I am back, Lord Manfroy…"
"Good job, Future…"
"Blues was no easy foe, but I did catch his pattern…"
"That's the important part…"
"I submitted the data…"
"Good. Send Destruction Man. Will overhaul the system…"
"Roger!"
"You can go tune the bike in the meanwhile. I'll call you back…"
"OK!"
He sent the data and closed the PET screen.
He left the room, humming a tune.
He stopped, as if he noticed something.
He looked at the door that he was holding open.
"Lord Manfroy! There's a ladybug here!"
"What!? A wiretap!?"
Future signaled a small black dot near the right edge of the door.
"I casually happened to rub it with my fingers!"
"… I see… They finally made a blunder…"
"Manfroy" muttered, not too surprised.
"Crush it. Right now…"
"As you desire…"
He peeled it off and easily crushed it.
He looked closer at it.
"It's a dummy!"
"Someone thinks that they are very, very smart…"
His voice was displaying cold anger.
"Unless…"
"Unless?"
"… I have a hunch. But don't tell the others for now…"
"Understood…"
"Shut the door…"
"Naturally!"
Future made it out and shut the door.
"Manfroy" sighed and mumbled something.
"Is he testing me?" He wondered aloud.
The sound of fingers tapping the armrests echoed.
"AM. How is it going over there?"
"No issues, sir. Overhaul is at 72%..."
"But his assessment is right. We'd detected such signals before…"
"Yes, sir. I monitor all signals coming in and out…"
"We can handle that later. Prioritize the overhaul…"
"By your will…"
"I will upgrade you later for the upcoming demonstration, too…"
"Looking forward to it, sir…"
"They shall shudder before our scientific capabilities…"
13:13 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Been a while since we did "CF" training, Nelaus!"
"I know, Hikari. It feels fresher…"
"Don't lower the guard. A pack of 10 foes is waiting up ahead…"
"Thanks, Blood. Now, how do we deal with them…?"
"CF" Netto, "CF" Nelaus and Blood Shadow were partaking in a mission.
They were sheltering behind a concrete wall.
"CF" Nelaus checked his state.
His helmet gained three square dots on the ear-pads and the forehead.
They were golden, crystal and silver,
A black matrix filled the rest of the helmet's surface.
Blonde hair popped out behind the helmet.
The platinum letters "N" and "I" were set on each of his shoulder plates.
A thick, dark blue vest covered his chest.
Semi-transparent purple armor covered the forearms, wrists and hands.
Red circles were drawn in a succession over the hand armor.
The fingers had transparent red rings set on each one.
His legs had a red and black matrix drawn over them.
His boots were unchanged.
Explosions and gunfire echoed across the air.
The location was the premises of a military base somewhere.
Packs of Viruses and rogue Navis were fighting each other.
Spark Man hovered some meters further in, commanding them.
"Pour more guts into it! Guts!"
"Sigma and his enemy command programming…"
"CF" Netto sighed, too used to that.
"Why can't he just base it on the actual behavior?"
"Dunno. Not the first time, and probably won't be the last…"
"What do we do?"
"Hikari – kun and I will be decoys. You sneak in from behind…"
"OK. No need to play fair against Darkloids, after all…"
"Ready, Hikari – kun?"
"Anytime!"
"On the count of three. 3, 2, 1…!"
Both tensed.
"Go!"
They rushed into the fray from both flanks.
"Rock Buster!"
"Shotgun shot!"
"There you are! Mercenaries of the Raven's Nest! I'll crush you yet!"
Spark Man laughed.
"With my zapping and paralyzing lances of doom!"
Neither paid heed to his nonsense.
"Ultra DX Mega Hyper Tera Peta…!"
"Too long. Sigma. Save us the dramatics…"
"What!? When!?"
"Go back to the Recycle Bin…"
"Damn it!"
"CF" Nelaus appeared behind him and kicked his back.
He fell from the hovering platform into the ground.
"Make Shadow!"
"Too bad. I have a wall!"
"CF" Nelaus formed a concrete slab to block the attack.
He jumped over it.
"Energy Punch!"
He loaded energy on his right forearm.
He delivered an uppercut at the foe's jaw from below.
It sent him flying into the air.
"Elemental Sword!"
He formed the Program Advance and flew towards the foe.
He delivered four precise attacks.
The foe was split into four and he groaned.
"By the sparks of Zapdos Thunders! This can't be!"
He exploded as "CF" Nelaus landed on the ground.
"Sigma. Your meme writing quality SUCKS. As always…"
He sighed and looked at the battlefield.
The other two had taken out most of the foes.
"I'll help cleanse up…"
He rushed towards a pack of rogue Navis armed with wooden clubs.
"It's the Club of Clubs!" They roared.
"Sigma. Your sense of puns is DISASTROUS. As always…"
He easily swept them away using a hammer.
Several Dream Viruses rushed for him next.
"Energy Ring!"
He jumped into the space between them and formed a ring.
The energy expanded and sliced all units in half.
"We're the Bubbly Bros that'll beat the Mario Bros!"
"Come on…"
8 Bubble Man copies rushed in, aiming their harpoons.
"Energy Stomp!"
"CF" Nelaus formed energy on his feet.
He landed on the ground with force.
A shockwave spread across it and knocked over the foes.
"You want water? Have water! Tsunami!"
He formed a wave that washed them over and dragged them away.
"We'll be back before you can count to 13!"
"Sure, sure…"
"This area is clean…"
"There's another pack further south. Let's go…"
"CF" Netto and Blood Shadow met with him.
"OK…"
They ignited their jets and flew southwards.
They found another pack commanded by Bowl Man.
He was dancing atop a huge bowling ball.
"I'm the king of the bowling lane! I'm the king of the world!"
"The real one was smugger and cockier…"
"I can infer…"
"What's this? Ants? I'll crush them!"
He laughed as he advanced, dancing atop the ball.
"My ball is invincible!"
"Objection. Stealth Mines…"
"CF" Netto placed mines on its path.
The explosions knocked Bowl Man out of the ball.
He fell into the ground in an unceremonious way.
"You're asking for it! Mega Pin of Doom!"
"Lame as hell!"
He crouched and formed a pin that acted as a bazooka.
He shot several pin-shaped missiles at the trio.
"Super Vulcan!"
"Go, Rainon – kun!"
"CF" Netto and Blood Shadow intercepted the attacks.
"CF" Nelaus jumped over Bowl Man and landed behind him.
"Energy Cannon!"
He formed a cannon and shot four attacks of varying colors.
They pierced through the body of the foe, and he gasped in disbelief.
"My lane to glory!" He roared.
He exploded as a buzzer rang out.
"We did it!"
They converged and crossed their arms together.
"We make a great combination!"