Chapter 24: Last Battle, In!
09:52 AM (Japan Time), Sunday July the 9th…
"… This is the place?"
"Guess that…"
"Welcome. Rock Man…"
"No mistake. This is the place…"
Rock Man stood before a factory building.
The building's walls were made of brick.
Its windows were boarded up.
It had obvious decay signs.
Annihilator Man's rang out from inside.
An entrance formed.
"I'll let you know that I have backups!" He called out.
"Suit yourself…" Annihilator Man replied.
"Fine. Don't complain afterwards…"
"I won't…"
Rock Man stepped through the entrance, and it closed behind him.
He inspected the area.
The room was mostly deserted and unlit.
There was a set of nine circular platforms hovering in the air.
They were interconnected through energy bindings
Annihilator Man stood in the centermost one.
"Welcome to Rama. Rock Man…"
"Annihilator Man. We finally meet…"
"So as to say. You were able to prepare, I take it…"
"Why don't get this battle on the road?"
"Fine. Climb up…"
Rock Man jumped and landed before Annihilator Ma.
He lowered his arms and set them parallel to his body.
Rock Man did the same.
"Background program: start!"
Anderson's voice rang out.
The platforms hummed and began to slightly move while hovering.
A projection of space filled with countless stars filled the background.
A reddish gas giant planet was seen on the horizon.
There was a ring-like object close to it.
The background "travelled" towards the north.
It created a feeling of movement even though the platform wasn't moving.
"Battle Chip, Sigma Sword! Slot In!"
"Sigma Sword!"
Rock Man lifted the blade and used it to block direct attacks.
Annihilator Man closed his fists.
He hit the blade repeatedly with them.
Rock Man held his ground.
He jumped into the air to land on the platform behind him-
Annihilator Man's hands glowed purple and white respectively.
He opened the palms.
Energy flowed out and fused into a purple and white spheroid.
He shot it at Rock Man.
He used the Sigma Sword to bounce it back.
Annihilator Man quickly drew both of his swords to bounce the attack off.
"Dead Man's Volley!" He announced.
The volley game kept on.
Rock Man suddenly changed the angle and position of the blade.
The spheroid bounced back and hit Annihilator Man's right foot.
He didn't mind it.
"Careful. Maybe he has no pain sensors…" Netto whispered.
"Roger…"
"Purple Cannon! White Cannon!"
His shoulder-mounted cannons hummed and shot shells of energy.
They flew towards Rock Man's platform.
He jumped to the one on his right.
The one that he'd been at was destroyed.
"Means to make the battlefield smaller!"
"Soul Unison: Metal Soul! Slot In!"
"Metal Break!"
Rock Man held the Sigma Sword on his left hand.
His right fist glowed, and he headed for Annihilator Man's head.
He aimed the cannons at him.
Rock Man lowered the Sigma Sword to bounce the rounds off-
His right fist hit the forehead and caused an explosion.
"Magnet Trap!"
Rock Man tried to jump back at his platform.
He hit his head with an invisible "ceiling".
He tried heading for Annihilator Man but was met with an invisible "wall".
He quickly spun the Sigma Sword around his axis.
It bounced off the west, south and east corners.
"He's using magnetism to contain me!"
"Annihilator Fists!"
The foe stepped in and hit Rock Man four times in a row with his fists.
Rock Man plunged the Sigma Sword on his right forearm.
Annihilator Man ignored and stepped back.
Rock Man used the window to run out of the "cage".
He jumped back at the SE platform where he'd been at.
"Annihilation Meteors!"
Purple and white meteors rained at random.
Three of them hit three empty platforms and blew them up.
Only the central platform and four additional ones remained.
The foe was surrounded by pure light.
He was charging energy for his next technique.
"Annihilator Beam!"
Rock Man jumped to the northern platform.
The beam hit the platform he'd been at, and it was deleted upon contact.
"That beam looks dangerous! Let's stay clear of it!" Netto rallied.
"That beam is "annihilation" energy capable of deleting anything!"
"What!?"
"But since this isn't a death battle… It doesn't work on Net Navis…"
"That's a relief!"
"Although it'll ignore DEF values and reduce half of your max HP!"
"Half of their max HP with one attack…!" Rock Man gasped.
"What's that!? A dragon from Fire Emblem!?" Netto gasped.
"Don't try intercepting it! You could lose a part of your body, even!"
"F-fine. Let's continue, Rock Man!"
"Metal Missile! Metal Wheel!"
"Magnet Barrier!"
Both attacks collided with an invisible barrier and were destroyed.
The "horizon" came closer.
The gas giant was almost filling the background by now.
The ring object came into better detail to reveal its artificial nature.
The inner band had seas, lands and an atmosphere.
It was huge but dwarfed by the imposing gas giant planet.
"Annihilator Tornadoes!"
Two purple and white tornadoes formed around the central platform.
Rock Man shifted to the SW platform.
The SE and southern platforms were destroyed by them.
"Two extra platforms left…" He muttered.
"Change of plans… Soul Unison: Fire Soul! Slot In!"
Rock Man switched to the Fire Soul.
Annihilator Man loaded his shoulder-mounted cannons.
The muzzle changed to a smaller one.
Two lock-on markers locked on Rock Man.
The cannons acted like machineguns and shot a string of attacks.
Rock Man jumped to the western platform.
He slowly spun upon his axis clockwise.
"Double Firearms!"
Annihilator Man used his thick arms to protect himself.
Burn marks formed on them.
"Battle Chip, Fire Punch! Double Slot In!"
"Fire Punch!"
"How clever!"
Rock Man jumped towards Annihilator Man.
He swung his right arm and hit Rock Man's stomach area.
He hit the chest next and pushed Rock Man back into his platform.
"This is going to be painful!" Rock Man muttered.
"Annihilator Bomb!"
Rock Man jumped into the central platform.
A white and purple Mega Energy Bomb hit the platform and blew it up.
He ducked to avoid the large arm swinging of Annihilator Man.
He aimed his arms at him.
"Double Firearms!"
"Magnet Reject!"
The fire bounced back at Rock Man and inflicted damage to him.
"The true battle is about to start. Battle Stage: Version 2! Execute!"
The stage expanded until it measured ten meters long per five wide.
The ground changed to hexagon patterns interconnected with each other.
The background displayed an approach course to the ring.
"Annihilator Shockwave!"
"Soul Unison: Roll Soul! Slot In!"
"Let's go! Execute the plan!"
Rock Man switched to Roll Soul and jumped over the shockwave.
He aimed the Roll Arrow at Annihilator Man.
"Roll Arrow!"
The arrow hit his forehead, and it glowed with a crimson red halo.
Annihilator Man tried to remove it.
Rock Man's body glowed with shooting blue light.
The platform descended through the clouds.
An energy shield formed to protect it from atmospheric reentry.
Both combatants tensed and ran towards each other.
"Battle Chip, Long Blade, Long Sword! Double Slot!"
"Annihilator Swords!"
Both clashed swords, dragging their feet forward or backwards.
Annihilator Man seemed to be gaining terrain.
Rock Man countered and pushed him back.
He extended his antennae forward and they hit Annihilator Man's jaw.
Some HP was siphoned from him, but he didn't stop.
The platform touched down on the midst of a river and lodged there.
"Annihilator Punches!"
"Battle Chip, Curse Shield! Slot In!"
Annihilator Man's attack bounced back at him.
Rock Man drew the Roll Arrow bow again.
"Roll Arrow!"
However, the arrow hit an invisible wall and bounced off.
"Did you think that I cannot learn?"
"Fine. Let's bring out the heavy guns…"
"Roger!"
"Soul Unison: Omega Soul! Slot In!"
Rock Man transformed into the Omega Soul and drew the O – Saber.
He dashed, leaving "afterimages" on his wake but.
When he hit Annihilator Man, a Guy Fawkes straw doll appeared there.
Four shuriken hit his back.
"Purple Cannon! White Cannon! Go!"
Annihilator Man shot rounds from both cannons.
Rock Man used the O – Saber to bounce them back.
"Coming?" Netto wondered.
"Annihilator Beam! Fire~!"
Annihilator Man roared as he built up energy.
The beam headed for Rock Man.
Rock Man glowed with cyan light.
He closed his eyes for a second and opened them again.
They'd become a mix of emerald and chestnut brown.
He drew the Rock Buster and accumulated cyan energy on it.
"Rock Man's readings…! They're off-scale! The sensors are overloaded…!"
Anderson gasped, surprised.
"T-that's ridiculous!" Annihilator Man gasped.
"Saito Style Charge Shot… GO~!" Both he and Netto yelled.
The brutally powerful attack overcame the sound of speed.
A shockwave and the ripples accompanied it.
It met the Annihilator Beam and brutally pushed it back at its source.
Annihilator Man gasped in horror.
He was unable to react in time.
Both attacks landed on him and caused a large explosion.
It wiped off about ten square meters of terrain.
The sound of his retrieval was barely heard above the turmoil.
Everything soon died down.
"My God…!" Anderson gasped.
The only thing left was a crater and smoke lingering on the area.
Rock Man's glow slowly decreased.
He dropped onto his knees, exhausted.
Netto was also panting for breath.
"W-what was that!?"
"A technique developed over the years…" Netto replied.
"A form of synchronism between Operator and Net Navi?"
"Correct. Like Cross Fusion…"
Rock Man slowly recovered and stood up.
"A risky gamble. But it paid off…"
"It was out of instinct more than logic, though…"
"I knew that you had many special abilities, but…"
"I thought that prolonging the battle could be dangerous…"
"Fair. Not like I wanted to drag it on forever, either…"
"One question. Was one of your agents infiltrating our school?"
"Infiltrating? Was there from the start. Regal choose him out of that…"
"I see. Not like I wanted you to tell us who it is, only…"
"I told him that he needn't surveil you anymore…"
"Alright. It's just that we've been on the edge about spies and such…"
"I can tell that. With that witch running loose out there…"
"By the way. Where did you pull this from?"
"A sci-fi FPS game series published by Microsoft, Halo…"
"Interesting idea… A ring-world…"
He looked up and saw the other half of the ring right above him.
He looked ahead and saw the ring's "ground" steadily climbing.
He shook his head.
"My perception of space is about to bug. I better stop…"
"I can tell that…!" Netto muttered.
"I won't interfere with you or the Net Saviors, if possible…"
"But we might bump into each other during our hunt for Anaya…"
"Exactly. If that happens, I suggest tackling the threat together…"
"Agreed. It's at times like these that unity is necessary…"
"Alright. We'll leave…"
"Beware of Anaya. She's no joke…!"
10:23 AM (Australia Time)…
"… I fished more information of those VIPs, Master…"
"Good job, Philip…"
"Those beers with drugs mixed on them were useful…"
"I know, right? Nothing better than that to loosen their tongues…"
Philip had come to report to Clark.
The place was the living room of the house.
"LET THE TONGUE HIT THE LOOSE!"
Cloud Man made a lame "motto".
"Shut up, Cloudy! Before I turn you into a turtle!"
Clark became annoyed and snapped at him.
"MERCY!"
"General Ivan! Do something about it!"
"Punishment! Wander the Gobi Desert!"
"No way!"
A brief scuffle ensued.
"Deal with it, sir…"
"Good. Tell Birdie that he's next if he doesn't behave!"
"Affirmative…"
"Anyway. What happened with those Rama punks?"
"They technically disbanded. Since Regal was the mastermind…"
"A pity, though. That you couldn't beat him by yourself…"
"You can't have all in life!"
Clark sighed and leant back on the sofa.
"At least that young man set me as the author of it…"
"Surprising. Why would he bother?"
"Probably to strike a deal… I wouldn't mind…"
"As in not to interfere with each other from the head-on?"
"Exactly. He's probably going to hunt Ms. Anaya next…"
"And that's not an inconvenient for you?"
"No. She sent new orders and told me to let them loose…"
"She needs a rival to outsmart, I take it?"
"Correct. Like how I and Zataki always compete…"
"And how Nelaus and I compete…"
"Exactly!"
"Alright. Not like it directly involves me, anyway…"
He drank a glass of water.
"I'll continue with infiltration missions as a prostitute…"
"That way, you can taste new experiences…"
"Sure. But those two were pure amateurs…"
"Not everyone will be an expert…"
"I know, but… Guess that I'm being a tad too greedy…"
"Happens, happens…"
"Maybe Ms. Anaya would give me something more exciting?"
"Well…"
Clark wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea.
"While she has a lot of experience…"
"She doesn't know to hold back?"
"She's too used to crushing the wills of her toys…"
"Alright. I take it back…"
"I'll look for a professional "tamer" that can excite you…"
"That'd be great!"
"Naturally, I'll make sure to witness their skill to attest it myself…"
"Sorry for the hassle, Master…"
"It's nothing. Pleasing you is also part of my duties…"
"By the way. What about Ms. Viper?"
"It would seem that Bella had a fight with Witch, but…"
He shrugged.
"Don't know details. Since it doesn't involve me…"
"Can infer why…"
"If they have a score to settle between the two of them, so be it…"
"Sure. Let's not butt into personal issues…"
"Ms. Anaya hinted at wanting to hold a party of sorts one day, too…"
"She's hinted at that before, no?"
"Yes. Looks like she's drawn the outlines of it already…"
"But we don't know if I'll be invited to it or not…"
"No. But I guess that a confirmation will soon come…"
"OK. Will resume my duties until then…"
"It'll probably be during the summer break, anyway…"
"Excuse me, sir, but…" Freeze Man called out.
"Did something happen?"
"An odd samurai fought Yamato Man…"
"Samurai?"
"It named itself "Yoshitsune of the Eight Ship Leap", and…"
"Well, well. Yoshitsune, is it? Not a pushover!"
"Wasn't at all. Drove Yamato Man to a corner…"
"Doubt that Blues would bother. Rock Man, maybe?"
"Possibly. It was very silent, and their skills were very high…"
"Did they leave any messages?"
"They did… "The parasol"…"
"Parasol? That's it? Do they love beaches?"
Clark laughed at his joke.
"I am afraid that I cannot find "fun" on that, sir…"
"Don't mind me. It's just that… Anyway…"
He rubbed his chin.
"It's probably a challenge letter. Interesting!"
"What should be done?"
"If he appears, fight back. But little tricks won't work…"
"Understood. We'll use our full strength…"
"Exactly. Show them that we're serious…"
"As you desire…"
"And tell Yamadera to not to start fights with Blues, either!"
"Understood…"
"Why "Yamadera"?" Philip asked.
"It's a voice actor that dubbed many Disney characters…"
"And?"
"He dubbed Mushu from Mulan, which is about warriors…"
"It's a roundabout joke because he's a warrior?"
"Exactly… He dubbed 6 characters in Kingdom Hearts 2, too!"
"Impressive! 6 characters in a same game!"
"Anyway. Let's provide entertainment for the masses, too…"
"Sure. The Net Saviors need a thrill, too…"
"And Ms. Anaya can prepare the party in the meanwhile…"
"Too bad that it's not a Mario Party game…" Philip chuckled.
"I like that irony!"
"That man battled Cosmo Man and left a message, sir…"
"Already!? They don't waste time!"
"… "Togami, Ishimaru, Kirigiri"… That's it…"
"Dangan Ronpa next! And a curious choice! Ishimaru and not Naegi!"
"Why?"
"Well… One would normally butt the protagonist in that list…"
"I see. But maybe they mean to say that they're smart?"
"Ishimaru wasn't dumb. Stiff, but valued his best bud…"
Clark crossed his arms to think about that.
"A smart trio… I have a hunch of what it's about… I see, I see…"
He became amused.
"I think that a battle of IQs is about to begin, too…"
"A battle of boiling the brains?" Philip joked.
"Why not… The boiling hit the brains!"
"Interesting… Bring it on, smart trio!"