#jack in

"Lady Sakuraba? Do you need my assistance?" A sharp, dignified voice calls to her from the purple PET in her deathgrip. BladeMan...

"Ah... P-please, BladeMan. I..." Yuri curls in on herself, looking down at the screen.

"Worry not. Simply look toward me. Breathe in time with the size of the circle." Blade Man loads a simple black and white animation. He keeps an eye on Yuri's motions as her position rises and falls with the slow, guided breathing. "All will be well, as I'm sure you've been telling yourself. There are no high stakes in today's activity. We are out with our friends, and they will protect us if it's needed."

"In...hhhhhh... out... hoooo..." Yuri repeats the breathing exercise with closed eyes. She knows the timing like the sight of her own hands at this point.

"There. Your heart rate has decreased. Do you need to proceed with a sensory evaluation?"

"No... Thank you, BladeMan."

"It is my absolute pleasure, Lady Sakuraba." BladeMan bows at Yuri from his screen. His knife-shaped head could nearly cut its way through, if he weren't a virtual being.

"Simply 'Yuri', today, BladeMan. After all, we're partners in battle. Not a knight and his master." Yuri smiles down at him.

"As you wish, Lady Yuri."

"Thank you, again, BladeMan. I always know I can count on you." Yuri takes another deep breath. Now that her nerves are better under control, she has time to take a look at her surroundings and Dr. Hikari's presentation.

She isn't surprised to see her passive synchronization with BladeMan is just about as high as Lan and MegaMan's. Though they've left the room for now, they're still connected to the readers and the SciLab network.

The pairs have a similar amount of history between them. Even among those who aren't privy to Dr. Hikari's experimental designs, everyone knows of "The Hikari Brothers" and their exceptional friendship and cooperation that they love showing off. Slightly less believed by the public are the claims that the pair of them are largely responsible for the dissolution of the infamous cyberterrorist group, the WWW.

Nearly as long as those two have worked together, BladeMan has been helping Yuri manage her anxiety and now-only-occasional compulsions. His sharp design is a darkly comedic reminder of her previous mental state, but now? She trusts him as not only a guardian and assistant, but a friend.

Yuri takes another deep breath. She smiles as she looks over at her friends.

Natsuki is grumbling about her loss and pouting into her arms. The poor girl did her best in the fight against MegaMan. The bruise to her ego will fade with time, but she's welcome to be upset about it.

Sayori's rubbing Natsuki's back in circles. Her gentle smile is chipping away at Natsuki's stony sadness. She's infectious, like that. Yuri can't help but recall Sayori's efforts in keeping Yuri with her club. Smiling, gentle, and understanding, and oh so patient.

Monika is fidgeting with her hair and clearly doing her best to encourage Natsuki, but she's out of her element. The President of the Literature Club is organized, thoughtful, and has the best of intentions. However, navigating volatile emotions is a skill she hasn't had any chances to train.

Yuri looks back to the Netbattle terminal. She hopes she can put on a good show for the girls. While she's not the worst in the world, Yuri lacks confidence in her Netbattling skills. She just happens to have a strong bond with her Navi.

She starts spreading her chips out on the machine. Plenty of swords and melee attacks fill her library. BladeMan works best with those. Yuri holds up her final choice, examining it closely.

Muramasa... Tactically, it's a revenge device. Do she and BladeMan have enough stamina to make good use of it...?

"BladeMan, what do you think our strongest plan is, for this battle?" She sets her PET down on the terminal for BladeMan to look over their chip folder.

"Hm... Sirs Lan and MegaMan are fast opponents, to be sure, and their teamwork is outstanding. Their raw strength isn't to be underestimated, either." BladeMan hums, holding the tip of an arm-blade to where his chin might be. "... We will most likely not need the elemental swords, Lady Yuri. Against Lady Natsuki and Siren, I would recommend keeping our ElecSwords, but our battle with MegaMan will not be one of the classical elements, but of the element of surprise!"

"Ahh... You recommend Invis chips to replace them, then."

"Quite correct, Lady Yuri." The Navi nods. "In addition to those, perhaps some trap chips? AntiSword will likely be quite valuable."

"Ah, as well as the others. A BodyGuard wouldn't go amiss, certainly~" Yuri giggles as she swaps out yet more chips.

"Clever, Lady Yuri. I would also like to address Dr. Hikari with a question, if you don't mind?"

Yuri shakes her head. "Not at all, BladeMan. Ask him whatever you wish."

"Thank you, Lady Yuri." BladeMan jacks himself into the Netbattle terminal and shortly begins accessing the projectors. His imposing violet form appears above the machine, red eyes and sharp edges looking out into the room.

"Pardon me, Dr. Hikari? May I make a request?"

The scientist looks toward the projected Navi. "I'll have to make a judgement, once I know what it is, but I can hear you out!"

"To confirm my understanding of this experiment, the battles between MegaMan, Siren, and myself are to be considered part of your 'control' group, yes?"

Dr, Hikari nods in response. "Correct, BladeMan."

"And to that aim, the results of the battles themselves are not as important to your research as our ability to synchronize with our operators?"

"Once again, correct." Yuichiro adjusts his glasses.

"Thank you. I don't believe my request will cause any trouble, in such a case. May I alter the environment of our arena to suit our tactics? While it is clearly not fair to our absent opponents, I don't expect there will be any problems with the experiment if I am to do so."

Dr. Hikari leans back and strokes his chin. "Lan might complain, but you're definitely right. An advantage for an opponent doesn't actually cause issues with my experiment. Lan will probably be back from the break late, as well, so you have plenty of time."

"Thank you, sir." BladeMan raises his arm to his chest and bows. "I'll get right to work." The projector turns off, and the pair of purple people at the machine begin to put together their full plan.

---

"We're back. Sorry for the hold-up! I swear I need a new map for this place every few months..." Lan skates into the room, sliding to a stop at the Netbattle terminal.

Yuri nods and adjusts her position on the seat she's brought over to the machine. "It's no trouble for me. I can always use a few extra moments to prepare." She certainly won't complain about some extra seconds of peace. Keeping herself collected before the fight properly begins is important.

"I even predicted your late return, son." Dr. Hikari chuckles from his desk. "The penalty will be something you quickly discover, when you jack in."

"Awww, come on! Doesn't that make the experiment less viable?" Lan grumbles.

"Not in the slightest. We're only measuring Synchronization Rates." Yuichiro clears his throat. "In any case, if you're ready, Yuri and BladeMan are also ready."

The scientist stands up properly to do his limited duties as a tournament announcer. "NetOps, Jack in."

Yuri stands up from her chair. She nods, BladeMan is already in the machine, and they're both ready to battle.

"Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!"

~ Vs. BladeMan.EXE ~

BladeMan stands in the forested arena with his eyes turned to the sky. He follows MegaMan's entry into the machine and stands at the ready to receive his "guest" in the shadows of the facade of his manor. "Are you prepared, Lady Yuri?"

"Yes, I am. I am focused and prepared for our battle."

BladeMan nods. He hears the slightest tingle of Yuri's voice inside his head, rather than coming to his ears. She's ready, and they'll be as much of a challenge as they can. His charge's nerves are only from the coming clash, now, and they'll quickly synchronize to the point where speech is unneeded.

MegaMan steps casually into the clearing at the center of the forested arena, standing before BladeMan. "Giving us an uphill battle, huh?"

"It could be said." BladeMan chuckles. "I hope you don't take too much offense. I simply made the request for Lady Yuri's sake, as we ended up having extra time for preparations."

"You have a good sense of doom built into it." The blue Navi nods with a friendly smirk. "Good luck backing that up!"

"Worry not, Sir MegaMan. I may have certain mannerisms, but I assure you," BladeMan raises his arm blades and swipes them along each other, "My name is not SwordMan or KnightMan. Fitting my designation, I am one of my Lady's many blades in the dark."

BladeMan grins as Dr. Hikari's voice booms in the sky. "Synchronization Experiments, Observational Battle Number 2, BladeMan.EXE versus MegaMan.EXE. Battle routine, Set."

MegaMan's face mask appears on his face and he draws his buster. "Execute!"

"Best of luck, Sirs Lan and MegaMan. Here's to a grand clash." BladeMan silently steps backward into the thick of the trees. He all but disappears from view.

Lady Yuri. I recommend a strong opener. Are you prepared with Bodyguard?

Yes. AntiNavi, AntiSword, AntiDmg, all in. Program Advance: Bodyguard. Yuri silently slides the chips into her PET.

BladeMan sighs softly as he feels the trap trigger load itself into his body. Perfect. Shall I begin the feint assault, Lady Yuri?

Proceed, BladeMan. Yuri can't help but chuckle to herself as she imagines this ploy going off almost perfectly. After all, every new tactic will earn a strategist at least one free hit.

BladeMan twists one of his arm blades around backward. He skulks behind MegaMan, ready to strike down at his spine. A slash upward after a stab in this position will cause plenty of damage, if he can pull it off.

MegaMan is swinging his buster around in a calculated motion. Good, he's being careful. But it won't be enough. "This place is giving me the creeps, Lan... I know it's not h-haunted, but the atmosphere is making my spine tingle..."

With his blade aimed for MegaMan's back, BladeMan slinks up to his opponent. "Perhaps I can be of assistance with that sensation?" He thrusts his blade downward toward the short, blue Navi's neck.

"Holy-?!" MegaMan twists around. A glowing blade materializes from his arm and he takes a swing at BladeMan even as the violet steel of the sneak attack slashes across his arm.

"Boo." BladeMan vanishes with a cackle as the sword flies right through him. Massive shurikens fly at MegaMan from the shadows of the forest.

BladeMan watches MegaMan dance around the shurikens. Even with the speed he's shown, he can't dodge forever.

"Gah!" MegaMan clutches at his side. Two of the shurikens managed to cut into him. He might be swift and powerful, but BladeMan knows he can't take too many big hits.

Of course, BladeMan doesn't expect the fight to end so early. Their stealthy tactics have been exposed, so their opponents will be properly on guard. It wouldn't surprise him if they got a bit trigger-happy, either.

Initial strikes successful, Lady Yuri. We have them at a disadvantage, for now.

The game is afoot. Yuri nods, focused on her chips and BladeMan's positioning. Not quite in range for a proper sneak attack, plus MegaMan is on guard for one, now. Her Navi remains still in the treetops as they both keep an eye on MegaMan for a proper opening to strike again.

The blue boy winces and shuffles backward. His buster is still held up high, a defensive position that won't be of any use. His jerky, panicked motions won't serve him, either.

Hm. Perhaps another of our easy hitters? AssassinSword should work on this field. Yuri holds the chip in her fingers. And you won't even have to do anything but drop onto the ground to make use of it.

I recommend using one of our Invis chips, first, Lady Yuri. After all, MegaMan is sure to look much less predictably through the trees after yet another surprise strike. BladeMan silently climbs down his chosen tree. He looks over to their opponent.

MegaMan is scanning much more erratically. He steps slowly along the grass-covered ground with a 360 degree spin of his buster with every cautious, fearful motion. His eyes dart about wildly.

In his panic, he’s become the perfect target for an invisible strike. If MegaMan doesn't think he can trust his eyes, he'll surely be even more shaken and begin leaving more openings. BladeMan crouches down and watches his prey cautiously move along.

Yuri inserts the Invis chip, and then AssassinSword. Chips all in. Make your move.

BladeMan fades from view and raises his bladed arm. Even without being able to see it, he feels the sword sharpen and change to a more razor-like shape. He swipes downward into the grass.

Like a properly cast spell, the blade appears behind MegaMan and takes a hard swing across his legs.

MegaMan yells in pain and drops to the ground. He keeps his buster up, sweeping around to try and catch BladeMan's motions. "Lan, I think we need to bust out an old trick, for this one..."

Lady Yuri, shall we attempt to bring an end to this? The fewer "tricks" they pull off, the better. BladeMan runs forth. His invisible form certainly isn't silent, but he should survive so long as MegaMan can't see him.

NeoVari in! SuperSonic blade mode! Yuri inserts the battlechip and taps out a code on her PET. Fire!

BladeMan's arms glow with a mystic energy. He makes a big swipe with both of his arms to launch a wave of the energy toward his target. "Goodbye, Sir MegaMan."

"DoubleSoul, SearchSoul!" MegaMan lays flat on the ground to dodge the shockwave. A flashing image of another Navi seems to superimpose over MegaMan. His form changes to mimic the image, sprouting bulky green armor along his limbs and torso.

The final change, and the newest danger to BladeMan, is a sniper rifle that forms over his Buster arm. A viewfinder pops down over MegaMan's left eye. "...Gotcha." He lowers his rifle and begins aiming for BladeMan with ease that shocks the sharper Navi and his partner.

"Ah, I see that invisibility has lost its advantage. Drat." BladeMan ducks behind a tree as a heavy bullet flies past his ear.

Lady Yuri, we may need a new plan. The stealth approach to this battle has become unusable. BladeMan ducks down. It won't be long until the next shot, and he had better not stay still.

Shit. Shit shit shit. Yuri drags her fingers along her chips, running through her mental index. Invisibility is out. What other blades do they have that can stand up to a sniper's aim? They got rid of the elemental swords for the invisibility and BodyGuard. Basic swords won't do anything to get them closer, even with a Program Advance!

Her finger strikes the solution. Yuri lets out a weak sigh of relief. StepSword, thank fuck... It's only one hit, but it might just be enough to get in and reach past the inner range of MegaMan's gun.

StepSword in. Get ready to rush him, BladeMan! Yuri slams the chip into her PET. It's do or die, now.

BladeMan waits just a second for the next shot to fly over his head. The top half of his cover tree has been obliterated. He leaps over the shredded wood and begins running for MegaMan. The warp takes him over into slicing range for a solid hit.

A blade parries his own, knocking his arm aside. MegaMan's rifle is lifted up into the air, and his left arm now sports a sword. The Navi smiles back at BladeMan. "We came ready for a sword fight! Just has to be off-handed, now!"

The dance of blades begins.

BladeMan has the numbers advantage in offense. Two blades against one would ordinarily lead to an easy advantage. Unfortunately, MegaMan can still block with his rifle. He can't use it to strike back meaningfully, but it's a barrier to BladeMan's progress. Every forward swing is easily redirected away from vital areas or completely absorbed by the rifle. The proper-mannered Navi swears under his breath as MegaMan continues to push him back and chip away at his blades.

As BladeMan blocks MegaMan's sword strikes with his arms, his synchronized NetOp twitches. Her arms are starting to... Oh no. Every "blocked" strike sends a spark along her nerves. The scars on her flesh feel like they're burning. They need to wrap this up, before she has an episode. Damn it, damn it, this started out so promising! Yuri grits her teeth and clamps down a scream of primal frustration.

Lady Yuri, calm yourself. Focus on the battle, not your physical body. BladeMan ducks into the foliage and begins retreating. He knows he can't lose MegaMan's sights at any range. But he also doesn't know how many more blocked sword strikes Yuri can handle.

Not an option. Fuck, we need to end the fight, right now! Then I can take care of... this. Muramasa in! Yuri quickly grabs her PET and stuffs the intimidating chip in. Finish this, Muramasa should have plenty of energy!

BladeMan's arm begins shimmering with dark energy. As you command, Lady Yuri. He'll have to rely on his natural speed against MegaMan's sniper aim. Their defense is half gone with only one normal arm. He holds his arm in front of his body for his best chance at guarding.

BladeMan leaps out of the brush and starts to zig-zag toward MegaMan. Maybe adding more motion can thwart the eagle eye of his opponent? His synchronization with Yuri is higher than ever. Even if it isn't quite up to Lan and MegaMan's level, it must be worth something. BladeMan raises the Muramasa and takes a swing with the evil blade as he barely enters melee range-

Kapow!

The shot slams through BladeMan's arm and chest and he falls to the ground. The dark shine of the Muramasa disappears after he tumbles forth a few meters past MegaMan. He digs an arm blade into the ground to lift himself up and face the other Navi. "Well-fought, Sir MegaMan. I have no regrets with this defeat."

Yuri clutches her chest with a massive shudder and wince. She leans onto the terminal and has to stiffly hold herself up with her free arm. The connection between Navi and Operator is intense when it reaches the heights that she and Lan have with their respective partners. As she pants and groans, she watches her Synchro Rating with BladeMan plummet. "Nn- B-BladeMan, jack out... We concede."

MegaMan gives BladeMan a playful salute as his green armor and rifle fade away. "Good fight, BladeMan. I'd love to take you on, another time."

BladeMan nods as he begins to fade away. "Another battle, some other day, would be splendid, Sir MegaMan. If you'll excuse me, I need to repair myself." He jacks out, disappearing from the field.

MegaMan follows BladeMan's example and exits the arena. The darkened forest and dimly lit manor backdrop disappear as the reset process leaves no evidence of the battle.

Dr. Hikari claps for the end of the match. "BladeMan.EXE defeated, MegaMan.EXE is the winner. Impressive tactical displays, all of you."

Yuri leans against the wall. She looks over at Monika with a tightened jaw and near-crazed eyes. "Monika. Stress balls. Please!"

Monika wastes no time grabbing them out of Yuri's school bag and handing them over.

"Thank you." Yuri squeezes the foam spheres in her hands. Her black nails dig in and nearly pierce their outer layers. She repeats the motion of squeezing and digging her fingers into the balls. Her arms feel so cold and itchy. But she can't give in, not here.

Yuri stares at her bag. She can swear she sees the ceramic knife glowing in its pocket. It's right there, she can just take her bag to the bathroom and-

A sudden warmth and weight press into her. Yuri gasps softly as the ringing in her ears fades away. How long has she been staring into space? What's holding her? She turns her purple eyes downward, to see...

"Sayori?" Why is her voice so hoarse? How hard has she been breathing?

"Yurrrrri~" The shorter girl smiles from her uncomfortable position of "chin against breasts". "I'm here to ground you! Is it working?"

"Y-yes, actually, um. Thank you. W-wow, your 'hug energy' is really something..." Yuri's posture sags a bit, and she returns the tight squeeze to Sayori. The urges have melted away, somehow, and Yuri is forever going to be grateful to her friend.

"You know it!" Sayori laughs, patting Yuri's back. "Let's go sit down. I'll get you some extra water and we'll all just sit together for a while, yeah?"

Yuri nods. "Sounds divine... I wish I'd brought my heating thermos, I would make everyone some tea."

"I could go find a kettle for you." Dr. Hikari calls from his desk. "It's the least I can do, during our second break in the experiment. To say nothing of whatever you might be currently dealing with, you took a shot to the chest at over 180% synchronization." He gestures at the experiment's data display.

Indeed, those are the numbers. MegaMan and Lan managed to reach 220%, the naturals that they are. Seems they didn't fully synchronize, like the last match, but they got very close. Lan is clearly also in need of a break, rubbing at his arm where BladeMan cut across MegaMan's.

"If you would, Dr. Hikari, I would greatly appreciate it." Yuri smiles as Sayori nudges her into a seat next to the other two girls. "I'm... Well, now that I have a moment, I can tell how exhausted I am. I can't do any brewing myself, but I'll be happy to contribute my own tea. I brought some bags of orange blossom tea today!"

"That sounds wonderful, Yuri! I'll go get the kettle. For now, you kids just rest. We'll take a lengthily extended break to recharge, and then we'll get down to business again." Dr. Hikari exits the room.

Yuri deflates into the back of her seat. "Oough... Someone wake me, when he returns. I need to," A yawn loudly interrupts her sentence, "Ohhh... I need a nap.."

"Sleep good, Yuri! We'll get you back up, when we need you." Sayori strokes Yuri's shoulder. Monika and Natsuki pipe in with some quiet sounds of agreement.

And so Yuri falls into a deep slumber. At least, as deep as she can get in a government lab's office chair.

Monika and Sayori smile at her as her body melts into the chair.

"Guess this means we're next, right Moni?" Sayori grins, excited to take part in her little section of scientific history.

"That we are. Are you ready to do this?" Monika smiles back at her.

"Always, with you!"

"Oh, get a room, you two." Natsuki snickers from behind them.