Tifa & Yuffie

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Lan immediately put down his mug and got up to run to his brother's side, thanking Blues for taking care of him and trying to get his brother's attention. Saito barely acknowledged him, though, offering a pitiful sound somewhere between a sob and a whimper when his brother spoke to him, not in any mindset to engage in conversation for the time being. Lan's expression was deeply strained, and it wasn't hard to tell he could feel his brother's agony himself. He didn't know what to make of the emotions he was getting from his twin...it was horrible, beyond horrible even. He urged Blues to follow and led him to the couch, telling him to sit down with his twin for a while, before he trotted off, shivering slightly from cold, to find his mother and inform her that Blues and Saito had returned.
The orange-vested twin soon returned, picking up his blanket and moving to sit as close to the arm of the couch -and thus to his brother- as he could, watching his ailing twin in silence. Haruka arrived not long after, carrying two blankets and a small tray on which were two steaming mugs. She put down the tray on the coffee table, handing the blankets to Blues, offering a somewhat sad smile, before she turned to pick up one of the mugs, handing it to the man.
"thankyou for bringing Saito home, Blues. It's a relief to have him home safely" she said, placing her hand briefly on Blues' shoulder before she then gently tried to urge her grieving son's attention to her, to no avail. She sighed sadly, tears glistening in her eyes to see her dear son so distraught, and turned to Blues again.
"When he's feeling a little better, would you mind giving him his cocoa, dear?" she asked, softly, realising that trying to communicate with Saito in any form was, for now, a fruitless endeavour. The boy needed some time to cry it out, hopefully then he might be more inclined to listen to what others had to say to him. She couldn't bring herself to imagine what he must have been through to put him in such a state. First the fire at the lab and now Zero's death...it pained her to see her usually cheerful son so miserable. "Let me know if there's anything you need, alright? You've all had a hard time, today" she said, to all four of the young men, or at least to the three who were listening, as she left to go back to the kitchen, trying her hardest not to cry for the sake of her sons. They needed her to be a pillar of strength right now, so she would do her best to be such.

Saito remained where he was, shivering and crying softly for some time to follow that, eventually though he moved slightly to tug softly on Blues' shirt to get his attention, mumbling that he was cold when the man turned to him, sounding particularly hoarse between the combined effort of the effect of the smoke from earlier and the persisting tears. That said, he was at least speaking and coherent again, though he refused to let go of Blues' shirt, huddled in as close to the man as he could. Lan saw his brother move and heard him murmur something to Blues and quickly called his twin's name, the melancholy boy turning as much as he could without pulling away from Blues, to glance at his younger brother questioningly.
It seemed whatever conversation they had was a private one, as no words were actually said, their responses to each other conveyed through their eyes and tiny, puzzling gestures. Lan tilted his head and met his brother's eyes with concern -an obvious query into the boy's well-being, but that was the most of the silent exchange that made much sense- to which Saito looked away and hid his eyes, in response Lan then reached out to gently put a hand on his twin's shoulder, frowning sadly. Saito's final response to that was a tiny shake of the head whilst he gnawed slightly on his bottom lip, glancing back at his brother briefly before he turned away entirely and went back to his so-far unsuccessful attempts to make himself invisible against Blues' chest. Lan seemed deeply worried, but he didn't try to speak to his brother any further, obviously understanding that he was suffering and that he didn't want to talk just yet. Any response from the grieving boy was an achievement, and he was content that his twin was at least on the improve, however blue his mood was now. He just needed some time and comfort to cope for the time being.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Blues had settled himself down on the couch beside Saito the moment Lan had urged him to. A comforting arm was wrapped around Saito's shoulders as he nursed him closely. It was much warmer in here than it was outside in the rain, but even the warmth of the home's central heating could not warm all the way to his bones. He'd not been there as Zero ceased to function as Sai had, but he'd seen the blank look from those haunting eyes when he'd returned. He was staying strong for Sai, confident enough in the Professor's ability to make claims as bold as "Zero will be OK". He just hoped he wasn't speaking lies to the poor kid.

He looked up from where he silently watched the young Hikari curled beside him when Haruka entered the room with blankets for them and hot chocolate. He reached up to take the blankets from her, wrapping one loosely around Sai's shoulders before tugging his own around himself. If there was one thing he disliked about this newfound humanity, it was the temperature sensitivity. He'd never had to worry about being too hot or too cold as a navi.
"Thank you, Mrs Hikari," he murmured as he took his mug from her, feeling the soothing warmth radiate up his arms from where his hands touched the hot porcelain. "I'll make sure Saito gets his."
He dropped into silence then, sipping from his delightfully hot chocolate. Haruka made the best in town. Or so he was told... he hadn't had anyone else's before. He glanced up slightly after a mouthful, noting the intensity with which a pair of blue eyes watched him from across the room. When he looked up to meet Chaud's gaze, the monochrome haired boy looked away casually, as if pretending he'd never been looking at all. His attention was tugged away from the young tycoon by Saito's gentle tugging at his shirt. He immediately set his mug aside, adjusting his position on the couch so that Saito could curl in closer to him. Instinctively he pulled at the blanket around the boy's shoulders, pulling it up over his head and scrubbing it gently to dry his hair and face. He didn't say anything as the twins exchanged their silent conversation, though he did watch them, trying to piece together what they were 'saying', learning their body language.

He was only distracted from it when he heard a hiss and a grunt of discomfort from the other side of the lounge. Chaud was hunched slightly in his wheelchair, a hand white-knuckling against his thighs.
"Chaud sir?"
The boy raised a silencing hand, shaking his head.
"It's nothing, Protoman. Just the cold."

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Lan temporarily turned his attention from his twin to Chaud when the slightly older boy voiced pain, asking him if he wanted a new blanket, thinking perhaps he was getting cold because his blanket was getting too wet. He quickly reached over to check the condition of the other's blanket, finding it was indeed quite soaked, and stood to go and fetch him another one, though his own wasn't too bad since most of what rain had soaked him had come off when he'd taken off his thick vest, as such there had been much less water for the blanket to soak up than for Chaud. When he returned, he took Chaud's old blanket from him and handed him the dry one with a somewhat forced smile, before turning to go and drop the sodden blanket in the washing basket in the laundry, before he came back and settled back on the couch, asking Chaud if that was any better.
Saito spared a brief glance to Chaud, but given his expression was already miserable, it was hard to tell if the pain in his eyes was concern for Chaud or his melancholy for Zero...or both. Saito seemed to appreciate Blues' comfort and attempts to get him dry and warm, turning away from Chaud again to once again bury his face in the man's shoulder, contemplating closing his eyes and going to sleep...but he decided that mightn't be a great idea after all, given he still felt horrible and doubted he could sleep terribly well even if he tried and because he had at least heard that his mother had brought in hot chocolates for him and Blues as well and going to sleep when he hadn't even touched his yet wouldn't be the best of plans. He had no intention of moving for a while, though, feeling a little too fragile to even consider moving from his love's side. He sighed heavily, his grip subconsciously tightening around the fabric of Blues' shirt, staring absently over Blues' shoulder at the back of the couch, trying not to shiver too much as that gave him something to focus on other than the events of the day. It occurred to him that he couldn't feel his fingers anymore, the digits twitching in protest to the grip he had on Blues' shirt, the somewhat frozen nerves (which had only hours before been nearly fried, as well) aching with the cold and hardly cooperating with his will to keep hold on Blues. He subtly glared at his shivering hands, silently wishing for them to hurry and warm up already, knowing that his shivering would be worrying his twin and Blues. He was beginning to feel a little better, having his thoughts focused primarily on not shivering and how cold he was, but no matter how numb he was with cold, the ache in his heart didn't cease and that meant he wasn't going to cheer up for now.
Lan had again turned back to his brother, seeing his shivering hands and frowning with concern. The elder twin was ill enough with a likely heat stroke and temporary breathing problems, not to mention he was heartsick as well. He didn't need a cold on top of that. But Blues seemed to have it under control, so he wasn't too concerned...he knew that the Silver-haired man would take care of him.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Blues had watched closely as Lan tended to Chaud, a little concerned by the creases of pain on his Master's face. Chaud would never speak up of his true discomfort, especially not during their current situation. He just had to hope that Chaud would do something if the new blanket didn't improve things at all. So he turned his attention back down to Saito now, noting the way his hands shivered. They felt like little ice-blocks against his side.
"Sit up a moment," he instructed, urging him to sit up. Once Saito was upright he'd loop his arm right around him. Then he'd fetch Sai's hot chocolate from the coffee table. With gentle hands he'd wrap Sai's frozen fingers around the warm mug, urging him to lift it to his lips.
"Drink it, it will help," he insisted.
He then looked over to Lan.
"Perhaps you could run a hot bath for your brother? It will thaw out his bones."

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Saito seemed hesitant to let go of Blues, but relented when his grip wasn't strong enough to keep hold as Blues gently urged him to sit up, so he did, albeit reluctantly. He gasped sharply as he was suddenly grabbed and pulled back, a little startled by the sudden action. When Blues gently gave him the mug of hot chocolate and instructed him to drink, he seemed a little tentative about it, but did as he was told, lifting the mug to take a sip of the sweet, warm drink, pausing only briefly beforehand to frown at his reflection in the dark surface, able to see even in the foggy reflection there how small and frail he looked without the cheerful smile. It was like in certain Japanese owls, when they'd get scared and they'd shrink themselves down to half their size in seconds. He certainly felt small and vulnerable, he reflected as he sipped at the warm drink. His hands tingled at the warmth against his frozen fingers, and he could already feel the trembles beginning to ease.
When Blues suggested Lan go and run and warm bath for his brother he nodded, eager to help his brother, and got up to go and do so, disappearing down the hallway, the sound of footsteps on the stairs echoing up the hall as he vanished upstairs. It was some time before he returned, and much of that time Sai spent staring absently into the dark circle of his hot chocolate or sipping meekly at it, shivering slightly in Blues' hold. When Lan returned, he announced that the bath was just about ready, coming down the stairwell and moving to stand before Saito, holding something out to him in his arms. The little bundle of warm fur whimpered sadly to see her master so sad, wanting to go to him and comfort him. Saito reached out to gently take the little puppy, holding her gently against his chest with one arm like a warm, cuddly teddy bear, his other hand still holding his mug as he settled back into Blues' embrace.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Blues took the mug from Saito as Lan brought the puppy to him, setting it aside where it couldn't be accidentally knocked over. He knew Sai would not like what he was about to tell him, but he didn't have a choice... he had to think about Chaud's health too.
"I'll say goodnight when you head up to your bath, Sai," he explained softly, reaching around to pat the puppy gently between the ears. "I need to take Chaud home."

"I don't need you to baby me, Protoman..." Chaud protested, but he fell silent when Blues just gave him a reproachful look.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Saito flinched at that, turning to look up at Blues fearfully and imploringly, Astrid looking up at Blues as well, with an almost scolding sound as if she were accusing him of upsetting her master. He opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, closing it again without a sound and shaking his head as vehemently as his chilled muscles would allow.
"c-couldn't you two stay...?" he pleaded, softly. He knew that Blues had Chaud to take care of, and he was aware he was being a little selfish in wanting Blues to stay, but he didn't want to see Blues leave just yet...he wouldn't say so, but he was terrified to let the man out of his sight for fear something might happen to him and Chaud. He knew he was probably being irrational, but he was sure that Nebula and their shadowy master had purposefully attacked Sci-lab, and if they knew how much losing Zero was affecting him, he was certain that they would target the other people who meant most to him next...which meant that Blues and Lan were at the top of the hit-list.
"Saito-nii?" Sai turned to the one calling him when he heard that, looking a bit awed to have heard his twin call him by honorific -even just a casual form of it. He wasn't the type for formalities. "I know you're upset, but Blues and Chaud have to go and get warm and dry too...I'm sure Blues will come and see you if he has the time. Right now, he has to think about his and Chaud's health." the younger twin offered, toying anxiously with the cord of the pendant that was hidden under the high collar of his black shirt that he had changed into when he'd taken off his wet clothes. Saito still shook his head, turning to curl into Blues' embrace, one arm still holding Astrid gently, whilst the other moved to loop around Blues' shoulder.
"I-I don't want them t-to go...!" he wailed, clinging tightly to his love. "...wh-what if...?" he trailed off, not finishing what he'd been about to say, instead just clinging more tightly to his beloved. Astrid whimpered mournfully, craning her little neck to lick her master's cheek in an attempt to console him, tiny ears curled down in sadness.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Blues sighed softly as he reached up to unloop Saito's arm from around his neck. He didn't want to have to be firm, but he knew he was going to have to be at least a little bit harder on the boy if he wanted to go.
"You just need a good long soak in a warm bath and a good night's sleep, Saito. You'll feel better in the morning," he insisted, pulling Saito back so that he could look him in the eye. "Chaud is just getting better, you wouldn't want him to catch a chill now, would you?"
He ignored the indignant sound from the wheelchair behind him.
"Nothing is going to happen." The leather clad man winked at Sai, a confident smirk on his face. "I'd like to see something TRY and take Chaud on when he's in a bad mood."

"Watch it shades, or I'll smack you one," Chaud grumbled, though he was smirking slightly too.
"I'll come by again tomorrow afternoon, but Protoman and I have a lot of work to do... I suspect we'll be overhauling SciLab's security systems."

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Saito still seemed reluctant to agree, feeling his eyes stinging with tears again, but when Blues insisted that they would be fine and guilt-tripping him about Chaud's health, the boy finally backed down, though he looked very upset to have to say goodbye to his love. He cast his eyes down, fearfully, his arms tightening slightly around Astrid, though not enough to make her uncomfortable, and he nodded slowly, biting his lip. Lan sighed slightly in relief, glad that his brother had finally relented, understanding that losing one friend must have had him very on-edge about the safety of his other loved-ones...he was very touchy when it came to matters of his friends. He smiled slightly when he brother seemed to brighten at least a little when Chaud promised that he and Protoman would visit the next day. With that, the younger twin moved forward to urge his brother to stand and follow him, the elder pulling away at first to put Astrid down and loop his arms tightly around Blues' shoulders, discreetly placing a quick kiss on his cheek, holding him close for a few moments longer, before he reluctantly let him go, trying to keep the memory of the cool silk of his hair and the warmth of his arms firmly in his mind, so he wouldn't miss it so much. Miss him. He bit his lip again, seeming hesitant to say what he was thinking, but eventually he opened his mouth to speak, his voice still soft from his emotional anguish. "...stay safe...p-please..." he fell silent with that, expecting Blues and Chaud to leave soon, his brother moving to his side to sit beside him with a comforting arm around his shoulders, understanding his concern for the pair. He also turned to offer his well-wishes, glancing to Chaud with a fairly firm -but not harsh- look on his face.
"Make sure you two come back tomorrow...you know what Sai's like when he's upset." he said, knowing well that they were aware of how Saito could get when he fretted like this. He'd panic if they didn't drop by when they'd said they would, and that wouldn't be any good for him, OR for anyone else, for that matter.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Blues held Saito tightly as he hugged him, feeling his cold lips tickle against his neck briefly.
"I will," he assured the boy before he pulled away, extending a hand to ruffle his hair. "You stay out of trouble too, kid."
With that he pulled away, turning to walk over to Chaud.

"I said we'd try, Lan," Chaud insisted when Lan reiterated that they had to visit again for Sai's sake. "If we can't make it for long we'll at least drop round... but I foresee a lot of paper-work in my future."
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before his hands dropped to his wheels, pushing them forward. He'd folded the blanket he'd been given and left it on the arm of the couch with Blues'.
"Thank Haruka for us," he concluded, before the two silver-haired men disappeared out the door and back out into the rain where Chaud's car and Blues' bike were waiting for them.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Lan nodded and raised a hand in farewell to the two as they left, his brother turning to watch them leave, turning away as soon as he heard the front door close, insisting on staying put for a moment despite his brother's gentle tugs at his arm, to listen for the sound of Blues' bike starting and waiting until it's powerful purring sound -and presumably Chaud's silent car as well- disappeared up the road. He then moved to stand and follow his brother, shakily, his cold legs aching with his own weight. Astrid followed them, trotting ahead to start hopping up the steps towards the second floor where the bathroom was. Lan then left his brother to his bath, disappearing off to their room for a while to read some comics.
Lan had already brought some PJs for Saito into the bathroom for him, so the cold teen simply peeled off his wet clothes, shakily, putting them in the washing basket that was there beside the sink before getting into the warm water of the bath and switching off the taps, his cold fingers fumbling a little at first. After spending a while soaking in the warm water to get the chill off of him, he emptied the bath, pulling his towel from the rack to dry himself, before he got dressed into the clean, pale blue, flannelette shirt and pants and made his way to his and Lan's room, where he found Astrid waiting at the door for him. That night Saito requested to sleep on the bottom bunk with his twin, to which Lan agreed without pause, so they spent the night reading together for a long time (or more to the point, Saito listened while Lan read to him) before going to sleep and curling up together for comfort.

The whole next day was spent in the lounge room, doonas over their heads, curled up together, watching television. Saito dragged out his stash of sweets (which Lan still had not succeeded in locating) and managed to go through almost a whole bar of chocolate before Chaud and Blues eventually came by the visit. They couldn't have had better timing, as Saito had begun to stare anxiously at the front door not too long before they arrived, sighing fearfully with every minute that passed without any sign of the two. His distress seemed to ease greatly to see them, though after that he didn't take his eyes off of them for a minute until they left.

Over the two days he slowly recovered from the incident with the fire, and over a few days following that, he slowly began to perk up his attitude, no longer confining himself to moping on the couch or curling up his and Lan's room with Astrid, though he remained quite sullen still. His friends at school asked a lot of questions when he got back after the first two days, though he answered very few of them. Most people thought he'd only been off to recover from the fire and had assumed his anxiety was post-traumatic stress and asked no questions on that. Jan and Helen were the only two who had suspected otherwise but had left him alone when he refused to answer any questions. To both the twins' surprise, one day when they got home, they encountered Valeska in their living room, whom had been waiting for them after having heard about what happened. She and Raven both offered their reassurances to the elder twin (whom had been acting far more like the younger twin since that day, clinging to his brother's side and scaring easily, cowering behind his twin for protection), letting him know that if he or his brother needed them, they were always available. It seemed that Raven had come to be much softer with the two over time, mellowing out quite substantially since their initial meeting.

After a few more days, about a week or so from the incident, Saito was basically back on his feet again, though while he wasn't moping his days away or easily distracted he didn't smile much, which was evidence enough that he was still feeling a little upset. It was about this time that the announcement came for this year's N1 Grand Prix. The previous year's match had proved exciting, but people were all certain exactly who would be the winner this year, since Protoman wouldn't be competing due to Chaud being unable to Operate for him. Talk began to circulate amongst potential competitors that just to reach the final match and battle Megaman at his finest would be an honour AND reward enough, as EVERYONE knew he held back substantially for the initial matches...he always saved his special moves for the final fight.

Saito couldn't particularly say he was so excited for the tournament, since half the anticipation was the battle with Protoman, since he knew that he could really let loose on his love without fear of doing any severe damage, but he was still looking forward to it, since he'd not even been IN the cyberworld for quite some time, so it would be good practice. Another week passed, Summer now in its final month as the many-times-rebuilt stadium of the annual N1 opened its doors once again and the masses migrated from across the land and seas to the island stadium and its many towering resorts. The competitors' family lodgings were full as always, with the contestants and their family filling up the rooms in the huge building next to the main stadium. Saito had spent much of the previous week in the cyberworld in his spare time, polishing his skills on pre-programmed targets and viruses found in the outskirts of Net City. He was anxious to fight a REAL opponent however, hoping he wasn't too out of shape from his long absence. He was rather amazed that nobody had noted how long he had been gone.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Following their visit the day after the fire Protoman and Chaud had all but dropped off the radar. No one seemed to question their absence, the one time Lan did ask after them, Chaud had replied with a very short response. He was busy with work. Protoman gave the same answer. It had seemed strangely evasive, but if there was one thing everyone had learned in their years of friendship with Chaud Blaze, it was that you don't push Chaud for answers when he doesn't want to give them. All that resulted in was him pushing you further away. This was especially the case since the attack that had taken his legs from him.

So now it was the time of year when all of the world stopped and turned its eyes towards Dentech and its previously ill-fated floating arena. N1 had come again, and it was sure to see a great number of world class battlers slug it out for the number one position. Everyone had been waiting eagerly, training against each other, swapping battle-chips and doing any last minute upgrades on their navis in order to give themselves the best chance in the upcoming championship.

Now the day had finally come, and a crowd of thousands had crammed the stadium full to capacity. Chaud, who was not entering on account of his condition, had arranged for his friends and their families all to have exclusive seats in his private box. It gave them the best view of the arena below, and came with certain other perks too, like free refreshments. Everyone had shrieked in excitement and gratitude when they found out, but Chaud had seemed rather disinterested in the whole affair. It was as if his passion for battling had vanished now that he was unable to compete.
In fact he'd had a rather heated argument with Lan a week or so before, about how it WAS possible for him to enter, and that he could still Net Battle with Protoman. The tycoon had insisted that unless he could walk out to that arena platform on his own two feet, he was not going to competitive net battle ever again. Protoman had seemed completely supportive of the boy's decision, but the red navi never had been one to argue with any decision Chaud made.

So there they all sat, in Chaud's personal box, eagerly awaiting the first match of the Grand Prix.

"Welcome to the N1 Grand Prix Battle Arena folks!" Rebita's voice echoed throughout the stadium. "We're all looking forward to another killer competition folks, with the line-up filled with nothing but skill. We have your usuals, Maylu and her navi Roll, Dex and Gutsman, Cory and Iceman..." she continued to list off all the competition regulars, the great TV screens hung up throughout the arena displaying images of the battler's and their navis as she spoke.
"But we also have some new contenders this year, and boy are they fierce!"
Valeska and Raven were the first to appear on screen, accompanied by a brief explanation of their skills and ambitions. Following them was Jackalman and Oliver, Dragonman and Luke and a number of others.
"But we have a mystery competitor this year folks! We've had shifty entries before, but none quite like this! He calls himself Arido and we know absolutely nothing about his navi folks! That's right, nothing at all!"
All that showed on the screen this time was a large question mark. Somehow the entrant had managed to keep every last detail about themselves completely masked.
"But I know what you're waiting for folks! You want to know about our two favourite competitors, Reigning champion Megaman and Runner Up Protoman!"
The crowd went absolutely ballistic as images of the previous year's epic final battle began to play on the screen, showing Megaman and Protoman in the height of their showdown.
"Sadly Chaud Blaze and his navi Protoman announced their indefinite retirement from net battling earlier this season folks, so we wont get to see the red-whirlwind in action today!"
A sound of dismay rattled throughout the crowd then, everyone mourning the loss of one of their favourite battlers.
"Mr Blaze is here somewhere today folks, his company BlazeQuest is responsible for this year's tournament security!"
The great screen changed to an image of Chaud in the crowd then, the tycoon sighing softly before he raised a hand to wave, the screams of adoration immediately rising from the crowd. That gained a little bit of a smirk from him.
"But don't fret battle-fans! I'm proud to announce that your reigning champion, Megaman, will return this year to defend his title! Will his greatest rival's absence see Megaman extend his winning streak by yet another year with unrivalled ease?"
The roar of the crowd was defeaning as Megaman battled his way across the screen for all to see in the highlights of the previous year's competition.
"It's time to find out! Let the preliminaries begin!"

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

The first 7 battles went on with lesser-known, mostly new competitors, including Luke in the 6th match, the crowd quickly coming to adore the young blonde and his navi as they effortlessly dispatched their opponent, a navi known as Madman, whose name was as much a pun for his personality as it was for his fighting style. Finally, the veterans made their presence known in the 8th match, with Raven and Valeska up against Iceman and Tory. The match had proved a fantastic show of skill, with Iceman forcing Raven to stay grounded, freezing her wings on her only attempt to fly and causing her to abandon the cause, but in the end, Raven came out at the top of the match, by a clever trick with her sword and a bit of acting on her part. Tory didn't seem at all fazed to have lost to her, rather enriched by the experience regardless of the outcome, congratulating her on her success. The next match had seen a rather unexpected comeback from the long-silent world three, or those who had formerly been world three. Count Zap and his ever-adored and notoriously hardy navi Elecman showed up to battle it out with Sharkman. The match proved fairly self-explanatory, with Sharkman at a disadvantage, stranded on ground unless he wanted to be made into tonight's dinner. With his mobility lagging, Sharkman saw an inevitable defeat, but certainly not without a feisty match at least, the battle proving more than entertainment enough.

Next up came Megaman's first match, fighting against a rather annoying opponent called Amberman. His tendency to encase himself in rock-hard amber to avoid ranged attacks made it a rather tricky match. He eventually quelled the fighting with a single blow, maintaining his reputation for yet another battle. But anyone could see he wasn't as on his game as usual. He just wasn't quite feeling it this time...it was just a job, nothing much else. The next matches saw many more competitors pass, including many of Lan and Megaman's friends and Jackalman. Now was the first match for the mystery competitor, Arido. Saito had showed up in the crowds when Lan did, people assuming he'd been off the side cheering Lan on, rather than in the crowd, so nobody seemed to suspect anything strange. He seemed curious as to who the competitor was, but all of his friends seemed to have noticed that something was wrong. He didn't seem happy like he usually did, watching the battles rather disinterestedly, making few comments. Maylu wondered if it was because Chaud and Protoman weren't competing, and while that wasn't the whole problem, that was certainly part of it.

[Tifa Lockhart]

The entire stadium radiated with the energy that net-battling brought with it, and every match delivered the intensity that they were craving. However, when it finally came time for the mysterious Arido to battle, tensions reached boiling point. Everyone was waiting to see who his Navi would be, and whether they had what it took to go the distance.
Arido entered the arena in silence, every eye trained on him as they finally got to see what he looked like... or sort of. He was concealed from head to toe, a hoodie pulled up over an orange cap with an indistinct red logo which was pulled low so that only his eyes showed out of the shadow beneath, they were a deep blue. The man seemed to have a slight limp to his walk, and his pace was almost agonisingly slow, and there was something about it that made it hard to decide whether it was arrogant confidence and hesitance...

He approached the podium with his hands still in his pockets, and looked coldly over at his opponent. A young newcomer named Silvie, who fought with her bird-like navi Freya.
The PET he then produced was non-descript, not even custom painted, just the same bland paintjob that they had whenever they first came out of the box. Strangely, though he connected the PET up to the battle-sphere's network, he did not log his navi in...

"What's this!?" Rebita exclaimed, leaning forward in her commentators box, as if that might somehow give her a better view.
"Somehow, Arido's navi was already logged in and waiting! That's preparation to the maximum folks!"

Once Freya had been logged in, the battle commenced... but no one even saw what happened. If they'd blinked, they would have missed it.
In a blur of movement, an unseen navi darted from cover and delivered one debilitating sword-strike that knocked Freya out before she even got to make a move.
The stadium could do nothing but stare in awestruck silence as Arido turned away from the podium, leaving a stunned Silve behind to sob.

"I... I DON'T BELIEVE IT FOLKS!" Rebita exclaimed, eyes wide. "D-did anyone see what happened? Play the recording!"
But even the playback had completely missed it, save for a dark blur of movement and then a flash as the strike was delivered.
"What an amazing victory folks! It looks like Megaman and Lan might have a real challenge on their hands with this one!"

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

((it's "Ribbita" XD))

Lan gaped in awe as the match ended in under a second, amazed by what he had just seen. "what the hell?! How can anyone move like that?! Sai?" he turned to his brother, thinking he might have an answer, surprised to see that the boy had hardly flinched at all. The elder twin wasn't gawking at the video replay of the stranger's navi...he was staring calmly at the man named Arido as he left the arena. There was something...familiar about the way he held himself. It was uncanny. But he couldn't place where he'd seen it before, and turned his eyes away, closing them in thought.
"Whatever the case, Lan, I'm sure you and Megaman will do fine" he said, referring to Megaman as if they were someone else whilst they were in the public eye, and within hearing range of Jan and Helen, who had yet to learn who he really was. "Only Protoman has ever beaten you two. He isn't here to fight, this time." he didn't sound smugly sure as such, but he didn't sound uncertain either. He was completely calm. Lan considered that perhaps Protoman not being here had made it too boring for his brother, and moved to put a hand on his shoulder, offering a bright smile when the other turned to him. Others wouldn't pick up on the true meaning of the gesture. Sai offered a small smile at that, though it was mostly cheerless, before he turned back to the arena. The remaining preliminary matches continued on, and soon every navi had fought at least a few times, leading into the elimination rounds. Over the next few days, Megaman and Lan had wiped the floor with every opponent they faced, though at times Megaman seemed to slip up, something he had never formerly been inclined to do. Arido had also made short work of all opponents, and Saito began to notice something odd; it seemed that whenever Chaud had something he needed to do, Arido's match came up, and he missed it. He thought it an unusual coincidence, but he decided it was just that, since Chaud had made it quite clear he had no intentions of fighting in this tournament. Soon enough, the elimination rounds were done, and it was on to the semi finals on the fifth day of competition, with 16 competitors left. Megaman, of course, was still in the game. Dragonman and Luke had also made it to the finals, saying that they were content just to have made it so far already. Also in the semi-finals were Raven, Jackalman and, of course, Arido, amongst other navis who had proven their skill in the competition. So the stadium cleared out for the day and the competitors went back to their rooms, discussing what they'd learned and who they'd defeated and the finalists planning their attack strategy for the next day.

Finally, after a long (and for Saito, restless) night, the day of the semi-finals arrived. In the first matches of the semi-finals, Jackalman put his opponent to bed like a child, seeming almost offended by the easy win. Raven also cleaned up nicely, leaving her opponent rather broken (though it had been his own fault, being obnoxious in front of miss snooty-pants herself). Megaman had been, to his dismay, pitted against Dragonman, and though he made sure to pull his punches to make the match last, Dragonman had insisted that Megaman defeat him for the sake of being the finalist like always. But that wasn't to say the dragon went down without a fight, having set a good 80% of the arena aflame in their match and leaving Megaman quite thoroughly exhausted afterwards. Arido, as with every other match, destroyed his opponents utterly, with a single decisive blow at the beginning of the match. Down to just eight competitors the second round of the semi-finals began, with Raven losing by a hair to Jackalman, who seemed much happier for the challenge now after his easy victory before. A navi called Archman, whose profession lay in bows, also made his way through his match and into the finals. 3rd was, of course, Megaman and finally was Arido. As expected.

And at last, after a long and grueling competition, the finals arrived on the last day, the crowds eagerly gathering in the stands to watch the fun. Jackalman faced Arido and was soundly beaten, though he managed to survive two strikes with skillful dodges before he was struck down, managing to scratch his opponent's armour before he logged out. And likewise, Megaman (with some difficulty) brought down his opponent as well. Everyone seemed tense during Megaman's matches...they knew he was off his game. He didn't look focused, and it was more than obvious that he wasn't trying his best. As the sun began to sink in the sky, the final match arrived. Arido and his navi vs Lan and Megaman. Lan tried to meet the blue eyes of his opponent under the hat, smirking confidently.
"Hey, why don't you take off the hood so we can at least see who we wiped the floor with, huh?" Lan said, the usual trashtalk, not actually arrogance. Just. Megaman logged into the arena, scanning around him for any signs of where the unseen navi would come from. He said nothing, unlike his twin, waiting patiently for the match to begin.