1.) The First Battle

"What do you mean its too late to register?"

This was the question asked by a small crowd, outside the arcade, a short distance away from both the college and the residential area. They were speaking to the person behind the counter, who, although seemed rather calm against this mob, still had a flustered air to him.

"The registration was due last week, and the DaCre tournament was today," the clerk said, calmly, as a flier was forced on his desk. Adjusting his glasses slightly, he yelled in back. "Eric! I told you to replace these misprints!"

A voice, barely distinguishable, came from the back. The clerk's face turning red with frustration, he turned back to the crowd. "I'm sorry, but rules are rules. The rosters are already set, albeit with a lower amount of players, and we don't have the time to sort this out. Come back next month."

Luke sighed, at the back of this crowd, as he caught the end of this argument. It was just as well, considering that his XLR8 was acting weird, though he had managed to get the lights to stop, although they had a bad habit of coming back.

He sighed, and looked around, his 'watch' currently around his wrist. Rather bored, he knew that other inconvenienced DaCre players would be bound to be here, perhaps a few even worth sparring... though, it seemed a lazy day enough to just spectate.

"Tch, I hate it when that happens." Seth grumbled, "Seriously, is it 'that' difficult to get the freakin times right? Now there'll only be a few people competing, and probably none of them will be strong enough." reaching into his pocket, Seth pulled out a thin black case, about the size of a wallet.

Flipping open the device, two screens lit up, each of satisfactory size. Tapping a few sections of the screen several windows appeared, most of them along the lines of mail boxes, and data charts Seth slipped the device back into his pocket, and began to browse the crowds.

Several of them had other devices of similar design, and some were vastly different. Each one seemed engrossed with the object being displayed. Seth himself eyed each one carefully, but apparently saw nothing that interested him.

"Ugh, I hope I don't have to wait until next month."

Lallium blinked. He had arrived a few minutes later than everyone else and hadn't heard the news.

"Is this beecause I overslept?"

He had forgotten to take off his nightcap and the pom-pom fell down on his face. He tried to blow it off in vain.

"Oh drat. Sorry Salem it looks like you don't get to thrash anyone now." He leaned bakc and activated his XLR8, the image of Salem coming up. He looked at it and sighed.

The crowd began to disperse somewhat, dissapointed of the circumstance but also fearing the old man's temper somewhat. It was unlikely that the worker in back would have his job for much longer.

The crowd began to realize that they were surrounded by potential opponents, and they began pairing off, battling both wirelessly and through active holograms, depending on if they wanted spectators. These were an amazing, somewhat new technology, or so it would seem: all it really did was broadcast the vision of a wireless game out on the streets.

Lallium, blinking as if he still hadn't fully woken up, looked around. Everyone seemed to be pairing up anyway, the tournament forgotten.

"Ah. Then maybe... you can fight afterall?"

He looked around. Many of the players were already occupied but he eventually settled on a non-occupied man with black hair that was close to Lallium's size (for it wasn't really in his interest to fight a little kid or an older man, though he had done both in the past on occasion).

Walking up he yawned and leaned against a wall near the teen.

"Everyone else seems to be enjoying themselves. Would you... *yawn* would you like to have a match?"

"No I wouldn't." Seth grumbled, "I hate matches. Besides, are you even awake? Maybe you should get some caffeine in you." although Seth in all honestly did not favor matches, that was not to say he wouldn't put up with one. In any case, most of the people he'd met in the past proved persistent. So his hand reached into his pocket, and his fingers gripped his hardwire, just in case it seemed like he wouldn't be getting out of this.

Still, the youth seemed like a rather sleepy sort, which was an odd thing to see during such a high energy event(despite being a failed event). Perhaps he really could use something to drink.

"Erm...tch, come with me. We'll get some soda down you, if that'll wake you up. I hate talking to a person who isn't even fully conscious. Jeez."

Lallium blinked.

"Um... okay. But I doubt it will do much." Lallium yawned again. "Besides I'd prefer a nice glass of milk."

Lallium studied the teen he was now with. Most people at these events were of a bloodthirsty, hyper sort, and they certainly would never refuse a match. Lallium was confused but kept the conversation going ayway.

"It's not like it hinders... my abilities or anything."

A young boy sat at a desk with a computer on it, on the screen of the computer was a page with a lot of tabs and what seemed to be a small cute demon like creature. The boy was just watching the demon run around on the screen.

"Should have enterd the tournment?" Ken said "do you think we should have Fang?"

The demon creature shook his head up and down.

"Really?" Seth halted, and then spun around, "Then why the heck am I even bothering?! Are you seriously trying to tell me that you're a net battler, and you can barely stay awake?!"

~Hmm...shesh, what a pain. Might as well find out for sure, though.~

"So it doesn't hinder your abilities, huh? Just what are your abilities?"

Pulling out his Hardwire, Seth unplugged the wireless jack, and inserted it into the port on the other side of the device. This allowed him to connect to other people without actually needing a port to plug directly into the net.

"I still hate matches." Seth grimaced, "I'm only doing this for...research."

"Research... Then research it is then." Lallium pressed a few buttons on his XLR8 and projected his screen, then connected it to his opponents wirelessly (or however that's done O_o).

"Come Salem... we shall begin with a dissection, for the sake of research."

Salem appeared in the projection and Lallium pressed a few buttons. "DaCre match... engage!"

"Fang.... first what are you doing?" Ken asked the demon creature as it *awed on a tab on the page that looked like a slice of pizza. Fang stopped and jumped down to the bottom of the screen.

"Lets go to the tournement to watch" Ken said as he got pda out and attached it to his computer with a cord. Fang went through the cord to the pda.

"Dad I'm going out!" Ken yeld as he unhooked the pda from the computer and walked to the front door.

"Come back for dinner" yeld Ken's dad as he typed something on his laptop.

"I will and so will Fang" Ken said as he walked out the front door and went down the street only to find a mob of people.

"Yeah, whatever." Seth sighed as he allowed his fingers to glide over the top and bottom screens.

A child like boy appeared a bit further away from Lallium's DeCre. It made no effort to assume a fighting stance, nor did it even regard the other creature's presence for several moments before it finally turned and focused it's hazel eyes upon Salem.

"Say whatever fancy battle cry you have in mind and attack." Seth waved his hand for Lallium to make the first move, "I am prepared."

~This had better not be a waste of time. I hate wasting time.~

"No.. no mercy then. Water orb."

Salem leaped into action in the hologram, leaping left and throwing an orb of water, 3 feet in diamete or so, towards his opponents DaCre (name please). Rolling even as he trew it Salem dashed forward on his cat paws and obtained a position behind the other DaCre before the ball had a chance of hitting, readying for antoher attack from behind.

Ken walked into the mob of people, Fang... well he was still chewing on the pizza tab that was on Ken's pda too.

"Will you stop chewing on that? I need it and you're tring to eat it" Ken said to Fang who once and for all stopped chewing on the pizza. Ken, while in the mob, saw 2 people battleing so he descided to watch the battle "hey Fang want to see a fight?" Fang shook his head up in down. Ken turned his pda around so Fang could watch the fight. Fang began to wag his tail since he was made to fight.

Stepping to the left, the DeCre quickly took out any threat of the water orb.

Still not finished, Dunmer lifted his left knee in a pitching stance, and slammed it into the ground. Using the anchorage, the DeCre then lifted his right leg while now in a tight right spin. The leg extended, miraculously, reaching out in mid turn. Coming back around again, the powerful spinning kick hurtled through the air, in direct line of the now oncoming Salem.

With the foot traveling so rapidly forward, and the cat like DeCre approaching head on, it would be very difficult to have time to evade the blow before the foot hit squarely, and firmly with the creatures face.

Lallium saw what was happening and reacted.

"Salem. Frost Breath."

The cat breathed a chilling ice forward as the foot impacted with his face. At the point blank range he was assured of a hit and Salem grinned through it's pain; it was likely it had at least frosted one obstacle out of the way.

"Puppeteer String. And do it before he can withdraw his foot."

Salem summoned a 2 inch or so dagger-like blade on a string which crakcled with purple electricty. the cat then threw the blade straight forward in a long-range thrust.

Due to the need for his leg to resume it's normal length, Dunmer's leg strained for a brief moment against the ice, until the frosty covering shattered against the pull.

Throwing about his left fist, Dunmer reached out with the help of his strange extension, and clasped his fingers around the blade in mid flight. Despite the crackling energy, the electricity did nothing.

"Dunmer's skin is not effected by electricity." Seth explained.

With Salem still flying through the air, Seth decided to use the moment to his advantage. The kick had hit squarely, and the cat like creature would easily be sent thirty yards at the least, given his small frame, it would be even further.

"Dunmer, transform to Rank C."

Nodding quietly, Dunmer sat down onto the ground and both the DeCre, and the human began to focus intently as the creatures data began to change.

"A transformation? So early..."

Lallium waved his hand in a "away with them" motion.

"He'll be temporarily unable to react while he changes. He's still holding your Puppeteer String, so pull it in and strike point blank."

Salem nodded and pulled back on the string Dunmer held. Hurtling forward it easily closed the gap.

"Now, Frost Breath from point-blank range. If you do it quickly enough it won't have time to transform."

Salem blasted out chilling breath at Dunmer.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear." Seth stated dully, "Saying I'm entering the mode is one thing. But nothing keeps me from purposefully breaking my focus."

Dunmer's eyes snapped wide open, and sly smile upon his face. Jabbing the blade into the ground, the DeCre himself up and backflipped away from the oncoming DeCre.

Not only would the creature be trapped in it's own freezing mist, it's own sparking blade was buried in the ground, ready to fry it the moment it came into contact.

Stuck in freefall, there was no chance of Salem being able to change it's direction now.

"The power one should always feat the most," Seth began, "Is their own."

"Indeed that is the case. Or... at least sometimes."

Salem continued to fire it's frost breath, but pointed it at the ground to slow it's descent. Regretably it had a hard time pulling away and hit itself on the hilt of the dagger, doing decent damage to his shoulder.

"Nicely done with the blade. But as for the breath... Does a dragon get burned when it breathes it's own fire? Does a bat hurt it's own ears with it's screech? You shouldn't expect all your work to be done that way." Neverthelss Salem showed signs of slowing from his ice, and both Lallium and his DaCre looked mildly irritated.

Lallium yawned and Salem rolled it's eyes looking seemingly out of the hologram and at it's master. Falling asleep while he fought like this...

"Oh fooey. But now it looks like... yes that should work. Salem, use frost breath again. On the ground. Focus at one point and spread as you go."

Salem breathed icey breath towards the spot it had landed near and the ice grew to a considerable height. It then continued the process, beginning to form a circle of icey spires around it.

Taking his fist, Dunmer wound up his hand and hurled it behind him. The fist stretched for several feet back before jamming it's fingers into the ground for a handhold.

"A dragons flame is deadly once hurled into it's mouth." Seth replied bluntly, "And a bat who screams, whilst trapped in a box, is doomed to deafness."

Releasing his handhold, Dunmer allowed his hand to snapped back like a blazing rocket. Reaching his shoulder it almost sounded like a gunshot as the hurtling fist blasted past the DeCre's ear.

This was beyond a simple blow upon the shoulder. This strike would kill, without a doubt if it hit it's mark.

"I don't know what you plan is in creating such towers. But I don't intend to find out either."

Blasting forward, the tower served as a visual barrier against the ice breathing Salem, who still appeared to be busy with it's task.

An explosion of noise erupted upon the entire field as the fist collided with the tower of ice, decimating it to pieces. Salem was perfectly in line for the blow. With the amount of force the fist had behind it, it would take a speeding bird to dodge. And even if this was done...

The falling tower would finish off the remains.

The fist slammed into Salem's side and he was sent flying. When he landed he struggled to rise again but fell back downward.

Lallium seemed only mildly irritated at the obvious loss.

"Fooey. Just a few more moments and his ice defense would have been enough to let him transform safely. Oh well."

The word Defeat appeared on Lallium's screen and he pressed a button, ending the confrontation.

"That's what you getfor being so bloodthirsty today Salem. Now what have you learned?"

The cat looked at Lallium with an intimidating glare and he shrugged.

"Looks like you won. I was on a streak there for a while too. Oh well."

Lallium leaned in closer, looking at Seth's Dunmer.

"That's a very interesting DaCre you have there. It's lack of need for named attacks works in it's favor. Congratulations." Lallium held out a hand.

"Erm, yeah, good match." Seth seemed reluctant at first to accept the hand, but eventually shrugged and shook it, "It was a gift from my sister. No one believed that a DeCre could rely on its innate, she was very earnest in proving them wrong."

~Hmm, it was an easy victory.~ Seth had to admit, ~Still, he has a lot of potential. Perhaps he could help me out. This might be a bad time to talk about it. How lucky for me that my virus managed to get into his device when we connected. Good thing it simply serves as a tracking device. Since it doesn't attack any systems an anti virus program won't pick up on it. If I think he'll prove useful, I'll know how to fight him.~

"Yes, you have no idea how much research material you could be giving me." Seth smiled, but it was so faint it simply looked as if his frown lessened.

Lallium puzzled at the phrase but eventually yawned and put his hands behind his head.

"Indeed. This has proved... enlightening. Now I think I'll take a nice nap..."

His XLR8 shook. "What is it Salem? We'll have to come up with a few more defensive strategies for you now won't we? But can't that wait til after the nap?"

The XLR8 shook again.

"Fine fine."

As the crowd seperated, and as Seth and Lallium parted ways, they would both notice something rather odd.

After walking for a bit, Seth would notice that his watch was flashing... when he went to press a button, a shielded (visible from one angle only) hologram would appear, a lone, triangle arrow pointing downtown, towards the upper water tower... there, a thick fog could be seen at the top of a fire escape.

Lallium's device, after the first few shakes, would simply not stop shaking, even after the device was turned off. Further investigation would reveal a similar arrow, pointing uptown, at the third floor of an abandoned warehouse.

Noone else, but Luke, in the crowd, seemed to have a similar reaction to these watches. Further, at this moment, none of the three were in direct eyesight of eachother.