The Challenger

"If you won't back down, then you leave me no choice, kid." Zene said.

"What rules will we use?" Jon replied.

"I prefer standard engagement." Zene answered.

"How do I know you won't cheat, hacker?" Jon retorted.

"I already told you, kid. I'm not a hacker. And the name's Zene, so stop calling me one. It's just rude."

"Yeah, well my name isn't kid. It's Jon. But you can call me the champion, because in a few minutes, I will be. Now, you claim you're not a hacker. But if you aren't how did you get into my cyber-field, huh?"

"I have a friend on the outside. Her name's Jenn. I'm not a hacker, but you're right. I got help entering the field."

"HA! So you are here against the rules!"

"Well, yeah, but I'm here for a reason, kid. You think that Able-Ward is the path to fame? To fortune? To recognition? Well, I've got news for you... Jon. It ain't so simple. If you get the high score here, you're gonna be bringing more trouble your way that you can possibly imagine."

"And if I don't, I'll be giving up my life. I'll be giving up everything I've worked for. I can't just stop here. Not now."

"Yeah, I heard you the first time. Trust me, kid. You're not ready. But if you're determined, I can show you. I'll show you your true lack of power."

"But you could be cheating. You could be hacking, or having what's her name do it for you."

"Nah, I wouldn't do that. But you want proof, I'll give you proof. INTERLINK MODE!"

A window popped up in front of Jon. Join observational interlink? (Observational interlinks do not allow for direct interference.)

Jon selected the 'yes' option. If he was hacking, an interlink wouldn't stop that. So Jon really didn't know what Zene thought he was doing, but he figured he would play along. After all, an observational interlink wouldn't open channels that could be hacked.

Interlink joined... CONNECTED

"Good, glad to see you joined. Now, I'll prove that I'm not going to hack, or let Jenn hack for me. OFFLINE MODE, INTERLINK SUSTAIN!"

Red warning symbols flew around Zene's head. If this doesn't convince that kid, nothing will.
The dialog box confirming his decision warned him of the dangers. But, Zene did not falter. I have to stop this kid before he gets in too far. Once he breaches that threshold, he won't be able to get back.
Zene acknowledged, and closed the dialog boxes. The warning symbols disappeared.

Jon was shocked. The move to offline mode was bold. It was practically like signing out from your body.
Jon received the warning about this change.

Interlink warning: 1 player(s) dependant on interlink to remain connected to session. Please do not disconnect from the network.

"Alright. You're playing fair. I get it." Jon said, "Let's start."

"Wait! Before you do, I want to establish something."

"What? You're going to try to make more rules now?"

"No, no. It's just a warning. The objective is to defeat me, right? Well, I'm not the last objective. Just, remember that if you beat me, you better have the strength left over to finish Round 30's true final objective. And... I'm not trying to stop you for my sake. I'm trying to keep you from making a terrible mistake. One I made a long time ago."

"Whatever! I'll deal with it on my own terms. Custom set 2!" Jon called out.
Jon's armor set swapped out. He was now wearing a heavy armor set that limited his movement speed, but increased his offensive power.

"Alright, have it your way. Custom set 4!" Zene called.
Zene's armor became a medium weight leather set with an over-trenchcoat with slits on the sides.

"Big mistake. Medium armor won't be enough to deflect these attacks!"

"We'll see about that. You might be changing your mind soon."

"Starfall cannon! Chain! Flame ring! Combo! Boost thrust!" Jon commanded.

"Spinning counter! Chain! Rapid charge! Chain! Shadowy embrace!"

Jon's armor digitized two large cannons, mounted one on each shoulder, and they fired two shots above Zene. The shots broke apart, and became hundreds of laser lances, surrounding Zene in a hemisphere of twinkling electric bolts. They began launching themselves at Zene, and as the numbers depleted, the cannons on Jon's armor fired more.

Zene twirled a dagger and a sword, one in each hand, and he began spinning them faster, as the shots came in, his spinning blades knocked the shots away from him. Several  shots exploded onto other shots still suspended midair, but the holes created were soon filled up with replacements.

Jon's cannon shots were expended, and the cannons retracted, digitizing back into his armor. Zene knocked the last of the shots away, and was left unharmed. A word flashed before them both:

CHAIN!

Space contorted around Zene, and he launched himself toward Jon.
Jon's armor let off a blast of flame around it, COMBO! ==Flame ring==> Boost thrust appeared, and using the power from the blast, Jon's armor lifted from the ground, and began to fly.

Zene, moving rapidly toward Jon slid underneath the shockwave of flames, then caught his foot on a rock, reorienting himself vertically with his momentum, and then followed up with a jump toward Jon.

CHAIN!

Zene caught Jon's shoulder, flipped around, and landed on Jon's back. His trenchcoat transformed into black tendrils, and wrapped Jon up, limiting his movements. Zene readied to strike with his sword.

"You've got a bad habit of making my movement difficult. Fine! Custom set 3! Lightning rush! Chain! Sword illusion! Combo! Midnight mirror!"

Just as Zene's sword struck Jon's armor, the chest of the armor opened up, and ejected Jon, wearing a skin-tight pressure suit. Zene's sword embedded itself within the armor, doing nothing to Jon. There was a small beeping which increased in speed. Zene tried to remove himself from the armor, but his own skill, Shadowy embrace, kept him from getting away. The armor exploded, and Zene fell to the ground, hitting it with a hard thump.

Jon ran toward Zene, with the speed of lightning. He was there before Zene could even comprehend what had just happened. Zene brought himself up to his feet, seeing Jon face to face for a second when suddenly, he was taking small, but painful stabs from every direction by a mere blur of Jon.

"Perception acceleration! Chain! Healing aura! Combo! Stance change: dodge!" Zene called in desperation, as he saw clear messages that he was taking damage too rapidly to keep fighting for much longer.
Suddenly, Zene could track every movement Jon was making, although he was unable to avoid the hits, at least he could try to figure out what type of patter Jon was using.

CHAIN!
COMBO!  Midnight mirror || Sword illusion ==> Carnival of dancing blades
CHAIN!
COMBO! Healing Aura || Stance change: dodge ==> Full bulwark

Jon suddenly jumped into a mirror, and it duplicated itself until there were countless mirrors, each holding the image of a long corridor filled with other mirrors, and Jon darting between them.

Zene was surrounded by a green and yellow aura, pulsating and sparkling. His wounds began to heal, but it would be a little time before they finished recovering. He couldn't afford to take damage, which could end the effect prematurely.

Jon began dashing from mirror to mirror, popping out of one, merging with another. Soon, hundreds of afterimages of Jon were swirling around Zene. However, with his accelerated perception, he could see where Jon really was.

Jon lashed out from a mirror, and Zene retreated into his coat, which deflected the blow, allowing Zene to dodge every attack. This happened over and over. Jon thought he could get a hit onto Zene, and then suddenly, Zene seemed to become nothing more than a ripple of fabric. Thinking quickly, Jon decided to improvise. As Jon popped out of a mirror, he threw his blade into the mirror to the right of where he was headed. Zene dodged Jon, but too late, he realized that the sword was missing.

The sword duplicated itself by flying through the mirror illusion, and skewered Zene from several angles.
The healing aura prevented Zene from taking any damage, but the effect ended. The mirrors, however, had also reached the end of their duration.

"Custom set 1! Chain! Lava floor!" Zene called out, knowing that as long as the battle kept going the way it had, he would find it difficult to seize an advantage. Zene's trenchcoat became a pair of wings, and he flew into the air.

CHAIN!

*Warning! The floor is lava!* Appeared before Jon as Zene conjured a bubbling orb of lava from his hands. Throwing it at the ground, the ground became a lava flow. Jon jumped into the air, and landed on a nearby platform. It wouldn't hold him for long, as the lava began to melt the support underneath it.

"I see, so it's like that, huh? Custom set reconfig: flight!" Jon yelled, and the soles of his armor digitized small thrusters to keep him airborne.

"Well, kid. I think it's time we ended this, what do you say?"

"I say, you're going down! GRAVITY!!!!"

"WHAT!?"

A sphere surrounded Zene, and suddenly his wings weren't strong enough to keep him aloft. He began a descent to the ground.

"No! I can't lose to my own skill! I refuse! Sub-zero barrier!" Zene countered. His body became encased in ice so cold, that when he came in contact with the lava, it changed the molten rock into permafrost.

"Finisher! Vector slash!" Jon yelled. Jon flew toward Zene with such speed that his body became a blade of light, which pierced Zene through, dealing so much damage, he became incapacitated.

"No... I've failed." Zene cried, unable to move. "Reconnect."
The interlink reconnected to the session, and initialized the link between Zene's body and his consciousness.

"I'm sorry, but I told you. My only hope is to become recognized. I can't just stop."

"It's my failing. I tried, but in the end, I took too much damage when I got drained. Don't make the same mistake I did, kid. It's not too late. Just, please. Stop."

"NO! I won't stop until I've achieved my dream!"

"You don't understand, Jon! You can't! But trust me!"

"Enough! You are beaten, session complete!"

"WAIT!" Zene called. "If you continue you'll..." Zene was given a forced logout, and was returned to his body.

"Good riddance to bad players. First he thinks he can just hack into my session and get away with it, then he thinks he can beat me? Gotta say, though... 'the floor is lava', huh. Man, never thought I'd hear THAT in game."

Jon received a new objective:
Objective added: Enter X-mode.

"Enter... X-mode? What does that even mean?" Jon asked himself. "Query: mission objectives."

Mission Objectives: (☑) Retrieve Data Orb from Zone A-4
(☑) Deliver Data Orb to Zone C-1
(☑) Enter Trial Chamber in Zone C-3
(☑) Proceed through the correct doorway
(☑) Hit all the specified targets
(☑) Destroy all targets simultaneously, hit nothing else
(☑) Defeat the champion high-score record holder.
(☐) Final Objective: Enter X-mode.

"Well, it is the final objective. If I manage to complete this, then I should get the new high-score. But how do I even do that?" Jon wondered.

"Query: X-mode"

X-mode:
<No Data Found>

"That's odd. I wonder if this is that guy's hacker friend's doing. Hmm. I wonder what could trigger this X-mode thing. Well, I suppose I'll have to just try several possible options, and see if anything works."

Jon landed on the ground, which had returned to normal once Zene had been rendered incapacitated. Guessing at commands might be able to help him complete the final objective, he entered several commands.

"Trigger X-mode!" Nothing happened.
"Activate X-mode!" Nothing happened.
"Enter X-mode!" Yet another time, nothing happened. Jon began feeling frustrated. How the hell do they expect someone to do this if they don't have any information about it out there? I've never even heard of whatever the hell this X-mode thing is supposed to be.

"Begin X-mode!" A dialog box popped up.

X-mode Sequence Compiling...
*Warning: Improper use of X-mode can cause serious side-effects!*

X-mode Executable Ready to Launch.
Continue?

"Run X-mode!" Jon yelled with vigour.
Suddenly, his avatar disappeared. Jon stood in the space, wearing an entirely new outfit unlike his other armors. It was incredible. The feeling of power was overwhelming. Jon suddenly felt as if he had access to abilities that exceeded even level 9.

Cortical Visual Drive Activated...
Command Input Ready.

Jon wondered what he should try to use the features of this new mode.
But, he had no idea what commands he could use in X-mode.
Jon envisioned being able to use a skill which would change the weather, causing simulated rain.

Command Received... Running...

Suddenly, the sky became cloudy and dark, and rain began to fall upon the surroundings.

"Wait, did I do that? This rain simulation seems so real!" Then Jon realized the truth of the matter.
Not only did he see and hear the rain, but he could feel the drops, and they were leaving puddles.
The pools of water, growing in the indentations in the ground, were reflecting things.

"NO WAY! This is AWESOME!" Jon exclaimed, realizing that X-mode allowed him to generate effects by the simple visualization of what the outcome would be.

**WARNING: X-mode processing reaching critical levels.**
**WARNING: Continued X-mode processing could result in dangerous side effects.**

"Dangerous side-effects? Like wh... AHHHHHHHHH!" Jon screamed, as his head suddenly seemed to split open with pain.

*Vital signs critical. Terminating X-mode*

Jon woke up in his bed. He looked at the clock. Apparently, his jump session had lasted about an hour.
But, according to his UI display, he had been unconscious for about three hours after that. It must have been the result of the pain. I guess I went unconscious.

An email alert floated in his peripheral vision. He pulled it in front of him and opened it.
It was a letter of congratulations for having achieved the newest high-score.
He had done it. He'd finally achieved his goal.

There was one other new message, as well. It didn't make him feel nearly as good as the first had.

"Greetings, champ. You've been indoctrinated. Welcome to Able-X.
Your first challengers will be scheduling matches with you soon.

Welcome to the fight. Prepare for the worst."

"What have I gotten myself into?" Jon thought. For once, the things Zene had said were starting to sink in. Perhaps he had made a mistake. Am I really ready for this?