Disclaimer:
I do not own Megaman/Rockman in any incarnation or any of its characters. This is done for entertainment only. All I own is the story concept. I also don't own HamsterDance. com , though that is where I got the idea for Netto's condemning email to Enzan.
Notes:
This takes place sometime after the Axess series is over. I'm making assumptions because the series isn't actually over yet as far as I know. I'm assuming that they get the good Blues back at some point and that they triumph over the evil DarkLords/DarkLoids and the Nebula organization.
Just so you know, I've never seen an episode of Axess so I'm not sure what everyone else calls Netto/Rockman or Enzan/Blues or Meiru/Roll when they're cross fused with each other. So I'm going with using the name of whichever part of the fused person is being addressed. Also, I'm uncertain on how they (navi and human) communicate with each other when fused. So for private, it's a telepathic thing, and for things they don't mind sharing with others, both navi and human can have use of their mouth for speech.
ne = right?, isn't that right?
chikuso = mild form of a curse
hai/aa = affirmative, yes
iie = no
anou = um
"italics" = a telepathic, mind to mind conversation between fused navi and human
"talking" = normal speech
'talking' = mental conversation, basically talking to yourself
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Urgent Mission?
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Enzan Ijuuin was not having a good day. It wasn't that bad things had happened to him or that he was hurt or sick or in a dangerous situation. There were no evil invasions of net terrorist organizations to plague his day. No, nothing so drastic making his day miserable. No, Enzan's bad day was entirely due to normal, ordinary, boring, mind-numbing administrative stupidity.
Enzan was trapped in the board meeting that wouldn't end.
The meeting had been dragging on and on since 6am that morning and it was nearly noon. Enzan was beginning to despair that it would ever end. As vice president of IPC, Enzan was required and expected to be there for the entire meeting. In fact, he was currently taking his father's place. Enzan's father had been prepared well ahead of time for a quick escape from the reviews of mission statements and regulations that were bogging down the meeting.
Apparently, an annual training and review meeting for the board of directors was necessary, and Enzan got saddled with representing the CEO as well as the VP. All morning long, department heads had been coming in and giving spiels of mission statements and progress reports that Enzan was already familiar with. However, the department leaders had apparently decided to translate them into that most dreaded of languages – administrative office speak – filled with buzz and power words that made almost no sense when stuck together but sounded impressive.
Still ahead for Enzan's day was a training session that would go over the regulations of the company and each department. This presentation promised to take hours.
'Oh well, at least I'm not going to be subjected to it alone.' Enzan thought with all the wry humor he could dredge up out of the stupor he was falling into. All of the department heads and board members had to go through the presentation annually so that they would all be informed and up to date on the rules and regulations.
Enzan briefly considered putting his head down on the table and falling asleep. No one would notice, for a while at least. The Game Research and Development Department was currently giving a slide show of their mission statements and budget projections that was scheduled for the next half hour, at least, and the rest of the large room was too dark to do more than make out silhouettes.
'Better not, bad example for the others.' Enzan sighed and slumped back into his chair even further when there came a very soft beeping and slight vibration from his PET in its carrying case strapped to his hip. Blinking in surprise, Enzan lifted it out and looked down at the screen after glancing around to make sure no one noticed.
"Blues?" Enzan whispered softly meeting the visored gaze of his red navi.
"You have an email message marked as 'Urgent,' Enzan-sama." Blues spoke just as quietly as his NetOp, he had prudently turned the volume on the speakers down. "Its from Commissioner Kifune-san."
"Kifune-san?" Enzan blinked. If the head Commissioner of the Net Police and Net Saviors sent him an urgent email, it had to be important. "Open it."
"Hai, Enzan-sama." Blues turned from the view screen and opened a new window to the side. In this new window the Net Savior's logo appeared and then shrank to take up the upper right-hand corner before a text message appeared.
Enzan,
Hikari-hakase requested that this message be passed along to you and Blues.exe as soon as possible. Netto and Rockman.exe attempted to contact you but their email was blocked. Your presence is urgently required at the following address. Head there and provide assistance as soon as possible. 1453 Kobayashi Ave.
Commissioner Kifune
"Chikuso." Enzan hissed under his breath. 'Leave it to Netto to get into trouble and expect us to drop everything and bail him out.' "Why couldn't his email reach us?" Worry crept up under Enzan's customary confident mask. If whatever Netto had stumbled into was smart enough to cut off communication to ready backup, then Netto and Rockman might be in serious danger.
"Enzan-sama, you asked me to block his address for the rest of the weekend after he sent you that ridiculous animation and song file that wouldn't stop playing until you had me purge the system." Blues spoke up, a touch of exasperation in his tone at the absurd prank habits of the younger Net Savior.
"Oh." Enzan sweatdropped as he realized his mistake. Then berated himself mentally for getting so worried that he hadn't remembered it until Blues reminded him. "Right. Let's go Blues, he's probably gotten himself in over his head."
"What about the presentation, Enzan-sama?" Blues asked looking up at his Op.
"All the more reason to get going, ne, Blues?" Enzan smirked slightly as he slipped out of his chair and headed for the door.
"Aa." Blues allowed a small smile at Enzan's eagerness to get away from the meeting before turning his thoughts to the coming problem. Netto and Rockman had almost certainly stirred up some mess and would need extricating when they arrived. It seemed that if there was danger on the net within 300 miles of the two, then they'd find it, and without even seeming to try either. If they were having enough trouble to have to send a distress call through Commissioner Kifune, then it had to be something that would give him and Enzan difficulty as well. 'No matter, whatever it might be it cannot defeat the four of us together.'
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It didn't take long for Enzan to make his way out of the building and catch a ride from one of the company limos to their destination. It was no where he had ever been to before so he was uncertain of what sort of location the impending fight would take place in. When the limo pulled up, Enzan instructed the driver to find a parking location some distance away, just in case a Dimensional Area took the fight to the surrounding area.
As Enzan approached the building he had to stop and check the address again in surprise. He had expected many things but not the Happy Day Ice Cream Parlor. He was just about to pull out the email message again to re-check the address the commissioner had given him when he heard a familiar voice calling his name.
"Enzan! What are you doing here?"
Enzan turned around and found Meiru Sakurai just hopping off her scooter and taking off her helmet before walking up to him.
"I received an Urgent message from Netto through Commissioner Kifune." Enzan replied. "Why are you here Sakurai?"
"We received an email from Rockman and Netto as well." A female voice spoke up from Meiru's PET at her belt.
"Aa. Netto asked us to meet him here, said we should hurry. But if the Commissioner called you here... Do you think they're in trouble, Enzan?" Meiru asked worriedly glancing around for any sign of Netto.
"I don't know." Enzan replied as he too looked around for Netto's mop of messy brown hair.
"If Netto and Rockman required the assistance of the only two other NetBattlers in Japan who can cross fusion, then it seems likely." Blues spoke up from Enzan's PET. "However, I see no sign of a Dimensional Area."
"D-do you think we're too late? Could something have happened to them before we got here?" Roll asked, worry making her voice falter.
"If there had been a Dimensional Area and a battle there would be signs. I do not think ..." Blues was cut off by a shout from across the parking lot of the ice cream parlor.
"Meiru! Enzan! Over here!"
Both youths turned to see Netto Hikari rush out the door of the ice cream parlor and run up to them.
"Netto, what is..." Enzan began, but Netto cut him off.
"It's about time you got here. We've been waiting forever!" Netto complained loudly, folding his arms across his chest and frowning at the two.
"Anou... Netto-kun it's only been 20 minutes since we sent the emails." Rockman's voice piped up from the PET at Netto's hip.
"Right, forever. Like I said. Why didn't my email go through to you Enzan? I had to relay it through Papa." Netto frowned at him.
"I didn't want to deal with any more dancing and singing hamsters this weekend Netto. I have enough to give me a headache with the annual IPC regulation training and board meeting, I didn't need any help from you." Enzan replied frowning right back.
"Eh? It gave you a headache? Rock, you said they'd enjoy it, that it'd help 'em lighten up!" Netto pulled out his PET and frowned down at Rockman.
"Netto-kun, that was your idea." Rockman sweatdropped as he replied exasperatedly to his friend.
"Now is not the time you guys." Meiru frowned at all of them and put her hands on her hips as she focused on Netto. "Now just why did you bring us down here Netto?"
"Oh! Right. Here, Papa designed these. These three are the prototypes." Netto pulled three small electronic devices, shaped somewhat like bulky clips that would fit onto a belt and handed one each to Enzan and Meiru.
"Um, okay... What are they for?" Meiru asked, turning the device over in her hands.
"Oh here, I'll show you. Ready Rockman?"
"Ready Netto-kun!"
Netto snapped the device onto his belt and pressed the button on the side. Immediately the device began to hum softly and a green light lit up on the top panel.
"Crossfusion! Slot-in! Transmission!" Netto cried enthusiastically as he slammed the chip home into the slot on his PET. Immediately a flare of energy and soft white light surged from the screen of his PET as data began wrapping around his body. Blue gloves and boots coalesced around his hands and feet as Rockman's pack appeared on his back. Dark blue data swirled around his limbs and body, wrapping him in a tight-fitting bodysuit as the Hikari family emblem appeared on his chest. The final stage of the cross fusion transformation wrapped his head in the protective helmet, leaving spikes of his brown hair trailing out the back of the helmet.
"What!" Gasped Meiru, stumbling back.
"How? There's no Dimensional Area here!" Enzan demanded stepping forward to confront the brightly grinning Netto.
"I know! Isn't it great! Papa designed these mobile emitters. It creates a pocket Dimensional Area that conforms to the size of the user. Like a skin-tight bubble. Well, go on. Don't just stand there, hurry up and cross fuse you four." Netto urged, still grinning.
"You called us all the way out here just to cross fuse!" Exclaimed Enzan in exasperation, feeling a headache coming on. "I thought there was some urgent mission, that you were in trouble!"
"Don't be silly! The mission is inside the building but we need to cross fuse first. Hurry up you four." Netto made shooing motions with his hands at them.
"This had better be good Netto. I blew off a trip to the mall with Yaito because I thought it was important." Meiru huffed at the helmeted boy.
"It is important. I need your help Meiru, why else would I ask you to come down here?" Netto asked in confusion.
Meiru scowled and muttered sarcastically under her breath as she turned away to face her PET, "Why indeed. What possible reason could a boy have for asking a girl to an ice cream parlor other than to cross fuse? Whatever was I thinking."
"Meiru-chan..." Roll looked up at her friend and Op with sympathy. She knew what Meiru had been hoping the email invitation was about.
"It's okay Roll." Meiru smiled wanly at her navi and sighed before taking out the crossfusion chip.
Moments later, three cross-fused navis and their human operators stood outside the Happy Day Ice Cream Parlor.
"All right, now just what...." Before Enzan could finish, Netto had grabbed him by the right wrist and Meiru by her left and, using his enhanced strength while crossfused, bolted for the door to the ice cream shop, dragging his two confused friends behind.
Before either could regain their footing or bearings, Netto and Rockman had dragged them in through the doors, turned left down the aisle, and pulled the two into a booth set against the windows in the corner of the shop. Meiru blinked in confusion. It took Enzan a second or two to register that he was sitting in a padded booth, in an ice cream shop, in full cross- fusion armor and body suit with Meiru across from him and Netto in between them, both also wearing spandex suits and armor. Blues had noticed something else, though.
"Enzan-sama, I think we're being stared at..." Blues' voice spoke inside his head.
Enzan blinked behind his visor and turned his attention to the rest of the shop. Scattered around the room in booths and tables were maybe 15 other people, totally normal, non-net terrorist people. All of them enjoying ice cream until the three of them had zoomed in through the door. Now they were all staring at them. Enzan shifted uncomfortably on the padded seat before turning to glare at Netto who was grinning obliviously.
"Netto!" Meiru hissed before Enzan could say anything. "What is going on?"
"It's okay Meiru." Netto grinned brightly at her. "It's ... Ah! Over here! Miss! Over here!" Netto sprang to his feet interrupting himself to wave madly and shout across the room at a young woman in a waitress uniform pushing a covered metal trolley in front of her out of the swinging door that lead to the back room.
"Netto! What are you doing!" Hissed Enzan, lunging forward and snagging him by the bottom of his backpack and jerking him back to his seat. But it was too late, the woman had seen the three of them and after staring in surprise for a moment, smiled nervously and wheeled her trolley over to their table.
"A-anou...Did you...." The waitress started, nervously as she tried not to stare at them.
"Don't worry," Netto grinned up at her, "we're not DarkLords or anythin- oompf."
"Netto!" Meiru hissed at him after a well-placed elbow.
"What? We're not!"
"Ouch, did you have to hit me too?" Rockman's voice piped up as he shifted to rub his side.
"Sorry Rockman." Roll apologized with an embarrassed blush.
"That's not the point!" Meiru scowled at Netto as she regained control.
"Stop it all of you." Blues frowned.
"You're starting to scare everyone." Enzan added with a pointed glance at the other customers and the waitress who was nervously shifting from foot to foot.
"Eh heh. Gomen." Netto laughed embarrassedly as he rubbed the back of his helmet with his right hand, smiling at the waitress. "Just put it in the center of the table, okay."
"H-hai." The waitress hurriedly nodded and lifted up the cover on the top shelf of the trolley, setting it aside she hefted up the large dish that had been underneath and set it on the table with a weighty thump. "Enjoy." And with that she rushed back into the relative safety of the back room, the trolley wheeling along swiftly in front of her.
Netto grinned triumphantly as he snatched up a spoon. Enzan and Meiru could only sit there and stare at the monstrosity sitting on their table.
"Meiru-chan...what...what is that?" Roll's confused voice snapped Meiru out of her daze.
"Netto! What... Did you order that!" She cried and leveled her finger accusingly at the dish in question.
Netto nodded brightly, grinning like he'd just won the N1 Grand Prix.
"Enzan-sama, is that...?"
"Yes, it is."
"I was not aware it came in such...quantities."
"That makes two of us." Enzan replied staring at the frozen monstrosity.
Sitting on the table between the three of them was a dish that could have doubled for a toddler's bathtub. It was filled to heaping capacity with scoop upon scoop of ice cream. Topped with at least four types of sauces that Enzan could immediately identify, a small glacier of whipped cream and three cherries. Two more spoons stuck out of the heaping dessert.
"Netto... Did you bring us out here to watch you make a pig of yourself?" Enzan scowled at the younger boy and navi.
"Of course not." Netto frowned and pouted at Enzan. "I called you here because Papa needs help testing the prototypes."
"So you decided to order the biggest bowl of ice cream Densan city has ever seen?" Meiru asked in incomprehension, looking askance at the still smiling Netto.
"Uh-huh. I'm testing." Netto grinned impishly at her before turning to face the dessert.
"Testing..." Enzan groaned and held his helmeted head in his gloved hand. "Netto, eating ice cream is not testing." He moaned in exasperation. Netto was enough to drive him to distraction. 'Heck, he's enough to drive anyone to distraction sometimes.'
"Of course it is! Jeez Enzan, I'm not stupid. I know what I'm doing."
Enzan just groaned again and dropped his head into his hands.
"Should we comment Enzan-sama?"
"No, it wouldn't help. It might even make him worse. You never know with Netto."
"Aa."
Netto grinned brightly before digging his spoon into a scoop of chocolate ice cream. "Here try this, its chocolate."
"We know what it is Netto." Meiru frowned at him as he shoved the spoonful into his mouth. Only to watch in surprise as he nearly gagged on it. "Netto?" Meiru asked in concern, leaning forward.
"Aggh! Netto-kun, its cold!" Rockman gasped out, sounding slurred as he tried to talk around the melting spoonful, waving his hands around frantically.
"Of course its cold Rock. Its ice cream." Netto replied swallowing the spoonful. "So... what did you think? Did you like it?" Netto asked eagerly.
"I was kind of too busy with the whole, its cold thing." Rockman chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Here try some more." Netto spooned up some more chocolate ice cream and popped it in his mouth.
For a moment he looked thoughtful, then he broke out into a huge bright grin. "That is really good Netto-kun!" Rockman exclaimed with delight.
"Rockman, you can taste it!" Meiru exclaimed in surprised delight.
"Aa." Rockman smiled at her. "You and Roll should try the chocolate, its really good."
Without any more prompting Meiru snatched up the closest spoon and dug into the chocolate scoop Netto had been working on. Enzan looked on in bemused shock.
In between mouthfuls, Meiru turned to Netto. "Netto, how did you and Rockman find out navis could taste when crossfused with humans?"
"Oh, well Papa asked us to test the mobile emitter prototype. So we crossfused and were testing it for maximum duration. To find out how long we could go crossfused. Then I got thirsty and got a soda. Rockman nearly choked on the fizz. That's when we realized that he could taste whatever we ate when crossfused."
"Aa." Rockman spoke up. "Netto-kun suggested we try to enjoy the testing."
"So we emailed you guys to come meet us here. While waiting for you to show up I ordered one scoop of every flavor of ice cream they had. That way we could test how many flavors the navis can taste and find out what their favorites are at the same time." Netto grinned triumphantly at his plan. "Besides, after all that DarkLord business, the six of us deserve a little fun and relaxation, ne?"
"You got that right." Roll grinned brightly at Rockman and Netto. "This pink flavor is really good too, you should try it Rockman."
"That's strawberry, Roll." Meiru informed her with a smile as Netto obliged by scooping up some strawberry for Rockman to try.
"Enzan, don't just sit there looking like Masa's fresh catch of the day." Netto frowned at the bemused older boy before grabbing the last spoon in the bowl and scooping up a spoonful of black cherry ice cream. "Here try this Blues!" Netto grinned and before Enzan or Blues could react had shoved the spoonful into their mouth. After a shocked moment, Blues nearly gagged on the spoon before Enzan could grab ahold of it and pull it out of his mouth.
After chewing the blob of ice cream into manageable size, Enzan swallowed it and scowled at Netto. "I can feed myself Netto."
"Then start eating Enzan. Blues deserves some fun too." Netto pointed at the bowl. "Besides, if you don't hurry it'll melt, then we won't be able to tell the flavors apart."
"Enzan-sama. If you would prefer not to, I understand. I don't mind." Blues murmured in his mind.
"Iie. Netto is right. I want you to enjoy yourself too Blues." Enzan shook his head slightly before allowing a small smile to soften his features beneath the visor and helmet. "Besides, I like ice cream too."
Enzan leaned over closer to the bowl and scooped out some green ice cream. "This is mint 'n chip, Blues. Tell me what you think." Enzan smiled as he spooned the ice cream into his mouth and felt Blues' intrigued delight at its cool flavor and the crunch of chocolate flakes between his teeth.
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Owari
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This is my first foray into the world of Rockman.exe. Let me know how I did.