Okay! So, to start off, I based this all on the Japanese Subs of the anime. So, yeah. Bold is what episode I used the scene from, and all of the "non-episodes" are mine, somewhat based on previous episodes. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!
Episode Nine
It seemed so long ago, but in reality, it wasn't. Rockman was fighting against Magicman when Magicman broke his sword. He was still on the ground, laying in shock. All he could hear was Netto screaming his name and Magicman saying his 'most powerful attack'. His back was turned so he couldn't see anything. So to hear something coming towards him and not being able to move was scary. And to hear that someone actually stopped the attack before it hit him was also scary.
When he was able to move again, he picked himself up slowly before his breath got caught in his throat. There, in front of him, was the most beautiful Navi he had ever seen. The Navi had flowing, silver hair, and an upturned nose, strikingly similar to his own. His Navi suit was red, gray, and purple. His helmet had dark glasses covering his eyes. The Navi was also a few inches taller than he was.
"Amazing… you defeated Magicman with a single attack!" Rockman said. "T-thank you! Because of you, we won."
"Don't worry about it," the Navi said. "But don't disappoint me or that guy."
He then jumped up and was plugged out of the area. Rockman could only stand there and blink. He later learned from Netto that the Navi's name was Blues and his Netop's name was Enzan.
It was that day he knew he had fallen hard for the Navi in red, and he had fallen hard.
Episode Fourteen
The next time Rockman saw Blues was a couple of days later. Netto and Enzan had gotten into a disagreement, and Netto challenged Enzan to a net battle. When Rockman saw Blues, he didn't want to fight him, but he knew he had to. He felt a sword replacing his right hand and forearm. He didn't, no, couldn't move as he watched the graceful body jump up and slash him.
'What speed!' Rockman thought before he got hit again.
Even with Netto telling Rockman to attack Blues, he couldn't find it in him to do so, and he let the red-clad Navi attack him. He was now on his back, panting. He opened his left eye when he saw a shadow over him. There was a white-hot flash of fear in his heart before it went away. Blues raised his sword over his head and was prepared to swing it down.
"It's over," Blues said.
He felt a wide sword replace his left hand and forearm. He then used both swords to block the red one coming straight down at his face. He even pushed the red sword back, causing Blues to stumble. Rockman was shaking with nerves, while Blues wasn't. They both paused their battle when a swarm of viruses threatened to attack them. While Blues had easily defeated the viruses around him, Rockman was paying too much attention to Blues to even think about killing off the viruses around him.
"Heed Enzan-sama's words and get out of here!" Blues shouted at Rockman, snapping him out of his daze. "You're nothing but a burden if you remain here!"
Tears threatened to poke through, but Rockman held them back. It was just a stupid crush, nothing more! He'd get over it.
"How nice," Rockman spat back, desperate to not let his feelings get in the way as he killed off the swarm near him.
He then got a nasty shock when more came (quite literally, might he add). It hurt, and all he could do was give off a scream before collapsing to his knees. He could hear (and almost feel) Blues call him a fool. He got zapped again and he screamed again. He faintly heard Netto call out 'longsword' before he felt immense power go through his hands. He muttered to himself about how both the sword and the wide sword were resonating with each other before a light defeated all of the small viruses around the area. He stood still for too long.
Rockman watched in fear as the big virus came closer and closer until Blues sliced in between it, killing it instantly.
"Blues!" he called out.
Blues gave a tsk as he began to walk away before he turned his head to look at him.
"You're just a burden."
Sure, Rockman made it look like it had only ticked him off, but it actually went straight to his heart. Why? Why did he have to love Blues? Blues, the one who called him a burden. Blues, the one who almost deleted him. Blues, the one who wanted nothing to do with him. Blues, the one who would never love him.
Later that night, he waited until Netto was asleep before he allowed himself to cry.
Episode Twenty-One
The next time he saw Blues was during the semi-finals of the N1 Grand Prix. They were teamed up against Stoneman and Bomberman. He heard Enzan dis Netto by saying he didn't need their help. By that time, Rockman had already figured out how to harden his facial features as to not let Blues on about him liking the other Navi.
Rockman charged at Stoneman with his right hand a shotgun before he shot it and got hit with Stoneman's arm. He got up and attacked Bomberman next. He shot the two bombs that were in the air before he dodged one. He was doing well until three more bombs surrounded him. They exploded, and all Rockman could do was stare in horror as they went off.
He gave a small yelp as he landed (painfully) on his stomach and chest. He only looked up when he saw a shadow above him and immediately regretted it. Stoneman had his arm above him, ready to crush him. Rockman only barely managed to roll out of the way. He then proceeded to get hit more times than one. After a little while, he was barely standing up and was holding the right side of his ribcage. Bomberman taunted him, saying something about how they were the strongest as they had no Netops, Rockman wasn't too sure.
"I wonder about that."
Rockman's eyes widened. It was Blues! Blues landed in front of Rockman, almost as if to protect him…
'No!' Rockman chastised himself. 'Bad Rockman! Don't get your hopes up. Blues would never do that!'
"Now I'll show you how I'll defeat you," Blues told Bomberman and Stoneman.
"Blues!" Rockman said before he lowered his eyes. As Blues turned around, Rockman hardened his eyes into a glare.
"Rockman."
"Blues?"
He then let the emotion of disbelief and pain show on his face. Blues had just punched him in the stomach. He closed his eyes in pain and was surprised when Blues gently let him lean against him to let him catch his breath, but only briefly.
"You're in the way," Blues said softly. He then lifted Rockman up with one arm. "If you don't want to be deleted, take a nap."
Rockman kept his eyes closed and tried to keep himself from vomiting. He bit his lip to not scream out when his back collided with a block. He let it crumble around him, as he couldn't move well. He then half crawled out from the rubble before he got stuck. He gave up instead to watch his battle 'partner'. Stone cubes got in Blues' way.
"Be careful! Blues!" Rockman called out.
Rockman gave a sigh of relief when Blues didn't get hit. He soon got his feet and body out from underneath the rubble. He used his sword to dig it into Stoneman's eye. But he soon got hit from his arm, which sent the little Navi flying. While Blues got Bomberman to plug-out, Rockman got pounded by the Earthquake attack Stoneman sent. And then Rockman knew no more.
~!~
It took many moments before Rockman was able to talk to Netto again.
"Netto-kun! Netto-kun! Netto-kun! Netto-kun!" Rockman called out softly but built up his volume every time.
"Rockman… Rockman?!" Netto responded.
"Yeah, sorry I made you worry. Because of the damage from Stoneman, I couldn't speak to you."
"Blues is in trouble!"
Rockman's heart stopped. Blues was in trouble?!
"There's a lot piled on me. I can't get out," Rockman said solemnly.
"What can I do?" Netto asked. Rockman smiled. Same old Netto.
"Netto-kun, send me some Mini-Bombs please."
"Mini-Bombs?"
"Yeah. With enough of an explosion from the Mini-Bombs, I can destroy what's on top of me."
"Don't be an idiot! With that, you'll be destroyed!"
"There's no time to think of anything else! Hurry!"
"But-!"
"You believed in me, and we made it through the preliminaries, right? So, believe in me one more time, Netto-kun!"
"I've got it, Rockman! Together, then, let's follow our feelings!"
Rockman scoffed in his head. He did that with Blues, and look where that had gotten him! He was smiling, however, when Netto gave him three Mini-Bombs. He jumped from the pile of rubble when he could and shot two shots from his Rockbuster to free Blues. He then felt Netto give him the sword, followed by the wide sword and the long sword.
"Beta Sword!" Rockman screamed out as he threw it at Stoneman. His outside shell came off and he let Blues destroy Stoneman's core.
The buzzer went off and everyone in the stands cheered.
"Blues!" Rockman said to the red Navi. "Thank you, Blues."
"Twenty minutes," was all Blues said before walking away.
Rockman felt the disappointment show on his face.
Non-Episode One
"Rockman."
Rockman turned to see Blues standing behind him. It was the night before the Finals and Rockman was still up. Apparently, so was Blues.
"Yes?" Rockman said.
"I wanted to talk to you," Blues said back.
"Why? All you've done is dis me and tell me how much of a burden I am."
"I know. And I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry now? Every time we've met up with one another, you're always throwing me to the side! You freaking punched me in the stomach to get me out of the way. Why the hell would you be sorry now?!"
"I know what I did was uncalled for. It wasn't right. I shouldn't even deserve your forgiveness. It's just that everyone who I'd ever gotten close to either got deleted or left me in the dust. I didn't want that to happen to you. I also feel bad that you felt that you had to turn your emotions off so that it would seem like I wouldn't know."
Rockman deflated a little bit.
"Oh. Then, what did you want to talk to me about?" the blue Navi asked softly.
"I wanted to ask you if it would be okay if I took you out on a date after the N1 Grand Prix was done."
"A date?"
"Yeah. On contrary to belief, I actually like you. I only didn't want you to get hurt badly."
The two Navi's sat in silence for a bit before the red-clad Navi spoke up again.
"Tell you what. If I win, I take you out on a date. But if you win," Blues trailed off.
"If I win?" Rockman encouraged.
"I'll let you decide what you want to have happen."
Then, Blues stuck his right hand out to Rockman.
"So, do we have a deal, Rockman?" Blues asked with a small smirk on his face.
"Yes, we have a deal, Blues," Rockman said back with a soft smile of his own as he grabbed Blues' hand to shake it.
Blues nodded.
"I'll see you around?"
"Okay."
Blues turned around to walk away when he paused to look over his shoulder.
"Oh, and Rockman?"
"Yeah?"
"Enzan-sama doesn't know that I even talked to you. So, please don't take me dissing you tomorrow as me hating you and wanting nothing to do with you, because you know now that I do want to date you."
"Okay."
"Promise me that you'll do your best. I won't hold back on you. I want to know where your limits are. I know you've been holding back against everyone, myself included, even though to everyone else it looks like you were giving it your all. So, please. Promise me you won't hold back."
"I promise."
Blues nodded and logged out of the area. Rockman collapsed to his knees as they gave out underneath him. Blues liked him too? He wanted to take Rockman out on a date?
Rockman smiled. For the first time in his life, he felt like he could fly.
Episode Twenty-Two
When the finals started the next afternoon, Rockman immediately brought out is Rockbuster and shot at Blues, to which he dodged.
"You're slow! Is this your battle plan?!" Blues shouted at him.
Rockman almost let the comment go to his heart when he remembered what Blues had said the night before. Enzan had no idea that they talked, and neither did Netto. So, if they were to suddenly not fight one another, it would have been a problem. Blues' hand turned into an Aqua Sword, to which Rockman jumped back to avoid getting hit and landed on a rock. Blues immediately cut the rock in half.
Rockman then thought of another strategy: to jump from one rock to another to gain speed. He shot his Rockbuster, and Blues deflected every hit with his sword. He then jumped onto a rock adjacent to Rockman.
"Your moves aren't bad. But I'm afraid I've done the calculations beforehand," Blues said. "I'm stronger!"
Rockman's face didn't even twitch as Netto sent him a Mini-Bomb. He threw it at the red-clad Navi, who only sidestepped to get away from it.
"Mini-Bombs? You're too hasty!"
Rockman didn't respond as he threw more and more Mini-Bombs. Blues was put a little off guard. But, he jumped behind Rockman and threw a whirlwind at the little blue-clad Navi. Blues closed his eyes. He knew if it hit Rockman, the smaller Navi would be done for. So, he made it so that it barely missed Rockman. When he heard Rockman's scream, he was afraid he'd hit the smaller Navi. But, when the smoke cleared, he could see that, yes, Rockman had moved out of the way even more. He was even smiling.
They caught their breaths for a few short moments until Enzan gave Blues a Flame Sword and Netto gave Rockman an Elec Sword. They fought harder and harder.
Rockman shied away when Blues' Flame Sword cut his left cheek. He then swung his own Elec Sword and almost hit Blues in the mouth. He then hesitated just the slightest and Blues hit him hard. He went flying into another tall rock pillar. Blues gasped softly and panted. Rockman still wasn't panting nearly as hard.
"I won't give up. For Netto-kun, and everyone's dream!" Rockman called to Blues.
"You're slow!" Blues taunted back.
They began to run parallel to one another when they both turned into what looked like blue and red energy to their Netops. They collided many times until both were going slow enough that they weren't just balls of light. That was when Blues hit Rockman back and Rockman went flying back into a rock pillar. They both blinked as a Sword, Wide Sword, and a Long Sword was called out. Rockman and Blues smirked. A Program Advance. They both threw it down and watched as it became a big golden light. They both used the Beta Sword to fight one another, the golden glow getting brighter and bigger with every hit.
Finally, after nearly five minutes, the Beta Swords were both depleted of energy and the two Navi's stood in front of one another. Rockman smiled at Blues, who only smiled back. Rockman then felt extremely dizzy and had black spots dancing in front of his eyes as fell over onto his back. 10 seconds later, the bell went off, signaling the end of the battle.
"Rockman! Rockman! Rockman!" Netto called out.
Rockman opened his eyes and turned to face him. "I'm sorry, Netto-kun. I just can't move anymore."
"It's alright! You put your power into the fight! Thank you, Rockman."
Netto even started to cry happily. Rockman smiled softly and widened his eyes when he heard Blues walk next to him. He looked up at the Navi he had grown to love over the past couple of days and saw that Blues had his hand stretched out.
"Here, Rockman. Every battle Enzan-sama and I have been in up until now has been short."
"Blues," Rockman said softly. He took the red-clad Navi's hand and stood up. He then widened his eyes in horror at what he saw. It was another Navi, and he knew what it was about to do.
"Blues!" he shouted and shoved Blues out of the way as a white beam went through his chest. He could only stand there in shock. Blues opened his mouth into a silent scream. It was silent for a few moments until he said his last few words.
"N-Netto-ku-n. B-Blue-es," Rockman said softly followed by a very soft smile.
That was all he knew for a long time.
~!~
To see Rockman deleted in front of him was a big shock. He could vaguely hear Netto stutter out Rockman's name. There was a small flash of bright light and Blues turned to look at it.
"Who's there?!" he demanded.
"I am the Net Navi… Pharaohman!" the Navi said.
"Pharaohman?"
"The only one who can be called the real king is Pharaohman! You and your Operator can become the trash of the sea!"
Then the Cyberworld turned sandy. He faintly heard Enzan tell Blues to plug-out. He could hear a big commotion outside of the PET. He also heard Netto chanting Rockman's name every few minutes, clearly in shock. Soon, he heard Netto let out an anguished scream. Blues could only sympathize with the boy.
Non-Episode Two
Later, he heard Enzan talking to him.
"Blues," Enzan called out.
"Enzan-sama," he responded.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did Rockman shove you out of the way?"
"I don't know."
"Why did he say your name after Netto's?"
"I don't know."
"Blues, do not lie to me."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are.
"You should talk to Netto about what happened."
"You're going off subject."
"I'm just merely stating a fact, Enzan-sama."
"If you say so, Blues."
~!~
Later that night when Enzan was asleep, he wandered around the Cyberworld. He swore he could hear Rockman's voice talking to him as if he was right next to him.
"Blues," the voice whispered. A soft outline of Rockman was also present.
"Rockman?" Blues called out.
"Help me, Blues."
"How can I help?"
"It hurts."
"Rockman!"
The voice was getting quieter and quieter with every word.
"Please, Blues."
"Where are you?!"
"I'm scared."
And with that, the voice and the outline were gone.
"No! Rockman! Don't go! Rockman! Rockman!"
Blues then dropped to his knees with a soft thud. He held his right hand out to where the outline was.
"Don't go," he begged, tears streaming down his face. "Don't leave me."
"Never," Rockman's soft voice murmured back.
"Rockman. Come back to me. I still owe you a date."
A soft chuckle. "I know. I love you."
"I love you too. Please, don't leave me alone again."
"I'll never be completely gone, even when it feels like it."
And no matter how many times Blues called out to Rockman, he never got an answer back.
The next day, after Enzan had gone to sleep, he returned to that same spot in hopes of Rockman talking again.
Episode Twenty-Five
When Blues was plugged into the SciLabs computer system, he was naturally confused.
"Forgive me, Blues," Enzan said. "Even though there's a danger of being deleted, I'm indebted to that guy. To Hikari Netto."
"I won't get hurt, Enzan-sama," Blues said back. "I'll repay my debt to Rockman."
"I'm asking, Blues."
"Ah."
The mouth cover materialized in front of his mouth and nose. He began to spin to get through the ground. When he was underneath, he could see rocks and lava.
'He must be somewhere around here,' Blues thought. He then saw a prone figure on one of the rocks. 'There you are. Don't worry, I'll save you like you saved me.'
The rock began to crumble and fall towards the lava. 'No! Hang on, Rockman!'
The rock began to crumble even more. It cracked right where Rockman's neck was and right where his knees were. It then sank into the lava. The sides began to follow suit.
"Rockman!"
Blues jumped and landed next to Rockman's frame and held him bridal-style. He then jumped back up and spun up through the ceiling back to where he was before. He then set Rockman down.
"Rockman," he said out loud. "The debt has been repaid."
He then turned to the pyramid and flew off.
~!~
Blues had gone up against Pharaohman for nearly five minutes. He was now hunched over.
"Now I will delete you, and remove your annoyance," Pharaohman said. "Delete."
He gasped and heard Enzan shout his name. There was a shot and Blues shot his hands up. He also realized that Pharaohman hadn't shot it, as Pharaohman questioned who was there. Blues turned toward where there was a hole in the wall and opened his mouth in a awe when he saw who it was.
Rockman jumped from where he was and landed next to Blues.
"Rockman!" Blues shouted in relief and amazement.
"Bastard!" Pharaohman yelled afterward.
There was a moment of silence before Rockman broke it. "If you don't mind, Blues."
Blues looked up at him.
"Double Program Advance, that's…" Enzan said before trailing off.
"I'm asking you, Enzan," Netto pleaded.
"That sounds interesting."
"Program Advance!" both Netops shouted.
"Program Advance!" both Navis repeated.
They both heard the calls for Sword, Wide Sword, and Long Sword.
"Prepare to be deleted!" Pharaohman shouted. He threw an energy beam at the two.
"Beta Sword!" Blues and Rockman shouted back before they threw it down. They then watched in awe as it turned from two small beams to one large beam. Pharaohman screamed in agony and Blues watched as Rockman put a hand up to block the bright light from his view. The pyramid started to shake and Blues turned to look at Rockman.
"As expected!" Blues shouted over the noise. Rockman smiled widely at him. On their way out of the pyramid, Rockman looked at Blues. He looked like he was going to say something, but decided against it. He instead brushed his lips against Blues' own. He then bolted out. They couldn't look at one another as they were both blushing. They watched the Cyberworld turn back to normal.
"Rockman!" Netto called out.
"Netto-kun!" he responded.
"You're slow! I thought you'd…"
"Sorry, sorry! Netto-kun, I was only able to come back thanks to your heart helping me. And Blues…"
Blues and Rockman both knew they had to put up a little bit of an act.
"Thank you, Blues," Rockman said softly.
"I was only obeying Enzan-sama's orders," Blues said.
Rockman smiled, because while what Blues said was true, it was only the partial truth. Blues also saved him because he liked him. They looked at the pyramid when it began to rumble again. Pharaohman rose from the rubble.
"Pharaohman!" Rockman called out.
"I am the ruler!" Pharaohman shouted. "I am the king of everything!"
There was a moment's pause before a portal appeared. Stoneman and Bomberman fell from it and trapped Pharaohman in energy beams. Rockman looked at Blues and whispered something before shouting out "Wait!". He then jumped into the portal, following Bomberman and Stoneman.
"Rockman!" Blues shouted after him.
When Rockman disappeared, he smiled very softly. Same old Rockman. But he smiled even more at what Rockman had said.
'I'm still waiting on our date. Meet me where you saw my outline. Tonight,' Rockman had said.
"Let's go home, Blues," Enzan said a while later. Blues saw that they were outside.
"Yes, Enzan-sama," he responded.
Yes, Blues was ready to go home, but he was also ready to see Rockman for their first date.
~!~
When Rockman was done battling Bomberman and Stoneman, he went back to the SciLabs computer system. He looked around a little bit before sighing in relief. It was all over.
"Rockman!"
He turned around to see Roll, Iceman, and Glyde running towards him.
"Everyone!" he called back.
Roll then ran up to him and hugged him tightly. He somewhat curled his arms up to make sure she wouldn't fall back. She buried her face into his left shoulder.
"I'm so glad. I'm so glad, Rockman," she said softly.
He blinked. "Roll-chan!"
He looked up when he heard Gutsman call out to them. Gutsman was running towards them with a crutch at his side.
"Don't forget about Gutsman, de gutsu!"
"Gutsman!" Iceman shouted.
"We're glad to see you safe too!" Glyde yelled.
They all laughed as they watched a dog (Rush, Roll told Rockman) run around Gutsman. Rockman couldn't wait for his first date. It seemed so far away, but it really wasn't.
Non-Episode Three
"Blues."
Blues turned around to see Rockman walking towards him. It was late at night.
"You're late," Blues said, but there was no heat behind his words.
"Sorry, sorry. Netto-kun wouldn't go to sleep," Rockman said sheepishly.
Blues smiled. "It's okay, Rockman. I do have a question, though."
"Yes?"
"How did you know that this was where I saw an outline of you?"
Rockman flushed. "Even though I was deleted that first night, I was able to still go wherever I wanted. So, I chose to go where you were."
"Is that so?"
"Mmmhmm. I knew you'd be able to see me. The only problem was that I could see you, but I couldn't hear you."
"But you did. I asked you not to leave me, and you responded with 'never'."
"You're right. At first, I couldn't hear you. I started to fade, but your pleading actually kept me fighting. Then, I suddenly could hear you, but I couldn't see you very well."
"The next night, I went here to try and find you, but you were gone. I tried to talk to you, but you never responded."
"Yeah. I had faded after I had said I would never really be gone. It was so, so lonely. I was scared that Netto-kun wouldn't want me."
"Why would you think that?"
"When he first got me, he said he wanted something bigger and more powerful looking. He even called me a disappointment."
"Oh. Is that why you reacted like you did when I had called you a burden?"
"Yeah. Soon after he said that I saw that his oven had caught on fire, and I killed off the viruses causing it. He said that while, yes, I was small, I was also strong. I soon went up against Gutsman and I stopped his Megaguts Punch with one hand. I even defeated him without having to use any battle chips, at least, until Roll interrupted our battle. Netto-kun's liked me being his Navi since."
"I see."
They sat on the ground, Rockman leaning his head onto Blues' shoulder and Blues' arm around Rockman's shoulders.
"Does your helmet detach?" Blues asked suddenly.
"My helmet?" Rockman repeated.
"Yes. Do you know if it comes off?"
"I don't know."
"Do you want to find out?"
"Take yours off first."
They stared each other down until Blues chuckled.
"You're stubborn. I'll give you that. I like that about you. Okay, I'll take my helmet off."
Rockman watched as Blues reached up behind his red helmet. There was a soft hiss and the helmet was detached. The opaque black glasses stayed on his face. His hair tumbled from the helmet. It was still silver, but Rockman could see that, without the helmet, the hair was not in a ponytail. It was flowing freely down Blues' back. The hair went to his knees. Some parts wouldn't stay down and had a slight cowlick to it, but Rockman liked that about Blues' hair.
He reached out to touch it, but Blues caught his hand with a smirk.
"Not until yours is off," Blues said in mirth.
"Asshat," Rockman said fondly.
Blues simply barked out a laugh. He watched Rockman struggle to get it off before the little blue Navi turned to look at the tall red Navi with pleading eyes.
"Do you want me to take your helmet off?" Blues asked in a soft husky voice.
"Yes," Rockman managed to breathe out.
With his answer, Blues reached up to the back of Rockman's head. He found the lip of the helmet and gave it a gentle tug. Blues watched in amazement as the dark navy blue color dissolved into a light brown. His bangs parted down the middle and spiked up in the back.
Rockman closed his eyes. Dr. Hikari had warned him that if his helmet was taken off that this could happen. Both his hair and right eye had changed.
"Rockman? Are you okay?" Blues asked.
"Y-yeah," Rockman said softly.
"Liar."
Rockman sighed, keeping his eyes closed.
"I forgot," he said sadly.
"What did you forget?" Blues asked.
"My DNA."
"DNA?"
"I'm Netto-kun's twin."
"How?"
"I died when I was small. I was about one or so. Anyway, I had a rare disease called HBD and I died from it. Netto-kun's dad took my DNA and created me, essentially. But, he had to take away a tiny .001 percent so that Netto-kun and I wouldn't have the twin effect. The thing that when one twin gets hurt, the other will feel it thing."
"Oh. But, why did you tell me? It seems like very private information."
"I want you to know what you're getting yourself into before we start dating."
Rockman's eyes were still closed. He waited for the rejection but instead felt a warm hand cup his chin and bring it up.
"Open your eyes, Rockman," Blues said softly.
"Are you sure you want me to?" Rockman asked in a fearful tone.
"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure."
Rockman then gently opened his eyes and Blues gasped. Rockman's left eye, his right, was the same green color, but the right eye, his left, was a light chocolate brown.
"They're beautiful," Blues said in a voice just above a whisper.
Rockman widened his eyes and grew tearful.
"You really think so?"
"Of course! You don't ever have to hide anything from me. I don't want you to think that you do."
A tear slipped from Rockman's green orb and Blues used his thumb to wipe it away. Blues turned Rockman so that his back was to Blues' chest. He then hugged Rockman from behind and buried his face into the smaller Navi's hair. Rockman, in turn, leaned his head under Blues' chin and nuzzled it.
"What are we going to tell Netto-kun and Enzan? They still don't know," Rockman asked softly.
"We don't have to tell them anything until either we both feel comfortable in telling them or when the time feels right. How about that?" Blues responded.
"I suppose that'll work."
"Good."
Rockman chuckled and looked at the time.
"Blues?"
"Hmm?"
"When does Enzan get up in the mornings?"
"I dunno. Enzan-sama usually gets up between 6:00 and 6:30. Why?"
"It's almost 5:45."
"Already? It doesn't feel like it."
"I know. But it is."
The two male Navi's detangled themselves from one another and put their helmets back on. Blues' hair went back into a ponytail and Rockman's hair turned navy blue, as well as his right eye turning back into a kelly green.
"Would you let me walk you to your PET?" Blues requested.
"I'd like that," Rockman said with a smile.
Now outside of the PET link, Rockman turned to Blues.
"Thank you, Blues," Rockman said.
"What for?" Blues questioned.
"For the date. And for everything you've done for me and Netto-kun."
"Like I told Netto: I was only obeying Enzan-sama's orders. But I'll tell you that while, yes, it was true, but I also would have done it even if Enzan-sama had told me not to do it."
Rockman smiled and nodded. Blues leaned down while Rockman went up to his tippy toes and they shared a chaste kiss. Rockman stepped on the link into the PET and waited for Netto to get up for the next day's events.
Episode Twenty-Nine
"For that kind of offer, I said I refuse. We didn't come here for that. Not for these kinds of stories, either."
"Sorry, sir. Millionaire-sama is busy now. I'm sorry, but she can't talk with you."
"But it was her who made this appointment!"
Enzan had his eyes closed as if Blues and the other Navi had been arguing for some time.
"Blues, that's enough," Enzan spoke. "We're not getting anywhere. Let's go home."
Suddenly, a screen on the wall lit up to show a woman with graying hair and a tall hat on her head. She was dressed in a red, sleeveless dress, white fur arm warmers, black gloves, fishnet leggings, a pearl necklace, and small glasses perched on her nose.
"The one I wanted to see was not the Vice-President," she said, "but the Net Battler, Ijuuin Enzan."
"But that's the same thing," Enzan argued calmly.
"Oh, is that right? I'm sorry. By the way, Rockman and Hikari Netto, right?"
"Eh?"
"Your rivals at the N-1 Grand Prix… they were quite strong, weren't they? I want to hear that story, too."
"Excuse me, Ms. Millionaire, the objective of coming here today was not that, but to make a final confirmation about the contract with our company."
There was beeping in the background.
"Excuse me, Mr. Ijuuin."
She turned as a butler showed her a smaller screen.
"Sorry for disturbing you, Millionaire-sama," the Navi from before spoke. "I received some information that these people are coming to Brand City soon."
"Wow, it's them!" Ms. Millionaire said in a happy tone. She turned to Enzan and Blues. "Mr. Ijuuin, I'm sorry, but I have to go. Can you please wait there?"
"Ms. Million-!"
Enzan was cut off mid-sentence. Blues could only hope and pray that nothing bad happened to Netto or Rockman.
~!~
"Man, this hot dog is really great!" Netto said suddenly.
Rockman and Netto were on a train to the next city.
"I'm so happy!"
He took another bite of it and closed his eyes with content.
"Netto-kun, we'll be arriving at our next stop soon," Rockman spoke up.
"Oh, what's the name of that place again?"
"Brand City!" Rockman put his hands in front of him and formed fists with his hands. "You've already repeated that question five times today!" he put them down with a reluctant sigh. "Ah, you just keep eating hot dogs."
~!~
"Brand City sure is a great place. Beautiful and comfortable…" Rockman trailed off. "Don't you think so, Netto-kun?"
"Um, it doesn't look so great to me," Netto responded.
"Yeah, this city is very quiet, more than Heaven's City."
"Isn't there a guy who loves to Net Battle? Like Raoul-san from Downtown."
They became silent for a moment.
"Wait a minute, Netto-kun."
"What's the matter, Rockman?"
"There, doesn't that in the Brand shop look familiar? The bag?"
"Huh? Which bag?"
"That one. The first one on top of the shelf. I think Mama said she liked it."
"Really? Okay! I'll get it as a present for Mama!"
They walked into the store. Netto walked to where the bags were.
"Here! Is it this one, Rockman?"
"Yeah, it's the same design, but the color isn't right. Maybe that one on the left? Yeah! That's the one!"
"Okay, let's see how much this will cost."
They looked at the tag and Netto made a noise of surprise. The tag said 200,000.
"It's so expensive!" Rockman said. "Wow, it's about 20 years of Netto-kun's pocket money. It's too bad, but I think you shouldn't get it, Netto-kun."
"But I wanna get it for Mama," Netto whined.
"Buying a present for your mother?"
Netto turned in surprise to see a man in a green suit coat and sunglasses talking to him.
"Huh? Ahaha… but I don't have enough money for this. I think I'll pass," Netto said to the man.
"No, no, you shouldn't say that," he said.
Netto put the bag back and turned to face the man fully.
"This is a secret, but there's a way you can get this bag even if you don't have any money."
"Without any…?" Netto seemed to contemplate what the man said. "How can I do that?"
"There is an underground Net Battle game. The Survival Seven Battle. If you win, you can get anything you want."
"A Net Battle game… that sounds fun!"
"If you want to try, come on down to the Netnavi Museum. Here, you can put your hand on the plate with "Survival Seven" on it. It leads to the secret playroom. There are great Net Battlers and Netnavi's there."
"This is really, really cool! Thanks for telling me that, mister!"
With his new goal in mind, Netto ran off to the museum the man was talking about.
~!~
"Welcome to the secret Survival Seven room of Ms. Millionaire. Only those chosen by Millionaire-sama can play here," the snake Navi said when Netto entered the room.
"Yeah! Yeah! This is the game that I want!" Netto said.
"If you can win this game, Millionaire-sama will give you any kind of present you want. So, what do you want?"
"Uh, it's that bag. What's the name again, Rockman?"
"L. Gannel's handbag," Rockman said. "Aki's Jinda collection. It's mint green."
"Oh, that sounds cute!" the Navi said. "Okay then, I'll give you that."
"YAY! I got the present for Mama!" Netto cheered.
"That's great, Netto-kun!" Rockman congratulated.
The Navi on the other screen coughed to get their attention.
"You do know that you have to survive first, right? Then, are you ready?"
"Mmmhmm. Okay! Let's go, Rockman!" Netto shouted. "Plug-in! , transmission!"
Rockman was found in a white room. A big door appeared and Rockman studied it wearily before he reached for the handle. The small snake above the handle curled around his left wrist and became a bracelet. He began to panic a little when the other Navi spoke to him.
"Don't worry. This wristband just proves that you're the player. So, come on in?"
He still eyed the door cautiously, but Rockman opened the door and stepped into the jungle like setting. The door dissolved behind him.
"Round one, FIGHT!" the computer announced.
The green snake Navi appeared in front of the blue Navi.
"The rules of Survival Seven are simple. You just have to collect this coin. You have to battle and survive for it."
"What? What do you mean?" Rockman shouted as the round started between him and a different Navi.
"You can do it, Rockman!" Netto shouted from the room they originally walked in to.
"I'm not even done hearing the rules and the games started already?"
Rockman jumped up behind the Navi and shot it in the back. The Navi plugged-out and Netto cheered.
"When you clear an area, you will get one coin," the snake Navi said. "Go to the seven areas and get seven coins. Then you will win the game!"
"I see," Netto said. "You just need to win!"
"Is it really going to be so easy?" Rockman asked.
"Well, you can't retire from this game," the snake Navi said. "You have to battle until death. This is Millionaire-sama's games rule."
"Heh! I knew it!" Netto said.
"That's all for the rules. Please show us great battles."
The snake Navi then plugged-out of the game. Rockman stood in a stance as three more Navi's showed up.
~!~
Meanwhile, Enzan and Blues were still waiting for Ms. Millionaire.
"There'll be a problem with your work," Blues stated. "I can't just do nothing. I think it'd be best if I joined the Survival Seven game."
"Blues!" Enzan reprehended. "I don't want you to join such a stupid game!"
Suddenly, someone in a green suit brought Enzan to Ms. Millionaire.
"I came here to talk about the IP project-" Enzan said before being cut off.
"Talk to me about that later," Ms. Millionaire said. "See that?"
Enzan looked confused until he looked at the big screen on the wall. His eyes widened with shock when he saw Rockman.
"They are just as strong as I expected, those two. So, tell me, Mr. Ijuuin. How were the finals of the N-1 Grand Prix? Won't you tell me about it?"
~!~
"Final round, FIGHT!"
"Rockman walked into the final stage and was welcomed with a bronze colored Navi.
"Bronze Fist!"
Rockman widened his eyes and caught the fist with both of his hands. Sure, he slid back a few feet, but he did it.
"Kid, you'll end up dead," the Navi said.
Rockman's only response was him throwing the arm back.
"I see you're quite strong, too," the Navi complemented. "Double Bronze Fist!"
He heard Netto yell at him, telling him to watch out. He strafed to the left as the fists collided with the wall.
~!~
"When he defeats that Navi, this game will end, right? That Navi won't even last for a minute," Enzan said.
"Ara, what are you talking about? The game is only beginning here," Ms. Millionaire said. "Prepare to see your friends end."
She took a sip of her wine and Enzan narrowed his eyes just the slightest at her.
~!~
Rockman used a Cyber Sword Netto gave him and made the other Navi plug-out. He gasped and panted for breath.
"Are you okay, Rockman?" Netto asked in a worried tone.
"Yeah, but this is the first time that I've had continuous battles like this," he replied. A shiny gold coin hovered in front of him and he grabbed it with his right hand. "I finally got them all!"
"YAY! We beat the game!"
Rockman opened the door that appeared to find that…
"Huh? This is…"
"Huh? Isn't this the first area?" Netto asked.
"Round one, FIGHT!" was heard in the background.
Rockman gasped as the three Navi's from before began to attack him. "Round one? Just what does that mean?!"
~!~
"What's this about, Ms. Millionaire?!" Enzan shouted.
"That's that - this game is endless," she started. "This is the rule of my game. He'll battle for me until I get bored. After that, he'll be part of my collection at the Netnavi Museum. Isn't that wonderful?"
"But then Rockman…"
"He'll be mine! He'll battle for me forever!"
Enzan began to panic a little. What would Netto say if he found out that he knew about it all along? He then acted smug.
"Heh, this game sounds interesting. Can I join?" he asked.
"Huh? Really?" Ms. Millionaire asked.
"But I'll battle with my rules, not yours."
"Alright. Show me your battle skills."
He turned to look at Blues.
"Sorry, Blues. Let's play a little bit."
"Enzan-sama, it's fine with me, if you're okay with this battle," Blues said back.
If Rockman was injured in any way, Blues was gonna kill the snake Navi.
"Let's go! Plug-in! Blues! Transmission!" Enzan called out.
~!~
"They keep showing up again. This game is definitely weird," Rockman said aloud to no one in particular.
"But you have to fight them!" Netto commented back.
Rockman plugged-out a Navi, but the fire Navi hit him in the back. He fell to the ground with a thud. He then let out an agonizing scream as the Navi fired his flames at his back.
'BLUES!' he thought. He wanted, no, needed Blues.
"This is bad! You're losing hit points!" Netto said.
"You need more calcium!" the skull Navi said.
"This is the end!" the fire Navi replied.
He was set up to hit the small blue Navi again when a bright blue beam of light hit them. The arena turned into a server. Rockman looked up to see none other than…
"Blues?!"
"Enzan is-? Why are you here?"
Blues looked up at Netto's screen. He also looked worried.
'Worried for me,' Rockman thought.
"Here's a message from Enzan-sama," he started. "This is not a normal game. Hurry and get out!"
"Blues…" Rockman said.
The snake Navi suddenly appeared next to Rockman.
"Blues! I won't forgive you for ruining Millionaire-sama's game!" he shouted.
"This is just a stupid game where you get a player by using a prize as bait," Enzan said, putting the puzzle pieces together. "Then, you lock the Netnavi into the game forever and force them to battle."
Inside the "game", Blues shot another bright blue beam at the snake Navi, who in turn ducked into his jar.
"You coward," Blues scowled. "Oh well, that's right. I'll leave it to you, Rockman!"
But Blues never left the area. Sure, Netto couldn't see him, but Rockman could.
"This isn't just a battle game! I wasn't listening-!" Netto said.
"Millionaire-sama wants to do it, so it's good," the snake Navi said as he popped back out of his jar. "So, continue the game until she gets bored of you."
"Don't screw around! Just 'who' has 'who'?! Rockman!"
"Yes!" Rockman said.
"Okay, since you can't hear me, that's fine," the snake Navi said. "I'll just kill you!"
He snapped his fingers and the bracelet on Rockman's left wrist lit up and began to spark wildly. He screamed and grabbed his left forearm.
"That's fighting dirty!" he screamed.
"It means that you're Millionaire-sama's favorite," the snake Navi said. "In this area, you can't refuse her. Alright, now go back to the game."
Rockman opened his right eye wearily. He faintly heard Netto curse and speak to him when the pain suddenly disappeared. He closed his eyes again and when he opened them again, he was in his HeatGuts style change.
"Snake Arrow!" the green Navi shouted.
"Final Burner!" Rockman replied back.
The snakes dissolved into ash.
"NO! You killed my cute little snakes! Snake Bite!"
The snake Navi charged forward.
"Heat Guts Punch!"
Rockman hit the snake Navi on the head and watched as he plugged-out. He turned to see Blues give him a look.
"Thank you, Blues," Rockman said with a smile.
"I only came here to pass you Enzan-sama's message," was all he said before he was plugged-out. But Rockman knew better. He was happy because it meant he would see Blues again later tonight. Or, at the very least, video chat with him.
~!~
"I'm sorry, Rockman. It was all my fault that you had to play a game," Netto said solemnly.
"Talk about great training, ne?" Rockman said with a big, goofy grin on his face. "But it was fun that I could battle hard!"
Netto sighed in frustration, "I thought I could get that for Mama, the bag. It's very difficult, though."
There was a flash and a beeping sound.
"Netto-kun, you've got a Video Mail!" Rockman announced. "It's from Mama."
"What is it?" Netto asked.
Rockman opened the video and let it play.
"Netto! Here, I have it now! How did you know that I wanted this bag? Th-a-nk y-o-u!"
The video stopped there and left Netto sputtering.
"Huh? How?"
"I don't know, but that's great, Netto-kun!" Rockman said.
Non-Episode Four
"Rockman."
"You're late," was Rockman's response
"Enzan-sama," was all Blues said.
Blues had taken his helmet off, so his silvery hair was flowing freely down his back. Rockman attempted to take his off too, but couldn't, so Blues walked over and pulled it off before he handed the blue helmet to the blue counterpart.
"I know it was you," Rockman said took the helmet Blues held out.
"You know what was me?" Blues shot back.
"I know you and Enzan got Mama that new handbag she wanted."
"Maybe we did, maybe we didn't."
"Blues!"
"What?"
Rockman huffed before he smiled and walked closer to Blues. Blues, in response, opened his arms and hugged the small Navi to his chest.
"Thank you. For doing that for Mama. You made her really happy," Rockman said.
"It was nothing," Blues responded. "Besides, I knew it would make you happy."
Rockman nuzzled the taller Navi's chin and he heard Blues chuckle. He then poked Rockman's side, which caused Rockman to squeak. Blues, who laughed at the noise, kept poking Rockman's ribs, causing the blue Navi to laugh.
"Blues! Stahahahap!" Rockman said in between giggles.
"In your dreams," Blues said with a sly grin.
He kept tickling his sides until tears of mirth started streaming down Rockman's face. They laid down on the cyber ground and caught their breaths.
"You're evil," Rockman said with a pout once he caught his breath.
"Me? Never," Blues said feigning innocence.
"You're an asshat."
"Yeah, but I'm your asshat."
They laid in each others presence until the sunrise. They put their helmets back on and walked to their PET links. Well, after they shared a kiss, of course.
Episode Thirty-Four
The next time Rockman saw Blues was two days later. Rockman and Netto were inside of Higure-san's new building. Netto had just come up into the building when Higure-san tried to hit them with a broom, thinking it was a fake Netto. But, the top of the broom broke against the top of the elevator door, and the broom top crashed onto Higure-san's head. After stepping over the man, Netto plugged Rockman into the mainframe of the building.
There, inside the computer, was a Navi. He threw a magnet at him and Rockman screamed before Netto used Area Steal to get him out of the magnets way.
"That was easy," the Navi said.
"Really," Rockman stated.
"What?" the smoke cleared to show that Rockman had indeed gotten out of the way fast enough. "Bastard."
"Hehe, I knew about the Area Steal," Netto said smugly.
"Hmmm. You're different from the last Navi," the magnet Navi said. "A little stronger."
"Who are you?" Rockman demanded.
"I'm Magnetman, the strongest Navi."
"Magnetman?" Netto asked.
"I got it, Netto-kun!" Rockman said. "He lives in Higure-san's computer and he's the one that was moving the electronic money around!"
"So, since you're doing that, you must be Gospel!" Netto said.
"That's right, Hikari Netto!"
Both Netto and Rockman looked up at the new voice from an intercom system.
"Rockman, this incident was started by us - Gospel. Now that you know this, you can't get out of this alive. Magnetman, make them sleep and watch nightmares!"
"Evil-Missile!" Magnetman shouted. Rockman jumped up to avoid it. "Evil-Ball!"
The ball of electricity hit Rockman in the gut, causing him to scream and go flying back. He hit the ground with a thud. He heard Netto say 'Sword' and his right forearm and hand became a sword.
"Sword!" Rockman called out.
"Magnet Line!" Magnetman called back, which caused Rockman's foot to stick to the ground and cause him to fall forward. "Feel the power of the magnetic panels!"
"Attack battle chip, Meteor Nine, slot-in!" Netto called.
The rocks hit the magnet panel, causing to malfunction and stop working.
"I can move!" Rockman said as he stood up.
"What!" Magnetman said.
"Rockman! Leave the magnetic panels to me," Netto told him.
"Okay!"
As Rockman charged forward, the magnetic panels were broken by Netto.
"Where-?" Magnetman asked.
"Here!" Rockman shouted. He charged and hit Magnetman in the chest, causing the bigger Navi to fly back. There was a pause until…
"Opposing Poles!" Magnetman shouted. There was then a blue Magnetman next to him.
"North Pole!" the red Magnetman said.
"South Pole!" the blue Magnetman said.
"My strongest attack!" they both said. "N-S Tackle!"
They turned into red and blue balls of energy and hit Rockman from either side before turning back into Magnetmen. Rockman fell to the ground in a heap, eyes closed, his breathing heavy. He was starting to get up, but couldn't move after that. He barely heard red and blue say something, but was soon picked up and carried by a different body.
'The height, the smell, the strength. Could it be…?' Rockman thought. He was proven correct when he started talking.
"Right here!" Blues called to the two Magnetmen.
"Enzan, why are you here?!" Netto asked.
"To return what our company borrowed," Enzan replied. "Let's do it, Blues."
"Netto-kun, us too!" Rockman called.
"Okay, let's do it!" Netto nodded.
Rockman's hearing was still a little bit out of focus, but he felt the Sword, Wide Sword, and Long Sword overtake his arms. Wait…
"Beta Sword!" Blues and Rockman shouted. It hit the South Pole dead on.
He heard Netto cheer and Enzan chuckle softly.
"Netto-kun!" Rockman shouted.
"What… Rockman?" Netto asked, his voice fading in and out.
"This building seems to have another floor above this one. Look."
He went to the door that popped up behind the false wall and opened it, Blues following.
Rockman didn't really know what happened after that, because his hearing gave out. As well as his legs. And, oh hell with it, everything gave out.
Non-Episode Five
"R…n, c…ou…ar m…? Ro…an! Roc…man! Rockman! Can you hear me?"
"Ow, not so loud," Rockman whined.
He pressed the heel of his hand to his temple and attempted to sit up. He succeeded, but only for a short few seconds. He suddenly got extremely dizzy and he began to fall back when a strong body caught his shoulders and leaned him into the body. A small whimper fell from his lips when the throbbing in his temple quickened.
"Shh, I've got you now," the person whispered.
"B-Blues?" Rockman whispered, his voice cracking.
"Yes," Blues said, his voice oozing with relief. "Yes, it's me. Can you open your eyes for me?"
Rockman slowly blinked past the fog in his vision and saw the worry lines on Blues' face disappear.
"Thank God," Blues whispered. "How are you feeling, Rockman?"
"Better, now that you're here," Rockman whispered back, his voice crackling slightly.
Blues hugged him closer.
"What's the matter, Blues?" Rockman asked softly.
"Your systems froze up and wigged out. I thought I lost you," Blues said.
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh."
They lapsed into silence.
"Where am I?"
"My PET."
"Your PET? Wait, what about Enzan?!"
"Shh, calm down. Enzan actually was the one who brought you here. Netto and Enzan are currently in the living quarters of IPC. So are we, actually."
"Oh."
"So, you think you're not gonna fall over again if you tried to stand up?"
"I can try. Help me in case I do?"
"Always."
Rockman started to stand but got a little woozy. Blues used a firm hand to grab Rockman's left bicep.
"You're okay, I gotcha," Blues said.
"Thank you. For everything," Rockman said once everything wasn't moving.
"Anything for you."
"Anything?"
"Yes, anything."
"But, I don't deserve it."
"Yes, you do. You deserve anything and everything."
"Are you sure?"
"I am. I wouldn't lie to you, Rockman."
They talked about everything until Enzan claimed that Rockman's systems were okay. But Rockman knew that Blues had a big influence over it.
Episode Thirty-Eight
When Enzan was visiting Ku-Chinatown, Blues didn't expect anything to happen. At least, not this.
Netto had run around a corner and had run head first into Enzan (honestly, that boy was reckless), but the next words out of his mouth were unsettling, to say the least.
"What's wrong, Netto?" Enzan asked concern buried in his voice behind his usual monotone.
"Enzan!" Netto said. He almost sounded relieved. But why?
"What's with that miserable look?"
Tears welled up in Netto's eyes. "E-En…zaaaaan! Rockman's missing! I can't find him!"
He then began to tell Enzan and Blues what had happened. Him waking up late, him sending Rockman up ahead to his friends, Rockman going to the different server, the Cutman Brothers, the connection getting cut, him trying to find Rockman and failing, everything.
"What? Rockman is trapped inside a mysterious Net City?" Enzan asked, trying to grasp everything the younger male said.
"That's what I really don't understand," Netto said. "But at this rate, Rockman will-!"
"Woah! What's this!" they heard someone in the distance. They followed it and landed in a noodle company. Their machine was going out of control. Netto and Enzan plugged into the server.
~!~
Rockman was laying face first on the ground, pain everywhere on his body. He saw a flash of red light.
"That's-?!" Rockman gasped. Blues sailed through the air and used his fire sword to cut the paper dragon the Cutman Brothers were riding on.
"Blues!" Rockman exclaimed while standing, holding his left bicep with his right hand.
"Are you alright, Rockman?" Blues asked in a monotone. Rockman immediately understood why. It was because Enzan and Netto were around.
"Blues. Thank you," was all Rockman had to say for the message to get across. Yes, I'm okay, now that you're here.
"Who're you?" one of the Cutman Brothers asked while pointing at Blues. He kept his poker face up before he lowered his chin a little, his stance closer to Rockman.
"There are rules to follow when asking someone's name," Blues said. Rockman had to bite back a grin when it threw the Cutman Brothers off.
"We are the Cutman Brothers!" the same one replied. The others followed.
"Not you. That bastard is listening!"
Blues threw a flame at the middle brother, who lifted a leg up. It hit his shadow, where they heard a moan of pain follow. Shadowman rose from the ground and held his right arm as Rockman had done before.
"You're Shadowman!" Rockman gasped.
"Seems like you were the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. I'll go!"
Blues jumped up and swung at Shadowman, who teleported away. Twice.
"Wait!" Blues called out before he followed him.
"Who was that?" one of the brothers asked aloud.
"No clue," another one answered.
"Netto-kun!" Rockman called to his NetOp.
"I finally found you, Rockman!" he exclaimed, giddy with glee.
Rockman heard Netto say HeatGuts style change. He easily defeated the brothers with it.
~!~
Meanwhile, Blues was still chasing Shadowman.
"What a useless plan," Blues drawled out. "You damaged the network and led Rockman to a fake Net City. However, this will end!"
"You must be joking!" Shadowman called back as he jumped over a flame. He cloned himself, only for Blues to hit them all, including the original. He gave a sly grin. They both jumped up and used their weapons to attack each other. Blues had a cut on the left side of his helmet while Shadowman had the right part of his helmet completely cracked open.
"Not bad," Blues complemented.
"I'll return to the hunt," Shadowman said. "Until next time."
He then disappeared, leaving Blues alone.
~!~
"Are you sure you're okay? Netto says you had a pretty good beating," Blues asked.
It was the night after Rockman had gotten tricked by the Cutman Brothers.
"I'm sure I'm okay. How about you? Your helmet is pretty durable and you're practically untouchable to everyone, so the fact you have a cut on it worries me," Rockman said back.
"You got me there, but I promise I'm okay."
"You better be."
Blues gave a soft chuckle and brought Rockman closer to him.
"That's why I love you," Blues said against the nape of Rockman's neck.
"What do you mean?" Rockman asked.
"Well, you might not be as untouchable as I am, but you're pretty high up on the overall list. You're also cute, strong, and loveable."
"Hmmm. And I love you because of your looks, your strength, your everything."
"You have better looks than me, though."
"What? No."
"It's true. I've seen the way that Roll looks at you. And all the Navi women in the server. And a bunch of the Navi men in the server."
"I can't help that I look like a girl!"
"No, but you don't look like a girl."
"No?"
"You look like a feminine boy."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"No."
"Whatever."
Episode Forty-Seven through Fifty-One
It was a car race. Nothing to it. So, when the announcer announced Blues, Rockman had to bite his tongue.
"And then there's that massive jerk, Blues! Being a pain in the ass again!"
Rockman seethed. How dare she say that about him! Sure, he was listening to the rules and stuff, but really?! Blues wasn't a massive jerk! He was kind and sweet, and many other adjectives. And, yeah, he can be a bit of an ass, but he only did it on purpose.
'Dammit all to hell, I'm getting really angry over nothing! Well, not nothing, but still!' Rockman thought. Oh, if only Blues could hear him now.
It was now the third lap. They were neck and neck. There it was. The finish line. They crossed. A flash. Cheering. It was a tie. But, they hadn't looked at the photo yet. Rockman watched as Blues raised a finger into the air for a second before pointing at Rockman with a smile.
"Blues. But we both-," Rockman breathed out.
"Not both, just one. It was you, Rockman," Blues said.
"The winner of the Great Net Mobile Grand Prix is Rush!" the announcer said.
Blues sweatdropped. "Eh?"
Everyone booed in the stands, but Rockman could only look at the man he had come to love with fond eyes. Sure, the announcer called him a pain in the ass, but he wasn't in the end.
'Ha! He showed them! He showed them all!' Rockman mentally cheered.
~!~!~!~
It was in the Colosseum. There, in the arena, was a big beast. It had just eaten Shiningman and Whaleman. Rockman had jumped from over the banister, his friends following. There was a flash of red and suddenly, Blues was there.
"Rockman," Blues said calmly.
"Blues!" Rockman said. He almost leaped into his arms, but he held himself back.
The beast began to charge at them.
"Watch out!" the two shouted and pushed Roll and Thunderman out of the way, getting thrown back in the process. They couldn't move.
But, miracle of all miracles, Thunderman gave them a little more time. They picked themselves off of the cyber ground.
"Are you alright, Rockman, Blues?" Thunderman asked, looking at Rockman.
"Thank you, Thunderman," Rockman said.
But then, it took Thunderman without any mercy. The beast's fins grew in size.
"It's taking the energy from the Navis he consumes and grows!" Blues exclaimed.
"How… how dare you do that to Thunderman!" Rockman shouted at it.
He ran at the beast, only to get flicked back. He landed with a thud and slid back. While Netto was shouting at Rockman to get up, Blues tried to hit the beast in the head with his sword, only for it to shatter. He flew back and hit the wall again, making the crater bigger. He then dropped like a sack of potatoes.
The beast readied its jaws, ready to take Rockman when another Navi in a cloak stood in front of it. The beast stopped and sat back. The beast stared at the Navi before it turned around and walked away.
The Navi turned to look at Rockman, just as the blue Navi was sitting up.
"Who are you?" Rockman asked softly.
The Navi disappeared in a flurry of data.
~!~!~!~
"You gotta go right away?" Rockman asked.
"Yeah, afraid so. Gospel's had an effect on IPC across the world," Blues said. "The branch in Amerope has sustained the most damage. So, Enzan-sama should go today. Business before pleasure, ya know?"
"I see. If it were possible, I'd have liked to have a revenge battle here, but…"
"I agree with you on that. We'll go up against each other once again. Let's put an end to it here and now."
"N-now?"
Blues grinned and playfully threw his left fist at Rockman, who gasped and caught the fist with his right hand with a smile. He threw his own blue left fist, to which Blues moved to the right.
"Watch out, Rockman. He's dangerous," Blues told him. "I sense something very ominous about him."
Blues kicked his left foot to Rockman's head, who once again caught it in time.
"And that threat is drawing near," Blues continued.
"I understand," Rockman said. "I'll be careful."
Blues threw his left fist while Rockman threw his right.
"Blues," Rockman said, "you watch out, too."
"I'm man enough," Blues said, which caused Rockman to laugh. Blues jumped to the teleportation pad.
"Time for you to grow up," Blues said.
"Of course," Rockman said fondly. "I won't lose next time. The game will be mine."
"Is that so?"
"I was hoping you and I could try and figure out why that beast is attacking Net City. We gotta stop that thing."
"I know, but an IPC Netnavi's gone missing. All we found was his briefcase."
"Just disappeared?"
"Yeah. So really, be careful."
"Thanks, Blues. And same goes to you. Be careful."
"My ride's here."
The teleportation pad lit up and Blues dissolved, leaving Rockman alone.
'Be really careful, Blues,' Rockman thought.
~!~
"Is your business sorted out?" Enzan asked Blues when he came back to his PET.
"Yes. Thank you," Blues said back.
Enzan asked something in the background to someone else, but Blues was grateful.
~!~
Rockman watched as the frozen building rose from the ground. Just before, Forte (he learned that Navi's name) and Freezeman had gotten into a battle, and Rockman had gotten thrown into another building.
He jumped and grabbed the bottom edge of the building. He pulled himself up and grabbed as best he could to the wall. Freezeman walked on the wall to Rockman, where Rockman was standing, holding on for dear life. Freezeman kicked him and Rockman dropped. Well, almost. He used his right hand to grab the edge again, but he almost couldn't hold on. Luckily, Heatman appeared and took Freezeman to battle him.
Rockman climbed to the top to see that Forte had escaped. But, as he turned around, he came face to face with Forte. Forte opened his cloak and dragged Rockman in. And Rockman knew no more.
~!~
"Blues, there are twenty of them coming up behind you," Enzan called out.
Currently, Blues was riding around the city, going up against a gang. Which was too easy, in his opinion.
Suddenly, the beast, Gospel, was behind him. He had to act fast if he didn't want to get deleted. He raced on his motorcycle to it, calling to Enzan to put in the chips needed for the Beta Sword. He hit the beast, but…
"Program Advance didn't-!" Blues started.
"It did nothing!" Enzan realized in shock.
~!~
Rockman didn't know what, exactly, was going on, but he could tell something was sifting through his memory.
Netto on his first day in the PET, after saving Meiru-chan.
Roll blushing after he made up with her.
Gutsman hitting his chest before that first battle.
Iceman freezing something.
Glyde coming up with an idea.
Rockman defeating Fireman.
Rockman going up against Bomberman.
Going against Blues at the N-1 Grand Prix.
The accidental Program Advance at the N-1 Grand Prix.
Shoving Blues out of the way of Pharaohman's attack
"Blues!"
The beam going through his chest, causing his immediate deletion.
"What are you?!" Blues shouting.
"I am the king of Netnavis, Pharaohman!"
The net battle arena sinking to the ocean floor, collapsing under the force of their attacks.
"I will be the one to control the world!" Pharaohman exclaiming.
Pharaohman's creation by Dr. Tadashi Hikari.
"Of course! Yes! That stupid human put me to sleep! I am the king! I am the only one!"
Pharaohman creating his pyramid.
"I was born to control the world! Now, I'll do it! I'll prove that I'm the king!"
"Time to bring this to an end and delete you!" after Rockman was revived.
"Beta Sword!" Blues and Rockman telling Pharaohman.
Having it turn into the Double Program Advance, on purpose that time.
Rockman was suddenly thrown out of his memories and was thrown into darkness once more.
~!~
Blues was currently driving away from the beast.
"This is the limit, Blues!" Enzan called out. "I'm gonna plug you out!"
"Please wait a moment, Enzan-sama!" Blues pleaded. He drove to a little girl Navi and picked her up.
"Hurry and plug us out!" Blues shouted.
He crashed the bike trying to avoid a tentacle from the beast and hugged the girl close. He tossed the girl up in the air and watched as she was plugged-out of the area.
'Forgive me, Rockman, Enzan-sama,' Blues thought as the beast picked him up. He let out screams of agony. He then knew no more, but not before he heard two voices scream out his name.
~!~
Rockman, who had watched the whole thing somehow, shot up and screamed out Blues' name.
"Rockman!" Roll said in relief.
Rockman took deep breaths. He could see it all. Hear everything that Blues was thinking of. See the deletion happen. It was scary, really. And after that whole spiel of being careful…
~!~!~!~
"We made a promise," Rockman said aloud to his friends. "Once this event was taken care of, that we would have another Net Battle. Even so…"
He gripped his fists tighter, causing his gloves to creak. He lowered his head.
"You asshat… why didn't you be more careful! You promised me… you promised me…"
They were silent for a few seconds.
"Rockman," Roll said sadly.
~!~
"Memories?" Netto asked.
"That's right, memories," Rockman said. "Forte was reading my memories."
"But why? Why was Forte reading your memories?"
"I don't know. Only…"
"Only?"
"He was there, long before the attack on Internet City. I think I know him."
"Forte?"
"I don't know how to explain it, but when he touched me, somehow…"
Suddenly, his hands turned blue-gray with yellow rectangles on them. He gave a loud gasp, but they turned back to normal.
"What is it, Rockman?" Netto demanded, worried.
"Um, no. It's nothing."
~!~
Rockman, Roll, Gutsman, Glyde, Iceman, Coloredman, Magicman, and Elecman were inside of Gauss's Console. They had just gotten past the firewalls and were inside the mainframe.
They walked in to see lots and lots of Navis. Roll gripped Rockman's right bicep and he tensed.
"Roll-chan?" he asked her.
"Rockman, are these-?" she paused. "The missing Navis?"
"Looks like a harvest of Navis, doesn't it?" Magicman asked.
They split up: WWW and the others. The others kept walking but were soon falling when a black hole appeared underneath their feet.
~!~
They fell down, down until they landed in a dark room.
"It appears that we're inside a cage," Glyde observed.
"Ah! L-l-look at that!" Iceman stuttered. They looked to see claw marks on the sides of the bars. "This cage was for that monster! It's Gospel's cage!"
"Gospel's cage?" Rockman repeated. "Then those captured Navis were… it couldn't be!"
"Rockman," Roll said again.
"Look out!"
Roll and Gutsman screamed as they were trapped by a magnet, as did both Glyde and Iceman.
"Guys!" Rockman shouted. Someone materialized behind him and he gasped. "Magnetman!"
"That Gospel is a monster that was created to absorb a bug," he said.
"Absorb a bug?"
"That's right. As you can see, those Navis are food for Gospel. But those Navis are not your concern!"
Magnetman shot a ball of yellow energy at Rockman.
"It is my concern when my friends are some of those Navis! Rockbuster!" Rockman shouted. The ball exploded into smoke. "Let's go!"
They battled for a few minutes when Rockman glowed with a style change.
"Cold Wind!"
Magnetman was blown back.
'That's for calling Blues none of my concern!' Rockman thought.
He was cut off by pain in his hands. They had turned into that blue-gray with yellow rectangles again.
"A-again," Rockman muttered.
He heard Netto shout his name before Magnetman kicked him and stood on his chest. He was kicked repeatedly in the stomach.
"ROCKMAN!" Roll screamed.
"Don't lose!" Iceman called out.
Then, the WWW Navis appeared. They started to help when Wily appeared on a screen next to them. Rockman got to his hands and knees.
"Wily!"
Wily went on to tell his plan. Soon, Magicman and Coloredman were plugged-out. Suddenly, Elecman was attacking Magnetman.
But then, Rockman felt a presence. He could see something.
"It's Forte," Netto said in disbelief.
"Forte?"
"So they met," Wily said.
Rockman stopped paying attention. By then the infection had spread up to his shoulders. Then, he saw it. No, felt it. Forte beginning to absorb Gospel. But, he didn't win. The power of Gospel overtook him and deleted him. Gospel came back as a beast again.
"Forte!" Rockman screamed at nothing.
His vision returned to the cage. He wiped a tear away. That was two people he had to watch die in one day,
~!~!~!~
"Forte," Rockman breathed out. He then let out a gasp of pain and gripped his right hand. He collapsed onto his hands and knees as the infection spread on the ground. He heard Roll scream his name. He panted for breath until he could speak.
"Netto-kun! Use the Extra Code!" he commanded. "I can't control my body, but maybe if you raise my hit points…"
"It's too dangerous, Rockman!" Netto shouted. "Each time I raise your hit points with the Extra Code, you take too much damage!"
"It doesn't matter! Hurry, the Code!"
"Rockman."
He thought about it for a moment, but Netto sent it.
"Rockman! The Code is on its way!"
The infection disappeared from Rockman's body and he gave a silent thank you to Meijin-san.
"I'm your opponent!" Rockman shouted at Magnetman.
He felt a style change happen too. The Aqua Custom. He hit Magnetman repeatedly, causing the red Navi to spit up oil. He heard Netto give him a Spreadgun, but he couldn't focus correctly. He swayed on his feet, fighting to stay upright.
He faintly heard Elecman tell him not to worry about him. He positioned his Spreadgun up.
"Elecman," he said weakly.
"That's it! Rockman, fire!" Elecman shouted at him.
He squinted, trying not to pass out or throw up as the world tilted and spun this way and that. He felt the Extra Code, style change, and Spreadgun fade from his body. He also heard Roll scream his name before he fell to the floor in exhaustion. His last thoughts were hoping that Blues would make it through, even if he himself didn't.
~!~
He didn't know what was going on, but he suddenly felt… powerful. He also felt the need to seek revenge for Blues. Because the asshat promised he'd be okay, and he wasn't, thanks to the Gospel beast. Blues needed his help to escape the beast. He needed him.
He also heard someone approach him and talk to him. Wait… this was…
"Ne…tto," he said brokenly. "NETTO!"
He picked his Netop up, being careful not to harm him.
"ROCKMAN!" Netto screamed, his voice cracking at the volume.
Rockman screamed in agony. No… Blues… Netto… no, no no… they couldn't go… they can't!
There was a big bang and Rockman knew so, so much. He fixed Internet City to how it was before. He put all of the Navis back where they belonged. He took special care to put Blues back on a safe part of the road. Once he made sure everything was back where they belonged, he returned to Netto.
"I'm home, Netto-kun," Rockman said.
"Welcome back, Rockman," Netto said before hugging the PET to his chest. He also heard the others repeat what Netto said. It was good to be home.
Non-Episode Six
Later that night, Rockman walked up to Blues and punched his shoulder. Hard.
"Hey! What was that for?!" Blues shouted indignantly.
"That's for not being careful," Rockman said in a disgruntled tone. He then heatedly kissed Blues on the lips. "And that's for coming back to me."
Blues put his hand to his lips and gave a sly grin. He pulled Rockman to his side in one swift move.
"Someone's eager," Blues commented, poking the little blue Navi in the side, eliciting a squeak from him.
"Shut up," Rockman said while playfully glaring at the tall red Navi.
They lapsed into silence.
"I watched as Gospel took you," Rockman said, his voice cracking. "I watched as you screamed in agony. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to help you."
Tears formed in his eyes. He wiped his eyes, trying to hide the evidence.
"Hey hey hey, I'm okay. I'm here," Blues soothed as he hugged the small Navi closer. He took the blue helmet off and tossed it to the side. He then ran his fingers through the soft, light brown hair.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm not gonna leave you ever again," he vowed.
"I was s-so scared. I-I was s-so worried that I c-couldn't s-save y-you-u!" Rockman cried.
"But you did, Rockman. I'm here, and I don't plan on going any-."
"I watched you die, Blues!"
Blues paused at Rockman's shout.
"You idiot," Rockman whispered, tears streaming down his face. Blues reached down to wipe them away. "You promised me you would be careful. You promised."
"I know," Blues said. "But when I saw that little girl Navi, I just knew I had to save her."
"But you both could have been saved."
"Maybe. But, something in me just screamed at me to save her."
"I understand that, but you could have found a way to save yourself too!"
"Maybe. But I did it with you in mind."
Rockman hummed. No, he wasn't mad anymore. He was simply relieved. He felt Blues tuck him on his left side.
"So, I heard that you fixed the whole network," Blues commented. Rockman blushed while wiping his tear-tracks away.
"Y-yeah, I did," he admitted. "I don't even remember most of it."
"Most?"
"Mmmhmm."
"What do you remember?"
"I remember feeling powerful like nothing could stop me. I remember thinking that I had to get revenge for you, so I took down Gospel. Then, there was a big bang, and I knew everything. I remember putting everything back to where it was before. I even remember bringing you back and putting you in a safe place."
"You did all of that?"
"Mmm. Is that bad?"
Blues stood up and took Rockman with him. He then picked Rockman up by the hips and spun him around, causing the small Navi to giggle.
"No! No, that's great! I get to brag that my boyfriend rebuilt the whole damn network!"
He put Rockman down and brought him closer.
"But you know we can't say anything about us yet," Rockman stated.
"I know. But when we can, I'm gonna make sure everyone knows you're mine and mine alone," Blues vowed.
Rockman blushed harder and buried his face into Blues' chest, but he knew the taller Navi was right.
"I love you," Rockman murmured.
"I love you more," Blues said back, his voice teasing.
Rockman and Blues bickered back and forth on who loved each other more. And he fell more in love with him.
Episode Fifty-Three
Rockman and Blues were currently in the middle of a battle. They clashed their swords together. Enzan and Netto were in the mood to battle, so they did. Blues overpowered Rockman in a few swift moves, but he heard Netto give him a Shotgun battle chip. But Blues moved out of the way. Enzan gave him the chips needed for a Program Advance, and Rockman heard Netto laugh.
"Here it comes, Rockman!" Netto said.
"Yeah, Netto-kun!" Rockman said back.
Netto gave him a sword, and he saw Enzan's eyes widen.
"What?" he asked. "You expect to break through the Beta Sword with just a single sword?"
Blues threw it down, hoping to whoever was up there that Rockman wouldn't get hurt. What he didn't expect was for the small blue Navi to cut through it.
"What the-?!" Blues shouted.
"He was able to defend himself against the Beta Sword?" Enzan said, clearly surprised.
"Go for it, Rockman!" Netto shouted.
He gave Rockman a Wide Sword, and Enzan smirked. He gave Blues an Aqua Blade.
Blues smirked and deflected Rockman with the blade and kept trying to attack him. Rockman deflected every attempt Blues gave him.
"This is just getting interesting," Enzan commented. "However, the next one will end it, Blues. Battle chip-!"
He was cut off by the words 'emergency' flashing across the screen.
"Right now…" he muttered.
Blues turned to look at him.
"Enzan-sama."
"Yes. Netto!"
Netto looked up. "What is it, Enzan?"
Blues looked at Rockman with a twinge of regret. "I'm sorry."
He then plugged-out of the match.
"Sorry, but I'll have to postpone this match. There's an emergency at work," Enzan said.
"Eeeh?!" Netto shouted while Rockman simply opened his mouth and widened his eyes.
"I'll definitely settle this, once and for all."
Enzan then walked out the door, leaving a confused Netto and a slightly hurt Rockman behind.
~!~
The next day, Rockman and Blues were back at the stadium.
"We'll settle this today, Netto!" Enzan said.
"Heh! You're not running away this time, Enzan!" Netto teased.
Both Rockman and Blues had their swords in the same spot until Blues found a weak spot. Rockman flipped back and used his Shot Gun to shoot at the taller red Navi. again, Blues dodged every hit. Again, they used the Aqua Sword (Blues), as well as the Wide Sword and Sword (Rockman). They started to attack each other with their own sword, but only ended up in a draw.
"You did good, Rockman," Blues complemented.
"Thanks, you did too," Rockman said back.
They shook hands (even though they knew they probably would talk to each other again later) and called it a day.
Non-Episode Seven
"So, what did you do yesterday?" Rockman asked in curiosity while sitting in Blues' lap.
"Oh, you know. IPC work," Blues said. "But to make a long story short, we made a new PET model."
"That's really cool!"
"Mmmhmm. The process was tedious, but we did it."
"It wasn't just IPC, was it?"
"No, it was another company too, but I forgot the name of it."
"You? Forgetting information? Did you hit your head in our battle?"
"Hilarious."
Rockman giggled softly and Blues couldn't help but smile too. Just seeing Rockman happy made him happy. He vowed to try and keep that smile on his face. Because Rockman was everything to him. First, he was his rival. Then, he was his friend. And after that, crush. Then, it was best friend, followed by boyfriend, and finally partner. Yes, partner. They were in this world together until the end.
And nothing could stop them.
(Completed - September 26th, 2018)
Whew! Almost 14,000 words! That's a new record! In Google Docs, it was 33 pages, but in Word, it was 46 pages. Holy shit! It was worth it, though. I started working on this in July, but I took a break from it, and then came back a couple of days ago and finished it. Go me! Catch ya in the next story!
~*MegaMon2580*~