Disclaimer: Most of the characters come from CAPCOM, but every now and then I'll slip in a few of my own. It should be pretty obvious which is which.
Author's note: I haven't written anything for the Mega Man Battle Network series in a really long time. I've decided to swallow my pride and do some more writing in this department.
IMPORTANT: This story is set 20 years after the MMBN series takes place, and where the last game left off. It is written as if it were a "Part Two" to that game series, so treat it as such. As such, this game contains extreme plot spoilers for said games, especially MMBN6, so if you haven't beaten the games in that series, you're better off reading something else. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Chapter 1: Meet X
"What's your name, kid?"
"Patch. Patch Sakurai Hikari."
"Patch Sakurai …"
"Yes. My father, Lan Hikari, works here at SciLab. He asked me to come here, though he didn't say for what."
"Oh, why didn't you say so? Just a moment."
It was a wonderful Saturday afternoon, twenty years after "the Cybeast incident," as it was known. Patch Hikari was the offspring of Lan Hikari and Mayl Sakurai. All of Net society was peaceful for the time being.
SciLab was the center of all Internet research in DenCity. Security had gotten a little tighter in the last two decades. It was now mandatory to check in with a guard at the door before you could even get in. This was what Patch was doing right now.
The guard at the desk picked up the phone and dialed an extension. "Hello? Get me Dr. Hikari's office. … Hello, Dr. Hikari? Your son, Patch, is at the gate. He says you invited him. … Oh, you did? In that case, I'd better let him in right away, eh?"
Putting down the receiver, the guard pressed a button, and the glass doors slid open. "Go on in, Patch. Just go up to the reception desk and tell the clerk who you are. You'll be directed to your father's office immediately."
The inside of SciLab was a hustle and bustle of activity. People were walking back and forth with all kinds of equipment. Patch had to fight his way through the crowds to reach the clerk.
"Uh, I'm Patch S. Hikari," Patch nervously said as he finally reached the desk, "and I'm here to see my father, Lan Hikari."
"Very well then," the clerk replied, pushing a buzzer button on her desk. A security robot arrived at the desk on the double.
"Show this boy to Dr. Hikari's office," the clerk instructed the security robot. She then turned to Patch. "Just follow the Security Bot. It'll lead you directly to your father's office."
"FOLLOW ME," the Security Bot instructed in a robotic, emotionless voice. After a slight bit of hesitation, Patch walked behind the Bot as it led him through the building.
Finally, a door stood before the two of them. "THIS IS THE OFFICE OF DOCTOR LAN HIKARI," the robot told the guest. "HE HAS BEEN NOTIFIED THAT HE HAS A VISITOR. PLEASE WAIT FOR THE DOOR TO OPEN."
Just as the robot said, the door suddenly clicked, and moved out of the way. A scientist in his thirties was standing behind it. He wore a white lab coat with a red-and-black logo on the pocket. The same logo was on a blue bandana that he wore over his forehead.
"Hi, Patch," the scientist greeted his son.
"Hey, Dad," Patch returned the greeting. "I got your message. You said you wanted to show me something?"
Dr. Hikari nodded. "You bet I do. Patch, come in here."
The office that Lan Hikari owned was more like a lab than an office. Many large computers and monitors lined the walls, calculating endless streams of data. A poster on a wall displayed a detailed diagram of a PET's inner workings, and a wrapped package and a half-empty bag of pretzels sat on the table, as did a picture frame displaying the scientist and his parents at a younger age.
Lan picked up the package and handed it to his son. "This is for you, Patch. I spent the last two weeks designing it just for you. Think of me whenever you-"
Before his father could finish his sentence, Patch snatched the package from his hands and ripped it open. Inside was a small device whose sleek, efficient design could only have been accomplished by a SciLab scientist.
Patch recognized this device. "Dad, this is a PET. PErsonal Terminal is what it stands for. They have E-mail and phone features, and can be used for all sorts of things; almost everyone has one. Most PETs have Net Navigators inside, or Navis for short."
Dr. Hikari laughed a little. "Glad to see you were paying attention in school, son. That PET was an older model, but I modified it and gave it a few upgrades. In fact, the PET you hold in your hands was one I used to own. I designed a Navi just for you; turn the PET on. It's the white button on the side."
Locating the button in question, Patch pushed it in, and the PET's screen brightened. On it, there was the image of a humanoid Navi that much resembled Lan's own Navi, Megaman.EXE. But this Navi had a slightly lighter hue of blue, and he was a little smaller. He was currently asleep, or "on standby" if you prefer.
"That is Megaman X.EXE," Lan explained. "You can call him X for short. I designed him in the image of my own Navi. There are a few differences, but I'm sure you'll find him very useful either way."
Patch fumbled with the PET in front of him as X slowly opened his eyes. "Are you Patch?" X asked.
"Yes, I am," Patch confirmed. "You're X, right? Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you as well," X replied. "Lan programmed me with all the necessary info about you that I'd need. I hope we'll have a great time together."
"Sure, let's shake on it," Patch agreed, but he quickly found himself in a very awkward position when he realized how difficult it would be to shake hands with his Navi on the other side of the PET's screen.
Dr. Hikari laughed a little. "Don't worry. I get a little absentminded, too. Go ahead and try out your Navi. Say, I've got tomorrow off. Do you want to have lunch with me at the new diner in town? I've already talked with your mother about it."
Patch was ecstatic. "You mean Shelly's? Oh, absolutely! I'll be there for sure! Well, so long, Dad. I'm going home to take X for a test run!"
There. There's the first chapter. I hope you'll treat it well.
NOTICE: I am holding a Navi contest to find three Navis for my second fic in this series, just like CAPCOM itself did for the MMBN games. If you have any Navi ideas, send them in to me by PM or e-mail; just write a short description of what your Navi is like and what its abilities are. Don't bother with the Navis' operators; I'll be coming up with those myself. The contest will be closed when I write the final chapter in this fic, and then I'll announce the three winners.
