New Dangers, Programs and PETs

Will

"Hey, Will?" Avatar called up to me from her PET. "Um…I know you're still kind of…blank right now, but I'm wondering if you can try to do two things for me."

"Let's hear them," I studied the screen. I was sitting in my room. This was some time later.

"First of all…could you alter the data in my program that allows me to cross the gap between the cyber world and the real world – integrate it a bit better into my program, make it easier for me to use it?"

"I could try, and the second?"

"I want a size-altering program. Ten feet tall is way less convenient in the real world than six feet."

I laughed. "Well, I'll certainly try my best."

I worked for about two hours on both projects. Avatar talked to me while I was working, telling me about past adventures. Some of them rang bells, others didn't. None of them seemed to trigger any cascade, though.

Finally, I finished messing with the program. I hadn't hit enter yet, because I knew – somehow – that hitting that key would send Avatar into a trance, and I needed to ask her something. "Avatar, I'm just going to leave my PET here. When you're done, you can jump out and come find me, assuming I'm not back in here, okay?"

"Sure thing. Oh – and if you run into Chaud, give him a Banshee battle chip. You'd been meaning to do that before you lost your memory."

"Banshee battle chip, got it!" I dug out one and shoved it into my pocket, running downstairs.

Soon I was rolling down the street. Not overly fast – my stomach was still pulling a little weird whenever I swung my arms a certain way. I'd have to work that out. I'm already doing some careful stretches to make sure it didn't stay too drawn. I was also wearing a purple-and-green helmet that I'd found in the closet. Judging by the amount of dust that had been on it, I hadn't used it in a while, but I wasn't going to take any chances with my probably-still-cracked skull.

When I found the two of them – Lan and Chaud – Chaud had just given Lan a brand-new PET. Evidently, it was the first one, and they'd been released yesterday. It was all I could do not to snicker when Chaud revealed that his own new PET was the second made one.

Then Chaud looked at me. "Technically, Will, yours is the third one…"

I shrugged. "I don't have Avatar with me: she's sleeping back home while some updates finish installing. I'll just watch Lan try out the new toy."

Megaman appeared on a 3D touch screen, and I immediately waved at him. "Hey there, Megaman!"

Lan was able to give Megaman a blaster just by touching and dragging a symbol – Megaman was just as jazzed as Lan was!

I was already excited by the concept.

Apparently, Chaud wasn't just trying to be nice when he gave Lan that PET: there was something to do.

As we walked out, I suddenly remembered. "Oh, Chaud!" I gave him the Banshee chip. "Avatar reminded me that I'd wanted to give you this. I…still don't remember why…"

He took it, anyway. He filled me in with a smile: "Some time back, you'd discovered that if a Navi that isn't Avatar uses one of your Banshee chips, their programs alter and personalize to the Navi. You'd wanted to give one to each of your friends."

"Oh, I see." I cocked my head and thought about that.

"By the way, Will, I don't remember ever seeing that helmet before," Lan added.

"I'm not risking my head," I knocked on the helmet I hadn't bothered to take off.

As it turned out, Chaud wanted Lan to be in a TV ad for a safari park. Something told me this was a bad idea, but…without my memories, I wasn't sure I wanted to try to take his place. Just being myself was hard when I couldn't remember who I was, so how was I supposed to be a character?

Lan was bragging to the others for a while. I was still with Chaud.

"By the way, Will," Chaud studied me, "do you remember anything more since I last saw you? Like…about Protoman?"

I shivered. "I have several nerve-racking disjointed memories. Could I see him?"

He passed me his new PET.

"Let's see…hold the thing screen-side up and…"

Protoman appeared on the touch-screen. "Hello, Will. Avatar told me after I was recovered that I should apologize to you directly for injuring you."

"Hey, no big deal. I don't even really remember what happened." I rubbed my helmet. "All that actually comes to mind about it is…I'd done something extremely idiotic, so it was my fault."

Protoman laughed a little, sounding relieved. Then he went back into his screen and I gave the PET back to Chaud.

When we got to the safari park, I looked around at all the animals. They seemed a little stressed to me.

Lan was excited. Big deal. Then we met one of the guys who was going to help with the photography. Inukai something, I think. He'd apparently tamed the animals quickly. Suddenly, studying Scratch-Face, I figured I knew why the animals were stressed. With his thick eyebrows, shaggy hair and sullen expression, not to mention his lion pet with a scarred-shut eye and spiky collar, he just seemed like bad news to me.

And I remembered something Avatar said to me while I was working:

"Your instinct is the best around. When you felt that something was wrong, you were usually right."

Evidently, the lion's name was Monosuke. Lan laughed, and I knew something was going to happen fast – and it would be bad.

Sure enough, after a little more of an exchange, the lion spooked Lan over. Chaud asked him if he was okay. He was fine.

I remarked, "That guy's bad news."

Later, the shooting wasn't going too well. Lan kept doing something wrong. Finally, we went on to shoot film of the animals.

I felt it was only a matter of time before that animal tamer Inukai got in trouble for methods, and what do you know – I was right! He used a whip! I was glad that Lan stood up for the animals.

Sure enough, Chaud called for the shooting to stop, and Inukai was fired. He looked at us as he walked past and stated, "I'll remember this, you three kids."

I sat down against the wall and set my hands on my head.

Chaud noticed. "Headache?"

I glanced up at him. "Yeah, I think I have a headache."

That night was when the trouble started. The animals broke out of the farm and started trashing the city!

I was actually just staying back and watching. Trying to stay ahead of the animals on roller blades or do anything wasn't within my abilities right now.

Apparently, according to Slur, this was a test for us humans. She'd given an Asteroid Navi – one that looked like Savageman – to Inukai, and he was using it to cause the animals to go nuts!

I swayed in the limo. Lan and Chaud stayed in front of the fire, to keep the animals back. Then Inukai used a Dimension Chip, and Savageman came to the real world!

After shock waves knocked them over a couple times, Doctor Hikari got the lead out and gave the boys a Dimensional Area!

I was so happy to watch Lan and Chaud Cross-Fuse – they looked different Cross-Fusing with the new PETs – and kick Savageman's butt all the way back to the net.

Inukai ran off.

Lan got a big disappointment the next day: they used Chaud instead of him in the advertisement. Oh yeah – Avatar woke up, both programs worked perfectly, and she got a new home.

Now if only my memories would come back properly...