A/N: Guess what, guys? It's my birthday! So, guess what that means! An update! Oh, and maybe a second update, too. I mean, Chapter 11 is also done.
Chapter 10: The Attack on WAZA
-HH-
WAZA Main Computer CC
"Jack-in, MegaMan! Execute!"
Hub touched down in the main computer, where he was greeted with the sight of a Hertz frantically banging on an electronic door. "Oh, come on!" the Hertz begged. "Open up!"
"Nope!" a female voice replied from the other side. "I'm sorry, cutie, but I just can't do that for a few minutes, if only for your own protection. I swear we'll be out of your hair by then! Don't worry, though, I don't plan on doing anything TOO bad!"
"Huh?" Hub asked. He looked behind the door and blinked when he saw a female, humanoid Navi in white armor. She had light blonde hair peeking out from under her helmet, which had cat ears sticking from the top of it. She also had a long white tail which had a plug on the back. Her face had noticeable whiskers, and her white gloved hands had noticeable pink paw pads claw-like plugs. Her armor was white, and she had gold, feline eyes. Her Navi symbol was what looked to be a ball of yellow yarn, but the plugs revealed it to be a ball of yellow wires.
"Uh-oh!" the female Navi gasped. "Um, Dark Phantom, I told you that you and ChronoMan should have waited until I cased the security! You guys just aren't as stealthy as Wish Genie and I are! Now look who showed up!" Dark Phantom appeared next to the girl. "It's MegaMan… my time's MegaMan!"
"Dark Phantom!?" Lan scowled. "And ChronoMan, too!"
ChronoMan appeared next to Dark Phantom, scythe ready. "I may as well show myself. It's not like Lan and MegaMan are surprised I have a hand in this," the old Navi said. "Perhaps now I will finish what I started."
"Oh, dear," Dark Phantom chuckled. "It seems that a hero has arrived… just like the script intended."
"Wait, you mean you tipped the future's police off on PURPOSE!?" the cat-girl Navi demanded, her tail noticeably standing up. "You know I'm not as strong as you and ChronoMan are! And tired or not, MegaMan beat ChronoMan before and now he's really mad because what you guys did in 20XX! He has no reason to hold back against us! I'm going to be deleted…!"
"Relax, Circuit," Dark Phantom snapped. "You're ruining my big entrance! I was going to announce myself to WAZA, but you started the security hack before I could finish rehearsing."
"We can't afford to go public right now!" the Navi known as Circuit said. "While the Time Wave is closed, I can't jack out. That means facing MegaMan right now is death for me! I've heard of all of the Navis he's deleted, and I don't want to join them!"
"Aren't you a cat?" ChronoMan asked. "You have nine lives, don't you?"
"That's a lie!" Circuit answered. "Cyber-dogs made it up so they were encouraged to hunt us cyber-cats!"
"Um, are we interrupting something?" Taurus Fire spoke up. Sure enough, the large fire bull and Geo appeared next to Hub.
"Just an argument between these guys," Hub said, pointing to ChronoMan, Dark Phantom, and Circuit, the latter especially panicking. "She's apparently been informed of my reputation on battling bad Navis really ends with them being deleted."
"And there's three of them," the cat-girl Navi said. "I'm going to die. I am going to DIE! I'm going to DIE, and it's your fault, Dark Phantom, for showing off."
"Um, Circuit," Wish Genie spoke up. The female Wave Being walked up next to Circuit, and gently gave her a hug, causing the cat Navi to gasp. "You need to calm down… besides, don't you have that ability…?"
"That ability?" Circuit repeated. "Oh, right! I can rewrite the security system!" She turned to a nearby monitor and her tail plugged into it. "Rewire Tail!" The Navi then started typing on it, and the gate's defenses fortified. After she was done, Circuit turned around and picked a startled Wish Genie up into a hug. "Oh, thanks, Wish Genie! You saved my whiskers there!"
"Not a problem, Circuit," Wish Genie smiled, hugging back.
"Well," ChronoMan said, "those two certainly get along very nicely."
"Indeed," Dark Phantom said. "If it wasn't for the fact that they have sorts like you and I as co-stars, ChronoMan, you could write those two and Circuit's operator off as just innocent girls being friends. Too bad that I don't write chick flicks. I never was a fan of those friendship movies."
Looking at the three from across the side after she put Wish Genie down, Circuit asked, "Um, could you guys totally not blow through this new security system for like… five minutes? I'd appreciate doing what I need to and leaving." She turned to the others, and said, "Come on! What we need is in the back!" Circuit rushed straight for the rear of the Cyber Core, ChronoMan following her. Meanwhile, Dark Phantom walked in front of the heroes, Wish Genie staying.
"Welcome, Mega Men, to the beginning of the latest film written by yours truly and produced by the organization Chromos!" Dark Phantom grinned. "However, we are without the proper props for the final act… such as a Noise Control Program?"
"The Noise Control Program!?" Geo asked. "You're still after it, Dark Phantom!?"
"Indeed," Dark Phantom nodded. "But this isn't for me… this is for our major actor ChronoMan! This shall make him even more powerful and allow him to fulfill his role in our goals without the fear that he will delete himself."
"And that would be taking over the world, right?" Geo asked.
"Did your Navi counterpart already tell you what happened 200 years ago when he and his operator, while able to defeat ChronoMan, failed to defeat me and lost their close friends and leading ladies sweet Mayl Sakurai and innocent Roll?" Dark Phantom asked. "Oh, the tears our leading lady Mayl shed right before she was banished by yours truly personally from space and time… who knows where she ended up. I certainly don't!"
"You rotten ghost…!" Lan scowled.
"Lan," Geo said, "don't let Dark Phantom get to you!"
"Yeah," Omega-Xis agreed. "He's just a subpar B-movie director!"
"B-movie director!?" Dark Phantom asked. "I'm not a B-movie director! I'm primetime blockbuster, at least! And this time around, Geo Stelar and Omega-Xis, I came quite prepared for you! I vastly underestimated you and your friends' will during our last encounter, Geo, and I had lost quite a bit of my sanity… but this very computer's cyber-core served as the stage for Act One of my rebirth! And now… it will serve as Act One of your beloved society's destruction!"
"Act One of your rebirth!?" Taurus Fire asked. Dark Phantom answered him by retreating, leaving only Wish Genie. "Come back!"
"It's of no use to call him," Wish Genie said. "He's already heading back there, and I should soon go, as well. But… it's nice to see both Mega Men alive and well, working together. I just wish we had better circumstances to meet."
"You said that the last time we saw each other," Hub noticed. "Wish Genie, why are you working for Cain and Hyde like this?"
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you, right now," Wish Genie answered. "Please, do not hate Circuit. She has her own reasons for following Master Cain, and wishes you no harm, heroes. If anything, she's scared of you." She pulled something out of her pocket, and clenched it in her hands, which had a golden glow for a moment before Taurus Fire's left horn shined bright for a second. "Goodbye, Geo Stelar and Hub Hikari. We'll only be a moment in the back." Wish Genie then ran towards the back, desperate to catch up to her allies.
"What did she do?" Taurus Fire asked.
"What's that stuck to your horn, Bud?" Geo asked. Taurus Fire looked to see a piece of paper stuck onto there by the corner. Hub pulled it off, making sure to avoid Taurus Fire's flames, and looked at it.
"It must be a note of some kind, written in some weird language," Hub asked. "I don't recognize it."
"I do," the Hertz spoke up. "It's in a language of the ancient Wave World… in short, Murian. Mu was the ancient society dominating the world's technology before its fall and the old Net society where you're from popped up."
"I thought the script looked familiar," Geo said. "But, how do you know it?"
"While I'm the security Hertz here in WAZA's main computer," the Hertz explained, "I'm also trained in ancient languages as part of my job to decode data. Dr. Goodall programmed me in case she needed to analyze data of ancient societies."
"Good, we could use that," Hub said. "So, what does it say?"
"Hmm…" the Hertz mused. "Ah! This must be the new password! That Circuit girl who locked me out must have quickly made the password, and—for some reason—gave it to that Wish Genie girl, who gave it to you!"
"She helped us?" Geo asked.
"She's certainly odd," Hub confessed. "But Wish Genie seems more friend than foe. Anyway, we should follow her advice!"
"If you want me to translate," the Hertz said, "ask me! Here's the first password hint: 'This town's park is marked by a pink squirrel'."
"A squirrel?" Taurus Fire asked. "I don't know anything about squirrels!"
"I do," Hub said, walking towards the door. "A-C-D-C." The gate opened, revealing a new path.
"Good thing our hometown has a squirrel statue," Lan chuckled. "Are you guys going to be okay?"
"We should be asking you that question," Luna said from behind Lan. "You… you seemed so angry there…"
"Sorry, Luna," Hub said, "it's just that Roll and Mayl are very close to us. They were the last ones who were taken away, Mom and Dad being second to last. I mean, Roll and Mayl have been in danger in the past, but… we at least knew where to look. Now, with this Time Wave stuff…" Looking up at Lan, he said, "We'll get them back, Lan… I promise. ChronoMan is up ahead. If we catch him, we'll get him to tell us how to open one. For now, let's focus on catching him before they get away."
"Right," Lan agreed. "Let's go."
"I'll meet you guys ahead," the Hertz said before floating towards the next gate. Hub, Geo, and Taurus Fire followed him, where the Hertz gave the next clue: "'The home country of Princess Pride and her guardian KnightMan…'"
"Who's Princess Pride!?" Taurus Fire asked.
"She was a member of a crime syndicate known as Gospel because her home country was being passed by in power despite it being one of the first known countries to have a Net," Lan answered. "She reformed later on, becoming a fair ruler… and an ally. Anyway, this one I know."
"Got it," Hub grinned. "C-R-E-A-M-L-A-N-D." The door once again opened, and the Hertz moved on ahead. "Are these clues Circuit gave us have anything to do with our history?"
"It looks like it," Lan answered. "First our town, then an enemy turned ally. Now what?" The trio moved on, eventually coming to another door.
"Okay, this door's password has something to do with an old man… 'a foe of the Hikaris and Net society since his youth, where his robotics research was passed by, and sealed in the trees for his crimes'."
"That's a no-brainer," Hub grinned. "W-I-L-Y." The door passed on, leaving Geo and Taurus Fire standing there in shock. "I guess this is easier for us since we've faced Wily three times."
"That reminds me," Lan asked, "Ace, did you guys ever talk to the Mayor about getting access to Green Town's Courthouse to find out if Wily's still serving time for his actions?"
"I honestly did not know he was there," Ace answered. "Is he that dangerous?"
"Not anymore, but I can't help but worry."
"Lan, let's focus on right now," Hub said. "There are two more doors." The group headed up to the next door, where the Hertz was waiting for them.
"You guys may not like this next one," the Hertz warned.
"Why?" Taurus Fire said. "Something bad in history?"
"No, but it's asking you to fight three rounds of viruses… each of you."
"Well, here we go!" Hub said. "Lan?"
"On it! Battle routine, set!"
"Execute!" Three virus battles later, the door opened, but the three were getting exhausted. They were surprised to see Wish Genie was on the other side.
"Wish Genie?" Circuit yelled from the back, "did they just break through the virus door?"
"Yes, they did," Wish Genie said.
"Okay, I'll just hack faster," Circuit said. "Come back!"
"Don't worry, Circuit," Wish Genie assured her friend. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you."
"Um, hate to break it to you," Taurus Fire pointed out, "but it's three against one."
"True," Wish Genie agreed. "But I am not planning to fight you. Just give your two friends something." Her hands glowed, and Hub and Geo's chest symbols began to glow.
"What did she just do!?" Taurus Fire questioned. When the glowing of their symbols stopped, the three looked up… only to see Wish Genie had vanished, most likely heading towards the back.
"Hub," Lan asked, "do you feel any different?"
"Um, not really," Hub said. "My systems are alright. My symbol is strange. We'll have to analyze what she installed later."
"Geo?" Luna asked. "Are you okay?"
"I don't feel anything," Geo said. "But my pendant seems strange… somewhat altered. I'll have to look into it as well… maybe Dad will know."
"If you guys wanna get out of here and let me take care of things," Taurus Fire said, "I'll be fine. I still have to get that jerk back for what he did to Zack when we were trying to save Prez."
"What happened?" Hub asked.
"Yeah, what happened?" Luna asked. "Was this the time I died?"
"You died once?" Lan questioned.
"Hey, I died twice," Hub commented. "One in the real world, and I sacrificed myself to save you from Alpha."
"Long story we can go over later," Dr. Goodall said. "For now, they're almost done with the hack!"
"Let's go!" Hub said. They found the last gate right in front of the data storage center.
"Here it is," the Hertz said. "But after this, I'm afraid this is as far as I go. I'm not battle capable!"
"It's alright," Omega-Xis said. "Just translate, and we'll take it from there."
"Got it," the Hertz nodded. "Alright… 'the virus that drove Navis insane and was reborn as a Navi himself."
"Z-E-R-O," Hub nodded. "Remember facing that guy… one of the toughest fights of my life. I'm glad he joined our side." The door opened, allowing them access to see the Chromos group, Circuit's tail plugged into the system.
"They're already here, aren't they?" Circuit asked, looking at the reflections on the screen. She looked behind her, still typing. "Well, I liked living…"
"Don't consider you out of lives just yet," Dark Phantom said. "Remember, it's three against four. Isn't that right, ChronoMan?"
"An excellent chance to take on the Mega Men," ChronoMan nodded, brandishing his weapon.
"I don't need you to win," Circuit told him. "I have the program at approximately… 95 percent. I just need a couple minutes from you. Can you do that, ChronoMan? I promise I will get you that program as soon as possible. Orion already has the Paradox Crown."
"So," Omega-Xis asked, "you're the old Navi who caused all of our latest problems?" Omega-Xis asked, Geo facing ChronoMan. "For an old guy who fancies himself a reaper, you don't look so tough."
"You have no idea just how powerful the force of time really is," ChronoMan said, brandishing his scythe. "And your time has approached."
"So," Hub asked, looking at Dark Phantom, "I guess that means I'm facing you?"
"Perhaps," Dark Phantom said. "Are you still mad about your loved ones? Or are you mad with despair about the fact that you will never see them again?"
"We WILL see them again!" Hub shot back.
"So that means I'll just stop the download!" Taurus Fire said. He then charged past both Mega Men, avoiding ChronoMan's Temporal Slash and Dark Phantom's Phantom Claw. Wish Genie could barely dodge out of the way of the Ox Tackle.
"Circuit, look out!" Wish Genie yelled, throwing her wrap straight off. "Battle Card, Sticky Web!" Her left arm turned into a cannon, which shot out a spider web. Taurus Fire turned around and burned the web away with ease before resuming his run. Circuit, noticing the charging bull, screamed in fear, raising her hands in defense—
PEWT!
Everyone looked at Circuit, whose left hand had the claws shooting out with cords, embedding themselves in Taurus Fire, who was mere inches from her. "…Huh?" Circuit asked.
"Bud!" Geo yelled. "Are you okay!?"
"…I feel funny," Taurus Fire confessed. "Also… I can't really move?"
"Did I do this?" Circuit asked, moving her hand, retracting the wires, but the claws stayed in Taurus Fire. Taurus Fire's arms fell limp. Circuit clenched her hand, and Taurus Fire did the same with his own, the claws sparking up with electricity in order to force him to do so. "What the heck?" She then waved, and Taurus Fire waved. "Say apple."
"Steak," Taurus Fire answered.
"Oh, so it looks like I just took over your motor functions, and not your consciousness?" the cat girl Navi asked herself. "If I did, nod your head." Taurus Fire did so. "Oh my goodness, I did!"
"This isn't good," Taurus Fire groaned.
"Well, for you, at least," Circuit answered. "I guess Wave Changers have some type of immunity to hypnotism. It doesn't stop me from controlling your movements, however. Hey, I just had a crazy idea! Could YOU buy me a few moments, please? Just long enough for me to get the code." Taurus Fire turned to the Mega Men.
"Geo," Taurus Fire begged, "don't hold back on me! Give me everything you've got… I don't think I'll be able to hold back!"
"Bud, wait!" Geo said.
"Temporal Slash!" ChronoMan yelled, slicing at Geo. "Your battle is with me!"
"My, what a plot twist!" Dark Phantom chuckled. "Through sheer accident, our little star Circuit had managed to force Taurus Fire on our side for just this performance only! The only way this could have been better is if I had written it! This is a scene I'll gladly have to throw in!"
"Looks like we'll have to face Taurus Fire," Hub said, realizing that in order to buy Geo some time from two opponents, he'd have to stay his revenge on Dark Phantom for another day. "Lan?"
"…Bud, I'm sorry about this!" Lan apologized. "We'll try to just knock you out! Battle routine, set!"
"Execute!"
"Don't hold back!" Taurus Fire instructed before rushing towards Hub. Hub, after a bit of battling large opponents like GutsMan, instinctively dodged to the right, avoiding the punch.
"Good things we have tons of Net Battles under our belt," Hub said. "Lan?"
"Found something," Lan answered. "Bubbler Battle Chip in, Download!" Hub's arm turned into a Bubbler gun, which he blasted Taurus Fire with in the face. After Taurus Fire took the attack, Hub took to going on the offense, landing a few blows with the Mega Buster.
"Don't hurt Bud too badly!" Luna yelled at Lan.
"Prez, its fine!" Taurus Fire called, barely avoiding landing an Ox Tackle on Hub. "I'll be okay… Taurus and I can take it! I think of this like training! Only, well, I'm sort of attacking against my will."
"Look, I'm trying to figure out how I'm doing that, and I have no clue!" Circuit said.
BEEP-BEEP!
"COPYING OF DATA COMPLETE."
"Oh, it's done!" Circuit smiled, unplugging her tail as an Air Display showing the Noise Control Program manifested itself. The Air Display shrunk down into a standard Battle Chip size. She looked at ChronoMan, who was slashing at Geo, the latter barely blocking any of the attacks. "Okay, ChronoMan, we're good to go! Quit your fight with the future Mega Man, and please open a Time Wave that gets us out of here!"
"A copy!?" Dark Phantom asked. "Circuit, the script called for you to steal the whole program!"
"Well, my original plan called to make a copy anyway!" Circuit said, focusing on controlling Taurus Fire. "There's only data, here! The Noise Control Program isn't something the future's defense forces wouldn't miss! I wanted to make this subtle, but you and ChronoMan don't care about a quick and quiet job!"
"You know I love the spotlight!" Dark Phantom scolded her. Circuit rolled her eyes.
"You would make a terrible spy film," the cat Navi said. Looking at Wish Genie, she asked, "You're ready to go, aren't you?"
"I am, but you should probably get your claws back?" Wish Genie asked.
"Oh, right," Circuit said. Meanwhile, Taurus Fire managed to land a Fire Breath on Hub, which did massive damage since he did not have a lot of room to avoid it.
"Bud's pretty tough," Hub groaned. He then took a few shots with the Mega Buster. Even though the Buster rarely caused enemies to flinch, Taurus Fire didn't even wince as the shots hit home. "How do I deal with that fire?"
"That's a good question," Lan noticed. "How do we get past that Fire Breath of Taurus'?"
"You should try firing a Water attack whenever I'm building up my firepower!" Taurus Fire suggested. "I'll get stunned!"
"Oh, right, that's a thing we really take advantage of," Hub remembered. "Lan, Battle Chip?"
"Okay, here goes! Aqua Tower 1 Battle Chip in, Download!" Hub's right arm turned from a Buster to a water geyser, which he began charging up. The moment Taurus Fire got ready for a Fire Breath, Hub slammed it down, sprouting a Aqua Tower that slammed into Taurus Fire, countering the attack. "Alright, sorry Bud, but we're ending this! Yoyo 1 Battle Chip in, Download!" Hub's arm turned from the geyser to the yoyo launcher, which—combined with Full Synchro- was used to knock over Taurus Fire, taking him down. The claws Circuit used to control him popped out, and broke down. Circuit's hand, meanwhile, regained her claws.
"Well, that was certainly a thing," Circuit said. "Not sure I'll be able to get that off, twice."
"Bud!" Geo said, running over. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Ugh," Bud groaned. "That wasn't pleasant… sorry I messed up."
"It's okay," Lan said. "Not even Circuit knew she could do that… but that was kind of weird."
"Glad to see you're okay," Geo said, grabbing Taurus Fire's arm… only for his pendant and Taurus Fire's horns begin flashing bright.
"Huh!?" Hub asked, looking at the two.
"What's going on!?" Geo asked. He then suddenly gasped as a selection of memories began playing.
-GS-
Geo looked at three kids around his age: a girl with blonde hair tied in two huge pigtails with a school uniform, a short brown haired boy wearing glasses with his shirt and tie outfit, and a big, heavy-looking kid with blue hair sticking out of his unique orange headgear, a brown vest over a yellow shirt with a fork and knife crossing over each other, and brown shorts.
Geo did not know it at the time, but this was the day that he met three of his closest friends: Luna Platz, Zack Temple, and Bud Bison.
"…The big guy behind me is Bud Bison…" Luna introduced.
"Hey, jerk!" Bud snapped when Geo didn't introduce himself right away. "Don't just stand there! Say something!"
Geo, after meeting Omega-Xis, Luna's trio, Bud included, had followed him home, trying to get him to come to school. However, Geo was not interested at this point in his life. Luna decided to employ Bud's muscle and get him to intimidate Geo into complying… which wouldn't have been a problem for him had Omega-Xis not decided to make his house in Geo's Transer arm.
"Look, jerk," Bud insisted, unaware of Geo's arm moving out of control. "Just be good and come to school! It's for your own good, anyway."
WHAM!
Geo, forced by Omega-Xis hijacking his left arm, gave Bud a surprise uppercut that reduced Bud to an unconscious heap on his front lawn.
"Ugh… little… creep," Bud muttered before passing out.
Bud, after his defeat, was approached by Taurus. The fiery FM-ian detected his loneliness when Luna threatened to cut off their Brother Band in response to the embarrassment of watching him get laid out like that. Since Taurus lacked access to his full powers on Earth, wanted to make a deal with Bud that would allow him to take the Andromeda Key back.
"Bud, you are a smart boy," the bull FM-ian complimented. "If you allow me to occupy the crevice in your heart, I could give you power… and if you were to show that power to the Prez… Let's just say you wouldn't be alone again."
"Show her the power?" Bud asked. "How do I do that?"
Taurus laughed. "Don't worry," he promised, "leave everything to me. Unless you would rather return to loneliness?"
Bud thought about his past, how kids stayed away from him because he was bigger than most people his age, how he wasn't the smartest person, and how scary he looked. His only comfort was when this pretty blond haired girl with two pigtails—Luna Platz, he later found out—and this short smart kid who was basically his counterpart in every way—Zack Temple. And now, they were on the verge of leaving him all because this Geo kid was being ungrateful and made a fool of him.
He would not forgive him.
"I don't want to be left alone," Bud answered Taurus. The bull, if he could smile, would have grinned.
The colossal bull that was Taurus Fire stood in front of the unconscious Luna and Zack while Mega Man stood across from him. "Take a good look at Taurus Fire," Taurus himself taunted Geo. "Seem familiar?"
Geo gasped in shock, realizing just who it was from an earlier clue Luna gave him. "I can't believe it… Bud?"
"Yup," Taurus Fire confirmed, "you picked a real winner there, Omega-Xis! I'm gonna mow you down, and take back the Andromeda Key!"
"So, you really do plan to attack this planet!" Omega-Xis confirmed. His secret AM-ian desire for revenge was beginning to boil. He wouldn't let what happened to AM happen to Earth, even if it was pretty boring.
"The king's commands are absolute!" Taurus declared. "Using Bud's body, the destruction of this town will signal the attack on Earth!" To his host, he ordered, "Bud… no, Taurus Fire! Destroy them! If you do, the Prez will also appreciate you!"
Geo looked at Taurus Fire approaching him, clenching his massive fists.
"What would I do if the people who are supposed to protect me couldn't?" Luna asked Bud and Zack. While the latter was a bit on the embarrassed side, the former felt even guiltier than before. He didn't really pay too much attention to his times as Taurus Fire, but… Luna and Zack could have been hurt or worse during his attempts to get revenge on Geo. It wasn't fair to involve them in his feud.
"Prez…" he confessed. "I… I've been hiding things from you. You know about all of those things getting broken?" Luna nodded, looking at the mailbox near her apartment complex that had a massive dent in it. Part of the reason that she dragged Zack and Bud into doing these patrols was to find out who vandalized that mailbox. "I think I'm the one doing it…"
Luna gasped. Was Bud really doing all of these crimes? Why!?
"After I got mad at you that one time," Bud continued, "I saw the strangest thing. There was a cow monster guy, and he told me he'd give me powers." While Luna and Zack were still stunned by Bud's confession, he continued, "He said if I wanted to keep you as a Brother, I had to show you my power." Looking down, he added, "Then you'd appreciate me…"
Luna didn't show it, but she felt terrible for threatening to cut off their Brother Band. She knew that without Bud or Zack, she'd probably be just as alone as Bud probably felt before she picked him up as a Brother. She knew he had self-esteem issues just like she did... after all, her parents were hardly ever home enough to spend time with her. Bud was ignored and even feared because he was bigger and scary-looking compared to most kids their age. Yet when Geo knocked him out, it made her feel that she herself was weak because he made her look pretty bad. She had to start treating her friends better.
Bud meanwhile continued his story. "After that, every night I'd get restless. I'd go outside, but when I'd see something red, I'd blank out… and then wake up in my own room. I thought it was all a dream, but… car pieces, or bricks, would be all around me…" Bud looked down, tears flowing from his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said after a bit. "I'll apologize to everyone."
Luna turned around from Bud, hmphing as she did so. "Prez…" Zack spoke up, worried that Luna was about to do what she threatened several days ago as she held up her Transer. However, he then heard a few beeping noises, almost like she was scheduling something in her digital planner.
"Bud! Zack!" she ordered. "I want you back here at 6:30 AM! We have to fix all the things Bud destroyed! Don't be late or else!" Bud looked up, wiping tears out of his eyes as he looked at Luna. She turned her head, and offered him a smile. Although Luna was never vocal with apologies or forgiveness, this was her way of saying that she forgave him before slipping back into her usual mode and turning back so she was facing away from him. She shrugged as she added, "Sometimes, having Brothers just makes a girl's harder than it needs to be." She began walking towards her apartment when she stopped.
"Oh, and Bud…" Bud straightened up, expecting a scolding. What he got instead was, "Make sure from now on you use your strength to do things more useful to me, OK?"
"P-Prez…" Bud nearly cried. But Luna continued walking towards her apartment. How far she got before Bud and Zack, both still crying, hugged her, well, she wasn't sure. But Geo and Omega-Xis saw the whole scenario.
Geo and Taurus Fire knelt down, holding their heads. "Whoa… what was that?" Geo asked.
"Is it just me, or was that how we first really got acquainted with Bud?" Omega-Xis asked. Meanwhile, Dark Phantom was preparing his attack while ChronoMan was being held off by Hub.
"ChronoMan, we really should be going," Wish Genie said, looking up and sensing something.
"Yeah," Circuit added. "We're here a lot longer than planned."
ChronoMan broke off his attack, and sighed. "Very well. We shall retreat for now… Time Wave Slice!" He then cut a Time Wave, allowing them an escape route.
"Circuit, you go first," Wish Genie said. "I will cover you if we need to."
"You're a life-saver, Wish Genie!" Circuit smiled, hugging her female ally. "Oh home, here I come!" Circuit ran into the Time Wave, leaving ChronoMan, Wish Genie, and Dark Phantom.
"Well, it appears Mega Man is suddenly weak," Dark Phantom grinned to himself. "I should probably write him out of the script… and what better way than this?" His Phantom Claw suddenly began to shine with a blue-green hue. "Phantom Claw!"
"Look out!"
Geo looked up just in time to be pushed out of the way by an orange figure, which took on the attack head on. Even Hub stopped his attack to look to see what had happened… Mick's Navi had taken the Phantom Claw straight in the chest.
"M-Mick!?" Lan asked.
"Glad to see me?" Mick asked. "Hey, how are you hanging in there?"
"I'm… I'm… it hurts…" Mick's Navi answered. Dark Phantom ripped out his Phantom Claw, and Mick's Navi collapsed. There was a massive wound on his chest, but it was glowing blue and green, similar to that of the Time Waves.
"Well… that wasn't something I planned in my script!" the black-clad Wave Being scowled.
"Mick, jack your Navi out!" Lan said. "Something's wrong with him!" The constant pressing of a button echoed.
"Darn it…!" Mick growled. "He's not responding to the command!"
Geo and Taurus Fire stood up. "He's not looking so good," Taurus Fire said. "I can probably carry him back to the access point… maybe he could get out from that way?"
"Oh no you don't!" ChronoMan scowled. "Sand—!"
"Pulse Song!"
ChronoMan flinched as a large heart-shaped blast hit him with full force, and he collapsed on the ground. This combined with the wounds from the two Mega Men, and he was down.
Geo, Taurus Fire, and Hub all looked to see a pink-clad blonde girl about Geo's age. She wore a pink helmet with a light pink heart on the forehead and a blue clear visor and white head phones, a dark pink dress with a heart-shaped breastplate over a black shirt, black tights, pink-and-white striped long-sleeved gloves, with gold bracelets, pink boots that reached her knees, and a long white scarf. In her hand was a blue guitar with a microphone attached to the handle and a harp theme for the strings, the guitar's handle having a face.
"I leave for a few weeks to go on tour," the girl sighed, "and all of this happens. Can we really not get pulled into crises like this, Geo?"
"Harp Note?" Geo asked as the girl pulled him up, and offered him a smile. Meanwhile, Omega-Xis manifested as well as a harp-shaped being, with pink flames on the top, green eyes, and a pink heart on the side of the harp.
"Aw, Mega," the harp giggled, "you didn't invite us to this little party? I'm insulted."
"And you have to show up?" Omega-Xis groaned. "How did you guys even get here so fast from Netopia!?"
"Sky Wave after hearing about the strange incident from Ace," the girl known as Harp Note confessed. "I had to stop by Loch Mess, then Echo Ridge, hit the Astro Wave, and it got complicated from there. The point is we're here!" She turned her attention back to Dark Phantom, and ChronoMan being tended to by Wish Genie. "Okay, I don't know who two of you guys are, but I do know Dark Phantom. Remember how you hurt Geo really badly right in front of me… twice?"
"Oh yes," Dark Phantom chuckled. "Ripped the OOPArt right out of his second mouth after Solo and he nearly tore each other apart, and when he wouldn't give me the Noise Control Program the first time…"
"Good, we're in agreement," Harp Note said. "You deserve this! Machine Gun String!" She then launched a musical line out of her guitar, which wrapped around Dark Phantom. She then raised a guitar and played several notes, which shocked Dark Phantom. "That was for Geo!" She then strapped her guitar on her back, and held out a Battle Card with a rifle on it, and a fiery explosion on the other end. "Battle Card, Magma Launcher!" She then swiped the card, and her right hand turned into a large gun. She fired the gun just as Wish Genie stepped in front of the stunned Dark Phantom.
"Battle Card, Barrier 100!" Wish Genie summoned a yellow barrier that soaked up the massive shot and explosion. When the smoke cleared, Wish Genie was completely fine, but her barrier was destroyed. "Battle Guard, Invisible!" Wish Genie grabbed Dark Phantom, and she and he both vanished in thin air. Suddenly, ChronoMan vanished as well. "Farewell, for now…"
"Wait!" Harp Note yelled, but the Time Wave closed. "…They got away…"
"How can you tell?" Hub asked, aiming his buster around. The female Wave Being poked her headphones.
"I can hear waves higher and lower than normal hearing," Harp Note answered. "It even allows me to hear invisible enemies' footsteps too… it really helps to avoid sneak attacks." She then got a good look at the blue Navi. "…Huh? Geo, why are there two of you?"
"Um, that's a good question," Geo said. "But we have to get this Navi back to his PET… Bud, do you have this?"
"Right," Taurus Fire said, picking up Mick's Navi and carrying him towards the entrance to the CC.
"Navi?" Harp Note asked. "As in, the old Navis that are no longer around anymore? What's going on, here?"
Meanwhile, Geo turned to Harp Note. "Hey, Sonia, can you pulse out? I promise I'll explain things in a bit after I check on things, here."
"Okay," Harp Note said. "Lyra, you ready?"
"Yeah," the harp nodded. She turned to Omega-Xis, and said, "See you in a bit!" The harp disappeared, and Harp Note then pulsed out, leaving the two Mega Men.
"You should check on Mick's Navi," Geo suggested. "Omega-Xis and I have this."
"Are you sure?" Hub asked. Geo nodded.
"…Yeah," he answered. "I… I don't know where that memory to when Bud and I first met came from, but somebody needs to make sure they didn't download just the Noise Control Program. Besides, Mick is Lan's friend first."
"You know, we should probably check on Mick," Lan spoke up. "Jack out, Hub. We have a lot to discuss."
"Okay," Hub nodded before turning to Geo. "Be out soon, okay?" Hub disappeared in a flash, leaving Geo and Omega-Xis.
"Well, that was a thing," Omega-Xis groaned. "Those memories… it felt like that one time you upgraded you OS to the Hunter-VG, shoving all of that data down my throat."
"And I have a nasty headache," Geo added while an Air Display popped up in front of him. "Running the diagnostic for any missing files… huh? None are missing?"
"But I thought she stole the Noise Control Program?" Omega-Xis said. "That doesn't make any sense that no data is missing if that cat snuck it out!"
"…Wait," Geo remembered. "During the fight, she said something about a copy… which means that the real Noise Control Program, although that is what they were after, couldn't have been stolen!"
"Allow me to explain that," Acid's voice said before appearing next to Geo. "You were given the sole Noise Control Program in existence in order to keep it from falling into Dealer's hands in case something happened to Ace and I. After all, who better to handle one of the most dangerous programs in the world than the one person who has used the power of the Satellite Admins of Planet AM and the OOPArt containing the power of one of the ancient Tribes of Mu and survived both experiences, using their respective power to save Earth twice?"
"You gave us the only Noise Control Program to work with that looks like it costs more Zenny than I'll ever see in my life?" Geo asked. "That had to be pretty expensive…"
"Oh trust me, it was," Acid recalled. "Which was why we were hoping to—after the destruction of Meteor G—be able to have it back and study its data. However, it didn't survive the overload of Noise plus your finalization and the explosion of the meteor. Not completely your fault, but we decided ultimately to not use it again if something like Meteor G wasn't being detected anywhere near our solar system. However, it COULD be copied and reproduced. If the thief didn't want to completely steal the data, it would be faster and less traceable of a hack to simply copy it."
"Add that to a particular hack that is at least 200 years old in origin and she's untraceable," Omega-Xis scowled.
"Even if we had the ability to travel through time," Ace added, "we'd have a difficult time figuring out where they came from. Chromos is pretty clever."
"Argh," Geo growled. "They beat us without beating us!"
"Well, you can't win them all," Ace said. "Pulse out, and we're done for the day. We need to check on you guys, anyway. See what Wish Genie did."
"Okay," Geo sighed. "Sorry I failed."
"It's not your fault, Geo," Acid answered before pulsing out himself. Geo and Omega-Xis did the same.
Green Town—Court House
A Punishment Bot was doing a patrol of the courthouse. However, as it was nearing the front, the alarm began beeping. The robot looked just in time to see an arrow flying at its head. Needless to say, it didn't survive having an arrow shot through its head, but it did catch a glimpse of who shot it. Sagittarius Arrow.
As the Punishment Bot fell, Sagittarius Arrow trotted over its metallic frame. A few more Punishment Bots responded to the alarm. "INTRUDER DETECTED. INTRUDER DETECTED. NOBODY WITHOUT THE PROPER AUTHORIZATION IS ALLOWED IN THE COURTHOUSE. YOU ARE HEREBY UNDER ARREST. PLEASE CEASE AND DISSEST."
"Oh, please," the EM Wave Changer laughed. "No amount of you weak bots will stop me." The robots were soon destroyed, but Sagittarius Arrow was bored. "This is nowhere near as exciting as hacking into a super-computer and just going buck-wild on said computer," the soldier complained. "These criminals I'm busting out better be worth it."
Kingdom Rider92's Notes: So, this was a thing. We now know Harp Note has come all the way from Netopia to lay a two-game overdue smack down on Hyde's face! Oh, and she sniped ChronoMan, too. Sonia is my favorite character in the Star Force trilogy. The funny part about this update is it's on my birthday… so yeah, Happy Birthday to me courtesy of Sonia finally hitting Dark Phantom.
But my real favorite characters here are Wish Genie and Circuit. Circuit is one of the few characters that, unlike previous Battle Network/Star Force villain Navis/Wave Beings, KNOWS she wouldn't stand a chance against MegaMan if she and he were to come to blows and does everything in her super-hacker powers to prevent MegaMan from catching her. Unfortunately for her, EM Wave Changers and combat-ready Net Navis tend to be a bit of blood knights, and she works with two of them. However, she doesn't know it yet, but has a bit of combat capabilities… and the ability to do something BEYOND the impossible and controlling Taurus Fire.
Yeah, so this was a twist on the obligatory Taurus Fire boss fight in that you're playing as Hub (or MegaMan from the Battle Network series) to fight him. Yes, I went there. Hence this is the reason why Circuit herself is a major character. Because the other version of how this would have played out—Bud jealous of the attention Luna was giving Lan, and challenging Lan to a fight—would be slightly out of character since his character arc in Star Force 3 was him gaining full control of Taurus and Wave Changing on his own.
…You guys have probably figured out how I'm doing GUTSMAN now since we have to find him. So, I'm just gonna work on the reviews.
Ghost501: Yeah, I figured that would be the only reason this all makes sense. As technology advances, a lot of things we take for granted now start becoming obsolete and fade away due to negligence. That is going to be a theme in this story. What if the technology we had now suddenly was not functioning and we now had to rely on older ways? How many people would be lost as a result? Honestly, a LOT of our youth would be panicking and even several adults would be lost. On the opposite side, what if you woke up one day to go to your computer and check your e-mail, only to find out that your computer doesn't work anymore because the rest of the world doesn't use ordinary computers anymore but some complicated handheld device that requires you months or years of training to use but kids can master it in a mere five minutes? It's kind of scary and/or frustrating on both thoughts.
Matteso585: Okay, "fell in a plothole" is a simple term for "Mayl and Roll are not in 22XX, Lan and Hub are the only members of the separated group that made it there, but we'll get to what Mayl and Roll are doing after the next major boss fight". I do love the idea that Mayl and Sonia getting along, but that won't happen for a while.
The second question, I feel that if Hyde and Cain were to be betrayed by ChronoMan, it would be after they had outlived their usefulness to him/gave him what exactly he wants. I'm not saying when that will occur or what that is, however.
The last question, I… I'm going to be honest, that's a decent idea. However, I'm not sure when MegaMan, GutsMan, or ProtoMan will be traveling the Wave Roads.
Recovery Zero: Yeah, Rogue will be here sometime soon. He's kind of pissed off. You'll see why.
Mysterious Mr M: Yeah, Geo would be absolutely livid about that guy, but King is more than likely dead since he technically became the Crimson Dragon (and Geo killed that). Just like how Lan still wouldn't trust Regal, mind wipe or no, because Regal did the most direct personal damage to Lan's loved ones.
Plasma57: Thank you very much!
Rekxyen: Yeah, you hit this in one. I'm glad you're so excited about the chapter. As for my grandmother, she's doing somewhat better. As I'm typing this, she and I are watching the news.
blee7442: You were guessing Sonia, weren't you? Because it was Sonia. Oh, and ChronoMan was partially responsible.
Lucario: Yes, Bass is a secret boss. He always is a secret boss. As for that combo… Whoa. That is pretty overkill.
Guest: Thank you!
Okay, that is all that I have. Oh, and look out for Sonic Chao Chronicles, Ace Attorney, and RWBY X Star Wars! Farewell, my subjects!
