A/N: So, you guys may recall about... two updates ago, that I was having family-related problems involving my grandmother and her lung cancer. Well, as of last night, she passed away. On the plus she lasted longer than her original prognosis... literally 3 months longer.

So this chapter goes to the memory of Carolyn Ethel Brown, April 23, 1943-May 11, 2015. May she rest in peace. And how appropriate of a title.

Chapter 11: The Bonds Going Beyond Time

-LH-

National WAZA HQ

"Hey, guys!" a girl's voice spoke up. Lan looked behind him to see a pink-haired girl walking up to them.

"…Mayl?" Lan asked. "Is that you!?"

"Mayl?" the girl asked. "Who is that?" Lan blinked, and looked again, noticing that the hair was similar, but that was where the similarities ended. She was wearing a pink bear hoodie, and light green short shorts. She also had a yellow electric guitar strapped to her back, further detracting from Mayl's look.

"Sonia Strum!" Zack breathed. "I thought that it was you who helped Geo and Bud in there!"

"Yeah," the girl known as Sonia said. "Is that Navi that got hurt going to be alright?"

"I don't know," Hub said. "Mick's Navi suffered a great deal of damage… in Mick's PET, he'll stay intact for a bit more, but if he's not repaired soon…"

"Oh, was that the Navi that looked like Geo does when he's Mega Man?" Sonia asked, looking over Lan's shoulder. "Wow, what happened while I was in Netopia on tour? All I was told was that things got weird in Electopia."

"That's a bit of a story," Luna said. "When Geo and Bud come back, we'll tell you."

An explanation later, Sonia was sitting down, reflecting on what she heard. "So, these Chromos guys have damaged the timeline, threw a young Lan Hikari and his friends and family through time, captured Wilshire Hills and the IFL Tower, and now they have a copy of the Noise Control Program's blueprints, and are free to do whatever they want with history?"

"Yeah," Geo said. "It's really bad, Sonia. Soon, ChronoMan will become all powerful, and Chromos will do who knows what."

"Could be worse," Ace said. "We could have lost the program altogether. Here, we have a chance… and not all Chromos members are completely loyal or in agreement with Hyde and Cain. It's like King and Dealer all over again."

"Yeah," Sonia agreed. "It seemed like that Circuit and Wish Genie girl were just following orders… kind of like how I was when I was a part of the Neo Mu Empire Vega and Hollow were forming." She sighed in frustration. "Too bad we can't thwart them, right now…"

"We need to find a way to travel through time," Lan scowled. "If we had a Time Wave, we could follow them through it."

"Time Wave?" Sonia asked. "Lyra?" The harp-like Wizard appeared next to her. "Do you think that blue-green clock EM Wave cluster we saw in Netopia's Colosseum Avenue and Neo Vista Point…?"

"Could be," Lyra said. "They were a little funny when I sensed them…" Lan looked at Sonia and Lyra, his eyes wide. "What?"

"Colosseum Avenue and Neo Vista Point?" Lan asked. "Where are they!?"

"Well, Colosseum Avenue is all of the way in Netopia, named after this big Colosseum where warriors of the ancient world did battle," Sonia said. "I first saw it right after my concert there, where I ran into a strange boy. I don't know if he's part of Chromos, but he told me to stay away or he'll be forced to deal with me… whatever that meant. However, I sensed that he had a lot of skill and power for a boy our age."

"That boy could be part of Chromos," Ace scowled. "How many agents do they have?"

"I don't think he was a part of Chromos," Sonia said. "He said that something serious was going down, and that he was going to crush the enemy. He was wearing a hood, so I couldn't really tell what he looked like, but I could sense a lot of skill from him. The only other boys I could sense that from in our age were Solo—who is who knows where—Jack—and he can't Wave Change anymore—and Geo… who was in Electopia. I suppose we could use that if we travel to Netopia."

"That reminds me," Luna said. "Geo, did you ever get a passport?"

"…I KNEW I forgot something!" Geo groaned.

"We should get on that for things like this," Hope confessed.

"So, we're stuck with Neo Vista Point, then," Geo said. "It's nearby Echo Ridge Elementary, but it's been under construction for a year now. It just finished. Although Dad's back home from space, I still plan to go there from time-to-time to gaze at stars."

"So THAT'S why we haven't gone for like two adventures and you've been using the roof of the school as a hangout!" Omega-Xis realized.

"You just now noticed this, Mega?" Geo asked.

"Well, we'll head there!" Lan said.

"Lan, stop," Kelvin spoke up. "Think about this: we have no idea just what these Time Waves are capable of. First off, we have no guarantee we can use these Time Waves. Second… even if we can use the Time Waves, we have no idea where or when we'll end up, or if we can use them again. Lan… you could be lost a whole new time period, and you're the one person who we have to hold in regard to everything we hold dear. Are you sure you wish to do this?"

"He has a point, Lan," Hub said. "We're pretty much winging it if we go exploring the Time Waves… and if you set up all of this, we're taking a big risk by time traveling."

"I know," Lan said. "But… if we don't do anything, we'll never be able to save Mom, Dad, Dex, Yai, or Mayl!"

"Yeah," Hub nodded. "We won't be able to save GutsMan, Glyde, or Roll, either. Or Pat…"

"Right," Geo recalled. "Pat's in trouble, too."

"I see," Kelvin said. "Your resolve is very formidable, Lan. If anything, you remind me of Geo's. I can see why our society owes a lot to you."

"Thanks, Mr. Stelar," Lan nodded. "Alright, MegaMan… I mean, Hub! Let's go!"

"Wait," Dr. Goodall said. "Lan, we've all had it a little tough, and we still need time to analyze what happened to Hubby's Navi's emblem and Geo's pendant." Geo thought back to when he touched Bud's hand, and all of those memories flooding back… his brief fight with Bud, the Taurus Fire car-jacking, the Grizzly Resort adventure, Budicus in Whazzap, Bud finally gaining Taurus as a Wizard and their help against Diamond Ice, and Queen Virgo's attack on WAZA. What was all of that…?

"Hubby?" Hub asked, bringing Geo back into reality.

"Long story short," Omega-Xis said, "she likes to nickname us."

"If I could suggest leaving them with Aaron," Goodall continued, "we could figure out whether or not Wish Genie's actions were helpful or harmful. That said, boys, if you could hand your Wizards and Hubby in for analysis…"

"Wait, you want my PET?" Lan asked.

"I'm afraid so," Dr. Goodall answered. "Your Hunter-VG, too, just in case we may have to transfer him. We're also scanning Bud and Geo's Hunters. Don't worry, it'll only be for about an day, tops."

"That's one less day we have to getting back at those guys," Taurus groaned.

"Taurus, Omega-Xis," Lyra chided, "it's just a check-up."

"Besides, Lan," Aaron added, "I think I could upgrade your PET and your Hunter-VG into something that combines both technologies."

"Really!?" Geo asked. "You can do that, Mr. Boreal?"

"Your dad and I worked with PETs when we were coming up with the Transer system," Aaron confessed. "I feel like we are the only experts alive in Electopia who know what we're doing when it comes to both the Wave World and old Net technology. Well, the ones willing to help you, anyway."

"I'll be okay, Lan," Hub insisted. "Anyway, you should probably check on Mick…"

"…Yeah," Lan agreed. "Mick is probably worried about his Navi. Without any Navi experts in this time, I don't know if we can really save him…"

"What about Cyber City?" Luna suggested. "There may be someone in Cyber City who can fix that poor Navi, right?"

"Someone in Cyber City?" Lan repeated. "…That's a good idea! I'll tell Mick about that! Thanks, Luna!"

"Not a problem, Lan," Luna answered. "Hey, by the way… since you have a Hunter-VG, do you have any Brothers?"

"Brothers?" Lan said. "Now that you mention it, Vic-Vac said something about it, but we didn't really understand."

"Vic-Vac?" Geo said. "Is that a Matter Wave?" Vic-Vac popped up next to Lan. "Yep, Matter Wave."

"Pleasure to meet everyone," the vacuum cleaner greeted. "I'm one of Lan's Matter Waves, and I was based off Ghost Crisis II."

"I thought he looked familiar," Geo realized. "I used to have a Matter Wave just like that."

"Anyway," Luna said, "so you don't really understand the Brother Bands, right?"

"Not exactly," Lan said. "I mean, Mayl, Yai, and Dex are apparently my Brothers… even though two of them are girls."

"That's just a term we use for very close friends who are like family," Luna explained. "For instance, Geo, Bud, Zack, and I are Brothers. I'm not really that close to Jack, yet. Anyway, since you and your brother Hub helped save me, and you're going to be here for a while, how about we form one right now?"

"What?" Lan asked. Geo, Bud, Zack, and Jack all gapped in complete shock.

"P-Prez!?" Bud asked. "You're forming a Brother Band with him!?"

"Why not?" Luna grinned. "We have a similar Purpose, now… to 'Find Lan's Loved Ones'. Besides, it'll be easier for me to explain by example."

"That's the third time in forty-eight hours you've changed our Purpose," Zack pointed out. Luna rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, just humor me, Lan," she pleaded. Lan reluctantly nodded, holding out his Hunter-VG. Luna pressed a button, and a pop-up appeared on Lan's Hunter, showing that Luna wished to form a Brother Band. He accepted it.

"Brother Band confirmed," their Hunters both said, and Luna grinned. The LP on Lan's Hunter went from 120 to 160.

"So, what did this do, exactly?" Lan asked. "I understand that it's a bond, but…" Luna sighed.

"I understand that you're a kid at this point," the blond girl sighed, "but you're pretty dense."

"I barely comprehend the fact that I designed this at all, and I still think you're all mistaking me for Dad," Lan confessed. "However, while I don't have the best GPA… I'm willing to learn."

"Good, because you'll probably need to know this from now on if you're going to design it," Luna smiled. "As you know, Brother Bands are a special bond between people—from close friends—" she looked at Bud and Zack for that statement. "—to family members—" she looked at Hope and Kelvin and even Jack and Tia, the latter affectionately rubbing the former on the back. "to even co-workers." Luna spotted Aaron and Tom looking over Lan's PET while Hub was loaded onto a computer screen.

"It actually is kind of nice to know these close bonds exist," Lan admitted. "Kind of reminds me of the old days on the Net."

"What you probably don't understand," Luna continued, "is that the bond you share with your close friends now is connected through EM Waves to the point that you're still connected through beyond distance. I suppose with the Time Waves—and this is just my theory, calling dibs—is that the bonds you share with your Brothers in different time periods is still there, as EM Waves can connect Brothers through huge distances as long as their hearts beat."

"Vic-Vac did mention that as long as my bonds with Dex, Yai, and Mayl exist," Lan said, "there was a good chance they, Mom, Dad, and Pat are all still alive. However, how is it that they're connected even through that?"

"Oh, because apparently I nearly died once," Luna confessed, "and apparently my Brother Bands with Geo, Bud, and Zack stuck."

"Keep reminding everyone that Joker blew you up and you were some revived," Jack grumbled.

"There's also the two times Geo went deep into outer space and into the depths of the Bermuda Maze which people don't usually return from," Sonia added, "and his Brother Bands with us stayed active."

"You went into outer space?" Lan asked Geo, who sheepishly blushed.

"If we could stay on topic," Luna interrupted. "Anyway, Lan, the point here is they're still alive, and you can use your connection with them to check on their current states. My parents, who are both really busy people, keep each other and me updated through the Brother Band system. The bonds formed by it are above all most important… and we learned that from you, Lan."

"She has a romanticized way of putting it," Ace chuckled, "but you inspired this and Link Power."

"Link Power?" Lan asked.

"Link Power, or 'LP'," Luna continued, "lets people know just how much they are trusted by their Brothers. The stronger the bond between two particular Brothers, the greater the Link Power. A lot of things and responsibility are highly dependent on Link Power. Helping and deepening the bond between Brothers can also boost it. Apparently, this bond has helped Geo equip several unique abilities to Omega-Xis that he can use for battle. Link Power seems to also be connected to one's strength as well."

"Kind of sounds like the Navi Customizer Hub and I are used to, but with it depending on both the quantity and quality of close friends I have just to make it work," Lan noted. "That's pretty cool." He then looked up, spotting Luna playing with an Air Display on her Hunter. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry," Luna said, "but I'm having a hard time seeing your Message and Secret. Did you ever actually set these?"

"…No," Lan confessed. "I didn't even realize they were a thing."

"Oh," Luna sighed. "Don't worry too much. The 'Message' can be a normal greeting that ordinary people can see. As for the 'Secret', well… that's for your Brothers' eyes, only. You'll have time to set those up. But for now, that's about it." She exhaled. "So, did it help?'

"Yeah," Lan said. "It did. Thanks, Luna."

"Don't mention it," Luna said while the bandana-wearing boy handed his PET and Hunter to Aaron. "So, what do we do, now, while we wait for your brother to finish being checked up on?"

"We were talking about checking up on Mick and then seeing if we can find anyone in Cyber City who could repair his Navi," Lan answered. "While I don't have my PET anymore, I can remind myself of that."

"I'll be fine," Hub said. "Go on, Lan, and we'll see what we can do." Lan reluctantly headed towards his room, leaving the others.

"So," Sonia breathed, "that really was Dr. Hikari, right?"

"Yeah," Luna nodded.

"Prez, it's a little hard to believe someone like him becomes the person who builds EM Wave society," Zack said.

"Lan may not be good with schoolwork, trust me," Hub spoke up. "But he's a lot stronger than he looks. He and I have been through a lot at this point. I don't know what you guys have been through here in 22XX, but I know Lan, if given enough time and more of a nudge, will become great, one day. You just have to give him a chance."

"Yeah," Geo said, handing over his Hunter-VG and pendant, Bud handing his Hunter as well. "But still… we need to find the Time Wave in Neo Vista Point."

Meanwhile, with Lan, he walked into his and Mick's room, seeing Mick hold his PET while Match scanned his two fire Navis on a nearby computer. "Hey, Mick… how is he?"

"…Not doing too good," Mick confessed. "My PET is keeping him stable, for now… However, you know what they said… Navi technology is obsolete by this point! Anything these future guys had for fixing him is gone!"

"…Not exactly," Match answered, looking behind him at the two boys. "We still have Cyber City. If we could get back to there, we'll be able to find my office back in Cyber Academy in Central Town. I have a list of repair programs I usually use to repair my Navis. You're probably not going to be using all of the programs on the list, however… they are mainly for Fire-type Navis. You may need an expert on Navis, however. I think I spotted Famous in Seaside Town the other day, but I'm not sure where he is, now."

"I was thinking I'd have to head back to Cyber City," Lan grinned. "Alright, I'll head to Central as soon as I can!"

"You're going to need this to get into the school during summer, however," Match said, handing Lan a Teacher ID. "Also, you'll need to sneak around the school and avoid the Security Bots… they've been upgraded since you left Cyber City a year ago, so the ID will only get you in through the front door and into the teacher's longue."

"Alright," Lan said. "As soon as I'm able to get out of here, I'll see if I can sneak in!"

"Wait, Mr. Match," Mick interrupted. "Why don't you do this?"

"Well, while Lan and you were fighting those intruders, that Ace guy pulled me aside to talk about something," Match confessed. "I'm going to be pretty busy for a while at least until mess blows over… if this mess blows over."

"You're actually doing something good for a change?" Lan asked.

"Hey!" Match scowled. "I'm not a complete bad guy anymore! Besides, do you think I like this arrangement of being stuck in a future where the only person I can rely on to fix this scenario and I can trust happens to be my arch-rival? I respect you, kid, but you have to respect me!"

"Wow," Lan gasped. "You respect me? That's… mildly shocking."

"Zap's not here to make that pun," Match groaned. "Still, Lan… Whether I like it or not, you've foiled three WWW plots more-or-less effectively by yourself, two of which I was involved in. You also helped me leave Net crime and start over for good. However, you're still a stubborn kid! So, that's why I want you to hurry up and do this before I change my mind."

"…Mr. Match," Lan said, pocketing the Teacher ID. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet," Match said. "Wait until this whole crisis is handled, then you can thank me. Oh… and don't mention this EVER. I still have a reputation to uphold, Lan." Looking at the PC, he said, "If you ever get the urge to take on HeatMan in a Net Battle once you get your Navi back, jack into this computer. I've fired it up so it's a safe place for you two. Meanwhile, give this chip a look over." He then handed Lan a FireMan Mega Chip.

Lan left the room, just in time to see Geo being flanked by Luna and Sonia, the two girls talking about something. "Oh, Lan!" Geo said. "How is Mick's Navi?"

"Stable for now," Lan said, "but we need to go to Central Town's Cyber Academy. Mr. Match has a list of repair programs we'll need to repair him."

"Well, that's a good idea," Sonia said. "We'll go right now!"

"Huh?" Lan and Geo asked, looking at Sonia.

"Boys, without your Hunter-VGs, you don't have an access card to WAZA HQ," Sonia explained. "How do you plan on getting back in through conventional means, especially considering that the only other way is inaccessible without Wave Changing?"

"Are you sure you don't wanna rest?" Geo asked.

"Aw, how cute it is that Geo's worried about us," Lyra teased. "Don't worry about your little tabloid girlfriend, Geo. We're more than capable of keeping up with you and that brute of an AM-ian of yours."

"Lyra!" the pink-haired pop star blushed, while Luna huffed. Turning back to Geo, she insisted, "I'm fine. But if you're worried, I'll check in." Looking at Lan, she said, "So, where to, again? We're going somewhere in Cyber City, right?"

"Um, Central Town?" Lan asked.

"Well, it's about time we saw it," Sonia said. "It's not like anyone from the past will recognize me. And chances are, you'll need someone who can access the Cyber World or Wave World. I'm the only one of us with a Battle Wizard right now that can afford to leave the base for a bit."

"Why would recognition be a problem?" Lan asked.

"Lan," Luna said, "since you're from 200 years ago and mistook Sonia for your best friend, I'll let it slide for now. But Sonia is more than just a Wave Changer like Geo and Bud. She's also a famous pop singer who has fans all around the world. In fact, save for Cyber City, I don't think there's a person alive who hasn't heard of her."

"It's a little frustrating at times," Sonia confessed, "but I manage. Geo, how have you been handling your fame?"

"It's kind of tough and irritating to remind everyone that I just finished 5th grade," Geo said. "Lan, how did you handle fame 200 years ago?"

"It was surprisingly hard to convince people that a sixth grader and his Navi who is actually his twin brother reincarnated into a cybernetic form stopped groups of cyber-terrorists around seven times more or less by himself," Lan pointed out. "Anyway, Sonia… I could probably use the company. However, the fact that you kind of look like my best friend and neighbor, there are a few people you may confuse."

"If anyone asks," Sonia waved off, "I'll just say I'm her cousin. Now come on, let's go!" She grabbed his wrist and dragged him away. Meanwhile, Luna smirked while looking at Geo, who was scratching his head.

"Huh… is that what Mom sees whenever you or Sonia does that, Prez?" Geo asked.

"More or less," Hope said as she walked up, having witnessed the scene. "I'm glad to see you're getting along with such cute girls, Geo." Luna blushed at the compliment, while Geo's face reddened with embarrassment.

"Mom…!" Geo yelled.

"Don't worry, sweetheart… I'm sure Dr. Hikari has no intentions of stealing your other girlfriend."

"MOM!"

Kingdom Rider92's Notes: And with that, Sonia and Lan set off on a mini-adventure! What will that entail? You'll find out next time.

But now, reviews, because, well... I can't forget about you guys.

Matteso585: I'm saving that one for latter. You know, so Hyde REALLY ticks her off.

Ghost501: I can already tell that as far as the OC Navis are concerned, she's going to be my favorite villain to write for. She's trying to be the token good teammate in a group of super-powerful psychos, she is a worrywart who is completely justified in her panic attacks about MegaMan, and her and Wish Genie's sisterhood is amazingly sweet. And Wish Genie is already going to be my favorite Wave Changing OC.

Dang, computer science? I'm just a Child Development & Family Studies major who is interested in either substitute teaching or being a school counselor!

Plasma57: May as well say it now. Yes. Just not sure when she'll pop up. I feel Luna was cheated in Star Force 3 by NOT having Ophica become her Wizard and her just sticking to the sidelines. Come to think of it, ZACK is cheated by not having a Wave Change. I'm not going to say I'm thinking about killing off Mode before anyone brings that up, it's just that Luna was given a powerful Wave Change in the first games, said Wave Change makes a minor cameo right before you unlock the game transformations in the second games, and when Omega-Xis and Lyra were made Geo and Sonia's respective Wizards, you'd think this would be a perfect opportunity for the game designers to have Ophica make a surprise Heel-Face Turn back from the dead, and Luna becoming Trans-Code 005 instead of Bud (or at least Trans-Code 006). But no, we get a rabbit in a hat, and Ophica becomes a Noise Change.

My main complaint about Mode and the lack of Ophica is that while Mode fits Luna's "bunny theme", it's a wasted opportunity to grow her character as no longer the damsel in distress and start her becoming just as independent as Sonia. Despite Ophica representing Luna's anger and jealousy, she would have given Luna an opportunity to fight alongside Geo and Bud and stop worrying about being protected.

Meanwhile, for Zack, unless another FM-ian came for him or the Noise Control Program and some other technology could be equipped to Pedia that would allow him to do something similar to Ace, I can't think of him Wave-Changing.

Rekxyen: That is exactly what I was thinking of when I made that line for Circuit. Puss-in-Boots reference aside, about the Satellite Admins, a.k.a. the AM Sages... honestly, I'm having a difficult time justifying their return.

In the first game, they were there working alongside Kelvin, being among the few remaining AM-ians left in the known galaxy after the AM-FM war ended with Andromeda eating Planet AM. Their whole purpose was to serve as the Big Good in Kelvin's stead and monitor and protect Earth from the FM-ians, giving Geo and Omega-Xis their season one power-ups. After King Cepheus and Geo made peace and Geo was pretty much declared humanity's protector, there was no need for them to continue watching over the planet and Cepheus even agreed to help rebuild Planet AM... though one could argue the Admins' assistance with Mu and Meteor G would have been appreciated.

This story is going to run on the fact that they'll be too busy to return right now or everyone forgets that Planet FM could help with the crisis until late in the story.

Mysterious Mr M: King's not dead!? ...Can I just avoid writing him in the story and not get flamed for it?

Lucario: Circuit is a very smart character... and she's also not a very skilled fighter. She knows of MegaMan's reputation, and is like, "Nope!"

About Team ProtoMan/Colonel, and why calling them is not going to work. I thought I established as early as Chapter 1 that Lan cannot directly communicate with people outside of his immediate time zone. I will try to work around that flaw, but know that there will be limits to how far it goes. Second, any call to Baryl would be next to impossible since as far as Lan knows, Baryl hasn't been seen since Colonel and Iris' deaths at the end of Battle Network 6. Chaud, meanwhile, as far as Lan knows, is also in 20XX. That's not even getting into the other ten characters.

Tesla/Pride: Tesla would resume running her father's company after Nebula fell for good. Pride, meanwhile, is the rule of a nation, no matter how small, and is obligated to help her citizens first.

Charlie/Mr. Dark: Charlie doesn't seem to be the type who stays in one spot all the time and has probably resumed his piloting. Dark, however, is a MERCENARY, and only worked with Team Colonel not out of loyalty or care for the safety of the Net but because he and ShadowMan were PAID to help defeat Nebula.

Fyrefox/Dingo: Surely, Fyrefox is perfecting his craft at making fireworks. Meanwhile, Dingo COULD be in Cyber City, but he's continuing teaching students about how to be one with nature.

Raika/Higsby: Raika is a soldier from Sharo, and surely would be continuing his work even after Nebula is toast. Higsby, meanwhile, is working on improving his Chip shop business and is most likely in 20XX.

Jasmine/Ribbita: I've already established that Jasmine is in 22XX in Cyber City, so she and possibly Dingo are honestly the only Team recruits we know that are immediately available, and Lan's not even thinking about getting them involved right now. However, Ribbita is a reporter in Den City, so she'd be safely in 20XX.

Recovery Zero: Yeah, I'm glad I'm not alone that the Noise Control Program was difficult to master and I'm glad I'm not doing that. We'll explore what this new power truly is when we really start time traveling. As for that program advance, give me some time to think about that.

captain M: Um, were you trying to leave a comment or are you being smart with me? Either way, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you.

Judy the Sylveon: I'm not going to ask how a Sylveon can use a computer, but you're the second Pokemon who has commented on this story! Oh, and as for the power... you'll see what it really is.

Okay, that's everyone, right? Okay, I'm going to take a bit off. Farewell, subjects.