New Megaman Battle Network

A complete reimagining of the universe and stories of Megaman Battle Network.

Story 2: The Sun And The Moon

Chapter 7: The Red Sun

"Ouch!" Yuichiro winced, as a medic tended to the injury on his head. "Be careful, would you?"

"I am being careful," the medic grumbled, as he finished stitching up the laceration given by Dr. Regal. "You should be more careful about hitting your head."

"I'll keep that in mind," Yuichiro replied, annoyed; the medic headed off, as Chaud walked into Dr. Hikari's office.

"They're gone," he reported. "No signs of Chirol or Regal anywhere in SciLab."

"Great..." Yuichiro rubbed his forehead, frustrated. "I can't believe it... I never thought Lucius could do anything like this. We knew each other in college, for Pete's sake..."

"Guess you didn't know him as well as you thought," Lan offered.

"No, it's not even that simple," Yuichiro replied. "Dr. Regal... he was the person who initially helped seal the Cybeasts away. Why he would try to resurrect them now... it just escapes me completely."

Lan blinked, not sure how to reply, as Chaud continued.

"The server they were using has been completely cleaned out. As far as Protoman and I can tell, they were using devices to mask and redirect their operations, so it couldn't be traced back to SciLab."

"I can't believe this," Yuichiro responded, clenching his hand into a fist. "They did all of this right under our noses. It's so idiotic, and still it worked somehow, because we were just that naive..."

"And once they accomplish their goals, they just pick up and leave." Chaud leaned against the wall, his arms folded. "Meanwhile, we're all closely watching the Red Sun Tournament, and we don't suspect a thing. It's stupid, and it's brilliant."

"Well, at least they made one mistake." Yuichiro adjusted his glasses. "Iris should help us get some answers... in theory, anyway."

Lan reached for his PET, wanting to ask Megaman what he thought, before he remembered that Megaman wasn't there; he made a note to ask later. At that moment, Megaman was in one of the major SciLab computers, keeping Iris company. Being taken from the Nebula server and brought to SciLab proper had done little to pacify Iris's paranoia, and she had been extremely reluctant to cooperate; Megaman's presence seemed to calm her somewhat. She had offered up what she knew of the Cybeasts, but her fear of retribution caused her to keep Nebula's plans secret; after much finagling and persuasion, she had reluctantly agreed to let SciLab examine her.

"Dad," Lan prompted. "What exactly are the Cybeasts?"

"The Cybeasts are extremely powerful cyber beings, basically," Yuichiro explained. "They go about the Net causing wanton destruction; we thought they were uncontrollable, but somehow Regal's found a way to control them."

He stretched his arms. "Not only did they destroy plenty on their own, but to even be near them was risky. You saw it earlier today... any Navi that stayed near them for too long would Beast Out, transforming into a monster themselves and losing all control."

"But... Protoman was just fine," Lan added. "And Megaman was totally helpless..."

Chaud nodded. "We were ready for the Cybeasts. Protoman was outfitted with a certain protection that SciLab developed. Now that those creatures are on the loose, Megaman should probably receive it as well."

"He will, certainly," Yuichiro added. "Which doesn't mean you should be going after the Cybeasts; they're far too powerful for you to try and tackle on your own. Not even SciLab could destroy them back in the day, which is why we devised a plan to seal them away."

"Didn't SciLab create them, though?" Lan asked. "Why would you create something you couldn't destroy? Especially monsters like those?"

"What, you think SciLab is responsible for those things?" Yuichiro shook his head. "Not at all. The truth is, we don't know where the Cybeasts come from."

Lan blinked. "What?"

"The Cybeasts first appeared about 15 years ago, in End Net City, but no nation or radical group took ownership for them," Yuichiro continued. "The creatures didn't have any traceable signal, either, or anything like that. It's as if they came out of nowhere; we barely knew anything about them, and even now what we know is rather limited. Most of what we know came from something else that appeared right around the same time, a Navi named Colonel. He's a pretty mysterious individual himself, but without him, we'd never gotten as far as we did. We'll probably be hearing from him again soon..."

"Colonel, huh..." Lan reached for his PET for a second time, before stopping himself, remembering again where Megaman was. When his e-mail alert went off, though, he jumped a bit and grabbed his PET, taking a look.

"Let's see... oh, wow!" he exclaimed. "Looks like they're going to move on with the tournament after all!"

Chaud's eyebrows raised, before a beeping sound came from his PET as well; he pulled it out and took a look. "Huh, whaddya know..."

Yuichiro chuckled. "Well, good for them. It wouldn't look good if Electopia had to drop out, even if Nebula is involved somehow."

"It starts again in one hour," Lan recited. "We should probably get moving, to be safe..."

"Let me see Megaman before you go," Yuichiro interjected. "I can make sure the Cybeasts don't affect him."

"I'll catch up." Chaud stood up. "Business before pleasure and all that. You and Megaman go ahead." Lan nodded, looking around for the machine that was housing Megaman and jacking in.

Inside the SciLab Cyberworld, Megaman and Iris both looked up as Lan's face appeared.

"Megaman! The tournament's still going on! We need to get back to DenDome!"

"Wow, really? Alright, let's go!" He started to leave, when he heard a whimper from behind; he turned around and saw Iris looking down, rather dejected.

"Er..." he started.

"No, it's okay..." Iris shook her head. "You shouldn't have to worry about me..." She looked away, fearfully looking at some of the machines that were now examining her.

"Iris..." Megaman walked back toward her. "Don't worry, okay? No one here is going to hurt you, I promise. I'll come back after the tournament to make sure."

Iris looked up a bit, to meet Megaman's eyes, and nodded after a minute. "Alright... I... I trust you."

Megaman smiled. "Alright. I'll see you later, okay?"

Iris nodded again. "Good luck..."

Megaman nodded, right before jacking out; Iris continued to hold herself, praying Megaman wouldn't renege on his promise.

One hour later, Lan and Chaud found themselves back at DenDome, along with five other competitors and a slightly less packed crowd. The stage had been slightly rearranged; instead of two competitors standing on either side of the Cyber arena, all seven were in a circle around a much larger one. They were all focusing on the match, having been briefed beforehand, while the rest of the audience muttered in confusion, not sure what was going on. After a minute, the announcer came onstage, and was met with mild applause.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the International Netbattle Coalition thanks you greatly for your patience in the face of what has happened here today. Despite the disturbances that have occurred today, it has been decided that the Red Sun Tournament will continue until our two champions are found!"

The crowd, easy to please as always, cheered again, as the announcer continued. "Unfortunately, most of our competitors' Navis have become incapable of continuing, having been damaged rather severely by Circusman's antics. As you can see here, seven of our hopefuls remain, and the INC has decided that instead of continuing with the elimination brackets, the remaining contestants will face off in a battle royale! The two Navis that remain standing will go on to the world championship in Creamland!"

Lan grinned at the prospect of traveling to fight the greatest Netbattlers in the world, as the crowd made more noise in support of their nation; the announcer cleared his throat.

"So without further ado, allow me to introduce the prospective champions!" He turned to face the arena; besides Lan and Chaud, there stood a hooded boy with red hair and face paint, an effeminate-looking pink-haired man, a young woman, a young man, and an elderly male.

"You've already met Lan, the sixth-grader from Den City. Also from Den City is Eugene Chaud, operating the blade-wielding Protoman! Going around clockwise, we continue with Dingo and his Navi, Tomahawkman! Viddy Narcy, operating, er... his... Navi, Videoman! Lilly, with her cyber mistress of the winds, Gale! Joumon of Joumon Electric, operating the electric powerhouse Sparkman! And last but not least, Tensuke, with his geriatric Navi, Topman!"

"Watch your tongue, you whippersnapper!" Tensuke snapped, taking the announcer aback for a moment.

"Er, yes... anyhow, besides the number of competitors, the rules remain the same as before! Who will emerge victorious and take the national title? Let's find out, right now! Are the competitors ready?"

The circle nodded almost as one. "Alright then! Everyone, please jack in your Navis!" Lan pulled out his PET cord, along with everyone else, and sent Megaman into the Cyberworld. Upon his arrival, Megaman took a look around the arena; the Navi stands had been removed, and the only beings present were the seven battlers. Megaman recognized Protoman right away. He also saw a large, yellow-and-black Navi with pointed, sparking appendages; a very old-looking Navi with a cane, whose head was comprised of several large, concentric discs; a shorter, blue, female Navi with strips of blue cloth streaming from her shoulders, elbows and knees; a taller, male Navi holding a tomahawk and wearing a feather headdress; and a green Navi, wielding long strips of black tape and wearing odd goggles.

"All the Navis have entered the Cyberworld! Let the battle begin!"

Lan instantly sent Megaman a Wide Sword and a Vulcan Cannon, as the Navis around him instantly started moving. He dashed toward Sparkman, hoping to take him by surprise, but Sparkman quickly turned toward him. Megaman's sword met Sparkman's arm; Megaman yelped as a mild shock traveled through him, and he backed off quickly. He barely had time to curse before something wound around his body, rendering him immobile; he looked down to find himself bound by black videotape.

"Gah! This is crazy!" Megaman turned to see Videoman grinning and charging a blast, while Megaman sawed away at the tape with his sword; he rid himself of his constraints just in time to dodge the blast. Megaman ran forward, swiping at Videoman's legs, as Videoman jumped up into the air, flipping above Megaman. Videoman threw out another string of tape, hoping to bind, Megaman, but Megaman reacted quickly and caught it in his hands. Grunting, he started spinning the tape, and Videoman, above his head, letting him go in Sparkman's direction. Moving on reflex, Sparkman stuck out one of his pointed arms, spearing Videoman on the end and electrocuting him; his operator quickly jacked him out.

"Videoman has jacked out, overwhelmed by Megaman and Sparkman's attacks! That's one Navi down!" the announcer cried out. "But wait! It seems that Topman has just been dispatched by Gale and Protoman! It looks like our competitors are inadvertently cooperating to take down their opponents!"

The audience watched intently, not wanting to miss a moment, as Lan grinned; he kept a Barrier at the ready, just in case, as Megaman turned his attention toward Sparkman, firing his Vulcan Cannon as he ran forward. Sparkman held his ground, generating an electric shield to deflect the bullets, which went every which way about the arena. He started focusing intently, his body glowing a light yellow, as he charged up an electric attack.

In another part of the arena, Tomahawkman was taking on both Gale and Protoman, hurling tomahawks as fast as he could generate them. Protoman deflected most of them with his Long Sword, while Gale was able to effectively dodge, using a combination of quick movement and slight changes in the wind. After a minute, she changed tack, creating a small whirlwind in front of her, which caught five tomahawks in its twirling body; two seconds later, she snapped her fingers, and the whirlwind exploded, sending tomahawks flying all over the ring. Protoman, Tomahawkman, and Megaman all managed to dodge, but Sparkman, oblivious and charging up, had one buried deep in his head. His eyes went wide, and he fell to the ground before quickly being jacked out by Joumon.

"And now Sparkman is out of commission! What a match! Our seven Netbattlers have quickly been whittled down to four!" The announcer was leaning in close, trying to catch all the action. "Which of the remaining-"

He was interrupted by a loud sound from above that made him jump; looking upward, everyone found that one of the lights on the ceiling had spontaneously burst, and was smoking lightly. A second later, several other lights burst in succession, sending particles of glass raining into the crowd, who began to scream in fright.

"What's going on?!" Lan shielded himself with his arm. "Is this Nebula doing something or what?"

As if on cue, a massive roar sounded through the Cyberworld. Megaman and Protoman looked around, trying to find the source of the roar, but there was nothing to be found. Their attention was quickly diverted, however, when Tomahawkman and Gale collapsed to the ground, holding their heads and crying out in pain. As Megaman watched, he suddenly felt a surge of pain flow through himself as well, and he fell to his knees; a second later, a small, black device attached to his hip lit up, and the pain subsided. Megaman stood up again, knowing now precisely what the problem was.

"It's the Cybeasts! They must be nearby!" Protoman called out, running toward Gale. "Quickly, we have to delete them before they Beast Out!"

Megaman nodded, running toward Tomahawkman, as both Dingo and Lilly tried to jack their Navis out, to no avail. He raised his sword, ready to strike, when Tomahawkman cried out and lunged toward Megaman, swiping with claws that were forming on his hands; Megaman barely managed to dodge. He watched in horror as Tomahawkman transformed; his body had grown a purplish-brown fur, and his hands had grown long, pointed claws. While his head didn't change shape, his eyes were glowing a bright yellow, and he snarled viciously, out of control.

"Crap... this is bad..." Megaman looked over to Protoman for assistance, but Protoman had his hands equally full; Gale had Beasted Out as well, and had grown red feathers and wings under Falzar's influence.

"Well!" the announcer interjected. "Gale and Tomahawkman have undergone a very strange transformation! I wonder how their operators will use this to their advantage?"

"Are you nuts?!" Dingo snapped. "Does it look like we planned this out?! I can't even control him!"

"Er... I see..." the announcer faltered.

Back in the Cyberworld, Megaman was barely holding his own against the Gregar-influenced Tomahawkman; his speed and strength had been significantly magnified, and it was all Megaman could do to block the claws with his Wide Sword. Whenever he had a free instant, Megaman fired his Mega Buster; though not a single shot missed, none of them so much as fazed Tomahawkman.

"Ugh... I can't get any good shots in on him! He's too strong, too relentless..."

Lan pulled out an Area Steal chip. "Maybe we can buy you a minute with this!"

As Tomahawkman charged Megaman again, Megaman vanished, appearing behind his adversary and swinging his sword fiercely. To Megaman's amazement, the sword shattered against his opponent's back; Tomahawkman growled and turned around.

"No... no way..." Megaman backed off, his sword reverting to his hand. "He's that strong?!"

With a powerful roar, Tomahawkman charged again, catching Megaman off guard; he shoulderchecked his enemy, sending Megaman flying backward and landing on his back. He sat up quickly as Tomahawkman jumped toward him, paws outstretched; Megaman reached out with his arms, and the two clasped hands, engaging in an impromptu strength contest. Megaman grunted and strained, trying to force Tomahawkman away, but Tomahawkman's immense strength was slowly forcing Megaman back down.

"Lan... it's no good... he's too strong..."

"Don't give up, Megaman!" Lan encouraged. "We'll figure something out!"

"Well, we better figure it out quick," Megaman replied, as Tomahawkman continued to bear down. Megaman watched as Tomahawkman's face finally transfigured itself, growing long and forming a wolflike snout. He opened his mouth wide, and a massive plume of fire issued forth, covering Megaman completely.

"No!" Lan cried out as he watched, horrified. The audience watched as well, holding their breath, and even the announcer was silent for a moment. As Tomahawkman continued breathing fire onto Megaman, to everyone's amazement, he found himself being forced backward; from what was visible, Megaman was slowly getting to his feet. In surprise, Tomahawkman ceased blowing flame, and Lan's eyes widened as Megaman became visible once again.

Megaman had undergone a mysterious transformation of his own; instead of his normal blue color, his body was colored red-orange from head to toe. His muscles had grown significantly, increasing his strength, and there was armor on every part of his body, as opposed to just his hands and feet. His buster had transformed completely, changing from a simple gun to some sort of cannon, with what appeared to be fuel lines running across it.

"What in the world..." Lan muttered, awestruck.

"Yes!" Back at SciLab, Yuichiro Hikari had cried out triumphantly, thrusting his fists into the air and causing a nearby aide to jump in surprise, as he watched the action unfold on the television. "I am a genius!"

With an almighty yell, Megaman lifted Tomahawkman above his head and threw him across the arena, where he landed hard. Megaman looked down at himself, surprised by his strength, and jumped upon seeing what had happened.

"This is incredible! Megaman seems to have transformed as well!" the dutiful announcer related to the crowd. "I've never seen a match like this in all my life!"

"Megaman!" Lan called out. "Here's our chance! Take out Tomahawkman!"

Snapping out of his reverie, Megaman nodded and dashed forward; nothing much had happened for his speed, but he could feel an incredible strength running through his body. Tomahawkman stood up, growling, and turned back toward Megaman, his claws extended. They dashed at each other, and Tomahawkman swiped with his claws as Megaman blocked with his arm; this time, it was Tomahawkman's weapon that shattered as it collided with the force of Megaman's blow. Megaman followed up with a powerful punch, knocking his enemy down; as Tomahawkman sat up, he had only one second to watch Megaman come down on top of him, piercing his body with the newly received Long Sword.

The crowd gasped as one, as Tomahawkman fell backward and was deleted, his body disappearing into the Cyberworld. Lan grinned, highly pleased with Megaman's new strength, as Megaman turned himself toward the remaining two Navis. Protoman was still grappling with the Falzar-influenced Gale; her powerful wings were only adding to her wind abilities, and Megaman watched as she fired a series of razor-sharp feathers toward Protoman.

"Agh!" Protoman fell backward, several feathers sticking out of his body, as Gale moved in for the kill.

"No!" Megaman ran forward, charging up his buster and firing it in Gale's direction as soon as he got close enough. Both he and Lan were surprised to see a massive plume of flame issue forth from the cannon, one that engulfed Gale completely. She started running in a small circle, shrieking loudly as the flames burnt away at her feathers; her pain didn't last long, however, before Protoman bisected her cleanly with his Long Blade. Her two halves fell to the ground before dissolving away.

Megaman relaxed himself, with the two dangerous Navis eliminated. "You alright, Protoman?"

"I'll be fine," Protoman replied, looking over at Megaman. "What the hell happened to you?"

Megaman looked down at his hands again. "Er... I'm not really sure, to be honest..."

"Amazing! Megaman's transformation has completely overpowered the other two transformed Navis! We have our champions!" The crowd cheered raucously, equally amazed at what had just taken place, as the announcer continued. "Lan Hikari and Eugene Chaud will represent Electopia at the world championships in Creamland! Let's give them a big hand, folks!"

Lan grinned, looking around at the cheering crowd, before his eyes came to rest on Lilly, who was looking rather upset.

"Lilly... I'm sorry about Gale... we had to..."

"No, it's alright." Lilly smiled a bit. "You did what you had to... who knows what she would have done with strength like that." She tapped her PET. "Plus, I backed her up right before the match. We'll be battling again in no time."

Lan grinned. "Glad to hear it. We'll have to battle again someday!"

He felt a hand clap on his shoulder, and turned around to see Dingo smirking at him. "Don't forget you need to battle us, too. That was one hell of a match, wasn't it?"

"The finalists from all over the world will be departing for Creamland one week from tomorrow," the announcer continued. "They'll receive e-mail alerts with more information the day before, so keep your eyes on your PETs, you two! And of course, we'll be holding an award ceremony tomorrow at City Hall, where the winners will be presented with their prizes!"

As the announcer thanked the crowd for attending, Lan jacked out and turned to the doors, as Chaud passed him by.

"Looks like I'll be seeing you in Creamland after all, Chaud."

Chaud smirked. "You're just lucky the two of us didn't have to fight. It'll be a different story at the world championships, trust me. Now if you'll excuse me, Protoman and I need to check out the Cyberworld, to see if the Cybeasts left any clues behind." He headed out the doors, heading off on his own. Lan turned to his PET.

"How're you holding up, Megaman?"

"I'm just fine," Megaman responded. "Feel strange, though... still wondering what the heck's happened to me."

"Me too." Lan walked through the doors to the competitor's lounge, on his way out. "I'm going to head to SciLab and ask Dad, I bet this has something to do with that upgrade he gave you."

Megaman nodded. "That makes sense. Alright, let's go!"

Lan nodded and started running, rather eager to hear about what the deal was. As he stepped into the DenDome main lobby, however, he was suddenly assaulted by a pair of arms and a mess of red hair.

"Lan, that was amazing!" Mayl declared, hugging him tight. "Congratulations!"

"That was the best Netbattle I've ever seen!" Dex said as he appeared, clapping Lan on the shoulder as Mayl let him go.

"Thanks, guys. I'm glad you all were here to watch."

"What happened at the end, anyway?" Yai's voice piped up, as she stepped forward. "It was like Megaman was a whole new Navi!"

"I have no idea, I was going to ask my Dad at SciLab," Lan responded.

"Let's all go! Now I'm all curious." Yai started walking off, and the group followed.

"Wow... you're going to be in Creamland in just one week," Mayl wondered. "That's amazing. What do you think you're going to do before then?"

Lan grinned. "I'm going to enjoy being the best Netbattler in Electopia, what else?"

Dex laughed. "Good answer!" Everyone joined in the laughter, as they made their way to the Metroline.