Disclaimer: All official MegaMan characters are property of Capcom.

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CHAPTER 20

Network Blitzkrieg!

"And thus, each of the seven types of Scuttlest viruses must be approached differently," said Mr. Famous as he wrapped up his lecture, "Remember, there's a midterm in two weeks on Friday!"

Two weeks? Lan thought to himself, It's only October. How can we have a midterm in two weeks?

o o o

"MegaMan, how can there be a midterm in two weeks?" Lan asked, "It's only near the beginning of October."

"If you had read your syllabus, you'd know," said MegaMan.

"Yeah, but back in high school we didn't have midterms until the end of January."

"Yeah, but you had a whole year back then. The terms at university are only four months long. During that time, they're trying to cramp a year's worth of material into your heads."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Navis aren't programmed to kid."

"Damn it!" Lan slumped back on the sofa he was sitting on in the CAB and sighed.

"Nobody said college would be easy," said MegaMan.

"And I hate it when they're right." Lan got up, picked up his bag, and headed out.

"Shouldn't you be studying for your exams, Lan?"

"I would, but I need to do something to get my mind off it for a while. Maybe check out a chip shop or something, but I don't want to go all the way back to ACDC just to go to Higsby's."

"Well Lan, according to this campus directory, there's a chip shop right next to the corner coffee shop."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought you'd have known about it."

"Well then MegaMan, let's go check it out." The brothers left the CAB and Lan snapped on his rollerblades and skated over to the shop.

o o o

"We still require more codes before we can commence with Project UltraNavi," said Master Chaos as he spoke with a young man with spiky-blond hair, "Spencer Donner, think you can handle the next job?"

"Heh, they don't call me 'Sparky' for nothing," Spencer boasted.

"For your sake, I hope that's true."

"Don't worry about a thing, Master Chaos. The Dark Nation is going to shock the world!" The link was then cut, returning the monitor to its screensaver, which was a rotating black globe with dark grey parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude - the Dark Nation insignia.

"Soon, all will know the true power of the Dark Nation." Master Chaos turned back to his plans and resumed working.

o o o

"This looks like it," said Lan as he stood outside a fair-sized chip shop. The sign above the door was orange with the words "Den U Chip Shop" printed in red letters. Just outside the door was a mannequin of a standard NetNavi aiming its Buster forward while holding its other arm, which was a Sword, near its side. Various Battlechips were on display on the racks just inside the window.

"Wow! Whoever owns this place has a pretty impressive collection," Lan exclaimed.

"Why don't you just walk in rather than drool over them?" suggested MegaMan.

"Good idea, MegaMan." Lan put his PET back inside its case and stepped through the door.

"How can I help you?" Lan looked over at the counter and saw a familiar person standing behind it.

"Yutaka?"

"Hey Lan. Haven't seen you since the day you stopped by the old high school," Yutaka greeted.

"Yeah, it's good to see you again. But what are you doing here?" asked Lan.

"Well, my parents have gone away on business and they can't trust me to stay at home on my own, so they sent me over to stay with my uncle for a while. He owns this shop."

"That's pretty cool!"

"Yeah, but it's not all that great. I still have to pay for Battlechips. Speaking of which, is there anything you want Lan or do you have any chips you're willing to trade or sell?"

"Well..." Lan reached into his pocket and pulled out the handful of Mini-Bombs Higsby had given him a while back.

Maybe it's time to update, he thought. He placed three chips back into his pocket and placed the rest onto the counter.

"What can I trade for these?"

"Mini-Bombs? Well, lemme see." Yutaka reached under the counter and pulled out a large binder, which he dropped onto the countertop with a loud "WHAM!".

"What's that?" asked Lan.

"My uncle's guide to chip trading. It tells you the value of certain chips and what kind of chips you can trade them for."

"Okay," Lan said slowly, sweatdropping. Yutaka scanned through the binder for a moment before opened up a few display cases and taking out some chips.

"Your best bet is a single level-three chip."

"Thanks." Lan sifted his hand through the chips until he found a rather interesting one.

"A Lance chip."

"Excellent choice, Lan," Yutaka said, "You sure you want it."

"I'm good."

"Excellent." Yutaka put all the chips back and swept the Mini-Bombs into his hand before putting them off to the side.

"Lance isn't a bad chip at all, Lan. I think you made a good trade," said MegaMan.

"You think so?" Lan asked his Navi.

"Positive."

"One more thing," said Yutaka, "This store has a policy. For every chip that you buy or get in a trade, you get a free tutorial on how it works."

"A free tutorial, huh? Sounds sweet. Let's do it. Jack in!! MegaMan, power up!"

"And jack in!! CrashMan, power up!" The two teens aimed their PETs at each other and their Navis were transported into the inter-PET battleground.

"CrashMan, teach them about the Lance chip," Yutaka instructed his Navi.

"Lance? Alright. Listen up, MegaMan," said CrashMan, "The Lance chip is a level three Wood-element chip. It's sometimes known as the Sneaky Strike for the reason that it hits your opponent from behind when he's standing extremely far away from you."

"Sounds like a sweet chip. I can't wait to try it out," said MegaMan.

"Unfortunately, it'll have to wait," said Lan, "We just got a call so we need to go. We'll be back later, Yutaka." He quickly jacked out MegaMan and returned his PET to his pocket.

"What's the rush?" asked Yutaka.

"Stuff." Lan quickly left the shop.

"CrashMan, something's fishy. We're going after him."

"Affirmative." Yutaka logged out CrashMan and followed Lan as quickly as his legs would allow him to keep up with the Official's rollerblades.

"So Lan, where are we headed?" MegaMan asked.

"Mr. Famous said we have to check out the Power Plant," Lan answered, "Something about the electricity going haywire."

"If that's the case, then why aren't the lights malfunctioning?"

"Wrong power plant." Lan soon skidded to a stop outside the Power Plant bar on campus. He took off his rollerblades and headed inside. Walking towards the back, he showed his Official ID and was immediately permitted to step through.

"So something's screwy with the server?"

"Yeah, it just started going nuts."

"Just leave everything to us! Jack in!! MegaMan, power up!"

o o o

MegaMan was deposited inside the server and looked around.

"This place is crawling with electrical viruses!" he exclaimed.

"Can you tell me which ones?" asked Lan.

"TuffBunnies, Sparklers, and Yellowgons," the blue Navi answered.

"Here, use this. Bamboo Sword Battlechip in, download!" MegaMan clenched his fist and his hand instantly changed into a green blade. He ran towards the viruses and slashed at any that tried to attack him.

"There's still too many of them, Lan."

"Then use this to help. Spice3 Battlechip in, download!" Lan slid the chip in and a small purple mushroom appeared in MegaMan's hand.

Don't feel to spore about this!" MegaMan threw the mushroom at the viruses and it instantly released its cloud of dust, which deleted several of them. However, he failed to notice the Yellow Dragon hovering behind him charging up its attack.

"TreeBomb!" A giant seed suddenly hit the Yellowgon and erased it immediately. MegaMan turned and saw CrashMan standing a few meters away holding out his missile launcher.

"CrashMan?"

o o o

"Yutaka!"

"Trust me, Lan. I've encountered several customers who were Officials. It's not like it's a big secret or anything," said Yutaka, "Now what do you say we delete these viruses?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," Lan said grinning, "Go MegaMan! Attack now!"

"CrashMan, TreeBomb3, triple download!" Yutaka slid three chips into his PET and CrashMan shot out three seeds.

"Now CrashMan, BubbleSide Battlechip in, download!"

"BubbleSide!" CrashMan shot an Aqua shot forward and hit the center seed, causing the resulting bubbles to hit the other two. The water instantly caused the seeds to sprout Wood Towers into the ranks of viruses.

"MegaMan, Rope3 Battlechip in, download now!" Lan slipped another chip in and MegaMan slammed his palm against the floor.

"Vine attack!" the blue Navi shouted. As of on command, several thorn-covered vines rose up and ensnared several Yellow Dragons in their spiky grasps, squeezing them to deletion.

"Damn, there's still too many of them!" said Lan as he watched the battle through his PET screen.

"I'm running low on Wood chips," said Yutaka, "If only.…"

"Wood Tower!" Suddenly, the rest of the viruses were deleted. Lan and Yutaka turned to see a woman wearing a black cape and a black mask holding a PET standing behind them.

"Who are you?" Yutaka asked.

"That doesn't matter right now. WoodMan, nice work."

"Not a problem," WoodMan replied back to Blackrose. She nodded and turned to the two teenaged boys standing at the console.

"Hurry and find the commander of this operation."

"Right! MegaMan, go on ahead." MegaMan nodded and ran ahead with CrashMan not far behind him. It wasn't long until a bolt of lightning rained down on them from above and struck the floor. A black Navi with three lightning bolts serving as a crest on his helmet and smaller lightning bolts on his boots, gloves, and shoulders floated down. The powerpack on his back was similar to MegaMan's except he had a pair of electrodes in place of knobs.

"MegaMan! Come to interfere with the Dark Nation's plans again, I see," the Navi said.

"That's right! Just who do you think you are?" the Blue Bomber demanded.

"I don't think. I know. BlitzMan is the name I answer to."

"BlitzMan, huh?"

"And I see you've brought along a friend. I still doubt that can help you."

"You'll see!" said MegaMan, "Mega Buster!"

"Crash Bombs!"

"Lightning Shield!" BlitzMan slammed his palms together and created a bolt of electricity in between them as he pulled them apart. The Buster shots and Crash Bombs were pulled in and neutralized inside the electric field.

"Aww crap," groaned MegaMan as he watched the bombs drop to the floor harmlessly while the last bits of his plasma shots dissipated.

"Now let me show you some real power!" said BlitzMan, "Electric Blitz!" He threw his arms out to the side and sent forth thousands of bolts of blue electricity. The other two Navis were struck mercilessly and they collapsed onto the floor smoking.

"He's strong," muttered CrashMan.

"Stop fooling around, BlitzMan. Just finish them off," Spencer said into his PET, "Take these. ZapRing3 Battlechip in, quadruple download!"

"Time for a little ring toss. Hope you guys aren't too tied up. I've got something that'll really shock you!" BlitzMan threw two rings at each Navi, binding their arms and legs together. He then held out his hand and snapped his fingers, causing the rings to send several volts of electricity coursing through MegaMan's and CrashMan's bodies.

"You'll have to do better than that!" said Lan, "Soul Union: Wood Soul Battlechip in, download!" As soon as the chip was inserted, MegaMan's body changed, taking on the bulky form of Wood Soul, which also freed him from his bonds.

"Do you really thing that can help you win?" asked BlitzMan, "I already prepared for that. Electrical Fire!" BlitzMan rained lightning bolts down on MegaMan until he finally reached the point when he caught fire, forcing him out of his Soul Union. BlitzMan laughed as he shot more bolts from his hands, this time using them to pick up MegaMan and bring him close to his face.

"Looks like your time in this world is over." He thrust his arm forward and sent the blue Navi smashing right into CrashMan.

"D-d-damn.…" MegaMan struggled to get up, but his body felt broken all over.

"M-MegaMan.…" CrashMan sat up and tried to help MegaMan, "Maybe if you borrowed my power."

"CrashMan… Thank you." The icons on the two Navis' chests began to glow and a soft orange beam of light shot out from CrashMan's icon and hit MegaMan's.

"What in the...?" Yutaka gaped at the spectacle before him.

"A new Soul Union!" exclaimed Lan.

When the light finally died down, there was no sign of CrashMan. Instead, there stood MegaMan, his entire bodysuit now white with black stripes running down the sides. His boots and gloves had changed from blue to orange and he also now donned CrashMan's torso armor while still maintaining his own shoulder pads. The blue on his helmet had been converted to a bright orange. CrashMan's blast shield had also been integrated into his helmet, serving as a clear colorless visor with a white and black mouthguard covering the bottom half of his face. His right hand had also been transformed and now resembled some sort of rocket launcher, complete with a laser scope.

"MegaMan Crash Soul!"

"You think another Soul Union is going to make any difference?" asked BlitzMan.

"We're not taking any chances, BlitzMan," said Spencer, "Bolt Battlechip in, download!" BlitzMan raised his hands over his head and gathered up electricity between them.

"Lightning Blast!" He shot the ball upward and it rained back down as a massive thunderbolt.

"Reaction Bomb!" MegaMan aimed his weapon upward and fired. The missile hit the bolt and exploded, sending out a shockwave that blew BlitzMan back.

"Lucky shot! You still can't win!"

"Oh really?" MegaMan aimed his weapon at the electric Navi and loaded a red missile, "Homing Break!" He fired and the projectile streaked towards BlitzMan.

Damn! A homing missile! BlitzMan held his arms out in front of him and braced for impact.

"BlitzMan, we've already got what we came for. No use sticking around any longer. Jack out now." Spencer pressed the icon button on his PET and returned it to his pocket.

"You may have won this round, but I'll be back!"

BLITZMAN LOGGING OUT

The word "LOGOUT" disappeared just as the missile sailed past it and hit a Yellow Dragon that had been missed. MegaMan brought his arm back down and stood tall and proud in the glory of his new Soul Union.

o o o

MegaMan and CrashMan returned to their PETs soon after the battle. MegaMan looked up at the top right-hand corner of his screen and saw CrashMan's icon rotating in that spot. Lan quickly slipped in a blank chip and transferred the data onto it.

"So Yutaka, about that tutorial.…" Lan started, but Yutaka cut him off.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," the thick-haired teen said as he turned to leave, "Later, Lan. Maybe next time, we won't have any interruptions."

"Some time soon, I hope." Lan quickly contacted Famous and delivered his report.

"This is getting suspicious," the leader of the Officials said, "They've obtain several of the sixteen codes required to unlock the vault at SciLabs."

"What vault?"

"Lan, your father never told you about this. But as an Official, I believe you have a right to know. The vault holds within it the data of the very first NetNavi."

"I thought PharaohMan was the very first NetNavi."

"He was the first custom Navi. This one in particular was the very first prototype ever created. It was based on its design that all other Navis were created. However, this was the very first NetNavi, so you can guess there were problems and complications."

"What exactly happened?" Lan asked curiously.

"The group working on the project wanted beings that could do everything online, so they gave the Navi untold abilities. However, they hadn't placed enough protocols to keep it from becoming too powerful. The Navi soon broke out of SciLabs and began wreaking havoc all over the Net."

"Time out. Wasn't Alpha running amok at around that time?"

"Yes, but this Navi proved to be far more powerful for even Alpha to attempt to absorb."

"A Navi stronger than Alpha..."

"It took a while, but eventually the Navi was lured into a floppy disk and was taken out of every system for good."

"I didn't think people still used floppies."

"They don't. That's how old this Navi is." Lan let out a low whistle.

"So let me get this straight," the headbanded Official said, "The Dark Nation is gathering codes to unlock the vault that holds the disk containing this Navi's data?"

"That is correct. But for what purpose, we have yet to find out."

"Mr. Famous…"

"No need for formalities."

"…Tell me, did this Navi have a name?" Mr. Famous could have been closing his eyes for that moment while he thought, but there was no way Lan could tell through his glasses.

"Yes," he finally said, "His name......was Genesis."

o o o

Master Chaos looked over the codes that his agents had already gathered.

"Soon, we shall have all sixteen codes to unlock the very vault that holds Genesis' data. Once we obtain that disk, we shall commence with Project UltraNavi. We shall use Genesis' data, unchanged, to create the ultimate NetNavis." The hooded figure turned and faced Blaise, Sid, Lucy, Flora, Dr. Friese, and Spencer (each with his or her NetNavi on a monitor right behind them), as well as three other humans who were standing at the far left.

"My fellow NetTerrorists, go out there and get the rest of those codes. The sooner we get them, the sooner we can spread terror worldwide!" He then turned to one of the three NetTerrorists standing in the shadows and gave him/her an expectant look.

"Recruitment is going as planned," the shadowy figure said, "When the time comes, we shall see which of them will be able to wield the PETs of the Ultimate NetNavis."

"Excellent work. Here's to the Dark Nation and its glorious future!" Everyone in the room, including the NetNavis, brought up their hands to face level and clenched them tightly.

"ERASE!"

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For those of you who haven't seen the anime version, there are three characters who are known as Net Agents. These three are Masa, Sal, and Miyu, however as Net Agents they go by the names of Commander Beef, Blackrose, and Mysteriu, respectively.