Arthur leaned forwards. "Alright, so I think that's everything you can and can't do on a first date. Are you nervous?"
"...Terrified." Said Treble, unconsciously scratching a groove into the floor with his foot. The old Undernet was already a mess, thankfully.
"Me too. I'm not even the one who's a part of this date. Look, we've got a bunch of zenny saved up, so if she wants to go to the cafe and try the coffee don't hesitate. Aagh, I'm better at planning battles!"
"I'm a fighter by nature... but I really think I like Flare a lot. Like, it feels like I'm burning when I'm near her but in a good way?"
"Well..." Arthur looked at the clock. "We're half an hour early. I'm going to make a grilled cheese. If Flare turns up early too, you can just go ahead. I'm sure everything'll be fine."
"I'm not! What if she doesn't like the area! What if... if... I don't know! I don't get scared normally! I can look down Gregar's buster and laugh! But this!? This?!" Treble threw his hands in the air. "What do I do?!"
"Just... chat, I guess. And take her for a walk. It can't be that hard."
"...Right, right." Treble looked at his hands. "I'm just going to go bust up some weak viruses. They... won't bother me right now."
"Without chips?"
Treble walked over to a Quaker. It shuffled back a bit, and then jumped away. "...Yep, they feel it. My nervousness. Literally enough to scare off something with barely any mind."
Arthur was gone.
"Well... I guess I am technically a half-virus. That probably helped it pick up on me. Uuurgh, I wish this waiting would end quickly so I couldn't be nervous!"
Treble looked up suddenly. "Someone's coming!"
"Who? Flare?" Said Arthur.
Treble scrambled to the top of the BBS. "It is Flare! Flaaare! Hiiii!"
Flare ran over, disguised. "Treble. I hope I didn't keep you waiting! Just, SheepMan was a bit worried. He wanted to hire someone to guard me, but... I know I can count on you."
"T-thanks! I... Where should we go first? There's a square, and, and there's a couple of veiwing stations, and over there there's the Secret Area, or maybe-" Stammered Treble.
"Slow down a little bit. Are... you alright, Treble? You seem shaken." Said Flare.
Mentally just screaming, Treble said "I-I'm ok!" He took a deep breath. "So, there's our square, which is closest, and if we go west from there then there's a few cameras we can look through that pan over the countryside, but if you want to fight something then we could go look in the Secret Area by there."
"Let's go to your square! Lead the way. Come on, the targeting system's been quiet lately. We could probably walk next to each other." Offered Flare.
"Okay! Just follow me and we'll be right there. What... what should we talk about?" Said Treble hopefully.
"...I'd like to know some more about your friends. And you. We hardly know anything about each other, even if we're close." Said Flare.
"Um, so... I guess my best friend would be my NetOp, Arthur. He's the one who actually found me and took me to Scilabs to get fixed."
"Fixed?" Flare asked with light curiosity.
"Oh, I was a real mess at first. All my bugs affected my regular programs, so I kept damaging myself. But then this guy called Yuichiro was able to fix that. I'm still totally made of bugs, but they don't affect me now. Uh, where was I? Right, Arthur! Well, he's been with me every step of the way. And he really cares. We balance each other out! I've got energy, he's got planning. So... next is MathMan."
"The yellow one?"
"Yeah! that's him. So, he's basically unshakable. The rock. The emotional stronghold. I've only seen him panic once, and that was when he was facing down Bass without a weapon. Totally awesome. He's super reliable too, if he says something then you know he'll be right. He's the only Navi I've given my SP chip to."
"Hmm... you know, he actually beat Gregar in that fight at the business area. It was a bit chaotic, and Gregar was still a bit weak at the time, but MathMan really did beat him."
"I wonder if things would be different if they had a rematch? Speaking of which, I never got around to having one with him."
"I think Gregar would probably win now... but of all your friends, MathMan is the one I just can't really estimate the power of. Tell me about someone else?"
"Okay... so there's ArsenalMan. He used to be this really military fighter, always ready to jump into action and lay down his life for his cause, but... I caused a bug in his personality. He's quite soft-spoken now. Still, he's really grateful you saved him. And PlugMan."
"PlugMan kind of scares me." Said Flare. "You... you won't tell him I said that, will you?"
"No! I- no. It wouldn't bother him though. He's actually the most helpful one of us, but I don't see him often. He's always off doing stuff. He's a social chameleon. I'm not sure if PlugMan has a real, main personality, or if he just makes one to work in each situation. Plus he's got loads of chips. I think he only needs two basic chips to get a full collection."
"Maybe I should tell you about someone?"
"Tell me about Alias! I barely know anything about him."
"Well... he's a really upstanding guy. He fights for justice, to be a hero to the people he cares for. And he does a pretty good job too! Plus... I feel like there's something about him that sees things for what they really are. He never feared us. He never believed what other people said about us. He looked and made up his mind on his own. Oh, and he's great with Zoano!"
"Yeah, Zoano... yeah. Well, I guess the only other close friend you don't know much about is Ember!"
"Wasn't she that navi that knocked you out of the tournament?"
"You saw that?"
"We watched it live! She got so lucky dodging that buster shot."
"Haha, yeah. But she beat me fair and square. I don't know her too well, since she lives over in Cyber city, but she's a really devoted fighter. And she's brave and curious, which is a good combination for finding stuff out."
They stepped into the square together. "So this is my area's square! We've got a coffee shop over there, and a couple of chip vendors by there, and a BBS by there!" Said Treble, pointing at each one in turn.
"It's not that different to ours... but when I look at it, something seems special. Should we go and see what they sell in the market here?"
"Sure!"
The market's vendors had a SubChip dealer, a BattleChip dealer and a Program dealer. Normally Treble would have ignored the last one, but Flare wandered over. "Hey, they don't sell these back at our area." Said Flare.
"Which ones?"
"Collect. I wonder if it would be useful?"
"It would make it way easier to get stuff like ElecPulse. Those viruses are so annoying to delete quickly."
"Vendor, I'd like to buy this program!" Said Flare.
"Um, let me pay! My gift." Offered Treble. "How much?"
The next place they visited was the viewing array.
"I never knew about this place! Wow, these cameras can see for miles!" Said Flare, as the view panned around to a few hills.
"I never visited before now, I never had the chance." And this isn't really my thing... "What do you like about the view?"
"Hmm... It makes me feel free. Like my troubles are so far away..."
"Well... maybe we could stay a little bit longer, then."
After, they returned to the square, heading for the coffee shop. "So I saw you got a virus breeder, how does that work?"
"Well, Gregar spends a lot of time hunting down viruses to train on, so he gets a lot of spare chips. If you give the virus breeder enough of one set of chips, and a bit of other data, it can make a pet version of a virus!"
"Oh, like Zoano."
"Yes, we're looking for other ones now. The problem is that you need to find and record a 'rare' virus too. They're really hard to find."
"Ooh! I know a place you can find some rare viruses! But it's pretty dangerous there. Are you ready for fighting?"
"Where is it? I... I have to always be ready to fight. The officials are still after me, after all..."
"Oh, it's the Secret Area near that old BBS! You need 'true strength' to get in, but honestly? I'm pretty sure that's just fancy talk for 'be a decent person'."
"We'll have to go there. I-" Flare turned and looked at the navi behind them. "..."
"H-huh?! What's wrong?" Treble turned as well, to see ProtoMan. "Oh."
"You're under arrest. Will you come quietly?" Said ProtoMan.
"...I have no faith that you want to help me, or that you can delete me permanently. Nor do I want to leave Gregar alone to face you." Answered Flare.
ProtoMan's expression was unreadable behind his visor. "Treble. Help me end this fight quickly."
"WHAT?! Y-you can't ask me to fight her!" Said Treble.
"You'll help me?" Said Flare hopefully.
"I... I just... I don't want you two to fight each other!"
ProtoMan leveled his sword. "It is for the good of the whole net that we must capture her. You know she can't stay sane forever."
Flare looked forwards, her disguise starting to break. "I've made more progress against myself than ever before. I can't give up now. I can't."
"Treble, your duty binds you to help me."
"Please. I know you care about me!"
"I..." Said Treble, uncertainly.
"I know you're loyal to us, Treble. And I know this is difficult to accept. But Falzar is beyond saving."
"I... I can't side with one of you against the other! I don't want to betray anyone! Not the officials who helped me, not the beasts fate screwed over, none of the people I care about! Just leave, for now. I think we can solve this without a fight! I... Fighting is for the enemy! And neither of you are!"
"...You're so naive." Said ProtoMan.
"...Stand aside, Treble." Said Flare, something subtly different in her voice, soft as iron. "...I've had enough."
"Yes. Stand aside, if you're truly so conflicted. We'll settle this ourselves." Agreed ProtoMan.
Flare looked down, and her disguise disappeared instantly. The noise in the square ceased in a few seconds as she spread her wings out behind her, letting her power radiate.
"Log everyone out, ProtoMan! I know you have the power to!" Urged Treble.
ProtoMan clicked his fingers, and the square emptied.
Flare stared at him. "The officials are responsible for every bad thing that's ever happened to me." She said quietly, but her tone was accusatory. "And every bad thing to happen to Gregar. Your Alpha system tried to delete him, and you blindly followed. Then when Alpha was found to be the cause of the net's problems and taken down, you kept going. You kidnapped me and made me into what I am. And that's not all. SheepMan. NetGaia. How many lives have you torn apart, for your own sakes? ...ProtoMan. This is for me!"
In just a fraction of a second, Flare was trying to rake her talons across ProtoMan, but he was too fast, out of the way a moment before the attack could connect. Flare readied her buster, and before ProtoMan could react everywhere around him was being pelted with sharp blade-like shots. He dashed forwards ignoring the ones that found their mark, and swiped with his sword. Flare disappeared in a faint flash of light with an AreaSteal, and ProtoMan instantly teleported in front of her to try and hit with another swipe. This time, Flare nimbly kicked him in the face while dodging, the claws on her feet leaving a long cut across ProtoMan's visor.
"Program advance! Accelerate!" Called Flare, and there was a faint blue glow as ProtoMan recovered his stance. He tried to get in close to strike, but Flare's speed had increased and she moved first. Just as a red shield started to materialise in front of ProtoMan, hoping to capitalise on the increased speed, Flare thrust a DrillArm forwards and punched right through. Then Flare backpedaled, her wings letting her move however she saw fit.
An orange barrier materialised around ProtoMan, and he drew a glowing golden sword with an elaborate handle. But Flare wasn't intimidated. As ProtoMan rushed forwards to try and make a strike with the HeroSword, she suddenly leapt into the sky, dodging completely, and then in a show of brutal efficiency she summoned a RockCube, which fell like the ton of bricks it was, directly towards ProtoMan. ProtoMan was seemingly stunned by the clever tactic, the tiny moment of confusion at what Flare was doing costing him his barrier. Flare dropped down behind the cube, and Treble saw her summon something before ProtoMan tried to teleport through. The Guardian statue did not take kindly to a stepsword in the face. As ProtoMan was blasted by the punishment attack, Flare flew up and shot a Thunder. But it harmlessly bounced off ProtoMan's shield as he pulled out his next sword. NeoVariableSword.
"Double LifeSword!" Called ProtoMan, warping behind Flare this time. Flare didn't have the chance to dodge, both strikes hitting her across the back. But before ProtoMan could combo the attack with another one, Flare shot an AuraHead3 straight into his chest, knocking him to the ground. ProtoMan flashed for a second, his blade turning orange. "Emulation successful."
"Sanctuary!" Called Flare, the ground below her plating itself in holy panels. ProtoMan disappeared and reappeared with deadly speed, attacking from every conceivable angle with his blade and throwing out SonicBooms like they were going out of style. Yet Flare seemed to know every move he was making, dodging and striking in time with the frenzy. But one decisive blow caught across her chest, and she was knocked out of the air.
"I can't lose! I must win!" Flare didn't sound like Flare anymore. A red aura appeared around her, occasional hints of a great bird manifesting in the energy. The counterpart to Gregar's soul aura. Flare's fighting style changed like a light turning on. ProtoMan lunged and Falzar held her hand out and a whirlpool appeared, sweeping ProtoMan back in a raging current. Before he had a chance to react, Falzar beat her wings once and a powerful gust of wind formed a tornado around ProtoMan, a prison of air.
ProtoMan crouched a little, then faster than could even be followed, there were three cuts in a triangle around Falzar, and ProtoMan was facing the other way. "Delta Ray Edge."
Falzar's aura withdrew into her body at the strike, leaving the wounded beast exposed. She launched a pair of Wing Boomerangs, and ProtoMan blinked to hit her with stepcross. Just as it seemed ProtoMan was going to win, Falzar surged with power, an intense wave of energy that threw ProtoMan to the ground. Falzar rose a few feet, Excalibur appearing in her hands. But the power washing around her roiled, wrapping the blade with red energy that exuded madness and might.
"Die." Said Falzar plainly, thrusting the blade once gleaming white, but now charred black, down.
Treble felt it rip through his health like tissue paper. Falzar- no, Flare suddenly looked out of her murderous craze. And she saw Treble with the sword straight through his navi mark, the tip of the blade just a slip away from ProtoMan's body.
Suddenly, Flare clapped her hands over her beak. "No!"
"Stop... please... stop..." Treble slumped forwards a bit, energy automatically going to keeping him alive.
The deathly Excalibur disappeared, and Flare caught Treble as he fell. Her disguise seemed to reactivate instantly, but it wasn't the same. The dress was tattered, and red. "Treble, no! TREBLE! I'm sorry!"
"... Flare... I'm glad..." Treble's voice stopped working.
Arthur had already broken out of the stunned shock, blazing through menus as fast as possible. Finally, he found the emergency logout he hadn't needed before, and jabbed it. Treble reappeared in the PET, within an inch of his life. "Repair programs!? Where's the repair program?!" And in a second, it was open with Treble plugged in.
'Caution! Serious damage sustained. Repairs may take a while!' Pinged the computer.
Flare looked at her hands. "I... did I..." She collapsed, to her knees. "Please... please, this can't be happening! What have I done? I..." her disguise failed completely, leaving her in her true form. "I did this. I should have listened. This is my fault. I did this. I... did this." She stood up, holding her hands over her injuries. "I did this. I did this." She spread out her wings and lifted off, looking up. Anywhere that wasn't the square below.
"..." Flare soared higher, ignoring the ping to log out from the PET.
"..." Another ping. Without a second thought, Flare dismissed it. She focused her power for a second, a flew forwards at top speed, far away from the square. But no matter how fast she pushed herself, she could still see it. She could still see Treble with her own sword through his chest.
"Arthur? Where am I?"
"Oh thank whatever gods there are, you're awake!" Said Arthur. "Please don't do that again, I'm too young to have a heart attack."
"Oh, it's the PC. Senses are a bit low on power. Is everyone alive?"
"Chaud says ProtoMan is fine. But Flare..."
"What about Flare!?"
"She's run off. We're trying to track her, but... she's going so fast and in such unpredictable patterns we just can't. She's only landed twice, once to buy a FullEnergy and once to shoot at a wall for no apparent reason. She thinks it's her fault."
"...But... I chose to do that! I took that sword so she could have a chance to get redeemed with the officials! Not to hurt her!"
"She doesn't know that. And worse, her power keeps spiking. She might lose herself completely at any moment."
"We have to get to her." Treble stepped out of the repair program, stumbling.
"You're not fully healed!"
"Don't care. We're saving Flare. Send some mail round, get everyone's help."
"Treble, it's three in the morning. You were out for fourteen hours."
"...Maybe you should sleep, then. I'll finish healing." admitted Treble. "Oh, and... sorry for the scare."
"...Thanks." Said Arthur genuinely. "I've been doing some planning and strategy, but I'll fill you in in the morning."
"Okay, first things first: take these."
A small pile of BugFrags fell to the floor in front of Treble. "Where did you get these?!"
"Denny. He'd collected a bunch while doing his patrols in the Undernet. Alright, so next I have all three of our friends ready to meet at the square as soon as I give the word. I couldn't get Ember, but SteamMan apparently got deployed to find Flare already and he's more than happy to help. But that's not all."
"Who else is there to call on? Zero maybe?"
"Dad took his navi to where the fight happened and waited for Gregar to show up. We've explained everything to him, and given how bad it would be if Flare totally lost control... we've arranged to meet his NetOp. Meanwhile, we also got a message from Scilabs to come by at earliest convenience. ProtoMan sent a thank-you message as well. 'For your recent efforts, both against WuHighMax and to protect me... Master Chaud wishes for you to have this. According to Yuichiro, you don't need to worry about it using your BugFrags, but it will cost some health to use.' They sent us a giga chip called BugRiseSword. Normally it gives you an unlimited LifeSword, but it costs BugFrags to swing. Apparently for you, and by extension Gregar, it'll damage you for 20 health every swing instead. No permanent damage though."
"Woah... do we use that or BugCharge?"
"Well, I'd say Origin is mostly better. But this will help a ton against navis like Ember who are too fast to hit with BugCharge or Origin."
"Alright. So what do you do first? I think we should just go get Gregar, and go straight to Flare."
"I'll one-up you. Let's send our friends to back up SteamMan, they can make some progress while we get Gregar. And one last thing..."
"Yeah?"
"MegaMan's stopped his search for Crescendo to come help."
"...I hope he knows not to delete Flare."
Arthur stepped out of the subway. "So Gregar's NetOp just told me to meet him at this town's chip shop."
"I wonder what he'll be like? I bet he's got to be this really tough guy, to make Gregar respect him. Like, some kind of veteran."
"I... doubt that, to be honest. Most really good NetOps are somewhere between thirteen and twenty, since the net only really got super big 'recently'. And whoever it is can clearly operate at least two navis at once. Maybe three."
"Well, GPS says the shop is on your left."
"Ok. Now let's hope I didn't just walk into a trap." Arthur pushed the door open. "Hello?"
"Hey there." Responded a boy's voice. "It's okay. I know you haven't sold me out."
"Ethan? Nice to meet you at last." Ethan was a similar height to Arthur, with short, gelled black hair. He had a denim jacket that seemed to have a bit of a scrape on one elbow, a shirt that was a clean white, and... was that a soldering iron in his pocket? Actually, his pocket was bulging with about a dozen odd bumps.
"So you're Arthur. We don't have any time to waste- or time at all really, so let's get online!"
"Roger. Mind if I ask a few questions while we go?"
"What are you, a reporter?" Quipped Ethan "Sure. Just nothing that'll put us in danger."
"Well... I'd kind of like to know how you met Gregar and Flare."
Ethan gestured to a poster of a Navi holding up a battlechip. "...You can jack into this poster. See the battlechip? The attack's picture has been cut out to reveal the port." Ethan slipped Alias' PET into his hand. "Alias! Time to ride."
"Treble, hunt."
"I found both of the beasts injured and about to collapse, and wandering the net. Or, Alias found them. We brought them back to my PC, and saved them from their damages."
"...Hm. Not quite the same as me. Although I think I used more than my fair share of luck getting Treble. By the way... sorry about Flare. Maybe there was something I could have done, but I just couldn't see it."
"Look, Treble broke his promise to keep Flare safe, but at least you two are trying to fix it. But don't count on any favours from Gregar any time soon."
"Alias! Any idea where Flare might have gone?" Said Treble.
"No. She normally stayed in the PC. But Gregar thinks he can sense evil spirits in one of the corners of the Undernet, so we'd better get over there."
"Evil spirits?"
"He explained it like this: 'Cybeast power can change its surroundings greatly, but it reacts to the bearer. If the user is overwhelmed with negative emotions then the power will involuntarily generate evil spirits.' The evil spirits are just... weaponised negativity. Viruses but less stable. Chip'll post a link for us any second now, so get ready."
"Alright. Wait, who's operating Gregar?"
"SheepMan. He's actually a good NetOp."
A white panel appeared, and Alias stepped on. Treble followed, coming out in a square. "This isn't the Undernet?"
"It's as close as Chip can go. He needs a connection to the physical computer to open a link, and the Undernet computers are hidden. Just follow me." Alias went forwards.
PlugMan watched the yellow flames burn out as the evil spirit fell. "Damn, I was hoping... hoping so much..."
"We knew the chances of finding DarkPower were slim." Said Denny. "How long do you have left?"
"Four days. Less if I lose a fight."
"Well, I guess we press on. Our other group members have been given the order to group up, so that means we're going into stage two of Arthur's plan, including one of Gregar's lot. They'll be here in two minutes."
"...Strangely resourceful. Who?" Asked PlugMan.
"Apparently they're called Midnight. Well, I guess you can teach them a few things about darkness."
"I guess. I'd... rather spend these last days doing something useful though."
"...You're right. Look, I don't tell the truth often... but it's been a good time, having you."
"Same. Now, we've got a job to do."
"MathMan, I'm on route." Said Alias, into a phone program. "We've got our teams in place, and we're ready to group up."
"Good. Me and Gregar are closing in, but we're trying not to cause a disturbance, which makes it hard to fight at our fullest. Groups B and C are moving to complete the ring."
Treble was eavesdropping. "B and C? Wait, who's in these groups?"
Arthur took over to explain. "We've split our joint forces into three... technically four groups. They'll encircle Flare, to make sure nothing else reaches her first. You're group A, the group that has the best chance of getting Flare back to her senses: Alias, Gregar, MathMan and You. You're going in first."
"Come on, we can't be slow." Insisted Alias. Treble set off after him.
"Group B is PlugMan, Ember, SteamMan and one of Ethan's friends. They're covering the exit that would lead Flare out of the Undernet, since PlugMan can convince the Undernet dwellers not to bother them and SteamMan's a licensed official then nobody will bother them. Group C has Zero, CommandoMan, and another one of Ethan's friends, Sergeant. Oh, and Zoano. They're keeping the rest of the undernet away. The fourth group is just MegaMan and ProtoMan. If anything happens that needs backup fighters, we can send one of them and that should get it under control."
"Well, I only need to worry about my group! Let's keep going, and quick!"
Ember hacked her way through an evil spirit at mach speed, blades shining. "We mustn't let them reach the main net."
SteamMan punched one with enough force to make it explode. "And by my honour, we won't! PlugMan! How are things at your area?"
"Under control. My elec strikes are devastating in choke points. Midnight, status?"
"Doing well. Big wave heading for SteamMan though!"
"Roger!"
A smart bomb detonated next to an undernet navi. "I warned you to stay back." Said CommandoMan.
Another Underdweller shouted. "YA CAN'T KEEP US AWAY FROM THAT POWER, YA YELLOWBELLY!"
A sword neatly cut him in half. "...Such a waste of data." Remarked Zero.
"Sir! Our fortifications are in place." Called a lightly armored navi.
"Good. Alright men, don't let a single one past." Ordered CommandoMan.
'Meep!'
Bass struggled to his feet. "Crescendo. To me."
"Bass?! You shouldn't move, you have to focus-"
"She's losing control, and that means her grip on me is failing. We need to move. I have to absorb Gregar or give her back her power. I do not wish to fight against myself forever."
"I'm ready to help you, Bass! With the power I've been given- I'm sure I can help you."
"Yes. In fact... I would consider your training successful." Bass floated to his rack of cloaks, and picked one up. He held it and his hand burned with power, the cloak altering subtly. "Take this. I've imbued it with my power to open portals. While I engage directly, you'll flank. If I fail, truly possible with this blasted system, then you need to make sure that I have a few seconds to escape."
"I won't fail you, Bass. I owe you too much to fail."
"Gregar!" Called Treble.
"...You." Gregar was still for a moment. "If it weren't for the fact we're in such a dangerous situation I'd rip your heart out. Trust me, I know exactly how to. You really dared to break a promise like that?"
"Hey. The alternative was making it totally impossible for you guys to ever stop being enemies with the officials, or actually siding against her. I did my best." Said Treble defensively.
"Get Flare back and I'll consider sparing your life." Said Gregar.
"Let's just focus on the task at hand for now." Said MathMan.
"Flare is still in danger! And arguing won't change that." Added Alias.
"You're right. Everyone... let's go."
Author's notes: And this is what I would consider a sub-optimal first date. Or a catastrophe that needs a bunch of people to effectively contain. Oh, and a quick shout to JaneValentine007: I'm sorry for Ember's background-y role these last two fights, but I promise that's not going to last any longer. Oh, and get well soon!
RushAlias: Don't push yourself to 'catch up', you'll skip things then wish you hadn't later. Just push yourself to post an update, that's both easier and better in the long term.
Guest: Massive teams are tough to really write (if you try to give everyone screentime things get slowww), but it looks like I managed it, whew. MegaMan and Lan were both devastated to lose Colonel, especially since I prefer Team Colonel as the canon BN5. Treble/Flare might still have a few bumps to get over before it really picks up meaning, but that's all part of the story. Considering their offspring basically just made me immediately and permanently go 'winged puppy oh my god oh my god'. Thanks for the motivation!