"Alright," MegaMan says, "hit me."
ProtoMan looks at him like he's just suggested deleting him.
"It'll be fine," MegaMan assures him, spreading his hands in a light shrug. "All you've gotta do is hit me."
"But . . . what if I hurt you?"
"ProtoMan," MegaMan sighs, "that's the point of a fight."
"Not- not like that," ProtoMan mumbles, wringing his hands together nervously. "I mean . . . what if I really hurt you? Like . . . like I did when . . ."
"That wasn't you," MegaMan says. "It was Dark Shadow. And besides, it was totally out of control - so it's no one's fault anyway."
ProtoMan still seems hesitant. There's only a few feet of distance between them in the training program - Lan had downloaded one to his computer so MegaMan and Arcadia could help ProtoMan with his newfound fear of fighting. MegaMan had tried to get ProtoMan to battle some of the dummy Navis first, but that had ended in total disaster, with ProtoMan freaking out so much he nearly broke Lan's computer. So he's just trying this, now - baby steps, as the human saying goes.
"You won't hurt him that much," Arcadia puts in, from where he's sitting cross-legged on a datablock just outside of the makeshift arena. It's literally just a white circle enclosing a space that's big enough for sparring, but small enough that it doesn't need to cover the entire training program's area.
"But what if I do?" ProtoMan frets.
"You remember the N1?" MegaMan prompts. "The final battle? You didn't have any problem attacking me at full power then, did you?"
"That was before I had the Poltergeist Program," ProtoMan argues. One of his shadows drifts across his bodysuit and he flinches. The tendril of shadow jerks back like it's been shocked.
"How about something more recent? You and Arcadia battling me and Roll," MegaMan says. "You worked pretty well with Dark Shadow then, even though it hadn't been around for very long."
"I should never have let it fight," ProtoMan mutters. "It's dangerous. It could delete someone."
"So could you, even without the Poltergeist Program," MegaMan points out patiently. "So could I. So could Arcadia! ProtoMan, any Navi is capable of deleting another Navi, the same way any human is capable of killing another human."
"No other Navi has the Poltergeist Program."
MegaMan sighs. This is going absolutely nowhere.
Arcadia hops off the datablock and comes over, drawing MegaMan away from ProtoMan. They back off until they're a good distance away, just so ProtoMan won't overhear them, and Arcadia brings up his wings and covers them both in a cocoon just for good measure.
"I don't think talking is gonna work," Arcadia murmurs. "He's too scared."
MegaMan covers his face with his hands. "What're we gonna do?" he mumbles around his hands. "If ProtoMan can't fight, Chaud won't be able to use Cross Fusion."
Not to mention the fact that Chaud's not even allowed to Cross Fuse at the moment anyway. Hopefully the Commissioner will let him fight again soon, but it won't matter even if he does, with ProtoMan refusing to fight like this.
And if Chaud can't use Cross Fusion . . .
MegaMan shudders as he remembers all those times Chaud had gotten caught up in a Cross Fusion battle before he'd become a Net Saver. He'd nearly been killed every single time - and at one point had actually been specifically targeted. If Chaud can't use Cross Fusion to fight, he'll be risking his life even more than he already does if he gets stuck in another dimensional area. Arcadia would protect Chaud with his life, but would that be enough to save him? Would Lan and MegaMan be able to protect him, too?
And it's not just for Chaud's sake that they're doing this. ProtoMan loves NetBattling almost as much as he loves Chaud and Arcadia - to see him so afraid of one of the things he loves is heartbreaking. They have to help ProtoMan get over this fear.
"What if . . ." Arcadia looks reluctant to go on any further, but MegaMan is willing to hear any idea, no matter how crazy it seems. "What if we just attack him?"
Okay, never mind, he doesn't want to hear this.
"Not for real," Arcadia quickly says, obviously sensing MegaMan's shock. "We won't actually hurt him. We'll just pretend to attack him."
"And . . . force him to defend himself?" MegaMan guesses. Arcadia nods, but he's still unsure. "What if he freaks out again? Arcadia, he nearly had a breakdown when he was trying to fight a dummy Navi. He'll probably self-delete if we just randomly attack him, even if we're not hurting him."
"Talking won't work," Arcadia repeats. "I don't wanna do this anymore than you do, but short of forcing him into a NetBattle in the Colosseum, this is probably the best option we've got."
Forcing ProtoMan into the Colosseum would not end well, not with him the way he is now.
MegaMan sighs in resignation. "Okay, we'll try your idea," he says. "But if it doesn't work, we don't try it again."
"Agreed," Arcadia instantly says. At least they're on the same page about this.
They split apart. Arcadia starts to head toward the datablock, making it look like he's just going back to sit on it, while MegaMan heads back to ProtoMan.
He feels a flicker of guilt when ProtoMan looks up, watching him come closer. ProtoMan's expecting them to help him, and MegaMan is definitely not looking forward to the panic they're going to cause him by doing this.
Arcadia suddenly whirls around, Holy Fire sparking in his palms, and he hurls a Firebomb in ProtoMan's direction. It's easy to tell that the attack isn't going to land anywhere near him, but ProtoMan still startles, stumbling back and tripping over his own feet in his haste to dodge. He lands on his backside with a yelp and stares at the white fire for a moment, then gapes at Arcadia.
"What-" ProtoMan begins.
MegaMan doesn't let him finish.
He activates his Mega Buster and shoots it immediately, aiming to ProtoMan's left. ProtoMan yelps again and scrambles away on all fours, hair bristling and bushed out like a cat's tail.
"What're you doing-" ProtoMan tries to ask, but Arcadia cuts him off this time, with a stream of Flashfire that goes straight over his head.
ProtoMan ducks into a protective ball. MegaMan shoots again, aiming for the space just in front of him, and ProtoMan shoots away in a flash. Arcadia spreads his wings and follows him from the air, hurling another Firebomb as he tries to exit the training program.
The exit isn't destroyed, but ProtoMan clearly understands that they're not letting him escape from this. He darts around, dodging their intentionally-misdirected attacks and trying to demand what they're doing, but neither MegaMan nor Arcadia reply. ProtoMan gets more and more panicked the longer this is forced to go on, and MegaMan has to shove down intense pangs of guilt every time he shoots at his terrified friend.
Arcadia's not much better. He seems to hate doing this even more than MegaMan - his Empath Program is probably giving him the unfortunate privilege of feeling every single emotion that ProtoMan is feeling right now. Fear, bewilderment, betrayal . . . whatever it is that ProtoMan's feeling, Arcadia can sense it.
"Stop it!" ProtoMan wails, skidding out of the way of another Firebomb from Arcadia.
"Then fight back!" MegaMan snaps, even though he really does want to stop more than anything.
"I don't want to hurt you!"
"That's funny, 'cus we wanna hurt you," Arcadia tells him bluntly.
"And we won't stop until you fight back," MegaMan adds.
He shoots again, aiming to miss as he has been for the past few minutes, but ProtoMan misjudges where he's firing and accidentally runs straight into the Buster shot. MegaMan freezes when he gets flung back with a pained yelp, and then collapses where he lands, already tired from dodging their previous attacks.
Arcadia instantly drops out of the air, banishing his Holy Fire, and exchanges a horrified glance with MegaMan.
I didn't mean to actually hit him, MegaMan thinks, wishing he could take it back somehow.
But before he can even take a single step, he hears a low growling coming from ProtoMan. The growling increases in volume as ProtoMan staggers to his feet, half-crouching with his claws unsheathed. His shadows spike around him, but don't seem to be offering any help like they normally would, nor do they form the shadow-claws that ProtoMan has grown fond of using lately.
"You want me to fight?" ProtoMan hisses out, baring his teeth. "Fine."
Quick as lightning, he darts forward. MegaMan has half a second to react before ProtoMan's suddenly right in front of him, lashing out and raking his claws across his face. MegaMan flinches back and then gasps as ProtoMan kicks him in the stomach, sending him flying.
Tendrils of shadows reach up to grab him, but they're not the ones that curl around ProtoMan. These tendrils are from his own shadow, and MegaMan would be happy that ProtoMan seems to be using his abilities again, he'd be a lot happier if ProtoMan wasn't using them to attack him right now.
He hears a startled cry from Arcadia, and manages to lift his head just enough to see him rocketing into the air, just barely avoiding a wide slash from ProtoMan's claws. ProtoMan crouches on the ground for a moment, hissing after him, and then sends a spike of shadows into the air with a flick of his wrist.
The shadows wrap around Arcadia's ankle before he can dodge and yanks him back down, slamming him to the ground. ProtoMan doesn't follow up with the kind of clawing that he'd give any other opponent - even if he's this annoyed at them, he still won't actually hurt Arcadia, not too seriously anyway. Instead, ProtoMan directs his shadows to trap Arcadia the same way that MegaMan's own shadow is trapping him.
For several moments, ProtoMan simply stands between them, watching them try to escape from their shadow-bonds. Then he suddenly jolts, like someone's shocked him, and the shadows abruptly let go.
"I-I'm sorry!" ProtoMan cries. "I didn't mean to . . . Did I- did I hurt either of you?"
"That was great!" MegaMan exclaims, springing to his feet and grinning at him.
ProtoMan looks startled, but all MegaMan can feel is intense joy. ProtoMan just fought back! Willingly! This is awesome.
He can tell Arcadia feels the same, because he bounces to his feet as well, and crashes into ProtoMan with a tight hug. He's so excited that he can't keep still, and he lets go of ProtoMan almost immediately, bouncing around him with his wings flapping madly.
"You can fight!" Arcadia cheers. "You can fight! And you did it with your shadows, too!"
ProtoMan freezes, as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him. He glances at the tendrils of shadows still curling around his legs, and this time, when one of them drifts across his bodysuit, he doesn't flinch.
Apparently taking that as permission, the tendrils of shadows form together. Within moments, Dark Shadow has formed itself once again, crouching low to the ground and looking up at ProtoMan. It doesn't have an expression, but MegaMan thinks it almost looks like it's pleading with ProtoMan, apologising and begging for a second chance.
ProtoMan nearly backs away from it, but Arcadia puts a hand on his arm and he stops.
"I . . . I think . . ." ProtoMan takes a deep breath, seeming to steel himself. "I think . . . we need to have another talk."
Dark Shadow bows its head.
"But, um . . ." ProtoMan glances at Arcadia hesitantly. "Not alone. Arcadia, is it okay if . . . C-could you . . . "
"Of course I'll help," Arcadia says.
ProtoMan looks intensely relieved. "Thank you," he breathes. He turns to MegaMan. "We'll be back later. I . . . I don't know if . . . if I'll be able to fight like that again, but . . . I think I'd like to try."
"Whatever works for you," MegaMan tells him kindly.
ProtoMan nods awkwardly, and then he, Arcadia, and Dark Shadow stream out of Lan's computer. They're probably going to Chaud's computer, or his PET, but either way, whatever they're going to talk about will be private and unless they say otherwise, MegaMan's not going to interrupt or eavesdrop.
He streams himself back into Lan's PET after working out some of his energy on the dummy Navis. His excitement is still mixed with guilt at attacking ProtoMan without warning like that, but it worked - or he hopes it worked, anyway.
"Hey, Lan," MegaMan calls, just to let his operator know that he's back.
Lan glances up at his PET. He's got it leaning on the pillow of his bed, while he lies on his stomach and reads some manga. The only reason MegaMan doesn't immediately start getting on his case about homework is because he knows Lan has already finished it, so he can read all the manga he wants to.
"How'd it go?" Lan asks, closing the manga and setting it aside. "I didn't see my screen going nuts again, so I assume ProtoMan didn't have another breakdown."
"He didn't," MegaMan agrees, grinning. "And I think we're getting somewhere."
"Really?" Lan looks excited.
"Yeah. It was . . . kinda terrible, what we had to do, but we got him to fight us," MegaMan explains. "We basically pretended to shoot at him until I . . . uh, until I accidentally hit him. But he didn't know we weren't meant to be hitting him, and he got annoyed and started fighting back - and he used his shadows, too!"
Lan had looked shocked when he'd heard that MegaMan had accidentally hit ProtoMan, but when MegaMan mentions how well it worked out, he's back to being excited.
"So you think he'll be able to fight again soon?" Lan asks eagerly.
"Definitely, if his talk with Arcadia and Dark Shadow goes well," MegaMan replies. "Honestly . . . I think ProtoMan loves fighting too much to be afraid of it for very long. It didn't take much to get him to fight back. If this goes well, he'll be back to his old self in no time."
Lan grins for another moment, and then suddenly his expression dims.
"Unlike Chaud," Lan sighs, slumping down.
" . . . How was it on your end?" MegaMan asks carefully. While he and Arcadia have been working with ProtoMan, Lan's been trying to talk to Chaud, though as far as he knows, Lan hasn't had any luck.
From the looks of it, he still hasn't.
"He's still angry," Lan says. "He's not shouting or anything - I don't think Chaud's the kind of person who shouts when he's angry anyway - but he's just . . . really cold. It's scary."
MegaMan murmurs sympathetically. Lan's said a few times before that Chaud is the scariest person he knows - and Chaud being angry never works out well for anyone, especially if Dark Shadow gets involved.
Most of the people that MegaMan knows burn hot with their anger. But with Chaud, his anger is cold, sharp, and extremely unsettling. Those who explode with anger are easy to predict, but no one knows what Chaud will do from one moment to the next. He could seem totally calm one second, and then the next, he's more violent than a caged beast.
"I just wish I knew what was going on in his head," Lan murmurs. "Every time I think I've figured him out, he does something or says something, or something happens that changes his behaviour, and suddenly I have no idea what'll trigger him."
"I think Chaud's head is a very confusing place to be," MegaMan says. "But there's someone who might be able to help you with understanding him."
"You mean Chaud himself? He hasn't said a word to me since the hot springs." Lan slumps even more upon saying that.
"Not Chaud." MegaMan shakes his head. "I mean ProtoMan, or even Arcadia. They'd both be good to talk to about how Chaud thinks - ProtoMan shares a body and mind with him during Cross Fusion, and Arcadia's Empath Program lets him sense Chaud's emotions and thoughts. And they've both been with him for a while, so they'd understand him better than anyone."
"Yeah," Lan mumbles. "I'm just . . . I'm kinda scared."
"Of what?"
"Of what Chaud might do," Lan says.
"What he might do?" MegaMan tilts his head. "What do you mean?"
"I mean . . . about Dr. Regal," Lan admits. "Chaud hates him, and he thinks that Dr. Regal is our enemy. I keep thinking that Chaud might go too far just to try and prove that he's right. And . . ."
Lan hesitates. MegaMan waits patiently for his operator to speak - if he can be patient with ProtoMan while he's afraid to fight, he can be patient with Lan while he hesitates to voice his concerns.
"He's so angry," Lan whispers, almost like he's afraid of Chaud overhearing - and for all they know, he might be able to. His hearing is a lot more sensitive now. "Kifune won't let him fight anymore, 'cus no one knows what Dark Shadow will do if it goes on another rampage. And no one's actually said it, but . . . Chaud kinda lost control during that battle, too. If he hadn't been so focused on trying to stop Dark Shadow, he might've turned around and attacked Dr. Regal himself. And I think he knows that." Lan sighs. "I'm just scared he's gonna do something stupid, just to try and prove that he can still fight without losing control."
MegaMan sighs too. "Chaud and ProtoMan's Cross Fusion has always been more unstable than ours, even though their synchro rate is higher," he says. "There's bound to be problems like this. Everyone knows the risks - Chaud and ProtoMan most of all. But I don't think even Chaud would risk something so dangerous just to prove that he can fight. Whatever else he might do, he's never been impulsive like that."
"But he's angry, and I don't know if he's thinking straight anymore," Lan argues worriedly. "He's not the same as he used to be, MegaMan. What if he does do something stupid? What if he gets hurt trying to prove that he can fight?"
"Getting hurt is always a danger, even during a regular battle," MegaMan replies. "But if he needs help, he's not alone. He has ProtoMan and Arcadia. And us."
"What if we're not enough?"
"We'll have to be," MegaMan says simply.
Lan still doesn't look convinced.
But at least MegaMan knows what's eating at his operator now - and maybe, if he can enlist the assistance of ProtoMan and Arcadia (they'll probably be more than willing, since this concerns Chaud's well-being and safety), he can help Lan protect Chaud. From their enemies, or himself. It doesn't matter which; it only matters that they keep him safe.