They're going on a short vacation. Well, technically, anyway - Dr. Hikari needs something from the research facility on Jawaii Island, and of course Mimic's going with him, and Chaud decided to go along as well.
He says it's because they don't want to mess around with their connection and risk whatever might happen if they're in different countries, but ProtoMan thinks Chaud just wants a break from work.
It's true they shouldn't mess with their connection, sure, but Chaud really needs to just admit the actual reason he's tagging along. ProtoMan has no problems with it - his operator really does need a damn vacation, considering he hasn't had a day off since he went back to Master Blaze and became IPC's vice president again. Then there's the fact that he still has school at the NetBattler's Institute (and thankfully Chaud can do his schoolwork the same way Mimic is, because ProtoMan hates going to the NetBattler's Institute - the other Navis bully him because he's part virus, and the other students have taken to bullying Chaud for his cat-like appearance). On top of that, Chaud also has his work as a Net Saver, which takes priority over both IPC and school when there's a case or a mission.
So, yeah. ProtoMan thinks his operator needs a vacation. He also thinks his operator needs to loosen up a little and admit the truth, but, hey - ProtoMan's not the only one who knows that. Mimic's connection with Chaud allows her to sense the truth, and Arcadia's Empath Program allows him to do the same.
Since Chaud's tagging along, he offered the use of his private jet. It's nowhere near as ridiculously decorated as Yai's private jet, but it's better than using a commercial airline (maker forbid they have to use one of those. ProtoMan shudders at the thought of having to be offline for any period of time, since humans aren't allowed to turn their PETs on until the plane allows them to).
ProtoMan's glad they're using Chaud's private jet. It means they can speak freely, and right now, Mimic's telling them about the game-verse of EXE - more specifically, she's describing what it was like to battle ProtoMan's game-self.
"He just kept teleporting all over his side of the field," Mimic says. "Wouldn't keep still at all. Teleported onto my side, too, the fucker."
"Language, Mimic," Dr. Hikari says, without even looking up from his work.
"Sorry," Mimic replies. "Anyway, this dumbass-"
This time, Dr. Hikari doesn't speak, but he looks up and gives Mimic a stern frown. Mimic holds her hands up and gives him an innocent smile, and after a moment, Dr. Hikari rolls his eyes good-naturedly and goes back to work.
"Go on," Chaud prompts Mimic, hiding a smile behind his hand.
"This moron-" Mimic glances at Dr. Hikari as if making sure she's not about to get chewed out for swearing again, even though she didn't this time. "-was teleporting all over the place, right? I got a few hits in, he was nearly dead - deleted, whatever - but so was I. So was MegaMan."
"You were controlling MegaMan, so it was you," Arcadia says.
Mimic nods. "I was nearly dead too," she says again. "Then I used a Thunder - really good for early-game, actually. N-not good for fast things, though. Any-anyway, used a Thunder. And then he- he literally- he just teleported straight into it an-and deleted himself."
ProtoMan's mouth drops open. "Seriously?" he demands incredulously. "He teleported into a Thunder attack? My game-self is an idiot!"
Mimic raises an eyebrow at him. "Says the cat who chases anything remotely ball-shaped, even f'it's a bomb or a cactus," she retorts.
"Fuck off!" ProtoMan hisses back.
Dr. Hikari looks up again. "ProtoMan!" he calls sharply.
ProtoMan grumbles to himself as Arcadia, Chaud, and Mimic laugh at him. Damn traitors, all of them.
They arrive at Jawaii airport, and are immediately picked up by a car sent by the research facility. ProtoMan's not entirely sure what it is that Dr. Hikari needs from the research facility, but given that he's studying the crater and working on building the Cross Fusion research facility in Netopia, he can guess it's something to do with that.
Not that he wants to know, anyway. That's what Dr. Hikari is here for - Chaud and Mimic are just tagging along, so they can do whatever they want. Which means ProtoMan and Arcadia can do whatever they want, too.
Aside from go to the beach, anyway. They all hate water - Arcadia's the only one who can tolerate it, but his feathers get wet too easily and that makes it difficult for him to fly, so he avoids it whenever he can - so going to the beach is definitely not an option.
But there's an entire island for them to explore, because none of them have ever been to Jawaii before. IPC doesn't have a branch in Jawaii, so Chaud's never had any reason to go, and Mimic hasn't had any reason to come here in the time she's been in this world. Which means this entire island is new to all four of them, so there's going to be new things around every corner.
It turns out there's a parade going on near the research facility, and although ProtoMan's never been to a parade before, he knows a little bit about them. They're loud, colourful, and full of excitement. He'd love to check it out, but the only problem is the loud part - he hates things that're too loud.
So do Chaud and Mimic. Arcadia's only a little better with loud things, because while his hearing is better than the average Navi, it's not nearly as sensitive as ProtoMan's or their operators'.
But they all agree they want to see the parade. Chaud, like ProtoMan, has never been to one. Mimic's only seen parades in online videos back in her old reality. And Arcadia never got the chance to enjoy one when he was Amano's Navi, for obvious reasons.
So Chaud and Mimic put on their noise-cancelling earmuffs, and Chaud turns off ProtoMan's audio program. Maybe he'll be missing some of the excitement of the parade while he's deaf and mute, but at least this way, he'll at least be able to enjoy the sights without having to deal with the noise.
And he does enjoy it. It's bright and colourful and the floats that come down the street are so amazingly-crafted that ProtoMan wonders how the humans even managed to create them. He sees a fish float and is immediately captivated by it, and then sees a float based on a peacock's feathers and his attention is captured by that, and then so many more bright and amazing floats that he wishes he had more eyes so he could take in all of it at once.
Dark Shadow forms itself beside him to watch as well. It's just as captivated as ProtoMan, especially when they see a float that seems to be using the theme of light and darkness. Most of the time, when humans use that particular theme, light and darkness are clashing - but this float uses them to compliment each other, in an absolutely beautiful display, and ProtoMan's happy to see that not all humans think light and dark can't coexist.
After all, he and Arcadia are brothers. ProtoMan is basically darkness incarnate, with the Poltergeist Program inside him. And Arcadia's ultimate program is literally called the ultimate program of Light. Yet they get along just fine, despite most humans apparently thinking that light and dark are incapable of doing so.
So, yeah. He's happy to see a float that reflects his relationship with Arcadia.
ProtoMan waves to get Chaud's attention, and then raises his hands when his operator is looking at him. [lift pet high want to see light dark float] he sighs.
He could activate the holographic screen, sure, but he runs the risk of it getting dissipated by the many excited humans around Chaud and Mimic. They managed to get to the front of the crowd, mainly due to their small size, but there are still so many other humans around that their waving hands could cause the holographic screen to vanish, and then ProtoMan and Dark Shadow wouldn't be able to see the light-and-darkness float.
Chaud understands that, and he gives ProtoMan and Dark Shadow a thumbs-up before lifting the PET as high as he can. ProtoMan and Dark Shadow get a much better view of the light-and-darkness float, and he takes a few pictures so he can look at them again later. There's no point in taking any videos, since it'll just be moving pictures with no sound, and ProtoMan would rather have pictures to admire than a silent video.
The PET's screen suddenly jolts, and then falls. ProtoMan ends up a little disoriented from the sudden change in scene, and it takes him a moment to recover.
He looks out through the screen and sees a sea of human legs. A quick look around shows him Chaud and Mimic, and they seem to be arguing with a teenage human - or at least Chaud is. Mimic is just glaring at the human.
Ah, ProtoMan understands what happened now. That teenage human must have bumped into Chaud and made him drop the PET.
He should be okay here for now - from what he can tell, he's a little beyond the barrier stopping the crowd from getting onto the streets, so no one should step on the PET. Besides, ProtoMan is mute right now, so he can't call out anyway. Chaud won't forget him - he's just a little distracted by the idiot who bumped into him.
And then another teenage human's face appears on the screen, grinning down at him, and ProtoMan's hair bristles out in shock when the human picks up the PET.
Before he can stream himself out of Chaud's PET and into Mimic's, the human activates the lock-down function. ProtoMan is now locked inside his operator's PET, deaf and mute, unable to escape or even call out, as this- this thief of a human makes off with him.
What the hell!? ProtoMan thinks, deeply offended. Who does this stupid human think he is?
Dark Shadow's split-mouth opens into a snarl, and it swipes at the screen. The thief-human doesn't notice; he just simply pockets the PET, and the screen becomes dark.
With the PET locked like this, ProtoMan can't even activate the holographic screen. All he can do is wait in silence, impatient and more than a little apprehensive, as the thief-human takes him somewhere he can't even see.
He's deaf, he's mute, and he's blind to the real world. ProtoMan bares his teeth and wishes he could make any kind of noise right now, because he very much wants to hiss or screech or something.
ProtoMan and Dark Shadow wait for far too long before something finally happens. By this point, they're both restless, and extremely annoyed.
Light floods back onto the screen, revealing the thief-human once again. ProtoMan quickly checks the background beyond the thief-human and realises they're in some kind of alley - he can see the buildings on either side, casting them into shadows.
Another human leans over the thief-human's shoulder, and with a jolt of shock, ProtoMan recognises the human who Chaud and Mimic were arguing with. So that human didn't bump into his operator by accident - it was on purpose, a trick to get Chaud to drop his PET and then distract him long enough for the thief-human to steal it.
Bad humans! Dark Shadow hisses, flickering in its anger and swiping at the screen again. Take us back now take us back!
ProtoMan wants to say that out loud, but he still can't speak. The humans can, however, and although he doesn't know how to read lips very well, he does recognise the words worth and sell.
His hair is practically a bush with how much it's bristling now. He's shocked, and more than angry - these humans stole him and are going to try and sell him! They robbed Chaud just so they could make some money. What kind of humans are these? They're definitely stupid, if they think they can get away with a scheme as ridiculous as this.
The thief-human looks at the bumping-human and says something, but ProtoMan can't see his lips moving, so he can't even begin to guess what he might be saying. After a few moments, the thief-human turns back to the PET, and then begins to mess with it.
ProtoMan lets out a hiss silenced by his muteness. How dare these humans mess with his operator's PET!
And then sound floods back into his hearing, and he realises the thief-human was turning his audio program back on. That doesn't change the fact that these idiot humans stole him, though.
"Hey, Navi," the bumping-human begins, leaning closer, "how much are you worth, exactly?"
"Take me back to my operator right now!" ProtoMan snaps.
The thief-human hits the side of the PET, and ProtoMan is jolted to the side. He's only saved from falling by Dark Shadow, who reaches out to help steady him while opening its split-mouth even wider at the humans. It's an obvious threat, but either these humans are very stupid or just not bothered, because they don't even react.
"How much are you worth?" the thief-human demands.
"Fuck off!" ProtoMan hisses. "Take me back to my operator, you damn thieves!"
"This one's got a mouth," the thief-human mutters to his companion, who scoffs.
"Might still be worth something, though," the bumping-human points out. "Let's take it to the pawn shop and see if-"
"Don't you even think about selling me, you bastards!" ProtoMan screeches. "Take me back to my operator, now!"
The screen flickers and glitches for several moments in response to his anger, and when it stops, ProtoMan sees the two humans looking startled. His triumph at startling them is quickly dashed when their expressions fall into disappointment.
"Dammit, this thing's glitched," the bumping-human says. He glares at the thief-human. "You said it would be worth something if we took it! No one's gonna want a glitchy PET, this thing's worthless!"
ProtoMan presses his hands against the screen as hope flares in his systems. "If I'm worthless, then just take me back to my operator!" he tells them.
"Shut up, you stupid glitch," the thief-human snaps at him. He looks at his companion. "Look, how was I supposed to know, huh? It's not like I could see the screen. Besides, we didn't lose anything, anyway. If we tried to sell this and only found out how glitched it is in the shop, we'd end up losing money."
"Yeah, I guess so," the bumping-human grumbles. He sighs in frustration. "We'll have to find something else to sell, then."
The bumping-human gets to his feet, and the thief-human glances at the PET.
"What do I do with this thing?" he asks his companion.
"I don't care, it's worthless anyway!" the bumping-human exclaims. "Just dump it and let's go, already."
"No, wait!" ProtoMan cries. The thief-human ignores him as he tosses the PET onto the ground and gets up. "Take me back to my operator!"
The humans start to walk away, and ProtoMan scratches at the screen desperately.
"At least unlock the PET!" he calls. "Hey! Get back here!"
It's no use. The humans are gone within moments, and ProtoMan and Dark Shadow are left abandoned in the alley.
Hours pass by, and ProtoMan still tries to shout for help. With the PET locked like this, he can't even contact Arcadia or Mimic to let them know where he is. Not that he even knows where he is, anyway - he has no access to a map, since that would require going onto the internet, and the thief-human had literally kept him in the dark until they got to the alley, so he can't retrace their steps, either.
He could be anywhere on the island right now, and Chaud would never be able to find him.
As soon as that thought crosses his mind, ProtoMan goes silent. A wave of despair floods through his systems, and he backs away from the screen until he's pressed against the wall of the PET. He slides down until he's sitting, then draws his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them, resting his chin on his knees as he stares out at the dark alley.
They will find us, Dark Shadow says, crawling over and settling down next to him. Owl-brother has mind program. Will find us.
"The island's too big for him to search more than one area at a time," ProtoMan whispers, huddling into a miserable ball. "It could be days before he finds us. And by then, someone else could pick up this PET." He buries his face in his arms. "We might never get back to Chaud . . ."
Dark Shadow puts its cold hand on his shoulder. Will find us, it insists. Looking now. I know this.
"They might not find us," ProtoMan mumbles into his arms.
He knows Arcadia, Chaud, and Mimic would never give up looking for them, but what if someone else does pick up the PET? He'll probably get sold, despite the glitches, and who knows where he'll end up. He might not even stay on the island - for all he knows, he could get sold to someone who lives in Kingland, or maybe even Netfrica, and he'll never see Chaud or Mimic or Arcadia or any of his friends ever again.
Dark Shadow presses against him, cold but comforting, and ProtoMan reminds himself that even if he does get sold, at least he won't be alone.
He still wants Chaud, though. He wants Arcadia, and he wants Mimic. He wants to be with all of his family, not stuck in an alley somewhere in a country he's never been to before.
Night falls, and Dark Shadow convinces ProtoMan to go into sleep mode, at least until morning. He's reluctant, because what if some human comes by and picks up the PET while he's in sleep mode? But Dark Shadow promises to wake him up if anyone comes, so he goes into sleep mode even though he doesn't particularly want to.
By the time he comes out of sleep mode, it's early morning. No humans have picked up the PET, since the view on the screen is still the same as it was yesterday, but that also means he's still lost.
ProtoMan automatically reaches out to check the messages, and then abruptly remembers that he can't. The PET is still locked, so he can't send messages, and he can't receive them, either. What moronic human decided to create a full lock-down for a PET? What possible use could this function have other than torturing a NetNavi or keeping them prisoner?
This isn't fair. If - no, when - he gets back to Chaud, he's going to tell Chaud to get rid of the lock-down function. And then he's going to get Chaud to do the same for Mimic's PET, because even though she doesn't know how to use it, this cursed function is still on her PET and ProtoMan doesn't want to risk Arcadia getting trapped the same way he is right now.
He's so caught up in his despondent frustration that he doesn't notice the footsteps until a shadow looms over the PET, and then he hears an annoyed voice.
"Dingo!" the voice shouts. "Dingo, we're gonna be late, stop dawdling already!"
"Aw, c'mon!"
The shadow looming over the PET is a human, and it was the human who just spoke. Since ProtoMan can't see another human nearby, he guesses the annoyed voice belongs to a NetNavi.
The human peers at the PET, and then his expression lights up when he sees ProtoMan and Dark Shadow huddled near the back. The image on the screen moves as the human picks up the PET, getting to his feet at the same time.
"Whoa, there's a NetNavi in here!" the human exclaims excitedly. Then he frowns. "Why would anyone throw away a perfectly good PET with a NetNavi inside?"
"We're gonna be late!" the Navi shouts again.
"Oh, c'mon, TomahawkMan," the human complains. "Look, someone abandoned this poor NetNavi, and you expect me to leave it? He looks so lonely! Well, aside from that shadowy thing next to him."
The human takes out another PET from his pocket and shows ProtoMan to its occupant. The NetNavi reminds ProtoMan of MegaMan, though he looks absolutely nothing like him. There's a feathered headdress attached to his helmet, and his armour is a lighter blue than MegaMan's. There's also an axe-like weapon attached to his right arm in place of a hand.
Maybe it's the dynamic between Navi and operator. MegaMan is always telling Lan off for being late - or he used to, before Mimic began living with him, and they started getting to school earlier for her sake. But it's still the same kind of dynamic, so that may be why this Navi reminds ProtoMan of MegaMan.
The NetNavi - TomahawkMan, if he heard right - looks at ProtoMan for a moment or two. Whatever he sees must be pitiful, because his expression softens, as does his tone.
"Hey there," TomahawkMan greets ProtoMan. "You look pretty sad. Are you okay? What's your name?"
The response is almost automatic. "ProtoMan."
"That sounds familiar . . ." the human murmurs. He shrugs. "Oh, well. I'm Dingo, and this is TomahawkMan!"
"Have you been in this alley for very long?" TomahawkMan asks. "When was the last time you saw your operator?"
"Yesterday," ProtoMan replies. These two are pretty nice - maybe they can help him get back to Chaud. Dingo seems kind of crass, but he obviously has a good heart, and TomahawkMan's gentle tone helps to put ProtoMan at ease a little.
"Aw . . ." Dingo seems to deflate upon hearing that. "Your operator abandoned you on parade day? That's so sad . . ."
ProtoMan jolts. "Wh- no!" he exclaims, getting to his feet. Dark Shadow follows him as he heads over to the screen. "That's not what happened. I wasn't abandoned."
TomahawkMan gives him a sympathetic look. "Look, buddy, I'm really sorry to have to tell you this, but you're on lock-down and you were abandoned in an alley," he says gently. "Your operator obviously didn't want you getting out of that PET."
"I wasn't abandoned!" ProtoMan insists.
Dingo and TomahawkMan exchange a glance, and ProtoMan growls upon seeing their pitying expressions.
"My operator would never abandon me!" he snaps. "Don't talk like you know what happened, you assholes! You don't know my operator and you don't know what happened to me!"
"Wow, rude," Dingo says, blinking and looking a little offended. "We're trying to help you, dude."
"Then try fucking listening to me, instead of jumping to conclusions!" ProtoMan hisses.
"Alright, alright, hold on," TomahawkMan says, before Dingo can retort. "What do you think happened, ProtoMan?"
The emphasis on 'you' makes ProtoMan bristle even more. "I was stolen," he explains, trying to at least make some effort to flatten his hair and stop baring his teeth. "I was at the parade with my operator, and a human knocked me out of his hands. Then another human picked me up and took me here. They wanted to sell me, but they decided I was worthless because of my glitches, so they left me here."
"Glitches?" Dingo repeats.
As if in response, the screen flickers. Not as badly as it did when ProtoMan was yelling at the two humans who stole him, but enough that it's noticeable for Dingo and TomahawkMan.
"Ah, glitches," Dingo says, nodding. "Eh, it doesn't look too bad."
"The flickering is just one part of my glitching," ProtoMan informs him. "There's more, but it only shows up when I'm in a network." He shakes his head. "Look, can you just help me get back to my operator? He's worried sick, I know he is."
"Alright, what's his name?" Dingo asks.
"Chaud Blaze."
Dingo pauses. "That name sounds familiar, too," he murmurs.
ProtoMan tilts his head. "Do . . . do you not watch TV?" he asks hesitantly. Chaud has literally been all over the news ever since he went back to being IPC's vice president.
"Haven't had much opportunity lately," Dingo replies. He perks up. "Is your operator a NetBattler?"
"Among other things," ProtoMan agrees. "So, um, could you take me to him . . . ?"
"Sure!" Dingo exclaims cheerfully. "Where does he live?"
"In Japan, but he's temporarily living in Netopia," ProtoMan answers.
Dingo and TomahawkMan stare at him. There's a beat of silence, and then Dingo breaks it.
"How am I supposed to return you to someone who lives in a different country!?" he wails.
ProtoMan is confused for a moment, and then he realises the problem. "Oh, no, he's still here!" he calls, trying to get Dingo's attention. "He wouldn't leave without me! Are you- do you live on the island? Do you know where the research facility is?"
"Uh . . . well, I don't exactly live here," Dingo says, and ProtoMan almost slumps in disappointment before getting confused as Dingo continues. "I'm a traveller, but I've been sticking around here for a while now, so I know my way around, and-"
"I didn't ask for your life story," ProtoMan interrupts, sensing that this could drag on for a while if he lets it. "I asked if you know where the research facility is."
"Yeah, it's on the other side of the island," Dingo replies.
ProtoMan is stunned into silence for a moment as he processes that. The other side of the island? Those thieving humans stole him and took him so far away from Chaud that he never would've had any hope of getting back to him if Dingo hadn't shown up.
"Can you take me there?" ProtoMan asks, deciding to deal with that later. "If Chaud isn't there, then you can ask for a human called Dr. Yuichiro Hikari. He knows me, and he can contact my operator's sister to let them know where I am."
"Sure!" Dingo agrees, and ProtoMan feels almost intense relief that he's finally getting somewhere.
And then TomahawkMan speaks up, and his hopes plummet once again.
"Dingo, you're already late enough as it is," TomahawkMan scolds his operator. He glances at ProtoMan with an apologetic wince. "Look, I'm really sorry, but Dingo needs to get to work. We can't afford to take a detour across the entire island."
ProtoMan slumps a little. "N-no, it's okay," he says quietly. "I understand. Chaud works too, so . . . I know about that kinda stuff."
Dingo obviously hears the disappointment in his tone, and he rushes to reassure ProtoMan. "Hey, but, as soon as I'm off work, I can take you to the research facility!" he offers. "Or maybe I'll pass by while I'm working, and I can drop you off then! How's that?"
"Pass by while you're working?" ProtoMan repeats, tilting his head curiously.
"He's a delivery boy for a curry shop, so he goes all over the island," TomahawkMan explains. "Speaking of . . . Dingo! You gotta get moving!"
"Ack!" Dingo quickly shoves his PET back into its holder and takes off running. "Crap, they're gonna kill me!"
He puts Chaud's PET into his pocket while he's running, but there's enough room on the screen for ProtoMan to see where they're going. Dingo's pretty fast for a normal human - of course, he can't compare to the speeds that Chaud and Mimic are capable of reaching, but for a normal human, ProtoMan has to admit it's impressive. Maybe his panic at being late for work is lending him a bit of extra speed.
After several minutes of running, Dingo begins to slow down. At first ProtoMan thinks they've arrived, but then he hears Dingo groaning.
"I'm lost!" he complains. "I can't believe this . . . I'm late, and I'm lost!"
That makes two of us, ProtoMan thinks, though he's not sure if he counts as 'lost' anymore since Dingo found him and promised to take him to the research facility.
He sees Dingo moving, and then there's some kind of axe-like weapon in his hands. ProtoMan immediately feels a flash of alarm, because what kind of human child carries around a weapon like that? But then he sees Dingo clutching it to his chest and hears him murmuring some kind of chant.
"Sky spirits, earth spirits, lend me your aid," Dingo murmurs. "Show me where I need to go!"
He throws the axe-thing into the air, watching as it spins through, and then it lands some distance away with the handle pointing down the street.
"That way!" Dingo exclaims, taking off in the direction his weapon's handle is pointing.
Dingo picks up his weapon as he runs past it, and ProtoMan exchanges an incredulous glance with Dark Shadow. What kind of navigation method is that? Dingo has a PET - why can't he just ask TomahawkMan to get a map or something?
"Dingo!" TomahawkMan shouts. "Stop throwing your tomahawk everywhere! This is why you're always late in the first place!"
Tomahawk? Oh, so that's what the axe-thing is called. And apparently Dingo does this on a regular basis. Well, good to know that ProtoMan is in the hands of a complete moron.
Still, it's better than being sold. At least he knows Dingo will keep his word and return him to Chaud . . . eventually . . . if he can find the research facility.
We're doomed, aren't we? ProtoMan asks.
Yes, Dark Shadow replies.
ProtoMan sighs.
Dingo doesn't find his workplace immediately. He's still lost, and although this was somewhat entertaining at first, now it's just kind of annoying. His answer to getting lost is to throw his tomahawk and then head in the direction its handle points when it lands, and then ends up getting even more lost as a result.
After a few more minutes of not finding his way, Dingo decides to have a rest. He sits on the wall separating the street from the beach, and ProtoMan tries not to hiss at the sound of waves washing on the sand. At the very least, he doesn't need to focus on that hated sound, because Dingo takes out both PETs and looks at them, a very successful distraction from the water.
"So, how come you're locked in that PET, anyway?" Dingo asks ProtoMan. "Did those guys who stole you do it?"
ProtoMan can't help but blink at him, stunned that he managed to guess right for once. So far Dingo's just been completely wrong or totally stupid. He kind of reminds ProtoMan of Lan - he seems like an idiot, and definitely acts like one, but there's a brain under all that stupidity and he's a genuinely nice person on top of it.
"Yeah, they did," ProtoMan replies, after a moment or two. "And I can't unlock it myself, otherwise I would've found Chaud on my own ages ago." An idea suddenly occurs to him. "Hey, can you unlock it for me? Then I can send a message to my operator's sister and let them know where I am!"
But Dingo winces apologetically. "I dunno how to work the lock-down thingy," he says. "Honestly, I wouldn't want to know, if this is what it does."
"I might be able to unlock it," TomahawkMan offers. "The lock-down function requires an outside source to activate or deactivate, and I should count, since I'm not connected to that PET."
ProtoMan blinks. "Er, that's . . . that's a good idea, but-"
"Gimme a second!" TomahawkMan tells him.
"Wait-" ProtoMan tries to say, but TomahawkMan streams out of Dingo's PET before he can finish.
Almost immediately, the unauthorised access alarm rings out sharply, and ProtoMan flinches away from the sound. TomahawkMan reappears in Dingo's PET, looking startled and a little disgruntled.
"The heck was that?" he demands.
"S-sorry," ProtoMan says. "I tried to warn you . . ."
"Unauthorised access?" Dingo reads the window that popped up at the same time as the alarm. "Wait, you said to take you to the research facility . . ." He gasps. "Is your operator a government worker or something? Is there top-secret information on this PET?"
" . . . No," ProtoMan replies, after a short pause. "No, there isn't. My operator created something called the friends program - basically, it only lets NetNavis who're on the friends list into this PET, and rejects those who aren't recognised by it. Hence the unauthorised access alarm."
"Why would your operator make something like that?" Dingo asks, with a curious blink.
ProtoMan lowers his head a little, unsure if he's feeling embarrassed or ashamed of himself. "There are . . . there're some NetNavis who . . . who are mean to me. And my operator doesn't want me to get hurt by them. So . . . s-so he made the friends program to protect me."
"Mean as in bullying kinda mean?" Dingo asks. ProtoMan nods, and Dingo immediately looks offended. "That's just wrong! Bullying isn't nice at all!"
"It's good that your operator made that program to keep you safe, though," TomahawkMan says. "At least, it proves he cares about you, so you really weren't abandoned."
"You still thought I was abandoned, even after I told you what happened?" ProtoMan asks in disbelief.
"Well . . . kinda," TomahawkMan admits, sounding a little embarrassed.
"Wait, I have an idea!" Dingo exclaims. "If this friends program thing only lets in Navis who're on your friends list, then just add TomahawkMan to that list! It'll let him in then, won't it?"
"Well, it would, but . . ." Does Dingo really not know how the lock-down function works? Then again, neither does Mimic. Maybe ProtoMan should explain how it works when he gets back, just in case. "With the lock-down function activated, I can't access any of the PET's functions, and that includes the friends list. I can't even look at it, never mind add anyone to it."
"Aw." Dingo pouts.
"It doesn't really matter," TomahawkMan says. "We'll be taking you to the research facility anyway, so either way, you'll still get back to your operator and the lock-down function will be deactivated when that happens." He turns his attention to his operator. "Whatever the case, you still need to get to work! And this time, I'll navigate!"
They eventually find Dingo's workplace, thanks to TomahawkMan's interference. ProtoMan thinks he should've just insisted on navigating in the first place, but Dingo was being extremely stubborn earlier, and it's probably very unlikely that he would've listened even if TomahawkMan had tried to tell him where to go.
Yeah, these two are definitely just like Lan and MegaMan. Except Dingo has a weapon. And uses it to navigate. Even though he has TomahawkMan.
Okay, so maybe not entirely like Lan and MegaMan.
"I'm here!" Dingo shouts, as he sprints through the doors of his workplace. "Sorry I'm late! I have an actual reason this time!"
"No you don't," TomahawkMan says.
"Shut up, yes I do," Dingo hisses back.
"And what is your excuse this time, Dingo?" a very familiar voice sighs.
ProtoMan's mouth drops open.
No, he thinks. No way. It can't be that easy. He exchanges a glance with Dark Shadow. Can it?
Dark Shadow gestures toward the screen, silently indicating that he should check.
ProtoMan steps up to it. The angle is kind of awkward, since he's stuffed back in Dingo's pocket, but he can just about see the familiar shape of Yahoot - the former second-in-command of World Three - standing with his arms crossed.
"I found this NetNavi-" Dingo begins, but ProtoMan's too impatient to wait for him to explain.
"Yahoot!" he shouts. "Yahoot, it's me, ProtoMan!"
Yahoot uncrosses his arms out of shock. "ProtoMan?"
Dingo seems surprised, but he takes out Chaud's PET and shows it to Yahoot anyway. "You know this Navi?" he asks his- his boss. Yahoot is Dingo's boss.
Holy shit, it really is that easy.
ProtoMan grins when he sees Yahoot properly, and Dark Shadow practically bounces beside him.
"How did you find this NetNavi?" Yahoot asks, reaching out to take the PET from Dingo.
"He was in an alley," Dingo explains. "He says some guys stole him from his operator and then just dumped him there. But, Yahoot, how come you know who he is?"
"I know his operator," Yahoot replies. "I've met him and his twin sister."
ProtoMan isn't surprised by that statement - he knows that Lan, with Chaud and Mimic's permission, had called the former World Three members (plus Dex) to tell them about, well, about Chaud and Mimic. He doesn't know how they all reacted to the news, but at least that makes things easier now, and no one will wonder why there's suddenly two of them instead of just one.
"You were stolen, ProtoMan?" Yahoot now turns his attention to ProtoMan. "When did this happen?"
"Yesterday," ProtoMan replies. He shrinks in on himself a little. "Could . . . could you help me, please? I wanna go back to Chaud . . ."
Yahoot's expression softens. "Of course, dear friend," he says, and ProtoMan immediately perks up. "But first, why did you not do this yourself? You should be able to contact Chaud on your own."
"I'm locked in here," ProtoMan explains. "Dingo and TomahawkMan tried to help me, but they couldn't get in. I could contact Mimic if someone could unlock the PET for me."
He looks at Yahoot hopefully. Yahoot nods and brings up the lock-down function, and then, after a few brief moments that seem to last almost an eternity, he deactivates it.
ProtoMan feels the return of his access to all the functions of the PET, and can't hold in an excited and grateful screech that makes the screen flicker spastically. Yahoot chuckles and hands the PET back to Dingo, who looks a little startled at the sound ProtoMan made, though he seems pretty happy for him.
"Go ahead and contact your operator," Yahoot tells ProtoMan. "And while you wait, would you like to relax in our network? I'm sure GutsMan would be pleased to see you."
"Yes, thank you!" ProtoMan exclaims happily. "Thank you so much, Yahoot! And Dingo and TomahawkMan!"
"Wow," Dingo says, blinking in surprise. "He's been pretty gloomy this entire time, and now it's like he's a totally different Navi . . ."
"He is quite an odd NetNavi, to be sure," Yahoot agrees.
ProtoMan's too happy to care that Yahoot basically just called him a freak.
He sends a message to Mimic's PET and gets one back almost immediately, saying that they're on their way. Now all ProtoMan has to do is wait for Chaud and Mimic to arrive, and while he does that, he can hang out in Number Two Curry's network, as Yahoot offered.
Dingo jacks him in with TomahawkMan, and ProtoMan very nearly can't contain his excitement when he sees GutsMan waiting for them.
"ProtoMan, guts!" GutsMan exclaims, opening his arms wide.
ProtoMan lets out a little chirping noise that he normally would be embarrassed about making, but he's too happy to see someone he actually knows to care anymore. He bounds forward, almost skidding on the floor of the network, and jumps into GutsMan's waiting arms.
"Kitty-cat," GutsMan coos, picking up ProtoMan and running a hand down his back.
ProtoMan leans into the touch and purrs. Even when he insisted he wasn't a cat, he still enjoyed being petted - Arcadia and MegaMan will always be his favourites, because they always seem to know exactly where and how to pet him. But GutsMan is a close second, because his hands are literally the perfect size for this kind of thing, and ProtoMan can happily lay himself across GutsMan's arm while his other hand pets him.
Okay, so it probably sounds a bit weird, but ProtoMan's a cat. Cats enjoy being petted. Just ask Ragdoll.
"Wait, he's a cat?" TomahawkMan sounds shocked. "He looks like a human-Navi, though!"
"Yep, ProtoMan's a kitty-cat, guts," GutsMan replies, still occupied with petting ProtoMan.
"He used to be a human-Navi," FireMan tells TomahawkMan, coming over from a pot of curry. "But he was infected with a virus that turned him into a cat-Navi."
"A virus?" TomahawkMan blinks, and suddenly he looks worried. "Is . . . is it contagious, or . . . ?"
"Oh, he's perfectly safe," MagicMan tells him, in a serene tone that matches his operator's voice. "Well, as safe as you or I, anyway. He's actually one of the most powerful NetNavis that currently exists in the entire cyberworld, to be honest."
TomahawkMan turns his attention back to ProtoMan. "Him?" he asks incredulously. "Seriously? GutsMan's holding him like a real world cat and he's petting him and he's purring. You're that NetNavi is one of the most powerful Navis that exists?"
FireMan and MagicMan nod, and TomahawkMan looks completely shocked and confused.
It doesn't take long for Chaud and Mimic to arrive at Number Two Curry, but while he's waiting, ProtoMan decides to lie across GutsMan's shoulders as the bulky Navi works. He's not going to hamper GutsMan while he's supposed to be doing his job, but he also doesn't want to stray too far from the one Navi he actually knows best out of all the Navis in this network, so lying across his shoulders is the best compromise he could come up with.
GutsMan doesn't seem to mind, at least. Whenever he has a moment, he reaches up almost absently and gives ProtoMan a quick pet, and then gets back to work while ProtoMan purrs. TomahawkMan hangs around as well, still wondering how such an odd NetNavi could apparently be so powerful. His confusion is absolutely hilarious, but ProtoMan's too busy anticipating the arrival of his operator and his brother and his operator's sister to laugh about it right now.
He knows they've arrived when Arcadia streams into the network. ProtoMan sees a white flash out of the corner of his eyes, and then pushes himself up to look over in that direction - and when he sees Arcadia, he doesn't even hesitate.
ProtoMan launches himself off GutsMan's shoulders, bolts across the floor, and hurls himself at his brother. Arcadia is laughing as they both go down, and ProtoMan purrs too hard to speak as he nuzzles him happily.
"Arcadia's here!" GutsMan cheers, immediately abandoning his work to come over and greet him. The former World Three Navis don't seem to mind - in fact, ProtoMan even sees ColourMan giggling before the clown-Navi gets back to work.
"Hi, GutsMan!" Arcadia replies. He manages to push himself into a sitting position and ProtoMan curls himself around his brother, still purring. Arcadia wraps his wings around them both and tightens his grip on ProtoMan. "I'm so glad you're okay . . ."
ProtoMan's shadows drift around them happily, adding their cold but comforting presence to the warmth of Arcadia's wings. Dark Shadow doesn't need to form itself to let them know how happy it is that they're finally back together again.
"ProtoMan!"
ProtoMan untangles himself from Arcadia - without letting go, because he doesn't want to let go, he's too happy about seeing his little brother again to let go of him - and perks up as the screen of Chaud's PET appears. He sees his operator's face, and he's never been happier to see Chaud in his life (except when Chaud finally got his own body after he and Mimic were separated, of course).
He starts purring harder, too happy to speak. Then Mimic appears, looking over Chaud's shoulder, and ProtoMan practically melts.
They're here. He's found. He's not lost anymore. He has his whole family back.
Chaud looks so relieved to see him safe, and ProtoMan can easily see the tears in his eyes, though they don't spill over. The image on the screen moves closer to Chaud as he hugs the PET to his chest, and ProtoMan reaches out to brush a hand against the screen. They can't hug for real - he wishes they could, and he'd never let go if he ever got to hug Chaud properly - but this is as close as they can get.
"Thank you so much for finding him," Chaud says emphatically. It takes ProtoMan a moment to realise that he's talking to the former members of World Three, and Dex and Dingo.
Dex and Dingo work in the same shop, so does that make them members of the former World Three as well? Considering Neo World Three is currently making trouble in Japan, maybe they should just refer to these people as the original World Three, rather than the former World Three. As a whole, including Dex and Dingo, and their Navis, GutsMan and TomahawkMan.
"No problem!" Dingo replies cheerfully. "I'm glad it all worked out so well!"
"Yes, it's quite lucky that Dingo was the one who found your PET," Yahoot agrees.
"Hey, you guys!" Dex's voice calls from nearby, and then gets louder as he comes closer. "I haven't seen you since that NetFootball thing. How've you been?"
ProtoMan hears the voice of Mr. Match next. "Why don't we catch up over some curry?" he suggests. "We don't have any customers right now, anyway."
"Aw, but it'd be feel wrong to charge them for food after we looked after ProtoMan for them . . ." Dingo complains.
"Not to worry, Dingo," Yahoot replies, sounding amused. "Chaud and Mimic are both entitled to free meals whenever they come to Number One or Number Two Curry."
"Wait, seriously?" Dingo sounds shocked. "How come?"
"Because I was an idiot." That's the voice of Count Zap speaking now, and he still sounds as though he deeply regrets refusing to give food to Chaud and Mimic back when they were living on the streets.
They'd been in the same body then, and Master Blaze had disowned Mimic mere days ago. She was starving at that point, and went to Number One Curry to try and beg for food - unfortunately, it had been Count Zap who had answered the door when she knocked. They hadn't exactly gotten along at that point, and Count Zap refused to give her any food when ProtoMan and Arcadia tried to beg him, but luckily Mr. Match came out and gave Mimic something to eat.
And then, weeks later during the goodbye party before Yai, Dex, and the original World Three left Japan, Count Zap apologised to Mimic and told her that she'd get free meals from Number One Curry for life. Yahoot approved of it, and Lan said that Yahoot had extended that offer to both Chaud and Mimic after they were separated, because that promise was made to them while they were in the same body - therefore, it was made to both of them, even if everyone thought there was only one of them at the time.
Count Zap doesn't explain any of that to Dingo, though. It's too complicated and wretched to explain, and besides, no one really wants to dampen the happy mood after ProtoMan has finally been reunited with his family.
"Don't think about that now," Maddy says. "Come on, we just reunited a kid with his Navi - let's have some fun! Hey, you two, what do you wanna eat?"
"Do you s-still do paprika chicken noodles?" Mimic asks eagerly, propping herself up on Chaud's shoulders.
There's a beat of shocked silence. At first ProtoMan thinks it's because Mimic asked about noodles, and wonders why that's so strange - because he's pretty sure Number One Curry had noodles on the menu, even though they're a curry shop. So Number Two Curry should be the same, since it's run by the same people.
Then he realises it's because Mimic asked. As in, she spoke. On her own, not through anyone else via sign language. It's not the only time the original World Three has heard her speak, but they haven't heard her speak recently, and they wouldn't know about all the progress Mimic has made with her self-confidence and ability to speak.
"The kid can talk!" Mr. Match cheers, breaking the silence. "Hell yeah!"
He appears in view on the screen and ruffles Mimic's hair, and she lets him mess it up with a quiet laugh. It's messy to start off with, so it's not like it makes much difference.
"And you spoke so well, too," Yahoot compliments Mimic with a smile. "I can sense the quiet confidence of peace within you."
"She's a lot better at talking now, yeah," Chaud agrees, laughing a little. "Can I just have normal curry? I'm not really as big on it as Lan is, or as crazy about noodles as Mimic . . ."
ProtoMan manages to stop purring long enough to call out, "Yeah, he just drinks coffee all day and then wonders why he's hungry the next morning!"
Chaud gives him a glare that quickly breaks down into an amused snort as he fails to contain his amusement. "Typical, the first thing you actually say to me when we're back together is an insult."
ProtoMan grins at him and starts purring again.
"Sugar addict," Mimic sings softly.
"I am not!" Chaud protests. He looks at ProtoMan. "Don't even think about saying anything."
ProtoMan sticks out his tongue in response, since he's once again purring too much to speak. He doesn't need to anyway - the long-suffering but fond expression on Chaud's face tells him that he knows exactly what ProtoMan would say if he could speak at the moment.
While the humans get the food ready for a curry party, ProtoMan continues to purr and hug Arcadia. He doesn't want to let go, and it seems that Arcadia shares his feelings, because his grip hasn't loosened on ProtoMan since he arrived. GutsMan sits beside them, a bulky and cheerful presence, and occasionally reaches out to give ProtoMan a brief pet which he leans into very happily.
(How far away it seems when ProtoMan used to flinch away from the slightest touch of anyone who wasn't Arcadia. Now he basks in the touch of all his friends, enjoys their contact and their presence, even if they don't speak and just simply pet him. He practically thrives on the love of his family and friends, just like Mimic.)
MagicMan leans over to TomahawkMan as the curry party gets underway. "By the way, that white owl-Navi is another of the most powerful NetNavis in the entire cyberworld."
TomahawkMan gapes at him, and then at Arcadia. "Are you kidding me?" he demands incredulously.
This time, ProtoMan does laugh at his confusion. It's amazing how deceiving appearances can be, sometimes - and he's perfectly fine with admitting that he and Arcadia really don't look or act like they're all that powerful. Neither does MegaMan, to be honest, because he's another Navi who's ridiculously powerful, but he's so nice and polite that you wouldn't realise how powerful he is until you see him in action. The only one who really looks the part is Bass, with his black armour and trademark bad temper and his ragged cloak.
But power doesn't really matter to ProtoMan. He's happy if he has his family around him, and that's all he cares about. His family, his friends, and NetBattling. Those are his favourite things in the whole world.
He purrs and nuzzles Arcadia, who rubs his helmet the same way Mimic rubs Ragdoll's head, and GutsMan adds to the petting by running his hand down ProtoMan's back.
Okay, his family, his friends, NetBattling, and being petted. Those are his favourite things in the whole world.