Chapter 2- This House Is On Fire!
The following is a fan-made work of fiction. Certain original characters made by myself will be claimed under my ownership. However, I do not nor will I ever claim to own Mega Man Battle Network.
Mega Man Battle Network © Capcom
Ripley Marduk © HatOnFire/Me
Before I knew it, school passed me by in a flash. I was so absorbed by what Ripley told me, the entire day went fast. What he said sounded too good to be true, but that tone of his was sincere. He said that it was possible, so I took his word for it.
"There's just one problem here," I stated to Mega Man, holding my PET in my left hand. "Why is all my homework due tomorrow?!"
"…I honestly thought you were still thinking about your conversation with Ripley," Mega Man sighed with a facepalm, understandably annoyed with me.
"I was," I replied, "But I'll think about that later."
I walked out of the building, ignoring many stares from my peers. Truth be told, I wasn't sure what they were thinking about, but I assume it wasn't anything good.
"Hey, Lan?" My Navi asked, seeing my expression. "Don't let the other students get to you. They don't know a thing about you."
"They know what I did a few weeks ago," I couldn't help but say, "They're all afraid of me. Afraid that I'm no better than the criminals the Officials take in."
"You're only human. If anyone was in your shoes, they might have done the same thing you did."
"But I acted in the moment without thinking. That wasn't the first time."
"And far from the last, right?" Mega Man grinned, chuckling between his teeth.
"Roll might be onto something, you know?" I blew some air out of my mouth, unable to ignore her words. "I'm nothing without you."
"Come on, Lan!" My blue friend chided, "Don't think like that! Look, if it makes you feel better, I'm nothing without you! Just because I'm a Navi, I can't battle viruses alone!"
"Yes, you can. Your Mega Buster just needs some fine tuning, and then you can take on anything."
"But I can't use Battle Chips! I need you to do that! I depend on you!"
"I know that," I replied, turning my eyes to the PET. The sidewalk I was walking on went left around the corner, so my legs followed the path. "But maybe you're better off without me. I'm the last guy you should be with, anyway."
"And what?" Mega crossed his arms, "Miss out on criminals getting their comeuppance? Miss the satisfaction of winning a Net Battle with you?"
"I mean, that is satisfying," I concurred with a nod, "But now, I'm one mess shy from having everything I know and still remember falling apart."
"You'll have to work through it, Lan," My friend told me, "But you're not alone in this. Because I'm here."
"Yeah," I smiled a little bit, "You're stuck with me."
I didn't know at the time, but I would learn from Mayl that she overheard me when I was leaving the school. My bitter agreement with Roll was enough for her to get the gist. I could only guess how the conversation went, but it might've gone like this.
"Roll, when we meet with Lan later, you have to apologize to him."
"He said 'Sticks and stones,' right, Mayl? I didn't think he would take what I said seriously."
"You know what Lan got himself into. His recklessness did cause him to get arrested, and he realized that there are consequences."
"You're right. I wasn't fair in mocking him, since I remember that you had to restrain yourself from lashing out at that guy, too."
"Yeah…"
Mayl insisted that was what happened behind my back, but who can say? Well, I may see Roll as an insufferable tagalong, but she really is helpful and nice when you get to know her. I just blinded myself to the good parts about her. Just like how I didn't see any good in a few other things, really. Why I did that, you'll figure out later.
01101011001101010101110111000100100010011010110100101001
So, there I was, right at my modern-looking house. It had white walls with a blue roof, the middle part of the roof appearing as round as a cylinder. There was a doghouse next to it, without a dog. This thing serves as a security system, actually.
I was about to open the door, but a man opened it up and came out of the house.
"Thank you for coming by!" I could hear my mother call out in the house.
"Not at all, ma'am!" The guy replied, "All in a day's work!"
He had long red hair and a goatee pointing out from his chin. He wore a green and gray repairman uniform, with a green cap shielding his eyes from the sun.
"Excuse me, sir," He said, moving past me politely.
"A repairman?" I questioned, seeing him get into his car. "Did something break?"
"Mom probably called someone to check on our house oven," Mega Man speculated, "There have been a string of arsons caused by faulty programming in ovens lately."
"Faulty programming in ovens?" I couldn't help repeating in confusion, "What kind of dumb news report did you listen to?"
"The one that just got sent to our message board."
I pulled out my PET as the report came up on screen. After a quick read, I got what Mega meant.
"But most ovens these days should have a secure network, just like the others." I pointed out, "Sure, viruses can mess up the programming, but they won't pose too much of a threat. Not unless the protection software gets infected."
"And the software kicks in and deletes viruses one by one, and there aren't any large groups that could threaten the protection software."
"They usually get deleted before that point."
"So as usual, the news is unreliable…" Mega Man concluded.
"Yeah, it's really shoddy these days," I admitted, getting inside the house. "But how else are we going to hear about what happens in ACDC?"
"That's true."
"Oh, hello, Lan," My mom called, "So, how was your day today?"
"It was alright," I replied, "I was just thinking about a few things, that's all."
She was wearing brown sandals, a long green skirt that went down to her ankles, and a purple shirt with a white line going around the shirt once. She had brown eyes and brown hair, and had pink lips due to a lipstick she keeps on her.
This is my mother, Haruka Hikari. She has done nothing but raise me as best she could, and here I am, letting her down.
"Did you download the chip into Mega Man yet?" She asked me, and I pulled out that chip the detective gave me.
"I'll get to it," I told, "But what does it do, besides upgrade Mega Man?"
"I'm told it should also update the PET with more encrypted security," Mom said, "And it should filter messages, and increase the memory size of the hard drive."
"Is this something that came from SciLab?" I pondered, feeling uneasy.
"Yes, but this wasn't from your father."
"Wait, what?" For a moment, I thought I misheard her. "Dad didn't send us this?"
"He would leave a message for us if he did send it. But this came from someone else at SciLab. He actually delivered it to our door while you were still in detention."
"What did he look like?"
"He looked like he hadn't slept in a while, and his hair was a little messy."
'Ripley?' I thought, instantly realizing only he could fit the description. 'You sent this?'
"That reminds me," Mom put the magazine she held down on the coffee table, "You're grounded for the rest of the week."
"Huh?" It didn't register to me for a split second, but once the words set in, you could tell I was shocked. "WHAT?!"
"Lan, I need to keep an eye on you," She wasn't showing it, but I could tell how crossed she was just from her voice. "You assaulted someone you could've easily detained for the police."
"But he took some private information!" I argued, shaking my head.
"And does that change anything?!" Mom yelled, shutting me up. "He should face proper punishment under the law, not your senseless definition of justice! He didn't warrant such excessive force!"
She was right. The guy I beat up would've been tried anyway, but I let my temper get the better of me. And now, I have to pay for it.
"I've modified the computer in your room," She stated, "The only websites you're allowed to access are school websites and informative sites needed for your classes. And I've locked up all your video games for the time being."
"Yes, ma'am…" If I actually pouted right there, she would've done worse to my grounding.
"And I'll remind you it'll be a while until you can reclaim your Net Battle license. So, don't try to challenge someone to fight, or else you go to jail."
"Yes, ma'am."
"As long as we're clear on that…"
When I knew the lecture was over with, I started to climb the stairs to my room. However, halfway up…
"I don't want to see you behind that glass ever again," Mom said sadly, "I don't think I can take another trip to the Detention Center."
"It won't happen again," I swore that it wouldn't that day, and I would prove it somehow.
01101011001101010101110111000100100010011010110100101001
My room was a little cluttered, I admit, but it's cozy to me. My bed was next to the window with a balcony, a book case was across from my bed, I had my desk with my PC, a wastebasket, and there's even a closet.
Right now, I was working on writing for my English class, putting down some definitions and key words. As that was happening, my SK PET was being upgraded with Mega Man.
"And… done!" I breathed out a sigh of relief, dropping my pencil on the desk. "Oh, my wrist is so sore from all that. And I've got pencil marks on my hand, too."
"Good job, Lan!" Mega Man congratulated me, just as a chime echoed from the PET. "Well, I guess I'm through, too!"
"Alright, let's see what Ripley wanted to put in you!"
I took the PET out of the charging station and slid its keypad out, tapping the keys with my thumbs to run a diagnostic.
After a few minutes of silence and clacking keys…
"That chip did as advertised by Mom," I spoke up, "The hard drive has more memory, I can officially filter messages, and it looks like security has improved."
"There's something else here, too," Mega Man had a small, digital file levitating above his head, opening up and changing the background from light blue to bright green. In my screen, he stood next to a computerized window showing me my Navi's schematics.
The main thing about that window that caught my eye was the circle that was tallying a number. The words above that circle spelled out, "EXAMINING BATTLE DATA. DETERMINING SYNCHRO RATING."
"Synchro rating?!" I exclaimed, "Wait, that chip Ripley sent us, and that other one he gave us today…!"
"I think Ripley wanted us to be able to perform this 'Cross Fusion,'" Mega Man surmised, "Because something's going to happen soon."
"But why?!" I questioned, "It's not like we're the best Net Battlers around! The Officials are more capable than us!"
"Maybe this is because the WWW has the tech they stole from SciLab. Maybe he wants us to help him?"
"I'm good at a lot of things, but taking on a crime syndicate is not what I signed up for! Just fighting criminals that slip under the Net Police's radar!"
"WWW qualifies to an extent, Lan. And who knows what kind of crimes they could do with something like this?"
"I don't know about this, Mega Man…" I felt unsure, "If I get involved, I'll be asking for trouble, and I can't make Mom worry, let alone do something that'll get me locked up."
"EEEEEEK!" I heard a scream from downstairs, startling me.
"Mom?!" Hearing her like that got me worried. I ran downstairs, putting the PET away in my jacket pocket.
When I got to the bottom, what I saw was something that just about terrified me. My mom was on the floor, just several feet away from a scorching fire in the kitchen!
"MOM!" I yelled out, running to her. "Are you alright?!"
"I-I'm fine!" She gasped, blinking several times. I looked all over her, partially relieved the fire didn't get her anywhere. "The oven… It overheated and started a fire in the kitchen!"
"How is that possible?!" I saw the rug catch the flames, "The repairman came by to fix it, didn't he?!"
"Yes, he did!" She told me as I grabbed a fire extinguisher, "But now look at what's happening! We have to get out of here!"
"This house is not going to burn down!" I sprayed at the fire, dousing it out. But it was only temporary, since fire started to shoot out from the stoves and get to the cabinets!
"Something's wrong with the Oven Computer!" Mega Man told me from my side.
"I know!" I was in the middle of putting out the spreading fire, and I wasn't having any of it.
"You have to jack me in!"
"I'm trying!" I continued to spray, taking out the fire on the cabinet and even targeting the stove and the inside of the oven. I'm glad the flames subsided for now, but who knows how long that would last.
Once I pulled out my PET, I pressed the emblem, and my Navi would go where I needed. In this case, the Oven Computer.
"Jack in! Mega Man, Execute!"
I don't know why, but I raised my hand up with the PET as I did so. It was always cool when I did it, so don't judge me.
01101011001101010101110111000100100010011010110100101001
In a downward beam of blue light, Mega Man landed on a glowing panel embedded in the digital floor. I would know, since the PET allowed me to see the network I was connected to. That surveillance function really serves its purpose.
"You know what to do, Mega Man!" I told him, seeing that the digital landscape had so much damage to it.
A sea of flames roared beneath the ground, fire pillars rose up through the gaps, and fireballs rained from the sky, deleting bridges connecting one area to the next. On the other side, I could see the problem. There was actually an unauthorized Navi there!
This Navi was tall and appeared to have some degree of muscle, if his legs are of any indication. He had two grey cannons taking the place of his hands and forearms, and his head and neck were shaped like a grey torch, complete with fire shooting from the top. Having a grey and red color scheme, I could tell he wasn't any typical Navi.
"In the next area!" I called Mega, "There's a Navi with fire coming out of him! No doubt he's the cause of this!"
"Jacking your Navi in the Oven Computer is a brave, but foolish gesture," A voice echoed throughout the digital world, startling Mega Man. "You know the door is open specifically so you could leave your burning house, right?"
"Who is that?" The blue Navi exclaimed, "Are you the cause of the oven fire?"
"Here's a better question," The voice replied, "Am I the cause of the arsons of ACDC Town?"
"Who would ask a question like that?!" Mega Man clenched his fist, not expecting such a response.
"Only a deranged arsonist would put themselves out there!" I whispered, "We're dealing with a criminal, Mega Man! Don't give him the time of day! Just douse the fire now!"
"Right!" My blue counterpart nodded, finding a switch that looked like a knob for the stove's temperature. He twisted it to the off section, but nothing happened.
"Mega Man?!"
"It's no good!" Mega told me, "The off switch isn't working! This cyber fire is really causing problems!"
"You're telling me!" I shouted, "I could smell some burnt roast!"
"So, you're not having any home meals tonight, big deal!" Mega Man leaped out of the way of a rising fire pillar that engulfed the giant knob. "Let's worry about that, later!"
"The main systems have to be affected because of that other Navi! Let's fix it up!"
"WAIT! YOU CAN'T GO YET!"
Mega Man and I heard the voice come from a floating figure. That figure was a small floating program, a green being with yellow ear-shaped hands on his head. I know, sounds hard to believe, and the context makes more sense than any of my explanations. And the name of this little guy is Mr. Prog. All these green programs are called Mr. Prog, actually.
"What is it, Mr. Prog?"
"THE FIRE'S TOO GREAT!" Mr. Prog yelled, "YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT PAST THE FIRE TOWERS!"
"We'll, we've got to try!" Mega replied, "We're not letting our house get burned down!"
"IF YOU'RE GOING TO TRY AND DOUSE THE FIRE, THEN YOU'LL NEED THIS!" A white sphere levitated next to Mr. Prog, slowly motioning towards the Navi. "DOWNLOAD THIS, AND WHEN YOU'RE IN FRONT OF THOSE FIERY TOWERS, HOLD OUT YOUR HANDS AND A LARGE DIGITAL ICE BLOCK WILL DOUSE THE FIRE!"
"Why won't you do it if it works?!" I interrupted, almost exasperated by this green guy's eagerness to pass it off to Mega Man.
"HAVE YOU SEEN THAT NAVI WITH THE TORCH HEAD?! I'M NOT GOING IF IT MEANS I'LL GET DELETED! WE PROGRAMS CAN'T FIGHT!"
"It's typical, I know," Mega sighed, taking the sphere and absorbing it. "But let me ask: Can we use the Ice Blocks for an unlimited number of times?"
"IF THIS PLACE WASN'T TURNING INTO AN INFERNO, YOU COULD! BUT IT'S SO HOT, YOU CAN ONLY USE A SET AMOUNT!"
"So, look before you leap," I summarized, nodding my head. "Got it. No more time to waste!"
Mr. Prog saw some dark shadows leap out from behind the roaring flames, gasping in fright.
"VIRUSES!" With a shrill shriek, he scurried off, leaving Mega Man to face these things.
There were three of these viruses ready to attack my Navi. Two of them were Mettaurs, which had construction helmets covering their small bodies, and had pickaxes at the ready. The third was called VolGear, which had a gray pumpkin-like body of a mouth with a menacing pair of eyes at the top, and its mouth could spit Fire Towers at a moment's notice.
"It's been a while since you've done this, Lan," Mega Man pointed out, "Are you up for this?"
"I was born ready!" I boasted with confidence, sliding the keyboard of my PET out.
Now, just to make a Net Battle clear, I just send Battle Chips to help Mega Man delete viruses. I can do the old method and insert these chips into the PET's slot, or the more routine way, access my digital Chip Folder and it will transmit five potential chips to select in the Custom Screen. The Folder resets after a battle is complete, so I don't stress over using up the chips. They always return.
"Alright!" I used the arrow keys and the enter key to choose the chips, and with a confirmation chime, the chips were now in Mega Man's inventory for the time being. "Battle Chip! Double Mini Bomb and Panel Out 1! Triple Slot in!"
A Mettaur Virus slammed its pickaxe on the ground, unleashing a shock wave towards Mega Man, who sidestepped it with two blue spheres in his hands. Getting clear, he threw them at the helmet viruses, deleting them quickly in small explosions.
Grraaaagh! The VolGear roared, unleashing a Fire Tower on the ground in front of it. The tower moved at my Navi, but he had a pickaxe in his hand. He brought it to the floor, creating a large gap that stopped the fire from advancing further. It died out quickly without being able to keep moving.
"Mega Buster!" Mega Man had charged up his arm cannon, which had morphed from his right hand. He shot out at the virus, landing a direct hit on it.
"Battle Chip! Shotgun! Slot in!"
The blue Navi fired again, this time releasing a projectile blast that hit the virus and the area behind it, resulting in its deletion.
The words ENEMY DELETED appeared in bold on my screen, allowing me to receive data containing 100 Zenny.
"I need better chips," I concluded, "Let me go get some from my room!"
"I'll keep moving!" Mega Man ran forward, seeing a giant blaze block him from moving onward. "Time to use the Ice Block!"
Putting his hands out, Mega Man allowed a stream of data to create a large, cold cube over the fire. It instantly melted, causing digital water to douse the flame.
"What do you know?" He smirked as water flowed around his boots, "It does work!"
"Aha!" I opened a drawer, revealing a small box containing Battle Chips. When I opened it up, my heart sank when I saw most of my superior chips were gone.
One of the conditions of my small sentence was that any chips higher than the first version or capable of doing 70 Hit Points of damage or higher had to be removed and sold. Thus, it won't be easy to stop the trespassing Navi. Luckily for me, the police didn't confiscate these four battle chips in that box.
"Uh-oh!" I heard Mega Man utter those words before yelping, checking screen and seeing him evade Canodumb Viruses.
These Canodumbs are stationary green cannons on some sort of perch that lock on the target in front of them and shoot. They're usually easy to beat.
"Battle Chip! Shock Wave! Triple Slot in!" I manually inserted three Battle Chips, all of them with the same picture of a Mettaur dropping its pickaxe on the ground.
Mega gained what he needed, using three pickaxes on three Canodumbs, dispatching them with three Shock Waves.
"Good operating and timing, Lan!" He complemented me as Battle Chip data came in for me. It spelled out: Cannon C.
"Perfect!" I accepted the data and altered my Folder as Mega Man kept going, putting out fires and moving forward. "The police took away all of my strong chips, even the weaker ones needed for a Program Advance."
"We should be lucky they didn't take the Shock Wave chips."
I'll fill you in on the Program Advance when we get to that point.
"But they took all my Sword chips!" I couldn't help but complain, "How can we be expected to beat an enemy up close and personal if we don't have them!"
"Well, we have the Guts Punch chips in the Folder," Mega pointed out while dousing the fire on the bridge leading to the next area of the Oven Computer. I could tell he was trying to console me.
"And if I knew the code, I'd allow you to fire it like a rocket," I bitterly remarked, a little sore about my loss.
Entering the next area, Mega Man saw a greater fire on the floor caused by a giant virus guarded with some other ones.
The weaker viruses looked like knights, just without legs. They were in purplish-grey armor with a red spike on top of their helmets and each had a purple sword emitting some energy from it. They're Swordy Viruses.
The large one was called Big Snake 3, a snake with three segments to it. One for its head and two for its body, possessing purple scales with yellow thorns on top, an orange stripe below the scales, and a tan underside. This virus was not what I expected when Mega came to Area 2.
"What's an Undernet virus doing here?!" I exclaimed.
"I don't know!" Mega Man replied, dodging a fire breath from the large rattler. "But I need some help now!"
"Hang on, Mega Man!" I told him, looking for the chips in my pack. "Where's the stupid Aqua chips when you need them?!"
"Get away!" My Navi shot at the virus with his Mega Buster, but it wasn't so effective against it.
"Please let there be something usable here…!" As I said that, I managed to find the chips I needed. They were the Bubbler series.
Mega Man avoided the Swordys, leaping away from the range of their swords.
"Cross Gun! Double Slot in!" I had Mega fire two shots, denting the viruses with two spread shots exploding in an X.
HISS! Big Snake 3 released an egg in Mega Man's area, which left a small fire in the field. The egg hatched, revealing a small purple snake.
"Lan…" Mega jumped backward as the snake began to chase him, "I need more than that!"
"Battle Chip! Bubble Spread!"
With no time wasted, Mega Man took the chip data, and fired a huge bubble spread shot, hitting all the viruses. Despite being weak to water, the shot didn't exactly do much damage to the snake. It was meant for crowd control, anyway.
"It's still at 140 HP…" I got out the Bubbler chip, which functions like Shotgun, only the shot has bubbles. For good measure, I put Shock Wave in first and downloaded the data into the PET.
"Take this!" Mega picked off the Swordys by rapidly firing his Mega Buster at them, and he finished the fight with the snake. First, he sent the Shock Wave with a pickaxe at it. Then, when it tried to blow fire at him, he took aim and shot with Bubbler, hitting it in its mouth, resulting in its deletion.
"I hope that we're through with the worst of it…" Mega mused, seeing the small snake that attempted to coil around his leg dissipate.
"Mom, is the Fire Department here yet?" I asked her, seeing her at the phone.
"I've tried my PET and the home phone, but I can't call anyone!" She was beginning to get worried, or at least, more than she already is.
"Isn't this just another arson?" I thought aloud, watching Mega Man dispatch a Swordy with a Shock Wave and a Cross Gun chip I sent to him. He got data for another chip, and took some mystery data around him, accepting Sword Chips.
"Well, here's some swords," My Navi sent the data to my PET so I can adjust my Folder on the go.
Mega went further down the path, knocking viruses down and taking names. At the end of the road, he saw the intruder right in front of a giant oven-looking structure. Weird, I know. Just roll with it.
"Don't look now," The taunting voice appeared on a screen next to my field of vision in the PET, "But we've got company."
The voice belonged to the man with long red hair and a pointed goatee, the same guy I saw a while ago! He tossed aside his green cap and gave me an evil smirk.
"You?!" I exclaimed, seeing the oven roar out fire again. "But you're the repairman!"
"That was only a role I played!" He sneered, "I work for WWW, silly kid!"
"WWW?!" It was right there when I learned exactly what kind of danger I was in. A WWW operative was here, attacking my home and looking for something. "T-Then… The arsons in town… They weren't random at all!"
"You're pretty smart, boy!" The man who would introduce me to a life I didn't think I could live said, "My Navi and I, we do good, eh?"
"What's good about burning down other people's homes?!"
"Why are you here?!" Mega Man shouted at the red Navi with a torch for a head, "Are we just another set of victims to you?!"
"Mr. Match and I have business here, runt," This Navi's voice sounded like he had a metal mask on, carrying his voice to Mega. "I'm Fire Man. If you know what's good for your Operator's family, you'll leave. This isn't your concern."
"You're trying to burn my home to the ground…" Mega Man grit his teeth, taking a fighting stance. "It's my business, alright."
"Fire Arm!" Fire Man raised his forearms, aiming at Mega Man, and shooting two streams of fire from them.
"WOAH!" The blue Navi reacted fast, jumping to the side, escaping the blast.
"Here!" I yelled from my screen, "Battle Chip! Cannon! Double Slot in!"
The data went to Mega Man in lines of code. Instantly, his forearms morphed into green cannons. He prepared to fire at the perpetrator.
"I think not," Mr. Match muttered, imputing a command in his PET keypad with one hand.
Two Mettaur viruses spawned in front of the torch-headed Navi, taking the blows from Mega Man instead.
"Mr. Match, this isn't necessary!" He launched multiple fireballs from the top of his head, forcing Mega Man to dodge death from above. "I can handle this kid myself!"
"I know you can," The red-haired man shook his head, "But the Fire Program is vital to our cause. Forget roasting the Navi."
"Grr…" Fire Man grumbled, seeing a teleportation module in front of him. Just from looking at it, he could tell it was a link to the top of the structure in front of him. But he had another approach in mind.
First, he destroyed the module with his flamethrower arms, then he used them to propel himself all the way to the top!
"Wow, that's actually cool," My voice broke through Mega Man's astounded expression.
"Lan, that Navi just shot himself up to the Over Computer's central systems!" Mega exclaimed, somehow finding time to chastise me. "If he overloads it, this house will go down in flames before the firefighters even know what's happening! 'Cool' is NOT what I would use right now!"
"I know, Mega Man!" Sweat poured down my face, and not just because of the sudden heat wave in the house. "Find another way up there!"
"The Oven Computer is about as old as the house was when it was bought, so there should be a manual path somewhere! Lan, bring up the digital map of this place!"
I did as I was told, and the schematics of the Oven Computer flashed in Mega's green eyes. A split second later, a blue blip pinged in the ground of flickering red.
"There's a digital ramp that can function like a streaming road in Cyberworld!" He conveyed, "To activate it, I have to stand on the right panel!"
"With the digital fire going off in there, it'll be like finding a needle in a haystack!" I remarked, putting the PET in my pocket to grab the fire extinguisher, since the oven was spitting fire again. "Put it out!"
"DO YOU NEED SOME HELP, MEGA MAN?!"
Mega saw a few Mr. Progs come up behind him, recognizing the one who left him to fight the viruses himself.
"But I thought you didn't want to help?" He questioned as the one program floated in front of him.
"WE HEARD YOU SAY THAT THE NAVI COULD OVERLOAD THE MAIN SYSTEMS!" The Mr. Prog recalled, "AND WE CAN'T JUST FLOAT AROUND AND ALLOW THAT, CAN WE?!"
"WE CAN HELP!" Another Mr. Prog stated, turning to his fellow programs. "COME ON, LET'S HELP MEGA MAN!"
The small group went to each fire tower, summoning Ice Blocks to smother the flames on the ground.
"Thank you," Mega smiled, appreciating the help.
"THANK US BY TAKING THAT GUY DOWN!" The once cowardly program responded, heading over to a flame pillar with a VolGear virus, dropping the ice on it.
"Alright," My Navi searched the soaked floor for a panel that resembled a pressure switch, "The panel I need should be right… here!"
He found the plate and stepped on it, with a long segment of ramps materializing around the Oven-like structure. He was seemingly oblivious to another virus coming at him from behind.
It was a Fishy Virus, a green virus that looked like a paper airplane and a bird's wings were blended. The head was yellow with a pair of eyes, and underneath the stationary wings, oddly enough. At least it was odd to me.
"Sword! Slot in!" I sent the data to Mega Man, who created a light blue blade on his right hand. He swiftly turned around and sliced the virus in half before it could collide with him!
"I was wondering when you'd come back!" Mega told me, taking the data from the quick fight for a Dash Attack Chip.
"Like I'd miss this!" I chuckled, adding the chip to the Folder, replacing one of the Panel Out 1 chips. There wasn't any danger from the oven for the moment, but it could get bad later.
"Mr. Prog!" The blue Navi called out, "Any Mr. Prog!"
"YES, MEGA MAN?" One of the green beings came up to Mega, almost having a puppy dog look in his eyes.
"Once that Navi's on the ground, restore the systems to normal!"
"GOT IT! I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"
"Okay, here we go!" The blue Navi hopped on the ramp with arrows pointing in one direction, taking off quickly. The Mr. Prog soon followed after him, keeping his distance.
"I've completed the scan, Mr. Match," Fire Man told his Operator, "But unfortunately, I can't find what the WWW's looking for."
"Scan again!" Match hissed, "It has to be here! The good doctor took the Fire Program due to how destructive its power could get! It's so volatile, it could never serve a purpose for society as it is!"
"I've scanned three times already!" Fire Man's temper flared, as the sudden uproar of fire above his head showed. "I'm telling you, it's not here!"
"But this is Dr. Hikari's family home! Where else would he keep it?!"
Once Mega Man came up to the top, he leapt from the speeding ramp, using the momentum to plant both feet in the side of the WWW Navi's torch head.
This caused Fire Man to fall off the structure he stood on, and he plummeted with Mega Man right behind him.
Free-falling, the blue Navi latched on to his enemy, punching him repeatedly.
Fire Man shook him off, shooting fire from one of his forearms.
"Dash Attack! Slot in!" A Battle Chip downloaded into Mega Man's memory, and a Fishy Virus appeared on his hand, allowing him to rush at the descending Fire Man.
"Graaaaaagh!" He was struck by the virus, falling until he hit the floor.
"Blast it all!" Match growled, watching my counterpart land on the ground with grace. Having a flying virus help didn't hurt. "You keep getting in the way!"
"You're not going to burn down this house!" Mega Man yelled, "Jack out your Navi, and maybe we won't chase after you!"
"Speak for yourself!" I interjected, "I'm going after him for this!"
"That's why I said 'maybe,' Lan!"
"I can't lose like this!" Fire Man picked himself up, "You wanna go?! Let's burn, then!"
"Alright, it's war now!" Match cackled, "Hope you realize that, kid!"
Fire Man prepared himself as Mega Man went into a fighting stance as well.
"Hope you're ready, Lan!" My Navi told me, "This will be a tough fight."
"The police told me no Net Battles," I mumbled, "But didn't say any restrictions about defending myself or you. So, let's keep our home safe! Battle routine, set!"
"Execute!"
This was it. This battle was going to be another factor that changed my life. And for better or worse, it was my time. My time… to be greater than I was. To be a hero. Let's rock.
CHAPTER 2 END