Megaman Battle Network - New Generation
By Zelloss
Author's Note: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave a review after you read this story. Don't forget to bookmark it too, because there's new chapters every once in a while! Disclaimer: I'm not even going to bother...
Chapter 5 - Searching
"Hayato..."
"I'm sorry, Sasama, there was nothing I could do" I responded as I held the poor girl in my arms. She had quickly come to Creamland after she heard about the death of her mother.
She was silent, not saying a word. She was in obvious shock. I felt extremely sorry for her. "This must come as a shock to you" I muttered. She nodded as she wept.
"Sasama, nobody dissapears without reason" Zel comforted. "Your mother lived her life to the fullest. She was a great woman, to be missed."
I looked at my father. He wasn't making much sense, but my mind was completly confused. After all, I had just lost some of the people I had becomes friends with, and witness the death of great names. Not just that, but I had discovered my uncle was actually my father, and that I was in great danger.
"Hayato... Sasama..." Aera's voice spoke suddenly from behind me. I turned and looked at her. "I'm sorry to hear about this."
Zel crouched down beside me. "Hello, Aera. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
Aera looked at him strangely. "Who?"
It took me a moment to realize I hadn't explained to her that Juru was actually my father. "Aera, this is my father."
Aera's eyes opened wide in pure shock. Zel caught her as she fell over backwards. She had fainted from pure shock, as I figured Sasama had when she first heard the news.
* * *
I walked along the paths in the cemetary, looking at tombstones where there were no bodies. I silently made a wish, that they were somehow still alive, but I doubted it could happen. Otoyo. Kiro. Merra. Jen. Freddy. Zennith. Nemo. Shinju. All corageous people.
I continued down the row. My father knealt down at the grave of Shinju.
"Shinju... please..." he muttered. "I wish... I wish you never left here. This is a time where I need you alive, more then ever. More then when Guardia existed, more then when I lost control. May your soul rest in peace, wherever it be."
I looked at my father. Shinju had been his best friend. Now, he was nothing more then an empty grave and a tombstone.
Sasama knelt at the tombstone near the end, belonging to her mother. I could hear her crying softly.
Aera walked beside me. "Who do you miss the most?" she asked me. I stayed silent for a few moments.
"All of them, Aera-chan, I miss all of them."
* * *
I have to say that the following week was full of meetings and interviews. It was almost too much. Me and my father, who prefered to keep out of the spotlight, were the only living people who had been inside the building.
Of course, I had some decent times, but a lot was filled with sadness. Reporters from across the world, including the world-famous GC and his navi Topman, who worked for the news channel KTOX TV. As I found out, GC had once known my father, many years ago. He knew the loss better then any other person aside from us.
"You two.." GC spoke into a microphone, "are the last remaining members of the World Netbattler's Association. It must be hard for you."
"It's harder knowing that we have to choose new people to take over the heads of the association" I spoke. I was trying to act mature, even though I was just a fifth-grader, I was an incredibly bright student.
"I suppose that is true. What about Shinseiken of Cresent Isle?" GC asked us. My father took that question.
"Obviously, it has to have a new leader. I've already met with Shinju-san's son, Atashi Toriyama. As his grandfather and father have, he's agreed to take on the job" Zel spoke. This was the one interview he bothered with, only because he knew GC from a long time ago.
"I see. How well did you both know the others in the association?" GC asked us. "It must be very hard for you both. It's hard for me, even, to remember them. You know, although the viewers at home don't, that I used to work with the ONBA."
I answered first. "I didn't have the time to get to know them, but I respected each one as a friend. It's weird, I feel like I've known them my entire life. I guess, though, that they have known me my entire life."
Zel took it up next. "Well, I've known them for many years. I remember visiting Enzan and Netto when they were children. I've known the rest, except for Merra, who I just met a couple years ago, for many years. It's like losing your family. My son is all I have now."
GC nodded. "I understand. Knowing you, Zel, I expect you're planning revenge of some sort. Please, expand for us."
Zel looked at me. "Yes, I am planning revenge. I intend to stop the World Three before anything like this happens again."
"What about the project?" GC paused for effect. "I heard Koushada is working on reactivating an incredibly powerfull Navi!"
I looked nervously at my father's black eyes. "That is top-secret information, GC, we can't tell you that."
GC paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Normally, I'd press for answers, but I can tell I'm not going to get anything out of you."
Me and my father nodded in agreement.
* * *
I walked silently down the corridors of the hotel. Sure, it was nice, but that wouldn't help me forget all the people I had seen die.
"Thinking?" Aera asked me, hurrying up to walk by me as I paced. I nodded.
She looked at me inquisitively. "What about?"
I hesitated for a moment. I had been trying to think of every possible situation, from worst-case to best-case scenarios. "Just... what if Shinju and the others aren't dead?"
Aera stopped. She looked at me, wide-eyed. "I doubt that... of course, if it is true, then that would explain why there were no bodies found."
I didn't bother to give her any more of my explanations, as I turned and resumed my pacings. Figuring I was deep in though, Aera walked back to her room.
"What if they are alive?" I thought to myself.
"They very well could be" Dynast said in my mind. I sat down and leaned against the wall.
"Do you really think so?" I asked, lifting my arm so I could see my PET. Dynast nodded.
"I think it's possible" Dynast spoke softly. "I mean, I don't really think Koushada would have really killed them."
I communicated to Dynast solemly, now only through my mind. "I wouldn't put it past them, Dynast."
I heard the door open beside me as Zel walked out. He looked at me sitting down, and sat beside me.
"What are you thinking?" he asked me. I didn't bother to answer.
"He thinks that Shinju may still be alive, somewhere" Dynast said. Zel froze for a moment. I nodded in agreement, still remaining silent.
"Still alive?" Quint pondered from my father's PET.
"I know. It's impossible" I muttered solemnly.
"No it's not" Zel said, thinking for a moment. He put his knees up and rested his arms, then his head atop them. I could tell he was deep in thought.
We remained silent for a minute or so. I continued to think of everybody. All the great people that may have been lost.
My father broke the silence. "Let me borrow Dynast for a while, Hayato."
I turned and looked into his eyes for a moment. "Alright" I said slowly. I removed Dynast from the straps around my arms, and handed the PET over to Zel. He stood up and walked back into his room. I stayed in the hallway, pondering and thinking.
Sasama came out of her room, down the hall. She looked around, then walked towards me, before leaning against the opposite wall. I looked up at her.
"Hayato..." she began. I remained silent. "Are you dead or something? I haven't heard much out of your mouth recently."
I shuddered for a moment. "No, I'm not dead, Sasama. You don't have to worry about me."
Sasama looked at me suspiciously. With a tone of sarcasm, she spoke "Earth to Hayato! Haven't you begun to get over this yet? It's been a couple weeks, you should cheer up at the very least."
I gave her a glare. "You've only lost your mother. I've lost more then that" I angrily told her.
Sasama returned the glare. "You don't have to be so mean about it."
I sighed. "Sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind. What if.. oh, never mind."
Sasama looked at me, totally puzzled. "Go on."
I shook my head. "No, I don't wanna get your hopes up."
Sasama continued to look at me, as she sat down across from me. "Tell me, Hayato."
I thought for a moment, wrestling with my mind as to tell her or not. "Alright. Sasama, I think there's a possability that your mother may not be dead."
Sasama nearly fell sideways. "You... you mean... mom might still be alive?" she asked me.
"I don't know" I told her. "It's a slim chance."
Having nothing more to talk about, we remained silent for a couple minutes, before Sasama left.
I remained, sitting in the hallway, resting. I hardly realized it when I fell asleep.
* * *
"Hayato! Wake up!" I heard dad's voice saying. I made a sleepish growl. My father's hand grabbed my shoulder and shook. Hard.
I woke up with a snap, my hand around his wrist. "Morning, dad."
Zel nearly smiled. "Hayato, I need to show you something" he said, then he handed me Dynast's PET. He then walked down the hallway, motioning for me to follow him.
Dad led me through the streets of Creamland's capital, to the ruins of the ONBA HQ building.
My father led me to the center of the wreckage. Most of the rubble had been cleared, but there was no sign of anybody.
"What did you bring me here for?" I asked. Zel looked at me, as if I knew.
"Think, Hayato, think. There's something about this whole thing that gets me. Something that should have been obvious."
I stood thinking for a moment. It took me a few moments. I sat down, because I always thought better when I was sitting.
My mind raced with possibilities. There was obviously some clue around here. Some hint that I hadn't thought of, some logic that was missing from the equasion.
I remained thinking for a few minutes. I thought of everything about Koushada that I knew. Everything that had happened with the headquarters in the mountainside.
It slowly came to me. I fit the pieces together. There was something I was missing, one link between many puzzles. I tried to figure it out.
It hit me then. The missing link to all the logic.
"I think I understand" I muttered. "They are still alive. Koushada wanted their individual Hub.bat files, right? Well, if he did want them, he'd have to keep the navis alive. Obviously, he moved them. After all, it took him at least a couple minutes to try and copy Dynast's Hub.bat file. So, he must have moved the PETs, at least, elsewhere so that he would have the time to copy the Hub.bat files! Mabye that means that the people were actually moved with them! It takes a lot of time to remove a PET from another person. I wouldn't be surprised if they're still alive!"
Zel's eyes opened wide. He tried to take in everything. It took a few minutes for it to sink in, but Quint got it quicker.
"He's still.. they're still alive?" he asked. I nodded.
"Then Shinju is..." Zel squeaked out. "Shinju is alive..."
"And Nemo, and Jen, and Freddy, and Otoyo, Kiro, Merra, and Zennith too!" Dynast smiled.
My dad looked in shock. He grabbed at my arm, holding up the PET.
"Dynast, activate the Tracker Program. Run it at full power. We should get a much wider range now" he commanded. I understood what he had done when he had taken Dynast. He had tweaked with the Tracker.
The program started up in my PET. The spherical hologram appeared, showing us and other local navis. The blips started to dissapear as Dynast weeded out the less powerfull signals.
Slowly, the lights of navis dissapeared. There were just a few now.
"Scan each of them," I told Dynast. He nodded and checked each of them. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.
"Nothing" Dynast muttered again. I sighed. "Hold on! I've got something! It's... It's..."
I snapped up suddenly. "What is it?"
"It's a navi signal, moving slowly away from here. I can't make it out perfect, but it's familiar. Incredibly familiar. It's... Oh my god!"
"What is it?" I demanded. Dynast stood stunned for a moment.
"It's... It's... Ark"
I stood up right away. "Lead me to Ark!"
* * *
"Right! Left! Over the fence! Down to the left!"
I followed the commands exactly. We were catching up to Ark's signal. In only a matter of minutes, I had arrived at the residential area of the city.
Having no more back alleys, I headed down the streets towards where Ark's signal was.
"It's stopped!" Dynast said. I kept following his instructions, dashing past a bunch of houses on my right side. I stopped cold at Dynast's command.
"It should be in the house to your right."
I looked at the house. It looked like a normal residence. I walked up the sidewalk a bit. "This one?" I asked.
"Yeah" Dynast nodded. My father walked up beside me and rang the doorbell.
After a few seconds, a small boy with unkept brown hair, a white t- shirt, and blue jeans stepped through the door. He looked at me and my father and said "Hello?"
I nodded as I looked at my father. "May we speak with your mother or father?" Zel asked.
The boy stood for a moment before responding. "It's just me, and my brother and sister. They're both much older then me."
"May we speak to them then?" I asked. The boy nodded and rushed back inside.
"Tron! Teasel!" the boy shouted inside the house. A bunch of footsteps were heard, and two people stepped outside.
The first was a man, with spiky bronze hair and a white shirt and white jeans. His sister, as I assumed, wore a much darker shirt and black shorts.
"What do you want?" Teasel nearly spat.
"I'm here because I have reason to believe you are holding the PET of Shinju Toriyama here" Zel said, a lot of authority in his voice.
The girl looked at the man. "Teasel, what should we do?"
Teasel looked at his sister. "I guess we have to invite them inside, Tron."
The two led us inside. Dynast kept the tracker going. Ark's signal was definatly close.
"You are.." Tron said, taking a seat on her couch in the living room.
Me and my father sat down beside each other, on a couch opposite her. "Zelloss Grausherra. This is my son, Hayato" my father said.
Teasel took a seat on the arm of the couch next to Tron. "Bomb, would you please fix our guests some tea?"
I heard the voice of the boy respond cheerfully, before I saw him running into the attached kitchen.
"Where is the PET, Dynast?" I asked mentally.
"I can't make out the exact location, but it's definatly inside the house. I'm focusing more, so I can determine exactly where it is."
I sat silent for another couple moments, as Bomb brought in the tea. He put the teapot on a table between us, before taking a seat next to Tron. She reached for the teapot and poured herself a cup.
Taking a sip, she asked us "What exactly are you looking for again?"
I let my father respond, and he did. "We're looking for the PET of Shinju Toriyama. We've tracked it and are certain it's somewhere in this house."
The three looked at each other. Teasel walked towards a control panel and pressed a couple buttons. "How did you manage to find us?"
The windows shut tight and the doors locked. They had trapped us!
"We work for World Three!" Bomb smiled. "We're"
Tron continued for her younger brother. "The"
"Bonnes!" Teasel cried out happily, finishing the scentence.
"We've been asked by Koushada to lead you here! The data's fake!" Bomb sneered.
I looked around confused. They had tricked us! "You'd best let us go!" I demanded.
"Sorry, Koushada's orders. Unless, of course, you can beat the three of us in a two-on-three netbattle!" Teasel cried out. His eyes looked menacing.
I looked at my father before we both nodded.
"We accept!" I cried out.
Before our eyes, the table changed. The teapot was removed by Bomb, but all of the other decoration sunk down. A large holographic arena appeared next to it.
Without bothering, we jacked our navis into the system. Quint and Dynast appeared. Smiling, the Bonnes plugged in at the same time.
Three navis, each totally diffrent, appeared across from Quint and Dynast. The biggest one resembled an orb. One with a drill on his right arm and a crackling ball of energy in his other. He had a large, helmeted head, and spiky feet. "Meet HeavyStorm!" the navi cried out.
The second one looked like a long, thin navi. He had long arms and legs, and an even longer staff held between his hands. It resembled a stretched-out monkey. "And me, BusterRod!"
The last Navi looked like a large test tube, with weird, slinky-like arms and legs. There was a cannon on each of his hands, weird suction-cup- like feet, and a black plug around his top. There was a white band on the navi, just above his arms, with black eyes staring out of it. "Never forget, MegaWater!"
I looked at my dad. "That was corny. Just corny."
I grabbed at my chip folder without realizing it. Tron grabbed a chip first, slipping it in. "Battle Chip, Aqua Tower!"
MegaWater shot a burst of water from his cannon, which landed on the ground and became a moving geyser.
"Seed Cube, Slot-In!" my father cried out. The water contacted with the cube that suddenly appeared, making it grow in size. The surrounding area was covered in grass.
I looked at the chip in my hand, as Heavystorm launched a fire attack from his left hand, scorching the Seed Cube in seconds. I held a Heat Balloon in my hand, which I slotted in before grabbing another chip.
A large bounding heat balloon appeared, and my father grabbed a rare Triple Lance chip, which he slotted in. A fish-like Poseidon virus appeared, shooting three arrows from it's mouth before dissapearing. The needles stuck into the Heat Balloon, and it grew in size.
The big red balloon bounded towards the navis. BusterRod grabbed his staff, and smashed it into the balloon, sending it bounding back towards us. I grabbed a chip, and slotted it in. My uncle did the same, as the balloon landed on our Navis and popped.
When the smoke cleared, the damage had been removed, we had both used a Barrier chip.
An electric surge came from Heavystorm's arm, as another Water Tower came from MegaWater. Also, BusterRod's staff glowed red before he shot off a fireball from it's tip.
The three projectiles dashed towards us. I desperatly tried to think of a chip. Without realizing it, I used an Invisble Three chip, at the same time as dad. Our navis became invisible.
The projectiles zipped past us, flying out of sight and out of the arena. "Not bad" I muttered. "Of course, I haven't begun to fight!"
"Neither have we!" Teasel snapped back. I felt Dynast calling me.
"Activate the Virus, Hayato!"
I did, letting myself open to the darkness. I stopped cold for a moment, before I felt Dynast's presence.
We were one now, a demon of sorts. I grabbed the Fire Blade chip from my folder, sticking it in.
"We knew you'd do that!" Tronne smirked, pressing a button on the front of the dome. I felt something snap around my legs and hands, like cold metal. I looked down to see them chained.
I felt something spark, and I let out a scream of pain. Electricity shot through my body. I felt my whole body being electrically charged.
Then I realized something I hadn't. There was one other effect of Blackfang... the Navi-Operator connection. I forced myself to look at the dome, as the Fire Blade chip dropped from my hand, sparking with electricity.
In the dome, Dynast had dropped to his knees, grabbing at his chest. Electricity shocked around his body.
"Da... damn..." I cursed under my breath. How could they know about that effect?
"That's what you get for messing with the Bonnes!" Bomb cheered. "Oh... Of course, we forgot about you, old man!"
I looked at my dad quick, trying to resist the searing pain that was throughout my body. My dad used his right hand to propel him straight up, as a knife popped out of the back of the seat! These guys were playing dirty!
Zel walked along the side of the dome, but found himself stopped. "We've considered every possible route for you! Don't even think about trying to free your son, either!" Teasel cackled. Zel grabbed at his chip folder.
I felt my eyes getting slightly heavy. I didn't know how much longer I could resist the electricity before I fainted. Mabye, it would be worse then fainting. I realized that I could die!
"Let him go!" Zel demanded courageously, putting in a Kunai Three chip. Quint threw three seperate ninja stars, sticking into each navi. A smoke arose from each shurkien, stopping the navis cold.
"Sneaky, just like us!" Tron smiled. "You'd make an excellent Bonne!"
"I've got nothing to do with you!" Zel demanded. "Turn everything off!"
"Not unless you win!" Teasel smiled, putting in a Zap Ring Three chip. A large circle of electricity surged towards Quint.
I felt tired, my eyes closing. I could hear the battle raging near me, I couldn't see it though.
"Dynast..." I said silently. "I've failed you and dad."
"No you haven't" Dynast said, the voice in my head slightly static. "You've done just fine... your dad will help you, you can trust him."
I wanted to believe Dynast, but I didn't know if I could. "Dad" I whispered, "Help..."
I felt weak, and fell back. I could hear dad, shouting "Let him go! I want my son, damnit!"
I could hear the laughter of the Bonnes, echoing deep. I heard sounds of pain from Quint.
"No" I thought. "This can't happen!"
I felt my body go completely numb. How would I survive? My father was losing...
"There's no way, is there?" I thought. "I'm so young though... Dynast, help!"
"I will help" I heard a voice say, but it wasn't Dynast's. I heard the sound of a logout, then another, then another.
"What?" the trio of Bonnes shouted all at once. "Who?"
I heard Quint's voice, purely astonished, as the electricity stopped. My hands and arms were freed. "Ark! What are you doing here?"
I slowly tried to open my eyes. "I'm here under orders" Ark said. He sounded like he was missing something important.
"Under Orders?" Quint asked. My eyes opened up. Ark was inside the dome, but he seemed... diffrent. I couldn't put a label on it.
"He told me you guys are fired. You're useless" Ark said. The eyes of the three World Three members opened wide.
"What?" Teasel screamed. "Th.. that's impossible!"
"No, that's why I was sent here. Besides..." Ark said. I began to feel my body again. Then a scream rang out. Not mine, but Quint's.
I heard the sound of logging out. No, not logging out. Deletion. The total destruction of a navi.
"No..." Zel muttered. "Quint..."
"That's nothing" Ark muttered. "You're next, Dynast!"
Then I realized it, as Ark turned back to Dynast. His eyes were pure white. No pupils at all. Pure white. He was missing something - His heart!
Author's Note: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave a review after you read this story. Don't forget to bookmark it too, because there's new chapters every once in a while! Disclaimer: I'm not even going to bother...
Chapter 5 - Searching
"Hayato..."
"I'm sorry, Sasama, there was nothing I could do" I responded as I held the poor girl in my arms. She had quickly come to Creamland after she heard about the death of her mother.
She was silent, not saying a word. She was in obvious shock. I felt extremely sorry for her. "This must come as a shock to you" I muttered. She nodded as she wept.
"Sasama, nobody dissapears without reason" Zel comforted. "Your mother lived her life to the fullest. She was a great woman, to be missed."
I looked at my father. He wasn't making much sense, but my mind was completly confused. After all, I had just lost some of the people I had becomes friends with, and witness the death of great names. Not just that, but I had discovered my uncle was actually my father, and that I was in great danger.
"Hayato... Sasama..." Aera's voice spoke suddenly from behind me. I turned and looked at her. "I'm sorry to hear about this."
Zel crouched down beside me. "Hello, Aera. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
Aera looked at him strangely. "Who?"
It took me a moment to realize I hadn't explained to her that Juru was actually my father. "Aera, this is my father."
Aera's eyes opened wide in pure shock. Zel caught her as she fell over backwards. She had fainted from pure shock, as I figured Sasama had when she first heard the news.
* * *
I walked along the paths in the cemetary, looking at tombstones where there were no bodies. I silently made a wish, that they were somehow still alive, but I doubted it could happen. Otoyo. Kiro. Merra. Jen. Freddy. Zennith. Nemo. Shinju. All corageous people.
I continued down the row. My father knealt down at the grave of Shinju.
"Shinju... please..." he muttered. "I wish... I wish you never left here. This is a time where I need you alive, more then ever. More then when Guardia existed, more then when I lost control. May your soul rest in peace, wherever it be."
I looked at my father. Shinju had been his best friend. Now, he was nothing more then an empty grave and a tombstone.
Sasama knelt at the tombstone near the end, belonging to her mother. I could hear her crying softly.
Aera walked beside me. "Who do you miss the most?" she asked me. I stayed silent for a few moments.
"All of them, Aera-chan, I miss all of them."
* * *
I have to say that the following week was full of meetings and interviews. It was almost too much. Me and my father, who prefered to keep out of the spotlight, were the only living people who had been inside the building.
Of course, I had some decent times, but a lot was filled with sadness. Reporters from across the world, including the world-famous GC and his navi Topman, who worked for the news channel KTOX TV. As I found out, GC had once known my father, many years ago. He knew the loss better then any other person aside from us.
"You two.." GC spoke into a microphone, "are the last remaining members of the World Netbattler's Association. It must be hard for you."
"It's harder knowing that we have to choose new people to take over the heads of the association" I spoke. I was trying to act mature, even though I was just a fifth-grader, I was an incredibly bright student.
"I suppose that is true. What about Shinseiken of Cresent Isle?" GC asked us. My father took that question.
"Obviously, it has to have a new leader. I've already met with Shinju-san's son, Atashi Toriyama. As his grandfather and father have, he's agreed to take on the job" Zel spoke. This was the one interview he bothered with, only because he knew GC from a long time ago.
"I see. How well did you both know the others in the association?" GC asked us. "It must be very hard for you both. It's hard for me, even, to remember them. You know, although the viewers at home don't, that I used to work with the ONBA."
I answered first. "I didn't have the time to get to know them, but I respected each one as a friend. It's weird, I feel like I've known them my entire life. I guess, though, that they have known me my entire life."
Zel took it up next. "Well, I've known them for many years. I remember visiting Enzan and Netto when they were children. I've known the rest, except for Merra, who I just met a couple years ago, for many years. It's like losing your family. My son is all I have now."
GC nodded. "I understand. Knowing you, Zel, I expect you're planning revenge of some sort. Please, expand for us."
Zel looked at me. "Yes, I am planning revenge. I intend to stop the World Three before anything like this happens again."
"What about the project?" GC paused for effect. "I heard Koushada is working on reactivating an incredibly powerfull Navi!"
I looked nervously at my father's black eyes. "That is top-secret information, GC, we can't tell you that."
GC paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Normally, I'd press for answers, but I can tell I'm not going to get anything out of you."
Me and my father nodded in agreement.
* * *
I walked silently down the corridors of the hotel. Sure, it was nice, but that wouldn't help me forget all the people I had seen die.
"Thinking?" Aera asked me, hurrying up to walk by me as I paced. I nodded.
She looked at me inquisitively. "What about?"
I hesitated for a moment. I had been trying to think of every possible situation, from worst-case to best-case scenarios. "Just... what if Shinju and the others aren't dead?"
Aera stopped. She looked at me, wide-eyed. "I doubt that... of course, if it is true, then that would explain why there were no bodies found."
I didn't bother to give her any more of my explanations, as I turned and resumed my pacings. Figuring I was deep in though, Aera walked back to her room.
"What if they are alive?" I thought to myself.
"They very well could be" Dynast said in my mind. I sat down and leaned against the wall.
"Do you really think so?" I asked, lifting my arm so I could see my PET. Dynast nodded.
"I think it's possible" Dynast spoke softly. "I mean, I don't really think Koushada would have really killed them."
I communicated to Dynast solemly, now only through my mind. "I wouldn't put it past them, Dynast."
I heard the door open beside me as Zel walked out. He looked at me sitting down, and sat beside me.
"What are you thinking?" he asked me. I didn't bother to answer.
"He thinks that Shinju may still be alive, somewhere" Dynast said. Zel froze for a moment. I nodded in agreement, still remaining silent.
"Still alive?" Quint pondered from my father's PET.
"I know. It's impossible" I muttered solemnly.
"No it's not" Zel said, thinking for a moment. He put his knees up and rested his arms, then his head atop them. I could tell he was deep in thought.
We remained silent for a minute or so. I continued to think of everybody. All the great people that may have been lost.
My father broke the silence. "Let me borrow Dynast for a while, Hayato."
I turned and looked into his eyes for a moment. "Alright" I said slowly. I removed Dynast from the straps around my arms, and handed the PET over to Zel. He stood up and walked back into his room. I stayed in the hallway, pondering and thinking.
Sasama came out of her room, down the hall. She looked around, then walked towards me, before leaning against the opposite wall. I looked up at her.
"Hayato..." she began. I remained silent. "Are you dead or something? I haven't heard much out of your mouth recently."
I shuddered for a moment. "No, I'm not dead, Sasama. You don't have to worry about me."
Sasama looked at me suspiciously. With a tone of sarcasm, she spoke "Earth to Hayato! Haven't you begun to get over this yet? It's been a couple weeks, you should cheer up at the very least."
I gave her a glare. "You've only lost your mother. I've lost more then that" I angrily told her.
Sasama returned the glare. "You don't have to be so mean about it."
I sighed. "Sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind. What if.. oh, never mind."
Sasama looked at me, totally puzzled. "Go on."
I shook my head. "No, I don't wanna get your hopes up."
Sasama continued to look at me, as she sat down across from me. "Tell me, Hayato."
I thought for a moment, wrestling with my mind as to tell her or not. "Alright. Sasama, I think there's a possability that your mother may not be dead."
Sasama nearly fell sideways. "You... you mean... mom might still be alive?" she asked me.
"I don't know" I told her. "It's a slim chance."
Having nothing more to talk about, we remained silent for a couple minutes, before Sasama left.
I remained, sitting in the hallway, resting. I hardly realized it when I fell asleep.
* * *
"Hayato! Wake up!" I heard dad's voice saying. I made a sleepish growl. My father's hand grabbed my shoulder and shook. Hard.
I woke up with a snap, my hand around his wrist. "Morning, dad."
Zel nearly smiled. "Hayato, I need to show you something" he said, then he handed me Dynast's PET. He then walked down the hallway, motioning for me to follow him.
Dad led me through the streets of Creamland's capital, to the ruins of the ONBA HQ building.
My father led me to the center of the wreckage. Most of the rubble had been cleared, but there was no sign of anybody.
"What did you bring me here for?" I asked. Zel looked at me, as if I knew.
"Think, Hayato, think. There's something about this whole thing that gets me. Something that should have been obvious."
I stood thinking for a moment. It took me a few moments. I sat down, because I always thought better when I was sitting.
My mind raced with possibilities. There was obviously some clue around here. Some hint that I hadn't thought of, some logic that was missing from the equasion.
I remained thinking for a few minutes. I thought of everything about Koushada that I knew. Everything that had happened with the headquarters in the mountainside.
It slowly came to me. I fit the pieces together. There was something I was missing, one link between many puzzles. I tried to figure it out.
It hit me then. The missing link to all the logic.
"I think I understand" I muttered. "They are still alive. Koushada wanted their individual Hub.bat files, right? Well, if he did want them, he'd have to keep the navis alive. Obviously, he moved them. After all, it took him at least a couple minutes to try and copy Dynast's Hub.bat file. So, he must have moved the PETs, at least, elsewhere so that he would have the time to copy the Hub.bat files! Mabye that means that the people were actually moved with them! It takes a lot of time to remove a PET from another person. I wouldn't be surprised if they're still alive!"
Zel's eyes opened wide. He tried to take in everything. It took a few minutes for it to sink in, but Quint got it quicker.
"He's still.. they're still alive?" he asked. I nodded.
"Then Shinju is..." Zel squeaked out. "Shinju is alive..."
"And Nemo, and Jen, and Freddy, and Otoyo, Kiro, Merra, and Zennith too!" Dynast smiled.
My dad looked in shock. He grabbed at my arm, holding up the PET.
"Dynast, activate the Tracker Program. Run it at full power. We should get a much wider range now" he commanded. I understood what he had done when he had taken Dynast. He had tweaked with the Tracker.
The program started up in my PET. The spherical hologram appeared, showing us and other local navis. The blips started to dissapear as Dynast weeded out the less powerfull signals.
Slowly, the lights of navis dissapeared. There were just a few now.
"Scan each of them," I told Dynast. He nodded and checked each of them. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.
"Nothing" Dynast muttered again. I sighed. "Hold on! I've got something! It's... It's..."
I snapped up suddenly. "What is it?"
"It's a navi signal, moving slowly away from here. I can't make it out perfect, but it's familiar. Incredibly familiar. It's... Oh my god!"
"What is it?" I demanded. Dynast stood stunned for a moment.
"It's... It's... Ark"
I stood up right away. "Lead me to Ark!"
* * *
"Right! Left! Over the fence! Down to the left!"
I followed the commands exactly. We were catching up to Ark's signal. In only a matter of minutes, I had arrived at the residential area of the city.
Having no more back alleys, I headed down the streets towards where Ark's signal was.
"It's stopped!" Dynast said. I kept following his instructions, dashing past a bunch of houses on my right side. I stopped cold at Dynast's command.
"It should be in the house to your right."
I looked at the house. It looked like a normal residence. I walked up the sidewalk a bit. "This one?" I asked.
"Yeah" Dynast nodded. My father walked up beside me and rang the doorbell.
After a few seconds, a small boy with unkept brown hair, a white t- shirt, and blue jeans stepped through the door. He looked at me and my father and said "Hello?"
I nodded as I looked at my father. "May we speak with your mother or father?" Zel asked.
The boy stood for a moment before responding. "It's just me, and my brother and sister. They're both much older then me."
"May we speak to them then?" I asked. The boy nodded and rushed back inside.
"Tron! Teasel!" the boy shouted inside the house. A bunch of footsteps were heard, and two people stepped outside.
The first was a man, with spiky bronze hair and a white shirt and white jeans. His sister, as I assumed, wore a much darker shirt and black shorts.
"What do you want?" Teasel nearly spat.
"I'm here because I have reason to believe you are holding the PET of Shinju Toriyama here" Zel said, a lot of authority in his voice.
The girl looked at the man. "Teasel, what should we do?"
Teasel looked at his sister. "I guess we have to invite them inside, Tron."
The two led us inside. Dynast kept the tracker going. Ark's signal was definatly close.
"You are.." Tron said, taking a seat on her couch in the living room.
Me and my father sat down beside each other, on a couch opposite her. "Zelloss Grausherra. This is my son, Hayato" my father said.
Teasel took a seat on the arm of the couch next to Tron. "Bomb, would you please fix our guests some tea?"
I heard the voice of the boy respond cheerfully, before I saw him running into the attached kitchen.
"Where is the PET, Dynast?" I asked mentally.
"I can't make out the exact location, but it's definatly inside the house. I'm focusing more, so I can determine exactly where it is."
I sat silent for another couple moments, as Bomb brought in the tea. He put the teapot on a table between us, before taking a seat next to Tron. She reached for the teapot and poured herself a cup.
Taking a sip, she asked us "What exactly are you looking for again?"
I let my father respond, and he did. "We're looking for the PET of Shinju Toriyama. We've tracked it and are certain it's somewhere in this house."
The three looked at each other. Teasel walked towards a control panel and pressed a couple buttons. "How did you manage to find us?"
The windows shut tight and the doors locked. They had trapped us!
"We work for World Three!" Bomb smiled. "We're"
Tron continued for her younger brother. "The"
"Bonnes!" Teasel cried out happily, finishing the scentence.
"We've been asked by Koushada to lead you here! The data's fake!" Bomb sneered.
I looked around confused. They had tricked us! "You'd best let us go!" I demanded.
"Sorry, Koushada's orders. Unless, of course, you can beat the three of us in a two-on-three netbattle!" Teasel cried out. His eyes looked menacing.
I looked at my father before we both nodded.
"We accept!" I cried out.
Before our eyes, the table changed. The teapot was removed by Bomb, but all of the other decoration sunk down. A large holographic arena appeared next to it.
Without bothering, we jacked our navis into the system. Quint and Dynast appeared. Smiling, the Bonnes plugged in at the same time.
Three navis, each totally diffrent, appeared across from Quint and Dynast. The biggest one resembled an orb. One with a drill on his right arm and a crackling ball of energy in his other. He had a large, helmeted head, and spiky feet. "Meet HeavyStorm!" the navi cried out.
The second one looked like a long, thin navi. He had long arms and legs, and an even longer staff held between his hands. It resembled a stretched-out monkey. "And me, BusterRod!"
The last Navi looked like a large test tube, with weird, slinky-like arms and legs. There was a cannon on each of his hands, weird suction-cup- like feet, and a black plug around his top. There was a white band on the navi, just above his arms, with black eyes staring out of it. "Never forget, MegaWater!"
I looked at my dad. "That was corny. Just corny."
I grabbed at my chip folder without realizing it. Tron grabbed a chip first, slipping it in. "Battle Chip, Aqua Tower!"
MegaWater shot a burst of water from his cannon, which landed on the ground and became a moving geyser.
"Seed Cube, Slot-In!" my father cried out. The water contacted with the cube that suddenly appeared, making it grow in size. The surrounding area was covered in grass.
I looked at the chip in my hand, as Heavystorm launched a fire attack from his left hand, scorching the Seed Cube in seconds. I held a Heat Balloon in my hand, which I slotted in before grabbing another chip.
A large bounding heat balloon appeared, and my father grabbed a rare Triple Lance chip, which he slotted in. A fish-like Poseidon virus appeared, shooting three arrows from it's mouth before dissapearing. The needles stuck into the Heat Balloon, and it grew in size.
The big red balloon bounded towards the navis. BusterRod grabbed his staff, and smashed it into the balloon, sending it bounding back towards us. I grabbed a chip, and slotted it in. My uncle did the same, as the balloon landed on our Navis and popped.
When the smoke cleared, the damage had been removed, we had both used a Barrier chip.
An electric surge came from Heavystorm's arm, as another Water Tower came from MegaWater. Also, BusterRod's staff glowed red before he shot off a fireball from it's tip.
The three projectiles dashed towards us. I desperatly tried to think of a chip. Without realizing it, I used an Invisble Three chip, at the same time as dad. Our navis became invisible.
The projectiles zipped past us, flying out of sight and out of the arena. "Not bad" I muttered. "Of course, I haven't begun to fight!"
"Neither have we!" Teasel snapped back. I felt Dynast calling me.
"Activate the Virus, Hayato!"
I did, letting myself open to the darkness. I stopped cold for a moment, before I felt Dynast's presence.
We were one now, a demon of sorts. I grabbed the Fire Blade chip from my folder, sticking it in.
"We knew you'd do that!" Tronne smirked, pressing a button on the front of the dome. I felt something snap around my legs and hands, like cold metal. I looked down to see them chained.
I felt something spark, and I let out a scream of pain. Electricity shot through my body. I felt my whole body being electrically charged.
Then I realized something I hadn't. There was one other effect of Blackfang... the Navi-Operator connection. I forced myself to look at the dome, as the Fire Blade chip dropped from my hand, sparking with electricity.
In the dome, Dynast had dropped to his knees, grabbing at his chest. Electricity shocked around his body.
"Da... damn..." I cursed under my breath. How could they know about that effect?
"That's what you get for messing with the Bonnes!" Bomb cheered. "Oh... Of course, we forgot about you, old man!"
I looked at my dad quick, trying to resist the searing pain that was throughout my body. My dad used his right hand to propel him straight up, as a knife popped out of the back of the seat! These guys were playing dirty!
Zel walked along the side of the dome, but found himself stopped. "We've considered every possible route for you! Don't even think about trying to free your son, either!" Teasel cackled. Zel grabbed at his chip folder.
I felt my eyes getting slightly heavy. I didn't know how much longer I could resist the electricity before I fainted. Mabye, it would be worse then fainting. I realized that I could die!
"Let him go!" Zel demanded courageously, putting in a Kunai Three chip. Quint threw three seperate ninja stars, sticking into each navi. A smoke arose from each shurkien, stopping the navis cold.
"Sneaky, just like us!" Tron smiled. "You'd make an excellent Bonne!"
"I've got nothing to do with you!" Zel demanded. "Turn everything off!"
"Not unless you win!" Teasel smiled, putting in a Zap Ring Three chip. A large circle of electricity surged towards Quint.
I felt tired, my eyes closing. I could hear the battle raging near me, I couldn't see it though.
"Dynast..." I said silently. "I've failed you and dad."
"No you haven't" Dynast said, the voice in my head slightly static. "You've done just fine... your dad will help you, you can trust him."
I wanted to believe Dynast, but I didn't know if I could. "Dad" I whispered, "Help..."
I felt weak, and fell back. I could hear dad, shouting "Let him go! I want my son, damnit!"
I could hear the laughter of the Bonnes, echoing deep. I heard sounds of pain from Quint.
"No" I thought. "This can't happen!"
I felt my body go completely numb. How would I survive? My father was losing...
"There's no way, is there?" I thought. "I'm so young though... Dynast, help!"
"I will help" I heard a voice say, but it wasn't Dynast's. I heard the sound of a logout, then another, then another.
"What?" the trio of Bonnes shouted all at once. "Who?"
I heard Quint's voice, purely astonished, as the electricity stopped. My hands and arms were freed. "Ark! What are you doing here?"
I slowly tried to open my eyes. "I'm here under orders" Ark said. He sounded like he was missing something important.
"Under Orders?" Quint asked. My eyes opened up. Ark was inside the dome, but he seemed... diffrent. I couldn't put a label on it.
"He told me you guys are fired. You're useless" Ark said. The eyes of the three World Three members opened wide.
"What?" Teasel screamed. "Th.. that's impossible!"
"No, that's why I was sent here. Besides..." Ark said. I began to feel my body again. Then a scream rang out. Not mine, but Quint's.
I heard the sound of logging out. No, not logging out. Deletion. The total destruction of a navi.
"No..." Zel muttered. "Quint..."
"That's nothing" Ark muttered. "You're next, Dynast!"
Then I realized it, as Ark turned back to Dynast. His eyes were pure white. No pupils at all. Pure white. He was missing something - His heart!