The Pain Of Loss Chapter 26 – A Heart's Conflictions, Part 1

Mayl: Interesting chapter title.

Me: Yeah, I know. But I have reason for it.

Megaman: And that reason is?

Me: Just read it yourself and find out.

Bass.EXE: #Holds his twin busters to Death's head# Just tell us...

Me: Nope.

Bass.EXE: #Shrugs and fires rapidly at Death's head#

Me: #Vanishes and appears behind Bass.EXE, jabbing him in the neck.# Tag, you're dead.

Bass.EXE: What the... #Eyes go wide and falls over, bleeding from the back of his neck.#

Me: #Stuffs the dagger in his pocket.# If we have no other objections, then can we get on with this?!

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Roll charged through Undernet 6 at top speed, focusing upon the energy her counterpart was emitting. This was how she and the others had gotten so far to begin with. She wasn't sure how she could do it, but she had the idea that it had to do with the fact she and Kali, despite the fact they were two different Navis, shared the same base soul. In a sense, one could call it a sort of spiritual link. Roll narrowed her eyes at the sight of a horde of highly powered viruses, no doubt put there to slow her down. "I don't have time to play with you!!!" Immediately, she formed her Roll Sword, vanishing and hacking straight through the virus wall. As soon as they burst into showers of data, she continued on, cutting through any virus that got in her path.

Within the hour, Roll reached the end of Undernet 6, panting a bit. She pulled her hood down to get some air, then knelt down, absorbing her sword. The only sign of injury upon her body was a burn mark on her right arm after just barely dodging the close range blast of a Spikey Omega. After one or two moments of breathing, she stood up, walking straight to a black vortex of energy. She stood before it, her eyes narrowed seriously. Mayl sighed, shutting her eyes. "Roll... are you absolutely positive about this? The readings from that portal are showing it's a one way ticket. The only way you'll be able to get out of there is by defeating Kali... Maybe we should wait on the others to recover, then..." Roll shook her head, glaring into the portal. "No, Mayl... If we wait, we're endangering the Net... This is my power she's using, and it's my weakness that let her get her hands on it... I have to stop her now. Besides, this is a personal agenda..." Mayl sighed, looking down for a moment. She then smiled gently, looking into her PET. "... we're all behind you, Roll. Do your best..."

Roll smiled gently, nodding. She quickly regained her serious face, though, and charged into the portal. A flash shot from it, signifying Roll had made it through. Roll gave a gentle sigh, looking around what seemed to be a very complex database. As she moved forward, she heard something loud moving through the air. She jumped back, dodging a powerful blast that cratered the ground she was standing on just a second ago. She landed softly and formed her Roll Sword, getting into a fighting stance. "KALI!!! I KNOW THAT'S YOU, COME OUT!!!" The figure in the darkness who had fired the shot moved forward slowly, it's silhouette coming into view. As soon as it reached one of the few spots of light in the room, Roll gasped, her eyes wide. She stepped back, gritting her teeth. "I... it can't be..." The figure raised it's head, wearing a black and white body suit and helmet. An emblem similar to Lan's was worn upon his chest, but the orange was replaced by blood red. The figure chuckled, demonic eyes similar to Kali's practically piercing into Roll's very soul. Tears formed in Roll's eyes as her sword vanished. "... M... Mega...?"

"Close, dear Roll, close..." Roll snapped her attention above, finding Kali standing on a balcony. Roll growled, forming her Roll Cannon. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!!" Kali giggled, then leaned upon the railing of the balcony. "I've done nothing... This is the Megaman inside of Megaman, just as I am the Roll within you..." Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard this, shifting her gaze to the figure similar to Megaman. "So that's..." Kali giggled, nodding gently. "Yes, my dear little Roll. That is your beloved Megaman's Dark Soul..." She vanished, appearing behind him with her arms wrapped about his neck. "I can see just why you liked your version of this Navi... His Dark Soul is very powerful. Why, if it weren't for your energy, I'd have obliterated myself merely trying to create him...!" She smiled, giving the Shadow Megaman a gentle kiss on the cheek. This caused him to glow brightly, his silhouette shifting in shape slightly within the light. As the light receded, he stood there, slightly different than before. His helmet had grown 2 identical fins, as had the backs of front of his boots near the top. The pack upon his back had also grown in size, the cylinders much taller than before. On his left arm, a large shield was attached, and upon his right, a gauntlet that seemed to make his fist 5 times larger than before.

Kali grinned, stepping back. "I'm sure you're familiar with your dear Megaman's Style Changes. This is a special style I've thrown together from the four basic styles. First, the Guts style, to overwhelm any foe with raw, ferocious power. The second, Shield, for an impenetrable defense. The third is Team, allowing him to summon any Navi he's previously met. Finally, the Custom Style, which permits him to access the power of any and all Program Advances known! My dear Roll, I give you your executioner, Omni-Style Shadow Megaman!!!"

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Mayl: You LIKE putting Roll in these impossible to win situations, don't you?!!

Me: If they're so impossible to win, why does she always come out on top in the end?

Lan: He's got a point there, Mayl.

Mayl: I still don't appreciate you putting my Navi in such danger...

Me: Tch, relax, babe. The world isn't gonna end. Everything'll come out fine in the end, you'll see!

Roll.EXE: It always does...

Megaman.EXE: Well, NOW you get to figure out another plot hole.

Me: You mean that now Lan's gonna know about Megaman's Dark Soul before he even learns about the Dark Chip? Yeah, I know. I'll figure somethin' out, I'm good at BS-ing through situations like this.

Megaman: Better'd hope so.

Me: Ah, relax. Anywho, readers, that's it for this chapter!!! Catch ya in the next!!!