Ri2, I could write an entire essay on the Navi question, but I'll leave it at this. Basically, there are only three possibilities. 1) KendoMan, GateMan, and Punk are all the same Navi, he's just been customized to look and act different. 2) Famous uses different Navi for different purposes, (GateMan for SciLab, Punk for regular Netbattling, etc.) 3) He's such a bad Op that he always gets his Navi deleted and has to create a new one.
V., there'll be more StarMan in a later chapter.
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MegaMan DS groaned as his battered consciousness began to return to him. The Dark Bomber shook his head and opened his eyes, pausing to allow a wave of dizziness to pass over his blurred vision.
"You live…"
The Dark Navi bolted upright, his eyes instantly coming to rest on the Black Shadow, Bass. Within seconds he had his Dark Buster formed and pointed at the bugged Navi as he got to his feet.
"What do you want with me?" The Dark Bomber kept his weapon trained on his opponent.
Bass didn't reply; he merely stood still.
"Answer me!" A deep purple glow began to build up in the barrel of MegaMan DS's gun. His intent was clear, he wanted answers or he'd blow Bass off the face of the earth.
"I want…" Bass deranged voice issued from his cloaked form.
MegaMan DS never knew what hit him.
Bass vanished from his spot, and reappeared directly behind the Dark Bomber. A split second later, MegaMan DS doubled over as his systems screamed in pain. Somehow, Bass had managed to land a hit on him…
"… A battle." The Black Shadow turned around to face his prey. His eyes clarifying his statement.
"Then you picked on the wrong dude." The Dark Bomber hefted his Buster. "Because I'm going to wipe the Network with you!"
"We shall see…"
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"It appears that Roll and Punk managed to knock some sense into KendoMan." Famous spoke over his link to the three kids. "And quite literally at that… he's actually starting to remember who he is, and with the help of the Vaccine Chip, I expect him to make a full recovery."
"I'm glad, that's another Dark Navi we don't have to deal with." Maylu commented into her terminal. With KendoMan out of the running, they only had MegaMan DS to deal with. The problem was, Bass had kidnapped the Navi, and no one knew just where they were hiding.
"I agree, congratulations, Famous." Chaud nodded his agreement.
"Yes, well, the job's not over until MegaMan is back among the living." The scientist shrugged in reply. "I'm doing my best to track them down, but there have been complications."
"Why am I not surprised?" Lan mumbled, at this point, all of his self control had been spent; he was beginning to loose whatever bravado he had been able to muster. "I just can't believe that this is happening… MegaMan almost deleted Roll… what's happening to him?"
"You know that as well as I." Answered Famous from the P.E.T. link. "And you also know that we have a very limited time frame to work with. If we don't restore MegaMan soon, it may be too late to save him altogether."
Gone…
The thought burned its way across Lan's mind. This was even worse than the time MegaMan had been deleted! Now he knew that MegaMan was out there somewhere in the Internet and that his Navi was slowly transforming into a monster. And he was powerless to do anything about it!
"MegaMan, forgive me." The Op repeated the sentence for the literally thousandth time.
Everyone remained silent, each one trying to figure a way out of this mess.
"HEY!"
All four Netbattlers jumped as a lazy voice ripped through the air. Instantly Lan, Chaud, and Maylu were glancing around trying to find the source of that voice.
"Over here! Fourth monitor from the left!"
Lan was the first to spot the Navi resting inside of the monitor's screen. Instantly his mind clicked and registered it. "StarMan, what do you want?"
"StarMan?" Maylu repeated in bewilderment.
"A Nebula Dark Navi." Chaud supplied the necessary information to his friend.
"Oh."
StarMan was a lanky Navi with a white and blue bodysuit and yellow hair that spike up and defied gravity. A yellow bandana was wrapped about his head, out of the back of which a long strand of hair fell. His eyes were nothing more than two black globes, and a lazy grin rested on his face. The Dark Navi floated up onto his back and then propped his arms behind his head.
"Now, don't tell Nebula that I'm here." StarMan launched into his explanation, a slight drawl inflicting his voice. "Because ShadeMan would kill me if he knew about this. But I'm willing to take you to MegaMan and Bass."
"Now hold on!" Lan vented his pent-up frustration and rage on the blond Navi. "You just show up, offer to betray Nebula, and expect us to believe you after all that you've done?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." StarMan grinned as if this were an everyday occurrence. "Primarily because I don't think Nebula knows what they're dealing with this time. Bass is way too powerful to be controlled."
"And what do you mean by that?" Chaud demanded an explanation to that sentence.
"Just this: that if Nebula has their way, there's going to be one rabid Black Shadow on the loose, and I don't think that's very healthy for any one of us."
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"Air Burst!" Bass whipped out his arm, causing two purple spheres of energy to go flying through the air at his opponent.
MegaMan DS didn't even flinch, with a leap he immediately propelled himself up into the air. His maneuver caused the Air Bursts to whiz past him harmlessly, and instantly the Dark Navi was launching a counterattack. "Dark Mega Buster!"
Titanic blasts of energy shot through the sky, each one pinging off of Bass' skin without inflicting a shred of damage on the Black Shadow.
"Dark Sword!" The Dark Bomber summoned his sickly purple blade. The next instant he was rushing across space towards his adversary with sword upraised.
Bass didn't even speak a word as his Aura came to life.
MegaMan DS shot past the Solo Navi, and watched in horror as his blade shattered into a thousand tiny shards against the bugged Navi's barrier.
"Bass Cannon." The Black Shadow's right arm shot out of his cloak, a massive Buster equipped. With silent, lethal precision he fired away, his shots tearing through the air towards his opponent.
"Fudge." The Dark Bomber threw himself to his right, just barely squeaking past the deadly hailstorm of firepower.
That however, was just the move Bass had hoped his opponent would make. The next instant, the Black Shadow had appeared directly beneath the mid-air MegaMan, his Bass Cannon primed and ready to fire.
"Pathetic."
Bass unleashed his firepower, and watched it slam into his adversary. The deadly force ripped around the Dark Bomber, and then dumped him unceremoniously at the solo Navi's feet.
MegaMan DS gasped as he struggled to his feet. He had just barely reached his knees when an Air Burst exploded into him, sending him flying across the Network. Again the Bomber hit the ground and lay still.
"You've lost." Bass moved to tower over the inert MegaMan DS. "Now, you must surrender to me…"
"I'll never give… in!" The Dark Bomber's eyes flashed as he tried to get upright.
"You do not have a choice!"
Bass' hand slammed against the Dark Bomber's crest, causing MegaMan DS to scream in agony as the Black Shadow ripped the Ultimate Program from MegaMan's system.
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"I hate to say it." Maylu commented on hearing StarMan's version of the entire plot's events. "But it makes complete sense… I just hope that we're not too late."
"I know, IF blonde there is telling the truth." Chaud jerked his thumb at the Dark Navi. "Then we could be in serious trouble… but I don't see how we've got much choice, we don't have any other leads."
"Maylu, if this means the slightest chance in saving MegaMan, then we have to take it." Roll spoke up from her P.E.T.; "We've got to hurry before it's too late."
"Alright then, I guess that's that." The redhead shrugged for the others benefit. "What do we do StarMan?"
"Just jack into the terminal in the Blaze Jet, I've already routed it to send you where you need to go." StarMan replied. "But remember, you never saw me, and I never spoke to you."
StarMan Logging Out.
Chaud nodded as he raised his P.E.T., their course was clear.
"Be careful, guys." Lan cautioned his friends, "I don't want to loose either ProtoMan or Roll."
"We're not going anywhere." The Pink Navi replied, "So let's do it!"
"Jack in, Roll, Power Up!"
"Jack in, ProtoMan, Power Up!"
Several seconds later, Roll and ProtoMan found themselves rocketing along a data stream as they followed the course that StarMan had laid out for them. Abruptly, their journey came to an end as the link came to an end and they beamed down to the Network below.
A semi-empty system greeted the two Navi; program blocks were scattered about at random places, but the place managed to maintain a spooky atmosphere in spite of that fact.
"What are you doing here?"
Roll's head snapped around to find one not-so-thrilled DracoMan standing behind them, his arms folded across his chest in annoyance.
"As if you didn't know, we're here to get MegaMan back." The pink Navi shot her answer over her shoulder. "And to save him from you!"
"Save him from me?" Although one eyebrow raised quizzically, DracoMan's face remained passive for the most part.
"Yes." Roll didn't even look at the other Navi as she scanned the Network. "We know all about you and Otis, you want to delete MegaMan just because he beat you in the World Tour!"
"My Operator may have his own reasons." The brown Navi found himself continuing this conversation for some unknown reason. "But for me, this is not about revenge. This is about reclaiming my honor as a warrior."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"I was defeated in battle, as such I lost my honor to the better warrior. However, if I can defeat the one who defeated me, then my dignity will be restored."
"You want to put that in English?" Roll rolled her eyes.
"When I lost my battle with MegaMan, I also tarnished my honor, and the honor of the Baka family. The only way for me to reclaim my dignity and the dignity of my operator is to find the Navi who beat me, and defeat him."
"DracoMan, you're missing the entire point-" The pink Navi cut her words off as she caught sight of a beam of light. The light exploded out of the sky and crashed into the ground, allowing the figure of MegaMan DS to be seen.
"What took you so long?" The Dark Bomber placed his hands on his hips to show his impatience.
"Wait, what happened to Bass?" ProtoMan ignored the taunt, and lashed out with a question of his own.
"Did you really think that that pathetic old guy could defeat me?" MegaMan DS smirked in reply, "I wiped the floor with him!"
"He's lying." Chaud hissed, "Even powered up by Dark Chips there's no way that MegaMan could defeat Bass without an Op."
"Enough with the lies." The Raider agreed with his Op, and posed the question again. "Where is he?"
"You here to talk or battle?" His Dark Sword forming, the Dark Bomber dodged the question.
Before Roll or ProtoMan could react to that statement, the dragon Navi standing behind them leapt through the air and rushed at the Dark Bomber.
"For the honor of my Op!" The brown Navi shouted as he raced towards his self-declared opponent. As he rushed blindly up to the Dark Navi, a hand held Katana appeared in his hands. "Sword of Legends!"
"You want to be deleted first, huh?" MegaMan raised his blade and prepared for the coming fight.
"That!" Roll's outburst was cut off as ProtoMan shot her a warning look.
"Let him," The Raider's default sword appeared on his arm, "We'll let DracoMan distract MegaMan for us, then we'll take him by surprise."
"I see, nice plan."
"HAI!"
DracoMan's blade snapped up, effectively stopping his opponent's thrust. Quickly he parried his sword, knocking the Dark Bomber's weapon aside. Then he slashed savagely at his adversary.
Without a word, the Dark Bomber thrust himself backward, dodging the attack. Putting some distance between them, the Dark Bomber landed on the ground a short distance away from DracoMan. The next second, the Bomber's sword was ripping through the air in front of him, unleashing a crescent of energy that swept towards his opponent.
"Since when did MegaMan learn the Sonic Boom?" Lan gaped at his Navi.
The Dark Bomber didn't reply, but dove forward after his attack. Drawing back his blade, MegaMan DS rushed his opponent.
DracoMan nimbly slipped to the right, easily clearing the wave of energy. Evading the Bomber's thrust, the caped Navi vaulted away.
"Now, Flute of Dragons, Battle Chip in, Download!" Otis' voice rang throughout the Network.
"Yes Sir." Without delay, DracoMan snatched up the glowing dragon-headed flute that hung from his neck. As he blew into the instrument, a sharp noise flooded the Network at the same instant that three large, white Dragon Viruses appeared in front of the Sharrian Navi. "White Dragons come to my aid!"
"When will you ever learn?" There was a hint of amusement in MegaMan DS's voice as he gazed at the newcomers. "I can't be defeated by those puny things."
"Maybe not at this time, but once I fuse them…" DracoMan snapped his free hand up, palm open, and pointed at the trio of dragons. "Ultimate Dragon awake!"
"Oh no," Roll couldn't believer her ears. "NO! DracoMan, don't!"
The caped Navi glanced at the pink wonder over his shoulder, and then turned his attention back to the fight. "Fuse now!"
MegaMan DS squinted at his opponent as the world exploded into a blindingly white light. After a few seconds the rays faded, allowing a much bigger version of the White Dragon virus to be seen.
"I remember this pathetic creature." The Dark Navi deformed his blade, summing his Mega Buster in its stead. "I remember him well…"
"And now you shall face his true unbridled fury!" The caped Navi shifted his focus to point at his opponent.
"Wipe him out!" Otis commanded.
"NO!" Terrified of the events unfolding before his eyes, Lan could only watch helplessly as the huge beast opened its mouth. A white glow was building up in the beast's throat… "Otis, stop, you can't!"
Ignoring the command, DracoMan launched his attack. "Lightning Strike Attack!"
A roar of fury erupted from the Ultimate Dragon, at the same instant that a blast of intense electrical power exploded from the Dragon's mouth. The attack shot through the air, its course set right at MegaMan DS.
A smile appeared on the Dark Navi's face as his doom rushed closer...
"I can't tell you how satisfying this will be…" The Dark Bomber's Buster snapped up, and unleashed its true potential. "Dark Mega Buster!"
The Dark Bomber's shot ripped through space, colliding solidly with the Electric Strike…
"I don't believe it…" Roll's eyes went wide as she stared at the scene before her.
The Ultimate Dragon went flying backward through the air, a split second later it crashed to the ground and lay still. The huge beast's strength had been spent, it had given it his all, but that hadn't been enough.
"He'll pay for that…" Otis' voice steamed through the air. "Now, DracoMan, its time to destroy him. Program Advance."
DracoMan's eyes widened in disbelief as he heard those words come from his Op. Risking a quick glance over his shoulder, the brown Navi glanced at Roll and ProtoMan. He desperately wanted to win his honor back, true, but he wasn't willing to…
"No, sir!" The Navi set his eyes in determination. It was not worth regaining one form of honor and loose another. "I will not use the Poison Pharaoh. Not with innocents in the area."
"What? You dare disobey a direct order!" Otis clearly wasn't pleased with this development. How dare his Navi turn on him!
"If I use the Poison Pharaoh, then the other two Navi will be affected as well. It would be dishonorable to destroy them in pursuit of another. And in his current state, MegaMan could easily outlast them should we continue with this Program Advance."
"This is treason! DracoMan, this is a direct order, you are to use the Poison Pharaoh and obliterate that Dark Navi now!"
DracoMan hesitated for a second; maybe he was just making a big deal out of nothing. But another look at the two allies strengthened his resolve. He couldn't do it.
"No sir, I will not."
"You… Bak-"
"Careful how you finish that!" Lan cut Sharrian Op off, he knew that his comment was helping matters, but Otis E. Baka had him really ticked off at the moment.
Back in the Network, MegaMan DS smirked as his leveled his MegaBuster at his opponent. "Well, isn't that sweet? He cares about the two losers."
DracoMan didn't have time to react; a blast of energy from the Dark Mega Buster exploded against him. The impact sent him crashing backward to the hard Network floor below.
No sooner had the caped Navi landed, then the Dark Bomber appeared over his downed opponent. Towering over DracoMan, MegaMan DS summoned his Dark Sword and raised it for the final strike. This was it; it was time to cut DracoMan from the script!
ProtoMan made his move, his sword formed, he lunged forward and tore across the Network at the Dark Navi.
"Sonic Boom!"
He never made it. A blast of firepower exploded against him, its impact sending him sprawling to the floor.
"Now then." MegaMan DS turned his attention back DracoMan. "Where were we?"
The brown Navi just lay there on the floor; eyes fixed on the deadly blade. He had lost again; again he had tarnished the honor of his Operator's family by loosing, and by disobeying a direct order. Having broken the Code of Honor, his life wasn't worth continuing now. DracoMan closed his eyes, and resigned himself to his fate.
"Nice knowing you." MegaMan DS prepared to bring his blade down.
To Be Continued.