OMG I UPDATED! Sorry for the wait!
Chapter 14 – Not Quite Cute
"This is great, we're trapped in the lab, viruses are here, trying to kill us, and worst of all, Gutsman is a Neko! I mean, come on, a N-E-K-O!" Dekao whined.
"Calm down already! I'm sure there's a way to solve everything…" Netto said, trying to think.
Meanwhile, Enzan stared in thought at the Neko-Gutsman, and was bombarded with an idea, a smirk managing to clamber onto his face. "I think I can take care of everything."
Everyone looked at him, waiting to see what he'd do.
"Waaah-nyu!" Gutsman wailed as he was tossed out by Enzan into the group of viruses. Enzan slammed the door shut before anything could get in, Gutsman included, not saying a word. "Lemme back in-nyu! They'll kill me-nyu!"
The viruses stared at Gutsman with an eerie look on their faces.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that-nyu?" Gutsman asked, worried. The viruses began to surround him, awestruck by the strange Navi that couldn't quite be called cute, yet wasn't not cute. "H-Help-nyu!"
"That should keep them busy for now," Enzan nodded in agreement to his comment.
"What kind of plan is that? We're still stuck here!" Yaito shot back.
Suddenly a strange rumbling came from one of the walls. Cracks began to form along with a loud clicking sound of a jackhammer.
"What in the world?" Meiru stepped away from the wall in caution. She moved just in time, as the wall suddenly fell apart; smoke veiling the area from vision.
"Did somebody say stuck?" a familiar voice came from the grayish fog.
"Wha…?" Netto's jaw fell open in recognition of the voice. "But didn't you… weren't you…What?"
The smoke cleared to reveal a waterlogged Saratu, wearing a miner's cap and holding a massive jackhammer. Neta was sitting in her PET strapped to Saratu's belt.
"Saratu?" They gaped in surprise.
"Yo." Saratu waved for a moment before stepping over the wall and joining them in the lab. Water dripped off the tips of her hair and her clothes. "You wouldn't happen to have a towel nearby by any chance?"
"… So basically, Meijin asked me to come back here and help you guys deal with this virus thing," Saratu finished her explanation to why she had come back to Cyber Island. She continued drying her hair as the others thought about her story.
"for your information, Saratu had to swim part of the way here, and then there was the digging! So you all be nice and thank Saratu!" Neta called from her PET.
Everyone quickly murmured thanks to Saratu, eager to keep Neta in a good mood.
"Well, it's nice that you've come to help us, but what exactly are you going to do?" Glyde replied with a logical argument. "All of us put together still wouldn't be enough to fight that many viruses."
"Meijin said that if we just have to find the problem in the system, and the guys back at the main lab can start an anti-virus program up that'll wipe out all the viruses out there!" she stood up and headed for a console. "He said if I push this and that…" Saratu began punching in the keyboard, until a soft beep was heard. "There!"
Everyone gathered to see what she had done. The screen showed a blueprint full of wiring, and a small bar on the bottom. Saratu began to explain.
"Right now, the computer's scanning the wiring systems on Cyber Island. When it finds the cut-off one, it'll automatically begin repairing it." She beamed proudly.
"Well, Meijin and Mr. Hikari sure outdid themselves this time." Meiru commented. "So… What now?"
Everyone stood in silence.
"I guess… We should just wait here." Rockman suggested. "It's not safe outside."
"That's right, Rockman. There's just one thing left to deal with." Enzan said. He then tapped Blues on the shoulder and nodded at the hole.
"Yes sir." Blues stepped over to the wall, ensuring to get everyone to move aside. His sword materialized into his hand, and he rose his arm and struck at the roof of the tunnel Saratu had dug. Soil and cement crashed down into the passage, blocking it off.
"In case viruses try to get in." Enzan elaborated.
Gutsman sat shivering as all the viruses on the island gathered to him to watch the strange Navi that was neither cute nor not cute. None of them tried attacking him, even though Gutsman tried a few times before giving up entirely.
"I have no friends-nyu…" he whimpered.
"Hey Netto, can I ask you a question?" Meiru sat next to Netto, the others scattered throughout the lab, leaving the two alone together.
"Sure, what's up?"
"About Saratu, how'd you become friends?"
"Saratu?" Netto sat up for a moment, then slumped back again, putting his hand to his chin. "Hmm, it was before school started I think. Dad brought her over one day saying he was taking care of her for the day while her mom worked. That was before her mom became Neta, by the way."
"How come I never met her?" Meiru asked.
"Well, she moved sometime after her mom became Neta. This is the first time I've seen her in years. She's certainly still as… lively as I remembered." Netto reminisced his time as a kid, playing with a girlish yet surprisingly tough Saratu.
"Uh, well, I was also wondering…" Meiru fidgeted for words. "Were you two ever… Um, you know… I guess what I'm saying is…"
"What? What is it?" Netto asked, having no idea what she was talking about.
"Do you… Like her?" Meiru finally managed to say, feeling a little hot.
"Eh? I guess I like her, she's a friend, after all." Netto looked at her confused. "What kind of thing to say is that?"
"Haha, never mind!" Meiru laughed lightly at Netto's blocky personality. "So Neta is actually her mom? That's kind of like you and Rockman."
"Hehe, yeah, I guess it is. That's probably why it's easy to talk to her and stuff." Netto stretched out and yawned, not noticing the slightly sad look on Meiru's face.
"Hey, what's up, you two?" Saratu strolled over in their direction and stood in front of them. She noticed they were alone and smiled wickedly. "Am I interrupting something?"
"What? No!" they both said, cheeks flushed. Saratu just laughed and pointed behind her, where they saw Neta once again in human form, wearing a robe.
"Turn's out I'll be staying here awhile, at least until another ship can be prepared," Saratu smiled. "I've officially joined you all as a fellow guinea pig!"
"I wouldn't say we were guinea pigs…" Netto said, but thinking that it was, after all, Meijin, they probably were guinea pigs.
All of a sudden a beep echoed from the console. They gathered around it once again to see that it now read 'Repairs Complete'.
"All right! Now we just wait for Meijin to send over the anti-virus!" Saratu explained once again.
A loud crash interrupted them, coming from the front door.
"T-They're coming, de gutsu!" Gutsman called.
5 minutes ago
The viruses still stared at Gutsman in awe.
"W-Why-nyu? Why me-nyu? I don't wanna be Neko-nyu!" he whimpered. "I wish I wasn't a Neko anymore de gutsu!"
The viruses began mumbling incoherently all of a sudden.
"Huh, de gutsu? I…I'm not saying nyu! I'm not a Neko anymore, de gutsu!" he jumped yup in joy before realizing his situation. The viruses' looks had changed from awe to hostility.
"Uh-oh, de gutsu… Um, nyu, de gutsu? Nyu, de gutsu!"
Gutsman came flying down the stairs, followed by a steady stream of miscellaneous viruses.
"Enzan, Blues, Rockman, get ready to fight!" Netto called out, grabbing a nearby broom and screwing the top off of it. "The rest of you stay back and watch for the anti-virus! And don't let them break anything!"
Netto, Rockman, Enzan and Blues stepped up to hold back the hordes of viruses to the best of their ability. Enzan and Netto held back the front lines, Blues jumped up the staircase to take out more, and Rockman blasted whatever he got his sights on. However, even the four strongest found it difficult to continue. After twenty minutes of massive virus-busting, they were beginning to wear out.
"The anti-virus is here!" Roll yelled out. "Rockman, you need to load it into your buster!"
"I'm coming!" Rockman backpedaled towards her, still shooting. He stuck his buster into a small connection hole, downloading the anti-virus into his buster.
"You'll only have one shot!" Saratu told him, kicking away one of the viruses to make it past Netto and the others. "Meijin said you have to shoot it into the sky, and it will spread the anti-virus program through the air!"
"How are we going to get out?" Rockman wondered out aloud.
"Leave that to us!" Netto called. "Ready? Time to barge!"
Netto ran to one of the computer mainframes and managed to work off one of the metal panels shielding it with the help of Blues. Everyone caught on and ran over to the staircase, holding the panel in front of them like a shield.
"One, two, three! PUSH!"
Everyone heaved together, slowly forcing back the viruses and climbing up the staircase. Rockman and Blues continued to whittle down their numbers while pushing by attacking around the edges. Slowly but surely, they were reaching the outside.
"Almost!" Netto called, but one second too early. Suddenly the force of the push became stronger, almost sending them rolling down the stairs. "What!"
The viruses were gathering together, pooling their strength to send them back. They were inches away from the exit into the outside. Bit by bit, Netto and the gang were being forced backwards.
"I guess… Only one chance…" Netto mumbled. He grabbed Rockman and pulled him to himself. "Rockman, get ready to jump!"
"Wha?" Rockman said in confusion. Suddenly, Netto pushed through the small gap between the panel and the wall, dragging Rockman with him. Lifting Rockman above his head, Rockman was given a near clear path for the exit.
"Hurry and jump!" Netto yelled exasperated, the many viruses ramming into his body, unprotected.
"Right!" Rockman leapt forward with all his strength. As he was about to land in the outside, he saw many more viruses pounding in his direction. "Only one chance!" he yelled. In mid-flight, he began spinning around, facing towards the sky. As his head made it past the doorway, and towards the viruses eagerly waiting, he threw his buster upwards, pointed it at the sky and shot before falling and disappearing in the hordes of viruses.
The sky blew up in a screen of yellow, small lights falling like snow throughout the island. The viruses began dissipating, one after the other, like wildfire. Within moments, every virus had disappeared, leaving the place eerily quiet.
Rockman and Netto lay on the ground, slightly bruised and battered. The others ran up to them quickly. They found both of them with the same expression.
Both of them just smiled, staring at the beautiful yellow sparks floating in the sky.
END CHAPTER 14