Author's Notes: This takes place during the third game, during Netto's final battle with the final boss, Proto (no relation to "Protoman.EXE," Blues.EXE's name in the English version).
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Enzan-sama is hurt. He is trying to hide it, but I know that he didn't escape from the attack of that last tank unscathed. That was horrible, watching the flames spring up and not being able to do anything, trapped in my PET. In the end, it was the Hikari boy and Rockman who plugged in and deactivated the tank. That should have been me, just like Enzan-sama and I should be the ones in there right now, fighting Proto.
Yes, Hikari Netto and Rockman have defeated World Three before, and yes, they did bring down Gospel, but that doesn't mean that they have anywhere near the experience that Enzan-sama and I have. They are just amateurs. We are Official Net Battlers.
Still, though, they are still very good. They have risen almost as fast as Enzan-sama and I did, and I wonder what it is that allows them to do so. It certainly can't be that they train as hard as we do. The Hikari boy wouldn't have the patience, and I doubt that Rockman would know a real battle routine if it kicked him in the shins. Hikari seems to be a natural at Net Battling, but even that wouldn't account for it. I have seen many good Operators and many good Navis, but none of them have been good enough to rival us. It's almost as though Hikari and Rockman share a bond of some sort.
Perhaps it is this "friendship" thing that Rockman mentioned back after our battle in the waterworks net. He said that a Navi and Operator could be like equals. That did not make much sense to me then, and it still puzzles me. A Navi is a Navi. An Operator is an Operator. They are not the same; they are not equal by the very nature of the relationship. Besides, Enzan-sama says that friendship makes you weak. If it makes you weak, though, then why is Rockman so strong?
There is no conceivable reason why I should not be able to defeat Rockman. None, aside from this friendship that he has with his Operator. If I could understand it, I am certain that I will win our next Net Battle against him. I shall have to ask Enzan-sama about this later.
Meanwhile, we wait, for there is nothing else we can do at this point. We wait and hope that Hikari and Rockman will be strong enough to defeat World Three again.
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As always, constructive criticism and other forms of feedback are highly welcome. My policy of reciprocating reviews for anyone who writes in a fandom I'm familiar with still stands. Thanks for reading!