(Chapter 6)
The two days had passed, and Netto on his way to where Saratu wanted to meet him. Yuuichiro had told him about the Dimensional Area that had formed on the outskirts of town, just like Saratu had said.
"Netto-kun, remember what we planned" Rockman reminded him.
Netto nodded "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten" he replied.
Upon reaching the edge of the Dimensional Area, Netto put a few battlechips into his PET before he took out his Synchro Chip. "Synchro Chip! Slot-In!" Netto called as leapt into the Dimensional Area "Cross Fusion!" both he and Rockman called as they Cross Fused.
Once inside, they saw Saratu, still in her human form. She had not yet performed Cross Fusion. "So, you came" she said to them.
"Saratu, before we fight, why won't you believe Neta?" Netto asked.
"Look Hikari, I'd have to be about 3 to believe a story like that, there's no way in hell that she is my mother, she was killed when I was a baby, by your father" Saratu replied as she took out her PET.
"She didn't tell you to make sure you and her wouldn't get hassled over the fact that she used to be human if the word got out. She did it to protect you" Netto told her.
"You give me proof, then maybe I'll believe her, until then, as far as I'm concerned, Neta's just my ex-Navi" Saratu shot back as she took out her Synchro Chip.
"Saratu! Don't use that chip! You don't know what it's going to do to you!" Netto called to her, but she didn't listen.
"Synchro Chip! Slot-In!" Saratu called as she slotted the chip into her PET. "Cross Fusion!" both she and Pyra called as the transformation began. Saratu emerged with Pyra's black armor, with her own blonde hair flowing down her back. As soon as the glow died down, she went on the attack.
"Battlechip Spreader Gun!" R-Pyra called as she formed the weapon in place of her hand. Unlike the normal one though, it was black. She fired it at R-Rockman, and it hit him with a lot more force than it should have. It knocked him to the ground
'Netto-kun, the dark power of the Synchro Chip she used must also affect her battlechips, making them stronger, we have to be careful' Rockman said to his partner, whom nodded as he got back to his feet.
"Battlechip Sword!" R-Pyra yelled as the weapon formed, and like the Spreader Gun, it was different to the usual one, it had a purple tint to the blade. She went to slash R-Rockman.
"Battlechip Anti Sword!" R-Rockman called as he caught R-Pyra's blade, then formed a sword of his own and countered with 3 Sonic Booms.
A smirk formed on R-Pyra's face "Battlechip Muramasa Blade!" she called as the new chip formed.
R-Rockman cursed to himself as they had already used up their only way to counter it.
R-Pyra charged forward with the new sword, her arm with the sword raised to strike R-Rockman.
"Charge Shot!" a voice called out as a large red plasma round hit R-Pyra in the back, sending her flying. R-Rockman moved so that she wouldn't hit him.
R-Pyra got up weakly, then looked behind her to see who had fired the Charge Shot.
Standing there was Neta, but her armor had the design that she usually had while in Cross Fusion with Saratu.
R-Pyra laughed as she saw the Navi, whom was shocked to see that Saratu had used a Dark Synchro Chip. "So weak that you have to blast me in the back? I'm glad I got rid of you" she told her old Navi.
"Saratu, please stop this. What do you hope to gain from killing Rockman and Netto? They're not the ones you want" Neta said to her.
R-Pyra laughed again as she spoke again "I want them out of my way so I can kill Netto's father without trouble" she answered.
"I told you already, I lived on, yes I lost my human body, but I'm still here Saratu-chan" Neta replied.
R-Rockman smirked "Are you scared Saratu? Scared of what your mother would think if she knew what was happening?" Netto asked.
R-Pyra glared at him "If my mother hadn't been killed, then she could've helped my father raise my sister and me better, and things would've been better than they have" she told him coldly as she charged at him, her arm glowed as she formed another chip "Battlechip Drill Arm!" she called as the drill formed over her hand.
"Saratu-chan, I know Dad had problems raising us, but I think he did a good job considering he was on his own. I agree that if Mom hadn't died, then things probably would've turned out different, for the better. But we didn't lose her, not fully" another voice called to Saratu from Neta.
R-Pyra stopped herself and turned to face her old Navi and glared at her "Don't you dare try to use my sister's voice to try to get me to believe you" she told her as she lunged for Neta.
'AI Switch Program, Execute' Neta thought as she activated the program.
"Neta isn't using my voice Saratu, I'm right here" Kurisutaru said from R-Neta, Neta's face and hair color broke, revealing Kurisutaru's.
"You're not going to fool me Neta!" R-Pyra yelled as she jumped up and was about to connect with the Drill Arm
"Battlechip Iai Form!" R-Rockman formed another sword, he got in between R-Pyra and R-Neta, and slashed R-Pyra's icon with three perfect slashes, R-Pyra's form broke, and reformed back into a PET, the Dark Synchro chip popped out of her PET, and R-Rockman fired a buster shot at it, it was destroyed.
Saratu crumpled to the floor.She had been weakened by the Cross Fusion, but she was still awake, barely.
R-Neta kneeled down, and was about to aid Saratu to her feet, when R-Rockman spoke up. "Kurisutaru, Saratu won't be herself, the Dark Chip will still be in control of her" Rockman told her.
Surprisingly, Saratu took R-Neta's waiting hand, and let her help her up.She also pocketed Pyra's black PET.
Kurisutaru smiled as she Crossed Out, catching Neta's PET "Saratu-chan..." she said softly, tears had formed in her eyes.
As weak as Saratu was, she still felt guilty and it showed on her face "Neta told you, didn't she?" she asked.
"I can't believe you'd do something like this Saratu, and for trying to avenge Mama's death, why couldn't you believe Neta when she told you the truth?" Kurisutaru questioned as the Dimensional Area disppeared, Netto Crossed Out.
"She's lying Kuri-chan, I know she is..." Saratu replied, she fainted from being so exhausted.
"Saratu? Are you okay?" Kurisutaru asked, having no clue if her sister was okay or not.
(Science Labs Medical Wing, later on...)
"W-where am I? Saratu asked, a small dimensional area was formed around the room, partly to keep Saratu in, and partly for Neta to still be able to talk to her. Her head was throbbing.
"Science Labs Saratu-chan" Neta answered as she appeared in the chair beside the bed Saratu was currently lying in.
"Neta, stop calling me that, and go away" Saratu replied as she turned herself away from the Navi.
"Okay Saratu, but I am the only one who knows how you can get you out of here" Neta replied.
Saratu sighed "What do I have to do?" she questioned.
"All you have to do is Cross Fuse with me, and let me show you the evidence that I'm your mother. I already let Kuri-chan listen to the files, and that's why she believes me. You yourself said that if you had proof, then you might believe me" Neta answered.
"I wouldn't Cross Fuse with you again even if I could. I don't have a Synchro Chip, remember? Netto destroyed the dark one and the other one is back at the Nebula Base" Saratu replied. Neta motioned to the table, where her PET was resting, lying beside it was a Synchro Chip.
Neta put her hands on her hips as she looked at the girl in front of her "Look Saratu, I know I caused a lot when I became a Navi, and I'm trying to make up for the things I've done, to you and Kuri-chan especially" Neta told her.
Saratu got up from the bed and looked at the Navi "Neta, just how much longer are you going to keep this act up? I don't believe you, and I never will" she snapped.
Neta was about to speak again, but thought it wouldn't have made any difference. She merely teleported out of the Dimensional Area that was currently holding Saratu.
(Elsewhere...)
"She still won't believe me" Neta sighed, she took off her helmet and put it down beside her. As before, her hair turned the same shade of blonde as Saratu's as well as becoming loose.
"The Dark Synchro Chip she used will still have influence over her" Yuuichiro told her, then put a hand on her shoulder, seeing how this had upset her "It'll be harder to get her back than even what she did to all of the kidnapped people, because we need one of those chips to try to find a way to counter it. But don't worry, we'll find another way" he assured her.
"What can I do? It's because of me that she's in this mess, and I want to be the one to get her out of it" Neta replied.
"We know there's no way that Saratu's doing this on her own, Neta, who else is involved?" Rockman questioned. He had appeared in the Dimensional Area, he was standing by Netto.
"Well, a friend of Saratu's, Osaka Ademu is involved, but both he and Saratu have been working for Dr. Regal, I think some other operators and their Navis are working for him to do all of this, but neither me or Saratu have met them personally" Neta answered.
A dog's bark was heard, Neta looked confused as a hole opened in the floor, to reveal Rush. He barked again.
"Is he a...?" Neta asked, finger pointing down at Rush.
"Yes, but he's a friendly one that I created, if he's out, then Meiru and Roll must be separating normally. Rush's program is installed into Meiru's PET, but he has the ability to cross over between Earth and the Internet whenever he wants, even without a Dimensional Area" Yuuichiro answered.
Rush jumped out of his hole and into Neta's arms. He licked her, she laughed "Rush is his name? He won't pass anything onto me, will he?" Neta asked.
"He doesn't have anything to infect you with, don't worry. Though there was another virus that was like him, in a way, that caused a lot of trouble, the Neko virus" Yuuichiro replied.
"That thing? I was hoping to find and delete that thing myself" Neta said, remembering the incident as all Navis had been infected, she was no exception. She had been one of the few that had almost been transformed permanently. Rush jumped out of her arms and disappeared back into his hole. "Wait, you said he could appear in the real world without the need of a Dimensional Area, you wouldn't be able to give a Navi that ability, would you?" she asked.
"I'm not even exactly sure how Rush gained the ability in the first place, if I knew I'd give you the ability, seeing as you're currently operatorless" Yuuichiro replied.
"I'm getting used to it now, I just want to get Saratu to believe me that I'm her mother. I'll do anything to get her to see the truth..." Neta told him. Yuuichiro put an arm over her shoulders.
"First we have to break the Dark Chip that's controlling her. If we can do that, then you might have a chance, with Kurisutaru's help" Yuuichiro said.
Neta looked confused "But Netto already destroyed the Dark Synchro Chip when he defeated her earlier" she said.
"It doesn't matter. The effects of that chip haven't disappeared, and they don't if the chip itself is destroyed. We have to get through to Saratu, so she can get rid of the chip's effects on her own" Yuuichiro answered.
"That might be a problem. We will need Kurisutaru's help to get through to her" Neta replied. At some point it seemed that Netto and Rockman had slipped into the next room.
(Elsewhere...)
"Neta is Saratu's mother? I thought Saratu wanted to kill your Dad because she thinks he killed her mother" Meiru asked.
"Saratu refuses to believe Neta, I know it does sound pretty unbelieveable, but I'd listen to Neta if I was Saratu" Netto replied.
"Well, I hope for Neta's sake that she gets Saratu to believe her" Roll said.
"I bet she'll find a way to do it Roll-chan, I think it's just taking time for Saratu-chan to adjust, either that or the Dark Synchro Chip has really messed with her head" Kurisutaru spoke up.
"What was Saratu telling you before she stopped sending Neta to come see you?" Netto asked.
"Before the accident, Saratu was just encouraging me to keep up my schoolwork and everything, and not to worry about her. Both me and Dad always did worry a little, but we also knew Saratu-chan could take care of herself. After the accident, she mostly tried to comfort me, and that she'd come back someday. Then when I sent Umi to where she normally met Mom, she wouldn't be there. I've been sending Umi there ever since, hoping I'd see Saratu and Mom again. I was just so worried that something had happened, and that Saratu was hurt, or even dead" Kurisutaru answered.
"That must've hurt, when you did see Neta, but you found out what had been happening over the last few months" Meiru said, Kurisutaru nodded.
"It did, but I still didn't know why Saratu still couldn't have kept in touch" Kurisutaru replied.
(End of Chapter)