Author: I hate splitting chapters up. My one chapter is too big sometimes, so I have to split it. Oh well. Here's part 2.
Disclaimer: I do not Own the MMZ series or the Megaman series. Those rights belong to Capcom.
Phantom Reloaded: Part 2
Ex-Neo Arcadian Guardian
Phantom
"Zero."
"Phantom."
The two looked at each other for a long time, standing completely still and in silence.
"Thank you, Zero."
Zero raised a brow. "Thanks for what?"
"For setting me free." Phantom smirked. Zero had never really seen Phantom smile, but it looked like he really meant it. The last time they fought, Zero never really saw Phantom smile, except when he scored any hits. Even then, Phantom's smile wasn't sincere. Now, he really indeed looked happy.
"You see, Zero. When I served under X, I was trapped."
Zero wondered why Phantom didn't refer to X as 'Master X.'
"But you Zero, because of you, you set me free. When I fought you, I had to make sure I destroyed you completely. If I didn't, then I would come crawling back to X and getting lectured or punished on how I wasn't strong to finish you off. I was tired of that shit. I was tired of this and that, 'Make sure the other Guardians don't cause trouble' this or 'Destroy Zero!' that. I was tired of it all. Then you set me free. You gave me the courage to free myself from that shithole."
There is no courage in killing yourself. Zero crossed his arms.
"However, I am stilled trapped in a prison. You can see that this 'world' isn't real; it is what people call the 'Internet.' I don't know how or when, but I came back in this place. He told me that I needed a body to get to the real world."
"Who told you that?"
"None of your concern. In any case, I needed a body, fast. Of course, how could I since most of the people here weren't hooked up to the Internet with their own bodies? They didn't use the Matrix system. But you, Zero, you did. You came here to eliminate a firewall, didn't you? Well, you're late. I've already eliminated it."
Zero was surprised that Phantom knew all of this. He was using some kind of device that uploaded his body to the Internet (The Matrix system), leaving it vulnerable. Then he figured out what Phantom intended to do.
"So what you're say is that you want to destroy me and come back to the real world in my body?"
"Precisely."
Zero laughed. The Legendary Maverick Hunter was feeling cocky. He didn't know why, but he felt he had to laugh. He found it ridiculous that Phantom would want to return in such a selfish act. The thought of Phantom serving himself for once humored Zero.
"I always thought you were some lapdog. Now you're just stupid!" Zero laughed heartily.
Another voice came form behind him. "I don't see what's so funny, Zero. You should know that we are capable of beating you easily."
Another voice came from his right. "Now your body is ours."
And yet another voice came from his left. "You can't run and you can't win."
All of those voices were Phantom's voice. Zero looked around and was seeing Phantom left, right, and behind. Two more Phantoms came from the fence and stood behind the first Phantom. Zero couldn't tell which one was the real one anymore.
"Seeing double, Zero?" Phantom #1 chuckled. The rest chuckled with him. "As you can see, it's all about me. I don't need weapons to beat you, for I have myself."
The weapons he held dissolved into numbers and disappeared into the air. Zero instinctively reached for his Z-saber, but he remembered it wasn't there. Before he remembered to turn on his screen, the Phantom in front of him kicked him. The kick had so much force that it knocked Zero into the locked door, several feet away. Zero slowly got up and rubbed his stomach, where the kick landed.
"How did you get so strong?"
"This is the Internet, Zero. Upgrades." The Phantom that kicked him started to dash towards Zero. The other six followed suit.
The Legendary Maverick Hunter never fought many enemies without his weapons, but inside he felt advantageous. He felt that the situation was in his favor, and he cracked his knuckles. With a quick leap, he stepped on a Phantom's head and skipped to another head. He went over them all and landed on the ground behind all of them. He looked forward and saw that five more Phantoms were running up to him.
"Shit." Zero stood defensively.
The Phantom behind him tried to kick Zero in the side, but he grabbed that Phantom's leg. He used him as a weapon to hit all the other Phantoms that came close enough to him, swinging wildly. Soon, he let go of that Phantom and he flew into a couple of other Phantoms, knocking them over like pins.
Two Phantoms approached him and started throwing punches and kicks alternatively. Zero avoided most of these attacks, but got hit twice by one Phantom and then the other one kicked up in the air. More Phantoms were coming out of the fences and joining the brawl. The newcomers leaped in the air with Zero and tried to attack him in mid-air. Zero anticipated this, however, and grabbed the Phantom that was the closest. With a swift throw, the Phantom that he threw knocked over a pile of other Phantoms on the ground.
While he did so, other Phantoms jumped onto Zero from behind. Zero landed on the ground hard, and the other Phantoms started to dog-pile onto him. The pile of Phantoms swallowed Zero up. Suddenly, with a burst of inner strength, he held the entire pile of Phantoms up high and threw the pile to the side. His screen came on and it was Dex, fixing his specs.
"The arm upgrades are already in, I'm downloading a weapon chip right now. Please wa-"
The screen minimized when another Phantom came and punched Zero. Zero blocked, but a kick came out from the side and another Phantom tried to shoulder-tackle Zero. Zero caught the one that tried to do that, and he threw him into the one that punched him. The one that had kicked him tried to chop him this time, using his right arm. Zero countered this by locking his arm with Phantom's, and then snapping it with a swift motion. The elbow bent the opposite direction.
The Phantom cried out in pain, and others came to attack Zero. He held the Phantom he had up as a shield and a weapon at the same time. He swung the Phantom around and, using the dislocated arm as a handle to grip on. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a Phantom leaping into the air and getting ready for a flying axel kick. Right before he could hit Zero, he held up the body of the Phantom he had and it absorbed the blow. It hit his neck and broke it, so he was instantly dead. His body dissolved into numbers and disappeared into thin air.
The Phantom that performed the kick landed on the ground, getting his bearings back. Before he did though, Zero rushed up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, still running. He used that Phantom's body as a battering ram to push away all of the other Phantoms. When he got through the crowd, he threw that Phantom into the building next door. With the added strength, he threw him so hard that that Phantom crashed into a window.
Now he stood in front of the large crowd of Phantoms, now with numbers well over seventy. The Maverick Hunter was getting fatigued, and he needed to end this fast. His screen turned on, and it showed Dex.
"Okay, Zero! Triple Rod, battle chip in! Download!" He slid the chip through a slit and it downloaded to the area where Zero was. Materializing from numbers, the Triple Rod was in Zero's hands. He twirled it and then extended it three times, activated its sharp end.
"Leg Enhancements, chip in! Download!"
Zero could feel his weight lift. He felt light as a feather.
"Speed Enhancement, chip in! Download!"
Now he felt lighter than a feather.
"Balance Enhancement, Strength Enhancement 2, Armor Coat 2, Edge Sharpness, Ultimate Buster, chips in! Download!"
"Whoa." Zero said to himself.
He leaped high into the air and fell back down, stomped on a vulnerable Phantom. It was instantly 'deleted,' and the other Phantoms started to attack. Zero stabbed the closest Phantom in the stomach with the sharp end, but before he could disappear, he swung the Rod around with Phantom still on it, hitting multiple Phantoms surrounding them. When the Phantom did disappear, Zero knocked another Phantom's jaw up with the blunt side and cut a Phantom's face behind him.
Then he swung the Rod in a low arch, slicing the legs off of any surrounding Phantoms. The Edge Sharpness enhancement made Phantom's armor feel like tissue paper compared to the Triple Rod's sharp end. The blunt end of the Rod tripped other Phantom's not cut by the attack. Zero planted the sharp end into the ground and balanced himself along with the Rod. He used his arms to keep his grip there but it was also loose. He kicked one Phantom while spinning on his Rod. Then he kicked another. And then another. And then more. He kept spinning along his Rod and kicking the Phantoms that tried to attack. He gained speed as he did this, and he spun so fast that everything was a blur to him.
He pulled out the sharp end and then twirled it in the air. The sharp end sliced several Phantoms into pieces and they all were deleted. But for every one Zero killed, three more took its place. The Phantoms kept piling in and in. And every time Zero knocked them all down, deleted, and then repeated. He was getting nowhere fast.
His screen turned on in the middle of the fight. Once again, it was Dex.
"Zero, I uploaded a Data Eraser into your system. It deletes all the data within your region of space, but you can use it when it's charged. Use it now, Zero!"
Zero threw the Rod like it was a javelin. It speared a whole line of Phantoms and deleted them all before the Rod hit the wall. Now with the Data Eraser uploaded, the Blond Bomber clenched his fist and struck the ground.
"Giga Attack: Data Eraser!"
Waves of green numbers ran along the ground and instantly deleted any phantom in the area. Nearly all of them were gone, except for one. When Phantom noticed he was being spotted, he started to run for the door. Zero drew his Z-buster and aimed for Phantom. He pulled the trigger and his Laser Shot came out right away, thanks to his Ultimate Buster enhancement. The laser pierced through Phantom's chest armor. He crouched, clutching the wound in his chest, and he slowly started to dissolve in numbers.
"I'm not finished with you..." Those were his last words before he completely disappeared.
Satisfied with the results, he turned on his screen and called out, "Okay guys. It's over. Send me back now."
Dex fixed his specs. "Okay, just go to a te-"
The screen turned black. Then he heard a chuckle coming from the screen. He minimized it right away and sighed. He went to the door and hoped it wasn't locked. Surprisingly, it wasn't. He turned the knob and opened the door. He was in the hallway again, but this time there was an end to the hallway. And at the end there was a door. This one looked different, because it had a 'P' written on it. Realizing that the other doors were locked, he tried that door. He turned the knob and opened the door.
Change of scene
Fefnir was in his room in the middle of an intense battle playing a shooting game online. Fefnir's character had a large bazooka, and was annihilating everyone else.
"Take that, AnitaReploid! You can't touch this, HarryVGina! What some, LeviL0v3r69?"
When the time was up and the scores were posted, Fefnir had the highest. He leaped up in the air and yelled at the top of his lungs, "I am the GREATEST!"
Before the scores could get sent into his personal record, the screen went black. Fefnir groaned and shook the computer violently.
"No, no, NO!"
Leviathan went into Fefnir's room to see what all the commotion was. She sighed and realized Fefnir was having one of his dramatic video-game moments. She was about to leave when the screen came back on. To their surprise, it showed Phantom. Or rather, myriads of Phantoms, standing along the sideway of a city street and pervading inside the buildings. There were even some on top of the buildings. There were so many.
Harpuia heard the noise and stumbled into Fefnir's room. He had just recovered from the Repair Room, but the emerald guardian still had some injuries. Leviathan added some more when she realized Harpuia was intensely training up to the point where it almost killed him. Now, however, Harpuia still had a neck-guard on, but he could at least walk. He stumbled up to the monitor next to Leviathan and Fefnir, who were mesmerized by the screen.
"What on Earth are you two lo-"
He dropped his jaw when he saw all of those Phantoms.
"Tell me that's a screen saver."
Fefnir snapped back into reality and then said, "What's going on? I'm supposed to be playing my game!"
Fefnir wasn't the only one aggravated. All of the people around the world who were on the Internet had their data stolen by Phantom. They dubbed him the "Phantom Virus." It stole all of their data while they were online. It steals their Internet 'body' and converts it to Phantom's image. Apparently, Phantom nearly took over the entire Internet. Except for one.
"Hey, doesn't Blondgrl693 look a lot like Zero?" Leviathan asked and pointed to the figure on the screen. Everyone who was taken by the virus was watching the biggest online match they have every seen, and it was about to begin.
Change of scene
It wasn't raining. It was pouring. The sky gleamed a dark green every time lightning struck. The trickles of rain poured onto the city street where he stood, and onto the millions of Phantoms all around him. They were standing on the sidewalk, leaving the entire street clear. The buildings were stuffed with many other Phantoms. Zero didn't know how there were so many, but he knew that Phantom must have distracted him in the earlier fight so he can duplicate himself. Or so he thought.
One Phantom in the crowd standing along the sidewalk walked out of it and stepped into the street. He stood facing Zero, and even in the dark, raining night, he could tell Phantom was smiling under his scarf.
"Zero, welcome back." His smirk grew wider. "We've missed you. You like what I've done with the place?" Phantom looked at his copies and then back again at Zero.
"Your little escapade ends tonight." Zero crossed his arms. "If you intend to have them all take me on, then bring it." He had his Data Eraser almost charged, so he was prepared.
Phantom, however, smiled and shook his head. "Quality, not quantity, Zero. These are just conductors, sending the data I need to myself, since I am the Superior One. It's about time for a rematch. One-on-one." His metal sword materialized in numbers and then fully materialized in his hands. He threw off his scarf. Zero had his Z-saber materialize in his hand. They both held them up, ready to battle. They both started to run to each other holding up their weapons.
When they were close enough, their weapons clashed. Phantom's sword was made of the indestructible metal that couldn't be penetrated by any beam weapons. However, the metal could not go through the beam saber. The sheer impact of the weapons parted the rain around the area they fought in.
Seconds after the clash, Phantom swung low with his sword. Zero leaped in the air and drew his Z-buster. He fired a charged shot in Phantom's direction, but he phased out. The buster shot blew up the ground, sending debris everywhere. Instinctively, Zero thrust his Z-saber behind him, but he stabbed nothing. Then he looked up and realized that Phantom was above him. He was about to attack with the saber, but Phantom kicked it away and slashed Zero in the shoulder. Even with the Armor Coat enhancement, the sword penetrated through a thick amount of armor. Phantom must have upgraded as well, with probably a million conductors.
The saber fell onto the ground. When Zero landed, he was about to run for it, but Phantom threw a large shuriken towards Zero. He rolled to the side and shot another charged shot at Phantom. The Superior One phased again and reappeared in the air. He stayed in the air, however. It was like he's floating. Or flying. Zero looked incredulously, and Phantom smiled.
"You would be surprised what files certain Neo Arcadian guardians leave unguarded, don't you think?"
Now he can fight like Harpuia, Fefnir, or Leviathan. Great. Zero shot another charged shot at Phantom.
He didn't need to phase out, but he flew away and then back towards Zero. He was about to fire another charged shot, but Phantom was flying too quickly and shoulder-tackled Zero. Phantom held onto Zero and rammed him into a building.
The Legendary Maverick Hunter kicked off Phantom and re-positioned himself. The Superior One also re-positioned himself. Both of them stood still before any one of them made a move. Raindrops were falling from the cracks on the ceiling. They waited until the first one fell.
Zero twirled his Z-buster and shot another charged shot towards Phantom. Phantom used his metal sword to slice the shot in two and the shots hit the floor, causing it to begin to crumble. Phantom used his ninja abilities to leap up and stand on the ceiling, upside-down. The ground was about to cave in, and Zero was about to fall. Then, he crouched before the ground was about to fall. He clenched his fist and then leaped up, standing on the ceiling. Upside-down.
Both of them were standing on the ceiling with rain pouring up from the ceiling 'floor.' Phantom smirked and said, "You learn fast, Zero."
Zero couldn't believe it for himself. He felt that he already knew that ability, but he couldn't remember where. Perhaps it was long ago. The Legendary Maverick Hunter didn't have time to surf through his thoughts because Phantom dashed and tried to slash him. Zero grabbed the edge of the sword before it could hit him. His hand bled a bit because it was so sharp. He aimed his Z-buster at Phantom's face, however. He was going to pull the trigger, but Phantom was quicker and kicked Zero in the stomach.
Upon the impact, Zero dropped his Z-buster and it fell into the deep abyss below. Phantom saw this opportunity to kick Zero again, but this time it sent him flying out of that building and into another building. Phantom followed Zero, flying at top speed. When Phantom got close enough, Zero used the momentum from the kick and used his hands to balance himself. Then he sprang back and double-kicked Phantom in the face, which shattered the right side of his helmet, where the kick landed.
The so-called Superior One staggered back covering the side of his face. Zero smirked and crouched. The rain was also pouring down from the ceiling in this building as well. Waves of energy parted the rain on the floor as Zero flew straight into Phantom (Dex downloaded Flight Enhancement while Zero was fighting). He flew upwards carrying him up high in the sky.
Phantom broke free of Zero's hold when they were high above the sky. He flew towards Zero at a high speed to slash at Zero, but the Legendary Maverick Hunter knew better.
He spun to the side and spin-kicked Phantom's sword away, and it fell back to the ground far below. Phantom cursed under his breath. Now Zero half-circled widely around Phantom and thrust his body forward with a powerful burst of speed. He shoulder-tackled Phantom hard, and it even cracked Phantom's chest armor. The Superior One didn't take long to recover, and in fact he threw Zero aside to catch his breath.
Cocky as he was, Zero decided to finish this. He flew towards Phantom one more time to finish this. Phantom also wanted to end this, so he caught Zero before he could hit him. The ex-Neo Arcadian guardian grinned as he held on tight and started to fly at top speed...towards the ground! Zero struggled to break free, but Phantom was going so fast that they already hit the ground before Zero couldn't even re-think the thought.
The impact made a large crater and parted the rain. The other Phantoms walked up to the crater and looked inside. The Superior One was standing over Zero, who laid on the ground. Dirt and gravel covered his face, and his armor was shattered. His body was numb, and he may have broken his neck, which severed his mechanical nerves. Now he was paralyzed.
Phantom laughed, and the others joined with him. His large shuriken materialized in his hand, and he held it up high. Now he was going to finish off Zero, and absorb his data. Now he was about to throw it at Zero, but the Maverick hunter's screen turned on. Dex was on it.
"Second Chance, chip in! Download!"
Phantom hurled the shuriken towards Zero. He minimized the screen and was about to destroy Zero. The Second Chance gave him the ability to gain one strip of life, and with it, Zero got up and side-stepped quickly, avoiding the shuriken. Right before it even hit the ground, Zero delivered a very, very strong right hook at Phantom's face. The fist met Phantom's face, and it parted the rain and the impact shattered Phantom's helmet and ultimately broke Phantom's jaw. That blow sent him flying into the ground. Now he had the opportunity he needed. Zero looked left and right, and he found it. His Z-saber was covered with mud and dirt, but it was only a few feet away from him. Zero dived for it and grabbed it. Phantom was already up and charged towards Zero. Blondgrl693 activated his Data Eraser and installed it into his Z-saber. With a swift motion, he threw the Z-saber at Phantom.
"Dodge this!"
The saber was thrown too fast for Phantom to dodge it. It met Phantom's head. The saber dug itself very deep, so deep that it only stopped until the hilt of it touched Phantom's face, and the end of the saber stuck out of the back of his head. He groaned and fell backwards, disappearing into numbers before he hit the ground.
The other Phantoms started to glow. Each one exploded in a bright flash of light. Zero covered his face with his hands. When the bright light diminished, Zero uncovered his face. The crater he was standing in a while ago was gone, and he stood in the same spot on the same street when he first logged in.
The other people waved and greeted him regularly, and the ads were also there. But now they were advertising something different.
"Buy Phantom: Reloaded now on DVD!"
"Get your copies of Phantom: Reloaded and a free pic of nudie Levi!"
Zero smiled and turned on his screen and was actually relieved to see Dex and Ciel.
"All right, how do I get out of here?"
Dex fixed his specs and said, "Telephone booth. Collect call."
The Legendary Maverick Hunter pushed through the crowd of people and walked into a nearby telephone booth. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. He looked out and stared at the crowd of people. Before he left, he saw the Engineer waving and smiling in the crowd. Zero was about to wave good-bye, but he noticed the Engineer was standing next to the "Buy Phantom: Reloaded and get your free nudie Levi pic" booth. He laughed out loud and got sent back into the real world.
Change of scene
"Zero! Are you alright?" Ciel helped Zero get back up.
Zero had no idea that the damage he received in the Internet would transfer to his body in the real world. He felt numb all over, and he was bleeding on his lip.
"Phantom already destroyed the firewall. Not destroyed, but actually absorbed it. Now the files should be opened up." Zero crossed his arms, but it hurt so bad that he let them hang.
Dex was opening up the file until one of the reploids who was carrying the boxes earlier burst into the room.
"Dex, guess what? There is a spoon!" He held up a spoon.
Dex shook his head and said, "Do I care?"
The reploid hung his head and walked out glumly. Dex, Ciel, and Zero laughed and paid attention to the computer. The files were opened and the plans were revealed.
"Oh my..." Ciel covered her mouth.
Author: Whew. Well, another chapter for you all. I want to take this time to point out that I really don't mind if you people flame my fanfic. I mean, I would take my mistakes into consideration and build upon them. Don't worry; I won't get all depressed if you guys slam my fanfic. I'm just saying it would be better for a reader to read this, not like it, then review on telling me why than compared to a reader to read this, not like it, and not respond at all. So, please read and review! The second-half of the story will begin next!