AN: Another huge chapter for you guys! Thanks for waiting!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 3: Interrogation? Sudden Attack!

It wasn't necessarily a waste of his time. However, Enzan could think of better things he could be doing. In his eyes, he was taken out of his important mission on tracking the production of dark chips. Questioning a random civilian seemed to be a big downgrade from that.

"Your name please?" Enzan scanned the boy who sat across from him. His eyes particularly noticed the strange device that was on the boy's arm. It was cracked all over, but he could tell it was technology that he had not seen advertised before.

"Hoshikawa Subaru…" was the hesitant reply he received. The boy was obviously nervous as he continued to fidget in his chair. "Have I… done anything wrong, Ijuuin-san?"

Enzan let out a deep sigh. It was a special request from Meijin to question this individual, so he could not object. The goal was to make it seem less like an interrogation and more of a conversation so as not to intimidate the subject. Since they were around the same age, it seemed like he was the prime candidate. God forbid letting Netto do it.

"No, Hoshikawa-kun. And please, just call me Enzan. No need to be so formal." He tried to talk more casually, but it was hard to hide his dismay. It was strange that the name of Ijuuin carried little meaning for the boy. Still, ignorance didn't warrant an arrest of any kind. Why in the world would Netto bring in this guy for questioning, he was about to find out. "You're not in trouble or anything. I just want to ask you a few questions. For example, you're not from around here are you?"

"Um… First, where exactly are we?" It was particularly hard to answer questions without having his owns answered. Subaru rubbed the back of his neck in worry upon asking. That same question had already earned him a ticket to this Net Police station. Or at least, that's what he heard it was called. He guessed it was similar to the Satella Police in function. "I'm sorry if it seems a bit strange, but I really don't know."

"It's understandable. I heard you sustained some injuries, including a head concussion." Enzan motioned briefly at some papers that were laid out neatly on the table. They were reports written by Netto himself. Albeit… They were lacking in the professionally written department. It was to be expected. "We're currently in Japan right now, but I'll elaborate on some other subjects I heard you were unfamiliar with."

Enzan reached for his pocket, procuring a red and black device. To Subaru, it looked similar to a Star Carrier in size, but different in more ways then one. "This is a PET…" Enzan continued as he pressed its central button. The device opened up to show a small screen. "It's short for Personal Terminal. AI programs called NetNavis help manage not only our Personal Terminals… but also help us access and utilize the Net itself." It was a bit strange to go over third grade information to someone his age. In today's society, all of it should be common knowledge.

"Personal Terminal… NetNavis… the Net…" Subaru rolled the words on his tongue as he tried to search his memory for the terms. They were familiar somehow, as if he'd learned it in school before. It all began to click as he remembered some key words. Subaru shot up from his chair, nearly knocking his seat over, as he exclaimed, "You mean like Internet Technology!"

"Y-Yes. That's correct." Taken aback by the boy's sudden realization of an obvious fact, Enzan was nearly positive that the boy suffered from some form of head trauma.

Subaru remembered clearly now. In their history lessons, they were taught how a long time ago, humans used to rely on Internet Technology. Familiar terms such as Personal Terminals and Net Navigators were often accompanied with the age of the Net. The abbreviation of PET was unfamiliar, but Personal Terminal he recognize. However, the age of the Internet had long past and was replaced with something different and more advanced. Subaru couldn't help but inquire, "What about Wave Technology?"

"Wave… Technology?"

"You know, like EM waves? Electro-magnetic waves that come from and were managed by the three satellites?"

Enzan shook his head to show his unfamiliarity with what he was talking about. It was definite now. This boy was off his rocker. "I'm sorry, Hoshikawa-kun. But I'm not sure what you're talking about. Now if you'll please sit down again…"

"A-Ah… yes…" Subaru blushed slightly. It was a bit embarrassing making such a big commotion. This was especially so since his questioner showed little reaction towards his epiphany on the subject. "Sorry… Ijuu—I mean Enzan…" he corrected himself quickly.

After picking up the documents on the table and promptly straightening them out, Enzan looked straight at Subaru as he took his seat. It sent shivers down the brown haired boy's spine as his eyes seemed to be analyzing him from the inside out. Their eyes met briefly until Enzan broke the awkward silence. "Anyways… let's continue then… … Subaru…"

The change in formality was sudden, but Subaru simply nodded. "A-Alright…"


"Auuuuugh! I can't believe I lost so badly to that guy!" Netto moaned loudly as he skated on the sidewalk. He flailed his arms to the left and right, PET in hand, out of irritation of just the thought of losing. "Next time I see that black armored red winged freak, I'm going to get some payback!"

"N-N-Netto-kun!" RockmanEXE tried to calm his operator, but the shaking of the PET made him dizzy. "F-F-First, you should be getting to school! You-You-You're going to be late again!"

"Ah! You're right!" Picking up the pace, Netto began to zoom off towards school. With years of practice, the brunette was able to weave through the crowds of people with ease. "Geez, Rockman! Why didn't you remind me sooner! Now I'm going to be late!"

"If you'd only wake up when I tell you to, then this wouldn't happen!" the NetNavi pleaded. This wasn't necessarily the first nor would it be the last time that this happened. In fact, it happened practically every morning. However, after his NetOp brought up the topic, he couldn't help but think more about what happened. "But Netto-kun… about that stranger, I don't think it's wise to pick a fight with someone like that. I have a really bad feeling. There was all this… negative energy around him."

"Negative energy?" Netto briefly glanced down at his PET, making sure to keep his concentration primarily on what was in front of him. "What do you mean?"

"I can't describe it. It's not an evil aura or anything… but…" RockmanEXE put his hand to his chest, as if searching his soul for the words to describe such a feeling. "It gave me an uneasy feeling… especially when hearing that terrible noise."

"Tell me about it! I swore that my head was about to split into two when I heard it!" Netto ruffled his hair. Just remembering the event made his head hurt. It took all he had to keep up the cross fusion at that time when the noise resounded throughout the dimensional area. "When I think about it, there was all this weird red stuff that was in the air when that happened…"

"I didn't get a good shot of it, but I think that stuff gathered around that other blue NetNavi that had materialized in the dimensional area." Thinking back on the subject a bit, RockmanEXE pondered more about the other blue navi. Could it have been another darkloid? "I'm not sure whether he was controlling the red fragments of data that materialized… or whether it was controlling him."

"Hmph! Either way…!" With new found conviction, Netto raised one arm up in the air. "Next time I see him, I'm going to teach him a lesson he'll never—"

WHAM…

… was the sound made as he slammed face first into a telephone pole. Onlookers simply shook their heads at the sight. It was obviously due to the boy's inattentiveness to look what was directly in front of him.


"I'll make you a deal, Subaru." Enzan motioned over towards the broken device on the boy's arm. "I can give you a new PET in exchange for that broken one."

"Eh, really?" While Subaru was a bit reluctant to give up his Hunter VG, there was little choice. Enzan had helped explain a few more things, but the whole picture wasn't painted clearly quite yet. Sure, his BrotherBands would once again need to be established, but a broken Hunter VG wasn't going to do him any good. The best thing he could do was except the offer.

"There is a catch however…" Enzan added in, causing the boy to flinch just a bit. Obviously, nothing was free. "If you'll please cooperate with me, I want to get some answers from you."

"…S-Sure…" Subaru reluctantly replied.

"Okay, let me get a few papers." Standing up, the Net Savior turned towards the door. He took a quick glance back at Subaru before exiting the cramped room.

"That guy is definitely getting on my nerves." Warrock finally spoke up. The alien had been keeping quiet at Subaru's request on the account that it would seem extra strange if he were talking to himself. No point in having people thinks he was crazier then they already thought. "Why don't we just grab his PET and leave?"

"You know we can't do that!"

"You're not really considering to…" Warrock grumbled as he stared at the door the boy exited from. No doubt, he was planning something in his head to somehow defy the other kid.

Shifting his Visualizer down over his eyes, Subaru looked over at his companion directly. "I don't know yet, but I can't exactly pass up his offer either."

"The guy told us that we're in 20XX!" The warrior AM-being yelled out. "And you actually believe all that? Feh! It makes me angry to think that he would blatantly lie like that, but it makes me angrier to think that you'd fall for such an obvious—"

"W-Warrock!" Subaru tried to hush his partner up. Though no one else could hear nor see the wave being, the boy felt it necessary to calm the flailing beast down. "I admit that it's impossible for it to be true… However I don't think Enzan is lying either."

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't think he has any reason to lie about something as strange as… the date or time we are in. What would be the point?" There was silence for a bit as the two of them thought over the information presented to them. What Subaru said was true, but at the same time it didn't make any sense for them to be where they are. Hoping to give some form of explanation for their predicament, Subaru began to ask, "Warrock… do you know what happened in our final battle against the Crimson Dragon?"

"The final battle?" Warrock turned to see Subaru looking down at his feet. Obviously, his own ignorance had been bothering him for a long time. It must've been rough for him, being thrown into a completely new place without even a clue as to how he got there. "You don't remember kid?"

"I… don't even remember what happened at that warehouse after a certain point." Clutching his head, Subaru tried to search his memory for the events that he should have been aware of. However, all he could remember were vague feelings and emotions during the time. "But I have a feeling that whatever happened during our fight with the Crimson Dragon… it may have something to do with our situation."

"Hum… Well, how should I say this...?" Warrock crossed his arms, and pondered on what words he wanted to use to describe it. "There was a rush of noise, and we obtained… an immense power. From what I remember, we pulled your old man out of the Crimson Dragon's core shortly after."

Subaru breathed a sigh of relief. It was like a huge burden was lifted off his chest to know that his father was alright. However, he knew it wasn't the end of the story as Warrock continued.

"But the dang thing broke up into noise fragments and I felt you were overwhelmed with fear. The emotion was so strong, and with the Noise levels so high, I lost connection with you for a good while… until I found you collapsed in that warehouse."

"And…?"

"Truth be told…" The alien seemed to feel slightly ashamed as he admitted, "When we encountered those weird people at the warehouse, the Noise level spiked out of nowhere. I couldn't contact you after that point either since that device of yours blew a fuse. I'm as much as blind to the incident as you are."

"I see…" Subaru muttered. Folding his hands over his mouth, he couldn't help but shake the uneasiness he felt. He hadn't told Warrock just yet about his speculation about the Meteor… and where exactly the energy was coming from. Then again, there were a lot of things to worry about in particular. He was in a new place, with new people … and apparently a new time. The two of them silently contemplated on what to make of their situation.


"Blues, what did you find?"

"Nothing on 'Echo Ridge' Enzan-sama." The red NetNavi replied from the PET. It was hard to judge his expression due to the shades that masked his eyes, but there was some uneasiness in the navi's voice. "There is nothing on record of any place named Echo Ridge on Earth that we know of."

"…Do you think he might be lying?" Enzan muttered to himself. Cupping one hand over his mouth, he contemplated the possibility. "It's the only thing that he was willing to tell us so far… but it seems like it leads to another dead end."

"It could be that… he may not remember." Blue added in. From what he had gathered from listening to the conversation through the PET, it wasn't necessarily out of the question. The boy seemed to not remember a lot of things.

Enzan considered the likelihood of it. If it were true, then his job might get a bit harder. It was necessary to at least find out the identity of the person he was questioning to make the information gathered legitimate. Looking down at the papers he had picked up, the Net Savior couldn't help but shake his head in dismay as he scanned its poorly written contents. He grasped the door knob leading to the 'interrogation' room, and entered.


"Pukuuuuuuuu!" A yell echoed throughout the vastness of cyber space as Bubbleman trudged through data stream to data stream. He was near tears as his own ineffectiveness as a darkloid began to wear his heart thin. "What am I going to do puku? I can't mess this mission up puku… it is super-super important puku."

"Oooh? Super important you say?"

Bubbleman quickly turned to see a familiar but not exactly friendly face. "N-N-Needleman! Puku! You're here puku!"

"So, you're the one that Shademan sent?" Needleman sneered at the sorry excuse for a darkloid. "Just what we needed… dead weight."

"Not entirely." A voice resounded between the two navis. A small screen materialized itself, showing the face of a young brunette woman with her long hair braded to one side. Bubbleman immediately identified her as one of the mysterious man's accomplices.

"Y-Yuriko puku!" Bubbleman floundered his words. While he knew that they were to meet up together, he still couldn't hold back his surprise. To think that a darkloid having an operator was simply preposterous, but he didn't dare say it aloud to the two.

"We can find a use for him. It's all about being… creative." Yuriko continued. Her eyes looked down upon the diminutive darkloid that shuddered at just the mere appearance of the two of them. Her voice was even, yet stern. "You're just here to help me get that brat off my back for a bit… you got that?"

"Don't get any ideas that we're going to be pamperin' you along the way." Needleman leaned down to see Bubbleman eye to eye, sticking his face right in front of him. "It's not our problem if ya get hurt in the process."

"W-What are you planning on doing puku?"

Yuriko smiled, her shades masking the sinister look in her eyes. "You'll see…"


"Sorry for the wait, Subaru." Enzan entered the small room once again, closing the door behind him. He was carrying a few papers and another PET. The device had a blue and green color scheme in comparison to his red and black one. It coincidentally seemed to match War-Rock to a tee.

"It's no problem." Subaru gave a reassuring smile to the other boy. He shifted up his Visualiser to better see. "It gave me time to think some more on it."

"Are you still having trouble remembering things?" Concern was in his voice, but Subaru knew exactly where his real concern was. "Can you still tell me about what happened at the warehouse?"

"Yes… That I remember clearly…" Subaru lamely lied. Funny he should ask after just talking to Warrock about the vagueness of it.

"Alright. I hope you don't mind that we hurry on with it." Enzan placed the papers and the new PET on the table as he took his seat. He was fixated on Subaru, trying to read his coming expression. "I'm sure you'd like to return home as soon as possible. Your parents must be worried about you."

Subaru couldn't help but wince. There was obvious dismay at the mere mentioning of "home" as Subaru broke eye contact. Enzan picked up on it right away, but his face remained cool and collected. Glancing back down at the papers he had laid on the table, Enzan pushed a particularly poorly drawn picture towards him. From what he could tell, it was supposed to be a picture of him as Rockman. Though to most other onlookers, it probably resembled more of a blob of blue.

"The boy that brought you in, Hikari Netto, was the one that drew this." Enzan was quick to dismiss any notion that might have been ascertained that he himself was responsible for the unique piece of art. "I was wondering whether at the warehouse, you saw this NetNavi?"

"NetNavi? Is he calling us a NetNavi?" Warrock couldn't contain his frustration any longer. It was Enzan's calm and high demeanor that particularly struck the wrong cord for the alien. Though, Subaru ignored it though for the time being. "Why I oughta-!"

"U-Uhm… Well you see…" Subaru had already gone over what he wanted to not say, but he hadn't quite thought through what he was planning to say. "A-All these viruses popped out of nowhere and…"

"And…?"

"This guy showed up…!" Subaru pointed at the blue blob that was supposed to represent Rockman as he continued, "And he took care of the viruses. I thought… I thought I was a goner!"

"Phew. Nice save there, kid." Warrock chimed in. "All my lessons on quick lying have been paying off!"

"Why exactly were you reluctant to share this information though?"

"I don't like being in the center of attention…" What Subaru said wasn't exactly a lie. He always strayed away from drawing attention to himself. No matter how much he changed, there was always that small shyness in him. "And I thought… that maybe I might have been in trouble for being out at night."

Enzan nodded his head in response to acknowledge the answer as he pushed another slip of paper towards him. This time it depicted a black blob with red scribbles coming out from both sides. There were some scribbles of green in there, but none of it was recognizable to Subaru. It seemed familiar though… as if…

"Did you see this NetNavi as well? We have reason to suspect that the two are one and the same, but it's not positive."

"Kid, that's Black Ace." Warrock murmured in his ear. Though Enzan could not see or hear the AM-being, the alien didn't want to surprise the brunette by his sudden voice. "It's the product of what Dread Joker called 'Finalization'."

"Black… Ace…" Subaru mindlessly repeated the words himself. It was as if his heart recognized it, but his brain did not. There was no memory of it, but he was positive he was aware of saying it before.

"You know who this is?" Enzan interrupted the brown haired boy's thoughts. He was sure that the information on the mysterious black navi's name had not been leaked quite yet. "Did you talk to him? See him?"

"N-No… I-!" Subaru began but he never finished his statement. A loud tremor shook the room as the hanging light overhead began to sway back and forth. Something had hit the ground hard. Instantly, it was Enzan that instinctively leapt from his seat, ready for what was to come next.

"It's…!" The net savior began, but he no longer needed to continue as a recognizable translucent dome began to materialize over the Net Police Station and the city blocks around it.

"A… Dimensional Area?" Subaru watched as the surroundings turned a strange hue of colors. "It's what happened at the warehouse!"

"Subaru, stay here!" Enzan shouted at him as he quickly made his exit. "Don't do anything rash. I'll be right back!"

The door slammed behind the boy, leaving Subaru alone. Well, not necessarily alone.

"Kid, haven't we heard something like that before?" Warrock was obviously giddy at the thought of being able to tear things up again. "It's time to go buck wild on this place!"

Subaru looked down at the spare PET on the table that Enzan had carelessly left. He thought for a moment about his options. It was definitely possible for him to simply leave this place and make a run for it. However, having the police on his tail wasn't necessarily an entertaining thought.

Looking around at the vibrant hues of colors that painted the walls and floors, he couldn't help but consider. Judging by what he recollected from his previous experience with this "Dimensional Area", trouble would definitely be brewing. Unlike the last time though, there were a lot of people here that would be put in harms way. He was no hero… but at the same time it wasn't something he could ignore. Quickly grabbing the PET on the table, Subaru gave his reply.

"Alright, let's rock!"


"Zzzz… I can't eat anymore… Zzzz…"

"Netto-kun!"

"Zzzz … curry…zzzz…"

"Neeeeetto-kun! Get up!" RockmanEXE yelled as loud as he could, but his operator just wouldn't wake up. It'd take someone to bonk the boy on the back of the head to get him to wake up. And a certain pink haired girl delivered just that. With a resounding smack, the young Net Battler was up in an instant, staring blankly at the girl who woke him.

"B-Bluh wuh? M-Meiru-chan?"

"Netto… how long are you going to make Rockman wait?" Meiru had both her hands at her hips. It was lunch time, and Netto found it was a good time for a nap. Staying up late during last night's excursion tired him out, and listening to lectures definitely wasn't going to keep him up.

"Netto-kun!" the NetNavi tried to get his attention away from falling asleep again. There was urgency in his voice. "A call from Enzan!"

"Eeeh? Enzan?"

"There's trouble at the Net Police station! A dimensional area has appeared!"

"Alright, tell him I'm on my way!" Netto exclaimed as he hurriedly jammed the device in his pocket and sprung from his seat. "Meiru-chan! Tell Mariko-sensei I had a stomach ache and had to go home!"

"W-Wait! Netto!" his childhood friend began, but was too late. He'd already zoomed off out the door without saying another word. She just shook her head and sighed. "There he goes again… without even turning in his homework yet."


"It's about time you got here." Needleman looked over his shoulders to see the figure of R Blues approaching. Broken equipment was strewn about, but most noticeably were the unconscious bodies of the Net Police force that littered the floor. They were easily dispatched by the power of a materialized darkloid. Enzan couldn't help but tense up from just the ruthless appearance of the darkloid radiating dark energy. No doubt, he was utilizing the power of a dark chip. "You wouldn't believe how boring it was waiting for you to show up. I thought I could pass the time by cleaning up the trash." He motioned towards the destruction that he caused with obvious glee.

Clenching his fists, Enzan gave a deathly glare at Needleman. He knew he had to keep calm, but this was too much. Holding his right hand out, a default sword materialized over his arm. In a blink of an eye, he lunged towards Spikeman at a startling speed. "Your only business is with me…!"

Spikeman parried the Net Savior's hasty downwards slash with an extended spike from his arm. They seemed matched in strength, each pushing against the other, as Needleman taunted the boy, "Shi shi shi shi! And I plan on finishing it, boy!" The darkloid's sudden smirk alluded to his coming attack as he sent a swift knee into R Blues' gut, causing him to keel over from the sudden pain. Jumping back to regain his footing, the boy looked up at the laughing face of the darkloid.

Enzan let out the painful gasp he had been holding. Though, he had no time to relax as Needleman continued his assault, aiming his own blaster at the swordsman. He could hear Blues' voice warn him of the coming danger.

Producing shots of literally giant needles, Needleman yelled out his unsubtly named attack, "Needle Cannon!"

Utilizing his mach speeds, R Blues dodged the flurry of needles that zoomed past him. They just barely missed, only one grazing his arm ever so slightly. His composure regained, he began to materialize another sword with a different construction and affinity. "Flame sword!" With a few quick swipes, he cut the coming needle projectiles in two before they could reach him further. His advance was halted however as he heard the blaring alarms throughout the room, and quite possibly the entire buildings. An automated voice began to sound out.

DANGER! UNAUTHORIZED INTRUSION IN MAIN DATABASE! DANGER! UNAUTHORIZED INTRUSION IN MAIN DATABASE! DANGER…!

"What?" R Blues looked up at the ceiling's flashing lights. He heard Needleman's snickers over the automated voice's warnings.

"Shi shi shi… It's about time Bubbleman got into the system! Anytime now, he'll be deleting your progress on tracking the dark chips... along with the rest of the information that the Net Police acquired!"

"Damn it!" R Blues cursed as he readied himself to continue the fight. Brandishing his flame sword, he stared steadily at the laughing Needleman. He doubted he could finish off the darkloid in time to save the data from being destroyed. It was only just today that he had returned to the station to submit intelligence acquired on the location of possible dark chip factories, and it was doubtful that it was backed up on a separate hard drive yet. He tried to think over in his head what to do, but came up blank.

"It's time to end this-!" Needleman began as he readied his extended needle but was cut off by the sound of cannon shots and an unfamiliar voice.

"Rockbuster!" the voice yelled out as energy blasts shot out from behind R Blues. It took Needleman by surprise as the shots hit him square in the face. Recognizing the attack name, R Blues turned behind him, expecting the familiar face of R Rockman, only to see an unfamiliar one. For a second, he had thought it was Netto… but there were noticeable differences. For example, a red visor seemed to shield the stranger's eyes from view.

"You're not…!" the Net Savior began, but was caught off guard at the mysterious blue NetNavi's blunt question.

"Don't you need to be getting somewhere?" The stranger yelled at him while he continued to rapidly shoot the darkloid with his default cannon. Enzan didn't question him any further as he headed towards the main computer room. Best to not look a gift horse in the mouth they say.

"You're not going anywh—Blargh!" Needleman tried to stop R Blues' escape in vain as he ate a mouthful of a charged shot from the stranger's buster. He turned his attention to the newly arrived blue NetNavi as he threatened, "You're going to pay for that!"

"Wave Battle… Ride on!" the stranger yelled, ignoring the darkloid's own advances. He ran towards the enraged darkloid sword at hand.


"This is easy as pie puku!" Bubbleman wobbled casually across the expanse of the Net Police Station's database. He was practically skipping along as the viruses under his control did most of the dirty work for him. "I don't know what they were talking about it not being an easy task puku! It's a cake walk puku! After destroying this database puku, Shademan will surely—"

"Surely what?" The stern voice nearly shattered Bubbleman's dreams of success as its owner loomed above him. Blues looked down at the small darkloid through his shades with a slight frown on his face.

"E-E-E-Ehhh puku? I thought N-Needleman should be taking care of you now puku!"

"You thought wrong," was the cold reply that the swordsman gave as his operator yelled out a battle chip's name.

"Lightning blade! Slot in!"

The small click of the chip's insertion signaled the reconfiguration on the NetNavi's right arm into a bright yellow blade that crackled and sparked with electricity. With a single underhanded slash, Bubbleman was sent flying off in a near comical fashion.

"Noooo puku!" the poor darkloid yelled out as he logged off from the database server in mid flight. The viruses that accompanied him soon dematerialized as well as a result, halting further destruction of the data.

With a sigh, Blues dematerialized his sword as he reported back, "Enzan-sama. Mission complete."

"Good job Blues," Enzan's voice resounded as a small screen appeared showing the boy's anxious face. Small explosions could be heard in the distance. It was suspected that the fighting in the lobby was the cause. "Now let's get back to where Needleman and that blue NetNavi is!"


"Who exactly are you?" Needleman angrily yelled out to the stranger as he clutched his mutilated arm. Bits of data seemed to be leaking from where it was cut. The two fighters were obviously worn out, no doubt evenly matched in some regard. "Why're you getting in our way? Do you have a reason to-!"

"Kid, just finish the guy!" Warrock's voice rang out in Subaru's mind. Due to the predated technology they were using, Warrock could no longer materialize separately from Rockman. The maximum he could do was communicate to him through his consciousness.

In due response, Rockman lifted his right cannon and inserted a battle chip. Primarily with the advancements of the Hunter VG, chips were already pre-downloaded. However, most people kept a few spares of physical chips in emergency situations. While his supply was definitely limited in comparison to his usual library, he was certain they would fit the bill as his arm reconfigured into one of his frequently used weapons, "Gatling gun!"

A rapid stream of bullets began to bombard the darkloid, cutting him off of his inquiries. With a last yell, Needleman logged off. No doubt, he'd be back to fight another day. While he didn't quite understand the situation, it was obvious that the sinister looking navi was the intruder.

Breathing a sigh of relief at the darkloid's disappearance, Rockman turned to see Enzan making his way towards him. He had already guessed that the red swordsman was already him, but he hoped that Enzan didn't make any connections to his own identity.

The Net Savior was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath after running back from the main computer room. He looked up at the blue NetNavi, the glare in the lights prevented him from seeing his face directly due to the visor. The appearance fit Netto's (verbal) description of the "mysterious blue NetNavi" perfectly. "Who… exactly are… you?" he huffed between his words.

Subaru couldn't help but look away. He was being asked that question a lot lately. It was rude of him to give no reply, but he knew Enzan was smart and would catch on to who he really was. Not wanting to give the Net Savior any more chances on figuring things out, Rockman wordlessly pulsed out in a ray of blue light, disappearing from view.

Enzan cursed under his breath. The guy got away, and there was no way he could track him down. Looking down at his PET, he saw Blues' worried face. Obviously, the boy had been pushing himself not only through the strenuous action of cross fusing, but also of running around the extensive Net Police station. Reassuring his NetNavi on his health, he asked Blues to connect him to Meijin. This was something to definitely report.


"So kid, you finally making a run for it?" Warrock pointed out the obvious ease it would be to simply leave. They had pulsed in from outside and pulsed out from outside. There were too many wandering eyes inside the building, so it was risky to pulse in from there. He had gone just around the corner behind a building to Denpa Henkan. It was similar to a creepy dark alley one sees in movies, but smelled horribly of decomposing garbage. Subaru was of course reluctant to go into such a place, but it was on the spur of the moment that Warrock instructed him to go there. The dimensional area that had covered the area was already disappearing. "If there's any better time to ditch this place, it would be now."

"Warrock, didn't we already go over why that's a bad idea?" Subaru shook his head as he quickly made his way out of the alley. "We better head back, or else Enzan would-"

Unceremoniously, Subaru slammed straight into another person. Though the force sent Subaru backwards, the tall stranger didn't even flinch. Looking up at the tall figure, Subaru could help but notice how strangely inhuman the person looked. He wore a long black robe with a large red letter G emblazoned on his chest. A full head of lime green air that seemed to tangle at its ends into a purple hue looked almost alien in nature. Though what Subaru most noticeably recognized was the man's eyes, glowing red pupils suspended in a deep black. The boy was about to apologize to the dark figure, but the words didn't come out.

"…I sensed a large amount of energy here…" Red eyes swerved to meet his own brown ones, sending shivers down Subaru's spine. Despite its glow, they looked cold and inhuman. His voice seemed to ring out with disdain dripping from his words. "Are you the one responsible…?"

Subaru didn't know why, but he felt an immense pressure from the man. He seemed to tower over him for a few seconds, but quickly turned his gaze away after receiving no response from the boy. Silently, the stranger walked off out of eyeshot view.

"Ooy! Subaru! Snap out of it!" Warrock exclaimed. It thankfully brought Subaru out of the daze he was in as he slowly got up. "What's with that guy? He didn't even apologize!"

"It's alright, I should have been the one to apologize," Subaru replied as he looked towards the crowd that the stranger had disappeared into. What the stranger said troubled him, but it didn't make much sense at this point. "We better get back now before…!" Though Subaru had said it too late as a familiar voice called out to them.

"Hey, you! What are you doing out here?" Enzan's voice called out to him. The other boy was running towards him. Subaru couldn't help but feel sorry for making the Net Savior run so far just to find him.

"Busted!" Warrock sighed. "So much for not getting into anymore trouble, eh kid?"

"Didn't I tell you to stay inside!" The Net Savior continued to scold the boy.

"W-Well… I…" Subaru stuttered his words, trying to search for a quick answer to give. "I heard all these loud explosions and… I thought the safest place would be outside."

Enzan simply shook his head in dismay. "And you brought the new PET with you while running out?"

"I was just… really excited… to get the newest model of PET…?" Subaru scratched his head nervously, avoiding direct eye contact with the other boy. He must have looked like a kleptomaniac at that point. He could hear Warrock grumble at his not-so-smooth story.

With a deep breath, Enzan tried to cool himself down. He was literally yelling at the other boy. "Alright… Subaru. Let's just head back to the station and we'll talk it over. Okay?"

Subaru slowly nodded his head as he followed him back to what Warrock labeled "prison".


"Auuuuuuuuugh! I can't believe iiiiit!"

"What's wrong Netto-kun?" Rockman could have sworn that he was experiencing déjà vu as his NetOp yelled in frustration again. It was already afternoon, and the sun was just beginning to set. The young brunette was skating back home from the Net Police station with a deep frown on his face.

"Not only did I miss the attack on the station… but I also missed that blue navi!" Netto couldn't contain his frustration at missing this opportunity. They had been skating for awhile in silence. Rockman thought it may be the best time to finally speak up. Perhaps the hot headed boy cooled down just a bit to listen.

"Netto-kun, you have a message from Enzan. He forgot to mention-"

"I don't want to hear from Enzan right now! He's probably just going to brag how he handled those darkloids himself!" Netto cut the poor navi off. Bringing up Enzan was probably a bad idea now that the navi thought about it.

"But…!" Rockman tried to get in his words, but was drowned out by Netto's continued rant.

"I just want to go home, eat, and do some net battling before heading to bed! We have to be ready for when the darkloids attack again!" He was already reaching his destination, nearing the door to his home. With a loud yell, he announced his arrival as he swung the door open. "I'm home, mom!"

Though what Netto saw inside wasn't exactly what he expected. Standing right next to his mom was the same boy that he had brought in to the station the previous night. From the looks of it, the two of them had been conversing for a bit while his mother was cooking his favorite dish, curry. Silence hung in the air for a second until Netto pointed an accusing finger at the boy as he exclaimed, "You!"

"Oh, Netto! You're home!" His mother gave him a warm smile. She seemed ignorant to the fact that her son was pointing at the new guest in recognition. "This is Subaru-kun! He'll be staying with us for awhile. Go on, introduce yourself."

She urged Subaru forward towards the boy. There was obvious apprehension, but she didn't seem to notice. "A-Ah… Nice to meet you, Netto. I'm Hoshikawa Subaru. Sorry for the intrusion." He gave a slight bow out of formality.

"B-B-But why?" Netto couldn't help but exclaim. He turned to his PET for an answer. "Rockman! You know something about this?"

"I was trying to tell you!" the navi pouted. "There was a message from Enzan regarding this, but you were being too airheaded to listen!"

"Arrg! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Netto cried out as he argued with his navi.

Subaru tried to interject between the two's arguing. He felt as if he was taking advantage of the hospitality, but there was no other place to stay for the time being. "I-I'm sorry. I won't stay for too long…!"

Haruka Hikari however put a reassuring hand over the shy boy's shoulder. Looking up at her smiling face, Subaru couldn't help but relax just a bit. "Don't worry, Subaru-kun. I heard about your situation, you can stay here as long as you like."

Giving a wry smile back, Subaru thanked her for her words as the sound of a boy and his navi arguing continued in the background. "Thank you, Haruka-san."


"Your report?" the mysterious man glared down at the kneeling brunette woman. He was aware of her failure at hindering the advances of the Net Police, but she had come to offer a new bit of information.

"That blue NetNavi appeared again…" Yuriko began. She looked up at the man through the dark shades she was wearing. "…and the energy reading spiked slightly at the same time. Analyzing of the energy itself is in process, but we're now positive that this navi…"

She paused to notice the screens that illuminated from behind the mysterious man. They were the same images of Black Ace that they had discussed over previously. He had been analyzing it obsessively ever since. It was obvious. The man was enamored by the power that this navi wielded.

"What… do you propose we should do, Dr. Regal?" The woman asked, but she already knew what his answer would be. The man slowly stood up from his chair and turned to face the screens of the red winged navi. His voice could barely contain his excitement at the concept of its acquisition.

"Find him. And capture him."


AN: So I just finished beating Sirius in RnR3. Now I'm backtracking to RnR2! It's not nearly as good as 3… but still good none the less! What keeps me going is seeing Solo's cool crimson eyes~ I just can't help but squeal in delight when I hear his theme song herald his coming!

Sorry if I have general Japanese formalities incorrect. If you see any errors, feel free to notify me!