AN: Oh man! This chapter was really tough to write, but thankfully I was able to pull through. I have to say thanks to Az The Dragon for helping me out through some of my writer's block. She's a master at writing fight scenes!

And I have to say, these chapters seem to be getting longer and longer. Sorry for my tardiness!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned characters… but alas I do not. I guess I own the plot idea though. ^^;;

Chapter 4: Arcade Chaos!

"Amnesia? So he doesn't remember anything?" the young brunette sporting his trademark blue headband skated along the sidewalk on his inline skates. His childhood friend followed steadily behind on her scooter.

"That's what the word amnesia typically means, Netto." Meiru replied with obvious sarcasm. She couldn't help but shake her head in dismay at her childhood friend's lack of rationality. After hearing how Netto treated an amnesiac boy with a cold shoulder literally made her want to smack the boy across the head again at his insensitivity. "Honestly, I thought you would have a lot more common sense."

"Well he sure didn't act amnesiac…tic?" Netto fumbled the word awkwardly. While he understood the word, it was obviously alien to his tongue. "He seemed pretty normal to me!"

"Enzan mentioned that Subaru-kun doesn't remember his hometown, background, or a lot of other basic stuff clearly." Rockman piped up from the PET. However he couldn't help but add in his own analysis of the boy's situation as he continued, "Or rather, it's more like what he remembers doesn't really make much sense. It's similar to amnesia all the same."

"Hmm…" Netto folded his arms to register the information. He slowed his pace a bit to keep his balance steady. A feeling of guilt started to surface as he came to realize the significance of amnesia. "So basically his memory is all mixed up? I guess it must be really tough on him…"

"And you were being such a jerk to him! Unbelievable!" Meiru said in a huff as she slowed her pace as well to match Netto's. "You could have at least invited him over to the arcade with us."

"No way! This is important Net Savior business!" Netto retorted back as he began preparing to pick up his speed again. To Meiru though, it was obvious that he was trying to hide his guilt in not thinking of her suggestion beforehand. "I can't be bringing in you… you regular people in this!"

"You mean like… civilians?" a timid voice spoke up from behind the two. They both stopped in their tracks and slowly turned around to see the one that they had just labeled an amnesiac standing right behind them. The shocked stares Subaru received from his two peers made him slightly self conscious as he nervously scratched the back of his head. He restated his previous statement in hopes to stop the gawking faces. "Regular people as in civilians… right?"

"H-How did you know we were-?" Netto began but was interrupted as the boy tried to quickly explain himself.

"Oh… um… Haruka-san told me you guys were going to the arcade and…" Subaru shuffled through his pocket to procure a small black device. It was smaller then a chip, but it looked almost like something that was meant to be an attachment for the PET due to its box shape. Holding out the small contraption, Subaru continued, "She said you forgot this. I just wanted to help out and deliver it to you."

"Man! I totally forgot!" Taking the small device from Subaru's hand, Netto began inspecting its exterior thoroughly as he brought it up to his right eye. Though looking at the outside of an electronic device tells you little to nothing about it, Netto just liked to pretend it did. "Dad just finished this tracker up! It's supposed to be some kind of energy reading device… but it should lead me straight to that Black Ace guy!"

Subaru couldn't help but wince at the mere mention of the familiar name. Knowing that the hot blooded brunette was looking for a fight provided just another reason for why Subaru was not planning on revealing his identity anytime soon.

"You hear that kid? We're popular." Warrock's snickering voice came from the new PET model. It seemed like the alien had already gotten used to his new home despite its dated hardware in comparison to the Hunter VG. "If the guy is looking for a fight, why not give it to him?"

Subaru shook his head as he muttered, "That's not necessarily a good thing Warrock. I'd rather not attract any more attention than we already have." While the extra secrecy of talking to his companion was not necessarily needed due to how common "Navis" were, habits were hard to break. "Besides, I'd rather not get on Netto's bad side…"

Looking back up at the other brunette, Subaru could see how the boy was practically shivering in excitement at just the thought of getting to battle against the mysterious navi again. That is until he saw him receive a sharp elbow in his side from the dark pink haired girl that was with him.

Meiru hissed into Netto's ear, "Shouldn't you be saying something, genius?" Her eyes darted over to Subaru and back at Netto to hint the need for two simple words to be said. "He did come all this way just to deliver this."

"O-Oh yeah... um…" Fumbling his words yet again, Netto finally unglued his eyes off the new gadget and stuffed it in his pocket. He could hear his friend huff at his own lack of courtesy. His tone was a bit reluctant due to his uneasiness at his already displayed rudeness. Netto could only hope that his house guest didn't take offense to his previous gesture. "Thank you, Subaru..."

"It's no problem," Subaru replied with a small smile. While earlier in the morning, Netto had barely said a word to him even when they ate at the same table. No doubt, having a complete stranger suddenly living with you in your own home must be a bit unnerving. Subaru could sympathize with the boy in that. While it was Haruka-san who offered to help out, it didn't necessarily mean that Netto was supportive of it. With a small wave, Subaru was prepared to leave the two childhood friends to get to work on his own investigation of how he was going to get back home. "I'm just glad that I could help out. I better be going…"

However with another hard nudge from Meiru, Netto spoke up in time to stop the boy's retreat. "Wait, Subaru! Do you want to come with us to the arcade?"

Halting in his steps, Subaru turned around to see eye to eye with the Net Savior who was rubbing his side in pain from being elbowed twice in the same general area as he muttered, "The… arcade?" He glanced over at the girl accompanying him who was no doubt responsible for the sudden offer.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself." The pink haired girl had a cheery smile despite her previous harsh demeanor towards Netto. Taking advantage of his hesitation on leaving, she had quickly grabbed Subaru's hand as if to prevent him from trying to escape again. "You can call me Meiru. I'm Netto's friend."

Subaru stuttered his introduction slightly. Her outspoken and slightly violent characteristics reminded him slightly of a certain blond haired girl he knew. "I-I'm… Hoshikawa… Subaru."

"Why not come with us to the arcade Hoshikawa-kun?" She finally released his hands to take up her scooter which was leaning on the railing nearby. It was as if she was already positive that he was going to accept their invitation. "It's where people can NetBattle with their NetNavis. It'll be fun."

"I'm not really into that sort of thing." Subaru began to say, trying to dismiss the kind offer. He remembered how Wizard battling was quite popular back home too, but he had no hands on experience with it personally. Or rather, he only had hands on experience dealing with it as Rockman. Unnecessary battling wasn't necessarily what he called fun. Cautiously backing up a step, Subaru tried to think of a valid reason for his opting out. "I… uh…. Have other things to do…"

"If he doesn't want to come, then don't force him." Netto muttered under his breath until his NetNavi spoke up in a hushed voice.

"Hey Netto-kun… didn't Enzan tell you to also keep an eye on him? It might not be a bad idea to have him come with us."

"I guess you're right, Rockman…" Netto sighed as he looked up to see Meiru trying to persuade the shy boy into coming. He sighed at the thought of dragging him along. "But you know our primary goal is to find who is distributing those dark chips!"

"Think of it as hitting two birds with one stone." Rockman crossed his arms. Netto knew that look in his NetNavi's eyes. He was going to get chewed out again if he didn't agree with his Navi's suggestion. It was just a matter of time before the boy gave in. Turning to Subaru with a new conviction and attitude, the Net Savior began his advance.

"Oh come on!" Netto grabbed the reluctant boy's arm suddenly as he picked up speed on his skates. It took Subaru by surprise as he used all his energy to just keep up with the pace of the inline skater to prevent himself from being literally dragged off his feet. "Why are you always so shy? You should get out of the house and have some fun!"

"B-But I-!" Subaru tried to reason, but was cut off by Meiru who was following close behind.

"We'll show you around town Hoshikawa-kun! Maybe something will spark your memory!"

With a sigh, Subaru simply nodded his head as he let himself be led by the two of them. It was a two versus one argument that he just couldn't win.

"Ain't that great, kid? Now we get to tear stuff up with no consequences!" Warrock's voice spoke up as he swiped his claws against cyber air from within the PET. "Besides, it's not like you know your way around here anyways! This should be both great practice and a great way to gather your surroundings."


"That guy… I should have ripped it out of him when I had the chance." Red eyes scanned over the strange anomaly that had suddenly appeared after the bright flash of light faded.

"KzzzZzzZzt…"

"Shut up, Laplace." Burai snapped back at the shadow like wave being in annoyance. He had no patience for the thing's remarks at the time, but he knew it had a point in its comment. The two of them stood before a strange rip in space and time. It seemed to resemble a Noise Wave portal. However in replacement of the dark abyss that would have been visible, there was a swirl of colors that seemed to twist and blend within the frayed ends. It was impossible to distinguish what exactly it represented. They and it simply floated in the midst of space hovering over Earth's atmosphere. It was the location of where Meteor G had both previously been and disappeared at. "I already know the risks. But there's no choice."

"There's no guarantee that there's a way back." Daigo Hoshikawa warned over the boy's shoulder. While he knew it would be futile to ask for the boy's help, he couldn't help but try. "Subaru… I mean Rockman should be beyond this portal. But where it leads to exactly… I'm not sure."

"I'm not doing this for you or him. He has something that I need." Burai closed his eyes as he reached out a hand to touch the swirling portal. Laplace swirled its ethereal body around the rip as if to contemplate itself whether the journey through would be a rough one. Bracing himself for what was to come, he muttered, "Nothing more."

As his hand touched the boundaries of the time space phenomenon, the white haired boy could feel himself being literally pulled in. It felt as if tens of tendrils had reached out to suffocate him as his body was enveloped in the portal's light. While his control and resistance over Noise was not as refined as Rockman's, it was enough to allow him safe passage through the Noise created portal without passing out. Laplace followed close behind as it floated over the boy. Its muffled words were barely audible within the Noise dense space they were in. White fuzz was all that could truly be heard, so communication was out of the question.

Gathering his bearings, Burai silently concentrated on steadying himself through what he believed would be an arduous journey. His head felt heavy from the Noise condensed atmosphere. A light was at the end of the murky tunnel that they were traversing. Without being told, he knew that it was their intended destination.


"Noise?" Meijin shifted his glasses up to better view the display on the large computer screen. Both he and Yuichiro Hikari had been analyzing the data that they collected from both Rockman and Blues' memory on the mysterious blue navi. The two scientists were on the topic of the strange energy reading that seemed to emanate from the blue navi.

"I think that's what we should call it for now. It has a unique signature that classifies itself as a whole different energy." Yuichiro replied as he clicked a few more buttons on the expansive keyboard. A clip of the strange wisps of corruption materializing was played in a sort of loop. "Noise' seems to be a fitting name not only because of its appearance but also its interference ability with electronic equipment."

"True. It seems to cause not only interference… but also corrupts and mutates data and programs. Viruses seem to also be attracted towards it in particular." While Meijin's eyes were hidden behind the glare that his glasses seemed to always emit, Yuichiro could tell he was worried by hearing his tone. "However, it seems that this NetNavi can utilize this 'Noise' without any of its harmful effects. That's what I've hypothesized from what we've seen so far…"

"It was easy making a tracker that can read 'Noise' since the signature is so unique, but…" Yuichiro trailed off as his tired eyes lazily swerved over to see the coffee that his assistant brought over an hour ago. Reaching out for his now lukewarm cup of coffee that was sitting idly on his desk, he couldn't help but worry himself. They had no idea whether this navi was good, evil, or where it even came from. The only particular leads they had were that a shooting star heralded its first appearance. Not only that, but the 'Noise' level suddenly jumped upon its appearance. "If Netto uses that tracker… he'll surely run into him. But I'm worried that…"

Meijin gave a small nod. "From what we've seen so far, it's doubtful that this blue navi is working for Nebula… or else he wouldn't have helped R Blues at that time." The screen suddenly flashed over towards a previous clip of Black Ace as if in response to Meijin's deduction. Doubt began to surface as the two scientists looked back at the cold stare of the red winged warrior that had pummeled both the darkloids and R Rockman with no hesitation or remorse. "But… I'm sure that Nebula too has their eyes on him as well. It just makes it increasingly more important that we get to the bottom of this. Any navi can be vulnerable to a dark chips influence."

"I just hope Netto isn't too rash when he meets him again…"


"Auuugh! I'm gonna tear the guy in two next time I see him!" Netto yelled out. He was particularly excited to express his frustration to a new ear. A new ear however meant Subaru's ear, which only made the boy more anxious to leave. "He goes and beats me up… but helps out Enzan? What's the deal? Does he have some sort of grudge on me?"

"W-Well… I'm sure he didn't mean anything by what he did…" Subaru tried to reason to no avail. The brunette reminded him of Warrock in particular due to his hot blooded battle-ready nature. Albeit, he lacked the periodic wisdom that Warrock sometimes dispenses when the time was right. "You did raise a weapon towards him… right?"

"It's true Netto-kun. You were the one that showed hostility in the first place." Rockman piped in from his PET. "Maybe he responded in self defense?"

"Not you too Rockman! Why are you ganging up on me?" Netto pouted as they neared the arcade center. It was bustling with kids from around town that wanted to test out their Net Battling skills.

"Rockman…? That's your NetNavi's name?" Subaru questioned as he realized the coincidentally similar names. He had noticed it before hand, but never found the right opportunity to speak up on it.

"Yeah. Warrock is your NetNavi's name… right?" Netto looked over Subaru's shoulder to see his PET screen. "He definitely looks strong."

"Hmph… I don't just look strong." The alien grumbled as he folded his arms.

"Speaking of which, I wanted to ask how you caught up with the two of us. We were both on wheels… unless you're a real fast runner." Netto curiously asked. He had been wondering in particular how anyone could catch up to him on foot.

"A-Ah… um…" Subaru slowly looked away to think of an explanation. In truth, he had used the wave roads that were particularly abundant in the city due to the electronic signals being emitted from all the devices and PETs. It wasn't exactly the same as the wave roads produced back home, but as an EM wave being it only took a few trial and errors to match the frequency of them. Thankfully, a female voice caught the other boy's attention before Subaru could utter a half baked response to the question.

"Guys! We're here already." Meiru shouted over to the two boys that had lagged behind. She was already waving her hands to get their attention at the arcade entrance.

Kids were coming in and out of the brightly lit building with their PETs in hand. From what Subaru could tell by just entering, the arcade revolved primarily around using one's PET to do NetBattling. A few arcade machines provided automated levels of virus busting while another room with a glass dome at its center provided an arena for kids to do head to head NetBattling. The excitement in the air was almost electrifying as a crowd formed around the miniature arena cheering on its participants. Two boys, one blond and the other black haired, were already engaged in a battle at the moment.

"Alright! Wide Sword Slot In!" the blond haired kid yelled out as he slotted in his chip. His NetNavi which closely resembled a Sci-Fi warrior from a space centric film materialized a sword in replacement for his right hand. He lunged towards his opponent who resembled a medieval knight in stark contrast to his own Sci-Fi appearance.

"Parry and counter, Crusaderman! Long Sword Slot In!" With a click of confirmation from the battle chip's insertion, the black haired boy's navi not only blocked his adversaries advance with the newly materialized sword, but also quickly shifted his steps to strike directly from behind the rushing warrior. With a clean strike, the Sci-Fi warrior fell.

"N-No! Astroman, Logout!" The fallen navi proceeded to fade away as it transferred itself from the arena back to the blond boy's PET. With his ego broken, the boy slunk away back into the crowd as the black haired boy asked for another challenger.

"Ha! Is there anyone out there who can challenge Crusaderman and I?" the boy gloated as he swished his long bangs to the side with a free hand. The majority of girls cheered the black haired kid on much to the resentment of the other boys. Finally, one particular brunette was fed up with the cocky attitude.

"Rockman and I will take you on!" Netto yelled out as he pushed through the crowd. No doubt, the Net Savior was quickly forgetting the exact reason he was there.

"Netto-kun… shouldn't we be looking for the person distributing dark chips?" Rockman tried to remind the boy but to no avail. There was no stopping him and his one track mind at times.

"This guy has to be taken down a notch! Let's do this! Plug in… Rockman EXE! Transmission!"

The whole crowd cheered once more as the two proceeded to battle. Subaru however watched with much indifference. It was hard for him to get excited with so much on his mind. He wasn't sure whether it was the crowd itself that was causing it, but Subaru could feel a headache setting in. "M-Meiru-chan, I'm going to go over and get a drink from the machine."

"Eh? Are you feeling alright Hoshikawa-kun?" The pink haired girl stopped her cheering to look at the boy. She noticed his slightly dazed look and guessed that perhaps he was not used to such a huge crowd. It wouldn't be a surprise seeing how he was particularly shy in the first place.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll be right back. I'm just going to go grab something to drink." Waving a casual goodbye, Subaru made his way gently pushing his way through the crowd. After escaping the bustling crowd, it became a lot easier to breath. However, his headache was still lingering.

"Ooy, Subaru. You're not looking too good." Warrock had materialized out of the PET in order to better examine his partner's condition. It was worrisome to say the least for the AM being. "Maybe you should take your own advice and actually get a drink from those machines over there." Green claws gestured over to a pair of vending machines that sat innocently in the corner of the arcade center. Thankfully, Subaru also spotted some benches next to the aforementioned machines. After pushing through a few more crowds he was finally able to plop down on an actual chair. The silence of the small corner was also welcomed.

"It's just a small headache…" Subaru tried to reassure his friend as he lightly clutched his throbbing head. He leaned his back against the wall as he took deep breaths to wait off the pain. "Right when we got into the arcade, it just sort of… happened."

"Speaking of which, I was just about to tell you that this place has a minute amount of Noise, oddly." Warrock tried glancing around to find its source, but with so many people and machines it was hard to tell. "Don't worry, kid. I had the same problem when I first encountered Noise too. You've become sensitive to Noise… which is completely unheard of for a human."

"I guess being there has to be some bad effects with using Noise." Subaru couldn't help but sigh as he rubbed his temple. He pushed down his Visualizer over his eyes to see his partner continuously looking from right to left. "It's just strange that there would be Noise here of all places."

"You're right. It's not natural." Warrock growled lowly as he continued his search. "It's hard to describe but… this small level of Noise has no actual substance to it."

"So it's like… a shadow? Does that mean someone is causing it intentionally?"

"Can't say for sure, but keep your eyes open." At that, the alien transferred himself back into the PET. There was no more need for him to be outside since tracking the origin of the frequency was next to impossible. "'Bout time we head back, kid. Besides, you still gotta' try out that whole NetBattling thing."

Subaru couldn't help but shake his head at the battle hardened alien's suggestion of NetBattling. Though he was curious on how it worked, there was no time for playing. However, he did agree that it was about time to head back. No doubt Meiru would probably be worried if he was gone for too long. "Alright, let's head back Warrock."

Pushing his Visualizer over his head once again, Subaru began to get up from his seat until he noticed an older woman standing over him, her shadow casted over him. He hadn't noticed her earlier due to the Visualizer not being able to pick up organic bodies particularly well. She looked awfully suspicious with her long trench coat and shades, but Subaru wasn't one to judge.

"Hum… I couldn't help but notice that you don't look too well. Is something wrong?" Her voice was silky smooth, yet cold at the same time. She took off her shades to reveal a set of dark brown eyes that looked down at Subaru with worry.

"N-No… I'm fine…" Subaru tried to brush her concern off politely but she continued to prod him. It was hard to pass her as he was backed up to the wall. He flinched as she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. The ringing in his head began to reach a crescendo.

"Are you not doing too well in NetBattling?" She began to whisper her words as she leaned closer towards Subaru until her lips were nearly touching his ear. It was unnerving having a girl invade his personal space, but he felt frozen under her gaze. "I can give you power. Take it."

Taking Subaru's hand in her own, she placed something flat and rectangular in his hands. Slowly, she pulled away from the boy to give him a bit more space to look down and see what exactly she had given him. It resembled a battle chip with a deep purple color and jet black grooves. A small gem-like decoration was at its center. Subaru turned his head up to thank the woman for the sudden gift, but she had already disappeared off into the crowd. And with her, the noise in his head also faded. The headache subsided.

"What… What a strange woman…" Subaru muttered as he looked down once more at the anonymous gift.


"What did you find?"

"Nothing yet, Dr. Regal. I'm getting no response even with the emitter." Yuriko talked into her PET. She fiddled with a particular earring she had on that emitted a small glare in the lights of the arcade. Immediately after leaving the shy looking boy, she put her shades back on along with her usual cold demeanor. "I checked over everyone here as well with no luck. That navi isn't here."

"We know that NetNavi has a NetOp… or else he would not have been able to use battle chips." The man folded his arms over his lap. He was expecting more out of his subordinate, but at the same time he could not blame her. It was much like a wild goose chase. "That earring I made should both emit and detect the same unique frequency as the energy signature. I've given you the tools to succeed. I expect results."

"Sir! That's…!" Yuriko tried to explain the absurdity of what he was asking but was a few seconds too late as the man had already hung up. She let out a disgruntled murmur under her breath as she continued her secondary job of spreading dark chips and eliminating any of their opposition.


"There you are Hoshikawa-kun! Come on!" Meiru yelled out to the shy boy as he made his way through the crowd once again. "Netto already won 10 matches straight! He's been waiting for you!"

Immediately after exiting the crowd, Subaru felt the girl grab him by the hand and proceed to push him into the center ring. The crowd was already cheering for Netto to continue his win streak. "N-No! I don't want to-!" Subaru tried to explain to the insistent girl but was drowned out by the cheers of the other kids. By just stepping slightly into the center, the crowd identified him as the next challenger. It was too late to back down now.

"Look sharp kid! We're gonna' wipe the floor with this guy!" Warrock gleefully was awaiting his moment to shine. It had been ages since he'd last fought outside of Denpa Henkan. Sighing in defeat by mob rule, Subaru had no choice but to proceed to the center glass dome where the other brunette was awaiting. He followed Netto's example on how exactly to "plug in." From what he gathered on their short walk towards the place, it was similar in sense to battling with Wizards.

"P-Plug in… Warrock! Transmission!" Subaru said lowly as he sent a red laser from his PET into the dome's port. In an instant, the alien wave-being materialized inside the coliseum. Gathering his surroundings of the inside of an internet server, Warrock couldn't help but notice how similar it was to most cyber cores back home. He placed his gaze then at the blue bomber that stood opposite of him. There was no mistaking the resemblance between both the NetNavi and the EM-wave Rockman.

"Warrock sure looks tough, but you're no match for us! Battle Operation set! In!" Netto exclaimed as he switched over to his battle ready mind set.

"Let's go Warrock!" Following the brunette's example, Subaru repeated, "Battle Operation set! In!"

"I thought you'd never say it!" Warrock roared out as he charged headfirst at his opponent. His claws reached out for the first strike ready to make mince meat out of the navi.

"Area Steal! Long Sword! Slot in!" Netto's voice echoed in Rockman's ears as he inserted the battle chips into his PET. Instantly, the blue navi felt his hand transforming into a long sword and the feeling of displacement as the area steal transported him from where he was to right behind his opponent.

When the teleportation successfully made him reappear where he wanted, he raised his sword high above him and let it fall down towards Warrock as fast and as violently as he could.

He would have caused severe damage if Subaru didn't recall his partner's attention to Rockman's new position with a shout of "Behind you!" that made Warrock swiftly turn around and grab the falling sword in one hand.

Red eyes met green and the two stared at each other for a few seconds before the green and blue AMian squeezed his hold on the weapon. "Not bad, but not enough," he said as he grinned when the sword broke in pieces.

"N-No way! His strength is off the charts!" Netto said in awe at the display. Not ready to throw in the towel at such a display, he slotted in more chips to gain the advantage. It was in a stark contrast to Subaru who had barely even motioned to insert a single battle chip. No doubt, the hot blooded brunette interpreted it as a sign of cockiness. "We're not done! Cannon, slot in!"

At the click of confirmation, Rockman's sword arm reconfigured itself into a box shaped gun. He quickly backed away, taking aim at his opponent. Quickly shooting all the cannon's rounds, a cloud of dust whipped up that cut visibility. "Did… did we get him?" Rockman said as he slowly lowered the cannon as it reconfigured itself back into his arm.

"Hardly…" A low growl answered as a bolt of lightning pierced through the veil of dust, scoring a direct hit on the blue navi's left shoulder. Gripping his hurt arm in pain, Rockman looked up to see the green and blue beast-like navi. It looked as if he too didn't go unscathed from the cannon's assault judging by his cracked central armor. Rubbing his throat, Warrock coughed out slightly. "Ugh. Haven't spit out that attack in a while… Though it's nothing I can't handle."

"Ugh… you're strong…" Rockman winced as he tried to shake off the pain in his shoulder. It struck him as a bit strange how the beast like navi required no assistance from his NetOp, much like a solo navi. He couldn't imagine how he might fair if Subaru had been powering the navi even more.

"Hmph… you're not bad yourself." Warrock complimented his opponent as he prepared to strike again.


"That kid… he isn't even using that dark chip I gave him" Yuriko seethed through clenched teeth. Hidden in the cheering crowd, she watched the fight out of eyeshot view of the Net Savior to keep tabs on the dark chip she had given. The results of her generosity were not what she hoped. "Hmph… if he only used that dark chip he'd be able to delete Rockman with ease. No matter… "

Sifting away from the crowd, she flipped open her PET to see Beastman waiting on the other end. With a slight nod, she cued him to execute the next step in their plan. "It's time Beastman."

While he hated taking orders from that abominable woman, there was little choice. There was no complaining though as a perfect chance to exact his revenge has presented itself in front of him. He growled in a low voice, "I'll tear that human puppet into shreds…" Acknowledging the order with a small grumble, Beastman left the visibility of the PET and entered the battle dome's server.

Yuriko herself bit her lip to stop herself from doing anything hasty. She needed results. Whether it was getting at least one Net Savior out of their way, pulling a strong NetNavi to their side, or finding that mysterious navi, she could not leave empty handed. She cursed under her breath, "Damn it… Don't fail me Beastman."


"Hmph… You're pretty good for someone who's a first time NetBattler, Subaru!"

"A-Ah… really?" the nervous boy scratched the back of his head at the compliment. Subaru wasn't necessarily doing anything. AM wave beings weren't necessarily compatible with battle cards. Not only that, but Warrock wasn't integrated with the PET like NetNavis were, so forcing any sort of control period was out of the question. When he thought about it, Subaru felt as if he was just posing as a NetOp. "You're really good yourself, Netto."

"Alright! Final attack! Program Advance!" Netto yelled out as he whipped out three battle chips. One after another, he slotted them in consecutively. His voice echoed out into cyber space as the chips downloaded one by one. "Cannon… Cannon… and another Cannon!"

"Zeta Cannon!" the NetNavi yelled out as a large cannon materialized over both his hands. Rockman hoped to end the battle with his last shot as he used the last of his concentration to take aim. Both warriors were worn out from each other's relentless assaults. "This battle is over!"

"Ha! Getting cocky now aren't we?" Warrock chuckled as he gripped his own hurt side. While this whole NetBattling business was particularly new to him, the AMian still had a few cards up his sleeves. Concentrating on changing frequencies, he gave off a faint glow as a swirling black void appeared from behind him. Leaving behind a small snicker, Warrock disappeared from visibility as his frequency changed.

"W-Where did he go?" Rockman stopped to look around for his opponent to no avail. He was a sitting duck if he couldn't even locate his target.

"I didn't see him insert a battle chip!" Netto tried to search his mind for a possible tactic to be used in this situation but came up blank. He thought perhaps Subaru had used an Area Steal, but there was no evidence of its activation. Looking up to see Subaru standing across from him looking at his PET in equal nervousness only served to confuse the Net Savior.

"Warrock… isn't that cheating?" Subaru sighed as he whispered into his PET in a low voice. However, he only received a small chuckle from his comrade as the AMian was prepared to deal the final strike. If there's one thing the warrior hated, it was losing.

What the alien wasn't expecting however was the electronic voice of the announcer yelling out, "Winner: Rockman!" There was a long silence both from the NetOps and from the crowd. No one was quite sure what exactly what happened, but Warrock was still out of visibility.

Netto finally broke the silence with a long, "Eeeeeeeeeeh?" Even Rockman was stumped on what exactly happened. He didn't see his opponent log out. It was like he disappeared in thin air. The brown eyed Net Savior turned to look at his opposing NetOp who just stood there scratching his head.

"Hmph… Dang it!" A familiar voice resounded out as a spectral claw reached out of a swirling black void behind Rockman. The poor navi jumped as two claws placed themselves over his shoulders. He literally thought a ghost was spiriting him away, but looked back to see the familiar mug of his opponent. "I didn't think this computer server would also fail to detect my presence."

"Serves you right, Warrock." Subaru said under his breath as he turned up to meet eyes with Netto. The Net Savior wasn't quite sure whether he had actually won or not. Verifying the announcer much to his partner's dismay, Subaru smiled back as he said, "It's your win, Netto!"

The crowd began to cheer at the sign of one side's resignation. It was a great battle fought to the end, though with a bit of a strange ending. No one could deny that both NetOps and NetNavis were top notch.

The victory however was short lived as an unfamiliar roar echoed through the arcade from the speakers accompanied by a loud screeching sound of malfunctioning machinery. Arcade machines began to explode one after another, sending bits of glass and streams of electricity dangerously into the air. Panic started to ensue as the cheering crowds became mobs that rushed to the arcade exits.

"This... this is a virus outbreak?" Subaru looked to see the carnage that the viruses left in its wake. Even the glass dome coliseum crackled with electricity as the swarm proceeded to make work of the machinery.

"Netto-kun! I'd recognize that roar anywhere! We have to do something!" The blue navi pleaded to head back into battle, despite his already exhausted state. Netto couldn't help but nod in agreement, but stopped when the pair heard the familiar low growl as the savage looking darkloid began to materialize within the arena.

"No need to go anywhere human puppet… I'm right here!"

"Beastman! Are you behind this?" Rockman prepared to execute battle operations against their frequent foe. He wasn't planning to wait for the obvious answer as he reconfigured his arm into his signature Rock Buster and took aim.

"You think you can beat me in your sorry state?" Aware of his adversaries weakened state, Beastman charged forward with claws raised. The quick attack surprised the green eyed navi as bladed claws came towards him in a downwards sweep at an alarming speed. He braced himself for the attack, but it never came.

Green claws clashed with silver as Warrock held back the snarling beast. The AMian simply grinned as he pushed Beastman back with what was left of his strength as he muttered, "I got your back, kid. So you get mine. Hurry up and shoot." Warrock shot towards the darkloid like a green comet while Rockman rapidly fired his buster.

"Don't get in my way!" Beastman roared as he locked claws with the new opponent. He wasn't expecting this turn of events. To think that the two of them would work together was not part of their plans. It was a battle of strengths as the two belligerent navis pushed against one another.

Unnoticed, Rockman had already snuck behind the preoccupied darkloid as he prepared the program advance that he had yet to shoot. "Warrock! Watch out! Zeta Cannon!"

As quick as he came, the green and blue alien leapt back as the powerful blast hit Beastman square in the back. He just barely escaped the blast's radius of the attack as he whistled in admiration of the cannon's fire power. As the dust cleared, any remnant of the darkloid was gone. "Hum… that was quick…" He grumbled slightly in disappointment. "I was hoping for more of a challenge."

"It's not over yet," Rockman warned as he looked around to see the darkloid nowhere in sight. "They're probably going to set up another Dimensional Area…! Netto-kun!"

"Okay! Log out!" Netto acknowledged his navi's request as he connected the transmission beam from his PET to the crackling dome to recall his NetNavi back. Warrock followed soon after as he returned to Subaru's own PET. Turning to Subaru, Netto motioned for him to flee as well along with the other kids. "You have to get out of here before—"

A loud crash cut the boy off as the all too familiar dimensional area dome began to materialize overhead. Viruses began to solidify into the real world, causing extensive damage to not only the machines but to the arcade building itself. "Watch out!" Subaru yelled out as he noticed the crumbling ceiling. In the nick of time, Subaru tackled Netto to the ground to dodge the falling debris. "A-Are you alright?"

Shaking off the shock of nearly having a near death experience, Netto nodded and said in a trembling voice, "Th… Thanks Subaru!"

"We have to get out of here!" Getting up himself, Subaru proceeded to help the Net Savior up until two firm claws grabbed hold of him from behind. Yelling in surprise as the sharp blades dug slightly into his skin, he strained himself to look behind to see Beastman materialized as well in the real world.

"Leave Subaru out of this!" Netto exclaimed as he got up through his own strength. Pulling out his PET and Synchro chip, the brown haired Net Savior prepared to take down the darkloid once and for all. "Synchro chip! Slot in!"

As he inserted the blue chip in, the PET disappeared as Rockman's data started to collect around his body, creating a sphere of blinding light that burst soon afterwards. R Rockman charged head first to pry his friend out of the darkloid's grips, breaking Beastman's claws once more.

Subaru unceremoniously fell down onto the floor. Thankfully, none of his wounds were particularly critical as he pulled himself together to make his way out of Beastman's danger radius. Breathing a sigh of relief as he saw the brunette make his way to safety outside, R Rockman focused his attention back on the darkloid.

"Don't think this is over!" Beastman roared out as a dark chip materialized before him. It glowed with a dark aura before it burst into a sickening black purple cloud of evil energy. The darkloid's body hungrily absorbed its power, repairing his claws along with granting them a sharper edge. "I'll show you the true power of a darkloid!"

"Watch out Netto-kun! He's coming!" Rockman's voice echoed in Netto's mind. With quick reflexes, R Rockman was able to catch the claws with his bare hands once again. However, pushing back, let alone shattering, the claws proved to be another task.

"Ugh, he's… he's a lot stronger now! And we didn't even have a chance to download any battle chips!" Netto struggled to hold back the darkloid's advance as he was pushed down to a kneeling position. Beastman's eyes were completely blood shot like a rabid animal. He doubted there was any coherent thought other than to destroy that was running through the beast's mind.

The brown eyed Net Savior swore that he was done for, until a bolt of blue struck the brown darkloid square in the side that knocked him through the arcade room's wall. Finally allowed to catch his breath, R Rockman shakily looked up to see the mysterious blue navi that he had been searching for. The small beeping sound from the newly installed attachment to his PET echoed in his ear to indicate that the navi was the genuine article.

There was silence between the two of them until Netto suddenly pointed an accusing finger at the enigma of a navi as its presence clicked into his mind. "You! You're that… that Ryuusei guy!"

"Eh? Ryuusei?" the Denpa Henkaned Subaru pointed at himself to verify that the boy was referring to him. He was so used to be calling "Rockman," so it never occurred to him that a new nickname might be thrown at him.

"Shooting star? Hm… how fitting. Just roll with it, kid." Warrock's voice resounded out of the device on Rockman's arm. Thankfully, it was low enough so that Netto wasn't able to hear.

"What are you doing here?" R Rockman exclaimed as he pulled himself back up. He had so many questions to ask the stranger. "Who—"

"Now's now the time!" Subaru didn't have to explain why as Beastman charged through the freshly made hole, seemingly uninjured by the tackle. He roared out in anger as another dark chip materialized over him. His body greedily absorbed the dark energy, powering up the darkloid even more. For a split second, Subaru thought that he felt a noise resonance with Beastman's increasingly corrupted form. But there was no time to dwell on the fact as the rabid navi lunged once again to slice them in two. "We should take him out first!"

Nodding in unison, both blue clad warriors materialized their respective busters and shot at the charging beast. The energy shots proved to have little effect as Beastman plowed through them like a wrecking ball.


"You gave that no brain darkloid another dark chip?" Needleman prodded his NetOp's on the reason for her actions. "Besides that… that navi appeared. Shouldn't you be taking some precautions into gettin' him on our side? How're ya gonna' do that if he's torn to shreds?"

"I think you're underestimating him." Yuriko smiled slightly as she watched the battle out of view and out of danger. "If that navi can't even beat Beastman… then there's no point if we acquire him. Besides…" The woman tapped her earring slightly. It gave off a low hum to signal the navi's presence along with its function as a Noise frequency emitter.

"Besides what…?" the spike headed darkloid curiously asked in a dark tone. He knew the woman was up to something, and he wanted in on it.

"I want to test something out…" With a small twist of the earring's studded jewel, she set the volume of the frequency higher.


"Take this! Freeze Knuckles!" Subaru yelled out as he downloaded the battle card manually. He felt the cool blue metal fist materialize over his hand and promptly punched the floor with it. A slick sheet of ice spider webbed across the floor and underneath Beastman's feet until it froze the darkloid solid from head to toe.

Quickly gaining the flow of the battle, Netto quickly shot his Rock Buster to shatter Beastman's frozen figure in hopes to deal critical damage. The mist left in the blast's wake obscured their vision of the darkloid until the veil was literally sliced away. Before either could react, Beastman had already pinned "Ryuusei" to the wall with his bladed claws. R Rockman attempted to shoot the darkloid off him, but the blasts seemed to deflect off. Subaru struggled to get free as he felt his ears ring clearly once again with the mind splitting noise. He could begin to hear the noise slowly converge into one familiar voice, the voice of the Meteor Server.

"Resonating Noise Confirmed. Respond…?"

There was no need to even ask as small bits of white colored Noise fragments began to materialize around him. Subaru was ready for what was about to happen as he felt a new power enter his body. "Noise Change…" he muttered in complete control, as his body glowed with a white light. Even Beastman jumped back from the sudden brightness that took him by surprise as Subaru announced the form, "Wolf!" The light immediately dispelled by the simple utterance alone.

"It… It's almost like Style Change…!" Netto gawked at the new form the navi obtained. The normally blue armor changed into a darker navy. Two yellow claw shaped spikes protruded from each shoulder guard. The helmet too had a wild look which resembled notably like a wolf. He could hear the steady beeping from the tracker become more frequent. "The energy level from him is also getting higher… What does it mean?" Netto simply muttered to himself.

"This is…?" Subaru looked down at his hands to see the changes himself. He'd experienced it before during his fight with Phantom Black when the Ace Program fully activated. His body felt lighter and quicker, and he felt new strength resonate within him. Clenching his fist, he focused his sights once more on Beastman who was recovering his bearings once more.

Finally able to speak coherently, the darkloid barked out "You! How dare you…! I'll delete you first!" Unleashing a flurry of diagonal swipes at the mysterious navi, he failed to notice that not one of his attacks was connecting in his blind rage.

"Wide Claw!" Subaru yelled out as his right hand changed into a large bladed claw that rivaled or maybe even surpassed Beastman's in deadliness. With a fast horizontal swipe, three sickle-like shockwaves were sent out that scarred the darkloid considerably upon impact. Deep gashes could be seen on his central body where the shockwave hit, but most noticeably his whole arm was cut clean off from the blades. Beastman cried out in a mixture of anger and pain at the critical wounds he received.

Shooting a quick glance in R Rockman's direction, the Net Savior knew what he had to do. Nodding his head in recognition to what he assumed to be his ally, he prepared to finish off the darkloid once and for all with the only weapon that he had on him. "Rock Buster!"


"Shi shi shi…" Needleman chuckled from the PET. He completely disregarded the death of one of his comrade darkloids. "Beastman is done for. Not that I cared much for the guy. Is it time for us to head in to get that… what's his name again? Didn't that brat call him Ryuusei?"

"Hum… Can't do that quite yet, Needleman" Yuriko pondered on the possibility of the navi coming peacefully and quietly. It wasn't necessarily out of the question, but judging by the previous hostility Needleman received in their last encounter and the Net Savior's recognition of her own face, it didn't seem like a likely possibility. However, as the dimensional area fell, she witnessed something truly unexpected. "We just have to catch the navi at a different time. But… we got some useful info and some new footage. Today wasn't a loss."

Finally turning her back to the wrecked building, the mysterious woman disappeared back into the shadows with a slight smile tugging at her lips. "Things… just got a lot more interesting."


"Whaaaaat?" Netto poked at the EM Rockman's arm to make sure he wasn't an illusion. The dimensional area had already disappeared, yet the mysterious "Ryuusei" had yet to disappear along with it. "How are you still materialized without a dimensional area? Is that even possible?"

"U-Uhm… Well…" the EM wave warrior tried to formulate a response, but at the same time didn't want to hint off unnecessarily on who he might be. He considered just running off after the field fell, but he did tell Netto in the heat of battle that he was going to answer one or two questions. However, at the rate this was going, he was prepared to pulse out of view to escape the insistent questions.

"What did you do back there? Are you a NetNavi? Who's your NetOp? Where did you come from?" the boy's questions shot out at a rapid pace, faster then Subaru could even answer if he were planning to. "Hey! I see that look on your face! Don't you dare run off again!"

"Kid… just ditch this guy!" Warrock's voice echoed equally as insistently into Subaru's head. Agreeing with his partner's suggestion, Subaru prepared to make his quick exit.

"S-Sorry. I got something to do. B-Bye!" Quickly waving goodbye, Subaru prepared to change his frequency out of visibility. Giving off a faint glow, he disappeared into thin air, leaving Netto standing alone once more.

"Auuugh! Nooo! Get back here!" Netto yelled out.

"Netto-kun… I think he's gone. Even the tracker indicates—" Rockman tried to calm his NetOp down to no avail yet again. Once the boy's blood is set to boil over, it's hard to cool him down.

"Darn that… that Ryuusei guy! I'm going to get him back next time! I'll bring a giant bug net so he can't escape!" Netto began to formulate multiple plots on how to keep the hastily nicknamed navi from running away again. None of which were viable in any way whatsoever. Rockman EXE couldn't help but sigh until they heard a familiar friendly voice. For a second, they both thought that the mysterious navi had reappeared again, but turned to see Subaru running towards them.

"Ah! It seems Subaru is alright!" Rockman exclaimed happily. They last saw him run out of the arcade building to take shelter, but it was good to see their friend with only a few scratches here and there.

"Aw man~ I thought that it was going to be that Ryuusei guy..." Netto whined slightly. However, he had newfound respect for his acquaintance. Waving back, Netto realized that he had to properly thank him. After all, the guy did save his life when the building was crumbling. The least he could do was trust him as a friend.


Unseen on the rooftops of the neighboring buildings, the black robed figure stood watching. His glowing red eyes looked down at the events that had unfolded. Feelings were masked by his indifferent and unmoving features. Brushing his bangs to the side, the figure's full lime green hair with frayed purple ends swayed slightly from the small breeze atop the roof tops.

"That energy…" he began in a low voice, but paused slightly as he contemplated his own thirst and yearning. He could feel himself become increasingly excited. The challenge was enticing, but the rewards it offered were what he truly sought. "I'll find it… and drink its power dry."

And down below outside the arcade building, Subaru could feel a shiver run up his spine.