New Megaman Battle Network

A complete reimagining of the universe and stories of Megaman Battle Network.

Story 1: New Origins


Chapter 7: Test of Skill

BLAM!

A yellow Navi keeled over onto the floor of the Cyber arena, after receiving a buster shot to the temple. A smirking Megaman landed on his feet in front of the Navi, as he got up and rubbed his head, which was adorned with an exclamation point.

"Give up?" Megaman taunted, aiming his buster at the Navi once more. Outside, several onlookers cheered the Navi on, as Lan grinned to himself, pleased with the battle and ready to send more Battlechips if necessary. His opponent, a twenty-something male with a jean-jacket vest, was getting annoyed.

"Snapman!" he called out. "Do it now!"

Back in the arena, the yellow Navi smirked before suddenly disappearing. Megaman tensed and looked around for him, turning in all directions. An instant later, he jumped as a tall, cylindrical barrier formed around him. Looking up, he saw Snapman right above him, wielding a Giant Hammer and coming in hot.

"Let's see you avoid this one, Speedy!" he taunted.

Megaman smirked. "You're on!" He leaped right up in the air toward his opponent, and quickly grabbed the handle of the Giant Hammer, pulling it downward and past him while kneeing Snapman in the gut. As his eyes bulged out in pain, Megaman hurled him toward the ground, where he landed hard in a crumpled heap. Looking up at his opponent, Snapman had no time to react as he saw Megaman hurl the Giant Hammer down toward him. Right before the attack connected, Snapman turned into a beam of light and flew upward, jacking out right before the Hammer smashed into the ground.

"Snapman has been jacked out! Megaman wins!" an announcer shouted into a microphone. The crowd erupted in cheers, as Lan pumped his fist into the air.

"Way to go, Megaman! That guy never had a chance!"

Jacking his Navi out of the arena, Lan heard a voice from behind him calling out his name. Turning around, he saw Mayl and Yai running up to him, smiling.

"Mayl! Yai! What are you guys doing here? Are you competing too?"

Yai shook her head. "We didn't find out about this tournament until just now, so we came to cheer you guys on instead!"

Mayl put her hands on her hips. "We had to hear about it from your mom! Why didn't you tell us?"

"Er..." Lan rubbed his head. "I guess it slipped my mind... sorry."

"Well, never mind that." Mayl's expression softened. "We watched a couple matches from outside, since it was too hard to get inside. You just made the semifinals! Congratulations, Lan!"

Lan grinned. "Thanks, guys. It's all thanks to Megaman, really..."

"Glyde told me that Megaman's really strong," Yai chipped in. "No wonder you made it so far."

"Yeah, but it's more than that." Lan pulled out his PET, looking at it. "I've never used a Navi that worked with me so well before. It's like he's made to fit my battle style perfectly."

Megaman grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "Two peas in a pod, right, Lan?"

Lan grinned and nodded back, as Mayl grabbed his sleeve and started to pull him along gently. "Come on! Dex's match is supposed to be happening over this way. Let's go see!"

Lan nodded, and the three headed off for another part of the arcade. As Lan walked, however, something caught his eye; he turned his head toward the other arena and saw a familiar, silver-and-black haired sight.

"Hey, it's him! The guy from the other day, at Yai's place!" Mayl and Yai looked over, to see Eugene Chaud standing at one of the Cyber arenas, looking almost bored as he held his PET, operating his Navi.

"It is him!" Yai exclaimed, peering closer. "What's he doing here?"

"He's at the arena... could he be competing?" He started to walk over, but felt a tug on his arm.

"Lan, we'll miss Dex's match," Mayl reminded him. "We can talk to that kid later." Lan relented and headed over with them toward the Cyber arena Dex was battling at, which was quite crowded. Unable to get close enough to see the match firsthand, they resigned themselves to looking up at a large television screen in the wall like many others.

"This doesn't look good..." was Lan's first comment; the other two agreed that it looked quite bad for Dex. While his opponent's Navi, a humanoid being with a wolf-like head, a deep slouch, and long, sharp claws, was looking a little worse for wear, Gutsman was a complete mess. He had visible claw marks all over his frame, and one of his eyes was closed; he was breathing heavily, as well. With a growl, his opponent dashed toward him, claws extended and glowing slightly.

"Guts Punch!" Gutsman called out, raising his fist for one more attack. His opponent's claws suddenly flashed bright white, blinding the screen for an instant; when everyone uncovered their eyes to look at what had happened, Gutsman was standing, wide-eyed, in attack position, while the wolf-like Navi had its claws deep in his torso.

"Gutsman!" Dex cried out, before panickedly tugging the cord out of the Cyber arena; on the screen, his Navi turned into a beam of light and disappeared upward, jacking out.

"Gutsman has jacked out! The winner is Takeo Inukai, with his Navi Beastman!"

The crowd erupted with cheers, as Dex looked into his PET screen and tended to restoring his Navi, an angry grimace on his face. The trio of observers walked over to their defeated friend.

"I'm sorry, Dex," Mayl offered. "You did really well, you were in the top eight…"

"Yeah, whatever," Dex grumbled, walking past them. "There was definitely something fishy about that fight..." The three watched him go, clearly wanting to be alone, while Yai stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, he didn't have to be rude about it!" She hmphed and folded her arms. "You were just trying to be nice!"

"Something fishy, huh..." Lan thought backward to the battle, wondering what Dex may have been talking about, but he hadn't seen enough of it to make a sound judgment.

"What do you think he meant by that, Lan?" Mayl inquired. "Could Beastman have been cheating?"

"I guess we'll find out in the next match... he and I are supposed to fight." He pulled out his PET and looked at Megaman, who shrugged his shoulders, equally stumped.


"Attention everybody! The semifinal rounds are about to begin! Here in Arena A, we have Takeo Inukai with his Beastman..."

Cheers came from the crowd, as Takeo simply nodded.

"...versus Lan Hikari, and his Navi, Megaman!"

An equal number of cheers erupted from the crowd, topped off by Mayl and Yai yelling "Go, Lan!" in tandem, pumping their fists into the air repeatedly. Lan grinned and waved at them before turning his attention to the battle, jacking Megaman into the arena; his opponent did the same, and the two Navis began staring each other down in the Cyberworld.

"Are the competitors ready? Then let the battle begin!"

The two opponents immediately dashed toward each other, Megaman readying his buster for attack, as Beastman got his claws ready to strike. As Megaman raised his buster, the claws suddenly produced a blinding white flash, and he suddenly found himself unable to move a muscle, his body tingling and vibrating all over.

"Wha...?" he managed to get out, his voice oddly weak. In the next instant, Megaman found his foe right on top of him, ready to strike. He yelped and managed to grab his claws right at the last minute, preventing them from piercing his frame.

"What was that?! What did you just do?" he demanded; Beastman grinned an evil grin, baring a mouth full of pointed teeth.

"Megaman... I've waited some time to be able to battle you, you know..." Megaman summoned some strength from inside him, managing to shove Beastman away.

"You what? What is that supposed to mean?" Not missing a beat, he fired at his enemy with his buster, getting in a few shots here and there as Beastman ran about, deflecting some buster shots with his claws. Beastman ran forward and started swiping repeatedly at Megaman, who produced a sword and blocked the incoming attacks.

"What do you think it means?" Beastman taunted, sweeping his leg out to try and trip Megaman, who jumped over it. "It means you're still on our list, you little pest… and I have the honor of getting to take care of you, by Dr. Wily's request."

Megaman's eyes widened. "You're with World Three! You mean you entered this tournament just to take me out?"

The enemy Navi grinned, raising his claw. "Now you're catching on." With another flash, Megaman found himself again momentarily paralyzed, as Beastman took a painful swipe at his face.

"Gah!" He grabbed at the claw marks on his face, as Beastman delivered a powerful kick to his chest, knocking him backward. As he sat up, he saw his opponent running toward him once again, on a constant offensive.

"Lan, something's definitely fishy here! Whenever Beastman flashes his claws, I can't move a muscle! He's paralyzing me somehow!"

"What?!" Lan exclaimed. "What are we supposed to do about that?"

His Navi didn't have time to answer, as Beastman jumped toward him, his fists clasped together and ready to come down. Megaman readied his sword, but a third flash set him tingling and immobile once again, as Beastman brought his fists down onto his head. Megaman was knocked completely flat, as his foe stood above him.

"What... there… there weren't even any claws that time..." he remarked, woozy, as Beastman grinned, baring his sharp teeth once again.

"Megaman! I've got one Recovery 50 chip here! I'm using it now!"

His Navi nodded, still dazed, his gaze drifting upward as he tried to come to his senses. He blinked in surprise, as he saw something above him that caught his interest. "Wait, Lan… not yet..."

Beastman extended his claws, pointing them toward Megaman's throat. "This was pathetically easy... I was hoping for a real fight." He raised his claws. "At least with you gone, nobody will stand in the way of-"

BLAM! Megaman suddenly extended his buster and fired upward. The shot sailed clear past Beastman and into the air, where it collided with a medium-sized, black device and exploded.

Beastman's eyes widened, as he looked upward toward the wreckage above them. "No, no, no, no!" He was forced to jump out of the way as the apparatus fell to the ground; Megaman rolled out of the way just in time, as Lan sent him the Recovery 50. When the smoke cleared, the remnants of a computerized device, including a large lightbulb and a speaker, were clearly visible. The watching crowd gasped in response.

"Seems like I've found the secret to your Netbattling, Beastman," Megaman said with a smirk. "A blinding flash, combined with a paralyzing, resonant frequency. You didn't think you could win on your own, huh?"

"Megaman seems to have revealed a sort of paralyzing device being used by Beastman!" the announcer cried out, incredulous. "A clear violation of the rules of the tournament! Beastman is disqualified!"

"Grr... no!" Beastman cried out, charging again. "I WILL delete you, Megaman!"

Megaman watched him approach, then suddenly disappeared with an Area Steal. He reappeared several yards forwards, right in front of the enemy Navi, digging his elbow powerfully into Beastman's torso. His enemy's eyes bulged, as he grasped his stomach and fell to the ground before being jacked out.

Lan looked up to see a tournament organizer, who had forcefully jacked Beastman out, handing the PET cable to its operator. "Cheaters aren't welcome at this establishment. You will leave now." Inukai stared at the organizer for a minute, before grabbing the cable and leaving in a huff, muttering under his breath.

"Inukai has been disqualified! Lan and Megaman advance to the finals!" The crowd erupted in cheers again, as Lan sighed in relief and jacked Megaman out.

"So you made it to the finals," came a voice from behind; Lan whirled around to find Chaud standing behind him. "Looks like it'll be you and me then." He nonchalantly walked to the opposite jack-in station, pulling out the cable on his PET. Lan noticed that Chaud was wearing a different jacket, one without his Official insignia; this must not have been work for him after all.

"It appears that both finalists are ready to get right to work! Alright then, let's get introduced!"

"On the left is Lan Hikari, with his powerful blue Navi, Megaman!" Lan jacked in his Navi amidst the cheers, sending a full-strength Megaman into the Cyber arena.

"And on the right, Eugene Chaud, with his red swordsman, Protoman!" Chaud calmly inserted his cord into the jack-in port, as the bladed and shaded Protoman appeared opposite Megaman.

"I hope you're ready for this battle," Protoman stated.

Megaman grinned and got into a defensive stance. "Ready when you are!"

"Are the contestants ready?" the announcer inquired. "Then let the battle begin!"


Immediately, both Navis dashed toward each other, each producing a Sword and getting ready to strike. As they met in the middle of the arena, Megaman jabbed his sword toward his opponent, expecting a deflection; Protoman instead jumped into the air above and behind his opponent. Megaman quickly turned and started firing his buster toward Chaud's Navo, who skillfully deflected every shot with his sword. The last shot he swiped at, however, exploded into a cloud of smoke, screening Protoman's vision as he landed.

"A Shotgun blast," he muttered, looking around. "Where did you go..."

Hearing footsteps from his left, he quickly turned to meet a surprisingly strong sword swipe from Megaman, one that knocked him off balance as their blades clashed. Megaman continued with a strong kick to the jaw, sending Protoman backward; he did a quick backflip and landed on his feet.

"Hmph. Not bad, Megaman," he stated. "But if you think that's the best I've got, think again." He suddenly vanished, and Megaman instinctively looked up, but was surprised to find nothing there. His muscles tensed, and he quickly looked around; as he glanced behind him, he was greeted with a sword swipe to the face. Grabbing the injury, he jumped backward.

"Deja vu," he muttered, readying his sword as Protoman dashed toward him. To his surprise, he saw a Wide Sword appear on Protoman's other arm, as his foe brought both swords down toward him in a large X. Reacting quickly, Megaman raised his sword to meet Protoman's blades, which connected with a mighty clang, and a shoving match ensued. While Megaman pushed hard, holding up his sword with his other hand, Protoman bore down on him powerfully with his blades, bringing him down on one knee.

"Geez, he's strong," Megaman muttered to himself. "If only we had a spare moment to focus on a Life Sword..."

Protoman raised an eyebrow. "A Life Sword, huh?"

Megaman blinked. "What? You heard me?" To his greater surprise, Protoman suddenly jumped backward, landing quite a distance away from Megaman.

"Curious… most Navis have no chance at creating a Program Advance. You think you can use one against me?"

"Erm… well…" Megaman stammered, confused, as Protoman let his swords lay to rest at his sides.

"Very well, then. I'll give you your chance; you've got one try to produce a Life Sword." Protoman did his best beckoning gesture he could without his hands actually being there. "Give it your best shot."

Megaman blinked in surprise, not having expected this and not sure how to react. "Lan, what should we do? You think it's a trick?"

"I don't know," Lan replied. "But if we can pull it off, there's no way he can stand up to it. Let's give it our best shot!" His Navi nodded, as the crowd started muttering to themselves, confused at the break in the action.

"It appears the fighters have stopped for now!" the announcer exclaimed. "What's going on? Who's going to make the next move?" Lan put it out of his mind, trying to focus and synchronize himself with his Navi, a task he found difficult, as he was quite nervous.

"Sword!" he announced, slotting in another Sword chip; the Sword on Megaman's arm reformed.

"Wide Sword!" he called out, slotting it in; Megaman held out his arm, and a Wide Sword appeared on it. Lan's hand was nearly trembling as he grabbed his last chip, trying his best to focus despite being a mix of nervous and excited.

"Long Sword!" he declared with his slot-in, as his Navi held his swords above his head; they started to glow a bright blue and combine, forming a tall blade of light.

"Hyaah!" Megaman swung his sword down vertically, and a shockwave of blue energy headed toward Protoman. As it got closer, however, the pillar of energy began to grow weaker and weaker.

"No...! Not now!" Lan clenched his fist as the rather pitiful Life Sword approached its target, a shadow of its former self. Protoman took his sword and cut through it, dissipating it completely.

"Just as I expected." Protoman tutted as he raised his swords above his head, where they started to glow. "Let me show you what a real Program Advance looks like!"

In almost an instant, his arms were a massive, bright pillar of blue light, clearly outclassing what Lan and Megaman had attempted moments before. Without missing a beat, he swung the blade horizontally, sending a shockwave toward his opponent. Lan tried to send in a Barrier chip, but it was useless, as the Life Sword reached Megaman in an instant, cutting him cleanly in half, his eyes wide.

"Megaman!" Lan cried out alarmedly, jacking his Navi out for safety; his Navi vanished from the arena just in time. Protoman sighed and relaxed, partially proud of his operator's victory, and partially disappointed in how unimpressive the fight had been.

"An incredible attack! Lan has jacked out Megaman, which means Chaud and Protoman are the champions!"

Lan was deaf to the massive cheers that erupted, staring into the screen of his PET, looking for some indication that Megaman would be alright. Chaud, cool and collected as ever, jacked Protoman out and headed toward the tournament organizers to collect his prize money. Mayl, Yai and Dex ran up to Lan, as his PET indicated that Megaman had been successfully jacked out, and was being repaired.

"Lan..." Mayl began, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "What... what happened? What were Megaman and Protoman talking about?"

Lan, still dumbfounded, said nothing; he instead turned to look at Chaud's retreating back as he exited the arcade, and an angry scowl grew on his face. Not saying a word, he ran off toward the other boy.

"Lan! What are you doing?" Mayl called out. He ignored her and continued running, stopping right behind Chaud, several yards outside the arcade entrance.

"Hey, you!" he shouted, feeling incredibly bitter and not quite thinking rationally. "What the heck were you even doing here? You just trying to take out your competition so you can be the hero more often?! What the hell?!"

Chaud stopped walking, not glancing back, remaining as calm and collected as ever. "I came here to prove a point to you, Lan Hikari. That the Officials do not need, nor want, your help."

Lan blinked, not having expected a response, as Chaud continued.

"As you can see, we are plenty strong enough to take care of the messes that World Three creates. The last thing we need is some punk and his Navi picking fights with criminals in the network of a power plant. At best, you're a nuisance; at worst, you're a danger to yourself, your friends, and everyone else in Den City with your constant meddling."

Chaud turned his head and looked backward toward Lan. "Do us all a favor. Next time something goes wrong, go home, and let us do our job. You're not needed."

Lan stared, dumbfounded and insulted, as Chaud walked off; behind him, Mayl, Yai and Dex watched him leave as well.


Far away, Dr. Wily rode an elevator up to his domain, going over his various plans in his head. When he opened the door, his eyes widened in shock at the scene in front of him.

His office was completely trashed. Everything electronic had been reduced to smoldering wreckage, and the large screen in the back wall was blaring static, along with many other screens. Coughing, he waved his hand to clear the smoke, walking forward.

"What is this? What's happened?" he demanded from whoever was in the room. As if to respond, the large screen suddenly switched from static to an image of a familiar black, cloaked Navi.

"You!" Dr. Wily exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Perhaps you could explain that to me, Wily," the Navi responded. The screen suddenly changed to show a blueprint, written out in Dr. Wily's handwriting. Highlighted was a rather troubling portion; where the LifeVirus had once been placed before, it was crossed out and replaced with a humanoid shape, with two large fins protruding from the figure's head.

"According to this, you expect to use a powerful Navi to extract the energy necessary to create the creature. And according to your calculations, someone around my strength should do just fine, isn't that right?"

"Bass! No!" Wily replied, incredulous. "You misunderstand! Those plans are-"

"Save your breath," Bass interrupted. "I should have known better than to trust humans. You should pray that we never cross paths again, you pathetic creature." Bass turned and left, and with a crackle, the screen switched once again to static. Dr. Wily quickly ran over to an intercom on the wall, jamming the buttons, and was pleased to find it still worked.

"Everyone! We have a serious emergency!" he cried out into the intercom. "Bass has run off into the Net! We must manage to return him here at all costs! Move now!" He hung up and turned back to the mess of his office, fuming at this derailing of his plans.