New Megaman Battle Network

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

Story 1: New Origins


Chapter 8: No Time to Hesitate

(Warning: mild violent content ahead.)

"So Protoman was... testing you?" Mayl pondered.

Lan shrugged, as he looked solemnly out the window of the cable car that was taking them home; Dex had stayed at the arcade for more battles, and Yai had gotten her own ride home. "Testing me, taunting me, one of those things... I don't know."

He sighed and sat back in his seat. "What I do know is that Chaud was there just so he could break me down at my best. He wants me out of the picture, I guess."

"Maybe he's right, Lan," Mayl offered. "You don't want enemies in World Three. You could get seriously hurt, or worse."

"I know..." He looked up. "But I could really make a difference, too..."

"I'm sure the Officials will be able to take care of things," she reassured him. "Chaud was able to fight off the Gospel Navi at on Yai's house, remember? I'm sure that they can do it. You don't have to make Megaman fight."

"Maybe..." Lan glanced down toward his PET, which had finished repairing Megaman a few minutes ago. "It's just… when I first saw how strong Megaman was, when he fought Elecman... I thought maybe that was the reason I had Megaman, so I could stand up to people like that." He sat back again, looking out the window as the Den City Hospital came into view a few blocks off. "Maybe there's something else the two of us are meant for."

Inside Lan's PET, Megaman was also deep in thought, considering the events of the past couple weeks, along with the result of his battle against Protoman.

This confirms it; the Officials are more able than Lan and I, he thought to himself. I guess I shouldn't worry about having to save the day anymore... right?

He looked up through the screen to the real world, watching Lan and Mayl converse. Should we just be running away instead? Would waiting for the Officials really be safest when all is said and done? Would it be right to let a World Three or Gospel Navi escape, if we could have taken him down?

He rubbed his head. Those are some questions I can't answer by myself. Maybe I should talk about it with Lan...

Megaman opened his mouth, but didn't get the chance to speak, as a bright light filled the screen; the next instant, all hell broke loose.


It all seemed to happen in an instant; the front of the cable car was flung backward as a massive fireball exploded from beneath the car. As the car was forcefully separated from the cables, it fell back and hit the ground, skidding to a stop against the sidewalk, as onlookers shrieked and ran out of the way. No one on the cable car even had time to scream before it was over, the front of the car twisted and smoldering.

Having first been thrown forward into the seat in front, then backwards into the roof of the car, Lan slowly managed to sit up, feeling himself surrounded by destroyed leather and broken glass. He reached out for anything he could grab, feeling dizzy, his head swimming.

"What just… agh..." He could feel a sharp pain in his back and head, and felt something running down his cheek; he grabbed at it, then looked back at his hand to see it wearing a fair amount of blood. He had been cut badly, and suspected he may have been mildly concussed.

"Lan!" he heard Megaman scream. "What's going on?" Lan reached down for his PET, looking into the screen, and his Navi recoiled at the sight he saw. "Jesus! What happened there? Are you okay?!"

"I don't know…" Lan rubbed his head, which ached fiercely; he could tell he must have smashed it hard. "The car just… exploded…"

"Is everyone okay?"

"I'm... I'll be fine, and..." His eyes suddenly went wide with realization, and he quickly looked around. "Mayl? Mayl?!"

Throwing his PET back into his belt holster, Lan managed to get to his sore but undamaged feet, looking around the car as quickly as his head would allow him in his current state. Kicking torn-apart seats out of his way, he saw a familiar arm loosely lying on the floor, connected to something out of sight.

"Mayl!" He ran over quickly to find her body lying laxly on the ground, her eyes closed, and he bent down to inspect her more carefully. Her arm, contorted at a strange angle, had clearly been broken, and a window near her head had received an enormous, circular crack, with a thin layer of blood adorning the middle. He felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"Please no, please no…" He lifted her head so it faced him, and could see her bleeding liberally from a large laceration on the side of her forehead. He leaned in closer, putting his fingers to the side of her neck, and breathed a small sigh of relief to hear her still breathing, feeling a pulse under his fingertips.

"Is she okay?" Megaman called again, unable to see what was happening.

"She's hurt," Lan responded, pulling his PET back out, Mayl's head resting on his leg. "Really bad... she needs a doctor, right now."

"Oh no… I hope an ambulance gets there soon or something… they have to be there before too long, right?" Megaman offered, trying to be reassuring and not panic.

"Will they?" Lan wondered aloud, as he took his bandanna off his head, wrapping it around Mayl's cut. "It's going to take a few minutes for them to just figure out what happened down here..." He looked up toward the back window of the bus, groaning at the pain in his back; he could see the hospital from here still, just a few blocks away. He reached for Mayl's PET, which was trapped underneath her, and pulled it out. He cursed when he saw the entire thing had been smashed, broken surely beyond repair.

He pulled out his own PET, reaching into his pocket and searching for something, which he managed to find quickly. He had gotten this wireless jack-in antenna a while ago in case of an emergency, and if anything counted as an emergency, it was this.

"Megaman, I need you to do something quick." Lan plugged the antenna into the expansion port on his PET, looking for wireless signals and finding a couple. He couldn't operate Megaman with this device in use, but he could at least keep in contact.

"Anything," his Navi replied. "What is it?"

"Mayl's PET is completely busted. I need you to jack in and find her house; tell her mom what happened, and that I've taken her to Den City Hospital."

Megaman blinked. "Wait, you're taking her?"

"Yes." Lan leaned down and, with difficulty, managed to get Mayl onto his back; the pressure on his injured back was great, but he put it completely out of his mind as he kneeled down, her limp frame leaning against him. "I don't care what that jerk Chaud thinks, I'm not going to just sit here and wait for somebody else to save us. I can't hesitate when lives are at stake. I have to do something." He was surprised at the clarity he was feeling, as his mind pushed the pain and the fear aside; right now, his friend was the only thing that mattered.

Megaman nodded in understanding, not wasting any time in jacking into one of the nearby stations and heading into the Cyberworld. Lan stood up, holding up Mayl by the legs, and looked for an exit; he saw an emergency exit in the roof of the car, and kicked it open, leaping out and quickly starting to skate to his destination.


After quickly reaching Den Net City, Megaman could see Navis running about and jacking out left and right. In here, as well, there had been a large explosion of some sort, just near where he had jacked in; clearly, whatever caused this had done so from the Cyberworld. He started running down the street, looking for familiar directions to the suburb of ACDC.

As he turned one corner, he was nearly knocked over by a legion of orange Official Navis, all heading in the same direction. As he looked up, he could see Protoman at the lead, barking orders.

"Split up and search, everyone!" he yelled as they headed toward the explosion. "The Navi that did this must be around here somewhere! Report about anything suspicious you find!"

Megaman watched them go, pondering running along and helping, before remembering what Lan had told him about Chaud's words. He shook his head and stood up, running back off in the other direction. He'd just have to place trust in the Officials, and their ability to take care of things; besides, he had a job to do.

He turned another corner, trying once again to locate familiar territory, hoping to find his way back toward the suburb of ACDC, and to Mayl's parents.


Lan skated along sidewalks and through streets, trying to get to his destination as quickly as he could. Cars were backed up for as far as he could see in either direction, so he had no trouble getting through red lights.

From behind him, he felt Mayl stir a little bit; he could feel her head on his shoulder, looking around lazily, slightly delirious. "Unh... what... what happened... everything hurts..."

"The front of our cable car exploded. I don't know why," Lan replied, as a group of girls shrieked at him and jumped quickly out of his way. "Don't talk. Save your strength."

"Where... where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to the hospital." He quickly skirted around a car parked at a red light, seeing the building get nearer. "You're going to be just fine, Mayl, I promise."

"Lan…" He felt her shifting again, trying to move, to stand, but she had no energy to spare in her current state, and she quickly slumped back against him. "I'm so sorry… you have to worry about me…" Her voice was weak, too weak to express much emotion, but Lan could tell she was upset that she had let this happen to her.

"Don't apologize," he answered. "I'm always going to take care of you if you need it. That's a promise."

He felt her shifting again, leaning forward, and he felt her cheek tiredly but affectionately rubbing against his. "You're so sweet…" Moments later, he felt her go limp as she drifted off again. He gritted his teeth and sped up even more, ignoring his pain completely and pushing himself to the limit as he sped down the sidewalk.


Back in Den Net City, Megaman was faced with significantly less direction than his operator, having never navigated to Mayl's house before. Everything looked the same to him, and nobody would offer him directions; everyone he saw was jacking out quickly, under the orders that were blasting from everywhere he could hear.

"All Navis must jack out immediately. There is no cause for alarm. This is merely a precaution," the voice sounded over and over. Megaman cursed the announcement in his head, wondering exactly how he was going to find what he was looking for, when he collided with a second Navi, falling backward toward the ground. Rubbing his head and looking up, he saw himself looking at a familiar face.

"Megaman!" Roll quickly got to her feet, offering him a hand.

"Roll! What are you doing here? Weren't you with Mayl?"

She shook her head. "Mayl lent me to her mom; she needed to get some errands done. What's wrong? You look flustered..."

"There's been an accident..." Megaman started, a bit rushed. "In the cable car… Mayl's hurt, and…"

"What?!" Roll's face filled with fear. "How bad is it? Is she going to be okay?"

"She'll be okay, Lan's taking her to the hospital. I need you to tell Mayl's mom where she is... and Lan's, if you could."

She nodded, clearly agitated. "Absolutely. Are you coming too?"

He shook his head. "I'm going to get back to Lan, he may need my help. Thanks you so much, Roll."

She nodded again, before quickly turning around and speeding off in the blink of an eye. Megaman turned to head back, following the signal of Lan's antenna, when he heard a loud explosion right next to him. Jumping away, he saw the large building next to him start to shake and crumble. Looking up toward the top, he could barely make out a very familiar cloaked Navi.

"Him?! What's he doing here?" Megaman watched the Navi leap away from the building, his fist glowing with energy; he smashed it into the next building, which started shaking as well. As he watched the destruction this Navi was wreaking, his eyes went wide with realization, as he put together the pieces of what had happened that day. He felt his fists clench involuntarily, his curiosity turning into a white-hot rage, as he looked up at the mysterious black Navi.

On top of the building, Bass fired an energy blast into the building next to him, sending the top two floors crumbling down.

"Wily, that coward," he mused to himself, furious. "Thinking he can just use me as part of his plan... ME, of all things!"

He walked to the edge of the building he stood on. "I don't need him to exact my revenge... I can start my campaign of fear on my own, right here, right now."

He jumped to get to the next building, but was met with a heavy impact to the side of his head, sending him flying into a nearby wall. Opening his eyes and looking around, he leaped forward to the top of the nearby structure, to find a familiar blue Navi waiting for him, staring him down.

"I don't know who you are, and I don't care," Megaman seethed. "But you're going to pay for what you did to my operator." Chaud's warning about staying out of the way had completely fled his mind; there was no way he was going to stand idly by while this monster wreaked havoc.

Bass's eyes narrowed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. But if it's a fight you want, that's what you'll get."

"Don't play dumb with me, you bastard!" Lan's Navi shot back, aiming his buster at his foe and firing; Bass deflected the blast easily with his hand.

"You think you can defeat me? I'll swat you away like an insect!"

The two ran forward, fists curled, ready for battle.


Lan, still moving as fast as possible, could see Den City Hospital come into clearer view, just two blocks away now. He had made good time; he couldn't hear any ambulance sirens yet.

"We're almost there, Mayl," he spoke reassuringly; she didn't hear, still unconscious on his back. Instead of a response from her, he heard a noise from his PET. He grabbed it carefully, still trying to hold onto Mayl's leg with his arm, and looked down into it. He saw Megaman sliding across a rooftop, flipping up and getting to his feet.

"Megaman! What's going on?" Lan inquired, just as another cloaked Navi came into view.

"This guy... the guy we saw at the tournament. He was destroying buildings in Den Net City," the Navi answered, quickly dodging one of Bass's energy attacks and firing his buster. "He destroyed the cable car, I'm sure of it!"

"He what?! Hold on, Megaman! I'll be there as soon as I can!" Lan put his PET back and took a turn, heading for the hospital entrance.


Megaman leapt away toward the next building, as the one he was standing on crumbled from the impact of Bass's powerful fist. His enemy followed him, as Megaman fired buster shots at the cloaked Navi; they impacted him, but did little to deter him, and he swatted the last few away with a sword as he landed.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Megaman demanded.

"My name is Bass, and I am the most powerful Navi in existence," his opponent responded, floating in the air and holding his palm up in the air, generating a purple wheel of energy. "And it is the pathetic, cowardly, selfish humans that caused me to do this. I am exacting my revenge." Bass hurled the wheel down toward Megaman, who dodged to the right; the wheel followed him, curving to meet its target again. He jumped up onto a raised section of the roof, launching himself forward and smashing Bass in the gut with his buster arm, just as it fired.

"Well, your revenge stops here!" he yelled out as he landed on the ground, his enemy descending slowly. "You're going to regret blowing up that cable car!"

"You're speaking complete nonsense," Bass answered, maintaining his calm despite the battle. "Clearly you've lost your mind, especially if you're challenging someone like me." He aimed his outstretched fist at his foe, as large, purple energy blasts started firing out of his arm. Megaman managed to dodge one, but the next slammed into him, sending him backwards into the wall of the raised section of the roof. "All you have is that buster of yours. You're no match for me!"

Megaman grabbed his stomach, as Bass readied himself to attack again. He was right; without any backup from Lan, he was going to have a lot of trouble winning this fight. He'd have to hold off as long as he could.


As the sliding doors of the hospital opened, one of the nurses at the front desk looked toward it and shrieked; a young boy, covered in blood and sporting large bruises, skated in while carrying a limp body on his back.

"We need help... my friend... she was hurt in an explosion on 41st St.," he managed, as the nurse stared in shock. She shook herself out of her reverie and leaned into an intercom.

"ER, this is the front desk, we need EMTs up here with a stretcher and equipment ASAP."

In just about a minute, several doctors in white showed up with a stretcher, an IV, and other equipment; they helped Lan get Mayl down and onto the stretcher, where they immediately began tending to her. Lan breathed a sigh of relief, before doing a 180 and skating right back toward the exit.

"Hey... wait!" the nurse called out. "Where are you going?!" He ignored her, removing the antenna from his PET and looking around for a jack-in point, Battlechip in hand. He quickly found one and plugged his PET into it, slotting the chip in.

Back on the rooftop, Megaman had taken a bit of a beating; though he had done Bass what damage he could, without support, he was useless. As his enemy fired another energy ball at him, a Barrier suddenly shot up around him, nullifying the blast.

"Lan!" Megaman cried out, as Bass's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You're finally back!"

"How's the battle looking?"

"Not good," his Navi responded. "Bass is definitely strong, maybe even stronger than Protoman... we're going to have to pull something big if we're going to stop him." As he said this, Bass rushed forward, punching the barrier and smashing it into a thousand pieces; Megaman yelped and jumped away.

"We've got a shot, but there's only one chance we can do this," Lan replied, fiddling with his Battlechips. "Are you ready?"

Megaman nodded resolutely, knowing exactly what he meant. "Ready when you are." Lan nodded as well, taking in a deep breath and exhaling. A strong sense of determination filled him, and with it, a strange sense of calm overtook him. He felt completely in control of his emotions, his mind clear with what he had to do. Megaman inhaled at the same time, feeling the same sense of calm and direction.

"Sword!" Lan called out; Megaman's right arm became a sword, with which he dashed forward and swiped at his opponent. Not expecting a Battlechip attack, Bass barely dodged it, receiving a knick on his side.

"Gah! You'll pay for that!" He dashed forward, as Lan inserted the next chip.

"Wide Sword!" Megaman quickly leapt out of Bass's way, jumping over him as his other hand transformed as well.

"Long Sword!" Lan called out, as his Navi held his hands above his head, which began to glow. As Bass turned around, his eyes widened at the massive energy residing above Megaman's hand.

"Take this!" he yelled, swiping toward Bass with his Life Sword. The force of the wave was powerful enough to blow away the rubble that was scattered about the rooftop. Bass had no time to react before the Life Sword collided with him, knocking him back as it separated him in half, the two pieces falling back onto the rooftop. The Life Sword continued on through the air, disappearing some ways back in a brilliant flash of light.

Bass lay on the ground, his two half completely separated, along with portions of his arm. His expression of surprise remained on his face, as Megaman hunched over, resting his hands on his knees.

"Incredible... we did it, Lan..."

As he walked forward to inspect Bass, another Navi suddenly appeared between them, beaming in. Megaman's eyes widened as he recognized the red-and-gray frame.

"Fireman!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"

"My job," Fireman responded, walking over toward Bass and placing his hand on the torso. "You did a good job subduing him for us... but I think we'll take it from here."

"Wait!" Megaman ran forward to accost Fireman, but both Navis vanished in twin beams of light. He looked up as they disappeared. "Damn... got away..."

"Well, at least's not going to be hurting anyone anytime soon," Lan chipped in. "That Life Sword... amazing..."

Megaman nodded, spotting something that remained behind after Fireman and Bass had left. "What's this...?" He walked forward and picked it up; it was a small piece of data.

"What's it say?" Lan inquired, as Megaman looked at it from various angles.

"Looks like it's got a web address on it..." He put it away.

"Maybe it's a clue... something World Three related must be going on there. We're going to have to investigate sometime."

Megaman turned to Lan and nodded, grimacing slightly as he looked through the screen. "Erm... Lan... you should probably get back to the hospital, don't you think?"

Lan suddenly became aware of the world around him once again, feeling the blood run down his cheek and staining his shirt. "Er... yeah. Thanks." He jacked Megaman out and turned around toward the hospital, wondering how he was going to explain himself to his mom.


"Wake up, Bass."

Bass's eyes shot open, as he sat up, feeling his torso with his hand. He had been repaired somehow, and he looked around to survey his surroundings, which were quite familiar.

"You gave us quite a scare." Wily's voice came through an intercom. "Fireman brought you back in two pieces! What the hell were you up to?"

"I…" Bass held his head for a moment, thinking back, but the last memory he had was looking through random World Three files after he retrieved Airman. "I don't remember." He glanced up. "What happened to me?"

"We don't know," the old man responded. "It looked like you had been fighting with Megaman when we found you. Clearly, you lost."

"Lost to Megaman?" Bass replied, incredulous. "That can't be… he shouldn't be that strong. Defeating Fireman, perhaps, but me?"

"Obviously, he's more capable than we gave him credit for." Back in his office, Wily started walking toward his desk chair, supporting his weak legs with his cane. "We're going to have to come up with some sort of contingency plan if he continues to interfere."

The Navi nodded, a bit embarrassed that someone of his skills had managed to lose to anyone, let alone the hapless fool that struggled against Airman. He quickly stood up, but he was a bit weak after all that had just happened to him. "I'm going to look further into this. Let me know if there is anything else you need me for."

Dr. Wily nodded, watching Bass slowly move back to his own quarters, before he turned off the screen in his office. Behind him, a 30-something man walked into view, with long red hair tied back into a ponytail, and a goatee. His head was covered in a substantial amount of bandages, covering some sort of wound.

"He doesn't remember what happened, right?"

Wily shook his head. "Not a second. Your timing is impeccable, Match."

"Good." Kenichi Match nodded, mentally breathing a small sigh of relief. "That will teach us to store plans in a place he has access to. I don't want to have to go in and alter his memories again."

"Agreed." Wily took a seat, glancing up at his subordinate. "You're doing better, I hope."

"I'm perfectly fine," Match growled. "Ready to get revenge on the bastards that did this to me."

His master nodded. "Trust me, you'll get your chance soon. For now, go and rest. That's an order."

"Yes, Lord Wily." He bowed lightly before turning and leaving, holding his bandaged head. Wily turned his attention back to a machine resting on his desk, which was processing information; he waited impatiently for the results, more than ready for World Three to make its next move.