New Megaman Battle Network

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

Story 3: The Dimensional Core


Chapter 4: Frostbite

"A Dark Chip?"

"That's what my dad said," Lan responded to Mayl, as they walked with Dex down the sidewalk of downtown Den City. It was the Saturday after the virus incident at SciLab, and Lan was filling them in with a carefully curated subset of the details. He had told them about the battle with Tenguman and Shadowman, and that there was an outbreak of viruses, but he chose not to mention exactly where the viruses had been.

"I've heard of those!" Dex chimed in. "Chisao says there are a lot of them in Netopia, at his school!" He was referring to his younger brother, who lived in Netopia with his mother; unlike Mayl's parents, Dex's mother and father were separated.

"At his school? Seriously?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I guess Nebula's a lot bigger in Netopia and they're really easy to find. Chisao says some of the kids in his school use them to power up their Navis, then throw them away and get new ones."

"That's horrible!" Mayl exclaimed. "They just throw the Navi away?"

"They probably don't have a choice," Lan replied, remembering the discussion he had with his father the previous day.


"So that's everything you remember? Nothing else? Even the smallest details could be important."

"That's everything I can think of," Lan answered, looking up at his father as they sat across from each other, in a corner of his office. After he had recovered from his own virus, he had been asked by Dr. Hikari to come into SciLab after school on Friday for a full debriefing, and he had offered up every bit of information he could recall. The only detail he had intentionally omitted was exactly how he had found his way into the SciLab network. "Honestly, some of it's kind of hazy. I was feeling pretty crummy."

"I bet you were, poor kid," his father responded sympathetically. "Well, thanks for the info. This will be a big help."

He stood up to leave, causing Lan to sit up a bit in surprise. "Is that all?"

"Er… yeah, that's all I wanted," Dr. Hikari replied, cocking an eyebrow. "Were you expecting something else?"

"Well, no, just…" Lan adopted a sheepish expression. "Sort of thought I was going to get in trouble…"

"Oh…" Yuichiro paused for a moment. "I mean, if you want to get in trouble, I'm sure I can think of something."

"No! No, I'm good!" Lan quickly stood up, as his father laughed.

"You're fine, Lan. You didn't do anything wrong this time." He grinned at the relief crossing his son's face. "I've still got some work to do, but you're free to go. I'll be home for dinner tonight."

"Thanks a bunch, Dad." Lan smiled as his father turned away, walking back to his main computer terminal, before a question popped up in his mind. "Actually, I was wondering…"

"Hm?" Dr. Hikari stopped and turned around, curious.

"You know the chip data that Tenguman left behind? Did you guys figure out what that was?"

"That, ah…" Yuichiro paused for a moment, thinking this over. Lan recognized the expression on his face, having seen it a few times before; his father was trying to figure out exactly what he was allowed to disclose. "That was a Dark Chip of some sort."

"Dark Chip? What's that?" The name tugged weakly at Lan's memory. He'd heard the term somewhere before, but wasn't sure what it meant.

"They're special chips that are manufactured by Nebula," Yuichiro explained, walking backward over to his computer and taking a seat in his chair. "They're like normal Battlechips, they give your Navi weapons, but they're extremely powerful. A Dark Sword chip would be six times the strength of a normal Sword, for example."

"Holy cow." Lan followed his father over to the computer, thinking back to his battle with the incredibly powerful Tenguman. Did all of his strength come from Dark Chips?

"Yeah. The problem is, that power comes at a cost." His father turned in his chair, reaching out to take his computer out of standby mode. "The Navi's program deteriorates with each use, and after enough Dark Chips, the Navi falls apart completely. Often times, though, the Dark Chip affects the Navi's control program and it breaks away from its operator."

"So it's like the Dark Chip makes Navis evil or something?" Lan commented, looking at the screen, as his father started typing and pulling up some data.

"You could say that. Certainly doesn't stop people from using them, though. If you go on some parts of the Net in Netopia or Yumland, you'll run into a fair amount of wild Dark Navis. They tear each other apart…" Yuichiro eventually stopped, as the large screen pulled up an image of the chip they had retrieved two days before.

"Wow…" Lan imagined the potential damage those chips could do for a moment, before returning to the situation at hand. "So does that mean Forte is working with Nebula? Or stealing from them, maybe."

"Well, no, that's the thing," his father replied. "This is definitely some sort of Dark Chip, but it's not the kind that Nebula manufactures. It's got a very different construction to it, which makes no sense. Nobody else but Nebula should be producing these."

"Weird… wait! I just remembered!" Dr. Hikari quickly spun around in his chair, as Lan continued. "Before we fought, Tenguman said something about Forte doing better research than either SciLab or Nebula. Something about changing the world."

"Ah, hell." Yuichiro rubbed his head, not happy to hear this news. "So Forte probably made this, then. This is the last thing we need." He sighed and turned back to face his computer. "We thought he was going to attack our infrastructure or something, but I guess he's been experimenting and doing research all this time."

"How bad is that?" Lan asked. "How much… researching can he do?"

"Forte is far smarter than most humans," his father replied. "From what Dr. Cossack has described, he's even smarter than most scientists. I don't want to know what sort of things his devious mind can cook up."

Lan bit his lip as he nodded, trying to imagine the sort of horrible plans Forte had in mind. He sincerely hoped Forte could be found and stopped before anything truly sinister came to light.


"So does that mean we're going to start seeing Dark Chips around here?" Mayl asked, concerned, as the trio walked past a poster proclaiming the return of Mr. Famous to Electopia. One of the world's top Netbattlers, Mr. Famous was looked up to by many school-age Netbattlers, and the poster declared that he would be holding an exhibition in a couple week's time.

"I really hope not," Lan answered. "As far as I know, that was the only one so far. I hope it stays that way."

"I doubt it," Dex chimed in. "If this Forte guy is making his own Dark Chips, why would he stop at just one?"

Lan frowned. "Yeah, I guess…"

"You can't just hope that the bad guys aren't going to be bad guys," Dex continued. "What you gotta do is be ready to fight back." He punched at the air, as if beating up some invisible opponent. "Me and Gutsman are just gonna have to train twice as hard, to fight off any Navi who tries to use a Dark Chip against us. If Forte crosses us, he'll regret it!"

"I wish none of us had to do any fighting at all," Mayl responded, looking down. "This whole business makes me feel sick."

"I mean, it is what it is," Lan replied fatalistically. "What are we supposed to do, just roll over and let criminals do what they want?"

"Hmph." She folded her arms and held herself tightly in response, causing Lan to sigh.

"Oh, come on, Mayl, don't get upset…"

"I'm not that upset," she replied, shivering a little. "It's just getting really cold all of a sudden…" Lan and Dex paused for a moment, becoming more aware of their surroundings, and they quickly held themselves as well as they realized how chilly the air had become.

"Wow, it is... really cold," Lan spoke, rubbing his bare arms with his hands. "It just dropped like 20 degrees. How'd that happen?"

"I dunno," Dex answered. "Just got cold out of noWHAUGH!" He yelped as his legs slipped out from under him, and he fell onto the sidewalk on his back, sliding a little bit.

"Whoa! You alright?" Lan and Mayl stepped in front of him, grabbing his hands and helping him back up as he groaned.

"What the heck was that?" He rubbed his aching head, as all three of them looked down at the shiny, slippery patch of ground on which they stood.

"It's ice..." Lan slid his foot back and forth across it. "Why is there ice here? Did someone spill water and then it froze?" Mayl took a step back, then dashed forward, sliding several yards on the ice while trying to maintain her balance. On the other side of the street, pedestrians were watching them curiously while shivering.

"The ice stops right over here," she observed, stepping back onto more steady ground. Looking back, she saw that the ice was in one large patch, on the sidewalk, street, and part of the large department store next to them, as if it were a gigantic spill of some sort. Lan and Dex slid across to join her.

"There's another ice patch, down the street," Lan observed, as he saw other pedestrians slipping and sliding on it. "This is so weird..." They rounded a corner, heading toward Higsby's, and stopped right in their tracks. One block in front of them, a mysterious blue humanoid being was standing and looking at a nearby building. It was exuding a strange, light-blue aura, and it appeared as though its entire body was made of ice or crystal. While it was relatively short, it had tall, wild, icy hair, and around its neck was a regal-looking cloak, as if he were royalty.

The trio watched the strange ice man raise his hand, aiming at the side of the building. They could see a sheet of ice start to form, spreading outward from the center; he eventually put his hand down, after a large circle of ice had formed on the wall and sidewalk.

"Who on Earth is that?" Mayl wondered aloud. "What is he…"

The strange being quickly turned in their direction as she spoke, causing her to clam up quickly. Its eyes were like circular, black crystals, and in the middle of its chest was a small, oval-shaped, purple jewel. The jewel was exuding an aura of its own, one very similar to what Lan had seen in the SciLab network just a few days ago.

"Guys... I think we should run," Lan muttered, starting to step back.

"What is…" Dex started, still transfixed. The ice man started to hover above the ground, his blue aura glowing larger. He started to glide toward the three children at a high speed, leaving a large plume of frosty air behind him.

"Run!" Lan yelled, pulling the both of them around the corner, as the ice man blasted by, gliding right past them and across the street, in his haste. They ran down the sidewalk, turning and entering the first door they saw; Lan whirled around and slammed it behind him, just as a blast of ice sealed it shut. The ice creature hovered over to the door, watching as the trio ran up an escalator and out of sight onto the next floor of the department store.

"Frostman, what's going on?" demanded a voice in the being's ear.

"I've made an interesting discovery," the being responded. "I think I've come across Megaman's operator, here in Den City. Would you like him deleted, too?"

"Well, that's a fortunate coincidence," the voice answered. "Yes, eliminate the boy if you're able. That will make Megaman much easier to deal with."

"With all due respect, Forte, I don't think Megaman is going to be a match for me, let alone yourself."

"Do not underestimate that Navi, Frostman," Forte replied sternly. "He is much more dangerous than he seems."

"Yes, sir." Frostman looked up at the building, plotting out his next moves.


Lan sat down on a bench on the second floor, out of breath. "Is he still following us?"

Dex looked around the floor, as well as down the escalator, ignoring the other shoppers glancing sideways at him and his friends.. "I don't see him... I think he's given up." He was a bit winded, as well.

Mayl was leaning against a wall close to Lan, her hand clasped over her racing heart, her eyes wide with panic. "What on Earth was that thing?"

"I don't know who he is, but he's a NetNavi, that much I know," Lan answered, keeping his gaze down at the floor.

"A Navi?" Mayl's eyes widened even more. "But that's impossible!"

"That jewel on his chest, it was glowing like a Dark Chip," he replied. "I don't know what he's doing here, but I'm pretty sure it's a Navi..."

Mayl leaned back again, still shivering a bit. "This is like a nightmare... how can any of this really be happening?" She looked over to the side, taking in her surroundings a bit, and her eye caught something outside of the window.

Lan and Dex instantly looked over as Mayl let out a loud shriek, just before a large hole was blasted in the wall beside her. They watched as Frostman proceeded through the hole, advancing on Mayl, who was scrambling backward and trying to get away. The other customers screamed and ran for the doors, trying to bash them open upon seeing them frozen shut.

"Leave her alone!" Dex yelled angrily, in a surprising display of courage. He ran right up to the Navi, swinging his fist at Frostman's head to try and knock him away. The Navi quickly turned to face his new adversary, grabbing Dex's arm and gripping it tightly. As the boy struggled and kicked, a block of ice began to form around his arm, growing with each passing second; Dex let out a panicked yelp and began to struggle harder, trying to get free.

"Dex!" Lan called out, looking around and trying to think of a way to help. His eyes quickly settled on something nearby, and he motioned Mayl over. She quickly followed him, obeying without hesitation.

Frostman grinned deviously as the large block of ice completely encased Dex's lower arm, starting to move toward his shoulder, as the boy struggled harder and harder to get free. Noticing a commotion to his left, the Navi looked over just in time to see Lan and Mayl throw a rather large television at him with all their might. The screen froze over as it entered Frostman's blue aura, and shattered upon coming in contact with his head, sending electric shocks throughout his body and causing him to let go. As he struggled to remove the device, Lan and Mayl grabbed Dex's arms, hoisting him up, and ran toward the back corner of the store, hoping to find some sort of emergency exit.

"Where do we go?!" Mayl wondered aloud, before she felt a hand grab her and pull her aside. Lan and Dex stopped running and looked over toward where she had been.

"All of you, in here! Quickly!" They were being ushered into an open utility closet by a twenty-something woman with long, black hair, adorned with what appeared to be a tiny circular saw blade. She wore a white tank top with a very loose red shirt and green jeans, and had a katana and sheath connected to her belt, an effect that made her look somewhat like a modern-day samurai. Lan didn't stop to ponder this very long, and both he and Dex ran into the closet with Mayl. The samurai lady got in after them, closing the door almost all the way, leaving a crack for her to look though.

"Eek!" Mayl shrieked as she felt Dex's frozen arm press against her back in the small space; Lan quickly clamped his hand over her mouth. They all tried to look out the tiny slit in the door, as Frostman sped by angrily, leaving a trail of ice behind him. They waited until he had been gone for a while before finally daring to leave the closet.

"Phew, that was close," the woman commented, turning her attention to Dex, who was holding his frozen arm and gritting his teeth in pain. She reached out to grasp his arm and rested it on a nearby table, pulling the saw blade out of her hair. "Hold still, I can get you out of that." Dex nodded, a bit fearful as the girl pulled out her katana, using the hilt as a hammer and trying to crack the ice block. Lan turned to the girl, watching her work.

"Thanks for saving us," he offered. "How did you get into that closet?"

"My sister owns this department store, so I know the ins and outs," she answered, focusing on the ice around Dex's arm. "Name's Tamako Shiraizumi. And for Pete's sake, stop fidgeting, I know what I'm doing." Dex swallowed hard and tried to hold still, as Mayl put a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

Lan took a peek down the hallway where Frostman had vanished; a trail of ice had been left behind, indicating that Frostman had moved his search to the floor below. He breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to the others just as Tamako managed to break the ice surrounding Dex's arm into several pieces, which fell away. He quickly withdrew the appendage into his shirt, trying to warm it up.

"There, that's done," she commented, looking into the hall. "Now what the hell was that thing?"

"Some sort of Navi, I think…" Lan answered, following her gaze.

"Some sort of what?!" she exclaimed, before calming herself. "You know what, forget I asked. Crazy science stuff is happening, let's leave it at that."

"I need to call my dad, right now. He's going to know what to do, I hope." He pulled out his PET. "Megaman, have you been watching?"

Megaman nodded. "I already tried calling your dad, Lan. There's just a message, he's out visiting with some other scientists somewhere..."

"Great…" Lan held his head, frustrated. "He couldn't bring his PET with him?"

"We should go to SciLab anyway, Lan," his Navi suggested. "It's probably safe there, plus we'll run into him when he gets back."

"Good idea." Lan looked down the hallway, seeing the trail of ice again.

"How are we supposed to get by him?" Dex wondered aloud, still nursing his cold arm. "If he catches us, we're done. We can't fight our way past him."

Tamako walked across the floor to another door, and the children instinctively followed. "We can take the freight elevator to the ground floor. If we're lucky, he'll still be looking for you in the store, and you can escape." She opened the door and led them through, walking them through a staff-only area to a nearby elevator, which they quickly entered.

"Thank you so much," Mayl said as the elevator began to descend, allowing herself to breathe properly again. "We'd be icicles if it weren't for you."

Tamako smiled. "Don't worry about it. I couldn't just leave you guys to him." The elevator doors opened again, and they all followed the older woman out as she led them toward the back of the department store. She opened a door and peeked out, the light of the outdoors shining through the crack. She sighed in relief, not seeing any sign of Frostman.

"Now's your chance! Run, quick!" The three children nodded and ran outside, as Lan waved thanks to Tamako, who waved back and shut the door quickly. Lan quickly turned in the direction of SciLab and started running, with the other two following him. A few seconds later, he yelped as he found himself sliding on a large patch of ice; he tried and failed to stop himself as he slammed hard into a stopped limousine, falling backward. The window of the limousine rolled down as Lan rubbed his nose.

"Lan, watch where you're going! We just had this car cleaned!" Lan looked up, recognizing Yai's voice, and he scrambled for the door handle.

"Yai! Thank god it's you!" He wrenched the door open and dived into the car, quickly followed by Mayl and Dex, as Yai yelped.

"Hey! What are you guys doing?!" she exclaimed, as the three barreled over her.

"We need to go to SciLab, right now!" Lan replied, trying to get oriented in his seat.

"This isn't a taxi service!" Yai responded, trying to yank Dex out of the car forcefully, her entire body leaning back as she pulled. "I can't just change my…" As she tried to remove him from the vehicle, her eyes focused on a strange sort of ice being flying down the sidewalk, upside-down in her vision, quickly moving in her direction.

"Kyaah! What IS that?!" she demanded, as Lan reached over and pulled her in, slamming the door shut.

"That's what we're running from! We have to get to SciLab now!"

Yai nodded and leaned forward. "Step on it!" she ordered to the chauffeur, who stomped on the gas pedal, equally panicked. The limousine pealed out of its spot, as Frostman slowed to a stop on the sidewalk, watching it go. Tutting, he pointed his hand toward the retreating vehicle, and a large patch of ice formed right in front of it, causing the car to go skidding out of control. The driver started to pump the brakes, and the limousine did a spin or two, nearly flipping over before coming to rest.

Lan tried to get up, having been thrown off his seat, then impacted by Yai. As he tried to orient himself, he saw the car door open, and Frostman stared inside, smirking.

"It's been fun," he began, forming a large, pointed icicle at the passengers. "But I'm afraid playtime is over." He lifted the icicle over his head, ready to spear the lot of them, as Lan braced himself for the attack, not having any idea how to escape. As Frostman prepared to finish them off, his body suddenly distorted, like a TV losing its reception; an instant later, he vanished completely, leaving the icicle to fall to the ground and shatter. All four children stared, completely confused, the silence hanging over them for several long seconds as they regained their bearings.

"What... just happened?" Mayl wondered.

"Beats me," Dex answered. "He just vanished..."

"Well, good riddance, whatever that thing was," Yai answered. "So, um... do you still need to go to SciLab?"

Lan nodded. "Definitely. Dad's going to want to know that computer stuff is showing up in the real world again."

Dex voiced his agreement, as the chauffeur started to pull the limousine away again, before his brain fully processed what Lan had just said. "Wait… what do you mean 'again'?"

Lan froze, realizing he'd just given himself away, as the other three started at him expectantly. He groaned and started telling them the truth of what had happened earlier in the week, as the limousine started taking them all toward SciLab.