New Megaman Battle Network

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

Story 3: The Dimensional Core


Chapter 10: HubStyle

"Master Lan, it is time to get up."

Lan groaned and rolled over in his bed, his eyes rebelling and refusing to open. He put a pillow over his head to try and shut out the voice from his PET, which was sitting on his computer desk.

"Master Lan, you will be late for school if you hesitate for too long." After this second prompt, Lan sighed and sat up, rubbing his eye; mornings were not kind to him.

"The current temperature is 50 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 degrees Celsius, and thunderstorms are expected for tonight. You also have a new e-mail from your father."

"From Dad, huh?" Lan slowly got to his feet, heading to his dresser. "What's it say?"

"He reports that his upgrade of Megaman is complete."

"Awesome!" Lan grinned wide, excited to reunite with his Navi. Megaman had been with his father at SciLab for the past week, and the stock Navi that was serving as a substitute had started to wear on his nerves, with his complete lack of personality.

"He also reminds you that you are not allowed to skip school to come to SciLab," the Navi continued. "He expects to see you after school is over."

"Yeah, yeah." He dug through his dresser, grabbing a change of clothes absentmindedly. "Not like I'm going to be able to focus, anyway." He headed toward the bathroom for a shower, wondering what sort of strength his Navi was going to show when he arrived at SciLab later.

As his mind ran over the possible changes, he slowed to a stop, standing just outside his bedroom door. In his excitement to see Megaman again, he had nearly forgotten about the revelations that had come to light the week before. This would be his first time seeing Megaman again since discovering that the two of them were actually brothers, and every time he thought about his fact, his Navi started to appear differently in his mind. It felt a little bit as if his companion had been replaced with a stranger, and in the back of his mind, he was worried that things would never quite be the same between them.

He eventually let out a breath and made his way to the bathroom, hoping that his fears were unfounded. In a few hours' time, he would find out.


Later that day, shortly after school let out, Lan dashed through the front entrance of SciLab, making a beeline for his father's office, incredibly eager to see what modifications had been made to his Navi. He had to navigate the building more carefully than usual, as there appeared to be construction happening all around, with every room and hallway filled with people working. He soon entered the office and spotted his father typing away at his computer, grinning wide and calling out to him. Yuichiro immediately stopped typing and spun in his seat, smiling as he saw his son approach.

"Hey there, champ." He stood up as Lan rushed over. "You got here quick. You didn't skip out on your last class, did you?"

"No, I didn't! I just skated here as fast as I could!" Lan insisted, quickly changing the subject. "Megaman's ready, right? Where is he?"

His father smirked, amused as always by Lan's one-track mind. "He's in his PET, hooked up to my computer. I'll show you."

Lan watched him as he worked at his computer, rocking back and forth impatiently. After a few seconds, he felt compelled to say something and fill the air. "What's with all the construction going on? Is that all fixing stuff from last week?"

"It's mostly replacing our network and security infrastructure," Yuichiro answered. "We're replacing it with stuff that Forte won't be able to slip in and out of. And we're repairing all of our Dimensional Core research stuff."

"Dimensional Core? You're still working on it?"

"Of course. Science doesn't stop just because of some bad actors like him." He glanced over, trying and failing to hide the excitement on his face. "Plus, we managed to find Forte's research notes when we searched the lab he was using. We have everything we need now to make our own core."

"What? Really?" Lan's surprise quickly turned to concern. "Wait, you're not going to try and make one now, are you? With Forte out there?"

"No, no way," his father quickly responded, shaking his head and looking back at the screen. "Not a chance. Not until he's out of the picture. But eventually…" He stopped typing, his current task complete. "Here we go. Take a look." He reached over and pressed a button on a small box near his computer, and the large computer monitor instantly changed to show the smiling face of Lan's Navi looking down at him.

"Megaman!" Lan exclaimed with a wide smile, before faltering. "Or Hub… I guess… what do you…"

His Navi smirked. "My name's 'Megaman', Lan. Don't forget it."

Lan grinned wide, nodding, their conversation immediately falling into lockstep with the relationship they had before. He already knew that he had been worried for nothing. "How are you feeling?"

"Good!" Megaman reported. "A bit faster, a bit stronger, perfectly healthy."

"A bit stronger?" Lan's smile fell away, replaced by confusion. "I thought this upgrade was supposed to let us blow Forte away."

"Well, yes and no," his father began. "What I've done is given Megaman the upgrade that lets him have the real upgrade. I rebuilt his frame from the ground up with the best framework I could. That will let his body handle the power that comes from using HubStyle."

"HubStyle?" Lan wondered, his brain trying to parse the word.

"Yes. It's…" Yuichiro took a minute to figure out how best to explain. "So, the HubBatch file, the one that has the remaining bits of Hub DNA, I couldn't just put it back in. You know what can happen when an operator uses a Navi like that. If I had re-applied the file just like that, you might not have been able to use Megaman again. So I've locked it behind a Style Change. That's HubStyle."

"And if we use this Style Change, Megaman will become super powerful?" Lan was both excited and intimidated by the idea of wielding such an immensely strong Navi.

"If I did this right," his father confirmed. "But we won't know for sure until we test it."

Lan nodded. "When do we test it?"

"Right now." Yuichiro looked back down. "Hand me your PET. I'm going to get things set up." His son complied immediately, pulling his PET out of its holster and handing it over, eager to have his Navi back where he belonged. The scientist placed the device into a port on his desk and connected a cable to it, then began typing away at his keyboard. Lan kept his eyes on the monitor, watching Megaman vanish from it as he was sent back to his digital home.

"Okay, the PET is ready," his father confirmed after a few moments. He reached down and pulled the device out of its port, keeping the cable connected, and glanced down into the screen. "Are you sure you want to do this? You remember last time…"

"I'm positive," Megaman confirmed. "I can take it. I want to see if Lan can."

Yuichiro nodded, turning and handing the PET back to his son, motioning for him to step closer. "You ready for this?"

"You bet!" Lan could feel adrenaline start to pump through him, wanting to see Megaman's incredible HubStyle power for himself.

"Alright, then. I'll get the battle exercise started." Lan's father turned back to his computer and began typing away again, staunchly refusing to use the computer mouse next to him as he worked. "I'm going to apply HubStyle gradually, so we get a slow increase in power and synchronicity. If it starts to become too much for Megaman's frame, I'm going to taper it off there, and that's what we'll have to work with."

Lan nodded and turned his attention back to his PET, watching as Megaman was automatically sent into the SciLab computer, entering some sort of makeshift battleground. Seconds later, the arena was lit up as dozens of beams of light filled the air, hitting the ground and turning into stock battle Navis; they all stood motionless, lifeless, waiting for commands from the person who had summoned them there.

"Alright, here we go. Both of you, tell me if you feel anything wrong." Yuichiro took a deep breath before activating the HubStyle option, watching the screen to see what would happen next. Megaman's armor immediately began to glow, as it had several times before, as he felt a familiar surge of strength rushing through him; outside in the real world, Lan felt an odd wave of calm washing over him, his mind emptying as he focused on the scene in front of him. Both of them turned their attention to the Navis in the arena as they began to move, getting into combat stances.

The first Navi to move was a generic Navi to Megaman's left, dashing forward and aiming a light blaster at his opponent. Megaman quickly turned and fired off a basic Cannon at the Navi, which erupted in a shockingly large explosion as it made contact. Everyone watched as the Navi was knocked twenty feet back, sliding across the ground and groaning as it tried to get back up. The other Navis all advanced at once, ready to put the blue Navi to the test, as the battle began in earnest.

Dr. Hikari watched intently as the Navis battled, carefully studying Megaman as he moved, trying not to get caught up in the display of power his son was showing. He glanced back at Lan as well, seeing the focus on his face, without any apparent sign of distress. So far, everything seemed to be going swimmingly. He glanced back at the screen just in time to see Megaman dispatching the final Navi, without breaking a sweat.

"That was fast…" he muttered, before speaking up. "Okay, you two, I'm increasing the… HubStyle. Let's see how it goes." After a few more adjustments, Megaman's armor began to glow even brighter, as even more powerful Navis entered the arena, in larger numbers. Megaman cracked his knuckles, ready to show his father what he had to give, as the battle resumed.

Yuichiro continued to watch in amazement as his two sons worked in tandem, battling fiercely, eliminating opponents and pushing themselves to gradually greater heights. He paid careful attention to the Navi's frame, looking for any signs of damage or danger, but nothing showed. He could feel his heart pounding at the prospect of Megaman being able to use his full power, something he hadn't thought about in years.

"Lan, how are you feeling?" he asked, glancing back at the young boy. Lan didn't answer, laser-focused on the screen in front of him, operating his Navi and inserting Battlechips with an almost robotic precision. Yuichiro watched for a few moments, amazed and slightly disturbed, before looking back at the screen, where Megaman was dispatching the final Navi. A spreadsheet of statistics on the side of the screen was showing the Navi's power output, which was even greater than the scientist had thought possible.

"Alright, kids, this is it… I'm moving you to full HubStyle…" His voice was trembling a bit as he increased the synchronicity to its limit, summoning one more round of Navis to the arena. Megaman's frame began to glow a bright white, starting to shift and transform, as the full effects of HubStyle began to show themselves. Yuichiro watched with bated breath, anxious and elated and terrified all at once.

His concentration was interrupted by a loud banging sound to his right. He jumped and turned around to see Lan crumpling to the ground, his head slamming into the desk as his legs buckled, his PET slipping from his grasp and falling to the floor. Yuichiro quickly kneeled down and caught his son as he fell, supporting him carefully.

"Oh god, Lan! Are you alright?!" Lan didn't answer, his breathing harsh and ragged as his exhausted body demanded oxygen. His head pounded severely, the pain reverberating throughout his entire body, and as the connection to his Navi faded he could feel his stomach twisting itself into knots. He tried to find his father's eyes as his vision swam, but was unable to do so before his consciousness slipped away from him.


Lan awoke some time later to the sounds of vaguely hushed shouting. He reflexively reached up to hold his pounding head, which was sporting not only a severe headache but also what felt like a swollen bruise on his temple. He opened his eyes to take a look around, seeing the familiar sight of his father's office, and the familiar feel of a bench underneath him. He finally looked toward the source of the yelling, as he recognized the louder voice as his mother's.

"He's twelve years old, Yuichiro! Both of them are! They're not supposed to be fighting criminals! I can't believe you would make them do this!"

"i didn't make them do anything!" his father insisted. "This was what both of them wanted! It was Hub's idea in the first place! I tried to tell him no!"

"You're their father!" she shot back. "Act like it! Put your foot down! You're supposed to know better than them! You're supposed to take care of them!"

"They're not normal children, Haruka! Normal children aren't getting medals of honor from foreign countries! This is who they are!"

"This is not…" Haruka ran her fingers through her hair, exasperated. "This is not who they should be! I don't care how good they are at what they do! One day they won't be good enough, and what's going to happen then?!"

"Mom…?" Both parents whirled around as they heard Lan's weak and hoarse voice, watching him sit up and hold his aching head.

"Lan!" His mother raced over to him, kneeling down and cradling him in her arms, holding him against her gently. "Are you alright, sweetie? How are you feeling?"

"I feel sick…" He closed his eyes, letting himself rest against his mother's bosom. "Head hurts like crazy… stomach's upset… I'm super thirsty…"

"We'll get you something to drink," she responded, gently holding his head in her hand. "We'll get you home straight away so you can rest. I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"Don't… it was our idea…" Lan insisted, coming weakly to his father's defense. "We had to stop Forte…"

"Oh, sweetie…" Haruka shifted gears, moving away from the subject of who to blame, feeling terrible that Lan had overheard her argument with his father. "Don't you worry about that right now. You've done more than enough. Just rest and focus on feeling better."

Lan nodded lightly, each movement of his head aggravating his condition further, and his eyes opened as he heard another set of approaching footsteps. He looked up to meet his father's gaze. "Did it work? Is HubStyle going to work?"

Yuichiro shook his head, holding Megaman's PET in his hand, which he had just retrieved from his computer. "Look at yourself, Lan. Of course it didn't work. You passed out after five minutes, and that wasn't even at full synchronicity."

"No, not that…" Lan sat up more. "Did Megaman get as strong as you thought he would?" He tried to steal a glance at his PET screen, but it was facing away from him.

"That doesn't matter. It's way too dangerous to even try. It's a no-go." He kept walking forward, standing over the other two. "I've put a lock on HubStyle in your PET, so it can't be used anymore. We'll figure out something else to take care of Forte, here, in SciLab. You just rest." Lan nodded again, noticing that his father had refused to answer his question.

"Can you walk, Lan?" his mother asked, as he turned and placed his feet on the floor.

"Yeah, I can…" He slowly stood up, one hand resting against the wall to hold himself up, slightly dizzy.

"Good. Let's all go home. I'll make something nice for dinner and then you can rest tonight."

"Sounds good…" Lan started to walk slowly, following his father out the door, as his mother's hand rested on his shoulder, able to convey concern and sympathy with just a touch the way that mothers could. For once, he was in full agreement with both of his parents. The one thing he needed to do right now was go home, eat a good meal, then lie down and sleep the night away. The next thing he needed to do, however, was find a way to remove the lock his father had implemented on his PET.

As the Hikari family walked down the hallway, an older, balding scientist wearing a black suit and a face mask was walking in the other direction. He gave them a courtesy nod as they passed. "Dr. Hikari."

"Dr. Kouno," Yuichiro answered. "Is the security overhaul going well?"

"Yes, it's all on schedule," Kouno answered. "Is everything alright? Your son looks a bit ill."

"He'll be alright. He just needs rest."

The other scientist nodded. "That's good to he-he-hear. Take care of yourself, alright?"

Dr. Hikari glanced back at him, one eyebrow raised. "What about you? You sound a bit under the weather yourself." The strange stuttering, along with the scientist's unusually tinny voice, raised his suspicions.

"A little bit." Kouno gestured toward his mask. "Just a cold. I'll be fi-fi-fine."

"Alright… well, don't overwork yourself," Yuichiro warned. Kouno nodded, watching as the Hikaris walked off, before turning and continuing to walk further into SciLab.