New Megaman Battle Network
A complete reimagining of the universe and stories of Megaman Battle Network.
Side Story: The History of Forte
Chapter 4: Introspection
From all over the Undernet, rogues, vermin, and Dark Navis alike headed toward the Undernet Square. They crowded it, walking on top of one another, trying to get a better view of the spectacle. In the middle of all the hubbub, an incredible battle was taking place, between the two most powerful Navis anybody had ever seen.
"Who is this guy?" one bystander spoke to another. "He's going toe-to-toe with Serenade and he's not even breaking a sweat!"
"I heard he's some SciLab project or something," another answered. "Boy, anyone who can battle Serenade like this, I wouldn't want to get on his bad side."
In the center of the makeshift arena, the two powerful Navis continually clashed, trying to get the better of one another. The battle was primarily for sport and not for blood, but both of them were fighting with great intensity, giving it everything they had. Bass was focusing hard on victory, while the female Navi known as Serenade seemed to be simply enjoying herself.
"Missed me!" she taunted, dancing out of the way of one of Bass's energy blasts. Immediately after, she produced a sword, and her blade met with his as he dashed at her, swinging powerfully. The two of them became locked in a contest of strength, both struggling to overpower the other.
"So what's your name, anyway?" Serenade inquired.
Bass snorted. "What do you care?"
She grinned. "Oh, come on. Just because we're locked in a vicious battle doesn't mean we can't be civil."
Her opponent smirked. "You're an odd one, aren't you?"
"And you're avoiding the question."
His smirk fell away. "Hmph. Bass, then."
"Bass, huh?" Serenade raised an eyebrow at his reply, her focus dropping. "Where'd a name like that come from?"
Instead of answering, Bass took advantage of his foe's relaxation, overpowering her and elbowing her in the gut, quickly following with a powerful uppercut that sent her flying. As Serenade reeled for an instant, he fired a powerful energy blast at her torso, thinking he had the upper hand at last.
As the energy blast got within inches of her body, two strange, orange bands flashed behind her, as if forming two sections of a larger sphere. The energy blast suddenly split into two, running along the ground in either direction to the side of the Navi's frame. Bass did a double-take, seeing his attack completely deflected, as his opponent landed cleanly on the ground.
"What?!" he exclaimed, as Serenade dashed forward and grabbed his wrist. She leaped forward, did a flip in the air and slammed him into the ground, bringing her feet down to stomp on him for good measure.
"You'll have to try better than that!" she called out, leaping away, as Bass got to his feet and looked over at his her.
"This is absurd... how are you so strong? Where do you come from?" he demanded. The temporary moment of lightheartedness had faded within him, replaced with anger and determination. "There's no Navi that's as strong as me!"
"Well, it looks like there's at least one!" Serenade responded, aiming her palm in her opponent's direction. A powerful gust of wind knocked him backwards, as a series of electrical attacks ran through the ground every which way.
Bass battled against the wind as best he could, while dodging the electric pulses. As he fought just to avoid taking damage, a good deal of frustration began to set in. Having to battle this hard just to match his opponent was not something he was used to. He was the strongest Navi on the planet, he had thought; things like this never happened to him.
As his frustration grew, a feeling of anger grew within him as well. As he struggled against the immensely powerful Serenade, his mind autonomously brought up his battle with the Cybeasts, and with that, his betrayal by Petros from only hours before. His rage continued to grow, his mind consumed by his memories, until he finally screamed in frustration and fired a powerful blast behind him. The explosion propelled him forward through Serenade's attack, and he knocked her away with a powerful punch to the jaw.
"Boo!" Navis jeered him from the sidelines. "Weak!" "Come on Serenade, beat this loser into the ground!" Bass's eyes burned again as he turned to the crowd, pointing his open palm in their direction.
"Shut up!" he yelled, firing a powerful blast at the jeering Navis; it exploded in the middle of the crowd, scattering the Navis about. They continued to boo him, louder now, for his poor sportsmanship. Bass gritted his teeth in frustration, flying up into the air and preparing a much more powerful energy blast above his head. As he threw it down, however, it was intercepted by Serenade appearing in front of him, and the blast was deflected by her mysterious shield.
"Geez, you fight with a lot of anger, buddy," she commented. "Sounds like there's something bugging you, huh?"
"That's none of your business!" He swiped at her, missing her easily as she vanished. She reappeared behind him and dealt a powerful blow that sent him back to the ground. Flipping and landing on his feet, he quickly produced a sword to block a swipe from his opponent.
"Aw, c'mon," the female Navi lamented. "What's the deal? Somebody piss you off?"
"I told you it's none of your business! Back off!" Bass warned, swiping again at Serenade, who backed away quickly with a leap.
"Hm, this sounds pretty bad," she teased, grinning. "Maybe he hurt a friend of yours or something? Someone you trust?"
Bass stopped in his tracks, having a small epiphany. Serenade, seeing what she thought was an opening, dashed in to swing at his head, but her foe simply held out his arm and caught her fist in his hand, taking her by surprise.
"Enough," Bass spoke in a flat tone. His anger was gone, and his mind clear. "I know a leading question when I hear one. You know exactly who I am, and what's happened to me."
He pushed her backward, and she stumbled for a moment before regaining her balance, as he continued. "You weren't interested in this fight at all, were you? You were just trying to get me to talk about myself."
"I was kind of interested in the fight..." she grumbled.
"This fight is over," he responded derisively. "Now, out with it. Who are you, and how do you know me?"
"Fine, fine." She folded her arms. "Call me Serenade. I basically keep the Undernet in check. I make sure they don't cause trouble for the rest of the world."
"How noble of you," Bass replied. "Were you programmed to do that?"
She shook her head. "I chose this role myself. I had my reasons." She focused her eyes on him and continued. "I've had my eyes on you for a while, Bass. You made a big splash when you showed up in SciLab. You and I are pretty similar, you know."
He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Serenade smirked. "Oh, you know. Mysterious origins, incredible powers... it seems like you've had worse luck than I have, though."
Bass turned away. "Miserable humans... all they want to do is use me for their own personal gain. Chew me up and spit me out. It makes me sick."
"Miserable humans?" She rolled her eyes while he was looking away. "Come on, what kind of talk is that? How many humans have you actually met?"
"I've met enough."
"Psh." Serenade was unimpressed. "Right. You deal with one power-hungry jackass and now the whole human race is worthless. Seems fair."
He turned his head and glared back at her. "Why did you bother asking if you already knew the answer?"
"Have you never met a human who treated you with respect?" she continued. "Isn't there anyone who you had respect for, yourself? Someone you might consider a friend?"
Bass whirled around to face her. "What is this? Are you trying to save my soul or something?"
She gave a curt nod. "Something like that." He kept his eyes fixed on her, trying to figure out what made her tick, as she continued, undeterred.
"Don't let your opinions be swayed by the worst element, Bass," she advised, her tone softening. "There are plenty of selfish humans out there, but most of them are good people. They wouldn't have used you like that madman did."
"You're that confident in them, are you?"
"I am." She folded her arms again. "I've seen more of them than you, at least. That's why I put myself here. I wanted to do what I could to protect them."
Bass looked back at this mysterious Navi for a moment, before starting to walk past her. "Very well, then."
Serenade turned to face him. "Where're you going?"
"I'm going to see if what you say is true," he answered. "I'll spend some time observing this human race that you seem to have gotten attached to. We'll see if they're worth your protection."
She smirked. "Glad to hear it. Don't forget that you can always come back here, if you need someplace to recharge."
"I'll keep that in mind." He leapt into the air, flying off to the exit of the Undernet, leaving Serenade watching him with a smile on her face.
"He's a curious one, isn't he? Always interested in investigating, finding the answers..." She sighed. "Forte⦠I wonder if you'll ever learn the truth about us?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the crowd of Navis was still encircling the makeshift arena, watching and listening curiously. She turned around to glare at them.
"What the hell are you guys looking at?" she demanded. The crowd, fearful, quickly dispersed.
