GT: Here we go. I'm gonna be doing just four chapters, including this one, before the first Arc of the fic is all said and done.*checks online and faints, foaming from the mouth*
Sonic: *looks at the screen* Oh. The Battle Network Legacy Collection just announced the release date. Not bad. Can't wait for April 14th.
"Finally! I have all of the TetraCodes! All I have to do now is obtain Alpha's data, and the Net society is over! Hee hee hee! Delete! Delete!-! Deleeeeete!-!-!"
Wily was in pure jubilation upon it all. It had taken far shorter than he expected thanks to the encounter with Metal Sonic and meeting Dr. Eggman.
"Drillman! Come forward, Drillman!-!"
"You summoned me, Lord Wily?"
"Yes. I am entrusting the TetraCodes to you," Wily informed as he brought up a screen showing a glowing core of sorts hovering within a four-colored barrier in SciLab's Network, "Use your abilities to bring me Alpha! Failure will not be tolerated!"
"Thanks to Mr. Match, SciLab's security is weakened, Pharaohman distracted with repairing the systems. Add in the demoralizing of any would-be heroes thanks to Mecha showing what happens to those who try…and this will be easier for me than drilling through plywood!"
"Heh heh. I crafted you well, my NetNavi of destruction! Overconfidence can be costly, however. Stay vigilant!" Wily warned
"Yes, my lord. I will not fail you. Alpha will be yours."
"Go, then, Drillman! For the sake of anarchy!"
"Deleeete!-!"
"Hee hee! My plan is perfect, if I do say so myself! Even if Drillman should fail, that other one can always deliver Alpha's data to me…" Wily chortled, "Hoo-hoo-hoo! Enjoy yourself while you can, Net society! The time for my revenge has come! Deleeeeete!-! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!-!-!
"Um…"
"Hm?" Wily looked at another monitor, showing Hope, "Yes, dear?"
"Can I help in any way, Uncle Albert?"
"Ah…If, and I mean if, Drillman fails…Then you are to get the Alpha, understood?"
"Okay~!" Hope cheered, "Thank you, Uncle Albert!"
"That girl…" Wily sighed, facepalming.
Maylu paced around, her lips pursed. Three days…It had been three days since Dr. Hikari had been in the hospital…and three days since Lan went missing. The tear-stricken face was all she could see in her mind whenever she thought of her best friend. Chaud had managed to convince Mrs. Hikari that Lan was just out on runs during the brief moments she was home.
"Oh Lan…Where did you go?" Maylu whispered, tiny bags under her eyes.
"Still no luck on EMailing," Roll grimaced, "Oh Mega…"
Maylu frowned before giving a small yawn. She looked up to see Chaud walking in from the backyard, frowning.
"Chaud!" Maylu called out.
"Hikari's smart. I asked Commissioner Keifune to track him through his badge…and somehow Hikari had gotten into his office and left his PeT in the man's desk," Chaud replied as he showed Lan's PeT and that Megaman wasn't in it.
"...Sean?"
"He's trying to make a device to track Megaman's unique energy. The moment Megaman starts to generate that blue energy, we should be able to find them," Chaud replied, giving the PeT to her.
"Oh…" Maylu noted, her ears drooping.
"...We'll find him," Chaud assured.
"I hope so," Maylu whispered before Chaud nodded and walked off.
"...Maylu?"
"What is it, Roll?"
"Did…Did he ever do this before?" Roll asked.
"Huh?"
"Him vanishing like this when something really bad happened to his family."
"...Oh!" Maylu gasped after a few moments of thought, "Mrs. Hikari once got in an accident when Lan was younger…and he thought he was at fault because he asked for something that caused her to end up in the accident." her tail swayed behind her as she started to smile a tired smile, "...I know where he is."
"Do we tell Chaud and Sean?"
"...No," Maylu replied as she walked out to the backyard, "We're gonna go find them."
"..."
"How about we go back to Green Hills tomorrow?" Megaman asked from a SubPET.
"...I don't want to go…" Lan whispered, curling up further into a ball.
"Everyone's probably worried about you."
"I don't want to see anyone…"
"Come on, Lan! You know they care about you!"
"..." Lan just curled in further on himself.
"Oh Lan…" Megaman whispered before a light caught his attention, "Hm? What was…?" A heavy slam went off at Lan's door, "What the…?!"
Another heavy slam went off and cracks formed. Lan looked up at the third slam, revealing the bags under his eyes, to see gouts of magenta flames come out of the cracks. More came from the fifth and sixth hits. The door finally gave way to a ball of magenta flames slamming into it on the seventh strike. The flames billowed and crackled, yet they kept away from everything as the ball uncurled into Maylu, engulfed in the flames with her eyes feral and covered in dried mud in places and some rips and tears in her clothes. Lan tensed as Maylu turned to look at him. She rowled before pouncing him…and immediately fell asleep with her flames dispersing, mumbling while nuzzling into his neck as she had her arms around the back of his neck with a gentle purring at times.
"...We forgot that she…" Megaman began.
"You forgot she needs Lan there to sleep, yeah," Roll confirmed…before going into the SubPeT Megaman was in and hugged him, "Mega!"
"Hey, Roll…Sorry I couldn't send an EMail or a message. Lan disabled those functions," Megaman explained.
"Ah…" Roll nodded before pouting at Lan, "Bad! Bad, Lan! Your hugs are revoked until further notice!"
"..."
"Lan…Hello~! I am trying to scold you!" Roll frowned.
"Um…Roll? He fell asleep," Megaman noted.
"Huh?!" Roll gawked as she looked to see Lan falling over, pulling Maylu along with him…as she saw his eyes were closed and snoring in his sleep, "...Guess Lan needs Maylu to sleep, too…"
"I knew he was lying about sleeping…" Megaman sighed.
It was the afternoon when both finally woke up. The two sat on Lan's bed, the boy curled up into a ball once more. Maylu had a worried look on her face as she looked at him. She pursed her lips, trying to figure out what to say.
"Oh…" Maylu whispered as an idea formed and she spoke aloud, "Lan, we got a call from your mom this morning. Your father's doing better, but he needs rest." her ears lowered, "She's been staying at his side, barely coming back home just for small things before going back. We're running out of excuses on why she hasn't seen you."
"..."
"Lan, we've been worried about you," Maylu went on, "I've been worried. Please, Lan, talk to me?"
"We need you, Lan, Mega. You're our heroes after all."
"..." Lan's ears twitched as the quills in his hair stiffened while Megaman grimaced.
"What is it, Lan?"
"Go home!" Lan snapped.
"What's wrong, Lan? Was it something we said?"
"Just leave me alone! Go home!" Lan barked, uncurling to glare at her.
"What?! We came here because we were worried about you two! You've been missing for three days!"
"Just forget about me! I'm fine!"
"...No," Maylu replied.
"Just go home!"
"No! I'm not leaving!"
"Why?!"
"Because you're home!"
"Wh-What?" Lan blinked, "Why does me being home have to do with you being home?"
"Lan…I don't know what's going on. I'm scared and worried sick," Maylu explained, "You ran off with no explanation, no messages, nothing." she reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand, her ears drooping at how he flinched from the affectionate gesture, "Lan…What's wrong? Please…just tell me."
"...I'm no 'Hero.' After what I've done... How am I supposed to show my face to anyone?" Lan bitterly asked, looking down at his feet.
"What you've done?" Roll repeated, looking to a somber Megaman.
"...Match fooled us both," Megaman admitted.
"Match?" Maylu repeated, tilting her head.
"...We're the one who caused the problem," Lan whispered, shivering, "H…He knew just what to say and…and even when Hub got suspicious, he had an answer for his questions that was believable…"
"..." Maylu hugged him, making the hedgehog Mobini stiffen up, "Lan…What's done is done. All you can do is accept it and make amends."
"M-Maylu…"
"It's not your fault."
"B-But it is! I knew Match was a bad guy! I knew it, but…but I let it get to my head with that hero stuff…I'm the reason why all those scientists are in the hospital! Why the Network was up in a raging inferno! Why that one coworker of Papa's was killed by Mecha! Why Papa's…Papa's…" Lan sniffled, trembling in self-loathing, "How can you stand being in the same room as me, let alone the same planet?!"
"..." Maylu inhaled deeply, "...Because I love you."
"?!" Lan's head snapped up to look at the slightly taller CatFox Mobini.
"I mean it, Lan," Maylu affirmed.
"H-How can you…Why can you just…?" Lan whispered.
"Because I love you," she replied, cupping his cheek again, "I'll say it over and over again if you want me to."
"...Y-You're not just saying that to get me to come back, are you?" Lan asked, shivering.
"Lan, do you remember what I said when you stayed behind to fight Sean?" Maylu responded, "'I'm giving you my Heart.' You still have it. I love you, no matter what. The good and the bad, I accept you because you're who you are. You have bad moments with your ego, yes, but I still accept them because it's just a part of who you are." she laid her forehead on his, making sure his eyes were looking into her own, "I love you, Lan Xavier Hikari. My Heart is yours from now to whatever comes next."
"..." Lan sniffled before burying his face into her shoulder, the sniffles caving in to choked sobs until he finally began to cry fully, his cries muffled by the fabric.
"Shh…" Maylu whispered gently, running a hand through his hair and quills as she got them sitting on his bed, "I'm here, Lan…Your Heart is here for you."
"Not the way I expected her to admit it…" Roll whispered.
"Lan needed something like this. My words kept failing to reach him," Megaman admitted, "He needed Maylu more than he would've admitted." he held Roll's hand, "Just like I need you, Roll."
"Oh Mega…" Roll softly smiled at that as she hugged him, earning a hug in return.
Maylu held Lan close, one hand keeping up with running through his hair and quills as the other slowly rubbed tiny circles on his back. Slowly, his cries gave way to sobs and eventually to just sniffling. Maylu's shoulder was soaked from the tears, but she didn't mind. Lan lifted his head up to look at Maylu, his eyes puffy and red from the crying. Maylu just smiled at him before nuzzling his nose with hers, making sure he could see the love and affection in her eyes.
"What do you want to do, Lan?" Maylu asked.
"...I…I wanna see Papa…" Lan admitted, "I…I just…"
Maylu nodded, "Okay. You think you've got enough energy to run to Beach Street with me?"
"..." Lan nodded before his stomach went off.
Maylu giggled before reaching into her tail and pulling out a few plastic containers, "I'm glad I made this then."
"..." Lan smiled at her, "How did I end up with someone so awesome as a best friend?"
"By being yourself," Maylu replied, nuzzling his cheek.
"...Maylu…"
"Hm?"
"If you're letting me keep your 'Heart,' then…then I want you to have my 'Soul,'" Lan spoke.
"..." Maylu smiled at him, "Okay, my Soul."
"..." Lan nodded as he leaned into her, not wanting to lose physical contact with her just yet.
"Pick up…pick up…" Chaud muttered as his PeT buzzed.
"Hello?" Maylu answered.
"Finally. Sakurai, where the hell are you? Sean and I have been looking all over the property and…"
"We're at the hospital," Maylu replied, "Specifically, the elevator up to the second floor where Dr. Hikari's at."
"What? Wait…'We?'" Chaud repeated as Maylu moved the screen to show a shy-looking Lan, "You found him."
"I'm his Heart. Of course I'd figure out where he hid. Just like he's my Soul."
"...Just…Just get back here as soon as you can," Chaud sighed, "Mamoru sent the message on the Rankings and Commissioner Keifune has a job for us involving the Rankings."
"I got the message from Mamoru," Lan noted, "Kinda wish things were more chipper with me…"
"Sean is making a NaviCust program since the Rankings are not meant to be for Overworld NetNavis," Chaud informed.
"Oh neat…" Lan smiled.
"We're arriving at the floor Dr. Hikari is on. We'll head back as soon as we can," Maylu spoke.
"Hurry. This assignment is one of vital importance," Chaud warned before hanging up.
"Ready for seeing your Mama and Papa?" Roll asked.
"No," Lan admitted.
"Will you try?" Maylu asked.
"...Uh-huh," Lan nodded.
Maylu smiled before holding Lan's hand. She gave him an assuring squeeze before the two walked down the hallway. A few of the nurses gave a small wave at the two as they walked by. They soon came to the last door on the left and Maylu gently knocked. A moment passed and the door opened.
"Oh!" Haruka gasped, "Well, I should be upset you did this again, but I'll let it slide this one time." She moved to the side and the two entered, seeing Yuichiro sitting in the medical bed, looking at a book, "Yuichiro, look who came."
"Hm?" He looked up, "Kids, good to see you four."
"Hi, Dr. Hikari," Roll greeted back.
"Hi, Papa," Megaman greeted.
"..." Lan fidgeted.
"Lan, it will be okay. They'll understand," Maylu gently assured.
"Hm? Is something wrong?" Haruka asked, worried about her younger son.
"...Mama…Papa…it…It's my fault Papa's in the hospital," Lan spoke.
"What?" The two pondered.
"Match played us for fools," Megaman admitted, "He gave us the three programs that caused the heat surge in SciLab and we fell for the lies he made about them being a project for SciLab on protecting the TetraCode."
"He knew just what to say to get me to go with it," Lan added, "He played on the way I was being due to that ceremony for Yoka Zoo."
"Oh…" Haruka gasped before hugging Lan, "My boys…"
"Lan, Hub…I'm really proud of you both for admitting this," Yuichiro noted, "You made mistakes adults older than you have fallen for. And, yes, that includes me. Everyone was fooled by Match and his tricks."
"What matters now is what you intend on doing now," Haruka added.
"...I wanna do what I can to help people," Lan replied.
Yuichiro nodded before noticing the held hands, "...Hm? Um…I'm not hallucinating again, am I?"
"What are you seeing?" Haruka asked.
"Lan and Maylu holding hands."
"?" Haruka looked down, "Oh? Not an illusion, dear. But it is adorable."
"Um…Th-thanks…" both blushed.
"It was adorable!" Roll beamed.
"And, well…kinda why we were faster getting here than if we had been at Green Hills…" Megaman admitted.
"...Huh?" Haruka looked at the two.
"...I've been hiding in my bedroom in ACDC the last three days," Lan admitted, looking at his feet.
"...You've been where this whole time?" Haruka asked in surprise as Yuichiro sighed.
"Why are you surprised?" Yuichiro asked, "Remember when you had to go to the hospital in that accident? He hid in his bedroom under his sheets until the day before you were let out."
"..." Haruka inhaled deeply before exhaling quickly and pinching the bridge of her nose to fight off the headache developing, "...Grounded. After your Papa gets out of the hospital, you. are. Grounded."
"Yes, Mama," Lan slumped.
"So how did you find him?" Yuichiro asked.
"He did this before when we were younger," Maylu replied, "It was actually the second place I checked in ACDC."
"Second?" Yuichiro asked.
"First was the park, specifically the dome where we wrote our names on the inside," Maylu replied.
"Ah," Yuichiro nodded, "So…What do you intend to do now?"
"...Chaud said that the Officials wanted our help with something," Lan replied, "So…I wanna go help them."
Yuichiro nodded, "Good luck, kids."
Haruka hugged Lan and then Maylu, whispering to the red head, "Keep him safe, Maylu."
"I will," Maylu softly assured as she returned the hug.
A minute passed and the two looked out the window in time to see a brown and orange blur zipping off, bits of blue and red mixed into it on the back end of the blur, leading Haruka to speak, "There they go…"
"Haruka…"
"I know you're worried for our boys, Yuichiro," Haruka spoke, "I am, too." she sat down in the chair by the bed and held his hand, "I'm always worried for them, but all we can do is pray they'll be alright."
"...Right," Yuichiro nodded, "It's all we can do for now…and all we've really been able to do since the events in Grave HQ…"
"We're back!" Maylu called as she and Lan entered…before flinching as Chaud stomped up with a cold glare at Lan.
"...Three days," Chaud stated.
"...I hide when I feel extreme levels of guilt," Lan admitted.
"Easy, easy," Maylu spoke, moving between the two, "Settle it after whatever is going on is explained."
"Fine," Chaud growled before whistling sharply.
"C-Coming!" Sean called as he ran over with a few memory cards, "I've got the NaviCust Program completed!" he skidded to a halt and smiled on seeing Lan, "Welcome back, Lan! Where were you?"
"ACDC," Lan admitted, "I…wasn't in a good state of mind." he held Maylu's hand while smiling at her, "Maylu helped me get back into one with visiting Papa cementing it in place. What's going on with the Rankings and why do the Officials want with it?"
"The TetraCodes are the key to unlocking what we only know as Project Proto or 'The Beast,'" Chaud informed, "I will be unable to participate in the Ranking due to how well known Protoman is to the Undernet. Lan, you're the only one here with an EMail address to Zero. Send a message to him to head for SciLab Area 1 and meet Protoman there. Meanwhile, you three will be heading into the Undernet to participate in the Rankings."
"This new NaviCust program will make NetNavis believe you are the baddest of the bad," Sean informed, handing the cards to them, "Install it into Megaman and Roll and we can enter the Rankings without worry."
"Master Sean and I participated a few weeks before the Ameropa Conference that Pride interfered with," Freezeman informed, "We lost to a team made of two NetNavis called Bowlman and Mistman. Last I heard, they became a Ranked sharing a single Rank between themselves, but I'm not sure which number."
"Speaking of, that is your assignment. Due to the TetraCodes now belonging to World Three, we face a calamity," Chaud explained, "What Protoman and Zero will be guarding is what they're after. But you three will be participating in the Ranking. One of you must become Rank 2 to see Serenade and obtain the Ultimate Program from them."
"But Roll and Megaman…"
"You have the ones for Atlantis. The one Serenade has is one made specifically to counter the Beast that World Three wants to unseal," Chaud replied.
"So our goal is for one of us to become a Ranked, go up the Ranks, and get to Serenade so they can give us the Ultimate Program to beat this Beast, right?" Lan summed up.
"Exactly. The BlackMind NaviCust Program will hide your status as 'OverNavis' from the 'UnderNavis' of the UnderSquare," Sean explained, "I've been through this before, so I can tell you straight up: …There are no rules except to be the last man standing."
"We were once ambushed by four of them at once," Freezeman recalled.
"Seriously?" Megaman asked.
"We'll just have to smack them around!" Roll declared, pumping a fist as she side-hugged Megaman, "We can do it as a team like those two!"
Freezeman nodded, "In that case, I will acquiesce my right to fight for a Rank once all others but all of us are what remain."
"You sure?"
"You and Master Lan have bested me before when I was going all out. I will not do so again until this situation has been handled. My pride is not as important as fulfilling the mission."
"..." Megaman nodded, offering a hand that Freezeman shook, "When all is said and done, let's have a lot of fun NetBattling."
"Agreed," Freezeman nodded.
"Okay, let's get these Programs installed and head out to the Undernet Square," Sean advised.
"Right!" Lan and Maylu agreed.
"Can we stop training please…?" Darkman groaned, lying flat on his back as Yamatoman weakly struggled to get himself out of the ground in a hole shaped like his body.
"I believe…you are ready, Knuckles," Serenade spoke with a smile.
"Excellent," Knuckles smirked, banging his fists together, "And you are sure Megaman will be coming?"
"Oh, I am sure of it," Serenade replied, "From what I've seen, he will reach Rank 2 by the end of the day at best and tomorrow at worst."
Knuckles nodded, "That is good. We will wage glorious battle then and so that he may understand fully what I feel on receiving his aid against Eggman."
"Wonderful," Zero chuckled before his eyes flashed for a moment, "Ah…an EMail from Lan." He waved a hand up and a screen popped up, "...Ah. I see."
"What's wrong?" Nicole asked.
"He told me of the situation of the World Three having all the TetraCodes and is hoping I was near the SciLab Network to help Chaud with defending a program they call 'The Beast' that the WWW is targeting."
"?!" Yamatoman shot up from the hole he was in as Darkman got up fully, "They're after The Beast?!"
"...Talk," Serenade commanded..
"...You do it. You were closer to the scene and involved in it," Darkman stated before vanishing.
"That…" Yamatoman growled before sighing and turning to Serenade and got down to a knee, "My Lord…The Beast is a dangerous program. One that, if unleashed, would wipe out the entire Network and Undernet…along with anything and everything connected to them."
"?!" Serenade tensed as Nicole gasped while Knuckles and Zero narrowed their eyes.
"That Program that you like to juggle is the key to destroying it if someone ever attempts to remove it from its seal," Yamatoman went on.
"...I think I will be heading to SciLab's Network to help protect it then," Zero noted.
"Wait for me as well, Zero!" Knuckles declared, "The battle against Megaman will have to wait."
"What?! But Knuckles…"
"Julie-Su, I will broker no arguments about this. I know the importance of this assignment I was given to do battle with Megaman and get him to come to Mobius…but Mobius is connected to this world as well. We may not have as much connected to the Network as here, but there is still much that can be destroyed by this Beast so I will take no chances of it being allowed to escape."
"..." Julie-Su sighed, "Alright. Alright, Knux…just…just be safe, alright?"
"Those who try to get this Beast shall rue the day they encounter me," Knuckles replied, banging his fists together, red sparks coming off them.
"Aw…I was so hoping to see you two battle, but this is fair as well, I suppose," Serenade sighed.
"Okay…It's installed. How do you two feel?" Sean asked.
"I feel edgy and lost for some reason," Roll noted, her pink now a rich scarlet with her antennae now jagged and her quills more defined on her tail and wearing extra armor meant to resemble sunglasses and a leather jacket.
"I feel like I should be trying too hard to be evil," Megaman added, his eyes cobalt while all the blue on his body was replaced with different shades of green…and the same extra armor Roll had on.
"Will this be permanent?" Lan asked.
"No. Only for the time they have the program installed into their NaviCust. They can willfully remove it, tooz for convenience," Sean assured, "Oh…And check their names."
"Their names?" Maylu repeated as she looked at her PeT, "Huh? 'EriaEXE?'"
"Eria?" Lan pondered before looking at his own, "Hm? 'ScourgeEXE?'"
"The BlackMind Program hides not only the appearance of a NetNavi, but also hides their name under a pseudonym," Sean replied, "While we're in the Undernet, Freezeman will only address them by those names until Megaman and Roll get the right to challenge the Ranked and can remove the BlackMind Program."
Roll grimaced, "I'm only using that name because of the situation. After this, I refuse to ever lie about my name unless it's a matter of life or death."
"Yeah…Roll is Roll," Megaman agreed with a nod.
"Okay. We've gotten that done, so…let's get going," Sean spoke.
"Indeed. Come along, Sir Scourge, Lady Eria."
"We never speak of these names ever again…" 'Eria' grumbled as she followed Freezeman off with 'Scourge.'
The trio appeared in a black and blood/scarlet/crimson village of sorts in the Undernet, ominous obelisks and gargoyle-like monoliths scattered about along with pillars ending in roaring flames. 'Eria' moved closer to 'Scourge' as they looked upon the Square. Freezeman nudged them to follow him before walking off into the Square. The two were quick to follow after him, eventually coming upon a massive pillar with a demon head carved out of it at the top.
"This is the place where we will all gather," Freezeman informed.
"Let's give it our all," 'Scourge' spoke as 'Eria' nodded, pumping a fist…before yelping as three HeelNavis appeared before them and jumped into 'Scourge's' arms.
"Who are you? Yo, kid! This ain't no place for children!" the lead one spoke.
"Hey, yo! That's Freezeman from the last time!" the one on his left gawked.
"Ah! No way~! He got an upgrade, huh?" the third awed before three more approached.
"Huh, huh! I'm gonna get ranked this time, for sure! Huh, huh, huh!" the leader of the new trio declared as four more skilled in the rest of the space.
"Look at all these chumps…" the leader of the four noted, looking around with a smirk under his helmet, "I'm as good as Ranked already. Ho-hee-hee-hee!"
"We're surrounded!" 'Scourge' tensed.
"Guess we're in for a brawl," 'Eria' noted, narrowing her eyes.
"Relax. It's starting," Freezeman spoke as the statue began to shine.
"Reckless NetNavis who desire to be Ranked…"
'Serenade!' the trio and their NetOps recognized the voice.
"If you want a Rank, you must defeat a Ranked NetNavi. However, only one of you, or a team with a maximum of four, can battle. You must fight each other to determine who that will be! Power is everything. That is the only law of the Undernet."
"Huh, huh, huh! So if I beat all these chumps, I can fight a ranked Navi?"
"Yes. There are no rules. Only the winner will receive a chance to be ranked. You may fight freely in the UnderNet outside of the Square."
"No rules, eh? We can fight however we want in the UnderNet... Heh, heh! That's just the way we like it! Let the party begin!" another declared before they all ran off, leaving just the trio.
"Hey Lan! Let's go, too!" 'Scourge' spoke up.
"There are no rules? Who knows what these NetNavis will do!" Maylu noted.
"Ahem."
"Oh! S-Sorry, Sean…"
"All right, guys! Let's show them what we've got!"
"I'll go alone. You two stay together and fight as a team," Freezeman advised.
"Oh, one quick thing," the 'statue' spoke, earning their attention, "Nice looks, you two. You can take them off if you want. I grant Megaman and Roll full permission to be treated as an equal here in the Undernet and not as normal 'OverNet' NetNavis."
"Oh thank you!" 'Eria' thanked as she removed the BlackMind from her, "I missed my pink!"
"Thank you, S…"
"Just 'S' in public only, please. Good luck~" the 'statue' giggled before the light vanished.
"...Well…You heard the Lord of the Undernet! Let's get going, Megaman!" Lan cheered as 'Scourge' uninstalled the BlackMind.
"Roger!" Megaman complied.
Protoman looked around, standing before a large gate made of pink plasma bars leading into a semi-translucent multicolored bubble. Inside of the dome was a navy and violet orb, rotating slowly in random directions while pulsating every few moments. The bubble was set over a deep chasm to prevent any assaults except from the air or from straight ahead. And even then, special guns were set up in hidden locations around the chasm to shoot down flyers. He deployed his sword as he assumed a fighting stance when a pair of blue beams shot down before forming into Zero and Knuckles.
"Who are you?" Protoman demanded.
"I am Knuckles, a friend of Zero's who was with him at the time he received the call to defend," Knuckles replied as he looked past Protoman at the core, "That is the 'Beast' that we are here to prevent from being taken, yes?"
"I believe so," Zero noted.
"...It is," Protoman replied, lowering his sword.
"Excellent," Knuckles nodded, frowning as he looked at it, 'It is strange…I remember guarding something…the Master Emerald…' his eyes widened a fraction, 'Ah. It seems some more memories have come back to me. …Charmy owes me fifty Rings still.'
"Ugh…Was…Was that the…the last one…?" Roll panted, leaning against Megaman as they looked at the remains of the Deleted HeelNavi they had fought along with the several Viruses he had thrown at them.
"...Yeah…I…I think it was!" Megaman replied, giving a small laugh, while Freezeman walked over, "Freezeman, we Deleted six of them!"
"And four of them ambushed us all at once like you said they'd do!" Roll declared, managing to recover her breath.
"I dealt with the other four," Freezeman informed before looking up at the sky, "I forfeit my right to challenge the Ranked!"
"We did it! We beat all ten of the challengers!" Megaman cheered.
"Yeah! Now we can finally meet a Ranked Navi!" Lan whooped.
"Zh...zzhzhzzzzz. Mighty victor of the reckless ten and the forfeited eleventh...You have earned the right to challenge a Ranked NetNavi. During this time, we have them go to select places to await challenges until receiving the word that the challenger has lost to a Ranked or has stated they are satisfied with their current Rank. The NetNavi ranked #10 may be found 'where the evil fall,'" Serenade declared.
"Where the evil fall?" Maylu repeated.
"If you can defeat that Navi, you will be Ranked #10. Good luck~! Zzhzzhzh...zzhnnnn Click!"
"Well…That happened," Roll noted before smiling, "I really like them."
Megaman rolled his eyes, "Anyone have any idea 'where the evil fall' may be?"
"That's simple enough," Freezeman noted, "Check Hades Isle where the N1 Grand Prix took place."
"Hades I…Oh! Oh…I…I get the hint now…" Maylu cringed.
"Huh? You do?" Lan asked, not understanding it himself.
"Hades rules the Underworld, Hell," Megaman explained, "When evil dies, they 'fall' into Hell to be tortured for their sins."
"Yeesh…" Lan cringed.
"Oh, your parents are gonna ground us for this, but…we need to get to Hades Isle immediately."
"Lan's already Grounded, so what's adding on another month or two?" Megaman noted.
"Don't remind me…" Lan groaned.
"I'll head to SciLab to assist in defending the Beast," Freezeman informed.
"Alright. Good luck and we'll send updates when we get up the Ranks," Roll assured.
"So you tried to Delete Megaman…because of your own blunder?" Knuckles asked.
"I did not blunder," Protoman narrowed his eyes behind his helmet.
"But did you not say that you used the actual program that you were meant to protect as bait? And not simply use a copy?" Knuckles pointed out.
"That feels like something we'd do if we had a lack of communication," Rotor admitted.
"Don't remind me of the last time…" Sally groaned.
"Please, let us not argue," Zero pleaded, moving between the two.
"Excuse me."
"?!" electrified knuckles, WideSword, and Z-Saber were aimed at Freezeman, who calmly held his hands up.
"Whoa now…Let's all chill, alright?" Freezeman advised.
"Report," Chaud ordered.
"Megaman and Roll are taking on the Ranked as we speak," Freezeman explained, "Lan and Maylu will be in trouble later because they're having to go all over Electopia to find the Ranked NetNavis."
"At least we were able to figure out the clue was an origami crane," Maylu noted.
"I really thought it was a bird from Yoka Zoo…" Lan sighed.
"Really vague…but makes sense," Megaman noted as they approached a figure in black robes that hovered slightly in the air.
"Excuse me!" Roll called.
"Hm?" The figure pondered, "So…Do you have it?"
"Right here," Lan replied, his screen appearing to show an origami crane.
"So. You got it right... Very well... I will award you the 7th Rank…" the NetNavi spoke as he pulled out a black card with a silver 7 on it.
"Thanks!" Roll beamed.
"Um, could you tell Roll and I the clue to find the next NetNavi?" Megaman asked.
"Yes, the clue. Hmm...What was it again?" he grimaced, "I can't recall…"
"What do you mean, you can't recall?! Try a little harder!" Megaman scolded.
"Shut up! If I forgot, I forgot! End of story! You don't like it? Give me back my Rank!" the NetNavi huffed.
"I guess we'll just have to search on my own…"
"Hmph! You youngsters have got it too easy, anyhow!" Former 7 scolded.
"Oh boy…" Megaman grimaced before Lan and Maylu logged them out and sighed, slumping in their chairs before Maylu's computer in her family's house.
"Just our luck…" Lan groaned, "We have no leads on Ranked #6."
"We could always ask Mamoru," Maylu suggested before Lan's PeT went off, "Hm?"
"EMail from Chaud!" Megaman informed, "Protoman went to SciLab Square and a Ranked NetNavi seems to have posed on their BBS! He's advising us to be careful because it may be a trap."
"Yes! That's the best lead yet!" Lan cheered
"Let's get going then!" Maylu beamed, her tail wagging a little.
"'From no. 3 - I've heard of you. I'm Ranked #3. If you want a piece of me, I'm at the bottom of the slope in the Undernet. I'll be waiting, #7,'" Roll read.
"Who'd have thought we'd get #3's attention?" Megaman pondered.
"If we beat him, we'll instantly go up four Ranks!" Maylu gasped.
"Something tells me there's more to this than meets the eye…" Lan frowned.
"Still, we have to go! We don't have time to waste!" Megaman reminded.
"Yeah, You're right! We've got to keep climbing the ladder! Come on, Megaman, Roll! We're going to the Undernet!"
"Roger!" both cheered.
"I think this is where the BBS told us to go," Megaman noted as the two stood at the bottom of a slope, the end broken off and having nothing within' reach to get to.
"How nice of you to come!"
"Wha...!?" Roll gasped as they turned to see a trio of HeelNavis standing at the top of the slope.
"I heard a pair of baby NetNavis was nosing around, asking about S. Deleting little kids
always gives me nightmares…" the leader of the trio chuckled.
"Which one of you is ranked #3!?" Megaman demanded.
"What's it matter to you, boy? Weren't you paying attention? You're gonna be deleted. Right here and now!" the HeelNavi leader cackled, "Get him, guys!" the trio raised their hands up as they began to glow, "Hooooo!-! Three-in-one lethal combo! CyberStone!" a flash of light went off and a boulder littered in spikes formed above them, the stone bigger than the slop itself, "Hiii-YAH!"
"No! No room to dodge that boulder...!" Megaman tensed.
"Can you go HUBStyle?" Maylu asked.
"We may not have enough time to get into it," Megaman replied.
"Eh? Time?"
"It takes several seconds to fully go HUBStyle," Megaman explained, grimacing.
"We're out of options! Brace for impact!" Lan shouted.
"Heave-ho! It's all over for you!" the trio declared as they threw the boulder, letting it roll down the hill before…
"Yee-haaaaw!"
*SMASH!*
…the boulder shattered from the impact with the thrown right punch of Gutsman, who turned and grinning at the duo, "Are youse two alright, guts?"
"Gutsman!-! This isn't a dream, is it?" Megaman asked.
"You're really here!?" Roll asked in joy and relief.
"You've gotten sloppy, Lan! Get your act together!" Dex scolded.
"Dex! What are you doing here?" Lan asked.
"Let's talk later! Check out Gutsman's power! We've been training hard in Netopia! Go get'em, Gutsman!"
"Yeee-haaaaaw! GutsHammer!-!" Gutsman whooped as he brought his hands together before they transformed into a piledriver that he slammed down hard on the ground…only for nothing to happen.
"Was that supposed to be an attack? Or maybe... Were you trying to massage us to death?" the leader chuckled.
"Don't underestimate Gutsman!-!" Dex barked before the area began to shake.
"W-W-What's going on?" the leader gasped before the trio gagged as spikes of the ground shot up and ripped right through their chests, the cores shattering on the tips of the spikes, "GRGH?! Y…You never told us… t-they had a friend!-! C-Copyman…!-!"
"And dat's dat!" Gutsman huffed as the trio exploded.
"Gutsman! Thanks! You saved us!" Roll cheered, giving him a hug.
"Helpin' friends is what friendship is all about, guts! Yee-haw!" Gutsman laughed happily.
"Dex! What are you doing here, anyway?" Lan asked.
"I heard from Maylu that you were feeling down and went missing. So I came to cheer you up!" Dex replied.
"You came all the way from Netopia just to check on me?"
"Of course! If any of my friends are in trouble, I'll help! Even if I'm on the opposite side of the world! That's what Dex is all about!"
"Aw, Dex…" Maylu sighed, happiness in her tone.
"Lan, Maylu, let's jack out. We've got lots to talk about. Gutsman! Jack out!"
"See ya, guts!" Gutsman waved as he logged out.
"Let's jack out too, okay?" Lan grinned.
"Right," Megaman replied before Gutsman came back.
"What is it, Gutsma…? Hey!" Roll gasped when Megaman moved before her.
"You're not Gutsman! Who are you!?" Megaman demanded.
"What are you talking about, Megaman? Of course it's Gutsman!" Lan argued.
"No! This isn't Gutsman!"
"Heh heh heh... You're pretty sharp, blue boy," 'Gutsman' chuckled, "I'm not Gutsman. I'm the NetNavi Ranked #3! I'm Copyman! I can copy the data of any NetNavi I see and make it my own!"
"You're #3? So those NetNavis that Gutsman beat were…"
"Those were my subordinates, Ranked #6, 5, and 4. Kid, the word on the circuit is you're looking for S. What is it you're after? The Forbidden Program?"
"We are!" Roll replied.
"You know S?" Megaman asked.
"I might. If you beat me, I'll tell you what I know. Of course, you'll have to survive the power of GutsMan! He deleted those 3 ranked Navis with a single hit!" Copyman laughed.
-Ten second later-
"Ugh…" Copyman groaned, twitching in a crater.
"Wow. If that's how strong Gutsman has gotten…I think he still has a long way to go," Roll blinked a few times as Megama uncurled from a Spin Dash, the last traces of his blue energy fading from him.
"I swear, I have got to master this thing. It keeps appearing too randomly," Megaman grimaced.
"What kinda monster is you?" Copyman groaned as he slowly got up as his body twitched before grunting as he changed back to Gutsman, "OW! I…I can't copy you?! What kinda data do you got that makes copying you impossible?!"
"Later. Now tell us what you know about S!" Roll ordered.
"Oh, all right... S is the head honcho of all the Ranked players. He's #1! No one has ever challenged S to battle and lived. Even uttering S's real name is taboo. That's why everyone simply refers to them as 'S,'" Copyman explained.
"So, where are they now?" Megaman asked.
"I don't know, but the NetNavi Ranked #2 should. The hint to find #2 is this: 'Where Striking out is a good thing on Beach Street,'" Copyman informed.
"Oh! I think I know where it is!" Roll beamed.
"We're just one NetNavi away from reaching S!" Megaman grinned.
"That's all the info I have. I'll be going now. Bye!"
"Wait! Aren't you forgetting the Rank 3?" Megaman asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he narrowed his eyes.
"Hmph! You don't miss a thing, do you!?" Copyman grumbled as he handed Roll the Rank 3 ID, "There! Take it! I don't ever want to see yer faces again!"
"Kinda hard when you can copy how I look," Roll teased.
"Agh-ga-gah!" Copyman fumed before Logging out.
"So where is it, Roll?" Megaman asked.
"The Bowling Alley!" Roll beamed, "Maylu and I were gonna invite you two to it before we ended up raiding Grave HQ!"
"Really? Huh…That would've been fun. But yeah. We gotta get to Beach Street then! And go talk with Dex, too…a-and maybe check in with Chaud and Sean about the security at SciLab…" Lan paused for a few moments, "We have a lot going on at once, don't we?"
"We can multitask," Maylu replied, "I'll call Chaud and Sean while you get us to Dex to check on him and then we go to the bowling alley, get the Rank 2, and find out where Serenade is so we can get what can handle the Beast."
"Hmm…Doing this feels…familiar to me," Knuckles noted, looking at the container of the Beast.
"It should. You protected the Master Emerald, a massive Chaos Emerald that can control smaller Chaos Emeralds, that allows Angel Island to remain in the air for years all on your lonesome," Julie-Su noted, earning a small nod from the echidna.
"So what's the story with that one?" Protoman asked, standing nearby with Zero and Freezeman.
"Knuckles? He wishes to NetBattle Megaman," Zero replied.
"Really? Why?" Freezeman asked.
"He hopes to convey his request for his aid through their blows against one another," Zero explained, "He feels that by fighting, their souls will resonate and let Megaman know more about it than just words alone."
"So his name is appropriate. He's a knucklehead," Chaud sighed.
"Oh come now," Zero groaned, "He's had to delay it for several weeks now due to the various issues that have happened here or because he wanted to be prepared for the fight in the case of the N1." he jumped on hearing a snarl and something breaking on Chaud's line, "?!"
"Um…th-there's a Taboo on mentioning that…" Sean whispered.
"Ah…M-My apologies," Zero apologized, bowing.
"What happened?" Knuckles softly asked.
"Master Chaud's father was…turned into a machine," Freezeman quietly explained.
"Turned into…Roboticization exists there, too?!" Tails gasped.
"His father is currently at SciLab, being examined along with the gloves that were used to transform him. It's fortunate that he was off-site at that time to see if there was anything that could be checked on in the Beach Street Seaside Hospital," Freezeman went on, "The only people who could know what to do are the WWW due to their member, the late Sunayama, using it on Master Chaud's father."
"Oh that poor guy…" Rotor gasped.
Megaman and Roll looked around the bowling alley's network until they noticed a pair of NetNavis at the very end of the Network. One NetNavi was red and white with his arms made of green bowling balls with a large armored bowling pin strapped to his back. The other looked like a genie made of purple armor that formed from the mist coming from a golden genie lamp. The bowling-themed NetNavi held up a bowling ball and threw it down the alley to hit the pins at the end, getting a perfect strike. He nodded to the purple NetNavi, who chuckled as he made a purple bowling ball form. Once the pins reset, he wagged a finger and the bowling ball zipped down the alley and crashed into the pins, getting all but one pin. He made another and sent it down, getting the Spare. Megaman and Roll shared looks before nodding and approached together.
"Um…Excuse me?" Roll spoke up.
"..." the two looked at the two smaller NetNavis.
"...I can sense a great power...I hope you realize I'm Bowlman, Co-Rank 2!"
"And I am Mistman, Co-Rank 2."
"Who are you, kids? Bowlman asked.
"Megaman and Roll, Rank 3! We're looking for where the NetNavi called S resides!" Megaman informed.
"Don't make me laugh! A little runt like you? Rank 3? And you think you can meet up with S? Of course, the best way to meet him is to raise your Rank…" Bowlman noted.
"So! You know S!?" Roll asked.
"Well... I don't mind telling you what I know about "S"... But you'll have to beat us, first!" Bowlman declared, Mistman giving a nod of agreement.
"It's the law of the Ranked. Fight for what you want," Megaman grit his teeth.
"Don't expect your wish to be granted so easily," Mistman warned.
"We're not gonna lose!" Roll declared.
"Prepare to meet your maker!-!" Bowlman declared as he whipped out the bowling pin to hang under his arm to reveal a barrel in it that unleashed a barrage of bowling pins at the two, forcing them to dodge.
Clouds of mist erupted from the floor, forcing the two to run around to dodge them as Mistman rapidly appeared from each cloud and swung a punch at them at random. Roll quickly floated above the mists, barely avoiding a barrage of bowling balls that headed for her and Megaman. The Blue Bomber yelped as he got his foot on one and started rolling away before an AreaSteal from Lan barely let him avoid the lariat of Mistman. He appeared beside Roll and they landed away from the field of mists.
"Okay…These two are good at working together," Roll noted.
"Bowlman pulls off the long range while Mistman handles the short," Megaman noted.
"Your HP was also getting drained while you were in it," Lan added.
"So we're dealing with an attack on three fronts…" Maylu grimaced.
"...I think I have an idea," Lan noted before quickly whispering it.
"...Oh, that sounds great!"
"Does seem possible to do," Megaman agreed.
"Sean's going to be upset later that Physics got broken again," Maylu noted, amusement in her tone.
"That depends on if it is breaking anything," Megaman noted.
"Right! Let's do it to it!" Lan cheered.
"Right!" Megaman and Roll replied.
With that, the two became blurs that zipped into the mists. Mistman raised a brow as they ran in a circle around one another before his eyes widened as he saw his mists starting to be pulled into the circle. He tried to get out only to scream as he was sucked up into the forming lavender tornado with a pink and blue base. Bowlman rolled a barrage of bowling balls along with firing his pins only to tense as they were simply sucked up into the tornado, flinching when he heard Mostman yelp and cry out in pain mixed in with armor and flesh met bowling ball and bowling pin. The two stopped running and the tornado moved towards Bowlman, ending up sucking him up into it. As the tornado dissipated, the two fell to the floor, littered in bruises and cracked and dented armor…before a pair of bowling balls landed hard on their heads.
"Strike!" Roll cheered.
"You call it quits?" Megaman asked.
"We…surrender…" Mistman groaned, his eyes spinning.
"You're pretty good, beating us like that…" Bowlman admitted as they slowly got up, "But you're not good enough to defeat Serenade."
"Serenade? You mean…" Megaman began.
"Yes! Serenade is the real name of the NetNavi you seek."
"Oh, I am so glad someone else knows their name," Roll sighed in relief, "You've met them before?"
"We have and based on your wording, you have as well," Mistman noted.
"Well…we did kinda save their NetOp when they were in the middle of surgery," Roll sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"Our NetOps are friends with Serenade's," Megaman explained, "But we needed to go through the Ranking in order to meet them to have a NetBattle. So where are they?"
"Serenade is deep within the Undersquare. They reside in an area where regular NetNavis cannot enter," Mistman explained.
"So how do we get to that area?" Roll asked.
"Take this and go to the Undernet server," Bowlman replied, giving Megaman the ID for Rank 2.
"The Undernet server…" Megaman repeated.
"The server room that runs the Undernet lies somewhere in the real world. From there, you'll be able to reach Serenade. The door to the server room is hidden by a boulder," Mistman explained, using his namesake to form an image of the location.
"Oh! I know that spot!" Maylu gasped, "Lan, we're going back to Yoka!"
"I hope we can NetBattle again," Roll waved to the two, "I'd like to fight you next time, Bowlman."
"And I you, Mistman," Megaman added.
"We shall see," Mistman noted.
"Good luck," Bowlman nodded.
Mamoru smiled as he saw a brown and red blur in the distance before, a moment later, Lan skidded to a halt before the Ura Inn, "Hi!"
"Hey, Mamoru!" Lan greeted as Maylu hopped off his back.
"We have Rank 2 now," Maylu informed.
"Yes! I knew you could do it!" Mamoru cheered before pointing inside, "Serenade is here, but you gotta find the Undernet Server first."
"I think I have a good idea where it is," Maylu noted.
"Oh?"
"Yes," Maylu replied as they entered and, after greeting Mamoru's mother, they entered the mixed bath hot springs and Maylu led them to a large boulder, "Right here."
"Bingo~!" Mamoru grinned, giving a thumbs up.
Maylu patted the boulder until a part pushed in. The rock shook before parting down the middle, exposing an elevator. The doors slid open and the trio entered it. A few moments passed until the back of the elevator slid open and they exited into a large semi-lit room. A massive supercomputer was set up at the end of the room with a monitor and keyboard attached to it.
"So... This is the Undernet server? This server's huge! I've never seen anything like it!" Lan awed.
"Bearers of Rank #2! Jack in."
"Serenade?" Maylu pondered.
"Jack in…"
"Well, we didn't come all this way for nothing. Are you ready, guys?" Lan asked.
"Ready and willing!" Megaman assured.
"We've come this far," Maylu noted.
"Let's go!" Roll cheered.
"Jack in! Megaman/Roll, execute!"
Megaman and Roll stepped off the portal and looked around. Roll gasped and turned Megaman around and he blinked a few times.
"That's the back of the statue. So we're in the UnderSquare?" Megaman pondered.
"Looks like it," Roll said before they turned to look at a stairway, "This is it…"
"Yeah," Megaman agreed.
"Proceed."
"...We're going in!" Megaman declared before they ran up the stairs and ended up before a massive hole glowing with an ethereal light in the hole.
"What 's this? Where does this giant hole lead to?" Roll pondered.
"You have done well to make it this far, my friends," Serenade noted as they floated out of it with Nicole.
"Nicole?!" Roll gawked.
"Hello, Roll," Nicole greeted with a small smile.
"She's been a wonderful conversationalist," Serenade spoke before smiling at Megaman, "Are we going to NetBattle?"
"...I'd like to, but there's something else I need to do first," Megaman replied as Roll hugged the Lynx, "I've come on behalf of the Officials to get the Forbidden Program! Someone is trying to awaken Alpha!"
"I've heard of that, yes. I was there when Zero got his EMail from you," Serenade explained, "...Unfortunately the Forbidden Program cannot be 'given.' Only a Chosen One may wield the program."
"A Chosen One...? But if we don't get it, the Net society will perish!" Megaman argued.
"Are you prepared to take the test, to see if you are Chosen? If so, reach out and take the program in front of you. It is the one which you seek! It is the Forbidden Program!" Serenade declared as they held their hands out…and a green floating ball of flames formed between them, its core as blue as hard ice.
"This is the Forbidden Program?" Megaman pondered.
"It's known as GigaFreeze," Nicole informed, "Lord Serenade demonstrated it at a mere percent of a percent of a percent…and wiped out all the Viruses in the SecretNet."
"Now then, take it! If it flares up with blue flame, you are a Chosen One, and can wield the program. However!" Serenade held up a finger as the fire floated over to Megaman, "If you are not chosen, you will immediately suffer the effect of the program. You, Megaman, will be frozen for all eternity! No power will ever be able to awaken you!"
"..." Megaman gulped as Roll tensed.
"Now, then. Grasp the program and discover your destiny!" Serenade ordered.
"Megaman…" Lan gulped.
"..." Megaman narrowed his eyes, "I won't give up." with that, he reached out and grabbed the flames, "..."
"...M-Megaman! Megamaaaaan!-!-!" Lan called out.
"Mega…" Roll whispered before the three moved back as the flames turned blue and soaked into Megaman's body.
"Gh!" Megaman grunted before shaking his head and smiled, "I…I did it! I can use the program!"
"MEGA!" Roll snapped as she stomped up, "Mmm…"
"S-Sorry, Roll…" Megaman apologized.
"What were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that!?" Lan scolded, "I'm telling Mama later!"
"Oh come on! She'll revoke my Dimensional Area privileges!"
"Excellent...! The program is yours to wield, Megaman!" Serenade cheered.
"I knew Megaman could do it!" Mamoru cheered.
"Thank goodness," Maylu sighed in relief before looking at Mamoru, "Why was it even in the Undernet in the first place, Mamoru?"
"Oh! That's because Daddy made the Undernet to hide it in there!" Mamoru beamed.
"What? Your father!? A SciLab scientist created the Undernet? So you mean it was a SciLab project? I've never heard of anything like that before!" Maylu gawked.
"The Undernet is a weapon to counter Alpha... Created to develop and preserve the Forbidden Program," Mamoru explained, "We just didn't think it'd link to an Undernet that was already there."
"But if SciLab made the Undernet, why is it so dangerous now?" Lan asked.
"Aside from connecting to the lost Atlantean Network…it's because the Forbidden Program was too dangerous. It has the power to freeze Alpha, which means if misused... All of Net Society could be frozen in an instant," Mamoru explained, making both gulp.
"It has that much power?" Lan asked.
"Yes. That is why they created a vast area away from the regular Network. If an accident were to occur, the damage would be contained. Since it was so isolated, it turned out to be a perfect hiding place for criminals," Mamoru went on.
"Tell me, Mamoru. If so many measures had to be taken against Alpha, what exactly is it?" Lan asked.
"The ultimate beast... And a creation of SciLab, of course."
"SciLab...?" both gasped.
=Weoo! Weoo! Weoo! Weoo! Emergency alert! The TetraGate is under attack! I repeat, the TetraGate is under attack!=
"No! It's Alpha! Quick, Lan, Maylu! Hurry to SciLab Network! Someone's stealing Alpha!" Mamoru exclaimed, looking at them in worry and fear.
"Got it!-! Guys! Let's get over to SciLab!"
"Roger!" Megaman, Maylu, and Roll agreed.
"Oh, this is quite the find!" Knuckles smiled after breaking apart a large stone cube a Virus had thrown at them.
"What is it?" Zero asked, Deleting the hostile Virus.
"Look," Knuckles held up a rock…shaped like a horse.
"Oh my!" Zero gasped, "It's beautiful."
"Splendid!" Freezeman awed.
"Seriously, you guys?" Protoman groaned before tensing, "!"
The air across from them cracked. More cracks formed in the area before a large drill tore a hole into the sky. It split open and a tall, lanky NetNavi landed on his orange lower legs ending in drills for feet. Bulky armor on his lower legs and shoulders were made of the lower halves of drills while his hands were just a bulky pair of drills emerging from orange and red bulky attachments. A pointy yellow nose and spiraling red eyes peeked out underneath a helmet made of a drill.
"Who are you?" Freezeman demanded as the four stood at the ready between the NetNavi and the 'Beast' behind them.
"Dorururu…I am Drillman! I come for the Alpha!" The NetNavi declared as he hopped up and the armor snapped over his body, turning his upper body and legs into drills with his drill arms poking out underneath his head drill, "Drill Mode!"
"Oh no you don't!" Freezan declared, forming a thick block of ice between them and Drillman.
"Activate TetraCodes!" Drillman declared as he began to shine with a sinister red aura, "Alpha is mine!"
"Alpha? I thought it was called the Beast," Knuckles frowned as Drillman ripped through the ice like it wasn't even there.
"He's coming!" Zero exclaimed.
"This is the end of the Net Society!" Drillman declared as he rocketed at the four.
"Move!" Protoman ordered, he, Freezeman, and Zero jumped to the sides.
"No," Knuckles replied, assuming a fighting stance, "You shall not pass!"
"THEN HAVE A TASTE OF MY POWER!-!-!" Drillman roared.
"Look out!" Protoman called before his eyes widened, "?!"
"Now you see why Knuckles came?" Zero asked in amusement…as Knuckles, with a single hand held up, was keeping Drillman in place with red electricity crackling off his drill-catching hand.
"Do I look like I need your power?" Knuckles calmly asked, narrowing his eyes.
Drillman tried to pierce through the echidna, yet the red energy wasn't buckling against the force of the TetraCode-enhanced Breaking Element. Knuckles began to walk slowly forward, easily pushing back Drillman, as more of the red energy gathered in his free fist. He reeled back and swung a punch, easily ripping through the drill and into Drillman, unleashing a red pulse of energy that tore apart the WWW NetNavi and washed over the entire SciLab Area.
"That was…" Protoman whispered.
"...like the energy Megaman produces," Chaud realized.
"Yes. I intend to do glorious battle with him one day," Knuckles informed as he looked at the remains of Drillman to spot the completed TetraCode, "That is quite the durable program." He jumped back at a blur zipping by, "What the…?!"
"Hoi~!" The trio turned to see Hope standing at the barrier, "Um…I'm Hope! Hope Robotnik!"
"Robotnik?!" Sally gasped, "Knuckles, she's with Eggman!"
"One of Eggman's creations?" Knuckles pondered.
"That's my daddy!" Hope beamed as she held up the TetraCode, "And I have a special mission~!" She opened her mouth and ate the TetraCode, causing her to start to glow softly, "...Bleh! Tastes nasty…"
"We won't let you!" Zero declared as they charged her.
"Invis!" Hope cheered, turning transparent and turned to the barrier as they phased through her, "Okie! So…" her arm turned into her HopeArrow and she fired at the barrier, shattering it, "Yay! I am the best daughter and niece ever!" She walked up to the orb, "Ooh~!" She picked it up and put it into her tail, "I got it!" She cheered while pumping a fist…before tilting her head in thought, "…Now what was I supposed to do again?" Her tail flickered a bit behind her, "Oh! Now I remember!" The end of her tail twisted and changed into a vacuum that sucked up Drillman's data, causing Hope to gain orange armor over her chest with reinforced orange boots replacing her original ones while drills formed on her shoulders and lower arms. Her helmet glowed before turning into a mole-themed helmet with a drill on the forehead part.
"Was that the GetAbility program?!" Protoman asked in shock.
"Huh? Well…I did get his ability," Hope noted, tilting her head, "Daddy gave this to me yesterday after Big Sis Mecha came back to Mobius with all the data she got from SciLab!"
"What?!" Zero and Protoman tensed.
"Ah! Oopsie…I wasn't supposed to say that…" Hope whimpered, her ears and tail drooping, "Um…Imma gonna go now, okay?"
"Oh no you don't!" Knuckles growled as he charged at her only for Hope to jump off the edge.
The drill armor on Hope covered her head and it began to spiral rapidly. She 'hit' the air, tearing a hole into it. Knuckles narrowed his eyes before jumping down into it just a moment before Megaman, Roll, and Freezeman arrived.
"No! We're too late!" Megaman grit his teeth.
"The thief went in there," Zero informed, pointing at the hole in the air, "It was a strange female that works for Eggman."
"I am really starting to hate that name," Lan grumbled.
"After them!" Chaud ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Protoman replied as he jumped down into the hole.
"Hurry!" Lan called as Zero went next.
"Roger, Lan," Megaman replied as he and Roll followed into the hole.
Hope came out of a hole in the air and landed on her feet on a massive red grid-like area, the skies above a pale gray and looking as if there was a constant storm above. 1s and 0s raced all about, acting like trains heading for different destinations. She giggled happily as she looked around.
"Ah…Home sweet home~!" Hope beamed, "Ohh~! Daddy changed the colors! Now it's all red instead of green!"
"Hope?"
"Hi, Daddy~!" Hope waved at the sky, "I have the thingy!"
"Splendid! Go on and deliver it to your brother ADAM, would you? He'll send it straight to your Uncle Albert."
"Okay~!" Hope cheered before she ran off, knowing where to go.
A few moments passed and Knuckles emerged from the hole and looked around, "What the…?"
"What is this Area?" Zero pondered after coming out of the hole before the others followed.
"Uh…Sean?" Lan spoke up.
"What is it, La-Oh my gosh!" Sean exclaimed, Lan giving out a yelp, "Oh~! This isn't just a Network!"
"Excuse me?" Zero asked.
"This looks like how the apartment complex was when the breakdown between dimensions happened! It's a space where one can circumvent normal spatial laws, allowing the creator to construct an autonomously tesselating, proportionally expansive structure without concern over typical physical limitations!"
"Uh…" many of them went off.
"Think a weird bubble that the person who made it can mess with physics," Megaman summed up.
"Ohh…"
"Focus," Chaud spoke, "We have to find that NetNavi that stole the Beast!"
"Right!" the NetNavis and one Echidna agreed.
"This place seems…familiar…" Rotor noted.
"Eez now ze time for ze reminiscing?" Antoine questioned in disbelief.
"Whoa now!" Megaman exclaimed, grabbing Zero in time to pull him away from an oncoming stream of 1s and 0s, "Yikes…Those were moving as fast as the CyberMetro…"
"Look!" Roll pointed to a Mettaur that was walking by…before yelping as it ended up stuck on a '1' for a bit…before a bolt of lightning came from the sky and deleted it in one shot, "?!"
"Okay…So don't get caught or that happens," Megaman winced.
"I think I see a doorway over there," Roll noted.
"Alright. Be careful," Maylu advised.
With that, the group ran off in the direction Roll pointed towards, managing to avoid the 'trains' of 1s and 0s. Eventually, they ended up before a doorway with a swirling orange portal in its frame. They traded looks before Megaman went through first followed by the others. On the other side, the group paused as they saw they were in an expansive small town, the 'sky' being an actual sky from Earth.
"Something is definitely up with this place," Tails noted.
"Seems that Sean kid's theory is more plausible now," Rotor added as the group looked around.
"Oh my goodness! It…It's a replica of Mobotropolis!" Sally gasped, seeing a large castle in the distance.
"This is pretty creepy…" Roll gulped, "No one's here, not even Viruses."
"Megaman, let's look around!" Lan suggested.
"Wait, Lan, this place is probably using…" Sean began before Megaman ran off…and came back the other way, letting Sean finish with an audible facepalm, "...the same spatial warping as the first area."
"Huh. So it is," Megaman noted.
"Everyone, this door is unlocked," Zero noted, up ahead at a strange building resembling a hot dog with chili, jalapenos, and shredded cheese on top with 'CHUCK'S" written in cursive neon lights.
"Chuck's?" Roll pondered as they walked in.
"...Huh…"
"What's wrong, Lan?" Maylu asked.
"I…don't really get it, but…" Lan frowned as they looked around, "This building feels…familiar."
"Huh?" Protoman pondered.
"It…It kinda does," Megaman agreed as he noticed a few hanging photos, "Ah!"
"It's the hedgehog!" Roll gasped, "But…aw~! He's a baby~!"
Everyone looked at the photos. In them were an older lighter-blue hedgehog with bushy eyebrows and mustache…and a tiny adorable baby and toddler version of the blue hedgehog. Knuckles narrowed his eyes as he looked at the photos of the blue hedgehog and scrunched his face as memories started to flow into his mind.
'This hedgehog…he is crass, crude, lazy at times…but he was the bravest hedgehog I ever knew,' Knuckles thought before glancing to Megaman as he held a hand up and gently put a finger on one of the photos of the older hedgehog grinning happily with the child, a cake made to resemble a chili-dog before them with a candle shaped to resemble a '5' on the top and lit.
"..." Megaman frowned as he lowered his hand and looked around.
"Oh! He's over here!" Roll gasped, seeing the elderly hedgehog at the stove.
"Huh? Wait, that's…" Knuckles began as Roll walked over to the hedgehog and gasped.
"It's a dummy!" Roll exclaimed, turning the 'hedgehog' around to reveal it to be a crash test dummy.
"I'm officially upgrading this situation from 'weird' to 'super creepy,'" Lan declared before a loud thumping sound went off upstairs.
"?!" the group tensed up on hearing it.
They traded looks with one another before Protoman deployed his shield and took the lead. Heading upstairs, the thumping changed to a strange scratching sound emanating from the bathroom. The group gathered at the doorway and Protoman held up three fingers. He lowered one and then a second before kicking the door down. Within a moment, a large purple caterpillar-like machine erupted out of it with a hissing screech, its head unit sporting blue optics. Before it could attack, Freezeman quickly formed an icicle that impaled its head from the ground. Rumbles made Knuckles look out the window and his eyes widened upon seeing a literal army of machines coming their way. Some looked like the caterpillar robot, others were hornet-like robots flying in the air. There were mantis robots with jagged saws for arms, simian robots with coconut bombs, floating balls with spiked balls orbiting them that were and weren't on fire depending on if they were red or black respectively, and chameleon robots that kept vanishing and appearing at random. There were even ladybug robots that moved on a single tire and purple rhinoceros beetles on three wheels with a buzzsaw replacing the end of the horns.
"Oh…That is a lot of Badniks," Rotor gulped.
"Badniks!" Knuckles called out.
"Bad what?" Megaman pondered as he looked out, "Oh shit!"
"Megaman?!" Lan gawked.
"Language!" Sally scolded, Knuckles barely keeping the connection from going audible to anyone but him.
'Perhaps doing a feedback from Nicole's handheld to let me hear them was a bad idea…' Knuckles thought.
"You know those viruses, Knuckles?" Protoman asked.
"Yes. They are made personally by Eggman," Knuckles explained, "And that many just spells trouble."
"Oh this is bad…" Maylu gulped.
"...Hehehehehe…"
"Lan?" Megaman looked up.
"Just think of how awesome the BattleChips we get from them will be!"
"..." Megaman facepalmed as Roll groaned.
"Hikari…" Chaud and Protoman sighed.
"What? We can smash them, get the BattleChip data, and find the thief," Lan defended.
"...He makes a valid point," Freezeman muttered.
"He does not!" Maylu and Sean barked.
"Get ready," Protoman warned, deploying his sword.
"And this place just had to lack fortifications," Knuckles frowned.
The first wave came charged into the restaurant…before they exploded out in shattered remains that were dissolving into data. Megaman and Roll shot out of the door, firing Buster and Arrow respectively. The familiar electricity crackled off Megaman as he deployed a Yo-Yo that he swung out and began to shred apart the Badniks. Several tried to jump him from behind only to be sliced apart by Protoman's blade or impaled by a barrage of ice-made spikes from Freezeman. Knuckles roared as he charged through the Badniks, punching them all over and shattering them as he struck them.
"You really shouldn't surround me," Zero warned…yet the Badniks only got closer and some even jumped at him, "REKKOHA!" He slammed a fist down and pillars of light erupted around him and tore apart all the Badniks that had surrounded and came at him, "I warned them…"
"This is insane…" Sally whispered.
"You mean the fact that the blue-wearing digital being that the reincarnation of a baby boy that died of a heart condition that's the reincarnation of a blue hedgehog is fighting a horde of mechanical animals, insects, and plants in a digital reconstruction of a massive city that was destroyed last year in a nuclear detonation alongside a red-wearing samurai wolf, a bunny-themed, pink-wearing hedgehog-fox hybrid, a tall imposing blond-haired red-armored warrior that punches beams of light from the ground, a loving block of ice shaped into a tall Mobian fox shape, and the echidna guardian of a floating island that has his mind currently in the digital landscape?" Rotor asked.
"Zat zounds ridiculous," Antoine deadpanned.
"OH-HOHOHOHO~!-!-!"
"?! …I recognize that laugh," Megaman noted as he looked around, "Eggman! Where are you?"
"Oh, quite a bit away," Eggman chuckled…his voice coming from a mailbox with his face printed on it.
"Why do we always have to deal with you and the WWW?" Roll complained.
"How rude! And I see that Knuckles is with you this time," Eggman spoke.
"Eggman," Knuckles glared.
"Interesting…You're using Pulse Transmission, aren't you?" Eggman asked.
"Pulse Transmission?" Megaman repeated
"What's that?" Lan pondered.
"What is this place?" Zero asked.
"This whole place…is a test," Eggman replied, "Not for any of you, though. It's for my most cutting-edge technological concepts! A crucible, you might say, for what could become the next generation of mechanical monstrosities let loose on your unsuspecting planet and Mobius!"
"Mobius? You're…from the world the ancestors of Atlantis came from?" Maylu asked.
"Correct!" Eggman laughed, "The Network you're in, my EggNet, is actually located on Mobius! Now, I must thank you all! Because now my little beauties here can truly test their mettle! And it's all thanks your little silver-haired friend!"
"Huh? M-Me!?" Sean gasped.
"Why yes. These Badniks you've been battling? They're not Viruses; they're from Mobius, digitized and brought into here for testing thanks to reworking your Dimensional Area into a portal between worlds!" Eggman gloated.
"Huh?! A…A portal?" Sean gawked before silence fell.
"...Master Sean…" Freezeman deadpanned as he froze several Badniks at once.
"S-Sorry…" Sean apologized, "Wait! How are you handling the power sources needed to constantly maintain the Dimensional Area?!"
"Oh, I love when people ask the right questions," Eggman chuckled.
The sound of fingers snapping went off and screens popped up. Each one showed a cluster of grapes…until they zoomed in. Everyone tensed or gasped as they saw the 'grapes' were actually spherical containers…filled with people they couldn't make out due to them being electrocuted and only showing their outlines with various percentage bars appearing on them. The bars showed either 'Subject' followed by a name, 'Energy Drain,' 'Mind Eraser,' or 'Toxic Infusion.'
"Behold, the glorious power source for my entire empire! The EggGrapes!" Eggman laughed.
"What in the world…?" Chaud pondered before they heard Sean puking, "Obihiro?"
"Oh…Oh god…" Sean wheezed out, "He's…He's draining all the energy in their bodies…erasing their memories…a-and then infusing them with toxins to slowly and painfully kill them…"
"This is more messed up than the Matrix movies would have you believe," Freezeman whispered, Roll keeping her mouth covered as she tried to not throw up.
"S…So that's what happened to those missing people…!" Tails gasped.
"Oh Chaos…I'm gonna be sick…" Rotor gagged.
"Oh god! Knuckles! There…There are…" Julie-Su gasped.
"You monster! You have my people in those things?!" Knuckles demanded, spotting a few EggGrapes with what looked to be similar outlines to his own physique.
"But of course! General Kage Von Stryker is such a wonderful servant on Angel Island. After he tortures them for information, he sends them right to me."
"Huh? Your people?" Roll asked, looking at the enraged Echidna.
"..." Megaman grit his teeth, "Why you…!"
"Hm? What is it, Sonic?" Eggman asked before everyone jumped back as Megaman erupted in power before it dispersed, revealing HUBStyle.
"HUBStyle!" Protoman gasped as HUBStyle glared at the screens.
"Well, well…So this is the form you took to thrash Metal Sonic…" Eggman noted.
"All of you…Jack Out now," HUBStyle ordered.
"What? But…" Knuckles began before chains made of cables shot out of nonexistence and stabbed into HUBStyle's arms, legs, and even his emblem, "?!"
"Mega!" Roll gasped as HUBStyle grunted as a green energy began to glow through the cables.
"Ohohohohoho~!" Eggman laughed, "Thank you so much for transforming, you rodent! This power of yours is rather selfish to keep, no? So thank you for donating the power of HUBStyle to the Eggman Empire! ADAM, suck him dry!"
"Heh…Absorb, you say?" HUBStyle calmly pondered.
"Hm?"
"Absorb…me?!-!-!" HUBStyle snarled as he glared harshly.
His body began to shine brightly. Outside of the Network, on the screen, all the spheres began to shine brightly as well. While those with figures within them began to shatter, the rest…began to spark and explode violently. Eggman yelped as the Network began to flicker and glitch out.
"N-NO! I can't believe this!" Eggman gasped, "You…You not only reversed the drain…but attacked through it?!"
"Mega…" Roll gasped before HUBStyle turned to her and gave a gentle smile.
"I'm alright, Roll," HUBStyle assured as he looked at where the screens had been, "Hopefully, those people he was draining will be safe now, too."
"We'll make sure of it," Sally confirmed for the echidna, "We managed to detect the explosion that just went off and are making plans to rescue them at once."
"Hand over the program you stole from SciLab!" Protoman demanded.
"You think you've won?! You haven't! I've already given the program to Albert!" Eggman declared, the area starting to break down.
"?!" everyone but HUBStyle tensed on hearing that.
"..." HUBStyle narrowed his eyes, "You'll regret doing that, Eggman."
"Oh, I'm sooooo scared, Hedgehog," Eggman mocked, "You won't kill me. It's not in your nature."
"We'll see about that," HUBStyle replied before everyone Logged Out.
"Ugh…Now I have to switch to Chaos Drives. Tch. What a pity," Eggman grumbled, "I rather enjoyed my EggGrapes but now they have a way to destroy them so there goes that fun. And it's likely that something in the Zone of Silence would do the same thing...phooey."
"Oh…This isn't good…This is not good at all…" Sean gulped as he paced about in the living room.
"We still have the GigaFreeze," Chaud noted, sitting at the couch with the TV screen changed to a video call with Keifune, "All we'll need is to find the WWW's Base of operations."
=I've contacted all the other branches of the Officials and several other organizations to provide assistance in searching for the WWW= Keifune informed =But…we also need to put all nations into a state of alert=
Chaud grimaced on hearing that, 'So…we're going to go to war…'
"Lan?" Lan, wearing blue pajamas, looked up to see Maylu at the door, wearing an orange nightgown.
"...We couldn't stop them…They have Alpha…" Lan whispered as she walked over.
"We'll find a way," Maylu replied, sitting down beside him, "It always seems to happen."
"I swear my luck's chaotic at times," Lan sighed.
"Then let's hope that chaos is the good kind for us and the bad kind for the World Three," Maylu replied.
"..." Lan smiled a little at that before blushing as Maylu held his hand and leaned into him, "Thanks, my Heart."
"Anytime, my Soul," Maylu replied as she nuzzled into him, his free arm wrapping around her.
GT: This one was interesting. At first, I intended on having a three-way battle with just Megaman going on. But then, I thought otherwise and went with Megaman and Roll going on. Knuckles was meant to fight him for the GigaFreeze, but I switched that up to him showing his strength against one of the the hardest bosses in Battle Network 3 if only for the fact Drillman uses that dang namesake of his to avoid damage. And you can also tell that there's no sign of Bass here, but them having to chase Hope into the EggNet and having to deal with Eggman. And boy was that a hassle to think of. I had to spend a lot of time finding any information on the Pre-Reboot digital landscape since I remembered Eggman and Snively went through it once to get to their new bodies. And in that time of research, IDW came out with that interesting testing ground of Eggman's. And given how I had them swipe Sean's data on Dimensional Areas, I just couldn't help but integrate that into it all because, honestly, it just fit perfectly with the plans! So…Hope you all enjoyed and please read and review.