A/N: Late, I know, but an especially long chapter! :)
~Chapter 17~
It was Friday morning, and a certain blue NetNavi was making use of his spare time by training at his usual place; a secluded area not that much far from NetCity, but distant enough to occasionally grant him some peace and quiet.
After all, he was a CyberWorld-class celebrity, and the fans could be a little overwhelming sometimes.
"Morning, MegaMan!" A sudden cheerful, familiar voice called from somewhere above him, following the visual of a large screen appearing shortly after, displaying the smiling face of his NetOP.
"Hey Lan! Morning." MegaMan stopped his training for a moment and greeted back the boy.
"Just thought I'd check up on ya before I head to school, but I see you're already back to training, huh?" Lan asked, looking a bit surprised.
MegaMan chuckled.
"Oh Yeah, I'm perfectly fine!" He said, demonstrating a few punches in the air before his NetOP to prove his statement.
"You sure? Yesterday was a pretty tough match between you and Bass and then all those NetNavis.." The boy explained his worries to his partner, raising an eyebrow at him.
The blue Navi crossed his arms.
"Yeah, it sure was," He said, recalling the events of the previous day, "But trust me Lan, I think the faster I get back to training the better."
Lan smirked.
"Is it because Bass was strangely powerful yesterday?" He asked, grabbing his own chin.
MegaMan's green eyes widened in surprise at his NetOP.
"So you noticed too?" He asked, ignoring how well the boy could read into his reasons.
Lan crossed his arms.
"Of course I did. He fought in a completely different pattern than usual." He explained, "At least that's what I could catch before I passed out from over-exhausting myself like a total idiot."
MegaMan nodded.
"I realized that he holds much more potential than we thought, so I need to be prepared." He said with a determined expression, while clenching his fists.
Lan once again raised his hand to his chin.
"But what could possibly make him suddenly change like that?" He asked.
The blue Navi kept quiet for a few moments.
"Oh right, you didn't get a chance to.." He said, remembering Lan doesn't know anything yet, as he somehow managed to miss all of the parts involving Lei.
Lan raised an eyebrow at his NetNavi.
"What?" He asked with a confused expression, then his brown eyes drifted to the clock and widened in horror as he realized he was already late.
"Aww crap!, I gotta go MegaMan, just don't over-do it, okay? See you later!" The boy quickly said, and with that, disappeared from before the blue Navi.
MegaMan chuckled to himself, then quickly got back to his training, but his mind was now occupied with countless thoughts about yesterday's fight.
'I wonder if Lei's alright.. Maybe I should pay her a visit once I'm done here.'
He blinked as his thought process shifted to Bass, causing him to stop for a moment.
"I wonder if he already did.." He said to himself.
Feeling a sudden chill run down his spine, MegaMan quickly turned around to the source of the familiar powerful energy.
"Speak of the devil." He said, smiling.
Bass was floating in the air above him, glaring down at the blue Navi in silence.
"MegaMan." He spat, slowly lowering himself down to his nemesis' level, until the soles of his shoes came in contact with the surface beneath them.
MegaMan crossed his arms.
"What are you doing here, Bass?" He asked him, his green eyes wide with confusion at the fact that Bass was venturing out of the UnderNet, which was something he rarely ever did.
The cloaked Navi kept quiet and simply glared at him for a few moments.
"If it's about a rematch, I'm still recovering.. And I can tell from your energy that you are as well, so.." The blue Navi explained, watching him closely.
Bass' expression turned annoyed.
"That's not why I'm here, you fool." He said, clenching his fists.
MegaMan shot him with another confused look.
Neither of them spoke for a solid minute.
"I want you to clarify what you meant." Bass suddenly said, breaking the silence.
The blue Navi raised an eyebrow at him.
"What I meant..? About what?" He asked, shifting his right hand to rest on his waist.
Bass glared at his nemesis.
"When you told me I need to 'realize'.. What did you mean?" He asked, lowering his face down until half of it was hidden behind his cloak.
MegaMan stared at the cloaked Navi for a few moments in silence.
This was just too odd. For Bass to come all this way just to ask him what he meant by that statement was just way over the top.
Was it bothering him this much?
Suddenly, the blue Navi blinked.
'This may be more serious than I had first guessed.' He thought to himself.
"Bass.. I'm not gonna answer that for you." MegaMan said, his expression serious.
The cloaked Navi gritted his teeth in anger as he continued;
"But!" He said, lifting his index finger in the air, "I am gonna ask you one question. And you don't have to even answer me."
Bass' brow furrowed.
"What kind of stupid game are you trying to play here, idiot?" He asked, feeling his patience quickly fading.
"No game, Bass! Just an honest question." The blue Navi promised.
Bass kept silent as he watched him closely.
"Get on with it." He demanded, his voice firm and his expression annoyed.
MegaMan smiled confidently.
"What is it that you want most right now?" The blue Navi asked.
The question hit Bass deep, and the image that popped into his mind was not of power, not of revenge against humanity, and it was not even him winning against MegaMan, his sworn enemy.
He took a step back, his red eyes going wide and his expression turning into that of pure confusion.
His brow furrowed as he swallowed hard.
"What the hell is this.." He said, understanding the meaning of what had just happened.
MegaMan chuckled.
"Well, looks like you finally have your answer." He said, watching him closely in amazement. To see Bass, the Black Shadow of the UnderNet, completely shocked like that was probably a once in a lifetime experience.
Bass snapped out of his confusion as his expression turned angrier than ever, his red eyes glaring daggers at his nemesis.
"You think this is fucking funny, huh?!" He yelled at him, gritting his teeth.
The mere fact that it seemed as if MegaMan had known this would happen long before he did caused Bass to feel utterly defeated.
"I don't think it's funny, Bass." The blue Navi answered him, "I think you should tell her."
"Shut up!" Bass suddenly yelled, "I was not programmed for this weak, sappy bullshit! I have survived by myself for all this time and avoided this kind of shit for a reason! I don't need this! So don't you dare tell me what to do, gnat!"
MegaMan's green eyes widened as he watched the cloaked Navi in silence. He finished yelling, now breathing hard, and his fists clenched tight. His expression was of anger mixed with confusion.
Neither of them spoke for a few moments.
"Bass, get a hold of yourself." MegaMan suddenly said.
The cloaked Navi narrowed his red eyes at him.
"What the hell did you say?!" He growled.
MegaMan simply sighed.
"What are you, scared?!" He asked, suddenly raising his voice, "This isn't like you! When you want something you go and get it! What the hell are you doing?!"
Bass was left speechless at his nemesis' words for a few moments.
"What the fuck do you know!" He yelled back at him.
MegaMan gritted his teeth.
"Enough to tell you that you're acting like a coward!" He shouted, "Go! You know this is what you want. And unless you're fine with losing Lei for someone else, you need to go and tell her!"
Bass' red eyes widened.
Neither of them said anything for the longest time.
The place which only a minute ago was filled with constant yelling that was probably heard for miles and miles, was now left in complete silence, as both Navis simply stood in their place and glared at each other.
Still completely silent, Bass suddenly turned away from his nemesis. Preparing to leave, He then turned his head back to look at him.
"MegaMan, I'm not like you. These things are not easy for me." He said, gritting his teeth.
MegaMan smiled.
"They're not easy for anyone, Bass. That's what makes them so satisfying." He replied.
The cloaked Navi said nothing for a few moments, then he turned his head back, and flew away.
MegaMan watched him as he disappeared into the distance.
"Good luck, Bass." He said to himself.
"Alright, seems like everything's fine." The female NetNavi nurse said, stepping away from Lei, who was lying on her bed. She then quickly shifted herself into a sitting position.
"Am I free to go?" She asked, staring at her with wide blue eyes.
The nurse chuckled.
"Patience, Dear, you must wait for your doctor to do the final check up. You came here in a pretty bad shape yesterday, you know." She explained.
Lei sighed heavily and flopped back into bed.
"Your final check-up will be this afternoon, so make sure to stay in here." The nurse ordered, then left the room.
Lei stared at her pale ceiling.
The corridor was once again loud with movement, and she found herself listening to the various cuts of conversations that started somewhere before and ended up far after her room, making it hard to even understand their topic.
'I want to get back to work already..' She thought to herself.
Suddenly, her door opened, making her rise once again into a sitting position.
"Hey, Lei!" A loud familiar tall female Navi called and floated inside, "Just met your nurse, she said everything's alright and you're just waiting for a final check-up! That's great."
Lei smiled wide at her friend.
"Yup!" She said happily, "Although I feel totally fine right now.. I wish I didn't have to wait so long.."
Mea raised an eyebrow at her.
"Lei, I think anyone could tell you haven't slept a wink." She said, crossing her arms.
Lei's blue eyes widened.
"Is it that painfully obvious?" She asked, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment.
Mea broke into a loud laugh.
"Unfortunately." She said, "So what happened? Was it because of yesterday's talk?" She asked, sitting herself on the end of the bed, next to her friend's feet.
Lei shifted her gaze to the ground and simply nodded.
"I couldn't stop thinking about everything you said.. And a few other subjects.." She admitted.
Mea smiled wide, then shifted both of her hands to rest on her waist.
"So! Did Dean happen to come by here today?" She suddenly asked.
Lei blinked at the sudden change of topic and stared at her friend in confusion.
"Uh, No.. I actually haven't seen him since-" She suddenly stopped talking as she remembered her last conversation with him.
She shifted her gaze to the ground, as her expression turned sad.
"What's wrong, Lei?" Mea asked, noticing the sudden abrupt silence and her friend's expression.
Lei lifted her blue eyes to meet the tall female Navi's green ones.
"I think Dean is still angry with me about keeping the delivery a secret from you guys.." She said with a quiet voice.
Mea broke into a sudden loud laugh, causing Lei to jump with surprise.
"Angry with you.. That's a good one." She barely managed to say through her laughter.
Lei shot her with a confused look.
"He's not?" She asked.
Mea sighed deeply, then shook her head in disbelief at the petite Navi.
"Tell you what, why don't you go and ask him for yourself?" She said, watching her closely, "He's at that deserted park behind the hospital, waiting for you."
Lei's blue eyes widened at her words.
"What?" She asked, feeling herself only get more and more confused as the time went by.
"You heard me, girl." The tall Navi said, "Go, he's waiting for you."
"This is the ugliest park I've ever seen." Dean complained to himself, sitting on one of the benches near the broken fountain.
He lifted his leg to rest on his knee as he looked all around him.
'Really.. Mea and her ideas, telling me to wait here while she gets Lei so I could properly talk with her..' He thought to himself, raising his head up, his brown eyes staring at the dead trees above him, 'But how am I even supposed to.. Tell her?'
Only the thought about it made him incredibly nervous.
'Come on, relax. You've known her for years! This isn't the time to chicken out.' He tried to calm himself down, but the more he thought about it the more anxious he got.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a sudden flash of light above him.
Who he saw before him made chills run through his whole system, as he recognized his features from the stories.
It was Bass, UnderNet's most feared NetNavi.
Dean quickly got up to his feet as he stared at the cloaked NetNavi floating above him.
There was no point in asking him what he was doing here. It was already obvious. And it made Dean somehow undeniably angry.
Bass simply glared down at the male NetNavi below him in silence.
Neither of them said anything for the longest time.
Preparing to leave, Bass turned around, but suddenly stopped as he heard the male Navi's voice.
"You're him, aren't you?" Dean asked, his voice confident.
Bass said nothing and turned his head halfway to glare at the male Navi below him.
'That uniform..' Bass thought to himself, realizing the male Navi was wearing similar white and black uniform to those of Lei, only with red streaks instead of light blue, then his red eyes widened as he recalled the male Navi's face displaying on her communication device a few days ago.
He was that girl's friend.
Gritting his teeth at his silence, Dean clenched his hands into fists.
"I want you to stay away from Lei." He suddenly demanded, his expression serious.
Bass kept silent, as he turned back around to face him.
"What the hell did you just say, scum?" He spat, glaring down.
Taking a step back, Dean kept silent for a few moments, then he swallowed hard.
"You heard me!" He answered, "I'm her friend and I'm telling you to back the hell away!"
Bass gritted his teeth.
"If you don't want to die, fool, I suggest you keep quiet and stop telling me what to do." The cloaked Navi said, raising both of his hands from under his cloak.
Dean glared up at him.
'I can't back down.. I don't want Lei to get hurt again.' He thought to himself, clenching his fists even tighter.
He took a deep breath, then opened his mouth;
"She's only feeling sorry for you, Bass."
His words were left to echo through the whole park, as neither of them said anything for the longest time. It was suddenly so silent, that they could hear the wind picking up through the dry leaves, gritting them softly against the dirty ground.
Bass processed the male Navi's words.
'Feeling.. Sorry.. for me?' He painfully ran them once again through his mind.
He didn't want to believe that, and he never wanted to admit it, but it made sense to him. It now all did.
Everything.
And this piece of shit NetNavi below him was the one he had to hear this from?
He suddenly felt impossibly angry. As if the anger was surging through his whole system. Quickly taking control of him, leaving no room for reason or logic.
And it was all this pathetic gnat's fault.
Bass gritted his teeth as he flew fast in Dean's direction, so fast that the male Navi didn't even manage to see him, until he was too close.
Reaching to Dean's neck, Bass held him firmly as he lifted him into the air, making him gasp in surprise and grab the cloaked Navi's hand with both of his own, but to no avail, as he was simply too strong.
"You.. Bastard.." Dean barely managed to say as he felt the hand grabbing him slowly tightening around his neck.
Bass' glare was murderous.
He didn't care.
How stupid he felt. Really. What the hell was he expecting?
He just didn't care anymore. Even if he saw her right now, he wouldn't-
"Bass! STOP!" A sudden yell was heard.
Bass quickly turned to the source of it.
Lei was flying fast in their direction, her blue eyes wide, her expression worried and her long, straight brown hair wild behind her.
Bass' red eyed widened as he recalled the first time they met. And he quickly let go of the male Navi, who crashed down to the ground before his feet.
Lei quickly reached both of them and landed on the floor beside her friend.
"Dean! Dean talk to me! Please!" She cried, holding him.
The male Navi coughed and grabbed his sore neck, slowly rising into a sitting position.
Lei lifted her confused gaze up to meet the cloaked Navi's menacing one, who simply glared down at her.
"Bass.. Why..?" She asked, her large blue eyes trying to figure him out.
Bass said nothing as he held her gaze for a few moments, then turned away from the both of them.
"You're only alive thanks to her, fool." He suddenly said, his voice low.
Then, He flew away from the place, leaving Lei more confused and sad than she had ever felt before in her life.