I own no Megaman characters, any familiar dialogue or the main plot. Credits to Capcom.
Reply to Ghost501's review of Chapter 18: I'll try not to overthink things. I had the idea in my head, but I went kinda crazy with it. Well, not crazy, but you know what I mean!
-Chapter 19: The Calm Before The Storm-
At Marine Harbor...
"Ah, Lan!" For once, Yuichiro was at his lab! It was a convenient time for Lan, for he needed something very important from him. Yuichiro turned away from his work and faced his son with a smiling face.
"Hey, dad. You got a minute?"
"Of course."
"Cool!" Lan suddenly grinned, gaining a chuckle from his father.
"Ha ha, sorry for being away for so long. Anyway, how are you doing? Did you talk with Chaud?" Lan cringed at the name 'Chaud'. What a jerk he was! Protoman was a little better, but the fact that the red Navi served Chaud like a knight for his king irked Lan. "So, you had a fight with him?" Yuichiro guessed by that action. "Well, he can be hard to deal with..."
"Got that right..." Lan mumbled, turning slight away from his father. Turning back, he got out his PET and said, "Anyway, check this out."
On cue, Megaman released the blue orb he got from Bombman earlier. A small streak of a sort of energy orbited it and the letter 'W' flashed on it every now and then. At the sight of it, Yuichiro's mouth was agape.
"Where did you get that?" he gasped in horror. "Isn't that-"
"Yep. World Three's server address," Megaman spoke up. "We... found it." He didn't want to say where. Lan's father was frightened enough!
"But we can't get through the network," Lan added.
"I see..." his father said after calming down a little. "Well, with this, I'm sure we can find World Three's lab. With the technology here at SciLab, it should be no problem. Of course, once the location is found, I'll have to tell the Officials, including Chaud. Okay?"
"I guess," Lan sighed, staring out the window. For a few seconds, he pondered on everything that happened until this point, everyone that he saved. Why not take up the-
"Uh, Lan? You okay?" Yuichiro asked his son, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Look, I can tell you and Chaud don't get along too well, but we have to leave taking down World Three to the Officials."
"I know, but..." Lan's voice trailed.
"What is it, Lan?"
"I... I can't stand here and do nothing! Not while the Officials are giving everything they have to stop World Three! Dad, could you tell me the location of the base, too?"
"No," the father said immediately. "Out of the question."
"What? Why!? I defeated World Three loads of times, along with Megaman!"
"..."
"Did you ever get a call from mom about a fire at home? It was because of World Three and we was the ones to put it out! Heard about the school jacking? We stopped it! The no water incident, we solved the problem! The Town's traffic lights going haywire, we fixed it! The blackout, we fixed it! Please, dad! Let us finish the job!"
The lab went silent. Lan's father was left in a state of shock. He caught news of his son being the one to save the day when those incidents occurred, but this was different! If Lan and Megaman messed up, who knew what would happen? It just wasn't worth risking it! Even still, Yuichiro gave in.
"Alright," he said slowly. "But on one condition. World Three's attacks will likely hurt more than ever. Megaman could be deleted! Then, who knows what will happen? Your actions could even trigger a war!"
"What?"
"Yes. Lan Hikari, can you take responsibility for your actions?"
What was there to say? The fate of the world, as Lan knew it, rested on his shoulders! But was he ready? These thoughts swirled in the boy's mind and continually steered him away from clear decisions. "I... I don't think I can," he finally said calmly.
"What...?"
"I know I can! Dad, just leave everything to me and Megaman!" A grin pulled along Lan's face as he boldly made his statement.
"Okay," Yuichiro responded worriedly. "I'll send you the location when I find it. For now, go home and rest. You will need it."
"Okay. Thanks, dad!" Lan smiled as he took off.
"But don't forget to train on occasion!" his father reminded him. "You'll need all the practice you can!"
"Don't worry! We've got this! Right, Megaman?"
"Yeah!" the blue Navi responded with confidence. However, inside, he knew that the battles ahead were going to be at their toughest. He also knew that Lan was a little worried.
If we mess up, the whole world could crumble under World Three's rule!
Both of them knew of the thought that swirled in their heads. The whole world was at stake! As Lan stepped outside of SciLab and started to walk to the Metroline, he took out his PET and called for his Navi.
"Lan? What is it?" he asked, only to get no reply. Megaman asked his NetOp, "Are you... worried?"
"Yeah," Lan sighed. "I mean, dad put it best. Our actions could trigger a war! I know I said that I was willing to take the responsibility, but to be honest, Megaman... I'm really nervous."
"Lan..."
"Yeah, we saved the day loads of times, but those were probably little things compared to what World Three will really pull out this time!"
"Lan... Even if the battles ahead are our last, don't you think we should at least try?"
"What?"
"You said yourself, Lan. We can't sit around while the Officials officially break their backs to save us! And isn't it better to lose while trying than lose without trying?"
"Well..."
"Remember what we said to Protoman, too?" Megaman continued. "We have each other. I have you to back me up and you have me to fight for you. I like to think that I fight well because I have you, Lan."
"Megaman..."
"When the going gets tough, we'll always have each other to toughen ourselves up, right?"
"... Yeah... You're right! What was I worrying about the entire time?" Lan grinned. "Alright, Megaman! No matter what trick World Three pull from their sleeves, we'll take them down! It'll be a piece of cake!"
"Yeah!"
Meanwhile...
"Our address... SciLab has it now..." Yahoot grimaced. Out of Lord Wily's four minions, only Yahoot remained. He saw the way his master sent off Maddy, but he never knew what happened to Mr Match or Count Zap. Wily assured him that nothing drastic happened to them, but that wasn't the situation at hand. "Our base will be discovered in no time!"
"No matter..." Wily simply said, following up with a 'hee hee hee hee'. At once, the two began to witness the final fate of the four Super Programs.
The four orbs that hovered above their respective platforms floated upwards and were pulled towards the middle of the room, slowly, but surely, four differently pitched hums droning in the room. Yahoot gasped as the Super Programs flashed repeatedly when they neared each other, Lord Wily cackling meanwhile. Wood, Fire, Elec and Aqua united in a dazzling white light and an ear piercing screech. Both pairs of eyes and ears were shielded, while the orbs merged into one. As the light faded, Yahoot and Wily laid eyes on the violet orb, which had four energy streams surrounding it, all flashing the colors of each Super Program.
Yahoot's mouth gaped at the phenomenon that was...
"The Life Virus!" Wily's cackle sounded more maniacal by the second. "Now we can delete!"
"You mean... The EndGame is about to begin?" Yahoot asked his master.
"Yes. Finally, everyone will come to realize just what fools they are!"
Yeah, this chapter was a very short one. All it was, to be honest, was a set up for the EndGame scenario. But I assure you, the final arc of this novelization will not disappoint! A bold statement, I know, but I'll do what I can. At the moment, I'm getting busier and busier with schoolwork. However, when I can, I'll keep refining my chapters, so they meet your expectations.
Soon, my second video game novelization will be complete. In advance, I would like to thank everyone who stuck around for this ride. Buckle up, kids. It'll be 'EndGame'!
-Have a great day, week, month, whatever, and stay upbeat, y'all!-