Chapter 9 – 12 Years of Lan
A ringing came from Lan's PET. It was a rather familiar ringing. It normally rang like this when Megaman was trying to wake Lan up. First, Megaman would try to make it sound like Lan had a call on his PET, hoping that he would answer it. But, Lan knew that trick by now, and Megaman knew that.
Five minutes later, the PET started to ring again. This time, Lan turned around in his bed, and actually talked to the device, still half-asleep and with his eyes closed. "Megaman…that doesn't work…on me anymore. Cut it…out." Lan soon after his statement yawned and attempted to fall back asleep. He didn't think anything of it that Megaman didn't respond back to him. Maybe his NetNavi was trying some different kind of approach to wake him up?
Another five minutes passed, and the PET rang once again. Now, Lan was upset. If this was a new way for Megaman to wake him up, it was starting to become effective, as Lan opened his eyes. He looked over at the PET, groaned, and finally sat up. He sluggishly walked over to the device, clearly unhappy that Megaman had woken him from his sleep. He reached his hand out and grabbed the device. To his surprised, he discovered that he actually had a call. But, where was Megaman? Wouldn't he have said something?
Lan pushed a button on the PET and it connected to the other end of the call. "Hello?" Lan's statement was greeting with a picture of his father, who was still at SciLab.
"Lan. Good, you're awake. I was hoping to catch while you were out of bed."
"Oh, hi Dad. Actually, I just woke up."
"Ha-ha. That's definitely you, Lan."
"I guess…"
"I wanted to get in touch with you to tell you two things, Lan."
"Huh? What's that, Dad?"
"Well, first, Happy Birthday, son." Dr. Hikari's words brought about a very slight blush across Lan's face. He couldn't remember the last time his father was around to wish him a happy birthday. It must have been years since the last time his Dad was able to wish him a Happy birthday face-to-face…or as close as it gets right now.
"Thanks, Dad. So, you'll be home tonight?"
"I will, Lan. I made sure arrangements were set. I should be home around 7:00 pm."
"Awesome. Oh, what was the second thing you needed to tell me?"
"Right…I need you and Megaman to come down to SciLab after school. I discovered something that both of you need to know."
"Really? Is it serious?"
"It can be serious if it not kept in check. I'll explain it all when you two are here."
"Alright, we'll be down there. Thanks, dad."
"You're welcome, Lan."
Lan set the PET down on his deck and tilted his head up, looking at the ceiling of his room, contemplating what his father wants him and Megaman at SciLab for. He hoped it wasn't something bad. He was hoping that it wasn't too serious that the M-Program had to be removed from Megaman. He was hoping that Megaman…
"!" Lan suddenly realized that Megaman wasn't in the PET. 'If Dad was the one who was calling…then where is Megaman?' Lan looked around his room, hoping to find some sign that his NetNavi was somewhere to be found. As Lan looked at his bed, he found a rather large lump on it. He knew his covers weren't like that when he got up to answer the phone. It took him a minute, but he processed the information and put two and two together. Lan walked over to his bed and pulled the covers back to reveal Megaman under the sheets.
Megaman was wearing his usual human world attire; green shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of white socks on his feet. Lan started to wonder how Megaman got there. He remembered that Megaman went back to his PET last night to sleep, and maybe see Roll and the others. Lan figured that he would have stayed in the device for the entire night and woke him up in the morning.
'He can't stay away from me." Lan chuckled inside at his own remark as he walked over to the bed. He poked Megaman a few time to see if that would wake him up. It didn't. He then shook Megaman a few times to see if that would work. It gained a small groan from the boy as he turned around.
"Hey, Megaman. Wake up."
"..." Megaman didn't say anything.
"Come on, wake up, Megaman."
"..." Still no response.
"Ok…let's try something else. MEGAMAN! Roll is about to be deleted!"
Megaman heard Lan's words as he shot his eyes open and sprung out of bed. He was awake and ready to fight for Roll's life. However, he realized only a few seconds later that he was in Lan's room and saw the boy trying his hardest to hold back a laugh. Megaman's face quickly changed for worried to anger. The feeling of laughter that Lan was holding back suddenly diminished as he saw the change in Megaman's face.
"Megaman…sorry for such a…"
"Lan! That was a cruel thing to do!" Megaman's voice was half-shouting.
"Megaman…I…"
"No, Lan. No excuses!"
'This isn't like Megaman. First yesterday, and now today. He never yells like this,' Lan thought to himself. It was yet another shock that his friend was acting like this…not to mention that Megaman just blew up at him. Lan could feel tears starting to form under his eyes.
"Megaman…"
The NetNavi's demeanor quickly changed back and he realized what he had just done, along with the end result. He looked at Lan with sorrowful eyes. He himself was also on the verge of tears. He had never yelled at Lan like that before, and it hurt him on the inside now that he had.
"Lan…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…"
"No, Megaman. You're right. I shouldn't have done that."
"No, Lan. I needed to wake up. I shouldn't have yelled."
"Don't worry about it."
Megaman looked at Lan, who was trying to wipe the tears from his eyes. When he finished, he noticed Lan's eyes were not so much in shock anymore, but very somber. He could tell that the boy was extremely hurt on the inside by what happened.
"I'm going downstairs for breakfast…I don't want to be late today."
"…Alright, Lan."
Lan walked past Megaman, looking at the door with the same somber eyes that Megaman had taken notice of. He still couldn't believe that he yelled at Lan. It was just something that he had never done before. He couldn't even imagine how Lan was feeling right now. It was obvious that he was either still in shock at what happened, or he, too, was now angry or upset at Megaman for what happened.
He tried his best not to think about it, and he went into the bathroom to take a quick shower before heading downstairs to join Lan and Mrs. Hikari for breakfast. He walked down the hallway and into the bathroom, still wearing his clothing. The Navi closed and locked the door behind him and started to draw the water for the shower. He remembered how Lan did it, so it wasn't hard to get everything ready. He put his hand into the running water to test the temperature. 'It's just right.'
The Navi removed his clothing and stepped inside, letting the hint of heat that the water gave off soothe him. He was still in shock after yelling at Lan. It was the second time he had experienced an actual situation in which he got angry at someone or something. Before yesterday, he had never experienced angry in his life. Granted, he was only "alive" for a little less than two years, but they were a long two years.
Megaman's mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts. 'What is happening to me? Why am I getting angry like that? How could I blow up at Lan like that? Will Dingo and Tomahawkman still want to even talk to me after what happened yesterday?' His mind just couldn't comprehend what had happened. It was as if something inside just snapped for the first time in his life, and it was just a horrific experience for him. He not only hurt himself when he yelled, but he also hurt the feelings of Dingo, Tomahawkman, and, most important of all, Lan.
Suddenly, he heard a soft voice through the bathroom door. "Megaman, are you going to be out soon? Breakfast is almost done. Lan has almost finished it all."
Mrs. Hikari's voice was what Megaman needed to hear at a time like this. Her voice was as soothing as the heat from the water impacting his skin. Her voice helped to ease his mind, helping him focus on more important things. Her voice was just an all around soothing aspect of her that he couldn't help but notice every time she talked.
"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute or two."
"Alright. I'll make sure Lan leaves you some pancakes. We don't want you being hungry today."
"Ok. Thanks, Mrs. Hika…I mean…Mom."
"No problem at all, Megaman."
Instead of his thoughts being on what had happened yesterday and today, Megaman's thoughts shifted to how Mrs. Hikari had always told him to call her "Mom." He started to blush slightly, seeing as he seemed to forget about her always telling him that. He finished washing off the soap and shampoo, grabbed a towel, and dried himself off. His clothing wasn't really dirty. And, he just needed to wear them for about 20 minutes while he ate breakfast. He could find something else to wear and change after he was done eating.
He emerged from the bathroom to see Lan standing by the door. Their eyes locked on each other. Megaman's green eyes gave off a look of sorrow, while Lan's brown eyes still gave off a hint of somber in them. He could tell that Lan was still upset about what happened earlier. However, neither of them said a word. They just both looked at each other, and went on their way.
"Here you go, Megaman. I managed to get these 4 pancakes away from Lan before he inhaled them."
"Thanks, Mom."
"No problem, Megaman. Which syrup do you want? We have strawberry, blueberry, and maple."
"Ummm…I'll try maple, I guess."
"Ok, maple it is. Oh, here is a glass of milk. You're going to need something to wash it all down with."
"Thanks."
Megaman looked at the flat pieces of food in front of him. He was hoping they tasted as good as the salads that he normally had. Curry wasn't all that bad for him anymore. He figured that the spices were an acquired taste, one that Lan seemed to have from birth. He drizzled some of the thick syrup onto the pancakes and took a small piece off of the one on top.
"Mmmm!" He loved it! It was yet another food that he enjoyed in the human world. The pancakes along were good, but combined with the flavor of the syrup, it made for something both sweet and filling. Perhaps…even a little too sweet for Megaman's taste, as he grabbed the glass of milk in front of him and downed the liquid.
"It's very sweet," Megaman said, as he finished about one-fourth of the glass of milk.
"That is probably the syrup. It's very rich."
"Yeah. I figured that out just now. Ha-ha."
"Hehe. Go ahead and eat up, Megaman."
Megaman smiled at Mrs. Hikari and did as she told him to. He continued to eat the pancakes until only a little bit of syrup was left at the bottom of the place. Mrs. Hikari took the plate from the table and set it inside the sink, ready to get washed along with the rest of the dishes.
Lan soon came downstairs, fully dressed in his normally attire, and sat on the couch, watching a little bit of the morning news. Megaman briefly looked over at the boy, who seemed to have gotten into a little bit of a better mood since they last saw each other upstairs.
"Oh, Lan. Happy Birthday!" Mrs. Hikari had noticed that her son had come downstairs and walked into the living room.
"Thanks, Mom. I can't wait for Dad to get home later day."
"I'm sure he will. He did say he made arrangements so that he could."
"I just hope something doesn't happen."
"I'm sure your father will be home. With his newest project being tested, I'm sure he'll want to be at home while the testing is being done."
The comment was obviously directed at Megaman, as well as the M-Program he carried within him. Normally, he might have taken a bit of offence to such a comment, but Megaman knew that Mrs. Hikari's comment was only in good nature. He finished what was left of the milk in his glass, set it in the sink, and walked into the living room. After what happened earlier that morning, Megaman didn't feel that he should sit next to Lan on the couch. Instead, he took a seat on the chair and tried his best not to make any eye contact with the boy.
They both sat quietly in the living room, most likely waiting for the other to speak up about the earlier incident. Neither of them seemed to be in a talkative mood. Mrs. Hikari was still in the kitchen, listening to the news reports and doing the dishes, not paying any attention to what the two boys were doing.
"Oh, Lan. Look at the time. You better get going so you aren't late for school."
"Alright, Mom. I'll see you later."
"Goodbye, Lan."
Lan quickly reached beside the couch and grabbed his backpack, which had his inline skate attachments on it. Megaman looked one last time at his NetOp, and his NetOp looked at him. Their eyes tried their hardest not to make contact with the other. However, it didn't take long for Lan to finally look away and head out the front door. He had left his PET in his bedroom, since he decided not to take Megaman with him to school.
"Megaman? You're not going with Lan today?"
"Huh? Ohh…no. I have other plans."
"Other plans?"
Megaman looked at Mrs. Hikari, his demeanor sincere. "Actually, I needed to talk to you."
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"Class, today is a special day for someone here!"
Ms. Mari made this announcement at the beginning of class. She normally said this on the day when someone had their birthday. Today, it was Lan's turn. Yai, Dex, and Maylu know it was. They had known for about 2 years now, Maylu and Dex more than Yai.
Lan was on-time, yet again, today. He heard Ms. Mari's announcement, and his face began to flush red. He couldn't help it. He actually didn't want Ms. Mari to make the announcement, as he wasn't exactly in the mood to have people who he barely talked to wish him a Happy Birthday. He already knew that Yai, Dex, and Maylu were going to wish him a Happy Birthday already, and he didn't want anyone else to. Hell, he wasn't even in the mood to have Megaman wish him a Happy Birthday.
Megaman…
"Everyone, it is Lan's 12th birthday today. Let's all make sure it is a good one!" Ms. Mari's demeanor was very cheerful. Although, everyone in the class knew she got like this when it was one of her student's birthdays. Lan heard a mess of "Happy Birthdays" from various students in the class, not including his three friends. He knew that they would tell him that after school was over.
Lan sank down into his seat. He always hated when his teacher would announce that it was his birthday. Sure, he liked it when people admired him. In fact, he loved it when he was praised for things. However, he didn't see turning another year older as something that needed to be recognized or praised by any means. He was, however, thankful that the announcement was short, as Ms. Mari resumed class like normal. However, Lan could not keep his mind of Megaman.
'What is happening to him?'
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"Here you go, Megaman. 1,000 Zenny should be enough for what you want to get him."
"Thanks, Mom. I'll make sure I get him something that he would really enjoy, something that he would use a lot...like maybe an alarm clock. Hehe."
"Hehe. You always were the funny type, Megaman. But, as long as what you get him is from the heart, I am sure he will appreciate it for as long as he can hold onto it."
"I'll remember that. Thanks again, Mom."
"You're quite welcome, Megaman."
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Megaman had forgotten all about Lan's birthday the night before. If he had remembered, he would have asked Mrs. Hikari for some money yesterday and gotten his gift for Lan right after all of SciLab's tests were done. However, it completely slipped his mind, and now he figured he had to find Lan the perfect gift. He didn't need to find the perfect gift just because it was for Lan. He wanted to find the perfect gift so that he can try to make amends after what happened that morning.
'I still can't believe I actually yelled at him. What is going on here?' Megaman just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with him, and he might have to have the M-Program removed from his NetNavi program. That would devastate Megaman, knowing that he couldn't see Lan anymore until whatever the problem was got fixed.
'No…I can't think like that. I have to keep a positive attitude about it.' Megaman tried to keep his thoughts from going down that path; the path where he would turn into a pessimist more than an optimist. He wanted to make sure that he kept his mind focused on the good that might come from him being in the human world. And, one of those things was being able to walk around, and carry the PET with him when Lan wasn't around…which came in handy, seeing that Lan left the PET at home, probably still upset over the argument him and Megaman had that morning. This gave Megaman the perfect opportunity to do some shopping so he can find Lan a present today.
The NetNavi came across a small shop in downtown DenTech City. It looked to be a kind of hobby shop. Megaman figured it would be the perfect place to find something for Lan. His hobbies were…well…he actually only had one hobby and that was NetBattling. Megaman hoped that the shop had something that might be of interest to Lan, and might help in during a NetBattle.
-ring, ring, ring, ring.-
The sound threw Megaman off, as he took the PET out of his pocket and pulled the viewscreen to his face, making sure an appropriate distance was kept. He looked over the device, seeing if he could spot a button that would activate the cell-phone feature so he could talk to the person on the other end. Then again, this was Lan's PET. Should he really answer Lan's phone? But, on the other hand, Megaman knew everyone that Lan knew. He contemplated his course of action for about a few seconds, and decided to answer. "Hello?"
"Hello? Lan? Is that you?" An image of Commissioner Keifer appeared on the screen. Both Lan and Megaman knew Chief Keifer as their boss. He was the commissioner of the Net Police in Japan, and his offices were in DenTech City. He was a bit of an older man, with a large bald spot on his head that ran from his forehead to just a little bit past the top of his head. He was also a little heavy-set.
"Ummm...Lan isn't here right now."
"Then who am I speaking to?"
"Megaman."
"Megaman? Ohh. I understand. You must be materialized right now."
"Ohh, I am, sir."
"Well, it is good that you are out and about."
"I couldn't agree more, sir."
"However, I was a little concerned when you and Lan didn't show up at my office yesterday. Would you be able to explain why, Megaman?"
"Well…we kind of got a little side-tracked. And…something happened that needed time to cool off."
"What would that be, Megaman?"
"Well…I got really angry and yelled and Dingo and Tomahawkman. And…up until that point, I have never been that angry and anyone before. Actually, I don't think I have ever been angry period up until that point."
"Hmmm…I guess it was a good idea for you and Lan to not come here yesterday, then. Make sure you visit Dr. Hikari and see if he says anything about it."
"I will. Thank you, sir."
The communication ended as Megaman entered the hobby shop in front of him. It had all kinds of different items for all kinds of different hobbies. He could see paint and canvases for those who liked to paint, model airplanes, a small section devoted to a popular trading card game, and an even smaller section devoted to NetBattling. This section caught Megaman's eye. He walked over to the row of shelves and examined the merchandise. There were various items on display; NetNavi Customizer programs, accessory chips, a small assortment of BattleChips, and a program to create NetNavis. Megaman knew what that last program was. It was for people who were very well-versed in programming, and that specific piece of software helped the user to create simple NetNavi programs. There was a more advanced version of the software, but it was only available through the manufacturer.
"Hello there! How can I help you today?" A gentleman had walked up behind Megaman, without him even noticing. He was apparently an employee at the store, as he was wearing a nametag and a uniform. Megaman probably figured he was a salesman and was trying to get him to buy something from the shop
"Oh. Hello."
"Are you looking for anything in particular?"
"Well, my friend's birthday is today, and I need to buy something for him."
"Then look no further! I'm sure we've got whatever your friend wants."
"You do?"
"Of course! And, this section right here has it!"
The salesman was talking about the NetBattler section that had caught Megaman's attention. Like any good salesman, he took noticed of Megaman's interest in the display, and decided that it was right time to pressure him to buy something, preferably the most expensive item.
"Well, Lan is into NetBa…"
"I know EXACTLY what your friend is looking for. Take a look at this beauty! It's the latest in NetNavi Customizer programs! With this new version, he will have even more options in customizing his NetNavi."
"Ummm…I guess that can be good. But, I was thinking more alo…"
"It's not just 'good.' It's 'GREAT!' The options this version gives can make his NetNavi even more powerful than it probably already is."
This wasn't good at all. Megaman was caught in the middle of one fast-talking salesman. If he didn't think of a way to get away from him and out of the store, there would be no way he would be able to find something for Lan. Megaman tried to tune the salesman out for a moment. During that time, he took notice that one of the BattleChip slots was empty. He quickly glanced at it to find out that it was a slot holder for Meteor12 BattleChips. He quickly thought of a plan to get out of the store.
"Hey, I noticed that you don't have any Meteor12 BattleChips out here."
"Meteor12? Ha-ha. I'm sure your friend isn't interested in those. A fully customized NetNavi is what all the top NetBattlers are doing these days."
"Well, that may be true, but if you had 5 Meteor12 BattleChips, I would buy them for sure."
The salesman thought about Megaman's proposal. He figured that selling 5 of the Meteor12 BattleChips would be a bigger sale than selling the latest version of the NetNavi Customizer. He grinned inward at the thought. Now, he had Megaman right where he wanted him.
"Meteor12, you say? I'll check the backroom to see if we have anymore!"
"Thanks. I really appreciate it."
"I'll be right back, sir!"
The man dashed to the back of the store, where he went through a door and into the stockroom. He figured that his customer wasn't a really informed consumer, and he was going to get a lot of money out of him. The man looked through various boxes and found the BattleChip Display box. He opened it up and grabbed 5 Meteor12 BattleChips. Making sure he didn't keep his gullible customer waiting, the man left the stockroom and headed for the NetBattle display. Upon arriving, he found that his customer wasn't near the display. He looked around the store in an effort to find his latest customer, but to no avail.
'Now, where did that kid go?'
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'Glad that is over with. It was a bad idea going there.' Megaman agreed with himself. That hobby shop was a bad idea. At first, it seemed like a good one. However, the salesman that came to help him decided on what to get was way too pushy, and Megaman knew that he wouldn't be able to deal with him. So, instead of trying to deal with it, he tricked the man to go into the stockroom while he got away. It worked like a charm.
He continued to walk down the sidewalk of DenTech City, looking to see if there was a place that he could find something for Lan. Time was starting to run out, as Lan would be out of school for the weekend in about 2 hours. 'Maybe a gift voucher for #1 Curry? I know Lan loves that place, especially now that Dex is the one making the curry.' Megaman figured that he found the perfect gift for Lan…until he remembered he couldn't go in there for a little while. After yelling at Dingo and Tomahawkman yesterday, Megaman was sure that they wouldn't welcome him with open arms unless Lan was there with him.
Megaman sighed as two of his choices were now out of the question. 'Hey! I'm sure I can find some BattleChips for Lan at Higsby's! He probably has some that even Lan doesn't have yet." Megaman began to feel proud of himself, knowing that he now knew the right place to go to get Lan his birthday present. He started to run down the sidewalk so he could get to Higsby's Chip Shop in time before he went to DenTech Academy to wait for Lan.
As he was running down the sidewalk, he noticed a woman in a black trench coat. She seemed to look familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. As he ran past her, he caught a glimpse of her face. She had purple lipstick on and was wearing black sunglasses. Now he remembered. It was Ms. Yuri, Ms. Mari's sister. He decided it wouldn't hurt to say hello.
"Hey, Ms. Yuri."
"Do I know you, kid?"
"It's Megaman."
Ms. Yuri looked at him perplexed. She then spoke up. "You can't fool me that easily, kid. There's no Dimensional Area here, and I am sure that Lan Hikari wouldn't be using an illegal Copyroid."
"But…I am Megaman. I can prove it"
"Then, by all means kid, go ahead."
Megaman didn't want to go back to the Cyberworld with all of the people walking around. It would have made for a very bad incident, and he wanted to avoid that. So, to make things simpler for him and Ms. Yuri, he decided to pull the PET out of his pocket and show it to Ms. Yuri. She looked at the device, and noticed that it had Megaman's Navi symbol on it. She started to believe him, but she still didn't know how.
"So tell me. How are you here?"
"It's because of a program that Dr. Hikari created."
"A program, you say?"
"Yeah. He calls it the M-Program. It allows NetNavis to materialize in the real world, without Copyroids or Dimensional Areas."
"How interesting. And, just how did Dr. Hikari come about making this?"
"I think I remember him saying that he and the other scientists at SciLab found fragments of Shademan's data on the net. When he used the first Rush SynchroChip, data was added to his NetNavi program. Dr. Hikari found that data, wrote it into a program, and came up with the M-Program."
"And you, being the NetNavi of his son, were the first test."
"Actually, it was Chaud and Protoman. However…it didn't turn out well."
After the conversation, Ms. Yuri looked around the immediate area. If Megaman was in the real world, then where was Lan? To her, it was strange that Megaman was in the place that Lan was not.
"Where is Lan? Isn't he always with you?"
"Ummm…well…we kinda had a fight. He's at school right now."
"And, why are you out and about in the city?"
"Well, his birthday is today, and I haven't gotten him a present."
"He's at school, you say? I was actually heading there myself."
"Really? To DenTech Academy?"
"Yeah. Now that Nebula is gone and Duo defeated, I need to make some money. So, I am studying to be a teacher like my sister. I was invited by her to attend a meeting she is going to after school today."
"That's great! I'm glad you are doing better."
"You always were the nice type, Megaman. Just do me a favor, and keep watching Lan's back. Something big is going to happen, and I want you and him to stay alive."
"Huh? What is going to happen?"
Ms. Yuri only chuckled softly to herself and went on her way. Megaman was completely confused as to what she was talking about. But, he did have a few ideas. 'Could she be talking about the UnderNet Mafia? Hmmm…she knows something. I guess I better do what she said and keep my eyes open.'
Megaman continued on his way until he was standing in front of Higsby's Chip Shop. Although Ms. Yuri's warning had shaken Megaman a bit, he still was focused on getting Lan his birthday present. He walked through the door to find Shuuko behind the counter. He didn't see Higsby anywhere. Megaman figured that Higsby was somewhere in the back of the store, or was trying to express his love for Ms. Mari, although he never succeeds in doing that.
"Hello, sir. May I help you?"
"Hi. I'm looking for a BattleChip for my friend."
"Well, then you came to the right place."
Megaman wasn't sure if he should tell Shuuko that he was Megaman or not. He wasn't sure how she would take to the news. After all, being a NetNavi and walking around in the human world wasn't something a person should brag about. And, to top it off, with the UnderNet Mafia out and about, they don't need to know what Megaman looked like outside of the PET. Or else, he might be in for some serious trouble. But, this wasn't some UnderNet Mafia operative. This was Shuuko, one of his friends.
"Is there any specific BattleChip your friend is looking for?"
Megaman had to think about this for a moment. He knew Lan had a very extensive BattleChip arsenal. He wasn't sure if there was a BattleChip that Higsby's sold that Lan didn't already have. And, if there was one that Lan didn't have, it probably was one of the more expensive ones that Megaman didn't have the money to buy at the moment.
"Well, what do you have that I can buy for under 1,000 Zenny?"
"1,000 Zenny? You can check our bargain bin over there. I'm sure will find something there."
"Thanks, Shuuko."
Megaman didn't realize it until he had said it. 'Oh, no. I called her by name. Now, she is going to want to know how I knew…"
However, he was in luck. Shuuko didn't seem to notice that Megaman had called her by name. She just looked forward, and eventually bent down to arrange some of the BattleChips that were displayed in a case below the counter. He was relieved that she didn't take noticed, and started to browse the Bargain Bin. He saw a lot of different BattleChips, from MiniBoomers and CyberSwords, to Cannons and Shotguns. Megaman was a little disappointed, because he knew that Lan had all of those. He knew that he wasn't going to find anything Lan could use here, because Lan already had this stuff. Megaman finally pulled his attention away from the Bargain Bin and decided it was time to leave. Before he could make his way to the door, Shuuko saw him.
"You didn't find what you were looking for?"
"Oh…not really. The Bargain Bin didn't have what I was looking for."
"What were you looking for?"
Now, Megaman was in a bind. He had to think of something before Shuuko thought that he was stealing from the Chip Shop, which he wasn't. His mind started to race with buyable excuses so he could leave. Finally, he thought of a BattleChip that Chaud had, but not Lan.
"I was looking for Muramasa. I had hoped that you had one that wasn't sold for a long time, and might have been in the Bargain Bin."
"Ohh…unfortunately, no. Mr. Higsby wouldn't put such a powerful chip in the Bargain Bin."
"No problem. Thanks for your help."
"Come back again."
Megaman proceeded out the door to the store and was back where he started; still no idea as to what to get Lan, still no idea where to get it, and still running out of time. TIME! Megaman took a look at the PET and found out that he only had 30 minutes before he needed to be at DenTech Academy to walk with Lan down to SciLab. Lan didn't tell Megaman that they should go there after school. However, luckily, Megaman took Chief Keifer's words to heart and decided that he would meet with Lan after school and walk to SciLab from there. So, for both of them, it worked out fine.
Megaman sighed, as he knew that wouldn't be able to find another store and buy something and then meet with Lan in time. With a heavy heart, he decided to give up his search for the day and head down to Lan's school. 'I guess I could look tomorrow while Lan is with his friends. I mean…a late birthday present is better than none, right?'
Megaman couldn't quite answer that question, but kept on his way.
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"Class, before we dismiss today, I want to introduce you to someone. She is very close to me, and she will be taking over the class for the next week."
The classroom was interested now that Ms. Mari had just made an announcement. They were not sure who this person was. Actually, it was a mix of interest and worry. They had never had someone else besides Ms. Mari teach them this year. Having someone else as their teacher worried the students. Lan, Maylu, Dex, and Yai were not sure who this person was either. However, they all knew this person well. They were all in for a real surprise.
"Everyone, I would like you to give a warm, 6th grade welcome, to Ms. Yuri, my twin sister."
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?"
That was Ms. Yuri's cue. She walked in from out in the hall and presented herself to her sister's students. She had since removed her trench coat and sunglasses, placing them in the Teacher's Lounge. She was now wearing a maroon colored t-shirt and black pants. Lan, Maylu, Dex, and Yai were the most surprised of them all. They hadn't seen Ms. Yuri since the Duo incident. Lan, however, was the most vocal about it. He stood up and blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, without even realizing it.
"Ms. Yuri? When did you get back here?"
"There you are, Lan. I was wondering when I would see you. And, to answer your question, I got back a few days ago. Ms. Mari had called me."
"And, you are going to be our substitute teacher?"
"That's right. I am studying to be a full-time teacher, and this is the best way to get some experience."
Ms. Mari made sure that she kept the class under control. "Settle down, everyone. You can ask Ms. Yuri your questions after class." Ms. Mari made sure that her voice was commanding enough to get all of her students to stay in their seats until the bell rang.
-bing, bing, bing, bing-
"Well, everyone. Class is dismissed for the day. Make sure you do your weekend homework!"
The students all got up from their desks and stuffed their backpacks with various textbooks, worksheets, and other assorted school supplies. The weekend homework wasn't hard, but it did require a lot of looking through their textbooks and previous worksheets in order to complete.
Ms. Yuri was still at the front of the classroom. However, somehow, during the chaos of students leaving the classroom, she got Lan's attention. He noticed she was trying to, and he walked to the front of the classroom. He figured she probably wanted to talk about something, but he didn't know what and couldn't figure out what. However, he did approach the front of the classroom and talked with the former Nebula member.
"Did you want to talk to me?"
"Yes, I did, Lan. I saw Megaman today while I was on my way here."
"Really? …What was he doing?"
"He was shopping for something, probably on an errand for your mother."
Although Ms. Yuri wasn't one to be sentimental, she did consider the fact that Megaman may not have wanted Lan to know that he was shopping for his birthday present. So, she decided to lie and say it was an errand that his mother sent him to do. They continued their conversation.
"That's strange. She would have done it herself normally."
"In either case, make sure you keep his M-Program under wraps. You don't want the UnderNet Mafia knowing what he looks like in the human world."
"Wait, did you just say the UnderNet Mafia?"
"I did. They have plans to take care of Megaman in the real world, as well as you. Since they cannot defeat him effectively in the Cyberworld, their only other option is to get rid of him here."
"How do you know all this, Ms. Yuri?"
"Spikeman defeated an UnderNet Mafia NetNavi a few days ago. Before he was deleted, he spilled the beans on their plans. He must have been one of their lower ranked NetNavis, as he was very weak compared to Spikeman."
"Maybe that explains the attack at SciLab two days ago."
"So, they started their operations already. Just be careful, Lan. I don't want to see you or Megaman end up being nothing but tombstones in a graveyard."
"Don't worry about us. We've beaten a lot worse than those bozos before…no offence, Ms. Yuri."
"None taken. Now, head on home."
Lan smiled at Ms. Yuri, who returned the smile, and then left the classroom. 'Oh, great. I should have taken Megaman with me to school today. Now, I have to go back home and get him.' Lan remembered that he left Megaman at home, and his father wanted them both at SciLab right after school. Now, instead of being late to school today, he is going to be late to seeing his Dad.
However, he wouldn't have to walk all the way back home. As Lan left the front doors of the school and entered the courtyard, he spotted Megaman leaning against one of the left pillar that the school gate was attached to. 'Why is he here? Shouldn't he be at home?' Lan couldn't answer the question in his mind. However, Megaman would probably have the answer he was looking for.
Lan approached his NetNavi, who had taken notice of his NetOp's presence. They both looked at each other square in the eye. Megaman still had a sorrowful feeling about yelling at Lan earlier that day. Lan still had a feeling of hurt after the same incident. Neither of them were smiling at each other.
"What are you doing here, Megaman?"
"I got a call from Chief Keifer. He was wondering why we didn't show up at his office yesterday."
"Oh, man! I totally forgot about that!"
"Don't worry, Lan. I settled things with him. He's not mad. I told him about what I did, and he suggested that I go and see your father at SciLab today."
"Oh, yeah. I should have told you that I got a call from Dad this morning. He said for you to go down to SciLab as well."
"Well…I understand that you didn't have time this morning…"
"Yeah…this morning wasn't the best."
Megaman simply nodded in agreement with Lan, and the two starting walking in the direction of SciLab. They both knew that when Dr. Hikari would call them both down to SciLab, it was either really good news or really bad news. In the last few days, it has been a mix of both. Neither of them knew what to expect when they arrived at SciLab. And, neither of them talked to each other the whole way there.
That was about to change.
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"I'm glad you two came here. I discovered something in Megaman's data that you should know."
Dr. Hikari ushered the two boys past the Lobby doors and into the interior of SciLab. They were on their way to the room where Dr. Hikari and the other scientists examined Megaman the day before. The room itself was only a few doors down from the double-doors that went to the SciLab Lobby. Both Megaman and Lan still did not say a word to each other. Dr. Hikari did take note of this, but thought that they were just being quiet. However, Lan broke the silence.
"What did you find?"
"Apparently, new data was entered into his NetNavi program. We weren't sure exactly what it was at first, but I stood here last night and figured it out."
"And, what was it?"
Dr. Hikari looked at the two boys walking behind him. They entered the room, and he turned all his attention to Megaman.
"Megaman…have you been feeling strange lately?"
"Huh? What do you mean by 'strange'?"
"I mean, have you been doing things that you normally don't do?"
"Well…yesterday and today…I got really angry and yelled at people."
"Hmmm…That's what I feared."
"What? Is something seriously wrong with me?"
"Actually, I would have to say that something is seriously right with you. However, how 'right' this is depends on how you control it."
Now, the two boys looked at Dr. Hikari with puzzled looks on their faces. He did like to talk in riddles a lot, and that confused the hell out of both of them. But, the upside is that Megaman would eventually figure out what Dr. Hikari was talking about, and then explain it to Lan later on. However, this time, he didn't understand a single bit about what was going on, and that bugged him a lot. Finally Lan broke the silence.
"What do you mean 'how he controls it'? Is it something serious?"
"It can be. Allow me to explain."
Both Lan and Megaman were now giving Dr. Hikari their undivided attention.
"Well, to start, when we were examining Megaman's data yesterday, we didn't discover anything abnormal in his systems." Dr. Hikari's expression was indifferent at the time. However, he continued on. "We did discover the range of the NetLine, which was a definite plus. However, after everyone else had left and only I was here, I decided to look further into the scan results. While searching through the results, I noticed that they picked up additional data in Megaman's Navi program."
Lan and Megaman still had perplexed looks on their faces. However, Megaman was starting to see where Dr. Hikari was going with this speech.
"It appeared that, since Megaman has entered the real world, he is now experiencing 'real world emotions.' Basically, instead of his normal, pre-programmed emotions he would display while in the net, he can now display other emotions that were not in his original programming."
The two boys looked at each other as the truth finally dawned on them both. Although both of them figured out where Dr. Hikari was going with this explanation, Megaman was the one who would speak what was on his mind, which ended up being right.
"So that explains why I got angry at Dingo and Tomahawkman yesterday."
"This 'Emotion data' as I am calling it, may be the cause of that, yes. Hey, wait a minute. You said that you got angry today as well. Who was that with?"
Megaman and Lan looked at each other. Dr. Hikari took note of this, and he was able to figure it out on his own, without either of the two boys explaining it to him. He looked at both of them and smiled. Megaman looked back at him with a worried expression on his face.
"Dr. Hikari…is there a way for me to control this anger?"
"That's something you will have to figure out on your own. Each person has to keep their own emotions in check their own way. No two people keep their emotions in check the same way. It's something you will have to learn on your own."
Megaman was a little disappointed in Dr. Hikari's answer. He was hoping it was just something that could be removed from him or turned off while he was in the human world. However, it didn't turn out to be that easy. Now, instead of having to just worry about yelling at people randomly, now he had to worry about how to NOT yell at people randomly.
Dr. Hikari walked out of the room and went to another part of the building, getting everything ready so that he could go home for his son's birthday. Megaman and Lan just stood in front of the other and looked at each other. Lan finally knew why Megaman acted like he did. It was just something that he couldn't keep in check at the time, and Lan found that to just be an error. It was just something to be forgiven and forgotten.
Megaman, on the other hand, didn't think it was something that could just be forgiven and forgotten. He still felt a little bad about yelling at his best friend. He knew he would feel like Lan did if Roll, Gutsman, or even Glide or Iceman yelled at him the way that he yelled at Lan.
"Lan…I know I said this before, but I'm so…"
"Megaman, you don't need to say it. It wasn't your fault."
"But, it was, Lan. I was the one who yelled at you. I shouldn't have done that."
"The thing is…you weren't yourself. And, I understand that."
With those words, Lan went up to Megaman and wrapped his arms around the NetNavi, putting him a light embrace. Megaman was taken aback slightly by the sudden change in demeanor, but decided to hug the boy back, seeing that it might prove to be the best way to apologize for his behavior that morning.
The hug lasted for about 7 seconds, as Dr. Hikari returned to the room Megaman and Lan were in. He seemed to be in a little bit of a rush, as though he had forgotten something inside the room, or there was some type of emergency that needed their attention. However, it couldn't have been an emergency, as he didn't have a worried look on his face.
"You two better hurry. We don't want to be late getting home."
"That's right. Maylu and the others are coming over for the party. Yeah. We better hurry!"
Lan was obviously excited. Though, he normally did get excited when he was going to a party of any kind. And, as long as there was food to eat, he didn't care who was there. But now, Megaman was feeling really horrible. All of their friends were going to be there, and Megaman was probably going to be the only one who didn't bring Lan a present. Lan looked at him and saw his emotional state in his eyes.
"Are you ok, Megaman? You look a little down."
"Oh…I'm fine. We better get going."
Right then and there, Megaman couldn't feel any worse than he did, even if he tried.
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Alright everyone! The votes are in, and it appears that the next romantic scene for Lan and Megaman is going to be...-drumroll-...Because it is Megaman's "present" to Lan! Thanks to all who voted (all 3 of you) and another poll will be up shortly. I should have Chapter 10 - "The Perfect Present" up in a day or two.
Just a reminder: Any polls that are created can be found my profile page!