Sapphire-blue eyes... Silvery hair...
That's how Charity describes me as. She seems to be a nice and strong girl in my eyes. There's something slightly sparky about her personality. I guess I could describe Charity as a small flame that can burst into a strong fire.
Iris, on the other hand... I remember her as though she was a quiet brook that would flow for miles.
And that woman... Kalinka Cossak. I never knew that my grandfather, Mikhail Cossak, would actually have a biological daughter. And I don't remember Mother and Father ever telling me about Ms. Cossak... I wonder if my parents ever knew about her...
Unfortunately, I can't ponder for too long as Charity pulls me and Patch by the wrists. I'm amazed that Charity can find her way around SciLabs all by herself. She manages to take us outside of the SciLabs' doors and lets go of our wrists. Then, she takes out her thin pink PET, and I hear her talking to her Navi to get something called the "limousine" ready.
...Oh, wow...
I can't believe my own eyes! So, this is what the human world really looks like! And here I thought SciLabs was really different from the cyber world! I guess the human world has changed a lot over the years...
There's a large square area where there are other people walking around. There are also trees in some places. I see a couple eating something as they talk to each other in the bench. And then there's a group of people walking around or standing in front of a large statue in the square. Looks like the leader of the group is talking about the statue. Some of the people seem to be taking pictures... And is that an artist over there who's painting the statue...?
Oh! And beyond the square, there's a wide road that seems to go a long way. There are quite a lot of cars going in both directions. I look up and see that there are so many tall buildings with sea-blue glass shimmering in the afternoon sun. They're beautiful... The buildings remind me of the cyber world, yet these buildings don't seem to be as tall as the towers in the cyber world. Unlike the cyber world, there aren't any floating cyber roads in the sky or flashing holographic advertisements either. Most of the advertisements I see are in these screen monitors that are integrated in some of the buildings' walls.
And the sky... As I look up at the sky right now, the sunlight is really bright. I shield my eyes from the bright golden beams. The puffy, white clouds look like giant pillows that anybody could sleep on forever...
...Oh! A long, black car is coming up to the roadside! There's a man in a dark suit and hat coming out from it and is greeting Charity. So, that long, black car must be a limousine...
Charity grabs both mine and Patch's wrists again and drags us into the limousine. As I step inside, I'm awed to see the spacious interior. When I sit down, the seats are very comfy. There's even a... how do I describe it... a polished and sophisticated smell that's fit for a limousine that looks brand new and clean.
Before we get on, Charity goes in first to get something. Then, she comes back out of the limousine and hands me a pair of pink croc shoes for me to wear. She says that it wouldn't be safe to walk barefoot, so the crocs will have to do for now. I nod in agreement and put them on before I get into the limousine.
Charity tells her butler to drive to the Den Tech Mall, and the butler nods in affirmation. I feel the car starting to move and soon enough the scenery starts to change as we travel down the road. I see more cars of all shapes and colors passing by. There's even several giant ones that Patch says are called "buses". People and even Navis are walking along and across the streets, too. I nearly fall into a daze as I look at the changing scenery that's beyond the window...
Eventually, the 3 of us make it to the DenTech Mall. I was speechless as I stared at the colossal building. It was practically 5 stories tall! The building looked like it would take up many acres of the area. The parking lot areas were even larger...
Charity, Patch and I all get out of the limousine. As we head towards the entrance, I can sense the people staring at us and hear their murmurs...
"What is the daughter of the Blaze president doing walking with that scrawny boy...?" A woman whispers.
"Since when did they start doing charity work for the poor?" A teenage boy snickered.
"Looks like even the Hikari family brainwashes young children to become scientists!"
"Hey, look at that white-haired dude over there... He looks like a lab rat! Get it? Hahahah!"
...I notice that Patch and Charity become apprehensive and walk with me on each side. I realize I was only wearing an oversized lab coat over me and nothing else. I have a feeling that Charity and Patch are trying to usher me into the mall as fast as possible to avoid embarrassment...
When we get inside, I apologize to them for causing them trouble, but they just smile and reassure that it's alright. I smile back in relief.
We manage to find a clothing store for "tweens". I'm not sure what that word means, but most of the clothing I've seen would fit Charity, Patch or me. I guess that means we're tweens then.
Charity rushes into the boys section of the store and starts digging around to find suitable clothes. She takes a quick glance at each article of clothing before she flips to the next. Patch just stands around and looks lazily at the clothes. He tells me that girls are shopaholics and love nothing but clothes. Charity denies adamantly with a huff and continues searching.
I start looking at the aisle and look at each clothing intently. There are shirts and pants of many different colors and styles. There are shirts that are short-sleeved or long-sleeved. There are also pants and shorts, too. Some of the pants even have ripped holes in them!
I'm interrupted by Charity who pokes my shoulder from behind. I turn around, and gawk as I see her arms filled with many shirts and pants. Charity then drops them at a nearby bench and her eyes were shining with a mischievous glare and had a creepy smile.
"Which one would you like to try on first...?"
I break out in a cold sweat as to how I could answer Charity's question.
"I told you that girls love clothes." Patch states.
"Fine, then." Charity huffs. "But, Baritone will have plenty of options to choose from with these. Oh... and p-pick his underwear f-for him, Patch."
"Hey, d-don't say that out loud!" Patch stutters.
"J-Just hurry up and get Baritone w-what he needs!" Charity snaps.
Patch grumbles and does what Charity asks. He looks around a bit before he finds a plain white underwear and shows it to us. Charity covers her eyes in disgust.
"Ew! I don't wanna see a guy's underwear!" Charity squeals.
"You asked for it, so there." Patch retorts.
"Just give me the price tag, and get Baritone to wear it! And be sure that he still has the lab coat on!" Charity demands.
...After the underwear scenario, Charity hands me the mountain of clothes that she found for me and tells me to go to the dressing room to try them out.
At first, I was hesitant to try putting an outfit on... and there were a few mishaps, but the process later became a routine. I tried on each clothing in different combinations until I found the one I was most comfortable with. Sometimes Patch couldn't help but burst out laughing. Charity would whack him whenever he did laugh.
Eventually, I settle on a white, long-sleeved shirt with a blue stripe that runs down vertically in the middle of my shirt. My blue jeans extend down a little beyond my ankles and my dark blue shoes cover my once bare feet. I smile at myself as I look in the mirror. I come out of the dressing room and tell them that I like this outfit.
"Hmmm..." Charity muses as she walks around me and examines my wardrobe. My eyes follow her motion a bit nervously.
"I like it! It really suits you, Baritone!" Charity exclaims excitedly.
"You look really 'cool'." Patch comments with a friendly grin.
"OK, time to buy these clothes!" Charity says as she takes me by the wrist and drags me to the front where a person whom humans call a "cashier" is standing. I hear Patch calling out to Charity to wait so he can catch up with us.
I didn't realize that in the human world, they have to buy things and pay for them. I always content with everything that I had when I was with Mother and Father. I wonder where humans get money...?
Well, when the transaction is done, the 3 of us start heading out the clothing store and walk into a square plaza in the mall. Patch suggests that we should go get ice cream. Charity agrees as well. I, on the other hand, am clueless as to what ice cream is.
"It's a cold, sweet dessert that's really good!" Patch explains as he approaches an ice cream shop and asks for 3 cones. He turns around and asks what flavors we want.
"I want strawberry!" Charity says.
"Uhm... What kinds of flavors are there?" I ask.
"Well, there's vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cookies 'n cream..." Patch just goes on in the list.
"Uh... I'll try... vanilla..." I answer nervously. Patch responds with an OK and gets the 3 ice cream cones. He hands us our cones and starts licking his chocolate ice cream.
I hesitantly lick my vanilla ice cream, and the cold sensation sends goosebumps on my body. The memories of the cold Copybot room return in a snap. But then... the taste... It's different... It's sweet and good. The ice cream tastes really good...! I like it!
When we finish our ice cream, we start walking around once more until we come across something called a "Net Battle Plaza". Lots of people are crowding around in this huge area as they gather around some of the Net Battle domes where people can battle each other. I see 2 people in the central dome are using their Navis to fight. Later, the Net Battle Arena system's intercom announces in a monotone voice:
"Winner is Max Ogreon and ."
The small crowd around the central battle dome then shout and scream in joy as the lights shine down upon a blonde boy with cold green eyes. I notice that Patch gets worked up at the excitement and becomes determined to battle the blonde guy. As much as Charity tries to stop Patch, he manages to step into the arena and climb up to the platform to challenge the blonde boy.
"Uuuugh! Patch is such an idiot!" Charity grumbles as she slaps her palm onto her forehead.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Patch received his first Net Navi JUST today, right? Yet, he's about to battle a high-level Net Operator! Max Ogreon is well known for being a powerful Net Op. Patch is way out of his league! Sometimes, I just don't understand boys." Charity grumbles and shakes her head.
"Oh..." I respond as I watch curiously at Patch and Max as the battle begins to unfold.
"Alright, Max! Today, I can finally battle you and your Navi!" Patch exclaims.
"You?" Max responds disdainfully. "You're a complete amateur. Go play with the other shrimps."
"You just wait and see." Patch retorts as he jacks in his Navi, Megaman Junior, into the battle dome.
"Don't say I didn't warn you. Jack-in. Sterling. Power up!" Max sends his Navi into the battle dome as well.
The contestants are depicted on a holographic screen that shines above the dome for all the people to see. I take a look at Max's Navi, Sterling. His Navi seems to have a similar body build as Patch's Navi, Junior. But, I notice that Sterling is slightly taller than Junior and has these long arms and large hands. His large forearm and gauntlets look as powerful as an elephant's. Sterling also has a ponytail of 5 rings attached to the back of his head.
As soon as the intercom announces the start of the battle and the loud buzzing noise goes off, the 2 Net Battlers and their Navis fight. As the battle goes on, I begin to realize that what Charity said was right...
Max's Navi starts off with a powerful quake attack and a couple of shockwaves rush toward Junior. Patch fumbles as he tries to operate his Navi. I hear Patch panicking as he tries to operate Junior in the Net Battle.
"Ch-Charity! How do I operate Junior? Th-There's no directional pad on this PET! And where are the Battle Chips? Wait... I don't even have any Battle Chips! Aaaargh!" Patch exclaims in panic.
I look at Charity and she only responded with a gasp. Her face portrayed wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Then, I hear the crowd laughing hysterically. Oh, no... Something tells me this is going to end very badly...
I look back up at the holographic screen to see how the battle was going. Junior was unable to dodge Sterling's Shockwave attack and was hit. Before Junior could even recover from his recoil, Sterling makes a punching gesture... and his arm stretches across the battle field! His flying hand curls into a fist and hits Junior in the stomach. Sterling's outstretched hand and arm then retracts back to normal length.
Junior gets tossed backwards and grunts as he collapses onto the floor in pain. At this point, I feel very bad for Patch and Junior being beaten by Max and Sterling...
"Patch you're an absolute idiot for challenging me to a Net Battle. You're an insult to an elite Net Battler like me. Sterling, show them who they're messing with!" Max commands. Sterling obeys silently and charges at Junior.
Junior could only shield himself with his forearms as Sterling pummels him hard with powerful punches. He looks like he won't be able to last much longer...
Junior flies backwards after taking so many punches from Sterling. I hear Patch helplessly call out to his Navi to get back up on his feet. Unfortunately, Junior looks too tired to even try sitting up...
"Sterling, finish 'em!" Max orders. Sterling nods and starts walking towards Junior with a clenched fist.
Just as Sterling is within a few yards away from Junior, I hear Charity logging her Navi into the Net Battle dome:
"Jack-in, ! Power up! Blossom, protect Megaman Junior!"
The pink floral Navi stands between Sterling and Junior with her arms outstretched to protect Junior.
"Now, now. Sterling, that's no way to Net Battle. Bullying is a no-no." Blossom says in a playful tone and wiggles her index finger sideways.
Sterling ignores and continues to walk towards her and Junior. Blossom's tone becomes much more serious. Her green eyes glare at Sterling like an angry cat.
"Don't push me, Sterling. I can turn nasty if you force me to. You already had your fill, so you log out and have fun gloating with your Net Op about your victory. There's nothing more to win in this battle anyway."
Meanwhile, Charity steps up to the Net Battle Dome platform and confronts Max to stop the NetBattle.
"Why should I stop the NetBattle? It's his own fault for not knowing his place. I'm just correcting his mistake, that's all." Max argues nonchalantly.
"Fine, then...!" Charity snatches Patch's PET from his limp hands. Patch was just crestfallen and speechless at this point. Charity manually logs Junior out and then her own Navi.
"Megaman has logged out of the Net Battle arena and forfeits the match. Max and wins." The monotonous intercom announces. I hear a cacophony of cheers and laughter in the crowd.
"There. Happy now, Max? You won the Net Battle, so buzz off." Charity retorted.
"Tch, if you dare get in my way, you'll only end up getting beaten." Max argued.
"Tell that to my dad, prissy boy." Charity taunted as she turned around and took Patch by the arm and led him down the platform.
After the crowd dissipated, I go to Charity and Patch's side and see how they are doing. Charity doesn't say a word to Patch. Poor Patch... He's a sad sight to see. His head was down in shame as he stared at his PET. I faintly hear him whispering an apology to his Navi. He then wipes his face, takes a deep breath, and lifts his head up with a smile.
"Hey, so now that that's over, wanna go to the arcade? I hear they got some sweet racing games there. I'm gonna head there to play if you guys need me." Patch smiled and jogged over towards the arcade.
"...He doesn't want to admit it..." Charity sighed when Patch was far enough to not hear her. "He's probably crying in the inside. Wanna follow him to the arcade?"
"Um, sure." I reply. I start walking with Charity towards the arcade when I notice someone pass me by.
Wait... Is that... Iris? I wonder why she's here...? My feet act faster than my mind as I start running towards her. I zigzag left and right to avoid bumping into people, but unfortunately I end up crashing into the same guy with the blonde hair. The recoil sends me falling to the ground on my behind.
Max glares down at me and I could only stare back anxiously...
"Watch where you're going." Max growls as he turns and walks away. I let out a sigh of relief. Charity dashes to my side.
"Hey! What were you doing running around like that?" Charity asks.
"Sorry, I-I saw Iris pass me by and..." I stutter as I try to explain.
"Oh, you must be talking about the Iris Clones. They not only make repairs in the cyber world but they also assist people and Navis in the human world in case there are accidents or injuries." Charity explained.
"Oh... So, that Iris was a Clone..." I muttered.
"What?" Charity didn't hear what I said. I smile and tell her it was nothing to worry about.
"Well, let's catch up with Patch and play some games." Charity smiled as she took my wrist and helped me get back up to my feet. We headed towards the arcade where Patch was.
...In my mother's mental network, I could only see and touch things. I could never really smell or taste anything that existed in the rooms of my mother's mind world. I never realized the human world could offer such vivid experiences. The sights, the hearing, the smell, the taste, the touch... and even the experience of pain and fear...