Chapter 1: Dull routine
16:14 PM (Japan Time), Monday December the 5th…
"…And that's all for today. Don't forget to prepare for the end of trimester exams next week."
A teacher walked out of a classroom and it soon filled with noise.
Hikari Netto, aged thirteen, yawned and leaned his chair backwards.
"Today's class sure was monotone." He commented aloud.
"Netto – kun… I thought you were taking middle school seriously!"
Rock Man scolded via the desk's holographic screen.
"But see, Rock Man! One gets bored of routine. I'd almost wish for a pack of Viruses to go wild out there and bust 'em all…" Netto sleepily replied.
"Sheesh! That's not serious!"
"Netto – san is hard to handle! Isn't that right, Saito – kun?" Roll giggled.
Saito gulped and looked over his right shoulder to see her sinister smile.
Glyde, Ice Man and Guts Man had stepped back and gathered on a corner of the half-empty Cyber World classroom.
"Roll – chan! That face! It doesn't suit you, really…" He nervously told her.
"Did you get surprised at me winning the annual Halloween Contest?"
"You had a knack for it."
"Netto…"
"Meiru – chan. What's up?"
Sakurai Meiru appeared in front of Netto.
"Enzan – kun and ya keep on meeting once a week…"
"What's the problem? We have Net Battles; we see videos or read manga… He's trying to be friendlier with everyone, too…"
"You wouldn't happen to be telling him how to shoo Yaito – chan away every time she shows up around him?"
Let's make it look like it's something along those lines…
"Who knows?" He improvised.
"You do, Netto. I'm sure a bird will end up telling me!"
"A bird…?"
"Should I say a "star – bird" instead?" Meiru teased.
"Star – bird… Wait. Where have I heard that before?"
Netto frowned and brought a hand to his chin.
"Don't you mean Eboshi Shuuichi – kun? His surname has both the tori and hoshi Kanji on it… Thus, it's read as "Eboshi"…"
Hikawa Tooru stepped into the talk.
"Magicians know it all."
"I think you're mistaking it with Miyuki – san…" Netto sighed.
"Whatever… It's already 16:15. Let's move out."
"Okay, Mistress…"
Netto rolled his eyes.
"That's better!"
"Man. Meiru – chan is getting scarier." Hikawa whispered to Netto.
"True." Ayanokouji Yaito whispered.
"Man…" Ooyama Dekao sighed in defeat.
"Be glad Mr. Glasses fixed your gorilla!"
"Sheesh! Don't make fun of Meijin – san! You mean that he fixed Guts Man, whose behavior had become wild!"
"Wilder than a wild PKMN!"
16:29 PM (Japan Time)…
"… So? What's up, Meijin?"
"The usual stuff…"
Hinoken was speaking with Meijin as he dropped by the restaurant.
"At least we caught that pyromaniac… But I feel unsatisfied. I'd like to go and settle it with Freeze Man once and for all!" Hinoken muttered.
"Not again…" Madoi sighed.
"Hinoken! Vengeance is not our road to walk upon." Maha Jarama warned.
"No! It's terrible!"
Count Elec ran in from the storeroom, impressed by something.
"What's up, Elec?" Hinoken asked.
"My God! They cancelled the upcoming new season of Unbelievable Truth because the presenter caught the flu! You idiots! Find a temporary replacement!" He exclaimed.
"Oh! Did they?" Dr. Regal, sitting with them, asked.
"They did, Mr. Customer!" Count Elec exclaimed.
"Count Elec… I thought I'd introduced him to you." Dr. Wily grumbled.
"Dr. Wily – sama! That's This gentleman was…" Count Elec gasped.
"My name is Regal. I am King Land researcher! My specialty is super energy. I'm one of the inventors." He introduced himself.
"Oh! A countryman! Nice!" He grinned.
"By the way, your name was…" Elec Man began asking.
"Laser Man."
"I'm Elec Man. It's good to see a countryman around here."
"Indeed."
"He sounds scary."
"Dr. Regal is assisting us Science Labs in various projects such as the tracking and disabling of any remaining "Nebula Dimensional Converters" used by criminal parties." Meijin told Hinoken.
"By the way… Hinoken. Forget about Freeze Man already!
"At last!" Fire Man muttered.
"The ghost of the past roams around Hinoken!" Colored Man giggled.
"So it may seem." Magic Man merely replied.
The door opened and Dingo stepped in, exhausted.
He had some cuts and scratches on his legs and clothes, too.
"Dingo! What happened?" Maha gasped.
"This guy tried to make a shortcut through a forest but he forgot the bushes there have needles and they stick to your clothes."
"I thought I was going north!"
"No. You were going east."
"That's why I want my tomahawk back, Maha! That compass thing only gets me lost!" Dingo protested.
"Your stubbornness makes you get lost. I could've perfectly pointed out the way but you made me shut up the whole time!"
"Impatience leads to disgraces, runt!"
"Dr. Wily…! That's not funny! Is this a "Boycott Dingo Club" or what?"
Dingo leant both punches on the sides of the body and glared at Wily, who merely smirked.
"No. This is the "Pirate Club"..." He laughed.
"Damn. I'm cursed! I just know it!"
"Be rational, Dingo!"
17:05 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Welcome to Narita International Airport. The current temperature is 8 degrees Celsius. The current time is 17:05 PM. We hope you have enjoyed travelling with us."
A plane touched down on Narita International Airport and the passengers clapped to celebrate the arrival.
It reduced speed and taxied over to a finger access, where it stopped.
"Hmpf… Finally…"
One passenger was a man on his 30s, around a meter and eighty tall.
He had black hair, a thick black moustache and brown eyes.
He wore a gray T – shirt, black jeans and white sneakers.
He also carried a navy blue Link PET with a stylized red "G".
He climbed out of his seat, grabbed an attaché case on the compartment above his head and left the plane.
He walked through passport control and retrieved a suitcase.
He put on a brown hat once he was on the main lobby.
He walked out of the airport building and spotted a taxi so he signaled for it and it halted next to him.
"Taxi! Go to the New Otami Hotel, please."
He announced in English with a bit of a foreign accent.
"Roger."
The taxi moved away while the man rummaged on his pants' right pocket and took out a paper with a phone number written there.
"Hmpf. Time to contact…"
He wrote a message with the PET and sent it.
"Excellent…!"
17:18 PM (Japan Time)…
"Man! I'm beaten!"
Charlie Airstar walked inside of his apartment and sat down on the sofa.
"What… Did you have to carry a whale today? Charlie?"
Tesla Magnets laughed at her own joke while Airstar rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat once again.
"Laugh, Tesla! I had to carry a guy speaking about the economics in Italy with a funny Italian accent! I was wishing he shut the trap already…"
"Italians never know when they have to stop talking."
"Do you need anything, Tesla, dear?"
Gauss Magnets, wearing his white apron and cap, walked in.
He was eagerly rubbing his hands.
"Please bring me some Tabasco, Father." She requested.
"Tabasco…? Understood."
Gauss left and returned a minute later with a Tabasco bottle in a round metal platter.
"Here's the Tabasco you requested, dear."
"Excellent."
Tesla opened the bottle and walked to in front of Airstar, who was glaring at the ceiling.
She shook the bottle so that some drips dropped into his tongue.
"HOT! HO~T!"
He grabbed his throat with both hands, yelled, and ran off at top speed.
"Tesla! That was over the board, my sweetheart!"
"He needed it! He needs more energy." Tesla laughed.
17:25 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Nenjirou! Come out already…"
"Hmpf! Don't wanna!"
Rokushakudama Nenji was trying to speak with Napalm Man.
He'd crossed his arms, annoyed.
"Ya overwork me, Nenji! I'm not a servant!" He growled.
"Nenjirou! Be reasonable!"
"I AIN'T NENJIROU~!" Napalm Man roared.
The PC screen heated up and Rokushakudama gasped as he stepped back from it while Napalm Man's close-up face showed up onscreen.
"Go hire an automated Navi! But I'm tiring of ya overworking me! We've been like this for over a year already!" Napalm Man told him.
"Okay, okay! I won't overwork ya! Can we at least finish the new fireworks I thought of?"
"Thinkin' is like a headache to ya!" Napalm Man taunted.
"Wha~t?"
"That's the face I wanna see!"
"This grunt…!" Rokushakudama grumbled.
"Howls like a wolf at the stew!"
"Wha!? When do wolves howl at the stew?"
"'Cause it reeks of gunpowder!"
"Oh come on! I've never mixed gunpowder with food, man!"
"Ya never know! Maybe it's your newest experiment!"
"Sheesh! It ain't funny, man! Get serious, man!
"Too bad! I'm inspired! HMPF!"
17:40 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Hullo, Rock Man."
"Thunder Man!"
"Did you manage to disband those creeps in Heaven's Town?"
"The only problem is…"
Rock Man and Thunder Man met in an Internet City street.
Rock Man was animated but Thunder Man looked defeated, for once.
"Don't tell me…" Netto sighed.
Raoul's window opened and he appeared, wearing the disco disguise on and crossing his arms.
"Big brother has arrived! It's party time!"
He aimed his arms towards the right.
"I knew it." Netto grimly muttered.
"There you are, Rock Man! Thunder Man, too! What a coincidence!"
Blues walked up towards them, animated.
"Buruusu. You came to arrange for the week's training day?"
"Blues. Nice seeing ya again…" Thunder Man smiled.
"Isn't that…?" Enzan asked.
"Little brother has arrived! The Disco Duo will shake the ground with the newbie guys on it! Rock n' Roll!" Raoul grinned.
"That again…" Enzan looked defeated.
"Enzan! Bring out Blues' disguise and I'll bring out Thunder Man's one! We've been invited to this year's world yelling tournament! Oh yeah!"
"What!"
"No way…"
"Way. It's the truth. It happened back during our investigation on "Asteroid" Cold Man." Blues admitted.
"Even though Blues beat me by 10 points on the local competition, we became sort of a rumor." Thunder Man rolled his eyes.
"A party in the midst of the street… You amuse me, by Takeda!"
A sheet covering the wall of a building came off and revealed Shadow Man.
"Miyabi! Nice seeing cha 'round 'ere again… Wanna go sweep the floor with the creeps on it?" Raoul told him.
"Why not… I could show them the items of my ninja collection which I have begun." Dark Miyabi amusedly replied.
"Ninja collection…" Netto whistled in surprise.
"Miyabi started it time ago."
"A~nd… Start! Dance! Shake! Climb! Fall! Run! Jump! Kick! Punch! Come at me, you ugly creeps! I'm gonna make ya disguise as hounds and set the hunters on your trail!"
Raoul began to dance accompanied by DJ music.
Rock Man lowered his gaze and made a grimace as he closed both fists.
Netto looked away and closed his eyes as well.
"Crap." Both Enzan and Blues muttered.
"… Enzan. Wednesday. Bye." Netto icily muttered.
"… Wednesday. Later." Rock Man icily muttered as well.
Rock Man exited the area and Netto ended his transmission, surprising both Thunder Man and Shadow Man.
"Raoul! You screwed it up! Stop acting like an idiot!"
"… What?"
Raoul stopped his show, surprised.
"…"Hunter"… Hunter Man." Shadow Man guessed.
"So that's what it was about." Miyabi muttered.
"Like you'd guessed…" Blues sighed.
"Hunter Man is a taboo for them. If Rock Man was almost killed by it, that's nothing compared to how he destroyed Netto's right arm and forced him to stay out of Net Battling for a whole month. It was hard enough for him to bear with it and not try to recklessly charge in and get himself killed."
Enzan sighed and closed his eyes.
"I see. They wish to defeat them to toss them into jail for their crimes."
They didn't see someone leaning against the wall close by and listening.
The shadow of a tall building hid them.
"You had to come up with that word of all words!" Thunder Man scolded.
"I'm sorry. I never wanted to stir up that memory."
Raoul took out the wig and sunglasses and looked repented.
"In any case… I'm off to talking with Search Man. Later."
"Raoul! Try to be careful next time." Enzan requested.
"I get the lesson…"
"I'll go speak with Yuriko. Later."
"Not in the mood to fool around this time…" Shadow Man muttered.
"Speaking of which, keep an eye on Higure too. The guy might do something stupid and cause an unnecessary fuss!"
"… I need time to think how to apologize to them." Raoul sighed.
"Alright. That's the important part."
"I know. Damn it. I got carried away… Were it not for those cowards! I'm so eager to catch them!"
17:51 PM (Japan Time)…
"Don't worry about it, niisan. It's not like I'll be an idiot and try to seek revenge."
"That relieves me, otouto."
Saito stood in front of Netto in the real world bedroom.
He'd taken out the helmet and let his bright hair loose, which was neatly combed.
"I know…"
Netto sat on the bed and looked at the ground while Saito sighed.
"I'm… going to rest a bit. Please wake me up if I'm not awake by 18:30 hours…" Netto slowly announced.
"Alright. Some rest will do you fine, otouto. I'll be cleansing downstairs, so… Take it easy." Saito made a weak smile.
Netto took out his slippers and laid face-up on the bed.
He began to articulate his fingers in a slow and methodical manner.
He closed them to touch his palm and then articulated the wrists.
He continued with the elbows and ended with the shoulders.
His face relaxed and his breathing eased as well.
"… Later."
He fell asleep as Saito exited the bedroom to climb downstairs.
Their mother was sitting on the sofa and reading a cooking magazine as she hummed a melody.
"Mama. I'm going to wax the kitchen. Is that alright?" Saito announced.
"Go ahead." Haruka encouraged.
Saito put on a white apron over his bodysuit and began to use the mop to wax the kitchen while humming a tune.
18:02 PM (Japan Time)…
"… I see. Nothing, then?"
"No. Laika – sama is starting to run out of patience."
"No wonder."
Blues was speaking with Search Man, who looked tired.
"I tried an approach like Golden Star's HQ riddle… But there are lots of place out there the names of which translate as "Three Hills"! I can't narrow down if it's in Japan, Asia, Europe or the Ameroupe continents! There's no way to guess where that place is at." Laika grumbled.
"I tried the same approach, too… No dice. And even if we caught those two, I wouldn't be surprised if Ivan and Sergei suddenly surface to rescue them from the reformatory."
"If only Yamikawa bothered to be helpful… I'm sure the guy has known all along and he's holding back to make us sweat and laugh at us by saying "I'm a genius"…"
"I get that same feeling, too. What can you expect of someone who's been stuck there for 15 years and was forced to even kill his own father?"
"I better not provoke the guy, then." Laika grimly muttered.
"No. I don't want another beat-up by that Solo guy." Blues muttered.
"I don't want to have to go through those Temples again, either. They were a nightmare." Search Man sighed.
"That tip-off sending me to Barcelona was probably them, too."
"Sheesh! They really tricked us! To think they sent a fake picture to make us believe "torres" meant "hills"…!" Blues grumbled.
"I know! And we were so gullible to fall for it!"
"Sheesh! Why does this always happen to us!?"
"I'd like to know that, too!"
18:08 PM (Japan Time)…
"… So! That's how Netto got the wound. Nice catch, Roll. He went ahead pretending he'd slid down a hill in an accident."
"But something in the air bothers me, Meiru – chan."
Roll was telling Meiru what she'd found out.
Meiru was worried and Roll was unsure.
Is it me or is something going to happen? Roll wondered.
Meiru looked at a piano music sheet set on her desk.
"I shouldn't be acting so selfish, really… I keep on trying to play the tomboy and all but…" She muttered.
"Calm down, Meiru – chan! Let's not get nervous. Try the piano."
"Guess so…"
She placed the music sheet on the shelf and began to practice a melody but that didn't shake off her gloomy mood.
"… Is it me or there's some air current?" She suddenly asked.
"No. All sensors say the windows are properly closed."
Meiru stood up and began to walk across the house checking all windows and making sure they were locked.
"Guess my nerves are playing games with me! But I've got a bad feeling for some reason or another! Netto… Are you going to face danger again…? Can't I help you…?"
"Saito – kun… Sheesh… Why do I feel so powerless?"
"Can't be helped. It's sequels of what happened…"
"Sorry. I needlessly brought it up…"
"Don't mind it. That wasn't in purpose. I feel the same, too."
"I know… Sheesh… How do we get rid of this gloomy mood?"
