Chapter 7: Mystery
08:13 AM (Japan Time), Sunday December the 11th…
"… So… Hikari and his companion are fine?"
"They are."
Miyabi was speaking with Commissioner Kifune.
"Sakurai – kun had come because she wanted to speak with Misaki – kun! She saw him going into the parking and followed him, but she witnessed how Hunter Man stepped into the car! That's how she guessed what Obihiro was planning. She took advantage of his distraction to sneak into the trunk and hide there." Kifune explained.
"I see. Ijuuin almost cornered the guy but he gave him the slip… A Net Police team is searching the surroundings of the car trying to guess where he ran off to…"
"We've got one slight problem! The mercenary, Maximo Pistola, won't speak anything else than Italian. We tried English but he only knows four or five words."
"I know Italian. And Shadow Man can give me a hand translating."
"A lapdog of the Grim Reaper… It might be hard to handle, even."
"Let's go see him."
"Come this way."
They entered a room where the mercenary (the man who'd been in a plane a few days ago), handcuffed, was sitting on a chair.
"Parlare." Miyabi commanded.
("Speak.")
"Tu sere Italiano?"
("You're an Italian?")
"Antico mercenario…"
("Former mercenary...")
"Non paresere Italiano..." The guy frowned.
("You don't like an Italian.")
"Dove estare quello uomo que dare la pasta a ti? El uomo di la otra notte!"
("Where's the guy who paid you? The guy from last night...")
"Io solo conocere un uomo por telefono! Si nombre sere Luigiano di Milano! Quello uomo dare la pasta a mi!"
("I only met one man via the phone! His name is Luigiano from Milano! He gave me the money!")
"Io capire. Non sabere il cognome di quello Luigiano di Milano?" He tried questioning nex.
("I understand. You don't the surname of that Luigiano from Milano?")
"No!"
"Tu estare di verita disposto a disparare a quello ragazzo?"
("Where you really disposed to shoot that boy?")
"E io acere me ofizio!"
("I'm only doing my job!")
Miyabi yanked him from the neck and lifted him while he directed one of his deadly glares at him.
"Fanatico assassino...! Matare a un uomo adulto sere una cosa. Matare a un ragazzo sere immorale!"
("You fanatic assassin! Killing an adult is one thing. Killing a boy is immoral!")
"Pero la pasta…!"
("But the money…!")
"Tu anare a la prizione di Italia. E non sortire mai."
("You'll go to a jail in Italy. And you won't ever come out.")
Miyabi let go of him and walked out of the room.
"How was it like?" Commissioner Kifune asked.
"He was hired via the phone. The one that hired him went by the name of Luigiano from Milano. But it may be an alias Obihiro made up."
"What happened? You seemed to have gotten into a nasty discussion."
"He admits he wouldn't have cared shooting either Hikari or that girl. He'd do it for the money: a fanatic assassin."
"We're already arranging with the Interpol for his extradition to Italy."
"Excellent. I'll go and have a look around the area Obihiro vanished from… Although… I doubt finding anything."
"Good. Have a good morning."
"Goodbye!"
"Shadow Man. What kind of joke have you designed with this time around?" Miyabi asked with a hint of suspicion.
"Who knows? Maybe I was gonna say that the man reeked of Grim Reaper's breath?"
"Navis can't smell! I admit I was going to do it for money, but I realized it was pointless. Maybe Hikari is a Lord's container, after all. Luck seems to favor him wherever he goes! I guess I'll get another free curry voucher from out his pockets like if I was a magician."
"Magician… Very funny, Miyabi." Shadow Man drily replied.
"But I guess the Bronze Sword guys must be feeling the effects of your ninja curse on them. Isn't that right?"
"Obihiro will catch the flu and will end up bedridden for a whole week."
"That'd be fitting…"
"Let's shave their guts!"
00:49 AM (Spain Time)…
"… So! Do you have any ideas?"
"… I do."
Sidier was speaking with the "guest", hidden in an unlit corner, and emitting a pale blue glow.
"You could build a new weapon." The "guest" suggested.
"A weapon… Can you be a bit more specific?" Sidier asked.
"A machine with onboard AI that will allow it to analyze the combat patterns of a foe and then strike back… Are you getting the idea by now?"
"Emperor S – sama. What do thou think about it?"
"It sounds interesting!" Yamikawa replied.
"A weapon capable of fighting back any adversary… It sounds like a new revolution on the field!" Kagehi sounded eager.
"Grave Joker DS would love to have one of those." Kuroumi joked.
"It'd seem that there is a general consensus! Wait for some hours for Obihiro and Hunter Man to wake up and then we'll handle the details… Deal?" Sidier told him.
"Gladly… By the way… Did you still find no record of me?"
"No. There wasn't anything on June the 22nd. Zero." Sidier replied.
"Zero…? Was not there a Zero Virus?"
"Sure. The guy died in February but there are some remains left out there which have been used…" Sidier explained.
"Something about it looks out of place. I believe I can light up this mystery by researching into something." The voice muttered.
"Feel free to."
"Gladly… I will not be satisfied until I solve this enigma, anyway…"
The "guest" moved elsewhere, so Sidier formed a chair to sit down and resumed reading a book.
"… I am back. I have a question…"
"Tell us."
The "guest" returned and Sidier looked up.
"I read that the "Professor" was aiming to regenerate something named "Super Cybeast Greizer". I though there were two "Cybeasts". Right?"
"You're right! They were "Greiga" and "Falzer"! "Greizer" was the result of Greiga defeating Falzer and absorbing its data on the Cybeast War's climax! Beyondard's Wily used the Synchronizer's power to install his electronic consciousness into it! However! The same "Synchronizer" granted the power to Hikari and Rock Man to defeat it. The "Professor" had managed to begin regeneration before he had to wake it up in a premature manner! It went into a rampage across Internet City and Rock Man defeated it." Sidier explained.
"…What? "Beyondard"…? "Synchronizer"…? Did not the "Professor" attempt to use the fake "Zero Virus Vaccine" to gain money to rebuild the "Dream Virus" after the fall of the "WWW"…?"
"Where were you back in December and January? By the time that happened, you were still alive!" Sidier grumbled.
"Cool it down, Sidier." Yamikawa ordered.
"Yes, my Lord."
"I am confused. I thought it was the year 2011! Yet you say that this I the year 2006! The events do not match!" The voice muttered.
"Is there a bug in your memory files or what?"
"Sidier!" Yamikawa scolded.
"I deeply apologize! But… I am feeling a headache, truth to be spoken!"
"Same over here! But don't make a scapegoat out of the guy."
"Yes, sir… I shall behave myself."
"To begin with… Why did you say "the Wily of Beyondard"? Was there not just one Doctor Wily?" The guest asked.
"Sheesh! "Beyondard" is a "parallel world"! Given how persons there resemble the ones in Earth… We ended up naming them "Beyondard" Someone! Did that help you?"
"… A "Parallel world"!? I see! So that is what it is happening! That tear in Time-Space that opened in the instants before my body broke down, that was…! I have come to… a parallel Universe!" The guest gasped.
"WHA~T!? PARALLEL UNIVERSE!?"
"Everything makes sense now! Why there are similar characters and yet the events are wholly different…! This must be the answer!"
"Incredible!"
"I suppose I need to learn everything from the start, then… Could you grant me a chronology of events?" The figure requested.
"It might take a while to compile, but… We will."
"I will say thanks. I need to adapt myself to this world."
"It's nothing. We'd like to hear to how things happened in your "Universe"... It might be interesting to draw comparisons! Who'd said that such things could actually happen?"
"Now, now… Saruba~… No need to play dumb!"
"Come to these…"
"Is there some issue?"
"No, not really! Don't mind us, Mr. Guest. Go ahead."
"If you say so… I shall continue planning the new weapon."
"Sidier! Stay there and provide any info our guest needs!"
"By your commands!"
09:09 AM (Japan Time)…
"… I admit that I was very rough with you yesterday. But please understand that I did because I feared you'd really die there!"
"Seeing how the bastard brought a real assassin along, you really weren't that off the mark. Damn. I've been a hypocrite, really. Trying to say that I wouldn't do things out of personal revenge, but…"
"Nobody's perfect, Netto… We all make mistakes."
"You're right."
Enzan and Netto were discussing as they sat on a bench within a public garden somewhere, each one having a water pet bottle on their right hand and drinking.
"Sorry for that, Saito." Blues apologized.
"No, I'm the one who should apologize. I knew you did because you feared for our lives and, yet…"
"I didn't imagine that revenge could be such a terrible thing."
"Nobody can. It's now easy to see why so many become trapped by it and obsessed with living to carry it out!"
"Indeed…"
"I finally found you, Netto! I was looking for you! Why don't you answer my calls!?"
"Meiru – chan!? That's… Because I was talking with Enzan!"
Meiru caught up with them, out of breath, and scolded Netto, who tried to defend himself.
"Sheesh! Don't you have something to say!?"
"I already thanked you yesterday, no!?"
"Now, now! We're in a garden! Don't yell!" Enzan scolded.
"Else it looks like a lovers' quarrel!"
"T-that's…! We're not in that kind of relationship!" Both argued back.
"Didn't say you were…" Blues sighed.
"Wait. I feel a presence…" Rock Man whispered.
He drew the Rock Buster and looked around at the same time Blues drew a Long Sword.
"Hmpf. It'd seem that you've grown somewhat." A voice taunted.
"I feel praised." He dully replied.
"That voice, that presence…" Blues muttered.
"Forte." Both muttered.
Forte became visible, standing at a couple of meters from them, and covering most of his body with the cloak.
"So? What do you want now?" Rock Man questioned.
"Hmpf. Who knows?"
"I thought you were straighter to the point."
"I still haven't forgotten what your little brother did." Roll hissed.
"Hmpf. That defective? I forgot about it…"
"If you wanted it to be effective, maybe you should've bothered to keep a closer eye on it." Rock Man taunted.
"Hmpf. Whatever."
"Do you think that you alone can defeat all of us? I'll admit that you are strong, since you did defeat Slur. But that doesn't mean that you're almighty or invincible, either."
"Aren't you the ones who summoned me in the first place? If you're so eager to give me your "Ultimate Programs", I'll do so…"
"Wha!? We didn't send any message!" Netto argued.
"Sheesh! Gotta be Obihiro! Must want us to destroy each other!"
"Hmpf. So I've been fooled by a weakling…"
"If you want to go and crush them, feel free to!"
"Hmpf! Got no time to waste on weaklings…"
Forte warped out of the area and everyone sighed in relief.
"Man! Whenever that guy shows up, things turn SO tense!"
"Sure does! He's so mysterious that you can never know what he really wants!" Enzan sighed.
"Is it me or he acts like he's not interested yet he's actually VERY interested in what's going on?" Meiru suggested.
"It feels like that. In fact, he was seen outside the Net Police HQ on that day we tried to find Twilight's space station… He went into a nearby ATM and we found an access record there…" Blues explained.
"Curious. By the way… Maybe he's behind Shade Man's comeback back then? Feels like he'd like to use Shade Man to deal with Twilight…"
"Kanou left behind some records that prove it, indeed. He was witnessing the battle at Twilight Tower, too, but left once it was clear that Shade Man was no real match…"
"He knew about Duo's coming, too. I guess he does investigate things and knows more than he lets out."
"Doesn't really feel like he wants to continue Pharaoh Man's obsession with ruling over the Cyber World, though. Not like he alone can do it to begin with…"
"That guy asides… Netto! Why did you lie to us?" Meiru questioned.
"Lie? When did I?"
"About the arm! You claimed it was a "stupid accident"!"
"That's… Because I felt very ashamed of myself…"
"Nevertheless, lying to us was…!"
"How did you know, anyway?"
"T-that's…"
"I accidentally overheard Thunder Man and the others talking about it a few days ago, and told Meiru – chan…" Roll admitted.
"I see. We did discuss it aloud, after all." Blues sighed.
"Alright. I admit I lied, and that I'm a coward. There, satisfied?"
"T-that's… I didn't really want to humiliate you! It's just that… I'm worried that we were growing distant to each other…"
"Your attitude in the school doesn't help, either! Trying to pose as cold and scary doesn't contribute!" Netto argued.
"I thought that unless I did that, the seniors would pester me, thinking I'm a naïve girl who's easily lured in…"
"Sheesh. Meiru – chan… We talked about that. You're trying to avoid showing sequels of that incident. That's why you're trying to put up walls between you and the others…"
"I know. It's just that… So many bad things happened in a row, I broke down and I didn't want others to take pity of me…"
"I know that feeling. The same feeling happened to me after I used the "Dark Chip" on Blues… I tried to hide my feelings, to put distance with others… Because I feared that they would pity me, that they would underestimate me…"
"Enzan – sama… I did cause you many inconveniences, sir."
"Don't say nonsense. You weren't yourself. It's my fault."
"How about we try to make peace with each other?"
"You're right, Saito – niisan. Else we'll be arguing forever."
"You're right… I'm the one who was destroying our relationship!"
"Let's join forces and fight the enemy back!"
