CHAPTER 39

-"NET-NAVIS AND DUEL MONSTERS, OH MY! LAN VS. KAIBA!"-

Lan Hikari is riding a bus heading for Tokyo. He was relaxing, trying to think how he was going to find Dr. Thomas Light. He's whispering, "Hmph…oh man… This'll be hard!"

MegamanEXE asks, "Hey Lan, what's on your mind?"

"Oh nothing, bro. Just trying to figure out how we're gonna find this Dr. Thomas Light."

"Don't worry Lan, I'm sure we'll find him." MegamanEXE says encouragingly.

"Yeah, but, the question…or better yet, my worry is that, will he be able to help us when we do find him? I mean, will he have the knowledge, or the equipment?"

MegamanEXE nods, admitting, "Good point, Lan…But cheer up, we can only pray."

Lan sighs, "Yeah… guess that's all we can do right now…ah well."

Three hours later, the bus stops. The driver announces, "Last stop, Domino City, I repeat, last stop Domino City."

MegamanEXE gets Lan's attention. "Hey Lan, that's the bus's last stop. Grab your things and let's go."

"Roger." Lan grabs his bag and steps down. From there he begins to walk.

Lan begins to see all his surroundings. Even though this world was not as advanced as his, it still had many beautiful sights…Shopping Malls, restaurants, Fountains…he was impressed. " Wow…! Maybe this world's not so dull after all Megaman. Check out all those shopping malls, and those Fountains, and…" He notices some cute girls passing by. "…those girls!"

MegamanEXE agrees, "You're right, those shopping malls look almost like the ones we have back home."

"Hey Megaman, where do we go from here?"

"I thought YOU knew Lan."

"WHAT? But I thought you knew Megaman?"

"Well sorry Lan, since this isn't Dentech City, I have no idea where to go."

Lan moans, "Oh man…now what do we do?"

Megaman-exe suggests, "Let's ask for directions Lan. Maybe someone will help us."

"Guess so." Then Lan begins to look for someone to ask for directions. He spots a boy, wearing a peculiar uniform. The Uniform was from a Private School. The boy's hair is black, in a spike-like hairdo…and he has a school bag…Lan goes toward him and stops him in his tracks. "Excuse me? Hi, can you help me please? I'm kinda lost here and I need some directions."

"Um…sure," the boy says. "What directions you need?"

Lan begins to explain, "Well…I need to get to Tokyo, but, I don't know how."

"Oh that's easy, you just take Bus 65, and it will take you straight to Tokyo. It should take you three days to get there."

Lan groans, thinking, THREE DAYS? DAMN! "Well, thanks. By the way, my name's Lan Hikari."

"Nice to meet you, Lan. My name is Mokuba Kaiba."

"Well Mokuba, thanks again for your help."

From inside the PET, MegamanEXE says, "Yeah, thanks…let's go Lan, we've got a long day ahead of us."

Mokuba heard a voice and sees Lan's PET, and someone inside it, and talking…he's very curious. "Hey, what's that you're holding?"

Lan replies, "This? It's my PET."

Mokuba actually blinks. "PET…what's that?"

"It stands for Personal Exploration Terminal… the one inside is my Net-Navi, MegamanEXE."

"Pleasure to meet you Mokuba." Megaman-exe says, greeting the boy.

Mokuba is delighted by the device Lan's holding. He's never seen THAT before… "Hey that's cool…what's a Net-Navi?"

Lan explains, "How can I put it… well, a Net-Navi's sort of a live digital person. Megaman here is my most cool friend."

Mokuba's excited. "WOW…THAT'S A NEAT MACHINE YOU HAVE THERE…AND LOOK, HE CAN TALK, JUST LIKE THAT…OH, TELL ME WHERE DID YOU GET IT?"

Lan laughs, scratching the back of his head as he nervously replies, "Um…from there hehehe!"

"Oh come on…you're lying. Where're you from anyway?"

Oh great…not this again. "I'm…from a very, but very distant place."

Mokuba insists, "Tell me…from what country are you from?"

Lan tries to laugh off Mokuba's question. "I…hehehe…trust me Mokuba, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Why not…what? Are you from another planet or something?"

Lan admits, "Not exactly, but…listen, promise me that you won't laugh or call me crazy, okay Mokuba?"

"Alright, I promise."

And Lan tells Mokuba his story, just like before with the Tenchi crew, about how he was transported to this world by an accident. Lan's worried that Mokuba was gonna be scared of him, or call him a loony…but:

Mokuba comments, "Your story sounds kinda interesting. You're from another world? Wow…"

Lan blinks, surprised. "So… you believe me? I mean, don't you find it…crazy?"

"Well, after the events me and my brother have seen in Battle City, I guess anything's possible."

"Battle City!?"

"Hey, why don't you come to my place and meet my brother? He would love to know all about that PET you have there, and that Navi."

"Geez, Mokuba, I don't know. I have to get to Tokyo to find Dr. Thomas Light and…"

Mokuba pleads, "Come on, please? Listen, my brother can help you find him."

Hearing this gets Lan's hopes up. "How?"

Mokuba smirks, saying, "My brother has lots of connections. He can find anyone in the world!"

Lan's impressed. "Really…well, okay!"

"Great! I'll take you there." Mokuba spots the Limo. "Hey, there's my ride! Let's go Lan!"

Lan's eyes go wide at the sight of the stretch limo. "THAT'S YOUR RIDE!? YOU RIDE IN A LIMO!?"

"Yeah, kinda cool isn't it?"

Kinda like Yai, Lan thinks. "Yeah it is? Are you rich or something?"

Mokuba casually says, "Kinda."

So Lan gets into the Limo with Mokuba and heads for Mokuba's home. When they get there, Lan is even more in awe. Lan and his Net-Navi see a huge Mansion, covered with fountains, big gardens filled with flowers, many workers and staff. He was impressed. "WOOOOW! THIS IS WHERE YOU LIVE MOKUBA?"

Mokuba tells him, "Yes, that's right…you see, my brother's the CEO of Kaiba Corp. And he makes lots of money in making Duel Monster Cards!"

Geez, just like Yai and Chaud! "Um…Duel Monsters Cards! What are they?"

Mokuba gasps, "You don't know?" With a little laugh, he then says, "Oh that's right, of course you don't. I'll show them to you once you meet my brother."

Lan agrees, "Okay."

So they step out of the limo and head inside.

Seto Kaiba is in his office working on the projects for the –"Kaiba Land Amusement Park"-. It has been five days since the Battle City Tournament ended and Yugi Moto won the tournament and all 3 Egyptian God Cards – Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra. Kaiba's still mad about his loss against Yugi…

Kaiba's brooding – when ISN'T he! -, thinking angrily, Damn that Yugi! He not only won the Battle City Tournament, but also all 3 Egyptian God Cards, I still can't believe it. I should have won and claimed those Egyptian God Cards for my Deck. Next time Yugi, next time…!

His thoughts were interrupted as his little brother Mokuba enters his office. Cheerfully, he asks, "Hey big brother, whatcha doing?"

Kaiba looks up, noticing him. "Oh, Mokuba. I was only reviewing the projects for Kaiba Land, that's all."

"That's cool, Oh, Seto, I want you to meet someone…" Mokuba calls for Lan. "Hey Lan, come on in."

Lan enters the office. Kaiba then gives a hard look at Lan. Poor Lan is almost petrified by Kaiba's icy glare:

"Who is HE Mokuba?" Kaiba asks in that same tone of voice whenever Yugi's around.

Lan, shaking a little, introduces himself. "My name's Lan Hikari, nice to meet you sir."

"Hmph!"

Mokuba speaks up for Lan. "Seto, Lan here has something that I figured you'd be interested in seeing."

Kaiba growls, "I doubt it…look I don't have time for this!" Then, toward Lan, he demands, "What do YOU have that I would be interested in?"

Lan replies, "Just this…my PET."

Then Lan shows his PET to Kaiba, who grabs it and begins to inspect it. "So what's so cool about this little toy?" he asks while shaking it.

From inside the PET, MegamanEXE yells while getting shaken and stirred, "HEY! CUT IT OUT!"

Kaiba's taken by surprise when he hears the device talking back to him. Taking a closer look, he sees talking to him, and blinks. "WHA…what's this? Who or what are you?"

Still shaking off the cobwebs, getting himself reoriented, MegamanEXE says, "My name's Megaman, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't shake the PET so much!"

Kaiba gasps, "You…you…you can talk?"

MegamanEXE sarcastically replies, "Yeah…not only that, but also sing and fight!"

Kaiba's still in awe. He's never seen something like this! (Well, almost…) "Tell me…what is this? Where did you get it?"

Lan explains, "It's my PET, it stands for PErsonal Terminal. This is , he's a Net-Navi…"

Lan proceeds to tell Kaiba all about his Net-Navi and his abilities. "You see… can enter the Cyber-world, or inside the computer and fix, fight or talk to other Navis, or Viruses."

Kaiba takes in what Lan's saying with a grain of salt. "Ha! And you expect me to believe that? That's bull!"

Lan objects, "I am not lying! He can do that!"

In that moment, one of his workers rushes into the office. In a panicky voice, he cries, "MR. KAIBA! MR. KAIBA!!"

Kaiba turns to face the man. "What is it?"

"PLEASE, SIR! YOU MUST COME WITH US RIGHT AWAY! THERE'S A BIG PROBLEM"

"What kind of problem?"

"THERE'S A VIRUS IN THE MAIN HARD DRIVE OF YOUR MAIN COMPUTER!"

"Is that all…just run Kaiba Anti-Virus and delete it!"

"WE'VE ALREADY DONE THAT…AND IT'S NOT WORKING!!"

Kaiba gasps, rising from his seat, "WHAT…!? ARE YOU SURE?"

"YES SIR"

"Okay, let's go." Kaiba and his employee head for the central computer room.

"Hey Lan, wanna come?" Mokuba asks.

Lan has a feeling he and MegamanEXE are gonna be needed for this. So he decides to go with the Kaiba brothers. "Yeah!"

Then they all rush to the main office where there are many engineers looking for the problem in a large computer. Also many female Kaiba Corp employees, specializing in sever maintenance and network security, are typing furiously at the computer terminals:

Kaiba immediately orders, "Alright crew, status report!"

One OL (Office Lady), a stunning blonde, reports, "Mr. Kaiba, we've detected some viruses hacking into the main drive of our computer! We've tried the Anti-Virus, but it seems that those viruses are very strong and the program fails to stop them!"

Anther OL, a pretty brunette, says worriedly, "Sir. If we don't do something, those viruses will break into your main program and start deleting all your files!"

Kaiba panics! "NO…!! YOU MUST STOP THEM, YOU HEAR ME!?…" All my projects, ideas, finances, ALL of Kaiba Corp. is in there…! A look of desperate panic is in his eyes now. If those damn viruses eat them all…I'LL BE RUINED! I'LL LOSE IT ALL!!

Mokuba and Lan see everything that's happening. Mokuba can't bear to see his brother like this. He sympathizes, "Poor brother…I wish there was something I could do!"

Both MegamanEXE and Lan are thinking the exact same thing. And so they make a decision. "Hey Lan, We can help him!"

Lan grins, eager to "Jack-In" and do some serious Virus-busting! "Just what I was thinking, Mega…!" Then, to Mokuba, he says, "Mokuba, we can help your brother!"

Mokuba blinks. "Really…how?"

Lan's already whipped out a USB-looking plug and cable from his PET. "Just take me to a connection where I can plug this terminal from my PET!"

Mokuba nods, "Okay, let's go!"

Then he takes Lan to the front of the main computer and found a access port where he could jack-in. Lan's about to connect his PET when Kaiba sees him and:

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

Lan tells him flat-out, "Trying to save your files! I'm gonna send inside your computer so he can delete those viruses!"

Kaiba can't believe this! This is no time for games! "ARE YOU CRAZY!? I WONT LET YOU PLUG ANYTHING INTO MY COMPUTER! YOU MIGHT DAMAGE IT AND…"

Lan refuses to back down; he stands up to Kaiba. "WILL YOU TRUST ME ON THIS!? BESIDES, IF WE DON'T DO IT NOW, YOU'LL LOSE IT ALL!"

Mokuba urgently implores his brother to let Lan try. "Please big brother, let him do it! What do you have to lose?"

After some minutes of thought, Kaiba finally says in a cold voice, "Okay…but I'm warning you. If you fail, you'll regret it for the rest of your life…GOT IT!?"

Lan looks him right in the eye and says, "Alright, I'll do it…you ready Megaman?"

MegamanEXE replies, "Ready as I'll ever be Lan!"

"Then let's do it…JACK IN! MEGAMAN, Execute!

Then he connects the PET to the port and is sent into the computer.

He lands inside the Cyber-world of Kaiba Corp's computer. He begins to scan the area, when he spots the viruses, which are slug-like creatures. There were 9 of them, eating the data from Kaiba's servers.

Megaman-exe communicates with Lan. "Hey Lan, I found the viruses."

In the real world, Lan's communicating with his Navi via the PET. Kaiba, Mokuba and the rest of the staff are astonished to see an AI talking back from inside the computer.

"Great…okay, ow many are there…and do they look hard?"

MegamanEXE reports, "There are nine of them, and no, they don't look hard at all. Hey Lan, send me a Battle Chip so that I can finish them all at once okay?"

"You got it Megaman, here goes…" Lan then takes out a chip from his pocket; Kaiba and Mokuba see it and are intrigued:

"Here's one Megaman…Speader! Battle Chip in! Download!"

MegamanEXE's Buster Gun grows big. He smirks, "Alright viruses, its time for a clean-up!"

Then he blasts many shots at the viruses. The rain of shots released destroys the viruses…then they're gone…

After that everything's fine. The Computer display says…-"Virus Deleted, Systems Okay"-…

The Blonde OL's in awe. "Sir, I don't believe it, he did it! HE DID IT!"

The Brunette OL reports, "Sir, the viruses are gone! All systems are back to normal!"

Kaiba's impressed. "Well I'll be…he did it. That blue boy saved my life's work."

Mokuba cheers, "WAY TO GO, LAN! YOU TOO, MEGAMAN!!"

When Lan disconnects his PET, he's congratulated by the female employees; he blushes a little. Then, Kaiba and Mokuba approach him. Kaiba's the first to say, "Well I must say Lan, I am impressed. That blue Navi of yours really did an awesome work."

Mokuba nods, "Yeah…he was awesome!"

"Thanks," Lan says to the brothers.

"Lan, tell me where did you get that device! I must know!"

Can I tell him? I did tell Mokuba. Ah well… Aloud, Lan says to Kaiba, "Well, um…you wouldn't believe me if I told you everything."

Kaiba hmph's, crossing his arms, with an impatient look on his face. "Try me. I want to know everything…where you come from, and most of all, how did you get that PET!"

Un-sure, Lan finally says, "All right…if you say so." He begins to tell Kaiba how he got here. He told him about the accident with the machine in Sci-Lab and how it transported him to this world…

Kaiba stops him, "Wait, are you trying to tell me that you're from another world!?"

"Yes," Lan replies.

Kaiba laughs, "And you expect me to buy THAT? That's nonsense!"

Mokuba, having heard Lan's story earlier, says, "Maybe not, big brother. Remember the Battle City Tournament, the duels with those Rare Hunters, the evil Yami-Marik and the Shadow Realm, and let's not forget the power of those Egyptian God Cards…anything's possible."

Kaiba grimaces, remembering past events in Battle City. "Maybe…but this is way too hard to believe. A person coming from another world? I'd rather believe that hocus-pocus from Yugi's ancient magic than this…but still, carry on."

Lan tells Kaiba and Mokuba all about the PETs back home, how they're used, all the Net-Navis, the many Battle Chips, he even shows Kaiba a video of some battles of Net-Navis against each other –(among them the battle between vs. in the N-1 Grand Prix Tournament)-. In the end, Kaiba's very impressed…

Lan finishes, "So that's all about Net-Navis, and how they fight…so what do you think?"

A teary-eyed Mokuba's in awe. He geeks out excitedly, "Wow, that's awesome! That's so cool!"

Kaiba comments, "I'm impressed. Those PET you have are something else."

Lan aw-shucks, saying, "Geez, thanks guys."

Kaiba, thinking Net-Battles are similar to Duels, starts talking strategy. "So tell me, Lan…in these Net-Battles, do Navis only Attack on Attack Mode when ordered, and stay in Defense Mode until they're called to Attack?"

Lan explains, "Oh no, they're independent. Once the fight starts, the Navis will fight each other. They can dodge, counter-attack, and many things. The fights last until only one Navi remains."

"Interesting." I never thought of that. I wonder what would happen if Duel Monsters would act like that? Kaiba thinks.

Mokuba asks, "Hey Seto, can Lan stay here for today? I wanna see more of his PET and his Net-Navi , so can he?"

Kaiba considers it, and then says, "Hmmm…I don't see why not."

Lan accepts, "Thanks, Seto. And…I'd like to ask you for a favor…Mokuba says that you have lots of connections and …"

"Get to the point, kid." Kaiba flatly tells him.

"Yeah, right… You see, I'm looking for a scientist who's staying in Tokyo. His name is Dr. Thomas Light."

"And you want me to find him…am I right?"

"Err……yes."

"Well, I can do that… All right, I'll help you, only if you let me study your PET. What do you say?"

Lan's thinking it over. "Weeeeeeeeeell…sure I guess."

Mokuba lets out a whoop of joy. "All right! Then follow me Lan. I'll take you to a room, and you can show me more of your PET!"

Lan follows Mokuba to one of the rooms on the Kaiba estate. Kaiba, meanwhile, is thinking up some ideas:

That PET Lan has is awesome. But most of all, all that Technology he has in his hand - that "Net-Navi" he calls it - is very extraordinary, those Chips, those Battles. If I somehow were able to duplicate that same Technology and apply it to Duel Monsters, I'll be able to revolutionize the Duel Monsters Card Game. Even more, Kaiba Corp. will make millions. Profits would go through the rooftop! I MUST know its secret!

20 minutes later, Lan was in Mokuba's room, chatting about stuff. Lan's telling Mokuba about his friends back home, and shows him a picture of them at his school:

Mokuba's looking at the picture. "So those are your friends Lan?"

Lan nods, "Yep, they are…the fat dude is Dex, the short haired boy is Tory, the little girl with the 2 long blonde ponytails is Yai, and the cute girl with the red hair is Maylu."

"Cool friends you have Lan…and those battles you have back home with the Net-Navis are pretty awesome, even as cool as Duel Monsters."

"So what exactly IS Duel Monsters anyway?"

Mokuba cheerfully says, "I'll show you. Here."

And now Mokuba's showing and explaining to Lan all about Duel Monsters; how the game works, the different Types of Monsters, the Trap and Magic Cards, everything. He even shows Lan a little Dueling Battle on the Holographic T.V. In the end Lan's in awe and so is his Net-Navi :

Mokuba finishes explaining, "So that's what Duel Monsters are all about Lan…what do you think?"

Now it's Lan's turn to geek out. "WOW…THAT'S ONE FABULOUS GAME! IT COULD RIVAL NET-BATTLE!"

"Glad you like it Lan!"

So Lan stays with Mokuba at the Kaiba Mansion. Kaiba later borrows Lan's PET for a complete study. He's having a really hard time deducing the program the PET uses; it's very advanced (DUH!), and so his staff is having trouble trying to figure it out:

Kaiba admits, "This is really complicated; this program this machine has is very advanced for my computers. But I will obtain it. I WILL know its secrets!"

Later that night, Lan's resting in a large bed in the room Mokuba offered him. He's getting sleepy, and ready to go to bed:

So far, I've been doing well in this world, and, it's not as primitive as I first thought it'd be. It's almost as advanced as my world, well almost. Lan yawns, "Yaaaaaaawn…I'd better get some sleep; tomorrow will be a new day." I can't wait to get back home. Makes me wonder what's going on there right now?

Then Lan falls asleep.

MEANWHILE, IN THE YEAR 20XX:

We see a memorial service being held in Dentech City Park. There are many people sitting in chairs. Attending the service are Mr. And Mrs. Hikari (Lan's father and mother), Maylu, Yai, Dex, Tory, Miss. Mari, Maysa (as Commander Beef), Miyu (as Misteriyu), Sal (as Black Rose), Mr. Higsby, Eugene Chaud, and some of Lan's friends from ACDC Elementary School. They're all dressed in black, because they were in mourning.

There's a coffin –(it's empty on the inside)-, with many roses atop it, and a picture of Lan Hikari is in front of the casket. Mrs. Hikari, Maylu and Yai are still crying and sobbing over the loss of Lan. A priest walks up to the front and begins the ceremony. After he finishes, some of Lan's friends walk up to the front and began to express their feelings toward Lan…the first one is Dex: "Lan was the best friend that I ever had, and even thought he was kinda hyper, he was always there when you needed him. I'll miss ya, Lan."

Next was Ms. Mari. "Lan was a very bright boy. And even though he wasn't the smartest student, he was very intelligent and dedicated to his work, and to his friends."

One by one they come up and express how they felt about Lan. The few remaining ones were Yai, Maylu and Chaud:

Yai sobs, "I admired and loved Lan like an older brother. He was always so cheerful, the kind of friend that any one would be lucky to have. I will really miss him a lot, so much…*sniff, sniff*"

Next one was Chaud. "I don't have much to say, except this…Lan was a special guy. He always had a way of seeing life in a different way. He always helps his friends, no matter how bad they were, and would even help an enemy, like those ex-WWW agents. He had a heart of a child, but at the same time, a heart of a warrior. He would never give up in battle, no matter how impossible it would seem. And, he would also help his friends by giving them advice and all…I should know, for he helped me in trying to communicate with my father. Now we have a good relationship. I will sure miss him."

Chaud steps down. Maylu was the last one to speak. "Lan was very special to me. He was my friend since childhood. He was always there for me when I needed him. He always helped me when I was in trouble, and even thought he acted like an immature child sometimes, he was a man." She starts to sob, "He was caring to my friends and me; he respected me and treated me nice. He was more then my friend, I…like him more then my friend…I loved him…I loved him with all my heart." She's crying, "But now he's gone. Now I'll never get to tell him that I loved him, now my chance with him is lost!"

Maylu breaks down and starts crying hard, her mother goes to console her. Even Commander Beef, Misteriyu, and The Black Rose went up to pay their respects:

Commander Beef laments, "I was very shocked to hear that Lan had died. He was a very brave boy, he and his Net-Navi Megaman; they were a very marvelous team. Lan had the heart of a warrior, and the dedication to help his friends, so much that he sacrificed his life to save his friend Maylu. That was the noblest thing anyone can do for their friends. I had my sights set on him, Lan and his Net-Navi would have been great Net-Agents. Lan, you will be missed."

Princess Pride from Creamland also came to Lan's funeral. She also gives a little speech. Though tears are streaming down her face, she calmly says, "I am very sad. Sad to find out that Lan died. I consider Lan as one my most noble Knights, 'cause even though he was young, he was very brave, braver then some of the knights in my kingdom. When I heard that he died by sacrificing his life to save another, there was no doubt that he, Lan Hikari, was a true, brave and noble Knight. And, I…loved him so much, for though he was young, in my eyes he was a man that captured my heart." She starts to cry.

Raoul from Net-Topia also attended the service. Sad yet strong, he nobly pays his respects. "This is a terrible tragedy when I heard that Lan died. I knew Lan; he was a special boy. I met him in my home and in the tournament, he was a fierce and brave boy, and so was his Net-Navi , I admired Lan, he was a cool kid."

There was even a service held in the Cyber-world too, for MegamanEXE. Many Navis were there to say goodbye to and pay their respects…

ProtomanEXE confesses, "I will miss Megaman. He was a very brave Net-Navi. He would always fight, and never back down from a challenge, no matter how difficult it was, and he never gave up. He always helps those in need and never surrenders. He was the only Net-Navi that I considered my greatest and worthy rival, but most of all…my friend."

WakkomanEXE –(yes, THAT Wakkoman)- also gave a speech. "Tis the day that the clown won't laugh. Tis a sad day for everyone, a sad day 'cause someone dear to us has gone away. Megaman's gone, and I'm sad about it. He was a good Net-Navi, he helped me and my Net-Operator Maddy to believe in second chances and to believe in ourselves, while others didn't. Megaman, I'll miss you."

The next one was MagicmanEXE. "Oh, Megaman, you have gone away from us. Which door did you enter? Which door will you come out of? Will you appear in a cloud of smoke and greet us? I'm afraid not…there isn't any magic that will get you back. Megaman, we'll miss you."

RollEXE was the last one to speak, sobbing, "Oh Megaman, you were the best friend that I ever had…your bravery amazed me…Megaman, he was the NetNavi that I admired a lot, and now… he's gone. Now I wont be able to tell him how I felt about him –(started to cry)- Now I wont be able to tell him that I care for him more than as a friend…I won't be able to tell him that I loved him…I loved Megaman with all my digital heart and soul…!" Roll breaks down in tears, crying.

BACK IN THE RANMAVERSE – KAIBA MANSION, 9:00 A.M.:

Lan wakes up, -(with the help of his NetNavi MegamanEXE, as usual)- and has breakfast with Mokuba. When they're finished, Kaiba asks him if he could come with him to Kaiba Corp. for a test of his PET, Lan accepts and goes with Mokuba to Kaiba Corp.

AT KAIBA CORP. – KAIBA TEST LAB SIMULATOR:

Oncde Mokuba and Lan arrive, Kaiba gets things started, "Alright Lan, I called you here 'cause I want to test out your PET."

Lan blinks. "My PET?"

"Yes. You see, my staff and I have been working around the clock trying to duplicate the technology you have in your PET…and, we were able to master it."

Lan gasps – out of surprise or worry, we don't know. "You mean…!"

Kaiba proudly smirks, "Yes…I was able to duplicate the system that you have in your PET."

Mokuba's happy. "Really, Seto? That's so cool!"

Lan admits, "Wow…I can't believe it!"

Kaiba confidently says, "Well, there's no impossible for me…now Lan, I have a favor to ask you."

"What favor is that Seto?" Lan wants to know.

Kaiba points to Lan, challenging him. "Lan…I want you to face me in a DUEL!"

"A duel?"

"Yes…! Your Net-Navi Megaman against my Duel Monsters…the reason for this is that I want to try out the program that I've installed in my Duel Disk System…now my Duel Monsters will act, fight, and defend, just like your Net-Navi, on their own!"

"Well… you got it Seto, we accept."

"Good, then let's go to the Lab for the fight…Mokuba, I want you to monitor the fight in the control room."

"You got it big brother." Mokuba says.

And so, the duel starts…

Lan and Kaiba are in the middle of a white room, above them there's a control room, where Mokuba and some Kaiba Co. engineers are controlling the room.

Kaiba asks, "Ready Lan?"

"You bet! Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!!" Lan uses his PET's wireless port to jack into the simulator.

Now inside the simulator's Cyber-world, stays alert, ready to face whatever Kaiba might throw at him.

"All right…Mokuba, start the game…start Virtual Program now!" Kaiba calls to the control room.

From the control room, Mokuba says, "Got it!"

Then Mokuba presses some buttons, and the room begins to change. It changes into a holographic setting of a Roman Coliseum, the same one Kaiba used in the final rounds of the Battle City Tournament against Yugi, many virtual people cheer for him.

Suddenly, appears beside Lan in the arena! Lan looks surprised, while Megaman does it in a different way, by looking around, only to find himself surrounded by the cheering crowd. He turns around to face Lan, which makes them amazed to see each other in a place like this.

Lan's impressed and in awe. "WOW…HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"

Kaiba explains, "It's simple, we're in a Virtual World created by me…this is my favorite…now let's get it on!"

"Right!"

The battle starts:

Seto: 4000 LP.

Lan: 4000 LP.

Kaiba makes the first move as he draws a card from his deck. "I summon Battle Ox…!!" Aa Bull-like warrior with an axe appears. "Now, Battle Ox! Attack him!"

Lan regards his opponent. "Ooooh…that's a nasty bull…ALRIGHT MEGAMAN, GO FOR IT!"

The Battle Axe goes for the attack. Unlike the regular ones, this Duel Monster didn't wait for any order…'s dodging the Bull Axe:

"Alright Megaman, here's something…CYBER-SWORD! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD!"

Megaman's Buster changs into an Energy Sword and blocks the Axe from the Battle Ox. Now they're fighting with weapons; Megaman has experience with Sword-to-Sword battles, so he has the upper hand:

Lan says to Kaiba, "Your Duel Monster fights great Seto!"

Kaiba in turn says, "I could say the same for your Net-Navi."

Then Megaman slashes the Battle Ox in half and destroys it:

Seto: 3200 LP.

Lan: 4000 LP.

"Not bad Lan, but I've got more where he came from…" Kaiba takes another card. "I place one card face down and I SUMMON VORS RAIDER…ATTACK HIM!"

A Humanoid monster appears with a strange sword…it began to swing its sword at Megaman. After several blocks from Megaman's sword, it broke up leaving Megaman defenseless, or so Kaiba thinks, but Megaman jumps away:

Lan encourages, "Hang in there, Megaman…CANNON M! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD!"

MegamanEXE's Buster changes into a big Red Cannon and he points it at Vors Raider. "Okay bub, try this on for size!"

Then he fires! However, before the blast reaches the Duel Monster…

Kaiba grins. "HA! I ACTIVATE THE TRAP CARD MIRROR FORCE!"

Lan blinks, not expecting this. "MIRROR FORCE?"

"THAT'S RIGHT…MIRROR FORCE REFLECTS THE ATTACK RIGHT BACK AT YOU!"

Lan gasps, "WHAT!?"

The attack crashes into a crystal wall, and returns back at MegamanEXE. He gets hit by his own cannon. "AAAAAAAAAH!"

Seto: 3200 LP.

Lan:" 3000 LP.

Lan checks on his Net-Navi. "MEGAMAAAAAN…! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?"

MegamanEXE replies, "Yeah, Lan…ugn…I'm okay."

"Good…man, this Duel Monster Card Game is something else…but we're not gonna give up right buddy?"

"No way!"

Kaiba thinks he's already won this Duel. "So Lan, are you ready to surrender?"

Lan's like, "Us…! No way, we'e just getting started, and like you said before…you ain't seen nothing yet…like this…ZAP RING! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD!

Megaman throws a yellow electric ring at Vors Raider. When it connects, Vors Raider can't move, for he's paralyzed. Kaiba gasps, and Megaman blasts it away with his Mega Buster Attack.

Seto: 2500 LP.

Lan: 3000 LP.

"Yeah! How's that Seto!"

Kaiba's irritated, but then he cools down. "Pretty impressive Lan. My move…! I draw Pot Of Greed! This card allows me to draw two more cards…-He notices the cards and brightens up. " NOW I SACRIFICE ARMOR LIZARD AND SANGA, TO BRING FORTH THE BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON!!"

The two monsters disappear and out comes Kaiba's favorite monster. Roaring loudly, it looks down at MegamanEXE, who gasps at seeing the big Dragon:

Lan steps back. "Woah!… That's some Dragon!"

Kaiba accepts the compliment. "Thanks…that's my favorite Duel Monster, now let's fight…BLUE EYES, ATTACK HIM WITH WHITE LIGHTNING ATTACK!"

The Dragon charges a white hyper beam in its mouth and launches it toward .

But Lan's ready for it, and uploads another Battle Chip. "FORCE FIELD! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD!!"

A Blue Barrier covers MegamanEXE and blocks the attack; however, the attack was too strong, which destroys the Force Field and MegamanEXE receives damage:

Seto: 2500 LP.

Lan: 2200 LP.

"NO WAY! THAT ATTACK DESTROYED THE BARRIER!!"

Kaiba says to Lan, stating the obvious, "I told you. My Dragon's Attack power is stronger then your Navi's!"

"Maybe, but we're not out yet…MEGAMAN! STYLE CHANGE…WOOD-SHIELD STYLE ACTIVATE!"

MegamanEXE begins to change to another form, with green and brown armor; on his right arm a Shield appears . Kaiba's in awe. "That Navi changed! But how?"

Lan tells him, "Style Change…this one's called Wood-Shield Style!"

Kaiba snorts, "Doesn't matter, he's still gonna lose…BLUE EYES, WHITE LIGHTING ATTACK ONCE MORE!"

Obeying its master's command, the Dragon lets loose another attack at Megaman-exe. However, he was able to block the attack using his Shield…

Lan cheers, "Way to go Megaman!"

Kaiba's in awe of Lan and Megaman's skill. "You were able to block my Dragon's Attack! Very impressive Lan, but can you stand against it?"

"Let's find out, shall we…WOOD SWORD! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD…go for it Megaman!"

A Green Glowing Sword appeares in Megaman's hands and he began to dash toward Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon. The Dragon throws another White Lightning at Megaman, but he dodges it, and slashes the Dragon in his chest…and destroys it…

Seto: 1400 LP.

Lan: 2200 LP.

Kaiba gasps, "NO WAY…HOW COULD YOU HAVE DESTROYED ONE OF MY MOST STRONGEST MOSNTERS?"

"There is always a way to defeat an opponent! You just gotta have faith and never give up!"

"Well said, Lan." Kaiba takes out a card, looks at it and smirks. "But now your luck has just run out, cause I'm about to beat your Net-Navi!"

"Oh yeah…bring it on Seto! We're ready!"

"Get ready Lan, for now it's my turn…I SUMMON LORD OF DRAGONS TO THE FIELD!"

A Knight, dressed in Dragon Armor appears:

"…NEXT, I USE THE CARD KNOWN AS MONSTER REBORN…"

"Monster Reborn?"

"YES, IT ALLOWS ME TO BRING BACK A MONSTER THAT WAS DESTROYED FROM THE CARD GRAVEYARD, AND I CHOOSE MY BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON…"

Once again, the Dragon appears:

Lan's worried now. "Oh man, not that Monster again!"

Kaiba continues, "AND WITH THIS MAGIC CARD KNOWN AS FLUTE OF SUMMONING DRAGONS, IT ALLOWS ME TO BRING FORTH 2 MORE DRAGONS TO THE FIELD! I SUMMON 2 BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGONS!"

Two more Blue Eyes White Dragons appear, now there were 3 on the field:

Oh man…this is gonna be really tough now…but we can take them! Lan thinks.

"OH, BUT I'M NOT DONE YET…FOR NOW, I SHALL USE MY NEXT MAGIC CARD KNOWN AS POLYMERIZATION TO FUSE MY THREE DRAGONS INTO ONE POWERFUL DRAGON…COME FORTH…BLUE EYES ULTIMATE WHITE DRAGON! HAHAHAHAHA!!"

The three Dragons merge together, creating a huge three-headed dragon. Now 's facing one of the most powerful creatures in all of Duel Monsters. "I don't believe this…now those three dragons merged and created that monstrosity! Lan, this is gonna be one tough battle!"

Lan says, "I know Megaman, but we can do this! I know we can!"

Kaiba orders the great beast, "BLUE EYES ULTIMATE WHITE DRAGON, ATTACK HIM WITH NEUTRON BLAST!"

The three-headed Dragon combines its three blasts into one and launches it toward . used his Shield to defend against it, but, when the blast collides into the Shield, it destroys it and blasts , sending him flying away. The Dragon's attack was too powerful for the Shield:

yells out in pain, "YAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!"

Seto: 1400 LP.

Lan: 580 LP.

"MEGAMAN! CAN YOU STILL FIGHT?"

MegamanEXE, though weakened and in a small amount of pain, says, "Yeah, Lan…ugn…I can manage."

Kaiba wants to know, "So, what do you think about my new Dragon Lan?"

Lan thinks, worried, Man, that Dragon sure packs quite a powerful blast…I gotta think of something fast, or Megaman will lose!

Kaiba's on the verge of winning the match. The Dragon tries to bite MegamanEXE, but he desperately tries to avoid the bites from each of its three heads. Then, Lan takes out 3 battle chips…some Special Battle Chips:

Lan looks at the Chips. All right…these'll help us win this battle! "Hey Megaman, I've got the chips that will allow us to win!"

MegamanEXE's about to say, "You mean…"

Lan confirms, nodding, "Yeah!"

"Heh…then let's do it Lan!"

"Right Megaman!"

Then Lan & Megaman both yell, "PROGRAM ADVANCE!"

Kaiba asks, "What are you babbling about?

Lan smirks, "You'll see!"

-(BGM: Theme From Megaman NT Warrior)-

Lan uploads the first chip. "CYBER SWORD! BATTLE CHIP, DOWNLOAD…"

One sword appears on Megaman-exe's right arm:

Lan continues, "… WIDE SWORD! BATTLE CHIP, DOWNLOAD…"

Megaman-exe's left hand turns into a big sword:

Lan makes the final upload. "…LONG SWORD! BATTLE CHIP, DOWNLOAD"

Then lifts both swords into the air and combines them, creating one big purple-white energy sword. Kaiba's impressed with that maneuver… In the Control Room, Mokuba analyzes the energy Lan's now-completed Sword Attack is putting out …when the scan was complete, the energy of the sword is…

Mokuba's tapping the computer. "I don't believe this…according to the computer…Lan's energy sword attack power is…" Now shocked, he gasps, "WHAAAAAT!? NO WAY!!" Grabbing the microphone, he calls his big brother. "Seto, listen!"

Kaiba talks back on his earpiece radio. "What it is Mokuba?"

Mokuba sounds desperate. "Big brother, you got to be careful of Lan's attack!"

"Careful of what little brother? My Monster has 4500 AP, and 3500 DP, how much damage can that attack do to it?"

"Brother…the attack power that Lan has in his Net-Navi is…7500 AP"

Kaiba screams, "WHAAAAAAAAAT…!! ARE YOU SURE?"

"Positive!!"

"BUT THAT MEANS…OH NO!"

Lan prepares to unleash the final blow! "OH YEAH…LIFE-SWORD ATTACK!!"

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Megaman-exe slams the Energy Sword down, releasing a huge purple Sonic Wave:

Desperate to seize victory at any cost, Kaiba commands, "BLUE EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON! COUNTER IT WITH NEUTRON BLAST!"

Then the Dragon releases his attack. But, Lan's attack overpowers the Dragon's attack and slashes the mighty beast into millions of pieces in seconds…

"MY BLUE EYES! NOOOOOOOO!"

Seto: O LP

Lan: 580 LP.

Lan's cheering, "ALRIGHT MEGA, YOU DID IT! WAY TO GOO! WOO-HOOOO!!"

Kaiba's shocked! Losing to Yugi was bad enough, but this...! How can that be! How could that Navi defeated my Ultimate White Dragon!?

In the Control Cabin, Mokuba, as well as the rest of the staff are also shocked. "No way! My brother lost to Megaman! How?"

Later, when the duel was over, Lan is with Seto and Mokuba Kaiba in the living room:

Mokuba compliments Lan's battling skills. "Wow Lan, you fought great, and so did your Net-Navi!"

Lan aw-shucks, "Geez, thanks Mokuba, but I was just lucky that I won. Your brother sure is an awesome player!"

Kaiba half-frowns, saying, "Well, thanks…" If I still had my Egyptian God Monster, Obelisk the Tormentor, I would have won that Duel in a flash, but still… he sure put up quite a fight… "…and you'weren't bad either Lan, you've got the potential to be a good Duelist…you too ."

Lan smiles. "Thanks a lot Kaiba, I mean it."

agrees, "Ditto."

Kaiba, intrigued, wants to know something. "But tell me Lan, what WAS that power your Net-Navi used to defeat my Blue Eyes Ultimate White Dragon?"

Lan explains, "Well Seto, that was the Program Advance known as the Life Sword."

"Program Advance…Life Sword?"

"Yeah…you see, when you have certain special Chips, you can combine them to create one powerful attack. The Program Advance is one of the most powerful skills in Net-Battles."

"Really? That's very interesting…." I'm impressed. I'll definitely try to do that with my Duel Monsters.

Later, Lan has dinner with Kaiba and Mokuba, then he had a good time swimming in the indoor pool Kaiba had his mansion. At night, Lan's playing pillow fight with Mokuba, and having a blast.

Kaiba returns to work on the new program he managed to copy from Lan's PET.

The next day, outside Kaiba Mansion, Lan's all packed and ready to go. The Kaiba brothers are there to say goodbye to Lan:

Mokuba smiles. "Lan, I guess this is it, eh?"

Lan smiles back, "Yeah, but I just want to say thanks for your hospitality, I mean it, and for showing me the Duel Monsters Card Game, it rocks!"

"And thanks for showing me your PET…it was awesome, kinda like Duel Monsters!"

Lan turns to face Kaiba. "And thank you very much for locating Dr. Thomas Light for me, Seto."

Kaiba has his usual scowl on his face; still, he says, "A deal is a deal, but you're welcome."

"I must be going, thanks again guys."

"Take care Lan, and you too Megaman." Mokuba says.

"You too Mokuba!" says.

"Wait, Lan. Here." Kaiba tosses Lan what looks like a credit card.

Lan catches it, asking, "What's this?"

"It's a Debit Card, with enough cash for you to make it for a while…consider it payment for the services of your PET."

"WOW…! Thanks so much, Seto…well, good bye guys!"

Mokuba waves goodbye. "Bye, Lan! Write to us will you?"

"You bet Mokuba!"

And so Lan begins his journey to find Dr. Thomas Light in hopes of returning to his home world.

TO BE CONTINUED…