GT: Final events for this, folks. This has been pretty insane to write all these years. Hopefully, you enjoy.
"Really glad traffic here sucks," Lan noted as he kept following the limo on his skates.
"Looks like they're going straight to the big headquarters for his company," Rock frowned, looking up at an oncoming tall tower with a logo of Mt. Olympus with a rising sun behind it near the top of the tower.
"Why is it always so obvious? I mean…At least World Three was creative with hiding it on an island or underneath the fountain at my old Elementary School," Lan complained, "Remind me to ask Sean about why he made his base an apartment complex when we go see him or when we go to the Ura Inn and ask Mamoru about why the Undernet Server is under his family's hot springs, alright?"
"Focus!" Rock barked as the limo halted before the building, "I'll send the message to Chaud. Just get in there and save them!"
"Sir, what do we do with the girl?" one of the men asked as they exited.
"Hmph. I have what I need. Dispose of her," Ares ordered, holding up Roll's shut off PeT before going in.
"Yes, sir," the man replied as two others carried Maylu away from the building.
"Where are they taking Maylu?" Lan scowled.
"...Go after her. I'll go through the Network for Roll," Rock ordered.
"Good luck," Lan spoke, Jacking Rock into the Network as he followed the men into an alley…in time to see the leader of the three pulling out a glocken with a silencer, '?!'
"Sorry about this," the leader apologized as he loaded the shot and aimed it at Maylu, "Boss's orders."
'He's going to…' Lan's eyes widened before narrowing as rage filled him as he charged as fast as he could on his skates, "HOLD IT!-!-!"
"What the…?" the leader began before Lan rammed into him just as he pulled the trigger, causing the shot to miss Maylu and hit the man on her left between the eyes, "GAH!"
"GH?!" the other man tensed as his partner collapsed, his broken sunglasses clattering to the floor.
Lan managed to wrestle the gun away before slamming an elbow into the man's face to stun him long enough for Lan to throw the gun and smack the last man in the face with it, another shot going off from the impact and hitting the man in the foot. As he screamed in agony and fell over, Lan ran over and pulled Maylu into his arms and ran out of the alley. The brunette looked around before running into the massive tower headquarters of Ares's organization.
"Ugh…If you want something done right…don't send humans to do it," Ares sighed.
He held a hand up and waved it, dismissing the screen showing the security feed. He huffed before raising a hand up and a poleax formed in a burst of flames in it. He slammed the butt of it on the floor and a burst of flames engulfed him. They dispersed and his form had altered drastically. The plump jovial-looking man had been replaced by a statuesque nine-foot-tall man looking as if he had been sculpted from slabs of marble. He was donned in crimson armor, looking akin to a Legatus Augusti proparetore Roman soldier. The 'mohawk' on the helmet was made of pure black flames while the pelt of a dog was wrapped around his neck. Serpents made of gold wrapped around his lower arms like armor while his long black cape was torn and tattered as if it were made to look like flames. He turned from where the screen had been to Roll, the NetNavi unconscious with her wrists and ankles bound to a cybernetic medical table by thick bronze cobras. Her clothing had been stripped, leaving her completely naked. Nearby, a large tower stood out amongst the ancient Roman-based Network around them, shaped like Mount Olympus itself.
"If I cannot have Aphrodite…she will do in her stead," Ares declared.
"Okay, okay…" Lan muttered, looking around at the oddly empty place before carrying Maylu behind the desk, "Let's see…Let's see…med kit, med kit, me-AH!" he pulled out a med kit from underneath the desk and opened it, "Smelling salts!" he knelt down by Maylu and opened the smelling salts, creaking them open underneath her nose, "Come on…"
"Mmmn…" Maylu mumbled before opening her eyes, "L-Lan…?"
"Maylu!" Lan beamed, hugging the red head, "You had me worried!"
"Lan?" Maylu blinked, "Wh…What's going on? I…" she groaned, rubbing the side of her head, "?! That guy knocked me out!"
"He was Ares! He's got Roll and Rock's in the Network looking for access," Lan explained.
"WHAT?!" Maylu gasped as she patted herself, "Ah! M-My PeT…"
"We'll get her back, Maylu. I promise," Lan swore before pulling his own, "Rock!"
"I've found the elevator controls," Rock explained, "But…"
"Someone we fought before is blocking the way?" Lan guessed.
"How'd you guess?" Rock asked, looking upon the behemoth that was Gaia, glaring down at him.
"Yeah…Call it 'realizing a pattern,'" Lan sighed.
"No little girl here to save you this time," Gaia hissed as vines began to grow out of the ground.
"Little? Lady, have you seen my Heart? She's taller than me and better proportioned than you," Rock scoffed, firing a Rock Buster that destroyed a vine sneaking behind him, "Plus…she can walk."
Gaia narrowed her eyes before raising one hand into the sky. Rockcubes appeared in the air and flew down at Rock, who ran right for them, jumping off each one to get above Gaia as his right foot glowed.
"Program Advance! Heavy Press!" Rock shouted as he flew straight down at Gaia, his leg engulfed in a bulky weight made of a blue metal.
"Denied!" Gaia roared, making vines move between her and the oncoming Rock.
"Meteors, Download!"
Gaia's eyes widened as a barrage of flaming meteors swooped down faster than the falling Rock and slammed into her vines, incinerating them and allowing Rock to slam his PA right into her head. She groaned as she fell over, shaking the entire Area of the Network they were in. Rock grabbed a silver staff with a green gem in it that appeared and aimed it at Gaia, releasing twelve more Meteors and exploded on impact with her. The moment he landed, dozens of vines erupted from the ground and ensnared him. Gaia sneered, thinking she got him…before her eyes widened in horror as the vines exploded into ashes as an Eastern Dragon made of ethereal flames erupted from the spot, Rock in its head. Rock (and the dragon of flames) let out a roar before shooting at her, fist reeled back (flames churning within its jaws). Gaia swung her girthy arms out, causing Rockcubes to fall from the sky and thicker, thorn-ridden vines to erupt from the ground and shoot at her. The dragon bent and twisted about, dodging rocks while vines burned away when its form grazed them. Rock swung his fist (The dragon let loose a gout of flames) and the Rock Buster shot out, engulfed in the roaring flames of the Salamander BattleChip. Gaia screamed as the flames engulfed her, scorching and burning away at her body. She cracked open an eye in time to see Rock hefting up a massive cannon that looked more fitting for a giant robot to wield as a handgun, a shining magenta light shining in it. Rock pulled the trigger and a massive plasma shot rocketed out and struck her face.
"Deleted," Rock stated as he watched Gaia's body dissolve now that she was rendered headless once more before turning away and walking to the controls and worked on them, "You're good to use the elevator."
"Great job, Rock. Jack out, okay?"
Rock looked around before frowning on seeing no paths further, "Right."
"Okay, stay close," Lan advised as the two entered the elevator, "Rock?"
"I changed the password to one Papa taught me to use incase of emergencies when I was six," Rock explained, "Even if they get there, they can't bypass it."
"Okay. Up we go then," Lan nodded as he pushed the button, causing the elevator to close and start going up.
"Lan, there is something I noticed in the elevator controls," Rock noted, "There's a floor you can't access normally. In order to get to it, you need to use the stairs."
"Aw what?!" Lan gawked.
"So we picked the wrong floor?"
"No. The top floor on the elevator is a floor below the actual one."
"Phew," both teenagers sighed in relief before a silence fell as the elevator proceeded upwards.
"...Why can't we just have normal lives?" Maylu sighed, putting her back to a wall and slid down it to sit on the floor.
"?" Lan looked at her.
"11 and we deal with terrorists with the way to their base being built under our elementary school and then the Maverick Virus going about. 12 and terrorists with their base destroying the boundary between Earth and the Network and you get dosed with all that radiation," Maylu listed, "13 and Yai, Dex, and I get attacked by a tank, I nearly died with Ms. Mari and who knows how many folks from being stuck in bubbles, war was about to break out, you broke down after what happened at SciLab, and Megaman got Deleted. …Do I even need to point out when we were 14 and that Cache thing?"
Lan grimaced, "I…I honestly don't know why it's us that get stuck with this. I don't know if it's because of our families and their histories or whatever…" he sat down beside her, "And this last year hasn't been all that well mentally for any of us, either. 16 and we find out your big brother has a Metastable NetNavi he's been dating and making a physical body for her out here on Earth, who I thought was Megaman was actually a part split from the real Hub who was adopted by your brother and her and renamed Rock, my dad turned out to be psychotic and killed Gramps and your parents, nearly killed all of us if Rock hadn't pulled himself together, and Roll becomes Metastable and this OLYMPUS shit." he brought a hand to his forehead and sighed, looking up at the lights, "What I wouldn't give for more than just a year before this nonsense breaks out…"
"Ee…" Rush whimpered, wishing she could come out to try to help his owner's family feel a bit better.
"...If none of that happened, would Roll have been Metastable?" Rock asked.
"?" Maylu and Lan looked at the blue NetNavi.
"Would…Would I still be in that horrible fractured state?" Rock went on, "Mama…she…she'd probably be stuck in the Network still…not being able to really be with Papa…always afraid of OLYMPUS appearing…not able to truly live…"
"Rock…" Maylu whispered.
"We…We get into things no kid should have gotten into…I'm shocked no one has gotten therapy until we saw Athena-san," Rock admitted, "But…I…I wouldn't change it. Lan…Maylu…you two saved me…saved the woman I call my mom and the man who I call my dad from being separate from one another and from the fear of OLYMPUS." he smiled at them, "Without you guys and our friends…the LifeVirus would've run rampant and caused armageddon through the Network. If not that…the Grave Virus Beast would've materialized on Earth and rampaged, irradiating everything in its path of destruction. Mamoru…he…he would've been dead. Alpha would've been unleashed and glassed the planet! Grandfather…Grandfather would have still been sealed in the Alpha, all alone…"
"Grandfather?" Maylu looked at Lan, who looked down in sadness.
"I get the funny feeling my birth father was the reason he was inside of the 'Guardian' program and not the explanation Gramps gave us," Lan admitted before Maylu held his hand, "?"
"And what about Zero? If…If you hadn't found that data that was Zero's blueprints, he wouldn't have been saved. Yes, he was tortured to try to get a new StyleChange, but…He's with a new good friend now in Trucy, isn't he? He's able to live his life as he wants now," Rock went on, "You guys…You've done far more good than anything! Instead of looking at the sadness…look at the joy you've caused…all the good you've both done! People know NetNavis can achieve Metastability. Papa and Mama are together now. We can give NetNavis the ability to understand Love and not worry about them breaking down anymore!" he brought a hand to his heart, closing his eyes, "You saved my life and led me to my Heart…" he looked at them both, tears in his eyes, "You guys…it…it's too much for me to ever thank for…for a lot of people."
"..." Lan smiled as he held his PeT to his chest, "Thanks, Rock…"
Maylu nodded, laying a hand on the top of it, "You…You really are insightful, huh?"
"Someone has to be for Lan when you're not around," Rock chuckled.
"Hey…" Lan frowned in mock-annoyance before the elevator dinged as they reached the topmost floor that the elevator could reach, "Here goes…"
Maylu nodded. The moment the doors opened, the two ran out of it and into a hallway. The two looked around before Maylu pointed at a sign that directed towards the stairway. Lan grinned before they ran towards the stairway. Lan got to the door first, grabbed the handle, and it wouldn't budge.
"Because of course the doors to the stairs have locks…" Lan groaned, "I hate Network Society at times…too many things connected to the Internet that would cause a lot of bad things…"
"It's the Hospital on Beach Street all over again," Rock noted.
"Hopefully, no Puffball Virus," Lan noted before aiming his PeT at the lock and sending Rock into it.
The moment Rock fully materialized, his hands shot up and grabbed Hermes by the wrists, halting him from his attempt to slice him with his knives. His eyes widened in shock at the quick reaction.
"You…You got faster?" Hermes asked in surprise.
"I'm no longer limited in my reaction times," Rock replied, his leg shooting out and connecting with Hermes's knee as it was in mid-strike, shattering it and making him bite his tongue to muffle the surprised noise of pain, "And I don't have time to fight; you're annoying and keeping me away from Roll."
Before Hermes could react, Rock released his wrists and grabbed his face. Hermes moved to stab before his head exploded from the Rock Buster the blue Metastable NetNavi fired from the hand squeezing his face. Rock shook his wrist and ran off towards the computer. Back in the building, the door beeped and the lock opened, letting Lan open the door.
"Great job, Rock," Lan noted, logging him out.
"He…He seemed too easy to handle…" Maylu noted in surprise.
"Speedsters don't react well if you can catch them," Rock replied as Lan and Maylu ran up the stairs, "The disbelief leaves them open long enough for a good hit."
"Megaman and I did that with Quickman and got a LifeSword into him," Lan recalled as they reached the top of the stairs and went through the door into a large darker hallway with red and black wallpaper on the walls and two massive, thick, dark oak doors at the end of it, "..." he moved closer to Maylu, "Stay close to me, ok?"
"Right," Maylu nodded as the two entered the hallway.
The two made their way down it, pausing at times as Lan checked for a brief moment for anything. The two made it to the doors and Lan tested them, sighing in relief on seeing they were unlocked. He and Maylu grunted, pushing on one door together to get it opened. They entered and were greeted to a large, modest office filled with replicas of various Greek mythology-related items. Behind the desk to the right was a large portrait of the Greek God Ares, charging to do battle. Lan narrowed his eyes as he ignored everything in the room, walked up to the portrait, and banged on it with a fist. He nodded, hearing a hollow sound to it, and started feeling the frame.
"What are you doing?" Maylu asked.
"Remember when you got everyone and followed after me to the WWW base in our Elementary School's secret monorail underneath the fountain?" Lan reminded her, smirking as his right hand grasped and opened a secret panel, exposing a Jack-In Port, "Secret entrance behind the painting."
Maylu grimaced as she remembered that, "..."
"...I'm still grateful on learning about Megaman and Rock's origins," Lan spoke, realizing what she was thinking about, "Even if what he did was wrong, the one thing I'm glad is that I understood just what made them special and why I feel such a strong connection to them."
"Lan…"
"Like I said, Rock, no matter what, we're connected," Lan spoke, giving him a small smile, "Hub, Megaman, Rock…whatever. You're still my brother in the end just like I'm yours."
"...Right," Rock nodded, smiling at him, "Let's get going, Lan, Maylu."
"Right!" Lan nodded as he sent Rock into the Network, letting him appear in a large landscape akin to a hell itself with obsidian fields and rivers of lava, "Yeesh…This place is kinda spooky…"
"I think this is meant to be the domain of Hades, Lord of the Underworld in Greek mythology," Maylu guessed as Rock looked around.
"I guess because they think anyone who gets this far is suicidal and wants to end up there," Rock noted as he looked around before jumping back as a wave of blue flames slammed into where he had been standing.
"Well, well, well…" a voice spoke, making Rock look up at a rock formation to see a slender skeletal NetNavi donned in obsidian Greek armor with a long blue cape and a wild mane of hair made of blue flames, "What have we here?"
"You must be Hades," Rock guessed.
"Right on the money, boyo," he replied, pointing at him, "And you, mister, are Rock, the Metastable NetNavi adopted by Aphrodite and Skye Sakurai. Meaning your NetOp, Lan Hikari, and, likely, Maylu Sakurai are here."
"We're getting Roll back," Rock stated, earning a chuckle from Hades.
"Oh boyo…You don't get it, do you? Ares needs a very special program in your gal," Hades explained, "And when he rips it out of her? Well…It's gonna be…" the flames turned red and engulfed his shoulders and back, "BIG!"
"The HeartBATCH inside of her," Rock stated.
"Bingo~" Hades smirked as the flames died down.
"Why? He already has SoulBATCH, why HeartBATCH too? It won't work on male NetNavis," Rock pointed out.
"Oh, he's aware. And you were honestly a rare exception to it with your unique origins," Hades replied, "But, you see…he's not wanting it to use on himself…but on humanity."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well…considering how once he has it, humanity won't last for a minute after it activates…" Hades smirked, "What the Metastability Team that made the programs didn't realize was that the two have a unique frequency that interacts with one another. With the right machine, this frequency can be broadcasted and, when put into reverse, render any human that hears it brain dead."
"?!"
"Indeed! It will feel as if their heart and soul were ripped right outta them!" Hades cackled, "Oh the irony! Wanting to give NetNavis the ability to feel love is what caused the extinction of the human race!"
"Not if we can stop it!" Lan declared.
"Oh please…I just need to keep you here long enough for Ares to rip the program out of her and use it to end them all!" Hades declared, "But…I won't be alone in this~"
"What?" Rock pondered.
"ABOVE YOU!" Maylu shouted.
"!?" Rock's eyes widened as he rolled to the side, avoiding the landing on Chiron, the centaur NetNavi snorting as he turned to glare at Rock.
Rock narrowed his eyes before jumping over a vine that attempted to grab him before grunting as Hermes slammed a foot into his gut, sending him soaring into the air and into the lariat of Hercules. The buff Metastable NetNavi spun him around before throwing him at Gaia, who smacked him down with a strike of a vine, sending him right into a torrent of flames from Hades. Rock groaned as he bounced along the floor, his body covered in burns and bruises.
"H-How?!" Lan gawked.
"...Oh! Hades!" Maylu realized.
"Bingo~! As long as I live, any member of OLYMPUS you kill I can revive!" Hades declared with a sneer.
"Gh…And each time we Delete one, you'll bring them back and they'll likely protect you if we try to aim at you," Lan guessed.
"Exactly! So...What do you think you can do now?" Hades taunted.
"Rock…" Maylu gulped as Rock grunted, slowly getting back up and glaring harshly at them.
"I…I won't…give up!" Rock gasped out.
"Heh. As if you can win, brat," Hercules sneered, "You're just one kid and we'll always keep reviving no matter what you try."
"...Not unless I take you all out in one go," Rock replied as he held his right hand out to them while grabbing the wrist with his left, "My [Soul] is of [Data]…"
"Rock?" Lan pondered before gasping, "Ah! The BattleChip Slot just locked!"
"...My [Blood] is of [Data Streams] and my [Heart] of [Another]," Rock went on as the air began to crackle with energy, "I have emerged unvanquished through countless battles in the guise of another before becoming whole. Never have I been put to [Flight], but neither have I truly stood [Victorious]. I was alone in this realm until another came and became part of me as I became part of her. No longer do I stand [Alone], standing amongst the field of data. For that reason, my [Life] has finally found meaning. My [Heart] is that of [Another] and my [Soul] is theirs to have." the power in the air reached a crescendo as his eyes glowed, "MY [BODY] IS MADE OF [DATA ITSELF]! UNLIMITED BATTLE WORKS!"
The power pulsed before the colors of the world inverted. A full moon shone down upon the landscape as it bled into vast grasslands with an array of chains littering the skies and landscape, BattleChips embedded within the chains.
"Hm? You really think we can't get ya even if you changed the scene?" Hermes asked as he became a blur, preparing to slice Rock's head off before his eyes widened as his charge was halted by the Grave Virus Beast glaring down at him, "What in the…" Grave unleashed a blast of lightning in the form of flames, making him cry out and get knocked back into Gaia, "GYARGH!"
"What is this?!" Gaia gasped.
"Ikuzo, Olympus," Rock spoke, "You hold no chance of victory."
"Let us see then," Hercules sneered as he flicked a finger at him only for a LifeAura to appear and block the attack, "What?"
"Any BattleChips that exist…any that I have witnessed…any that come into my mind…I can access them without any cost," Rock informed before a barrage of FireSwords impaled Gaia, causing her to screech in agony from the double damage each one dealt, "Hades, your greatest power is to revive those who have died, but you are limited on how many you can revive per day!"
"Gh?! How did you…?!" Hades gasped, stepping back in shock.
"Your BattleChips are why!" Rock replied as several Chips in the chains shined, each one depicting Hades sending out a blast of flames.
"My WHAT?!" Hades snapped, his flames erupting off his body in rage, "HOW?!"
Rock snapped his fingers and several of Roll in her original form appeared before vanishing and appearing before Hermes, delivering multiple blows with their antennae until they returned to Rock and kissed him, vanishing when they did as his injuries vanished. Hercules jumped at him, reeling a fist back only for a barrage of Gutsman's fist engulfed in a green aura to strike him rapidly, sending him flying into Gaia before Grave appeared once more and unleashed a blast of flames that engulfed Gaia, deleting her and Hercules.
"Your last mistake was letting me complete the chant," Rock stated, "But your very first was creating the very spark that led to the idea of stealing my Heart from her sister."
"You bastard!" Chrion roared as he shot several arrows at Rock only for an oversized Mettau helmet to engulf Rock, blocking all the shots and sending out shockwaves at the centaur, forcing him to jump only to gag as a multitude of arrows to impale him from all angles and delete him.
"Damn you!" Hades roared, swinging his arm up only for his eyes to widen as Rock was before him and his arm was sliced off from the shoulder below, "EEEYAAAARRGH!-!-!"
"LifeSword," Rock intoned, the Program Advance held like a normal blade in his hands.
"You…!" Hermes roared, shooting at Rock with his knives in hand only for a barrage of ZetaCannons to destroy him.
"Gh! H-How did you…?"
"Each time you revived them, you used your left hand to do so," Rock explained, switching the PA for a RollArrow, "Don't come back."
Hades jumped back only to gag as the RollArrow pierced his heart. He gagged, spitting up blood, before collapsing as deletion took hold. The area rippled before fading back to the Network. A beep went off as Lan's BattleChip Slot unlocked and Rock looked up at Lan's screen.
"Let's hurry, Lan."
"G…Gotcha," Lan nodded, snapping out of his stupor as Rock ran off to unlock the secret door.
A soft 'click' went off in the painting before Lan pulled Maylu back just seconds before it swung open. Behind the painting was a hallway, lit by artificial torches. Lan narrowed his eyes as he logged Rock out. His glare softened as he looked at Maylu. The red head looked at the brunette before narrowing her eyes and taking the first steps inside. Lan quickly followed, the two going down it until they arrived in a large space with a large structure in the center of it.
"What is that?" Lan pondered.
"Is that the device meant to send out the signal?" Maylu pondered before narrowing her eyes and started looking around, "..."
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for something to whack it with and break it," Maylu replied.
"But what if Roll's in there?" Rock asked in concern.
"..." Maylu grimaced as Lan looked at the structure.
"Rock, you go in there and find her and Ares," Lan ordered while pointing at three large dishes on it, "Maylu and I will take out the transmitter's broadcast parts."
"But that would just mean it would only affect this room," Rock noted.
"...It's worth it," Maylu stated, Lan nodding in agreement.
"Ready?"
"Ready," Rock confirmed.
"Jack in, Rock! Power Up!" Lan declared, sending the NetNavi into the Network and allowing him to appear in a copy of the Roman Colosseum in its heyday.
"..." Rock narrowed his eyes before inhaling deeply, "ARES!"
A strong laugh echoed from the emperor's seats, making Rock look up to see him standing atop it with Roll strapped to the medical table and still passed out, "Well, well, well…Rock."
Rock narrowed his eyes, "It's been a long time."
"Not long enough for me, brat," Ares replied, narrowing his eyes in return, "Aphrodite is mine! I will never forgive you for what you did!"
"I saved her from you, you attempted rapist," Rock growled, "So this is where you've been all this time."
"A pity you didn't stay dead," Ares scoffed, "But…you staying alive actually helped me to find a copy of HeartBATCH for my use."
"Let her go in one piece, Ares," Rock warned.
"Hmph! Not a chance, brat. Not when I am so close to achieving my goals! With Skye Sakurai and any other human dead, Aphrodite will be mine and mine alone!" Ares declared.
"NO!" Rock snapped, aiming his hand at Ares before firing a Rock Buster at him, only for a aura to appear and block the shot.
"Deal with the interloper, my pet," Ares ordered as he turned to Roll.
The area rumbled as computer bugs began to appear. Rock's eyes widened as they began to cluster together into a massive sphere of bugs. Four massive canine legs emerged from it first as it began to shape and mold itself into the body of a strong doberman build. At the neck, a large bubble swelled up from its mass before rupturing as three massive dog heads sporting jagged computer bug-ridden manes emerged, howling and snarling.
"?! A…A Grave Virus Beast?!" Lan gasped.
"The boy's research was rather interesting when I heard of it," Ares explained, "Cerberus, destroy Rock Sakurai!"
"Rock, we…"
"You focus on that," Rock assured as the BattleChip Slot for the PeT locked itself, "I've got this."
"Found these!" Maylu called as she ran over, carrying two metal pipes.
"Great!" Lan grinned as he accepted one before looking up at the machine, "We need to take down those three dishes and it won't be able to spread." he grimaced, "...You should get out of here, Maylu."
"...No," Maylu shook her head, "If you're staying, so am I."
"Maylu, this…"
"No, Lan. I am not leaving," Maylu argued, poking him in the chest, "You're not going to make me leave, not this time. Not while Roll is in there and not while you're staying."
"But you could…"
"Die? I'd die anyways if you, Roll, and Rock do," Maylu replied, making Lan blink several times in surprise and confusion by that statement, "Now hurry! We have satellites to break!"
Lan nodded as the two climbed up a flight of stairs onto the walkway above. Maylu ran to the right as Lan made his way to the left. Both nodded at one another before they started to swing the pipes at the satellite dishes, denting the dish parts of them. After several more whacks, Lan grinned as the satellite dish he was at broke and fell to the floor. Several grunts made him look over at Maylu as hers only lost the antenna part of it. He walked over to her and began to hit it as well, the two managing to break it fully.
"Thanks, Lan," Maylu thanked.
"Just one left and…" Lan began before the tower shook, "?!"
The ceiling's skylight opened up and the tower shot up before either could react.
"Oh no…" Maylu gasped, staring up at where it had gone.
"Because of course it was on a rising platform!" Lan complained before pulling his PeT, "Rock! We…?!"
"Oh my…" Maylu gasped, her eyes wide.
Cerberus snarled and howled as it glared upon Rock, standing atop the Grave Virus Beast. A transparent image of Bass stood at his side. He raised a hand up and slammed it down on the beast's head, causing a dark light to erupt within the Virus Beast's jaws. The jaws of Cerberus sparked and crackled with hellfire before they unleashed their flames upon them.
"Program Advance…" Rock whispered before roaring in unison with the Virus Beast as it unleashed a beam of pure darkness that dispersed the hellfire and engulfed Cerberus, "DARK MESSIAH!"
The transparent Bass flew into the air before creating a massive EarthBreaker and threw it down at Cerberus, the two attacks ripping and tearing the beast apart. Cerberus collapsed, growling in weak defiance before a prism cube landed before it. It looked up just in time for a seed as big as a football to land on it…before both spasmed and multiple explosions erupted all at once, tearing and rendering the Cerberus to fragments of data that were further decimated by the explosions until the prism and seed vanished.
"Impressive, boy!" Ares commented, a dark grin upon his face, "But…you are too late!"
"!?" Rock looked up at him before his eyes widened in horror as Ares held up a beating heart.
"Enjoy your final moments with humans, child," Ares sneered as he jumped off, allowing Rock to see Roll, lying still…with a hole in her chest.
"Roll-chan!" Rock cried out, using AreaSteal to get up to her, "Oh…Oh god…Roll-chan…" he ran over and undid the bindings, allowing him to gently pick her up, "Please, please stay with me."
"M…mega…kun…" Roll barely whispered out, her eyes weakly opening.
"Come on…w-we can…y-you're going to be okay," Rock gulped, trying to be strong, "You'll be okay!"
"I…I…" Roll weakly brought a hand up, cupping his cheek, "I…"
"Shh…it's okay," Rock assured, putting a hand over hers, "I'm here. I'm here and…and you'll be okay." His eyes began to water, "Please…please don't leave me. Not when…not when we finally found one another…"
"Hmph. What utter trash," Ares snorted as he walked away.
"Please don't die!" Rock pleaded, holding her closer, her face near his own.
"…" Roll slowly inched her face closer, her lips touching his own.
Rock cried as he returned the kiss. Ares reached a tower that rose from the ground in the center of the decimated arena. He sneered and was about to insert the HeratBATCH when a bright light caught his eye. Turning, he saw the two glowing brightly, Rock a brilliant sapphire and Roll a dazzling ruby. Their bodies turned into plasma of the same color before spiraling together, shaping out a figure in a flash of a white light.
"What?!" Ares gasped before the program shot out of his hand and into the light, "NO!"
The light faded away to give away to a stream of lukewarm steam, a voice giving a harmonious aria within. As the steam faded away, a beautiful maiden standing an even six feet tall now stood where Rock and Roll had been. Her skin was a pure cream color, not a blemish to be found. Her figure was filled out nicely, a perfect hourglass that could catch many an eye. She wore a soft violet bodysuit that covered all but her head and her fingers, a spiraling blue/pink set of lines going up the sides to her armpits. Her flowing shoulder length hair was a metallic gold with metallic blue highlights scattered about like butterfly kisses. Her left shoulder had a pink rabbit's head-themed guard while the right shoulder had a blue dog head-themed guard. The white gloves she wore had only the ring fingers covered while the rest were exposed. On her back was a small rectangle-like item while she wore white heeled combat boots. She opened her eyes, revealing them to be a harmonious blend of emerald-green and jade-green, as she ended her aria. Turning to Ares, his eyes widened at seeing a NaviMark that was Rock's symbol with Roll's in both red areas with the black replaced with pink and blue…with a glowing gem in the Roll's symbols-one pink and one blue.
"Impossible!" Area snarled.
"Rock/Roll?" the woman turned her head to giving a loving smile to the two worried NetOps that appeared on a screen.
"Call me Melody, Nii-chan, Onee-chan," the woman introduced herself, "Hurry now. This place is going to be coming down and I don't want you two hurt."
"But…But what about you?" Maylu asked in worry, "How are you going to beat him alone?"
"It's okay, Maylu," Melody assured, "I'm never alone. Just insert a few BattleChips you both think will be good for me."
The two nodded before they left, leaving Melody to face Ares. Just before the connection ended, Melody felt five BattleChips come from both NetOps, knowing just how to use all ten.
"How could you do this?" Ares growled, "I was going to purge this world of those weak, useless, inferior beings! All so that we may rule over all! To give the gift of Metastability to all so long as they swore to be under mine and Aphrodite's hand!" as he ranted at her, she just smirked, "And now you've fused together?! What a pathetic embarrassment to existence you are."
Melody gave a soft chuckle/laugh/giggle to that. Ares narrowed his eyes with a growl as she continued it. She opened her eyes, showing they were filled with determination.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Melody assured before she put a hand over her heart, "This is Melody. Now together," she pointed at Ares, "And I'm never going down at the hands of the likes of you," she pointed at herself with a smirk, "Because I'm so much better. And every part of me is saying 'go get him.'"
Ares narrowed his eyes as the two circled each other.
"The two of us ain't gonna follow your rules. Come at me without any of your fancy tools," Melody continued as Ares summoned a pair of obsidian broadswords, "Let's go, just me and you." She smirked as she activated Lan's first chip: the MegaBooster, "Let's go, just one on two."
The MegaBooster glowed before transforming into a pair of angular blue wings with pink tribal designs. The vents in the back and on the underside of the wings gave off a soft white light as Ares lunged.
"Go ahead and try to hit me, if you're able," Melody sang before vanishing just as he swung at her, "Can't you see that my relationship is Metastable?" her right hook smashed into his face, knocking him away as she gave a pity finger wag at him, "I can see you hate the way we intermingle, but I think you're just petty 'cause you're single."
Ares saw red with that last jab. His blades erupted in an even greater blazing aura as he swung them. Melody vanished before they could even warm her up.
"And you're not gonna stop what we made together!" Melody continued before her hands chopped on Ares's wrists, forcing him to drop his blades, "Our love is gonna stay like this forever!" she caught the blades and zipped away from him, "If you try to break us apart?" she snapped the blades with ease before calling on the first three chips Maylu gave and the next three Lan delivered, forming a pair of Lifeswords that turned into katanas in pink and blue alternating colors, "We'll just come back newer. And we'll always be twice the gem than you are!"
"You insolent bitch!" Ares snarled as he summoned a pair of lion-themed clawed gauntlets and charged at her.
"I am made O-o-o-o-of Lo-o-o-o-ove!" Melody sang, her strikes keeping in time with the tune in her head-blocking, parrying, and returning strikes with her blades-, "O-o-o-o-of Lo-o-o-o-ove. Lo-o-o-o-ove. Lo-o-o-o-ove~!"
She began to hum the tune now as, in the real world, Lan and Maylu reached the first floor of the building.
"You think they'll be okay?" Maylu asked.
"I'm not sure, but…they're one right now," Lan replied, "I'm sure they'll win."
"Right," Maylu nodded.
Back in the Network, Melody avoided another punch and swung her left katana, tearing into the gauntlet and ripping it from his body. At the same time, Ares used his other gauntlet to shatter her other katana. She moved back from Ares.
"This is who we are…" she continued to sing as Ares summoned a monstrous fire-made Cerberus with a stomp of his foot, "This is who I am…And if you think you can stop me, then you'll need to think again. Because I am a feeling, and I will never change," she crossed her arms and called Lan's last Battlechip-a GutsImpact-and turned it into a pair of pink and blue gauntlets, "And I won't let you hurt my family…" the fire-made Cerberus rushed at her, only to be punched in the face and dispersed, "..and I won't let you hurt my friends."
"ENOUGH!" Ares roared as he charged at her, his fists now erupting in flames, one even shaping into a sword.
"Go ahead and try and hit me if you're able," Melody sang with a smirk, their blows always parrying the other's strikes, "Can't you see that my relationship is Metastable?" she made a bicycle kick that made him move back, "I know you think I'm not something you're afraid of, 'Cause you think that you've seen what I'm made of." She dismissed her weapons and performed a strong double hit to his head, forcing him to dismiss his own weapons as he coughed up some blood, "But I am even more than the two of them. Everything they care about is what I am. I am their fury, I am their patience," Ares swung a punch and Melody easily caught it, "I am a conversation." She winked before throwing him at the machine, the impact electrocuting him and causing the machine to start to overload, "I am made o-o-o-o-of Lo-o-o-o-ove. O-o-o-o-of~!" explosions began to erupt all over the network and the actual machine outside as she took to the sky and flew off, "And it's stronger than you."
Outside, Lan and Maylu watched as the top of the building began to blow up as the machine at its top continued to self-destruct. After a few more moments, the top five floors went up in an explosion.
"Oh no…" Maylu gasped.
"What?"
"?!" the two looked at their PeTs to see Melody was now in the network of the fire hydrant beside them.
"A…"
"I'm both Rock and Roll," Melody informed, "This form was only possible because of their love for one another and the two programs within them both."
"HeartBATCH and SoulBATCH…" Maylu gasped.
"Is…Is he dead?" Lan asked, looking at the building.
"Hopefully," Melody shrugged before smiling, "Hope you kids can make a wonderful song together."
Both looked at her in confusion, earning just a loving smile in return. Her body gave a soft glow before she turned into the magenta data. It split back into two halves and they reformed into Rock and Roll, both completely healed with Roll in a pink toga. Rock and Roll blinked a few times, looking to one another in confusion, before a guttural roar made the two turn to see Ares, his armor broken apart with a multitude of gashes and burns on him.
"Dammit! Doesn't this guy ever give up?!" Lan groaned as he and Maylu glared at him from the screen above their NetNavis.
"I…I won't lose!" Ares snarled, "Even if…Even if I failed to activate my machine…" he summoned an obsidian blade that began to glow with black flames upon him grasping it, "…I can still kill you both!" he rushed at Rock, "STARTING WITH YOU!"
"Rock!" Roll shouted as she threw what she just downloaded, "Catch!"
Rock barely jumped over Ares's blade and grabbed the handle of what was tossed. Rock smirked as he spun the Blade of Olympus around before pointing it at Ares. A bullish blue glow began to emanate from the blade, the glow making the guard seem like the face of Zeus was looking out. This was the last BattleChip from Maylu from their fusion.
"See this?" Rock asked, "This is the Blade of Olympus. The power of a God is sealed within this blade. Now, let's finish this, Ares."
Ares roared as he charged at Rock. The blue bomber readied his blade as he charged as well. Ares swung his sword and Rock did so with his own. The blades collided and Ares's blade was sliced in two. In his shock, Rock was able to pierce Ares straight through. Ares gagged as he backed away from Rock, the blade being slowly pulled out along with a strange purple BattleChip with an ominous purple gem in it that shattered once it was fully removed. Once it was fully out, he collapsed to his side.
"Why?" Ares panted slowly, data mixing with his blood as his body began to fade away, "Why could you not love me like I do you, Aphrodite?"
"I already had someone that I loved and still do," Lan and Maylu turned to see Aphrodite approach, taking Lan's PeT since Rock was closer, "I still have Skye as he has me. And I did love you, Ares, but…I loved you like a younger sister does to their older brother."
"I…I see now…" Ares weakly chuckled, "I could never win your heart…not even with force..."
Aphrodite nodded, tears starting to fall, "Oh, Ares, why did it have to come down to this?"
Ares gave a final weak chuckle, "Shame…Guess I…still don't get it…" as he spoke his last, his data finally dissipated, "…this feeling of love…"
"...In the end, Love is more than a feeling. Love is a choice. Love is a commitment," Aphrodite informed as Rock dropped the blade and ran towards where Roll was, "Sure, there's an initial spark, that romantic gooey feeling, but that wears off and when it does…" Rock tackled into her, the two spinning around with loving smiles on their faces to one another, "...Love will always be with you."
[Lan POV]
The next week was hectic to say the least. With the death of their leader, OLYMPUS crumbled pretty fast since the Officials had gotten all of Ares's records. Turns out his password was 'Aphrodite.' A will was also discovered and, once read, learned that he intended to give his company to Aphrodite…and a boot to Skye if he was still alive. Joke's on Ares since Skye dipped it in resin to turn it into a flower pot. Due to the reveal of the former president, CEO, and founder was planning mass genocide, a lot of people were about to sell all their stocks and cause the whole company to fold…but after Aphrodite introduced herself on live TV, many stopped and reconsidered. Some people still sold, but it wasn't as bad as it was originally going to be. Skye hasn't figured out just how Rock and Roll fused into Melody, but Aphrodite just said that it was because of 'Love,' so…I'm just gonna stick with that. It's done crazy stuff before, like help me survive all that radiation when I was eleven. Skye and Aphrodite intend to use the company to distribute an 'improved' SoulBATCH and HeartBATCH to all NetNavis…I hope Grandpa is looking at what they're doing with pride. Still, even with the madness of all that, Skye finally fulfilled his promise to Aphrodite and she got to see absolutely everything possible that was Greece. But, like always, all good things have to come to an end…
[Normal POV]
"You're staying?" Lan asked, standing outside the hallway towards the airplane with Maylu.
"Yeah," Maylu nodded, frowning as she looked down at the floor, "It's going to take a lot of time before the company can relocate to Netopia. Onii-chan says that he'll have it all done before the end of summer."
"Darn," Lan sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "There goes a lot of our plans then…"
"Yeah," Maylu sighed, "Was really excited for that piano concert, too."
"...Maylu, it's…it's not exactly the same thing as when we were twelve…"
"Hm?" Maylu looked at Lan.
"Maylu…" Lan held her hands, "...I want you to keep my Soul with you and promise you'll give it back when you come home, okay?"
"?! Y-Your Soul?"
"You gave me your Heart back then…so it's only fair that you keep my Soul," Lan explained.
"Oh, Lan…" Maylu whispered, tears welling in her eyes before hugging him, "I'll do you better."
"Hm? Wh…" Lan began before he froze as she kissed him, "?!"
"..." Maylu ended the kiss, "I'll be your Heart so long as you be my Soul, okay? That way, we'll always be together no matter how far."
"..." Lan smiled, cupping her cheek with a hand, "Okay. It's a promise."
"I'll always be Your Heart…" Maylu began, mimicking his gesture.
"And I'll always be Your Soul," Lan finished before kissing her, letting her return it to seal their deal.
"Definitely not like our admission," Roll noted, her arms wrapped over Rock as he held her hands.
"Oh so true…But we've always been the more thrillseekers of the four of us," Rock chuckled, resting the back of her head on her breasts, "I love you, my pink rabbit."
"And I love you, my noble wolf," Roll softly replied, kissing the top of his head.
The two couples (one older than the other) stayed that way for several minutes, one half embracing the other, until final calls were made to board. Rock reluctantly got out of Roll's hold and went to Lan's PeT. The new couple slowly let go until only their hands held each other's. They shared a last kiss before Lan had to hurry to the plane, waving to one another.
"See you in a few months, my Soul," Maylu whispered as the plane took off.
"We'll see them once things are settled here and we can go back home," Roll assured, a hand over her heart, "And we can always call and EMail them. They're our Souls and we're their Hearts. Nothing can change that."
"Vee~" Rush mewled happily in agreement.
"...Right," Maylu nodded before giggling, "And we can make the boys a little jealous by getting BattleChips from the Viruses native only to here."
"And making some new ones, too! After fighting Zeus, I thought the fun could be had in making some electric BattleChips like a railgun! Ooh! Or maybe a skateboard that flies and shoots lightning when I do a trick!"
"Easy, easy!" Maylu laughed, "We've got plenty of time to get creative and help where we can with Skye and Aphrodite." she glanced over her shoulder at the plane in the distance, 'I can't wait to see you again, Lan.'
GT: *repeatedly hitting head against the table* This…This took way too long…real life, other stories, and writer's blocks all over…Do you know how long I've had that Melody part done but not the rest? 2015! Almost 8 years now I've had that part and Ares's demise all planned out! But everything else? So many things…Originally, he was supposed to have devoured the HeartBATCH in Roll and transformed into a version of the Titan Cronus with elongated limbs, distended stomach, and letting out 'waves of time' that would dissolve anything around him into dust. But that felt too crazy. Understand that this is the final chapter of this story. I'll try to come back to it one day with a sequel story to deal with the unanswered questions of this tale. In the meantime, go check out Rising Sun that I've written with my pal Seanzilla. It takes places in the same universe as this story.
