Raika opened his eyes. Above him was a smallish figure in a blue helmet- but one that was obviously for a navi, according to the outer decorations. Brown eyes peered worriedly at him.

He could not make sense of the situation. He- and Searchman- had just been in Nakotomo- a country just south of Brightland. So how could he have gotten here?

. . . Where ever "here" was.

The figure in front of him spoke. "Hey, Raika, are you doing okay?" he asked.

Raika blinked. So it was Lan, then, in front of him- and his navi, Megaman, with both of them in cross fusion form.

He was laying down on . . . something. He could also feel exhaustion- too much, for what he had been doing in Nakatomo. That had been just a minute ago, or so it seemed.

He had felt fear, for both him and Searchman. They had been in hiding from his chief uncle, from the military, from his country.

From the world, almost, really.

He still did not know what he was doing where he was, or how he had gotten there.

Thankfully, Lan answered for him. "So we found you and Searchman here," he explained. "Megaman said that it was a virtual reality program. How did you get in it anyway? Actually, how did you get captured? Since you were here first in this place with the dimensional area, and Chaud and I had to come all the way to Sharo since you were here for two days already."

He had said it fast, but Raika's mind was reeling with just the first two sentences alone.

Virtual reality?

But . . .

Explosions, from both the past and the present.

Two figures, then four more, all of which should not even be there at all.

Continuous running, more fighting, systems disabled and put back to how they were- without them knowing there was an interruption in the first place.

Fear.

And two certain devices- one that should not exist at all . . . And was actually quite part of the problem in the first place.

Then again, so was the other device. In fact, it was even more part of the trouble.

But, all of it just . . .

Nothing?

Raika blink heavily. He managed to move his head on the hard surface he was lying on. There was some sort of machine that looked like the video game consoles at some stores, strangely enough. The screen was currently blank. He could just imagine had been on it just a few minutes ago . . .

Had Lan (and Megaman) seen any of it? He certainly hoped not. Maybe the screen had even been split-screen, or another monitor somewhere recorded things for Searchman's part of the . . . project.

He was a bit relieved that he saw, on a small table nearby, a familiar green PET facing upward.

"Searchman?" he asked, his voice croaking a bit. (From disuse?)

A definitely familiar voice responded- and he was quite glad to hear it the same as he remembered . . . from almost a long time ago, really. Not that he had not heard this variation from anywhere within the . . . "reality" . . ., but it was comforting, to say the least.

"Raika, are you all right?" Searchman asked.

Raika nodded, knowing that his navi could see the gesture from in the PET. He then frowned. His navi could see it if he was not currently as weak as he was.

Thankfully, Lan smiled. "Yeah, Searchman's fine," he answered. "Just a bit confused and all at first, but not damaged, or anything like that."

The younger net saver then frowned. "But you're not like Searchman right now. I mean, he seems fine, but you're still not. Why's that, Megaman?"

The question seemed to be directed to empty air, but it was of course addressed to the navi fused with his net op. Raika closed his eyes for a second, remembering a while ago that he had been cross fused, and that it had seemed that he would, never again. (That would be, of course, if he somehow had managed to either cross fuse without a dimensional area or create one of his own. Neither had seemed probable anytime soon.)

Megaman answered the question, his voice seeming to come from thin air. "It think it's because Raika's a human, really. He has been motionless and attached to the virtual reality system for maybe even a long time. A navi wouldn't be really affected much by that, and plus, navi's regenerate energy faster than humans, anyway. Also, we don't know how much information has been going on in the system, and we just unplugged Raika from it. He might need some time before he can move more."

Lan appeared to disagree slightly, as he was frowning. He then shrugged. "Well, he'd better get better soon, 'cause that darkloid is still around somewhere and it would be good if Raika could cross fuse to help fight him."

"I don't know if that would be happening anytime soon," Megaman warned.

The brown-haired net op huffed. "Yeah, I guess," he admitted, looking over at Raika again. "So are you doing okay?"

Raika thought about the machines around him. Searchman was in his PET- where he belonged, and he was . . . on a net saver mission, that he had apparently immensely failed, enough to require backup, and from another country, at that. The costs of transporting the two net savers to the site alone would be enough to ensure that he would receive hefty compensation for the failure for a long while.

He inwardly frowned, sadly, as he would not be seeing a somewhat familiar older face from the country he had thought that he had been in. The person, Nikomi, would be saddened that he- and Searchman- had just disappeared, after all that he had done to make sure that they were safer than they had been, at the risk of himself being caught- and he truly had not known everything about the situation.

The kind Nikomi never would, either. Raika almost winced at that, and then even more, that Nikomi, as well as many others- not to mention, the entire situation had not been real.

It was just an illusion. But for what? It was still hard to accept, though . ..

But there was one thing, that he could truly answer, though. It was really a risk. If it was true , , , then he would be in quite a lot of trouble, not to mention Searchman.

. . . But the whole ordeal had only been part of virtual reality, then it would be safe.

He surprised himself by smiling a little bit in almost sheer relief. "I will be fine, if there is not another PET in my pocket."

Almost predictably, Lan's face turned wildly confused. "What?" he asked.

Raika shook his head a bit. "Never mind."

"Uh, what do you mean by another PET?" Lan asked. "I mean, you only have one navi, and that's Searchman, right?"

A distant sound of something exploding sounded in the distance. Megaman then spoke up.

"Lan, we have to get out of here fast. That darkloid is going to be doing a whole lot more damage if we don't do anything."

Lan nodded, his face suddenly sterner in concentration. "Then we'll have to solve it. But first, we have to get Raika out of here."

"Right."

Raika tried to remember what he had originally been in this place- whatever it was- for. As Lan quickly stuffed his PET in his right pocket- he was quite glad that it was not his left one- and he was picked up by Lan's strong cross fused arms, he was surprised to realize that the whole "reality" segment had encased six months.

He could remember what he had originally been in here for, as he saw it rush by as Lan hurried out of the room. He remembered the layout, slightly. The place was an abandoned factory and had been turned into a sort of school for lower class people that could not afford to have a regular schedule, for their children were needed to help with the many chores at home, while their parents were at work.

Raika had not been in the particular room that he had woken up in. He remembered the place that he was in now, though. The old schools desks- unused ones- where mixed with some musical instruments, of all things, and other odd assortments. He, cross fused then, had followed the electric darkloid left of the room, and he had used a sword chip- unusual for him, who usually preferred the more distant attacks of various rifles and advantages of that, rather than close combat.

The darkloid had flipped backward, turning into a spinning lightning ball-

And that had been it.

Raika scowled slightly, as he was slightly continuously jolted by being carried at a quick dashing pace. Nothing else. He should at least remember something, anything that would indicate the very moment that he had been captured, and Searchman also, driven unconscious and put into another reality that was not any sort of the thing at all.

When had it happened?

Had . . . it actually occurred at all? What if he was still inside of it?

Raika quickly shook the thought away. If he had woken up now, of all random times- when nothing major had been "occurring" in the not-reality, then it was as good as any explanation as any to waking up where he did.

Plus, he did slightly remember the battle before the whole capture in the first place. So would Searchman, if he did, though probably quite a lot more. Navis, especially well-made ones, tended to have a lot more higher powered memory systems that humans did in general. They had better thinking capacities, also, including to process information at a fast rate and not be overwhelmed.

. . . Then again, should he not know about that in the first place?

He then frowned again, not really attempting to force the thoughts away. Plus, with the reality being just what it was, he would not have to explain some things to people that had apparently never existed in the first place. Somehow, that was almost more relieving than that people that did definitely exist, including the one that was still carrying him currently.

Raika then grunted with slightly disdain as he was tossed casually over Lan's shoulder, and he heard another door slam open. He rolled his eyes a bit at the lack of cautiousness, which he had been taught over and over during his military school years.

He then heard Lan call out. "Hey, Chaud, I found Raika!"

There were more footsteps, and Raika slightly wished that he was not facing backwards so that he could lift his head even slightly to see the other fellow net saver, and to show that he was definitely not unconscious, even though still very much weakened.

Chaud's voice answered, most likely from his and his navi Protoman's red armored cross fused form. "Good," he commended. "Is he all right?"

"Kind of," Lan responded. "I found him and Searchman hooked up to this virtual reality thing, and now he can't even sit up."

Chaud's voice was even he replied, sounding confused. "Virtual reality?" He then seemed to calm himself as he answered his own question. "Well, if it was that, then no wonder the darkloid has not caused any more damage than he already has."

Raika listened to a few more explosions, which sounded like glass this time. "Sounds like he's in one of the outside rooms nearby," Chaud then stated.

"Good. Can you get the darkloid, while I get Raika away from here?"

Raika nearly sighed, but caught himself. He was in no position to fight currently, even if Searchman would be. Unfortunately, cross fusion required the net op to at least be able to stand, which he certainly did not feel that he could at the moment. Even sitting up seemed impossible.

"I think so. I think I know something to get past his lightning bolt shots that we were both have trouble with earlier."

Raika could see Lan grinning. "Well, that's good, 'cause I really don't want to get practically fried again. That lightning really hurts!"

He then heard Chaud's quick footsteps hurry away, and resigned himself to bouncing a bit more as Lan then turned and dashed to presumably an exit of the building.

He was correct, as he heard another door being slammed closed- Raika winced at the very obtrusive bang of the door as it slammed shut, then another a few seconds later, and a blast of cold.

Raika winced, instantly shivering slightly, even with his coat. He had not been in a colder climate for a while-

No, he just did not remember being in a colder climate for a while. He huffed a bit, then felt himself being thrown into the back seat of a large van. It was almost comical to see an almost navi's face, a helmet included, looking at him from inside a definitely human vehicle, of all things, but even that idea was severely lessened by his still very much weakened condition.

"You doing okay there, Raika?" Lan asked.

Raika almost made a retort, but then thought better of it. The currently armored person in front of him had just rescued him, after all.

"As much as I can be, at the moment," he replied softly.

Apparently it was enough, as Lan then grinned. "Well, don't get too comfy, since Chaud going to smash the darkloid, and then we'll get out of here." He then frowned. "Well, I wish I were the one smashing the enemy."

"You'll probably get more opportunities to fight more darkloids later, though you really shouldn't wish for it," Megaman stated. Most likely, the navi would be frowning at his net op if he were back in his PET.

Lan just laughed. "Yeah, well, anyway."

Raika then did sigh as Lan moved toward the front seat, still in his blue armor. A few minutes later, Raika heard the dimensional area collapsing and assumed that the darkloid had either been defeated or had just gone elsewhere.

Lan, presumably back in just his regular clothes, started chatting with friendly navi, then stop and practically jump out of the car- and leaving the front door open, as he did not hear it close- and greet Chaud.

Raika then spoke up softly, knowing that he would not be heard by the other four outside the car. "Searchman?" He then hesitated, not knowing how to continue.

There was a small pause, as if Searchman was also thinking of how to respond. Raika did not blame him, after all that had "occurred" in the virtual reality. After all, his own navi had been hugely affected, way more than he had been . . .

"It is definitely best that what had seemed to happen actually did not," Searchman finally responded.

Raika nodded, cheered up slightly by not only the words but by the fact that his navi still sounded as . . . well, as his navi. His own navi, a trained warrior, and his friend that had helped him through many battles and himself learning many lessons that his navi probably already knew the answer to. Searchman was just himself, and nothing else.

Thankfully.

Hopefully, it would always remain that way. Then again, he wondered how it could be anything else, even with all of the memories he had to sort through just to know what had actually happened, and what had not.

He was tired, though. Even though he was slightly scared that he and Searchman would wake up in the nightmare that they had been in, at least Searchman was definitely currently all right.