GammaTron: I did say I'd be doing a lot of stuff this month involving Megaman because it's Mega May. Today, I post this story: Biometal in Network. It's a story about Vent and Ashe being the reincarnations of MegamanEXE and RollEXE from the anime (specifically up to Stream's world-ending episode) who die on Ouroboros and wake up back in their original lives' world with Vent awakening in the first episode and Ashe being awake for far longer. As usual, I don't own Megaman. It's owned by CAPCOM.
The winds blew across two figures standing amidst the destruction of a massive purple structure. One a man adorned in whites and golds with long, flowing red hair and the other a young woman. Her bodysuit was gray with a dark-blue inside. She was donned in sleeveless dark-blue and red armor that fully covered her chest area. Gray armor covered her shoulders with her lower arms and legs/feet were covered in dark-blue armor with white fingers and soles. A red armored ring covered her wrists and her calf/ankle areas. Finally, her hair was ser in a ponytail, emerging from a mostly dark-blue helmet with two-pronged red crest with yellow horns extending further from their end and an oversized bolt situated in the center. She was the only one still standing, her hands filled with two strange bulky guns.
"You're no Mega Man king... You're no god...You were gonna destroy the world... You were gonna end the story…" she panted before snarling and shouted, "You're not the one to make that decision! This is my life, my story!"
"Is that your best answer? You're most definitely one of my creations," the man panted, looking up at her with pitch black eyes with red irises, "You... have surpassed me... My research wasn't wrong after all... Goodbye... Ashe...! You can have your peace, and... rot in it!"
His body began to shine before it exploded, leaving a small crater behind. Ashe stared at the sight for a few moments before the ground under her rumbled.
[We're in trouble! This flying fortress is going down!] a voice in her head yelped.
"He's gonna try and take us all with him! Model A, let's get back to the others…" Ashe ordered as she turned…or rather…she tried to move, "It's weird... I-I can't... move…"
Her eyes grew unfocused as she kept trying. Her body glowed before her armor glowed and transformed, leaving behind a white belt, an orange long-sleeved jacket, a red bandana on her forehead that exposed more of her silver hair with two large locks going over the bandana and framed her face. The armor reformed into a small, handheld object in the colors of the armor and shaped to resemble a face with a white face-mask and blue 'eyes.' It hovered before her as she finally moved…by collapsing to the ground.
[Hey... Hey! Ashe! Get a hold of yourself! Ashe!]
Further inside, five figures stood with four facing one. The four were donned in similar armors of a sleeveless jacket and armor in either purple, orange, blue, or green all sharing a similar white armor. The one they faced, though, was adorned in red with short sleeves on his small open jacket with long flowing gold hair. Unlike the four before him, he barely seemed winded while three of the four were panting.
'What…What is this guy…?' the orange one thought.
'We've been going at him with everything we have…Yet he…he doesn't even look winded!' the blue thought in worry.
'Is this…the power of Double MegaMerge?' the green pondered as the area shook.
[Vent! It's too dangerous here, we have to go help Ashe!] a voice in the red one's head warned.
"...I know, X," Vent replied, "But…we have to do one thing before we can."
=OBSERVATION: ENEMY IS TOO POWERFUL. RETREAT ADVISED= the purple one observed in a robotic voice.
"I think not," Vent scowled, "Zero, I think they're good and ready now. Failsafe!"
"Failsafe?" the orange repeated before Vent's armor glowed and turned blue with his left arm becoming a bulky blue blaster, while a small handheld object resembling a face with a white facemask and green 'eyes' in the colors of his red armor hovered before him.
[Today's not our day to meet our maker. But for you brats…it is] the red device stated before the four locked up [I know more about Biometals than you.]
"Agh... What!? My... body... feels... heavy... Model L...!" the blue one gasped.
"Biometal!" the orange one grunted, her eyes glaring at the one Vent called 'Zero.'
=INCOMPREHENSIBLE...! INCOMPREHENSIBLE...!?=
"You really think that the gal who made these Biometals was just someone who made them based on legends?" Vent asked, shaking his head, "No. You're dealing with the real deals. I don't know how Albert suppressed them, but Zero was the first and the only one who doesn't have this failsafe in him…because he is the failsafe."
[For too long you've had my sons and daughter] X informed [You have harmed countless people, both human and Reploid with their power. No more]
[Don't know what'll happen to you four, but I could care less] 'Zero' informed before his eyes flashed.
The four screamed as a flash of light went off. The four collapsed, their armor no longer on them while they laid collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Vent held his hand out and caught four small handheld objects much like 'Zero' but in the colors of the four. Each one's 'eyes' were grayed out as Vent looked at them.
"Model H…Model L…Model F…Model P…That's all four of them," Vent noted.
[...They're going to need some time to recharge. Ten, maybe twenty minutes at best] X informed as 'Zero' hovered over and Vent regained the red armor [Zero…thank you]
[It's nothing. Ciel…was a pretty good genius, wasn't she?]
[She was] X agreed as the area shook and Vent jumped back as a large piece of the ceiling collapsed and buried the four.
"Shit! The place is collapsing!"
[Vent, don't forget Ashe!] X called.
"On it!" Vent replied as he sped out through the door behind him and arrived at the destroyed area, "Ashe! Ashe, where are you?!"
[V-Vent! Over here!]
"Model A?" Vent pondered before spotting the collapsed silverette, "ASHE!" he dashed over and knelt down to scoop her up, "Model A, what happened?"
[We blew up Master Albert! But…but she got hurt really bad!] Model A explained [We couldn't hold MegaMerge and she passed out!]
"We've managed to recover the other Biometals from those thieves. Come on, we can get out of he…" Vent began as he took a step before the ground collapsed, "?!"
[VENT!] 'Zero,' X, and A screamed as the two fell.
"U-Ugh…" a groan escaped soft lips as Ashe slowly opened her eyes, seeing a broken darkened ceiling above, "Wh…Wha…" she tried to stand, only to grunt, "What th…" she looked down and her eyes widened, seeing her right leg beneath rubble, "?!"
"Gh…" Ashe turned her head to see Vent beside her, his right arm caught in the rubble and missing his armor, leaving him in a dark blue version of his jacket with long flowing brown hair that was partly underneath more rubble and baggy blue pants.
"V-Vent?"
Vent slowly opened his eyes, "H-Hey…"
"Oh god…W-What happened?!" Ashe gasped.
"Albert…G-Guy set up…pitfall traps…" Vent replied, "X? Zero?"
[We're in here, Vent] the first voice spoke as a blue handheld object peeked out of his jacket with 'Zero.'
"Zero?" Ashe repeated.
"That…That's Model Z's actual name," Vent replied, "Think you two can…"
[Your body is too damaged] Z replied [We can't MegaMerge]
"O-Oh…"
"M-Model A!"
[Ashe! Oh thank god you're awake!] A exclaimed, peeking out of her jacket [It was horrible! Vent was holding tightly on ya as you fell and her kept getting blasted by machines and hitting things and-and-and how did you not wake up when the boulder crushed your leg?!]
"I'm a heavy sleeper, alright. C'mon! Let's MegaMerge and get outta here!" Ashe called.
[...]
"...Model A?" Ashe pondered.
[You both suffered fatal damage in that fall despite Vent's best efforts to avoid that from happening to you] Z informed.
"?! Y-You're kidding me, r-right? I…I feel fine. Sure, I've got a leg gone, but…" Ashe began before trying to move her still good leg, "...I…I can't feel my other leg, either…"
[He protected you from a lot, but gravity couldn't be one] X admitted [Even with Vent using himself to cushion the fall, it…it still damaged you enough to paralyze you from the waist down]
"?! S-So…that…that's it?" Ashe asked in disbelief, "We save the day…but we're gonna just die?!"
[Not something that I'm unfamiliar with] Zero noted.
"Dammit…Goddammit!" Ashe cursed, tears welling in her eyes, "This…This isn't…I-I just can't…" she sniffled as she covered her face and croaked out, "Oh god…"
"Rrr…" Vent grunted as he struggled until, with a cry of pain, he pulled his arm out of the rubble…or, at least, the mangled limb that had been his arm, "Sonuva…" he grunted as he pulled his hair out of the rubble, "Gah…" 'Aw man…And I just got it as long as I wanted for her…' he looked to the sobbing silverette before stumbling over towards her, gritting his teeth each time he took a step with his left leg, 'Shit…leg's broken…not that it matters…' he managed to get his way over to Ashe and slowly slid down to sit beside her, his good arm on her side for him to use, as her sobs slowly faded, "H-Hey…It…"
"Maylu…" Ashe whispered.
"?!" he paused in his reaching to her.
"Oh god…I-I'm so sorry, Maylu…" she whispered, trembling now, "I-I couldn't…couldn't keep it…the promise I made…"
"..." Vent put his hand on her shoulder, making her tense, "...If I were to say 'BattleChip in and download'..."
"NetNavi?!" Ashe gasped, looking up at him with wide, red, puffy eyes.
[Net what now?] A asked.
"...Roll?" Vent asked, his mouth going a little dry.
"..." Ashe nodded, her voice lost for a moment, "...Y-You?"
"Rush once hid some gum in your hair and you made me swear to never tell another soul about it when I helped get it out without ruining your long hair," Vent chuckled weakly.
"..." Ashe let out a bitter laugh, "Of course…oh, of fucking course I finally see you again only to get us both killed!" She glared at the sky as another piece fell near them, "You jackass in the sky! You really like to fuck with me, don't ya?!" she let out a sob, "Why?!"
[I don't get it. Ashe, what's going on? Why is he calling you 'Roll?' Why are you acting like this?] A asked.
[They're reincarnated souls] X explained.
[Was a bit of a surprise for us when Vent…or MegamanEXE…told us when he was twelve before we went to fight Serpent] Zero explained [He thought he was the only one]
[Shut the front door!] A gawked as Ashe just sobbed while Vent held her close with his sole arm.
"Why…? Just why do they hate me?" Ashe sobbed, Vent gently rubbing tiny circles on her back.
"Hey, Duo hates me, too," Vent pointed out, "If anything, we're both hated by the greater powers above." He cringed as another piece of the ceiling fell near them, "But…I'm…I'm happy, too."
"?!"
"In the end…" Vent held her hand, "...I'm with you. If we cheat death again, we'll be together. If not, we'll still be together because I'm never letting you go."
"Oh god…You…You always do this…" Ashe choked out a laugh in her tears, "Y-You just know the one damn thing to say th-that gets my heart pumping…" she leaned against him, closing her eyes, "C-Can we just stay like this…until…until the end?"
"...Yeah," Vent replied, moving one of her silver locks out of her face, "...I should've known it was you this whole time, Roll."
"Hm?"
"Your excitable personality for one," Vent replied, cupping her cheek with his hand, "The other is that you still have the cutest face."
"Aw~"
[I'm gonna be sick…] A muttered, floating between X and Z.
[It's honestly still surprising to me how people just seem to…do this when they know their deaths are imminent] Z admitted.
[You faced it with dignity on that fall from orbit, Zero] X pointed out before the trio laid down on the two.
"Huh? Model A?" Ashe pondered, opening an eye.
[Hey, if you're going down, so am I] A spoke [I'm…kinda scared, to be honest. Does…Does it hurt?]
"Only for a moment," Ashe replied, using her free hand to give Model A a hug.
[Seems like it's our time] Z noted.
[I'm glad my kids didn't die as slaves to those four] X spoke, seeing the four Livemetals peeking out of Vent's vest [Thank you, Vent, Ashe. …Or do you want to go by your previous names for these last moments?]
"Go with what you prefer, buddy," Vent replied, flinching as one piece landed very close to them, "...Hub…"
"Hm?" Ashe pondered.
"If we're really dying, Roll…I want you to know something dad and mom made me swear to never reveal to Lan until he was old enough," Vent noted, "I…wasn't always a NetNavi. I was actually born a human by the name of Hub…the older brother of a twin. The younger twin was healthy and liked to go all over, but…I was born with HBD and…I died when I was barely a year old." Ashe quietly gasped on hearing that, "Dad…he couldn't handle it, so…he used my DNA as data for this ultimate NetNavi project. It worked and I woke up in his lab's network." he smiled softly, "Mama was there, too, holding my baby brother. So much went through us during that time, a lot of emotions just…swirling."
"Huh? A twi…Lan?!" Ashe gawked.
"Yeah. Didn't you ever notice how much we looked alike?" Vent asked.
"...Um…" Ashe glanced away with a blush of embarrassment.
Vent chuckled at that, "Yeah. Dad was waiting until Lan got into the fifth grade before I could be his NetNavi. Until then, I was kinda…stuck…in SciLab as an errand boy for the SciLab network." he looked up at the ceiling above them, the largest piece starting to crack directly above them, "I guess it's why in this life as Vent, I loved being a courier. It reminded me of my time at SciLab. But…" he looked at X and Z, "I can't really leave behind the 'saving others' part of me, either."
"It's just a part of you that I love," Ashe noted, "You don't like doing all this saving stuff, but you do it anyway because it's the right thing to do. …Hey, Mega?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think…Lan and Maylu are waiting for us?"
"They probably are," Vent replied, "They're our adorable little siblings, after all."
"What I wouldn't give to talk to her or just listen to her play the piano one more time," Ashe shook her head in fond remembrance.
"What I wouldn't give to tell Lan that I was Hub this whole time and how much he really means to me because of that bond," Vent noted.
"...Hub?"
"Hm?" Vent looked down at Ashe, who placed Model A between X and Z before cupping his cheek.
"It will be quick…right?"
"...Yeah," Vent nodded.
"Then I have enough time for this," Ashe noted.
With that, she leaned in close and took his lips with her own. Vent's eyes widened before returning the tender kiss. The Biometals softly glowed, the glow in the pieces on them meant to resemble eyes slowly fading as if they were simulating eyes closing. It was like they said…there was a sharp pain for one moment…and then silence.
Vent gasped, snapping his eyes open. He breathed in heavily and rapidly as he looked around. He choked on his spit as his eyes widened. The air above…was more of a repeating pattern of a 'wave' of blue with a football (soccerball) going across it. He looked down at where he was standing…and saw a vast array of squares forming a grid-like floor that expanded out as far as he could see.
"It…It can't be…" Vent whispered before turning and holding a hand out…before a mirror formed in a cluster of data, "!" he wore his uniform still, but his navy blue bodysuit now sported light blue lines going up the sides, his hands now covered in dark-blue gloves with dark-blue boots on his feet that his pants were going into…and his chest sported a gold ring with two red blocks divided by a red line going diagonally on it, "It…It can't be…" he looked around, "M-Model X? Model Z?!"
[We're here] Z informed, coming out of Vent's jacket with the other Biometals.
[How are we still alive? I could have sworn that the ceiling…] Model H trailed off as they looked around.
[This is…Where you were born, Vent?] Model X asked, recognizing it from how Vent described it in his stories.
[It feels like the world when we were Cyber Elves] Model Z noted.
[Yet here we are, still as Biometals] Model L sighed [What I wouldn't give for my old sexy body]
"Please stop…" Vent groaned, bringing a palm to his face.
[Now why would we do that? Leviathan got you out of that weird spaced out look] F pointed out.
[I take it that it involves the human child sleeping in that bed that looked like you at his age when we all met] P noted, looking at the floating screen nearby to see a young boy around 12 that looked like a younger Vent with shorter hair, an orange vest over a white long-sleeved shirt, black shorts with yellow lines going up the sides, and orange slip-on shoes sleeping on top of a blue bed.
[Vent, is he…?]
"Yeah…That…That's my brother…That's Lan," Vent replied, a few tears welling in his eyes before an alarm started beeping, causing him to let out a choked chuckle, "And he sleeps through it like always."
[An alarm? Are we under attack?! Vent, we gotta MegaMerge!] F demanded.
"It's an alarm to wake him up that he set," Vent explained as he wiped his tears, "And, like always, it fails." he grinned deviously as he made a bugle appear in his hands, "So…" he inhaled deeply before roaring out, "LAN XAVIER HIKARI! UP AND AT 'EM! ATEN~HUT!"
With that, he proceeded to play Reverie on the bugle. The six Biometals all sported a drop of sweat going down the back of his head. This…This honestly explained to them how Vent was just so good at waking everyone in the Guardians up.
"GYAHAHAHA!" the boy yelped as he fell off the bed and landed flat on his face, pulling down the orange vest and white shirt to show his back.
'?! Where are his scars from CrossFusion?' Vent pondered, quickly bringing up the calendar, '! It…It's the first day we met…'
[Play it cool, Vent] Z advised.
"Ah! Who said that?! Who's Vent?!" the boy, Lan, yelped as he started looking around rapidly.
"Huh…He heard you, Model Z," Vent noted before whistling, "Lan, over here on your PeT!"
"H-Huh?! My p…My PeT?" Lan pondered as he finally looked at the screen.
"Hey there, Lan! It's nice to meet you!" Vent greeted, "I'm Megaman, but you can call me 'Vent' when I'm not in uniform."
"Megaman…Vent…?" Lan pondered as a long silence fell until Vent snapped his fingers and smirked.
"Ah, you must be thinking about Dad telling you he'd make you a NetNavi for when you got into the Fifth Grade and you weren't expecting me, were ya?" Vent 'guessed,' "Probably expected someone bigger and more powerful looking?"
"Ah! Th-That's right!" Lan gawked, "How did you…?"
[He's psychic] Z joked.
"Ah! That voice again!"
"That was Model Z," Vent replied as he let his Biometals hover around him, "These are Biometal Models X, Z, L, H, F, and P. There's one more but he sleeps a lot."
[I still can't believe you willingly befriended that…] Z growled.
"Better to make a friend than an enemy," Vent shrugged, "But like I said, these guys are called Biometals."
"Biometals?"
[Think of us as Vent's ace in the hole] X summed up [We also 'talk' in a frequency only very few can hear, such as you and Vent]
[Do try to not look like you're insane when you talk to us] Model H advised.
"Hey!" Lan scowled.
[A pleasure to meet you, Lan] L greeted [Though we all have a letter as our names, you can also call us Fafnir, Harpuia, Phantom, Zero, and Leviathan or 'Levi' for short]
"I just use their first letter to talk faster in public but their full names in private or slow times," Vent admitted.
"Wait. What about X?"
[That is my name]
"Your name is just 'X'?"
[Yes. Biometal Model X]
"...Huh…So Zero, Fafnir, Harpuia, Phantom, Levi, and…X? Mmm…Kinda…lackluster compared to the others…"
[I'm liking this boy already] Z chuckled before the Biometals and Vent looked past Lan at the wall.
[Kid, get downstairs quick!] F shouted.
"H-Huh?!"
[We're detecting a quick increase of temperature that signifies…] H began.
[Your house just caught fire!] L interrupted before a scream came from downstairs.
"Ah! Mom!" Lan gasped, quickly taking his PeT and ran downstairs towards the kitchen where an older brown-haired woman was backing away from an oven spewing flames, "Mom!"
"Lan! The oven suddenly caught fire!"
[Fire extinguisher located] P noted.
Lan quickly picked up the house extinguisher and ran to the oven. He aimed and let loose a blast of it, putting it out. The oven sparked before it erupted once more with even more flames than before.
"Gah!" Lan yelped, jumping back in surprise, "Ah…The computer must be on the fritz."
[There's a computer in your oven?] L asked in disbelief.
"All appliances have the ability to connect to the internet."
[Not a very sound security plan] H stated.
"Lan!" Vent called before giving a sharp whistle to earn his attention, "Get me in there and I'll look around."
"You will?"
[Hurry, Lan!] X called.
"Gotcha!" Lan replied, firing off another blast of the extinguisher, "Jack In! Megaman! Power Up!"
[WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!] F screamed.
"Language!" Vent scolded, "And that was Logging In."
[It felt like going through a teleporter…but more invasive…] H admitted.
[We've got company] Z advised as Vent turned to see himself surrounded by viruses resembling skulls and claws engulfed in flames.
"Viruses," Vent frowned, "CanDevils."
[And Mettaurs] X added, spotting several small black orbs wearing yellow helmets with tiny yellow feet striking away at things with pickaxes.
[We can never get rid of those things no matter where we go, can we?] F complained.
[Aw…They're still so adorable~] L cooed.
"Not the time, L," Vent silenced.
"Is it a computer virus?" Lan asked.
"CanDevils and Mettaurs," Vent replied, "...Heh. Time to get to work then. Since there's more Fire than Null, why not get a little wet and wild?"
"Huh?"
"Model X!" Vent called as the Biometal shot into his hand, "Model L!" the sole female of them shot into his other as he quickly crossed his arms before him, "Here we go! Double MegaMerge!"
[Biolink Established. Meta-Encapsulated Granule Awareness Systems Online] the two Biometals stated before Vent was engulfed in a flash of blue-tinted light for a moment.
Vent was now donned in a light-blue armor that covered his lower arms, lower legs/feet, and head. His jacket became bulkier and grew a gold 'collar' while gold armor also covered the back of his fists, the calf/ankle part of his boots, and on the ends of the two 'fins' growing out of the sides of his helmet. Bulky white armor covered his upper legs/thighs and seemed to be shaped to resemble fins. A red arrow made of crystal wrapped around the top of his helmet while he held a hand out and, in a sudden formation of ice that shattered, gained a white double-ended spear, the blade made of a light-blue plasma.
"V-Vent…?" Lan asked.
"Vent is when I'm out of the armor," Vent spoke, opening his eyes to reveal they had turned sapphire in color, "When I'm suited up, it's Megaman! In this case, Megaman Model LX, the Ice Megaman!"
"Whoa~" Lan awed.
"Now let's bust some viruses, Lan!" Megaman declared before dashing at the nearest Mettaur and cleaved it in two with his spear.
Now earning their attention, Megaman smirked as he started running about and delivering several slashes with his spear, cleaving through the Viruses with ease. Several Mettaur jumped at him, only for Megaman to jump up and swing his spear in an arc…forming an arc of ice that crushed the startled Mettaurs with ease. He charged up and, with a roar, swung his spear…unleashing a massive dragon made of ice with glowing red eyes that tore apart the remaining viruses in the area.
"So fast…!" Lan awed.
"Whew. Not too shabby, eh?" Megaman asked before looking over his shoulder to the last of the flames in the area, obscuring a figure within them, "What do you think…World Three?"
"...Tch…" the figure in the flames growled before they Logged Out, dispersing the flames in the process.
"Phew…the fire's out…" the woman sighed in relief.
"Log Out," Lan ordered, removing the plug from the port and grinned at the PeT's screen, "That was so cool~! You were so cool and got rid of them so fast! And that dragon!"
"Never judge a book by its color, Lan," LX noted before changing back to Vent, "You either underestimate who you judge or overestimate."
Lan chuckled eagerly, "I got it! With you by my side, I can beat up Dex's Gutsman in no time flat!"
[I'm lost here] Z noted.
"NetNavis don't just perform errands and bust viruses. We also enjoy friendly battles with one another known as NetBattles," Vent explained, 'Dex and Gutsman, huh? I wonder if I'll even need to MegaMerge? Or if I should and give them a bit of a motivational talk to make them get stronger for what comes?'
[Whoa, whoa, whoa! Kid, you mean to tell me we get to fight a lot?] F asked.
"Yep!" Lan grinned.
[Sold!]
[Dammit, Fafnir, you crazy battle junkie!]
[Fairy Leviathan Light! Language] X scolded.
[Sorry, Daddy…]
-linebreak-
[It's been so long since I last visited a school] X noted.
"Never went to one in my past life," Vent admitted, "Used to attend with Lan, so it's nice to go back to it…even if I'm just gonna be relearning what I've already learned from Ms. Mari."
[Care to give us a rundown on who we'll meet in this school?] P asked.
"Hopefully…we'll get to see Ashe and Model A…if they're here."
[If not, we'll get to meet her when she was Roll, right?] L asked.
"Yeah…" Vent nodded, a blush forming on his face.
[Not sure if you like her more as Roll or as Ashe, are you?] H asked.
"She's equal in both," Vent replied.
[Lan, I have a question. I have been reading your digital copy of the school handbook and it says that NetBattling isn't allowed. Why are you planning one?] P asked.
"Aw don't worry about it, Phantom! It's gonna be after school, after!" Lan replied.
[...Master Vent…] P began.
"Um…Did I forget to mention that you need a License to NetBattle and Lan just ignores that law?" Vent sheepishly scratched his cheek, 'Even if it is going to go away before the N1 Grand Prix which was made to celebrate the law's repeal…'
[YOU DID FORGET!] L, F, and Z barked.
[This is Vent. Have you forgotten he forgets random things at times?] X chuckled.
"Hey…" Vent grumbled before blinking a few times, "...Hey, Lan?"
"What's up, Vent?"
"You mind if I look around the school network during class?" Vent asked.
"Eh, sure. Just be back in time for Virus Busting class," Lan replied.
"Can do," Vent nodded.
[Vent, what are you planning?] X asked.
"Preparing to flip the script," Vent replied.
Vent grunted as he quickly deleted another Mettaur with his hand pistol. This was honestly something he rather enjoyed over the robots and mechanilloids: money was easy to come by more and he could gather their data for BattleChips for Lan to use and trade in when Higsby finally opens his shop. A Canodumb prepared to shoot at him from behind before something large slammed down hard on it. Vent tensed as he grabbed X while spinning around. Slowly, the smoke cleared to reveal a massive machine-like beast resembling an ice-blue alligator in terms of motif with ice for fangs and red eyes. It let out a roar before, in a flash of light, Ashe replaced it with a big grin on her face. Vent's eyes widened as the silverette walked over to him, giving a sway of her hips for show.
"Not too shabby! You were really good at beating up those Viruses with just a peashooter," Ashe complimented as she wrapped her arms around his neck with a flirtatious wink, "You really rock, ya know?"
"Heh-heh…Thanks. I'm Megaman, but…you can call me Vent," Vent introduced himself.
"I'm Roll, but my friends call me Ashe," Ashe greeted, "The only exceptions are my adorable musician of a NetOp and you. You get to call me Roll."
"Only if you call me 'Mega.'"
"Deal," Ashe giggled before fully hugging him and sniffled, "Oh god…We're here. We're really here, Hub. Maylu and Lan…it…it's just…"
"I know," Vent replied, returning the hug, "This time, we'll do our best for them."
[What took you so long to see us anyway? We had to come find you!] Model A complained.
[We just woke up last night] X explained.
[Kid is pretty interesting. Reminds me of Vent when he was the kid's age] Z chuckled.
[It seems young Lan is a potential Chosen] X added [He could hear us clear as day]
"Seriously?" Ashe asked.
"Yep. Seems he likes Model F the most," Vent chuckled, "Makes sense."
"Sure does," Ashe agreed.
[What's that supposed ta mean?!] F demanded.
"Nothing," the two Chosen replied.
"Did you try to see me as a courier for SciLab?" Vent asked.
"You looked so adorable. Acted like a little puppy when you got thanked for your help," Ashe giggled, "Had to use Siarnaq's look to sneak about in it so I wouldn't get detected."
[You looked ridiculous] Model A joked.
"Hey…" Vent mock-pouted before Ashe kissed his cheek, "!"
"So…Glad to see my adorable baby sister isn't gonna be the odd one out when it comes to hearing voices," Ashe noted.
"But you were made when she was six."
"And I have lived two lives, so I am older," Ashe defended before tapping his nose, "And just for that, no hot raging sex for a week."
"A-Ashe?!" Vent squawked, his face going bright red.
"Okay, no hot raging sex until tonight, ya big goof," Ashe winked.
"...Uh…I…um…er…" Vent stammered, now sweating heavily at the declaration.
"You've fought dangerous terrorist organizations several times, lived three different lives, fought people trying to become gods…but you loose your cool because of your cute curvaceous little Hunter?" Ashe giggled, "I should find that offensive, but I'll take it as a compliment."
"Eep!" Vent squeaked as he froze up.
"This, too," Ashe winked before moving away from Vent, "Well…it's almost Virus Busting class, Hubby, so I gotta go to Maylu's PeT to beat up a big dummy to copy his Data to make hilarious videos of him~"
"Roll…" Vent sighed, forcing the blush down.
*BANG!*
"See ya~" Ashe winked as she Logged Out, the Mettaur nearby falling over from the two holes in it from Ashe and Vent's guns.
"See ya," Vent waved, a fond smile on his face.
[...You're fucked tonight] L summed up.
"L-Leviathan!" Vent squawked, turning bright red once more.
[It is nice to see that she's here as well] X noted [But please, do use protection]
[I refuse to be Uncle Zero] Z stated.
"WHY ARE YOU TORTURING ME?!" Vent shouted at the sky.
"Oh, I am so gonna use this for later amusement," Ashe snickered as a small sphere of data entered Model A.
[That was some strange looking metal monkey] A noted.
"Ah, that's just Gutsman being Gutsman," Ashe snickered, 'Gonna have to introduce him to Vent later and lie saying we've been dating since he was a SoloNavi working at SciLab.' giggling made her look up, "Bet you're amused by these two, eh, Maylu?"
"A little," the screen showing a light-skinned girl with chocolate-brown eyes and rich shoulder-length red hair quietly replied.
"Great! So…while we're waiting for the Bustin' part…I met someone~"
"You did?"
[It's Lan's new NetNavi! Remember that courier SoloNavi Ashe talked about? That's him!]
"I hope you don't mind, but is it okay if I invite him over after your piano lesson?" Ashe asked.
"It's fine," Maylu softly replied, "I'd like to meet the guy brave enough to date you."
"I'll point him out when we get to Virus Busting," Ashe assured.
"Okay, class, we're moving on to the Virus Busting portion so please Log In your NetNavis!"
"Here we go!" Ashe cheered, quickly Logging In through the desk.
"Hello, everyone. We'll be sending out the Virus we've been discussing in today's lesson. Any volunteers?" a female NetNavi wearing a formal green armored dress with purple gloves and boots asked as she stood before several steel blocks.
"YO/Right here, ma'am~!" Ashe and Vent called as both held a hand up at the same time.
"Oh? Excited as always, eh, Ashe?" the Navi asked before looking at Vent, "And you're a new face."
"My name is Vent. I'm Lan's Custom Navi," Vent greeted, causing the other NetNavis and their NetOps to start whispering and awing, "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
"Alright. So you and Ashe are up first then. Ashe, come here please. Vent will come after."
'Oh goody! I can't wait for this! …Wait, what was this class about again?' Ashe pondered as she stood before one box…before it transformed into a small brown mouse-like mouse Virus with a red gem on its back, "..."
[Ashe…Are you okay?] A asked, feeling unease at how she simply…stopped.
"Oh no…" Vent groaned, facepalming.
"Oh dear," Maylu squeaked.
"Dead Ratty squeaking…" Lan muttered, giving a shudder.
"You sonuva…" Ashe growled, her face getting red in rage.
[Um…What's happening?] L asked.
"Roll has…issues…with Ratty Viruses," Vent explained under his breath, cringing as Ashe grabbed Model A and MegaMerged, "When she sees them…boom."
[Boom?] F repeated.
"DIE YOU STUPID RAT! GIGA CRUSH!" Ashe screeched before the whole class jumped as the blackboard sparked along with several other systems in the room for several seconds while the Network showed several deep craters where the Ratty virus and all the containers had been.
"Boom," Vent confirmed as Ashe stomped over to Vent, grumbling under her breath before dropping MegaMerge to hug him, "...Um…There-there?"
"Just hold me before I rip someone's head off…" Ashe muttered.
[If you do, rip the gorilla's head off] Model A tried to joke.
"Again, Ashe?" the teacher Navi groaned in exasperation.
"She told me about this," Vent noted, holding his hand up, "She had a really bad encounter with a Ratty Virus during her early days of being a NetNavi and developed a…er…very strong hatred of them because of it."
"Because they're evil! Totally evil and vile and worse than WWW!" Ashe declared.
"Well…considering your attack destroyed all our Ratty viruses for the whole class, it seems we'll have to go to a quiet period."
"...Um…I know where to get more if you need them, ma'am," Vent offered before gagging as Ashe grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him to look her in the eyes.
"You know where they come from?!" Ashe hissed, rage in her eyes as they seemed to glow with her anger.
[Mercy, Ashe! Mercy!] X panicked.
[Killed by his own girlfriend…I swear, we're more alike than I thought, Vent] Z muttered.
"...I'll tell you after school," Vent replied.
"Oh no you d…" Ashe began before she was Logged Out by Maylu.
"...How fast can you get them?" the teacher Navi asked.
"Ten minutes," Vent replied.
"...Bring them and Lan will get extra credit for this," Ms. Mari informed.
"Understood," Vent replied before running off.
"And you are staying in the PeT until my piano lesson is done," Maylu scolded as the bell for classes ending for the day played.
"Mmm…" Ashe whined.
[Hey, it's your own fault for blowing up the whole class!] A pointed out.
"But it was a Ratty~"
"No buts!] Maylu and A barked.
"Lan, slow down!" Vent called, making Maylu turn in time to see Lan skidding to a halt and nearly fall over.
"What is it, Vent?" Lan groaned.
"Aren't you going to wish Maylu good luck with her piano lesson today?" Vent asked.
"Hm?" Lan blinked before turning his head to see her, "Ah! Hey, Maylu! Today's your piano lesson?"
"It is," Maylu nodded, "And Roll isn't allowed on the net until after it for her blow up in class today."
"Boo…" Ashe whined.
"Guess we'll have to delay you showing me your house for another day, huh?" Vent asked.
"Huh?" Lan looked at his PeT.
"So you're Vent?" Maylu asked.
"Yes. It's nice to meet you, Maylu. Ashe likes to talk a lot about you," Vent chuckled, "And these are my partners, Models X, Z, H, F, L, and P."
"He has one more but everytime I ask, the others refuse to answer and interrupt Vent when he tries to say anything about the last one," Lan grumbled.
[It's an abomination] Z growled.
[A monster] L added.
[Extremely dangerous] P warned.
[Kicked our asses but good]
[Fighting Fafnir Light!]
[Sorry, Pops]
[A pleasure to meet you, Maylu] H greeted.
"Oh! They're like Model A?" Maylu asked.
"You hear them, too?" Lan asked in surprise.
[Of course she can!] Model A replied [And finally, a guy that can hear me!]
"What's that supposed to mean…?" Ashe grumbled.
"Nice to meet you, Model A," Lan greeted before seeing the time, "Ah! I'm gonna be late! Good luck with your practice today, Maylu!"
"Thanks, Lan!" Maylu waved.
[You think he'll ever be smart enough to recognize you like him?] Model A asked.
"M-Model A!" Maylu stammered, blushing at that.
[What?]
[That is one big metal gorilla] F noted as Vent grinned, looking up at the large gorilla-shaped NetNavi in bulky reds and yellows with metal arms and small black-covered legs with green lines on the outside.
"Are you serious, Lan? That little pipsqueak's your NetNavi!"
"Yep! That's my NetNavi, Vent! And like he told me yesterday: don't judge a book by its cover!" Lan declared.
"You think you can beat my Gutsman with that?"
"Just shut up and get started."
"Let's have a fun NetBattle, Gutsman," Vent spoke, offering his hand to shake.
"Gutsman gonna have tons of fun squashing you, guts!" Gutsman replied, shaking it with a tight grip only to grunt a little at Vent returning it just as hard if not a bit harder.
[Oh you wanna go? Ya wanna go?!] F demanded [Tag me in, Vent! Tag. Me. In!]
"Maybe…if you can overpower me," Vent smirked at Gutsman before grabbing Model X and Model F, "Model X! Model F!" he crossed them before him, "Let's go! Double MegaMerge!"
[BioLink Established. MEGA Systems Online]
Vent slammed his fist onto the ground, engulfing him in a blast of flames that dispersed. His jacket had turned a brilliant orange in coloration. His leg armor resembled that of LX with the fin motif gone from it and the light-blue swapped for orange. His pill-shaped guards on his lower arms/back of hands swapped for a bulky box-shape with the light-blue replaced with orange On his back laid a pair of bulky orange and black engine-like devices that looked more like the maws of a beast. His helmet had the red arrow crystal nestled on a piece of white armor on the orange helmet with two yellow horns coming out from behind the helmet with two yellow spikes pointing downwards. He stood up and his eyes snapped open, revealing them to be a brilliant orange in color.
"The Fire Megaman! Megaman Model FX!" Megaman declared, bashing his fists together.
"HAH?!"
"Ready for this, Dex? Let's go, Megaman! Battle Routine, set!"
"Execute!" Megaman FX declared.
"Rrrr…! Crush this pipsqueak, Gutsman!"
"GUTS!" Gutsman roared, bashing his fists on his chest, "Gutsman will crush you, guts!"
"Let's go!" Megaman FX roared as he charged at the big bruiser.
[I'm so relieved that we managed to convince Maylu to let you go checking the oven during practice] A sighed in relief as Ashe walked around in the oven systems.
"I'll say," Ashe agreed, "Probably shouldn't have Giga Crushed…"
[That was overkill…and I normally love doing overkill!]
"R-Right…Well, let's just be on the lookout," Ashe muttered…just as viruses started to form, "And hello~World Three!" she swung a hand into the air, holding Model A, "MEGAMERGE!"
[BioLink Established! MEGA System Online!] Model A shouted, quickly transforming Ashe.
"Roll Model A ready to rock!" Ashe whooped.
[I'm sorry, but…Roll Model A?]
"Hey. 'Mega Man' ain't no title here. That's all Hubby," Roll A replied, "I went along with it to honor my love for him, but since we're back here, him being alive, and us now romantic, I am calling myself Roll instead of a Mega Man, got it?"
[Alright, alright…] A sighed.
"WHOO! Let's kick ass and claim some valuable booty for A-Trans and our bank accounts!" Roll A whooped before letting loose with her guns, tearing the Viruses apart before they could start anything.
Megaman FX laughed, jumping back as he avoided another punch from Gutsman, who had yet to get a single hit in. He grunted as his back bumped into a wall and he grinned, realizing Gutsman was leading him into a corner.
"MegaGuts Punch! Slot In!" Dex declared.
"Guts!" Gutsman roared as his right fist tripled in size before he threw it at Megaman FX…who stopped it with a pointer finger.
"You're quite hotheaded, ain't ya?" Megaman FX asked in amusement.
"Way to go, Megaman!" Lan cheered.
"Will admit that you've got a good punch, but you forgot to put your back into it," Megaman FX noted as he reached behind him with his free hand, letting one of the items on his back detach and expand, revealing it to be a blaster that he had been charging up, "Like…THIS!"
With that, Megaman FX put his back into the punch he delivered. The impact tore through the MegaGuts Punch and right through Gutsman's gut. Gutsman gagged as a red glow shined on the other side of his body…before a blast of flames tore through it. His body glowed before he quickly Logged Out.
"AHHH~! GUTSMAN~!" Dex sobbed.
"...Dex," Megaman FX spoke, "Gutsman…has a lot of potential. He just needs to better understand what it means to throw a punch. I'd be glad to NetBattle him again once he becomes stronger and can understand what it means to 'punch.'"
"Huh? A punch is a punch, right?" Dex asked.
"There's more to a punch than what one thinks," Megaman FX replied, "Ask on the SBS in the Net Square and you may get some leads on how to help Gutsman grow stronger."
"Ya sure?"
"Sure he's sure!" Lan replied, "Megaman is really strong and he likes to help others become stronger, too!"
"Sorry about not letting ya get a BattleChip or two in, Lan," Megaman FX apologized, "Hopefully next time we NetBattle, you'll get more participation than just strategy."
"I'm still trying to see all you have," Lan assured.
'And no sign of Roll,' Megaman FX thought as the two kids started to talk, 'She's got it covered.'
"And, boom goes the dynamite!" Roll A laughed, deleting the last of the viruses, "...Hmm…Oh, Fireman~I know you're in here~!" she called, "You World Three folk that much of a chicken, eh?" she grinned before rolling out of the way of a barrage of fireballs, "Nice try!"
"You know my identity?" a voice asked before a tall NetNavi in red with flamethrowers for a head and arms appeared.
"Yep~! My boyfriend Megaman told me about how he saw you in the flames in his oven network last night," Roll A winked, "And thanks for confirming your name's Fireman! You can call me Roll Model A!"
"Roll Model A? As in an Alpha build?"
"No, as is Asskicker!" Roll A declared as she let loose several shots, forcing Fireman to dodge.
"Fire Tower!" Fireman roared, slamming a fist into the ground and unleashing a tower of flames that came towards Roll A, who grinned.
"A-TRANS!" she cried out as the 'screw' on her forehead spun before, in a flash of light, she was replaced with the giant robotic alligator that let the attack splash off him, "Bifrost!"
"What in the world?!" Fireman gasped before Bifrost's lower jaw unhinged and his mouth opened fully…before the 'fangs' shot out like rockets towards Fireman, forcing him to dodge and grunt as he barely missed being impaled.
"What is the world is up with this NetNavi?" Fireman's Operator questioned as Bifrost turned back into Roll A as her guns shined bright.
"The gal who's pissed off that you tried to set fire to my house!" Roll A declared, "GIGA CRUSH!"
"Giga Cr…" Fireman began before screaming as he was shredded apart with a myriad of bullets, lasers, and electrified homing shots, barely Logging Out before he could be deleted.
"Hmph! And don't…ever come back to…my oven, ya…ya hear?!" Roll A declared between pants, "Whew! I…hate the cooldown…"
[Hey, he left his data behind!] Model A beamed, seeing a floating sphere of white light that floated over to them, soaking into her armor [Nice! Now let's see here…Fireman…sweet, he's got some killer flamethrowers for primary and that Firetower as his secondary…and he can make a tidal wave of lava for his Charge Attack?! AWESOME~!]
"We're gonna have so much fun with that," Roll A grinned deviously as she held a hand out and the remaining data in the air floated over and coalesced into a myriad of digital BattleChips of the various viruses, Torchman, and several dozen gold coins with a green stylized 'Z' in them, "And look at all this booty from the Virus Busting!"
[We've been awake for five years now and I'm still getting used to seeing you do that] Model A muttered as she dropped MegaMerge.
"Yeah. But you can't deny you love Maylu's piano practices," Ashe grinned.
[Mmm…S-She's pretty good at it, okay?]
"Alright, alright. Let's get on to another system near the piano so we can hear it better, alright?" Ashe advised.
[Okay!] Model A beamed.
"And then we Giga Crushed him for the win!" Ashe beamed, slamming her fist into her palm with a grin, as she sat beside Vent on a picnic blanket in Maylu's PC, "Now we've got Torchman's data!"
"Isn't he called Fireman?" Vent asked.
"Yeah…But Imma call him Torchman because it'll be a good insult," Ashe winked before resting her head against his chest, "...It's honestly nice…having Maylu, Lan…just…everyone back."
"Ah," Vent agreed, "And all the way in the beginning at that." he looked up at the music-themed 'sky' of Maylu's homepage, "So many troubles caused that can be solved easier, like today with you getting that hot head before he could send Maylu to the hospital."
"I wanted to avoid that at all costs," Ashe frowned, "Those bastards caused damage to her lungs from all that smoke inhalation. She had to hide the fact she had to use an inhaler from then on."
"...Um…Lan already knew."
"Huh?" Ashe looked at Vent.
"Yeah, he saw her using it when he was looking out over at her house one night," Vent explained, "He kept quiet since he thought she'd tell him when she felt comfortable doing it."
"Oh that dummy," Ashe sighed, a small smile on her face, "How can he be oblivious one moment and then honestly thoughtful the next?"
"That's just Lan for you," Vent shrugged, "Still…we have a lot to cover and remember."
"Which is why I wrote down everything in a Word Doc," Ashe grinned as she displayed the doc for Vent, "Have a list of things to change and a list of things not to change."
"Huh…Not gonna change Maylu's hair getting ruined?" Vent asked.
"You kidding me? And miss blowing up Torchy again?"
"Fair," Vent chuckled.
GT: Hope you guys are enjoying Mega May so far. I sure as heck am. Please make sure to Read and Review, please!