Megaman wandered around the edge of area between SciLabs and the UnderNet. He was still a little concerned that the connection was so close.
"Lan? Do you think we should mention this to Papa?" he asked. A screen appeared with Lan's face.
"Nah, he probably already knows." he said. Model X hovered into view.
'Even so, we should probably tell him, just to be safe.' he said. Megaman nodded, Lan nodding too. He took a step closer to the UnderNet entrance, when the air throbbed around him. Megaman lost his breath.
"This power..." he whispered. He looked up, seeing something slowly stepping forward. Ruby red eyes peaked out first, purple streaks running down his face. A torn, weathered cloak floated, pushed aside from the sheer energy. A blue star stood out on an imposing black helmet. Megaman raised his MegaBuster instantly. "Who are you?" he asked. The crimson eyes stared at him, sizing him up. Lan leaned forward.
"Megaman? What's wrong?" he asked. Megaman stared at the black warrior, and the power rising from his body.
"Lan, I can feel his power. This is beyond anything I've ever seen!" he said. The Navi continued to stare. Lan frowned.
"Does he want a battle?" he asked. The Navi sneered. His gaze goaded Megaman into firing a shot. Instantly, the ruby eyes glimmered.
"I think he does." Megaman said. Model X rose.
'Be careful. I don't recommend this fight.' he said. Lan leaned forward.
"We took down the LifeVirus, I think we can handle this guy." he said. The Navi's cloak started to billow.
"Compare me to a simple virus?" Megaman choked on a gasp. The Navi charged forward. He stopped seconds before slamming his hand into Megaman. Megaman stared. The Navi whispered in his ear. "Big mistake." He kicked Megaman hard in the stomach, sending him flying across the area. Megaman cried out, slamming into a data block. He pealed himself away, landing. He panted. Lan gritted his teeth.
"Okay, now it's time to get serious! Megaman, Battle Routine, set!" he exclaimed. Megaman stood strong, letting the routine activate.
"Execute!" he exclaimed. He started firing off shots with the MegaBuster. The Navi dodged each and every one, moving so quickly, it felt like lightspeed. He appeared right over Megaman, raising his hand. Lan jammed in some Battle Chips.
"Barrier! MegaCannon! Slot-in!" he exclaimed. Megaman raised his Barrier, but the attack tore right through it. Megaman pulled to the side, getting singed. He raised his Cannon and launched it. The Navi leaned to the side, and let the blast tear up an area behind him. Megaman stood up.
"Who are you? Why do you have such power?" he said. The Navi snarled. He threw energy at Megaman. Megaman dodged, skipping to the side and rolling. Lan slid in some more Battle Chips.
"Megaman! Try to paralyze him!" he said. Megaman jumped, swinging the attack down.
"ZapRing!" he exclaimed. The Navi dodged. Megaman spun around. "It's no use, Lan, he just moves too quickly!" he said. The Navi continued to hover, staring with red eyes.
'This is a good time to leave, while he's uninterested.' Model X said, sounding worried. Megaman grimaced. Did he truely want to face something as overwhelming as this? Lan gritted his teeth, staring.
"I want to battle. I wanna figure out how to win!" he complained. Megaman glanced back as the Navi continued to stare.
"Lan..." he said. Lan wouldn't meet his eyes. They stood there for a long second, silence drawing out.
"Pathetic." Megaman spun around. The Navi loomed above him, flashing his teeth in a snarl. "Turning tail and running the moment things get difficult? I despise slaves like you." he said. Megaman tensed.
"Slaves?" he asked. The Navi frowned.
"I've said enough." he said, and waved his hand. Instantly, all the tiles around the battlefield shattered, and vanished.
'Lan! Jack-out Megaman now!' Model X said. Lan nodded, reaching for the cord. It was stuck. He stared.
"Huh? It's not moving!" he said, yanking at it a little harder. He shot his head up, staring at the black Navi. "So the only way to get out of this is defeat him?" he asked. Megaman frowned.
"It looks like it." he said. The Navi tilted his head.
"It ends when I delete you." he said. Megaman snapped his head up, and the Navi slammed a fist into his chest, right at his Navimark. Megaman grabbed at his Navimark with one hand, and started firing off shots with the other. His body ached, pounding from the damage to his crest. Lan frowned, and snapped out his Battle Chips.
"We're not loosing! And I'm not loosing Megaman, no way!" he said. Megaman felt the data upload, and let the Battle Routine tell him where to go. Wait. Wait. Fire off a charged shot. The Navi charged again, slamming down with a kick. Megaman raised his arm.
"WideSword!" he exclaimed. The leg slammed into the sword, letting a couple of data streams spill out. The Navi stared in surprise. He backed off, hovering, staring down at his injured leg. He fired off a spread of shots. Megaman ducked, charging forward. "Guard!" he exclaimed, rasing a shield. A burst of air flew in the opposite direction. The Navi moved to counter it, and Megaman leapt. "LongSword!" he said. The Navi clapped the blade with his hand, wincing as his own power hit him. He threw Megaman back with the Sword blade, and Megaman flipped backward. He skidded, data flecks being thrown up. Lan jammed in a series of Battle Chips.
"Blind him!" he said. Megaman threw MiniBomb after MiniBomb.
'Feel for his power, you know how he moves, but he doesn't know of your power yet.' Model X said. Megaman threw more MiniBombs, letting them throw up a smokescreen. A BigBomb loaded, and Megaman waited. He felt power pulse to his left. He spun around on his heel, and hurled the massive explosive as hard as he could.
"BigBomb!" he exclaimed. The Navi lept into the air, feet getting grazed by the blast. Megaman launched himself from the ground, loading a new piece of Battle Chip data. "FlameSword!" he exclaimed. He slashed at the Navi right above his waist. The Navi cried out, startled. He landed, and just stared at Megaman. Megaman stared too, panting. "That's enough! We've fought, and we don't need to battle anymore!" he said. The Navi grimaced, face slowly becoming as ferice, and wild, as a wolf's.
"FlameSword." he stated. He stared at Megaman, and Megaman could finally see pure hatred hiding behind his ruby eyes. He stepped back. So much hate, all, all for what? The Navi rose, tilting his head. He still kept his teeth bared. "We'll battle again someday. Grow. Find a way to satisfy my hunger, my thirst." he said, and vanished. Lan tugged on the cable, and Megaman retreated into his PET hastily.
"Why did that feel almost too close?" he asked. Lan shrugged.
"I don't know, but I could feel it too." he said, hugging Megaman's PET to himself. Model X glanced aside, looking upset.
'His voice when he cried out. He's just a child, not much older than the two of you. For somebody to have such power, and such hate in their body...' he trailed off. He pulsed a little. 'Let's forget about this for now. Stay on your guard when you go into the UnderNet though. He just might show up.' he said. Lan nodded, then looked at Megaman.
"Do you wanna explore in the real world for a bit? Just to get your head cleared out?" he asked. Megaman rubbed his hand on his Navimark. It still felt weak from where the Navi had hit him.
"...Sure, Lan." he said. He stared, still remembering the hate in that Navi's eyes.
Hate... hate... ha... te...at...e... ... ... ...
