"Lan! You've got mail!" Lan glanced up from sorting out his Battle Chip folder.
"Huh? Who's it from?" he asked. Megaman skimmed down the message. His eyes went wide.
"It's from the Officials!" he said. Lan darted over.
"Seriously? What does it say?" he asked. Megaman flipped the message around.
"Because of the threat of Grave, the Officials are having a meeting at their Netopian HQ! We've been asked to attend!" he said. Lan's jaw dropped.
"Wait, this isn't a trick?" he asked. Megaman shook his head.
"It can't be, look! There's a plane ticket attached!" he said. Lan grinned wide.
"Yes!" he said, pumping a fist high into the air. Model X floated over.
'You'll need a passport, and permission.' he said. Lan nodded, not really paying attention.
"Right, got it. I'm going to tell Mama!" he said, and raced away downstairs. Megaman reached out.
"Lan, wait!" he said. He sighed. "This is more than a trip to another country." he said. Model X just chuckled.
'I think he'll be fine.' he said. Megaman heard Lan cheer loudly from downstairs.
"I sure hope so."
Lan crossed his arms.
"How did they notice Megaman and not you, Model X?" he mumbled.
'It could just be that my properties are different from a PET, or some other kind of metal substance.' he said. Lan nodded, absentmindedly. He gritted his teeth.
"I can't believe they just took him like that." he said. What did the security guards know about Megaman anyways? He sat down on a chair, frowning.
"Hikari." Lan glanced up, glaring. Of course it was Chaud.
"I don't want to talk." he said, shuffling around. Chaud sighed.
"Impossible. Catch." he said. Lan glanced up, and caught a small, blue device. His face lit up.
"Megaman!" he exclaimed. Megaman smiled wide.
"Lan! Chaud and his grandpa got me back!" he said. Lan glanced up, looking at Chaud, and an older person behind him.
"Your grandpa?" he asked. Chaud glanced aside, and his grandpa waved.
"Pleasure to meet you. Apparently you're rivals with my grandson?" he said, extending a hand. Lan shook it back.
"Yeah! We've beat him a few times!" he said with a grin. Chaud huffed in annoyance, and chose a seat to sit down in. Lan sat down next to him, in a much better mood. "So are you going to this Official meeting too?" he asked. Chaud crossed his arms.
"Of course. Grandfather is presenting some, disturbing theories at it." he said. Megaman glanced up.
"Disturbing theories?" he asked. Chaud's grandpa sat down next to Chaud. His face tightened.
"Yes, I'm afraid so." He stared ahead with sharp, green eyes. "I think that the 'Mirages' Electopia has been experiencing might be caused by Grave." he said. Lan yelped.
"By Grave?!" he said. Chaud covered his mouth.
"Quiet down! Do you want to start a panic?" he asked. Lan glanced at some of the other passengers, some of them looking a bit worried. He flinched.
"Whoops." he said. Chaud let go of his mouth, and sighed.
"You're impossible." he said, and leaned back. His grandpa just chuckled.
Yai fidgeted.
"There's something wrong with Maylu. Dex too, surprisingly." she said. Glide looked at her worriedly.
"I suppose they do seem preoccupied. Miss Roll did mention that Miss Maylu was occupied with a piece of metal she found after the Ocean Awareness Event." he said. Yai set a hand on her hip.
"Mou, of all the times for Lan to fly out of the country. And with all these overlays too!" she said. She hopped down from her desk. "I'm going to take a walk and look at the flowers. Hold my calls please." she said. Glide coughed discreetly.
"Miss Yai, I feel as if I should accompany you. Your life was already at risk this summer, and I wish to be able to contact help immediately if something goes wrong." he said. Yai crossed her arms.
"I guess so. Alright, come on." she said, taking Glide's PET off her desk. She walked outside, carefully watching for shimmering lights. She made it to the rosebushes without incident. She leaned forward to inspect them. "What's that Amerope phrase? Stop and smell the roses?" she mumbled, and carefully pulled a rose towards herself. She yelped as it poked her rather hard.
"Miss Yai! Are you alright? Have you been injured?" Glide asked. Yai stuck her finger in her mouth.
"Just fine. I should find out if they've invented any thornless roses." she said. She looked at her finger. That torn went in deep... Strange. She didn't even notice a piece of black metal covered with grime and cobwebs had made its way onto her desk until she sent Glide off on an errand later.
Chaud had no reason to pay attention to all the things Lan was running around for once they touched down. Although, he was curious why he was talking with an ex-WWW member, and why that member was all the way in Netopia.
"Maybe he's a spy." he mumbled. Grandpa chuckled.
"Don't think too hard. Isn't he reformed now?" he said. Chaud glanced up.
"Allegedly." he said. Grandpa's gaze softened.
"Never think it's too late for another chance, alright?" he said. Chaud glanced up. Grandpa had the same smile his mother had inherited.
"Alright." he said. Grandpa smiled, and playfully ruffled his hair.
"Now that that's out of the way, is there anywhere you want to go?" he said. Chaud batted his grandpa's hand back with just a hint of play, and smirked.
"Of course there is." he said.
Pleasure before business for once.
Lan was exhausted by the time the meeting happened the next day. Spending all his time trying to get both his passport and all his Battle Chips back yesterday, whoosh. But he still glanced up when Chaud's grandpa stood up.
"I'm grateful so many talented NetBattlers have joined us today. Whether just beginning or holding years of experience, we need them all to stop the threat of Grave." he said. He fingered a little drive, pausing before he put it into the console. He glanced up, eyeing everyone. A lady, Princess Pride, right? She looked uncomfortable. Chaud's grandpa grimaced. "If anybody here plans on betraying us, please, do it now." he said. Everyone started to murmur, startled. Chaud tensed.
"Grandpa, everybody has been checked." he said. The princess was still tense. Before anybody could say anything, the floor started to rumble. Lan yelped as a panel pulled away from underneath his feet.
'Lan!' Lan reached into his backpack quickly.
"Megamerge!" he exclaimed. There was a flash of blue, and that was the only thing that lit up the dingy room he landed in.
Chaud stared down Princess Pride.
"Why did you do this?" he asked. Pride grimaced.
"You don't know what danger my country is in because of Grave. All they asked of me was to awaken a power." she said. Chaud readied his PET. He watched warily for any movement or any traps.
"You sent everybody else down through those tunnels. Why keep me?" he asked. Pride, as slowly as possible, took out something from her gown's pocket. She held it out before Chaud.
"I, I was ordered to awaken the power in you. I don't know why." she said. Chaud stared at the blood-red piece of metal the princess was holding. An icy-blue crystal pulsed in its center. Its 'eyes' looked at Chaud greedily. He stepped back, tensing.
"Grandpa's stories..." he whispered. He needed to run, he needed to get out of here. The princess didn't understand his look of terror. Suddenly, the crimson metal glowed, and flew right at Chaud. Protoman heard Chaud's screams, but didn't understand them.
"Sir! Chaud. Chaud!" he exclaimed. Chaud grabbed his head as the metal bore its way through every part of his body.
It grabbed them, twisted them.
It grasped his mind, licking its lips at the taste of destruction.
Chaud's screams died down as the metal's hold became more powerful. Protoman was watching, helpless.
"Chaud?" he asked. Chaud's screams morphed into a morbid chuckle. Then the screams vanished entirely. The laugh rose in pitch, becoming utterly maniacal, utterly uncontrolled. Princess Pride gasped, and did the only thing she could do.
"Knightman! Activate the tile beneath me!" she said. The wild creature controlling Chaud lunged forwards seconds too late. It yelled angrily as its prey vanished beneath the stone. It started to chuckle. A chase, a hunt. It made things more interesting. The creature raced off, fingers itching to claw and tear.
And all Chaud could do was scream.
Lan had to undo the Megamerge quickly when Princess Pride suddenly fell down into the dungeon too.
"Pride!" he said. Pride rubbed her side, moaning. Megaman leaned forward.
"Are you alright, princess?" he asked. Pride sucked in a breath.
"No I am not! What have I done? What kind of power was that?" she asked, standing up. Her hands were trembling. Lan looked up at her.
"What are you talking about, Pride?" he asked. Pride clasped her hands.
"I'm afraid that I've made an awful deal. Grave threatened to destroy my kingdom. They promised they would leave me alone just so long I delivered a mysterious stone to Official NetBattler Chaud. It, it's done something awful to him." she said. Lan's eyes widened.
"A stone?" he asked.
'Or a Biometal. Lan, Pride may have given Chaud a fragment of Model W. We need to find him before he harms anybody under its power!' Model X said. Lan nodded subtly. He looked up at Princess Pride.
"Where is Chaud? Maybe we can do something!" he said. Pride wrung her hands.
"If there was any other options, I would ask for them, but we don't. He was on the main level. We need to use the console next to the door to open it-" She stopped, seeing the door off its hinges, and them looking strangely melted and twisted. "Odd." she said. Lan grinned, trying to stay cheery.
"Well that's one step out of the way! Thank you, Pride!" he said, and raced off. Pride reached, but missed.
"Lan!" she said. She took a breath, and stared at the celing. "What ruler trades the safety of her country for the safety of another?" she whispered.
Lan raced up the stairs, slamming into Chaud's grandpa in his haste.
"Sorry!" he said. Chaud's grandpa motioned for him to calm down.
"Lan, Pride's betrayed us. There was something in her eyes. I could tell." he said. Lan tense.
"It wasn't her fault! Grave blackmailed her!" he said. Chaud's grandpa grimaced.
"That isn't good." he said. Megaman looked up.
"She also said that something's happened to Chaud. She didn't even know it was going to happen." she said. Chaud's grandpa stared worriedly.
"Something's happened to Chaud?" he asked. Lan opened his mouth to speak when a low, dark chuckle rippled through the room. He and Chaud's grandpa spun around. A shadow snaked its way through a yawning doorframe. A figure stepped in, golden hair bathed in sickly, crimson light. It looked up, icy-blue eyes wide, and grinning with sharp teeth. Its fingers twitched, and it shifted its armoured feet forward, ready to lunge. It staggered, chuckling breaking louder and louder. A tiny Navi hologram of Protoman appeared for an instant, bound in the sickly light.
"Stop him! Stop that thing that's controlling- augh!" Protoman's hologram fizzed away, wrapped up with crimson tendrils. The creature glared at him, angry that its hunt had been interrupted. It licked its lips as if to say 'where were we?' Lan tensed. Chaud's grandfather held his shoulder.
"The stories... I knew there was a reason I remembered them." he whispered. Lan looked up.
"Stories?" he asked. Chaud's grandfather grimaced.
"When I was thirteen years old, I washed up from the river. I had a head injury that took away almost all of my memory. But I remembered these stories, powerful, powerful stories." he said. He watched the creature stagger, hand reaching for a holster on its leg. Chaud's grandpa narrowed his eyes. "One of those stories was about a deadly, unhinged creature. It only cared to battle. It could overwhelm another's thoughts." he said. He stared at the creature's icy blue eyes. The eyes stared back. For an instant the battle lust faded. The eyes stared, alone, terrified, cornered by a wild animal. Chaud's grandpa sucked in a breath. "Chaud?" he whispered. Lan stared too.
"Chaud!" he exclaimed. Chaud stared back. He yelled. The voice was garbled, uncontrolled. He leapt, pulling his sword back. Lan dodged to the side, sucking in a breath as a purple sword cut through the stone. The creature darted its eyes over to Lan.
'Lan! Now is the time to use my power!' Model X exclaimed. Lan nodded, grabbing Model X and Megaman's PET.
"Megamerge!" he exclaimed.
'MEGA System online!' The crimson beast stepped back, blocking its face from the power rolling off Model X. It grinned, baring its teeth at the challenge. Lan fired off the X Buster.
"Let Chaud go!" he exclaimed. The creature dodged easily to the right, golden hair trailing behind it. It raised its sword, and swung it at Lan. Megaman appeared just in time to clap the sword.
"Now, Lan!" he exclaimed. The creature looked startled at the two, and tried to pull back. It threw Megaman over its head but not before Lan nailed him with a charged shot. Megaman kicked the creature back for good measure. "Good thing we've been training so often!" he said, staring wide-eyed at the blade. The creature snapped its head up, flipping around. It crouched down, grinning. It lunged, so low to the ground, stabbing forward. Megaman gasped as the sword cut into his leg. Lan tackled the thing.
"No! Stop hurting Megaman, and let Chaud go!" he exclaimed. The creature snarled at him, kicking him hard in the stomach. Lan flew to the other end of the room, slamming so hard into the wall that the stone cracked. Chaud's grandpa helped him up.
"Lan!" he said. Lan coughed, catching his breath. He glared at the creature with Chaud's eyes. It twirled the sword, daring Lan to get close again. Megaman supported himself against the wall, limping on his injured leg. He raised the X Buster, and started to charge. The creature turned around, hearing the whirring noise of a charged shot. It swung its sword, slashing the buster. Megaman cried out, grabbing his wrist. Lan couldn't take it.
"Gyrragghh!" He charged, firing the buster as quickly as he could. The creature spun around on its toes, battling back the shots. It swung its sword around, becoming a crimson purple arc. It spun it around into a perfect circle, and just as Lan tried to punch him, it punched back. Lan recoiled, panting hard.
'Lan! You can't take him head-on. This power, it's the power of Model O!' Model X said. Lan and Megaman panted.
"Model O?" they asked in disbelief. Model O chuckled darkly.
"Ware... ware wa..." It choked as something held back its twisted voice.
'Now!' Model X exclaimed. Lan and Megaman charged their busters as Model O held its head and screamed. The blasts hit it from both sides, trailing off into a strangled cry. The sword flew towards Lan. Lan grabbed it, holding it tight.
"We have your weapon now! You won't be able to do anything!" he said. Model O stared at him, teeth bared, breaths coming from between the gaps. A low, buzzing frequency started to fill the room. Lan felt dizzy. "Something weird is happening." he whispered. Megaman slid down.
"I feel like I'm splitting apart." he whispered. Model O yelled much louder, protesting its displeasure. It stared down towards the back of the room. Lan managed to look back too, seeing Chaud's grandfather working with a computer set up, and strage parts spilling out of his pack. He turned a dial slowly.
"Lan, Megaman, I apologize in advance." he said. Lan blinked, not feeling all there.
"Apologize for what?" he asked. The buzzing got louder, and his body felt like it didn't exist anymore.
Oh.
That.
Chaud opened his eyes, feeling like several soccer balls had hit him as quickly as Protoman could run. He groaned, shoving himself up.
"No, lie down." a voice said. Chaud struggled to open his eyes.
"Grandpa?" he asked. His grandpa smiled, and ruffled his hair.
"The meeting was salvaged. I'll fill you and your friend in later." he said. Chaud frowned.
"Lan is not my friend." he said. He stopped. "Wait, why wasn't Lan able to attend?" he asked. His grandpa rubbed behind his head.
"Let's just say I need to work on my Canceller machine." he said. Chaud opened his mouth to ask more, but laid back down with a splitting headache. His voice felt hoarse. The yelling, the dark power. It all came back. Chaud closed his eyes, and wished he could go back to sleep.
Chaud's grandpa was really nice and brought them all to an all-you-can-eat buffet. And he meant all of them. Megaman tried to ignore the looks Chaud was sending his way, or the quizzical one he kept getting from Protoman. He waved a little.
"Ah! Chicken taroyoki! Try this one, Megaman!" Lan said excitedly. Megaman chuckled, and followed Lan down the line. He already had a good deal of food on his plate, mostly just a couple of mouthfuls so he could try them out. He followed Lan back to the table. Chaud sat down first, close to his grandpa. Megaman slid in after Lan. Lan raised his fork high into the air.
"Thank you very much!" he said, and dove into his food. Megaman smiled, repeating the phrase much more quietly. Chaud still stared at him.
"How long have you been able to come out of your PET?" he asked. Megaman paused.
"Since we met Model X." he said. Chaud blinked.
"Model, X?" he asked. Lan nodded. He rubbed behind his head.
"So much for keeping everything a secret." he said. Chaud's grandpa leaned forward.
"Well, it might not be as much of a secret as you think, Lan." he said. Megaman nearly choked on a piece of food. Chaud's grandpa quickly pushed a glass of water towards him. "I don't mean like that! I mean, the stories that I remember, the ones I've told Chaud, perhaps they align somewhere with this Model X." he said. Chaud carefully chewed on a piece of food. He swallowed, and stared into space.
"The stories are usually about heroes who have been granted unimaginable power in order to combat evil forces. One of those stories..." Chaud gripped his spoon tightly. "The moment I saw that stone, all I could think of was the deathly warrior. Unimaginable power, but at the cost of your morals being stripped away in favour of fighting." he said. Megaman nodded.
"That sounds like exactly what happened." he said. Chaud grimmaced.
"I called out and fought against as hard as I could. It just felt so powerful... So..." He gritted his teeth, forcing his thoughts to stay inside.
"It hurt him, badly." Protoman said. Megaman looked at Chaud worriedly.
"It's not supposed to feel like that, I promise." he said. Chaud glanced at him.
"How do you know?" he said. Lan leaned forward, food still in his mouth.
"Becausth Model Xkths ith a real Biomethal." he said. Megaman sighed.
"Lan, swallow your food before you talk." he said. Lan chewed, and swallowed quickly.
"Ah, but it's good food." he said. Megaman shook his head, and carefully twirled a strand of spaghetti around on his fork. Chaud's grandpa tilted his head.
"I felt like I heard a voice during the your fight. It was distant, and far away, but there was a voice." he said. Lan and Megaman shared a look. They looked towards Lan's backpack. Model X glowed faintly inside.
'That was me.' he said. Chaud's grandpa looked surprised, and Chaud choked.
"That voice, where did it come from?" he asked. Lan's face brightened.
"You can hear him now!" he said. Chaud stared.
"Hear what?" he asked. Megaman gently retrieved Model X from Lan's bag in a way he wasn't obvious to the rest of the crowd.
"Model X. He's a true Biometal." he said. Model X glowed softly.
'Yes. The Biometal that was controlling you was Model O. The only reason it did not control my original Chosen One was because I stood with him. Even so, it was hard. Vent kept becoming unhinged every time he used it.' he said. He shook his head gently. 'Like I said to Lan and Megaman on our first day, let me start over.' he said. Chaud nodded, and kept staring at Model X's glow.
The boy stared at the screen, eyes taken over by an evil, twisted glow.
"Pride has failed." he said.
'Not entirely. Model O has chosen that Chaud boy as its Biomatch.' The evil presence on the boy's shoulder pressed a little harder. 'Now, let's focus on the other 'Chosen Ones.'' it whispered, slivers of evil influencing the boy's darkest thoughts. The boy looked at the footage of Model O in action.
"Do you want me to find the Wind Mega Man?" he asked.
'I don't know. You decide. You know how important it is for them to be on your side, right?' the evil said. The boy nodded.
"R-right. I'm in charge. I'm in charge." he said. He turned around, and strode out of the room.
So the biggest thing Chaud's grandpa was working on was a machine called a 'Canceller.'
"It's supposed to cancel out the Mirages' frequencies, but I managed to use it to cancel out the Biometals. I'm really surprised... They're real." he said, trailing off. Model X floated around.
'Maybe you should see if you're related to any of the Chosen Ones. That would explain how you're able to hear my voice faintly.' he said. Chaud's grandpa nodded, looking a bit confused.
"Maybe I should finally use the Net and figure out who I am." he said. He gave Chaud's shoulder a squeeze. "We are staying a few more days until I'm certain you're safe from Model O's influence." he said. Chaud bristled.
"Can't we leave it here?" he asked.
'No. It risks another person being taken over by its power. Model O isn't choosy about its Biomatch, and if given enough power, it can even bring back battle data and make it into reality.' Model X said. Chaud's grandpa snapped his fingers.
"Data in reality! Thank you, Model X! Chaud, I think I've got a breakthrough! What if maybe the Mirages are physical constructs made from computer data? Of course that would leave the question of where the data is coming from, or even how it can be reconstructed physically..." he said, rambling as he walked down the street. Chaud looked back at Lan once more before catching up with his grandpa. Lan and Megaman waved after him.
"Good night!" Megaman called. Lan noticed a breif sigh from Chaud. He yawned.
"I'm beat." he said. Megaman yawned too.
"I wish we had E-crystals, those would really help." he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Model X gently set himself in Megaman's hand.
'Let's get back to the hotel. Then you can get some sleep, and then get home.' he said. Lan yawned again, half-asleep. Megaman chuckled, and started to lead his brother, and their Biometal, back to bed.
Side Story: Conventus Essentialis
Jiro liked to think he was a calm and collected person. He did seem to have an uncanny knack for getting back up again whenever he was knocked down. It might have been the only reason he survived a head injury that wiped almost all of his memory. He stood before the Officials and NetBattler, the conscious ones at least. And the non-blackmailed ones.
"The little setback in the meeting has just proven that Grave's intelligence reaches further than we've expected. We should assume that even under top-security, Grave is still listening." He gazed at all the faces. "Whatever I say in this room does not leave this room, is that understood?" he said. Raoul nodded. "Understood." he said, speaking for everybody. Jiro grimaced.
"Alright." He straightened out, and turned on the screen. He fingered the copy of the data he had in his pocket, just in case. "So far, Grave's movement operation has been to cause chaos wherever they've been. No organization can survive on a structure like this. The incidents are as follows." Jiro clicked a small remote.
"Arashi Kazefuki and Airman. Arashi's business was bought out by a company more expensive than his, and he has held a grudge against anybody richer than him since. He tried to murder a schoolgirl simply because she was rich. On-record, he's simply disappeared, but in Official circles, he's currently in a coma due to an explosion in the Metroline Station." He clicked the button again.
"Dave Hayami, aka Speedy Dave, and Quickman. Currently in jail for an attempted demolition of the Okuden Valley Dam. Dave hates people who pollute nature, and wants to get back at them." Once more.
"Dusk. An assasian. Essentially a jock for hire. He and his Navi Shadowman destroyed Yumland's server, and attempted to destroy Electopia's. Little else is known about him." Jiro pocketed the remote.
"If we add Princess Pride to this list, a young ruler who's country's popularity is currently in decline because of other people, what pattern do we get?" he asked. A hand.
"People with customized NetNavis?"
"People Grave hires for opportunity?" Raoul lifted his head.
"No. Dusk throws off the pattern. These are all people who do, or could have a reason to, hate humanity." he said. Jiro nodded.
"Exactly." he said. He grimaced. "Grave wants to destroy humanity. It's sent its message through people who wish to cause chaos. But it's not just people that Grave is using. What other major Electopian phenominon has been occuring since Grave made it's first strike?" he asked. When nobody answered, Jiro clicked the remote. "Mirages. City structures get rewritten, technoligy beyond our time appears, a whole different world overlaps with our own." he said. The picture flipped to one of the serpentine creatures found after the chaos, and he zoomed in.
"Taking apart one of the 'generators' for the Mirages, this was found." he said. It was a small, tiny little chip, but with Grave's stylized 'G' printed on top. A couple of people stood up. Jiro motioned for them to settle down. "I've been working on a machine called a 'Canceller' to stop the Mirages without having to destroy the generator. It's still in the works, but it's proven its merit against the 'present' Grave sent along with Pride." he said.
He could still see the creature grinning, taking over his grandson's face.
The dark, wild chuckle that rose from its very core. He gritted his teeth.
"Grave's MO is causing chaos, that much is certain. But what are they trying to hide from us? As long as we struggle through Grave's smokescreen, we won't be able to get in to put out the fire." He straightened out firm. "And if we can't do that, that fire threatens to engulf all of us." he said. Whispers started filling the room, some panicked, some angry. Jiro stood firm, and squeezed the remote a little tighter. The wild eyes... Jiro sharply turned his head aside. There was more going on here, much more, than could ever meet the eye.
