By Zoram Selrof
Chapter 1: Relaxing days13:13 AM (Japan Time), Saturday April the 26th, 2011…
"… Well? Things are peaceful over here, I take it! Maha Jarama…"
"Naturally, Lord Wily…"
Dr. Wily was having a curry dish at Maha 1st and talking with Maha.
"By the way. Where's Hinoken?"
"He went to deliver orders along with Dingo…"
"Wise idea. That runt needs someone to teach him how to use a map!"
"I know, sir…"
"We're back!"
"And I insist that my wilderness instinct…!"
Hinoken came in, followed by Dingo, who was arguing with him.
"We've had this talk a hundred times by now. Give it up, Dingo!"
Tomahawk Man sighed, resigned.
"Even Guts Man's Operator can do it better than you…"
Fire Man crossed his arms and chuckled.
"Dekao! Tell me the secret to becoming a master of instincts!"
"Don't say nonsense, Dingo. It's using common sense!"
Ooyama Dekao didn't bother to turn as he worked on the curry.
"At this rate you'll get lost and won't make to tonight's event!"
"What was it again? An open-air sumo battle, was it?"
"No…!"
Hinoken slapped his face, exasperated.
"The 30th anniversary of the park! Didn't you see the posters?"
"Really? It wasn't the 30th Open Air Sumo Cup?"
"NO!"
"When did you become a fan of that, anyway?" Tomahawk Man asked.
"I never did. I thought that it said that… Dunno why!"
"Maybe someone was talking about it, and you mixed them up!"
"Guess that!"
"Anyway! Back to what we were talking about! USE A MAP!"
Hinoken roared at him, and he jumped away, startled.
"And stop flinging your toy or you'll harm someone for real next time!"
"You did break the door of a Net Police car before, too…"
Dingo gulped and averted his eyes, sweating.
"I'm sure that if Big Sis Shanka knew, she'd scold you!"
"What! Chisao! When did you…!?"
Chisao showed up behind Dingo, unimpressed, and Dingo gasped.
"Right now! To help readying the curry!"
"This runt has potential to become a master of all trades!"
Wily chuckled before he sipped some water from his glass.
"Netto is in love with my recipe, and even if I tell it to Bro…"
"Netto says that it's not the same… How odd!" Dekao finished.
"Maniacs have a tongue different from that of commoners!"
"Nobody denies that he's the local curry maniac!" Chisao giggled.
The door opened.
"Welcome!"
"My. Father. Fancy bumping into you here…"
"Yuriko. Been a while…"
Oozono Yuriko stepped in and removed her sunglasses, unimpressed.
"A Maha Special, please…"
"Right away!"
She headed for the table where Wily was and sat opposite him.
"I can tell that you settled what was worrying you…"
"I did, yes…"
"Nevertheless… Is something concerning you?"
"The underground is buzzy as of late. Thug brawls are increasing…"
"Guess that some newbie is trying to make business there…"
"Likely. But it's hard to get a lead on them…"
"Did you ask Miyabi?"
"He's working on it, too…"
"Well. If it's up to you two, it shouldn't mean much of a hassle!"
"I know. I'm suspecting that that newbie prosecutor stirred them up…"
"It was on the news. "Sentencing" people when he was annoyed…"
"Sure thing. At least they stopped his rampage and was caught…"
"That jerk closed Guts Man inside of an odd cage!" Dekao grumbled.
"Asked for the extra spicy and was annoyed that he couldn't bear it!"
"How childish, truly. A spoiled child, indeed!"
"Speaking of spoiled children…"
"Tesla Magnets? Hasn't been seen for a while…"
"Gauss did show up to fight with Count Elec over their mother's legacy!"
"And his wife took it away in the end…" Dingo laughed.
"Well. It was his fault for acting out of impulse…"
"And not properly knowing her behavior and habits…"
Yuriko shrugged, unimpressed.
"I did have to teach Tesla a lesson because she was acting stupid…"
"Netto told me about that one! It was shameful, really…"
"Sorry for the wait! The Maha Special!"
"Thanks!"
Maha brought it over to her.
"I'll be having it!"
"I'm back!"
"Welcome back. How was it like, Elec?"
Count Elec walked in, bringing the delivery case.
"No problems! Save for Brother's stupid pranks!"
"What was it today?" Hinoken asked, sighing.
"Claiming that I have a panic to rain! Which is a flat out lie!"
"Maybe he's the one that has a panic to rain!" Dingo laughed.
"Wouldn't surprise me!"
"I'm back, Dekao! I met Number Man and told me a new technique!"
Guts Man returned to Dekao's Link PET and projected with the hologram.
"Great! I'll use it to surprise Netto!" He chuckled.
"Don't become overconfident!" Chisao warned.
"I know, I know!"
"Thanks for the meal…"
"Well done, my man!"
"Thank you, Lord Wily…"
Maha collected the dishes and headed back inside of the kitchen.
"I also found Rush fighting a cat over a trash bin! Guts!"
"He must be bored!" Dekao muttered, unimpressed.
"At least it's not a "Spikey" Virus…" Yuriko muttered.
"That would be a fun match to see!" Needle Man chuckled.
"Don't overdo it…"
"It's a joke, man! I didn't say that I'll do it!"
"Fine. But a warning is a warning…"
"By the way… A flying hammer will beat a rolling hammer!"
"What's that, some meme trending in SNS?"
"Sure. It's catchy!"
"Maybe!"
"Wait! I have an idea! I'll use a hammer instead of a tomahawk!"
Dingo laughed as if he he'd had a flash of inspiration.
"Rejected!" Maha strictly sentenced.
"Agreed!" Magic Man added.
"Agreed!" Elec Man also added.
"This is a tyranny!" Dingo complained.
"Don't say nonsense!" Hinoken grumbled.
"I guess that he needs strict training!" Wily chuckled.
"Sure thing!"
13:45 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Say. Mr. Higure. There's a gentleman asking for you…"
"I'm busy going over the stocks. Tell them to come another day…!"
"But he says that's the Hero of Justice, Commander Beef, and…"
"COMMAND BEEF!? STICK OUT YOUR NECK!"
Higure Yamitarou was going over a stock list on the store backroom.
Kido Shuuko popped her head into the room and whispered.
He didn't pay attention at first but when she said the name, he reacted.
"Yamitarou. Not again…" Number Man sighed.
"I smell trouble!" Aqua Man laughed.
"That's inappropriate…" Number Man scolded.
"What does that mean?"
"You shouldn't laugh at it. It's not a game. People get hurt!"
"I don't want to get hurt!"
"Then stay here…"
Higure had run out into the main store to find Commander Beef there.
"I'm back from my overseas duties! To punish greed!"
"You're one to talk! Promiscuous fool!"
Higure pointed an accusing finger at him.
"What!? Who's saying that!?"
"I know that you tried to romance Ms. Mariko's sister, too!"
"What nonsense is that!? I've never met her!"
"Lies! I saw you talking together in a café!"
"Yamitarou. That was Ms. Manabe of the Net Police…"
Number Man sighed, annoyed.
"What!? No way!"
"You're so obsessed with her and you're seeing illusions!"
"Have I brought misfortune again…?"
Kido's eyes watered.
"It's not your fault, Shuuko. Ignore that fool's delusions…"
"Maybe we'll need to bring him to the psychiatry ward of the hospital…!"
"Why! Been a while! Mr. Masa, the admirer of Commander Beef!"
"M…! Ms. Mariko!"
Mariko stepped into the store, animated.
Commander Beef gulped and became nervous.
Higure had dropped to his knees and held his arms upwards.
"W-what happened? Did you lose your wallet, Mr. Higure?"
"If it was only that…!"
Shark Man sighed and shook his head, fed up.
"By the way. There's something that I meant to say from before…"
"W-what is it?"
"I have freedom to choose… I have no obligation to marry either of you!"
She became serious and crossed her arms in an "X".
"B-but of course!"
"I hope that you do! As members of society!"
"N-naturally!"
"Why don't you take that off and be honest with yourself, Mr. Masa?"
"Y-you're right…"
He nervously removed the helmet and was drenched in sweat.
"My! Even though it's not even May yet!"
"M-must be the nerves…!"
"Remember that we must ready the fried octopus stand for tonight…"
"True! I was on my way to my home to fetch the materials!"
"Hurry or someone else will take up your plot of land!"
Masa ran off, yelping, as Mariko walked over to Higure.
"There! Stop dramatizing! If you want to, join the drama club!"
"Yes… Yes… Yes…"
"Also! Remember to play fair and square in sports!"
"Yes… Yes… Yes…"
"And if you do anything odd to Shuuko – chan, I'll report you!"
"Yes… Yes… Yes…"
She walked over to Kido and handed her a business card.
"If you consider him to be acting oddly, feel free to call me!"
"Thank you, ma'am…"
She bowed as a sign of gratitude.
"Aqua Man – chan! Protect your friend, alright?"
"Sure! I'll play with Big Sis Shuuko and Ice Man and Bubble Man!"
"Don't worry, ma'am! I will be responsible for keeping tabs on him!"
"How reliable, Number Man!"
"I'll find a way to slap his fool back to reality. Please go, ma'am…"
"Yes… Yes… Yes…"
"Alright! See you later at the park anniversary event!"
She walked out of the store as Number Man sighed.
"Shuuko. Grab a bottle of water and drop the water atop him!"
"Alright…"
She grabbed a bottle of water and did so.
"It's cold!"
Higure yelped and jumped to his feet, startled.
"About time, Yamitarou… Stop daydreaming and focus on reality!"
"What was I…?"
"Ms. Mariko warned you. If you act odd, she'll cut ties with you!"
"NO WAY!"
"Way. Saw it coming…"
"Why didn't you tell me!?"
"I tried. I told you to become a shining man. You didn't improve!"
"And then a fake Number Man appeared!"
"Did I bring misfortune with me…?"
"No. It was pure bad luck. As simple as that!"
"Hello! May I use the Battle Station?"
"Why! It's Tooru – kun. Welcome!"
Higure snapped out of it as Hikawa came in.
"The Net Police checked it after that incident! It's now safe to use!"
"Glad to hear. That uproar of the Phantom Navis was scary…"
"Hard to believe that it's already been 3 weeks ever since that!"
"Sure thing…"
"Aqua Man! Bubble Man called me!"
"Really?"
Ice Man jumped over to Aqua Man and giggled.
"He'll make a fountain to play for tonight's event!"
"Great! I want to play with Bubble Man again!"
"By the way! Do you have Ice Cannon Ball Chips?"
"Naturally! Shuuko – chan, bring me one!"
"Yes, sir…"
Kido walked over to the shelves and checked them.
"Here it is…"
She grabbed the case and brought it over to the counter.
"It'll be 2200Z…"
"Roger!"
He placed his PET on the card reader device before the register.
The text "the payment finished" displayed onscreen.
"Thank you for your purchase!" Higure thanked.
"Please continue to come here in the future…"
"Naturally!"
"Now that's what I want to see! Business spirit!" Number Man muttered.
"Leave it to me!"
His glasses sparkled and he smiled, confident.
"The muse of business is on my side!"
"What's that supposed to be…?" Hikawa sighed.
"Trouble… I guess…" Kido muttered.
"Grow up, Yamitarou!"
14:24 PM (Japan Time)…
"… What persistent fools…"
"They must be novices that don't realize their limitations…"
"Naturally, Shadow Man…"
Dark Miyabi walked down an alley somewhere and fumed aloud.
Shadow Man talked with him, and neither were too surprised.
"Hullo, Boss! This is now our turf! Want to cross, pay the toll!"
A bunch of thugs appeared before and behind him.
They yielded steel pipes as weapons.
They used sunglasses and caps to put on airs.
"One of them is a cop…"
They all gasped and began to look at each other, mistrusting.
"You, that fool. What happened to that money that I gave you?"
He signaled one of them.
"Thought as much. Monopolize it and then backstab these fools…"
"Maeda! What's your game?"
"W-why do you believe what a gramps says, Okita!?"
One of them walked towards another thug and questioned him.
Miyabi flung his right sleeve forward and a kunai shot out.
It landed at their feet and the thugs gasped, afraid.
"I'm serious. Next time… 8 corpses will roll across this alley…"
"MOMMY~!"
They ran off and dropped the pipes as well.
Miyabi calmly retrieved his tool and slid it inside of his sleeve.
"Mere amateurs…"
"What a waste of time…"
He made it out of the alley and scouted the surroundings.
Satisfied, he crossed the street and headed for an abandoned building.
He drew a key to open a side-door and entered inside.
He locked again behind him and pocketed the key.
He sat down on a worn-down sofa and crossed his arms.
"But at least we'll scatter these fools before tonight's event…"
"Surprised that you'd bother to go to such an event…"
"Call it a hunch, but… That man, Clark… He might've readied something!"
"Good point. Might have set something up before dying…"
"That other man, Kanou Shade, has also been looking for hints of that…"
"In the end… It wasn't cleared up if they are brothers by blood or not…"
"Hardly matters at this point. But seeing the foe's foreseeing…"
"True. That setup to have him and Freeze Man witness the world's end…"
"I didn't want to say it to the others to not to spoil the mood, but…"
"Thinking about it, we have no proof that what died there was Clark…"
"Exactly. Could be a fake that he used as a distraction…"
"I'm sure that both he and Freeze Man have considered that, too…"
"They aren't stupid, after all. Neither is Forte…"
"In the end… That man didn't make major moves after that…"
"Must've realized that he had his limitations…"
"Indeed. Although there were reports of him fighting the invaders…"
"The "Zoanoroids" from "Beyondard"…"
"Exactly. But he probably found them too weak for his taste…"
"After fighting an alien, it's hard to find something stronger than that…"
"If he didn't bother to fight that "Super-Cybeast", either…"
"Must've considered it a risky gamble…"
"Or maybe because it was beaten so quickly…"
Miyabi noticed something and stood up.
He headed over to a boarded window and looked through a gap.
He saw a bulldozer headed this way.
"Fools. I have another escape route ready…"
He pulled a rope hanging from the ceiling and dropped a ladder.
He quickly climbed it up and opened a disguised trapdoor.
He exited into the rooftop and jumped to the adjacent building.
The bulldozer was unmanned, and its control panel frizzled.
He drew his PET and aimed it there.
"Plug In! Shadow Man, Transmission!"
Shadow Man found a legion of "Momogra" Viruses there.
"Shadow Clone!"
He formed copies of himself.
"Explosion!"
They jumped and threw fireballs that exploded upon contact.
The ground was set in flames, and he landed before the control core.
He calmly drew his blade and cut through the air.
A "Killer Eye" Virus became visible as it was sliced in half.
The bulldozer stopped.
"Good work…"
Shadow Man returned to the PET.
"Harassment by a land speculator?" He suggested.
"Feels too contrived… It was aiming at me to begin with…"
He heard a vehicle's engine and saw a shovel car headed there next.
"I take it back. This feels like the work of a professional…"
"Yes. Someone that doesn't leave traces…"
He jumped to another rooftop and headed away.
"I'm sure that there's more on their way. No time to waste!"
"Agreed…"
He placed some distance between him and the hideout.
He landed on an alley that emerged into a main street.
"Let's disguise…"
He drew a Mexican poncho and sombrero and put them on.
"Good…"
He emerged into the street and mingled with the crowds.
"I turned on the signal jammer…" Shadow Man whispered.
"Well done…"
He drew a notepad and wrote a quick memo.
He crossed the street and headed for a nearby abandoned chimney.
He checked it and found a small crack on the base.
He slid the memo inside and quickly walked away.
"Left a memo for Yuriko… The more on the lookout, the better…"
"Wise move…"
"It's in a cypher, so even if someone else finds it…"
"They can't tell what it is right away…"
He scanned the area with suspicion.
"I know that you're there. Come out…"
He turned around and drew his kunai as he aimed at a tree.
There was a hiss and a snake dropped from the tree's foliage.
It stood up and snarled as it opened its mouth.
"Careful. It's a venomous snake…" Shadow Man warned.
"Roger that…"
Miyabi focused his sight on the snake and then looked up.
"What a childish trick!"
He threw the weapon at the foliage, and it hit something.
The snake vanished as something hit the ground behind it.
"Shadow Man. Find Rock Man and warn him. Danger might be close!"
"Agreed. It's not a time to be carefree about things…"
Shadow Man left the PET and Miyabi walked behind the tree.
He found the broken gizmo, the size of a tennis ball, and retrieved it.
He pulled out his weapon and flung it away as it leaked acid.
"There was an acid capsule inside! Talk about insidious!"
He rushed away and returned to the main street.
"Taxi!"
He stopped a taxi and climbed in, handing out a paper memo.
"Please take me to this address…"
Let's hope that I make it on time…!