GT: Hello, all! Hope you're ready for this! I certainly am…mainly for the fact outside of a few certain facts, we know next to nothing on who shows up this chapter, so free reign!
SZ: Yup. We would've learned more but…Capcom….
GT: Eh, I blame several factors. Mostly the issues with what happened with BN4. Despite the sales, it was considered the dark horse of the series and they've had to climb out of it. But this is what fics are for! And we get free reign so long as we keep the facts straight!
SZ: Indeedy! But before we begin…we don't own anything aside from original content,
GT: Start! *punts camera into distance*
"Mmm…" Issun fidgeted, holding onto Megaman's hair as the teens, Blizzard Kyuubi, and Acid Ace dashed down the Wave Roads.
"Everything alright?" Taurus Flame asked.
"Do you not know the importance on where we're going? ACDC Town!" Issun replied, "It was the place that Lan and Maylu grew up in! Where Skye-hakase made his lab! The central point of so many attacks by World Three, Gospel, and Nebula!"
"Lan and Maylu? Those were names from that mission report on that Clockman Incident, right?" Jack Corvus asked.
"They were," Megaman responded with a light nod.
"Lan Hikari was the one who invented the BrotherBand system we use today and rediscovered Link Power," Acid Ace explained, "He was also quite the defense attorney based on records we could find."
"He had good teachers and mentors," Issun noted, "And Maylu-sama was quite the pianist and business runner."
"Oh! She took my advice!" Lyra Note beamed, her tail wagging happily on that knowledge, "Business runner?"
"She worked with her nephew on running HeartSoul Industries," Issun replied, causing Megaman to trip and stumble, "Ah! Easy, easy!"
"That Greek company?!" Megaman asked in shock, "The one who has hands in several different industries and always keeps things public?!"
"Oh! I think I recall something about that," Blizzard Kyuubi recalled.
"Oh?" Lyra Note asked.
"Hai. I think they help with some of the stuff used for the FFW, kyu," she responded.
"M-mostly on th-ahh!" Canis Core yelped when she nearly fell off the Wave Road, "Mostly on the monitors, cameras and such used for photo ops and showing the different matches."
"Our outfits were actually done by their clothing division," Major noted, "Keep thinking light thoughts, Ellie. They help you remain on the Wave Roads."
"...Skye Sakurai, I take it?"
"Eh…more like the original owner before it was rebranded to avoid controversy willed it to Aphrodite-sama," Issun replied as they soon entered a large city.
"This is ACDC City," Acid Ace noted, "The historic district should be straight ahead. We have men set up at the location to assist in cataloging once we get into that lab."
"Sure looks bigger than I remember," Issun noted as they passed a multistory building with 'HIGSBY'S' in large green letters on the top, "Lot more Denpa, too…and glad to see Higsby-san's emporium still runs!"
"They're the manufacturers of many of the BattleCards we use today," Megaman noted.
"They sold BattleChips in the past," Issun noted as they went over city hall, "Oh! That statue is Dex-san! He was one of the best mayors! I always got so excited watching Gutsman-san and Rock-sama go all out! They'd shake the whole UnderNet arena and stands when they took limiters off!"
"The big metal gorilla? I don't see it," Omega-Xis snorted.
"And yet you underestimate most of your opponents," Lyra countered.
"Who's this Rock guy?" Minor asked.
"Rock-sama was Subaru-san's sempai in terms of being Megaman," Issun replied as skyscrapers and multi-level apartments bled into small humble abodes and family-run businesses, "He was the best of the best. I bet if Subaru-san fought him at his zenith and against three other versions of people with the name Megaman, he'd wipe them all out in under four minutes."
"WHAT?!" Omega-Xis snapped at that.
"One if he didn't hold back."
"He got that strong?" Megaman asked in surprise.
"How old was Lan-sama when you met?"
"Twelve."
"Ohh…yeah, you fought them at the very start when Rock was still being fragmented by Yuichiro to turn him into Styles for the original broken off part when he was born."
"...We fought and tied with a fragment of the guy?!" Omega-Xis gawked.
"I'm sure you two were weakened by the lack of Denpa. I honestly dread it if you and Rock-sama fought in this day and age."
"...n-noted," Megaman whispered with wide eyes.
"If we still have the Navi Simulator in the lab, we could always…"
"Is that the place up ahead?" Megaman quickly asked while squeezing Omega-Xis's mouth shut.
"Hmm?" Issun blinked as he looked ahead, seeing a small yet fairly large house not too far, "OH! That's it! The Sakurai household! And next door is the Hikari household!"
"Those doors are kinda big," Taurus Flame noted, landing before the pink-roofed house and seeing the front door was big enough he could walk in without bending over for his horns.
"Of course! They renovated the houses for Maylu-sama when she was in high school."
"...She got tall," Lyra Note noted, blinking a few times.
"Lab accident involving her and Roll-sama," Issun explained with a shrug, "Ended up being hereditary and was quite the shock to Lan-sama from what I heard when their daughter hit puberty."
"Oh…" Lyra blinked as an officer Wizard floated over.
"Ace, sir! Perimeter has been secured," the Wizard informed.
"Excellent," Acid Ace replied, dropping Wave Change, "Mind filling in what's happening here?"
"There is a solitary entrance discovered in the toolshed in the backyard. However, all attempts to enter the last five days have proven futile," the Wizard informed.
"Why?" Jack Corvus asked.
"The traps."
"Traps?" Megaman repeated as they were led to the backyard, where several human officers stood in a line with a wooden toolshed in the center.
"Begin breach attempt!" The Wizard shouted.
One took a single step ahead…before he was covered in a shower curtain. A shaver buzzed as the officer yelped and cried out in it, shreds of fabric and hair shooting out of the top. A faucet rose up and the man screamed as scalding hot water hit him. It proceeded to retract, leaving a naked officer shaved completely in just a towel. Another three officers in the line pulled the first back as another attempted to breach. They got several steps in when a Wave Matter formed, taking on the form of a lanky preteen with a monobrow…and a jug with floating lips above it. The lips proceeded to blow into the jug…and polka music played. The wave matter preteen adopted a goofy grin as he started dancing to it.
"...Oh no," Lyra Note cringed, "That's My Horse."
"Huh?" Taurus Flame pondered before the trio of officers screamed as they were all thrown over the house and looked like they had been pummeled by a pack of wild horses, "...Uh…"
"Scandinavian folk song where you beat the crap outta each other," Lyra Note explained, "NOT FUN!"
"You see what we're dealing with?!" Acid Ace gestured as the other officers chose to flee, "Seismic sensors on the ground that trigger all kinds of traps. And when we deploy Wizards, the shed has perimeter sensors that make something form and smack them away!"
"Something?"
"It's always something different," Acid Ace groaned, "Each time, it's something new. Last time was a guy in kendo smacking them silly." He looked at Blizzard Kyuubi when she dropped Wave Change, "Huh?"
"...hmm…" Miyuki pondered for a moment before doing a flip, ending up in her fox form as her ears twitched a bit, "...not something…someone, kyu."
"Someone?" Canis Trinity blinked.
"She can talk like that?" Minor asked in disbelief as the fox walked towards the shed.
"She's not setting off the traps?" Acid Ace pondered.
=They may be set for the weight of a human= Acid noted.
Miyuki just gave a fox-like smile as she moved closer ot the shed, only to stop for a moment as her ears twitched. She then ducked as a pair of pies tried to hit her from the side before leaping up, the ground underneath her opening up to reveal a large tub of water. Just as she landed, she moved her head to the side as she dodged multiple water balloons and small bags before doing a quick flip, causing an even larger pie to miss…and end up hitting the boys.
"...Huh…This is key lime," Taurus Flame noted.
"Good thing we have those portapottys on standby," Acid Ace noted.
"Why?" Omega-Xis asked as the stomachs of the boys went off.
"They hide liquid laxatives in this one."
"Boys…" Lyra sighed as they shot off, dropping their transformations in the process, "...But how did…"
"I'm a fox, Lyra-chan," Miyuki replied as she looked back at them, "We're known for being masters of tricks, kyu."
=We should know…we ended up losing to her badly once in the ring= Major sighed.
=Wasn't that bad= Minor scoffed.
=That's because after she humiliated us as part of a penalty, you tried to get a revenge grope on her….and she managed to lock you in your locker…while love music was playing=
"And…there we go," Miyuki giggled, reaching the shed, "Now what's inside…" she nudged it…before yelping as a wave of sand erupted out and sent her all the way back to the others before going back in, a pair of glowing yellow eyes barely visible within as the door shut, "...pfft…" she spat out a pile of sand as Canis Trinity picked her up.
=HA! Karma bitch!= Minor laughed.
"Kyu…" Miyuki growled a bit in annoyance.
"...a-are you ok?" Canis Trinity asked.
"I am…just…my fox pride has been disrespected just now, kyu…"
"..." Lyra Note frowned before looking at the shed, "Eh?"
"What?" Canis Trinity asked.
"There's a plant hovering over the shed like the one at the garden in Missouri," Lyra Note pointed.
"What plant?" Canis Trinity asked.
"That one," she pointed.
=I ain't seein' it= Minor noted.
"...I wonder…" Miyuki pondered, hopping out of Canis Trinity's arms before flipping up, changing back to normal, "...Misora."
"Hai?"
"Try using your brush on the plant…and guide it to us, kyu."
=E-eh?= Frost blinked from inside Miyuki's VG Hunter.
=Seriously what fucking plant?!= Minor snapped.
"That one," Omega-Xis replied.
"What are you three talkin' about?" Corvus groaned as Lyra Note pulled her brush out of her cleavage and drew a line from the plant to her before yelping as Vine went off and pulled the girls past the traps and right to the door, "Hah?!"
"...Oh I already d-" Canis Trinity began before yelping, losing her form in the process as she was suddenly dragged into the shed.
Miyuki said nothing as she crossed her arms, letting the Vine fling her right into the shed as well.
"...WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" Corvus snapped.
"Magic Monkey God," Omega-Xis replied.
"Ok…I think it passed and…" Geo began as he walked over…only to yelp as he was suddenly dragged towards the shed, hitting Omega-Xis and ending up dragging him in the process, "AHH!"
"GOD DAMN IT!"
"Okay….whoever came up with that is evil…" Ace muttered as he, Jack and Bud stumbled back over.
"So much for last night's dinner…and breakfast…" Bud added, rubbing his stomach before blinking, "...hey. Where'd Geo and the girls go?"
"Magic Monkey God," Taurus replied.
"That's all I need to know," Bud shrugged.
"Mmmph…" Geo muffled, blushing as he ended up with his head in Lyra Note's bust with the back of his head covered by Ellie's behind.
"Mmm~" Ellie whined as a heavy blush grew on her face…while swirls replaced her eyes.
Miyuki pulled herself out from under Lyra Note's rear in her fox form before shifting to human, "Well…that was…something, kyu."
=L-Let's not do that again, please…= Frost whispered.
"Agreed," Lyra agreed as they managed to get untangled.
"It looks like a normal shed to me," Geo noted before flipping down his Visualizers, "Huh? There's a Wave Road going…under the floor?"
"Of course there is!" Issun noted, poking out of Ellie's hair, "Miyuki-sama, push that wrench to the right."
"Hm?" Miyuki looked at the pointed tool and pushed it, "Oh! A lever?"
The ground shook before the floor went down, revealing it to be an elevator. Geo let out a muffled annoyed noise, sandwiched between Lyra Note and Miyuki's breasts due to the sudden movement making them stumble.
"...oh my," Ellie whispered.
=Lucky bastard…= Minor muttered before a slap went off =OW!=
They managed to right themselves and Sonia dropped her wave change as the ride soon came to a halt before a door with two levers. Omega-Xis and Lyra floated over to them, checking for traps.
"Pull the Lever, Omega-Xis!" Lyra ordered.
"I'm not falling for that shit," Omega-Xis deadpanned, "You pull it."
"Alright," Lyra shrugged as she pulled one…causing a log on a vine to swing down and knock Omega-Xis's head off.
"...not….one….word…" Omega-Xis growled, slightly hearing Lyra snickering.
=Neat new trick, Mega!= Minor cackled.
"Fuck off, mutt!" Omega-Xis snapped before his body ended up grabbing a lever, "...No no wait!" he began before it pulled, causing him to fall into the floor, "WRONG LEVERRRRRrrrrrrr…!"
*splash!*
"?!" his body tensed as it flew in after him.
"...is he…" Ellie began.
"Give him a minute," Geo sighed before a nearby door opened up, letting Omega-Xis hover in…with an Alligator made of Real Waves biting his 'tail.
"...Ok. Why does this asshole have a specific lever for that?!" he snapped while smacking the gator, causing it to let go as it slinked away whimpering.
"Skye-hakase loved his security a whole lot, but not as much as he loved his family and their safety," Issun replied.
"And all the EM tech for the defenses?" Lyra asked.
"Oh, these were here when I was awake back then," Issun shrugged.
"...All this…from a tiny piece he swiped from Omega-Xis?" Lyra asked in disbelief.
"Eeyup."
"...not sure whether to feel proud…or offended," Omega-Xis muttered.
Sonia grabbed the other lever and pulled. The walls groaned before they vanished, revealing it to be a Real Wave and revealed a massive lab-like structure with several levels separated by elevators, stairs, slides, ropes, and escalators. One floor sported an entire living room assortment with shelves filled to the brim with movies and games while another was nothing but kitchen with a third being a mixture of bedrooms and a few bathrooms. A large waterfall poured down from the center, hitting a spear of sorts that split the water into several smaller rivers that went into machines at the ends, feeding it back up to fall once more. All over, small robots were at work, cleaning and maintaining.
"..." Issun chuckled as he waved a hand out, "Welcome to the Sakurai Lab."
=...god damn I wish I had a room this badass…even if it's a…ugh. Nerd's lab= Minor whispered.
"Family lab. One that was the base used by Aphrodite-sama and Skye-hakase for that company of theirs," Issun corrected, "...Someone's living down here."
"Huh?" Sonia pondered.
"Hey! Mack!" Issun shouted, "Mack~!"
A clatter went off before a nearby grate opened, letting a sock puppet resembling a cab driver-themed dog peek out, "What? …Issun? Hey there, buddy!"
"Hi, Mack!" Issun waved, "Who's living down here?"
"Who? Oh! That's easy enough! Kazuma and Axl do!" Mack replied.
"...Issun…" Sonia began.
"This is Mack. The security system for the lab," Issun explained, "He likes using a sock puppet."
"Muppet!" Mack corrected, "Muppet thank you very much!"
"Sorry sorry…He likes using a Muppet," Issun corrected himself.
"Thank you!" Mack nodded, "So, uh…What's with the guy and gals? We're not hiding a harem again, are we? Because Maylu and her daughter made it clear that…"
"I'm dating just her," Geo deadpanned as he wrapped an arm around Sonia's waist.
"These are Geo, Sonia, Miyuki, and Ellie."
"Oh, the little time travelers and two friends!" Mack beamed before looking at Sonia, "Wow. You must be a descendant of Aphrodite or Maylu with that figure."
"Um…more like Fudegami magic?"
"Wait, what?" Mack blinked at that before Issun hopped over and whispered something to him, "..oh. Oh~...reincarnation…Okay, I getcha. So what brings ya? Here to meet Kazuma and Axl? Kids are pretty great! Ah, it's been such a fun time having them here. Wasn't turned on since they showed up ten years ago and loving it! It's like the family hadn't left!"
"We came to talk to them about something," Issun stated as he took on a serious tone.
"Hmm? Why? Wh-"
"DarkChips…"
"DARKCHIPS?!" Mack screamed before running over and slamming a button on the wall, "23-20! WE HAVE A 23-20!"
At that, several alarms went off along with a raid siren. Several robots dropped what they were doing and hovered over, picking up the party and going off to an elevator. A quick ride up and they dropped the party in a large conference room with dozens of screens set up. Several panels above them opened and trays with various snacks and treats and even drinks lowered down onto the table before the alarms all went silent and the robots left.
"...You're two minutes faster than the last drill," Issun noted, sitting on Mack's head.
"Really? Oh thanks!" Mack beamed, "Oh! I gotta get Kazuma and Axl!"
"Please do!" Issun shouted as Mack hurried off.
=...The hell was that?!= Minor exclaimed.
"Protocol 23-20. Used only when DarkChips or something akin to them has been found," Issun replied, "There's a video presentation once everyone in the lab is here."
"Can we call the others?" Geo asked.
"Good thinking," Issun replied as Geo called up Ace.
=You guys alright?= Ace asked.
"We're okay," Geo replied, "We're inside the lab. Turns out someone lives down here."
=Really?=
"Mack, the AI in a Muppet, says their names are Axl and Kazuma," Omega-Xis noted.
=?! Kazuma? …Geo, be careful= Ace warned.
"Huh?"
=If this Kazuma is who I think he is…then you're about to meet the worst criminal in modern history= Ace explained =No one knows his face, but we do know his skills. Hacking. He is a AAA-Ranked Hacker=
"A Hacker?" Miyuki tilted her head in confusion.
"They're people who use programming skills to bypass security systems to steal valuable things," Geo explained.
=Mr. Stellar here, thanks to Omega-Xis, if they hadn't done so much good would be considered AA Hackers= Ace added.
"...What? So I had the kid sneak into Brother Pages to see what folks needed help with. It often led to fun fights or me laughing at the kid," Omega-Xis huffed.
"I told you we'd get in trouble!" Geo glowered.
"And that is why I always set my Brother Page to give you a message of thanks after you helped me out," Sonia winked and delivered a kiss to his cheek.
"Aww~" Miyuki and Ellei couldn't help but coo at that.
=Bleck…= Minor gagged...before some music began to play =?! NO~! NOT MOONLIGHT DENSETSU!=
=Thank you for this, Dr. Goodall…= Major thanked.
=IT'S SO GIRLY~!=
"I find the Mute button helps a lot," Geo offered Ellie some advice.
"Th-thanks," Ellie nodded before the sound of a door opening caught their attention, "?!"
A loud yawn went off and the others looked at the doorway. Entering was a boy around Geo's age with tanned skin with wild brown hair. He was donned in an orange muscle shirt underneath a black biker jacket with metal bracers on his wrists, black gloves, and gray pants that went into black boots with orange detailing. In his right hand was a mug of, from how Sonia could smell it, hot chocolate. He walked to the largest chair in the meeting room and sat in it. He took a few sips before setting the mug on a coaster and opened his eyes, revealing them to be a mixture of brown and yellow.
"So you're the guys that keep swiping from my fam's bunkers," he stated.
"Hey, hey, hey! I gave permission!" Issun argued.
"Yes…but not my permission or my bro's," the youth countered.
=You're…Kazuma?=
"No shit," he snorted, "Axl! The hell, man? You were supposed to be on defense!"
"I was! I didn't expect them to suddenly fling into the place!" another voice argued.
A panel above opened and a figure dropped down in the seat by Kazuma. He was a boy around Kazuma's age, donned in a grey bodysuit with navy blue bars going up the sides. He was donned in navy blue and gunmetal armored boots, gloves, and torso armor with an angular red helmet. Red hair poked out in the back under it in several spikes. Yet the most interesting piece was his torso sported a red circle split by two black bars in an 'X' pattern that also covered his ears on the helmet.
"...A Wizard?" Ellie blinked.
"Yes and no, ma'am," the boy replied, tipping his helmet.
"...NetNavi!" Issun guessed.
He snapped his fingers and pointed at Issun, "Bingo, little artist! Name's Axl."
"NetNavi?!" Geo and Sponia repeated with wide eyes.
"H…how…?" Geo asked.
"I'm awesome, that's how," Axl smirked.
"So…" Kazuma began, sitting down as he kicked his feet up, "What brings you guys here? Raiding more of my family's stuff? If so…you better not have broken my rank on BBTAG. I had just hit the maximum rank in PVP."
"...technically no…." Geo muttered.
"But we have been playing them in an VR-like simulator," Sonia added.
"Wait, for real?" Kazuma blinked at that...before looking at Axl, "Why didn't you tell me they did something like that?!"
"You were asleep, man! I didn't wanna wake you up!"
"Dude! I would've killed to play one of those games in person!" Kazuma argued…before raising a finger at the others, "Not literally mind you. I hack only asshole money loving dirtbags that pay a pretty penny to the police for bribery." He pointed at the screen Ace was on, "Bet your superiors never told ya that, did they?" He waved a hand, "Don't bother. I've long hacked your feeds."
"...You were spying on us this entire time, haven't you?" Miyuki asked with a light frown.
"Not in dressing rooms or showers. I'm no perv." Kazuma assured, "But yeah…been keeping an eye on you guys-mainly ms reincarnated goddess and 'megaman'- ever since you opened the first bunker."
"And we know very well why you guys are here. Some sick asshat brought back Dark Power," Axl scowled, "Our ancestors went above and beyond to destroy it back in 20XX."
"Well apparently someone found it and brought it back through those DarkCards," Omega-Xis scoffed.
"And we have a theory that they're in truth pieces of Orochi," Lyra added.
Kazuma snorted, "Orochi? Maybe…But try Nebula Grey."
"Nebula Grey?"
"Trust us…you don't wanna know," Axl stated.
"..."
"...They have ta know?" Axl asked, earning a nod.
"23-20."
"So that's why the alarms went off," Axl sighed.
"Right. Mack, roll film!" Kazuma shouted, reclining in the chair.
"Hey, wait a…" Sonia began as the lights dimmed.
"All questions will be answered at the end of the presentation," Axl replied as the screens turned on and showed a feed of a younger Skye, none of the grey in his hair and a pep on his step…as he tried to put on a mic.
"I swear I can outsmart all the geniuses of DC Universe...I figured out traveling dimensions…out-Ricked the Rick…and learned the Secret to guilt-free brownies…but I can never get these things working!" Skye grumbled before dropping it, "Aaand I dropped it. Great…"
'Niisan, seriously?" A woman's voice giggled.
"Ohhaha. Very funny. Laugh at the big brother who's shorter than ya…" Skye grumbled before a shapely woman easily ten feet in height with long flowing red hair walked on screen in a blue business suit with pink blouse and attached the microphone properly.
"There we go!" She smirked and walked off camera with a wink and wave at the camera as she did.
"Maylu Hikari-Sakurai. My baby sister by 12 years, ladies and gentlemen," Skye deadpanned as he gestured at the direction she left.
"That was Maylu-chan?!" Sonia gawked.
"Hello~! To anyone watching this, you are in the presence of a descendant of not only my baby sister and brother-in-law, but also one who is descended from my son and daughter! Congrats on finding them together in the first place!" Skye beamed, a party ball going off at both sides, dropping streamers and banners with congratulations written on them, "But if you're watching this one specifically? You are dealing with the revival of the Dark Power and all it entails. I take this to my adorable BBIL, that's Baby-Brother-in-Law for short, to explain. Take it away, Lanny!" He caught the thrown shoe, "My shoe now!" He giggled childishly as he ran off.
"Seriously…" a voice chuckled as a man stepped into view wearing the other shoe of the pair, a man that Geo seemed to immediately recognize despite the long brown hair being new.
"Wait…is that…Lan?" Geo asked.
"Yep. That's my ancestor," Kazuma replied.
"Uh hey there…to anyone watching this," Lan sheepishly waved before clearing his throat, "To those watching…if you found this, this can only mean the Dark Power is back, taking on a different form. Probably in the form of BattleCards."
"You honestly remember the name? I thought you just went through the motions back then and had things go in one ear and out the other."
"Aw shaddap, Roll!" Lan grumbled before clearing his throat, "Sorry about that. Anyways…The Dark Power is part of a being known as Nebular Grey, the most dangerous thing to have ever existed."
"See?" Kazuma motioned to the screen.
"...is what I would say had I not looked into it after the Cybeast Incident."
"Wait, what?" Kazuma blinked.
"While studying for the Bar Exam-which I passed with honors-, I looked into what was known as the ancient land of Nippon from what records were recovered…and from what I read, it explained a lot of things…" Lan sighed, typing something down as an image of what looked like a large stone ark appeared on screen, "Many years ago…there existed beings that existed long before any of us…the Celestials. They once looked down upon our world, often defending it from any dark forces that would upset the balance. One day however…It begun its attack on the Celestial Plane…"
"It?" the group repeated as Lan typed something down, causing another image to pop up, depicting a faded torn image of what looked like…a black burning sphere.
"THAT BALL!" Omega-Xis recognized.
"Yami…the Lord of Darkness," Lan explained, "There was no reasoning with it…all it wanted was one thing; To engulf the world in pure darkness. A world where no life would be sustainable…people losing hope in the gods themselves. The Celestials tried to combat it, but…it sent two beings to destroy their main forces. Orochi, which attacked the Celestial Plane….and Nebula Grey, which destroyed anyone that supported the Gods. A few Celestials attempted to get away in the Ark you see in one of the images…the Ark of Yamato. However…by the time they reached the land that would be known as Kamui…it was too late…" he sighed, typing something once more as the image of the ark was replaced, showing what looked like a massive army of Yokai spilling out of the ark, "Yami's minions had infiltrated the ark, killing everyone inside of it with those that survived…they were turned by Nebula Grey's 'gifts'...the Dark Power. While Orochi remained in the world…Nebula Grey slept, waiting for the chance to be summoned once more, but before that…he sent out pieces of himself…of its master to convert more people for Yami, stealing their souls once their usefulness had ended."
"...We scared off the living embodiment of evil itself…without even realizing it…" Omega-Xis muttered, "And Issun says we wouldn't hold a candle to this Rock guy."
"Oh you wouldn't," Axl confirmed in an attempt at amusement to deal with the tension, "He could easily rock your beliefs."
"...Damn it, Axl," Kazuma facepalmed as Ace snorted back a laugh on the call and Sonia giggled, "Don't encourage him!"
"Rock…I'm going to be touching on…that…" Lan noted to someone offscreen, earning their attention at the name, "Are you…"
"Roll's helping me stay calm," a voice assured, familiar to Geo despite it being older now like Lan's.
"You just let his Heart worry about her Soul, okay?" Roll's voice added, "Keep at it."
Lan nodded before typing something in the air again and more screens popped up to replace the old, showing a man with a black beard and long black hair with an eye replaced with a purple eyepiece, "One ended up in possession of one Dr. Regal Wily. He used that piece to awaken Nebula Grey and confine him in the Cyber World, siphoning his power to create DarkChips. These would then be used to grant NetNavis amazing powers…at the cost of their souls. Touching one would even leave a 'taint' on them. One that my brother and sister-in-law managed to purge from themselves after it was all said and done." He shook his head as a somber look formed, "These chips also infected humans. The worst being…my own dad. He was used as a test subject when my brother and I were in the womb." He inhaled deeply as Geo tensed on that, "Under its influence, he…he murdered my grandfather-his dad-, he killed my brother-in-law and wife's parents. He brought back my brother from the dead as a NetNavi, taking the fragment and sending the actual infant away only to come back on our 7th birthday to steal him from his foster parents then systematically torture him to the point he was fragmented to make new 'Styles' for Megaman aka the original fragment."
"..." Axl gripped his fist tightly.
"When the first fragment deleted itself saving my life, he used a backup with the original to remake Megaman. He killed an innocent woman and blew up SciLab's top floors to keep his secrets hidden and tried to blame Skye for them and attempted to murder my wife with Atroquinine! He worked with Nebula after that…and then…" he narrowed his eyes, "Rock and I, his sons, had to…" his glare fell as he went somber, "...We never knew the man he was until his dying moments. But…this shows that the DarkChips…the power of Yami itself can corrupt anyone…even if they were a gentle soul at one point. If the Dark Power…of Yami's power has truly come back…please…" he paused as he bridged his hands together, "Please…stop it. If Orochi…if Yami comes back, then all life as we know it will be engulfed in pure darkness…no light. No life…no faith…a world of monsters."
"...oh my god…" Ellie whispered, her hands over her mouth as the video feed ended.
"So even Orochi himself was a part of Yami…" Miyuki whispered with a frown.
"..." Geo shook his head, not sure what to make of it all.
"...How did he stop it?" Sonia spoke up, making Geo look over at her, "How did he and Megaman defeat Nebula Grey?"
"The Legendary Berserker," Axl replied, tapping at the air before a screen showing a figure in a black bodysuit with orange and onyx armor and a tattered brown scarf standing before a massive behemoth of purple and red flames with spikes emerging from its back and shoulders and three horns on its head, "Nebula Grey was of pure darkness, pure evil. It tried to absorb this one…" he chuckled as the screen changed, showing the smaller figure ominously floating above a decimated land, no signs of the behemoth, "...but it couldn't handle the bond between two brothers in all but blood, connected by their desire for the other to be their greatest opponent in an all out battle."
"It was empowered by all the hopes and prayers of all of humanity and NetNavity connected by a system called SoulNet Regal was planning to use to turn everyone into an embodiment of darkness," Kazuma added, "This place has all the info they kept and studied that we've spent years working on unlocking."
=Will you let us have copies to study?=
"Nope!" The two replied, making Ace fall over on the screen.
"But…" Sonia began.
"We don't work with mutts that bark at the command of corrupt handlers," Kazuma stated, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Now if those corrupt handlers were to say…end up arrested with information that just so happened to be found in Dr. Goodall's apprentice's website the Zachpedia under the title 'The Truth 22XX'…maybe," Axl shrugged, "Maybe if a certain criminal record was just…gone would help, too."
=...We may be able to get it done in three hours= Ace replied as he hung up.
"And access to that VR game next time those two…" Kazuma paused as he pointed at Geo and Sonia, "...decide to play it."
"Kazuma…"
"What? I wanna enjoy myself."
"I am so sorry for my brother," Axl apologized, "He's the black sheep of the family."
"...was that a pun on my outfit?"
"No. And I bet you're feeling sheepish now. Probably a little baashful?"
"It's worse than when Omega-Xis ate that Humor program…" Geo groaned.
"Make it stop~!" Lyra whined as Sonia giggled, "Sonia-chan!?"
"What? It…It's funny…" Sonia giggled.
=Pfft! Lightweights…= Minor huffed…before the music began to play once more =GAH! OH FUCK YOU SIS!=
"Congrats. You guys wanted to get in my home. You got into my home. Your prize? You're stuck with him now just like I am," Kazuma stated, hitting his head on the desk just once, "And that's from the Chicago Bunker?"
"Yep!" Issun replied.
"Damn. There goes another bunker I liked. Don't you dare let them in the manga one or I'll flush you down the toilet," Kazuma warned.
"Oh not again…" Mack groaned, hearing that as he came in, "Issun, did you get another red head that's single mad at you?"
"Hey, hey, hey! That was a complete and total accident!" Issun argued, his denpa red with hints of pink, "And she forgave me eventually!"
"Right…as much as I enjoy this, Imma starving. Fending off idiots thinking they can trespass makes me starved and in need of a good meal," Axl noted as he plucked a grape from one of the trays and ate it.
"How can you do that?" Omega-Xis asked.
"Because I'm part Metastable NetNavi that converted himself into half EM Radiation," Axl replied as he kept picking different things to eat from the trays before flicking a hand and the mouths of everyone suddenly had a bar of chocolate from the tray he was at in their mouths, "And all of you should eat something, too. Food can help ya think."
"Axl!" Kazuma barked before he had what looked like a riceball shoved into his mouth.
"Eat now, think while eating, then we talk," Axl frowned before offering a tray of them to Ellie, "Cupcake in the shape of a rice ball?"
"Huh? Um…sure?" Ellie replied as she took one and took a bite, "Oh my! Delicious!"
"Family recipe from Haruka Hikari," Axl grinned, "Ten million Zenny for the recipe." An empty tray smacked him on the side of the head, "Not for sale."
"Don't make me come over there!" Kazuma warned, "I swear I will Deneb you!"
"Oh I am so scared, Kazy," Axl teased before his eyes widened as Kazuma typed the air and the mechanical arms poked out of the ceiling, "...Okay, I am scared! He's got an army! YIPE!"
"...Let me give you some ideas on what to do when you catch him, kyu," Miyuki spoke with a glint in her eye.
"Ah! No fair getting help from the professional wrestler!"
"Hey, look. Lunch and a show," Omega-Xis chuckled.
"Wow…Haven't seen them this open in years," Mack whispered, standing between Geo and Sonia's seats, as they watched Axl flee from the arms as Kazuma kept 'typing' the air, "Funny how having guests does that."
"Huh?" Geo whispered.
"It's a blessing and a curse being a Hikari," Issun noted as Miyuki cheered Kazuma on, a small smile on the teen's face, "They're people that encourage others and form bridges, but they're also people that need to have people in their lives."
"They're real social butterflies that just attract folks to them," Mack nodded as Axl yelped as he was finally grabbed, "First genuine smiles in years. Now all they need are a girlfriend or boyfriend."
"Mack!"
"What? I was made by Aphrodite, Maylu, and Roll. Love is a part of my expertise," Mack pointed out before looking at Geo and Sonia and whispered to the two, "And word of advice? Two words: Talcum. Powder. Does wonders to hide the faint aroma."
"?!" Both froze as they blushed heavily.
"Ah! Uncle-uncle-uncle!"
"What was that?" Kazuma grinned.
"Aunt!" Axl caved and the arms dropped him and went back into the ceiling.
"Um…How did you do that? It…It looked like what Mr. Hikari did on the video," Ellie noted.
Kazuma held up his hand, showing the glove on it, "PeT Omega. I like the classics, so I just put the latest wave tech in it. Trust me…it makes things easier without the fear of losing your PeT."
"Why are ya spelling 'pet'?" Omega-Xis asked.
"That's how you say the acronym for Personal Terminals," Kazuma replied.
"Then why not call it a PT then?"
"And risk being sued by Konami over that canceled Silent Hill game? No thanks…good card game they may make, but…tch. Bunch of greedy asshats, the lot of them were," Kazuma snorted as he got up, "Anyway, considering we have two hours to kill, guess I may as well give a tour."
"Huh?"
"Neither of us were raised without good manners being instilled," Axl noted, "Considering that little guy there got you in, it does technically mean you're considered guests."
"So help yourselves while I give ya the tour," Kazuma added.
"Don't you mean 'we?'" Axl asked.
Kazuma waved his hand and a screen popped up showing Corvus hovering towards the shed.
"...Oh. One moment. If it's a bird…maybe…" Axl muttered before grinning as he ran out with a devious snicker.
"...What?" Kazuma raised a brow at the looks he was getting, "You guys actually got in. The rest are still considered mutts to a corrupt system to us still for the next three hours."
=SQUAWK!=
"...pfft! Ok I enjoyed that," Omega-xis snickered as the screen showed a giant blue swallow smacking Corvus around before going back into the shed.
"How is he doing that?" Geo asked.
"Oh, that's a pretty neat trick of his," Kazuma smirked as Mack went off to resume his duties.
"...And you're not planning on telling us, are you?"
"Now where would the fun be if I tell you how he does that?" Kazuma asked, "One of our family's mottos is 'Question Everything.' Case in point, I asked 'Could it be possible to fit all that tech in the latest products into a PeT Omega?' Answer is, yes, yes I could."
"What's with these things in the cases?" Omega-Xis asked as they entered a hallway with several rows of items inside of clear cases, the AM-Ian looking at one case showing several handheld items.
"Those are the different versions of the PeT over the years it was in service," Kazuma explained, "Our family always made sure to buy five. One to store in this, one to keep in its case, one for use, one for modifying, and one to show the inside of it over in those cases on the chance scientists were ever allowed in here to study how the past tech works."
"I'm guessing 'Prepare ahead' is another motto?" Geo asked.
"Yep," Kazuma replied before 'typing' and a robotic arm poked out with a spatula that swatted Lyra's hand as it neared a case with a pair of PeTs in a lighter blue than the standard ones or a pink, "Don't touch those."
"Ite! Why…?"
"Look at the emblems," Kazuma replied, making Lyra blink before looking to see a red circle divided by a single black line on the lighter blue and a cherry blossom that doubled as a heart on the pink.
"...Oh!"
"Huh…That was on the fragment of that Rock guy we fought when we went in the past," Omega-Xis noted before frowning, "Seriously…he was a fragment?"
"Like Lan said, blame it on his old man being corrupted by a DarkChip that arse Regal shoved into him," Kazuma shrugged.
"...damn…"
"It's old history now," Kazuma shrugged as the exited the hallway and ended up in a more cavern-like area of the lab with one large platform displaying several hologram projectors with a dome-shaped machine in the center, "And that is what Axl and I really enjoy the most down here."
"The Navi Simulator!" Issun recognized.
"Axl and I like to call it the Battle Simulator," Kazuma shrugged, "It's where Axl gets the 'ammo' for his trick. Outside of a few we haven't had much luck beating, though."
"...So you just…fight random enemies in this thing?" Omega-Xis asked.
"More so we fight enemy NetNavis…Haven't tested it on those rogue Wizard Programs and FM-ians…" Kazuma replied, "Mostly for the fact Axl tends to just fight them when he does grocery runs on stuff that isn't grown down in the greenhouse wing like milk and eggs."
"There's a greenhouse?" Miyuki asked.
"This place doubles as a doomsday bunker. Greenhouses, a room filled with seeds for a multitude of plants, USB sticks filled with worldly knowledge under decryption codes," Kazuma replied, "We also tend to run 'scenarios' in this to see how different matches would go down." he snorted, "Axl thinks the ones involving Napalman are the best." he flicked his wrist and the screen popped up, "Speaking of Axl…"
=Ah! Ooh! Ahahahaha~!= Taurus Flame yelped, running away on the Wave Road above the hut with Jack Corvus from a bulky purple figure with guns for arms and cannon on the top of their head.
"...He can copy the image and abilities of an opponent he beats?" Geo guessed.
Kazuma snapped his fingers and a cookie on a tray held by a robot arm emerged, "You are the smart one."
"That guy looks ridiculous," Omega-Xis chuckled.
=Tactical Napalm Bomb!= A-Napalmman roared as he fired a massive bomb from his head cannon and the place shook in time with the explosion.
=GYAHAHAHAHA~!-!-!=
"Baka…" Kazuma groaned before pulling out a BattleChip, "Shoe, Slot In."
"Shoe?" Sonia repeated before a green wooden shoe with gold paint in the kanji for 'IDIOT!' on it smacked A-Napalmman upside the head with a loud 'CLONK' noise.
=Gah!= he yelped before running into the shed and changed to Axl =What gives?!=
"Dai-Baka!" Kazuma snapped, "That was overkill and you know it!"
=What? I'm just pretending to be the security system and this is an escalation=
"...That's it. No escalating! I will turn off the auto pick for you and choose the ones you're allowed!"
=Aw come on, Kazy!=
"That was a strange BattleCard, kyu," Miyuki noted.
"I prefer BattleChips over BattleCards," Kazuma explained, "Easier to program custom attacks and things."
"Betcha ya don't have my RYNO," Omega-Xis smirked before Kazuma held up several BattleChips all with a magenta border, "..."
"What? I've had a lot more time with games than you."
"There are more games with a RYNO?!" Omega-Xis gawked.
"Several," Kazuma replied, "If I'm not working on little projects for stuff like my glove or fixing the bots, or if I'm not hacking corrupt folks' accounts…or if I'm not doing my daily exercises, I'm playing video games. If this were Danganronpa, I'd be a competitor for Ultimate Gamer or be the Ultimate Hacker."
"What's that?" Ellie asked.
"Oh, that was the beach game if I remember right. Hina-chan and Akane-chan were a lot of fun!" Sonia recalled as Kazuma facepalmed.
"Right…all the games I play are classics from long forgotten companies…" Kazuma groaned with a grimace.
'Yeesh, this kid has a ton of loneliness waves coming off him…' Omega-Xis thought before looking at the Simulator, "Heh. Shouldn't be too hard to fight these NetNavis in that. Bet the big metal gorilla is one."
"Big metal go…You mean Gutsman, right?" Kazuma asked, "That's one of the few we still can't beat."
"Seriously? I kicked his ass back then without Geo," Omega-Xis noted.
"...Care to try with the one in the Simulator?" Kazuma asked, an amused smirk on his face.
"I could use an easy fight after the stuff we've dealt with," Omega-Xis smirked as he shot into it.
"He's a fan of charging head first into danger, ain't he?" Kazuma chuckled as he 'typed' before him.
=Okay, here's the big gorilla. Time to…why are there cracks forming on him? What's with the steam? He just broke apart on me! Did he get weaker or some-HOLY SHIT!= Omega-Xis screamed before he shot out of it and crashed into a set of ten robots that were cleaning a spot, sending them scattering, "GAH!"
"Steeee-rike!" Mack called as he walked by, pushing a dust broom to sweep up the robots and leaving Omega-Xis flat on his back with wide eyes and his mouth punched into his face.
"Are you okay?" Geo asked, looking at Omega-Xis with wide eyes.
"..." Omega-Xis grunted until Lyra slapped the back of his head, popping his mouth out and knocking it off his body, "Guh! The monkey went Azrael on me! How did he go Azrael on me?!"
"That is the same reaction I had," Kazuma admitted, "Same comparison too."
"Told you~" Issun noted as the body of Omega-Xis once more sought his head.
"Aw shaddap…" Omega-Xis grumbled.
"Eep!"
*POW!*
"Seriously, body?" Omega-Xis groaned as Ellie hid behind Miyuki and Sonia, his body twitching and buried a bit into the floor from the suplex.
"So what's with the little robots?" Sonia asked.
"Eh, maintenance bots that keep the place at max efficiency," Kazuma shrugged as two pulled Omega-Xis's body out as a third laid down a few traffic cones around the hole…and a dunce cap on the body, "They can't verbally speak, but they can emote through body language."
"Huh…handy," Geo muttered.
"Where?" Kazuma asked, looking around with a bit of sweat pouring down his head.
"...Um…" Miyuki began.
"Hand-shaped virus of the Network that like to pop out here since COLONEL doesn't reach down here," Axl replied, making them jump, "They're a big ol' pain to deal with. Always dropping bombs everywhere on the Wave Roads that blow up bigger than Bomberman's bombs when fully charged in the 64 game. So what'd I miss?"
"Omega-Xis tried fighting Gutsman's Ghost Data," Issun replied.
"Yeesh. He got Azrael'd," Axl cringed.
"I still call bullshit! How was that the big gorilla from back then?!"
"You probably met and fought him before he became a Ranked," Axl shrugged, picking up his head and tossing it to his body.
"...I'm sorry. Ranked?" Geo repeated.
"They were once the ten strongest NetNavis of the Undernet aka the Deep Web," Kazuma explained, "But near the end, they were known as the ten most powerful NetNavis ever. They were so powerful that they could materialize in the Real World if they wanted to once enough stuff was using EM Wave tech. Gutsman was Rank 5."
"Rank 1 and 2? Rock and Roll," Axl smirked.
"…holy…" Geo gawked a bit.
"Wow~!" Sonia awed, "I had a feeling she'd go far, but that? That's a whole other level."
"Yep. The Ranked are the few that Axl and I can't handle," Kazuma shrugged, "We only fought Rock twice and we couldn't lay a finger on him. He'd just say a single sentence and-SHINK!-or-KABOOM!-and we were dealt with like a common Mettaur or Metenna as they evolved into in this day and age." He then shuddered, a haunted look forming in his eyes, "And less said about when we tried to fight Roll, the better."
"Mistakes were made using Ratton BattleChips to try and catch Roll," Axl shuddered, "Many mistakes were made with that single attempt."
"...Okay, moving on before Omega-Xis gets me killed," Geo quickly spoke, swearing as much as Kazuma when the Handy virus was accidentally mentioned before Sonia's stomach went off.
"High metabolism?" Kazuma guessed.
"Hai…" Sonia muttered.
"Runs in all the girls in our family," Axl noted, "Cafeteria it is!"
"What happened up there, anyway?" Lyra asked.
"Eh, they waved the white flag…or rather, a raven Wizard painted white from a flour bomb from one of the traps with the stick being a bull Wizard tied up in ropes," Axl grinned, pointing a thumb at a nearby screen.
"I DETEST THIS!" Taurus' voice shouted from offscreen.
"Hah~I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm stuffed," Sonia sighed in content, reclining in her seat with her ears and tail out and lazily twitching in content.
"So many plates…" Ellie whispered with wide eyes, barely able to see the reincarnated sun goddess behind all the stacks.
=Oh lord…it was like watching Minor eat…= Major groaned.
=Hey! This was worse thank you very much=
"You sure you're not secretly my long, long, long distant cousin twice removed?" Kazuma asked, "Because that was exactly how my Great grandma ate."
"Oina training usually takes a lot of calorie intake to help the body keep up, kyu," Miyuki explained.
"Yet you only had a third of the plates she did," Axl noted, wearing a chef's hat and apron, "And glad you liked my cooking. With luck, you should be good until dinner."
"Thankyu," Miyuki smiled a bit, "Will need it for what I have planned for Misora and Ellie's next phase of training, kyu."
"...next…phase?" Ellie repeated slowly as Sonia's ears twitched and turned to the Oina.
"Of course…kunoichi training," Miyuki explained.
"Ku what now?" Ellie asked.
"Hoo boy…That training is nuts," Axl noted.
"Lousy security system not letting us fight several sims until we learned to be Shinobi…" Kazuma grumbled
"And not the fun anime kind either," Axl winced.
"Mm…"
"...No offense, ma'am," both quickly bowed, sweating once more.
"None taken," Miyuki shrugged, earning sighs of relief from the two Hikari boys.
"The hell are you three talkin' about?" Omega-Xis asked.
"Ninja," Issun stated
"Like the Murian Tribe?"
"Shinobi, but yup!"
"The Oina Tribe would often train ninja to act as scouts to investigate the outside world at times," Miyuki explained.
"So...what's the difference between ninja and these kuno-whatever?" Omega-Xis asked.
"Kunoichi," Miyuki corrected.
"Kunoichi were more obvious but also discreet than Shinobi. They used their beauty to infiltrate to gather intel and perform assassinations," Kazuma explained.
"Hah?!" Ellie and Sonia gawked at that.
"They were formed during an era known as the 'Warring States' for a reason," Axl pointed out.
"Nowadays they'd normally be used to gather intel, kyu," Miyuki added.
"I honestly miss that Tribe On," Geo admitted, "I got hurt a lot less when using it because I'd be able to replace myself with a dummy and get a surprise hit in."
"Funny enough there are BattleChips and Cards that can replicate that," Kazuma stated.
"I keep several FoxFu ones," Geo noted.
"Shame that BattleCards don't have a Program Advance," Kazuma noted, "Know a pretty awesome one involving BattleChips that keep you from taking damage and rain down hell on the enemy."
"...we gotta figure that one out," Omega-Xis bluntly stated.
"I think I heard that term before…I think Lan and Megaman said it before they used that giant purple blade that took a large chunk out of us and shattered our barrier," Geo cringed, a hand shooting to a phantom pain that went diagonally across his body.
"I take it they used these?" Kazuma asked, showing a set of BattleChips, "These make one of more well known PAs: LifeSword."
"LifeSword?"
"Yup….but…" Kazuma began as he closed his hand, "You want my help…then you gotta prove yourself…"
"Oh, I forgot about this…" Issun sighed, sitting on Ellie's shoulder, "Hikari are not just outgoing people that like making friends…they're also battle junkies."
"Yup," Kazuma grinned.
"We do love a good Battle," Axl admitted, "And we do tend to go straight for the Simulator after meals."
"I like these guys," Omega-Xis grinned.
"So come on, Geo Stellar…you wanna prove yourself?" Kazuma challenged.
"We're honestly interested to see if you really are worthy of that title," Axl added.
"...I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Geo asked, looking at Issun.
"No, no you are not," Issun shook his head, "Good thing the Simulator can also simulate places."
"It can?" The Hikari boys asked, "Mack!"
"You two never asked!" Mack called from the kitchen part of the cafeteria, cleaning the dishes, "You know the rules: Don't tell if they don't ask!"
"...Oh I forgot about that one…" Issun muttered.
"Mmm…" Megaman groaned, standing beside the Simulator as Kazuma typed on its console as Issun instructed him how to program locations.
"Huh…Why is it always blue?" Axl pondered.
"Eh?" Sonia ponderedz sitting on some nearby bleachers with Ellie, Miyuki, and Mack who had swapped his trucker hat with a baseball cap with a straw attachment and two drinks in blue canisters with an 'E' on them.
"Those who inherit the title of Megaman…it's always the color blue. …Could it be that they feel blue often? Maybe they like listening to the blues."
"Not Geo-kun. He prefers classical music," Sonia replied as Ellie and Miyuki groaned at the puns.
"..."
"Oopsie. Guess you could say I blue it?"
"Not you, too…" Miyuki groaned as Axl cackled in laughter.
"Sorry, sensei. Guess I blue it out of the water."
=GAH! MAKE HER STOP! THE CRINGE!==
"This it?" Issun asked.
"Yep. Good place to fight," Kazuma replied.
"Okay. Just hit enter twice and you're good."
"Nice. Hey, does this play music?"
"Oh, does it ever!" Issun beamed.
"Can we get on with it?!" Omega-Xis snapped.
"Okay, okay. Get in there, 'Megaman,'" Kazuma replied.
"Uh…ok," Megaman nodded as he did so, causing the field within to light up, "!?"
Above the Simulator, a projector turned on and the area changed to show a massive landscape that looked to be a forest hybridized with machinery in a form of a harmonic blending of the two with a vast lake amongst it all. Sonia fidgeted as she looked around. Megaman blinked a few times as he walked past a tree.
"Okay, so we're fighting Axl and you operate him?" Omega-Xis asked.
"Nope," Kazuma replied before snapping his fingers twice, "Axl, ikuze."
"Yosha!" Axl beamed before jumping into the glove.
"You can Wave Change?" Ellie asked.
"What code are you?" Miyuki asked.
"None," Kazuma replied as he pulled out a pale-blue BattleChip with a green gem instead of a picture, "I don't need a Transcode to pull off a Denpa Henkan."
"No Transcode?" Sonia asked in surprise.
"SynchroChip, Slot-In!" Kazuma declared as he inserted the chip into his glove, causing it to glow.
"CrossFusion!" The two Hikari shouted.
A flash of light went off before it faded. Kazuma stood where he had been, now donned in a light-blue bodysuit with red lines going up the sides. Bulky navy blue armor covered his arms, lower legs, head, and torso, all broken up by red lines on them. The back of his arm armor extended back and curved into a spike while he sported a bulky pack of sorts with tiny curved 'wings'. His hair emerged in spikes on the sides of his head with some peeking out the back of the bottom of the helmet while a mask covered his mouth and nose. His body glowed before he entered the machine and landed on a tree branch above and across from Megaman.
"Axl Rod, Battle Routine Set!" He declared as he jumped down and stood ready, "Execute."
"Here he comes!" Omega-Xis grinned.
"Wave Battle, Ride On!" Megaman declared before Predating a Sword and shot up at him.
He swung, only for Axl Rod to jump over the attack, slicing the branch off instead. As the branch landed, Axl Rod's fists went into his arms and blaster barrels replaced them. He roared as he proceeded to open fire at Megaman, forcing him to form his barrier to block a few until he rolled out of the way and behind a tree. Megaman breathed in before Predating a Cannon BattleCard. He shot out of hiding and froze, seeing Axl Rod missing. He cried out as he felt a searing hit slam into his back, knocking him forward several meters. He got up to see Axl Rod there with his right arm/hand replaced with a glowing red sword with flames coming off it.
"AreaSteal," he explained, "Fun little teleportation technique. Especially when you follow up with a sword, like a FireSword." His other arm/hand then shifted into a similar blade, but blue in color before it crackled with electricity, "And this is an AquaSword layered with an ElecSword."
"Huh? Why's he calling those BattleCards those names?" Sonia asked.
"Because he uses BattleChips, not BattleCards," Mack replied as Megaman quickly Predated two BreakSabers to start fighting, "You got like, what, 600 of them? BattleChips outnumber BattleCards with over 1400 kinds not counting customized ones."
"Honto?!" Sonia gawked.
"...Can they be converted into BattleCards?" Ellie asked.
"Easily enough. Letting them keep the ability to make a Program Advance is the challenge," Mack replied.
=Excuse me, but what exactly is a Program Advance?= Major asked as Megaman and Axl Rod entered a stalemate with their blades.
Axl Rod's eyes gleamed in excitement before the swords on his arms started to crack, "Heh. BambooSword, Slot In!"
"Here's your answer!" Issun replied as the blades began to shine and merge together.
"What is this power?" Lyra pondered as the light grew stronger while Megaman stepped back.
Axl Rod held his arms up as the blades merged into a blade of multicolored plasma. He grinned beneath his mask as he grabbed the blade.
"Program Advance! ElementSword!" Axl Rod declared in a unison of their voices.
With a roar, Axl Rod swung his blade, unleashing four blades of different colored plasma at Megaman. He yelped before quickly crossing his BreakSabers and summoned his shield. The red blade shattered the shield before the blue and yellow blades shattered the BreakSabers. The final green blade tore into Megaman…before a fox doll cut in two dropped. Axl Rod gawked before crying out as sparks came off him from the sword swipe of Megaman.
"Fox-Fu," Megaman explained, "I get no damage and can deal back damage with a WideSword."
"Not bad!" Axl Rod laughed as he jumped up to his feet before they circled one another, "You ever think of modifying for different weapons?"
"Ever since we made custom BattleCards, possibly," Megaman admitted, "In fact…made some new ones recently."
"Oh? Well let's see what ya have," Axl Rod taunted, 'Knowing Omega-Xis, he's gonna use the RYNO…so I w-'
"BattleCard Predation: Prinny Barrage!"
"Wait, what?" Axl Rod blinked before he noticed shadows surrounding him…before he suddenly looked up to see a swarm of small blue penguin-like creatures with batwings flying right towards him head first, "...Oh n-"
*BOOOM!*
"Penguins!" Mack freaked, jumping into Miyuki's arms, "Evil!"
"You're still afraid of non-Muppet penguins?" Issun deadpanned.
"Hey, Muppet ones are hilarious. The rest are Yokai in disguise waiting for their chance to rip your necks out!"
"..." Miyuki and Ellie traded deadpan expressions, "You think the Hikari and Sakurai families were a little…eccentric…with their AIs, kyu?"
"I think so…."
"We got him!" Omega-Xis grinned as the smoke dissipated…revealing a doll of Axl Rod, "Huh? Wha…"
"Gwah!" Megaman yelped as several shuriken as big as his head grazed his body.
"If you don't know the Element, always have an AntiDamage BattleChip on hand," Axl Rod chuckled, sitting on a tree branch above them, "And here's a forecast: the sun and moon will appear overhead right now! Red Sun! Blue Moon! Giga Chips Slot-In!"
"Giga What?!" Megaman and Omega-Xis exclaimed.
A pair of satellites appeared in the air, one was a bright red orb surrounded by a golden spiked ring to resemble a sun while the other was a smooth blue orb resembling a moon.
"Ah…Um…Oh! Giga Cards, Predation!" Megaman shouted, "Pegasus Magic GX and Leo Kingdom GX!"
Above Megaman, a massive blue armor in purple radiation taking the form of a pegasus and a blazing red radiation donned in red and orange armor resembling a lion formed. A glyph appeared before the pegasus as flames formed in the jaws of the lion. A barrage of meteors erupted from Red Sun as a blue laser rocketed from Blue Moon, Pegasus Magic and Leo Kingdom responding with a barrage of icicles as large as the meteors and a concentrated beam of flame-like plasma coming from each respectively. The four attacks collided and filled the air with a deafening explosion and brilliant blast of light. Sonia and Miyuki twitched on the bench, lying flat on their backs on it with only a ringing noise in their ears.
"And this is why I put on headphones!" Mack shouted, wearing a pair of noise canceling headphones.
The light dimmed revealing a large crater with many of the trees had fallen over. A few moments passed before both combatants gasped out as they shot up from underneath the trees.
"Ok…two Giga Class moves clashing…bad idea!" Axl Rod exclaimed.
"Aunt Medi…is that you?" Axl groaned, "Please no giant needle…"
"Mega…you okay?" Megaman asked.
"FINLAND!" Omega-Xis replied, Megaman's arm back to a gloved hand.
"RYNO."
"YES!" Omega-Xis declared, his head replacing the hand once more, "Ah…" he turned to look at Megaman, "You're lying, ain't you?"
"Just Predate the Recovery cards," Megaman sighed, shoving a few Recov300 into Omega-Xis's mouth…before three shadows came over him, "Huh?" He looked up to see triplets of a fair-skinned preteen girl with long blond hair in pinks and a pair of transparent antennae resembling plugs looking at him, two with auras that had one stronger than the other, "Uh…" they grew feral grins before smacking him around with their antennae before teleporting over to Axl Rod and hugged him, turning into hearts that he absorbed, healing all his injuries, "What the…ow…"
"Roll, Roll V2, and Roll V3," Axl Rod explained, "Heals me and beats enemies up."
"We can barely beat up her preHeartBATCH version. She keeps breaking our Chips with her Roll Arrow and…hayei…" Axl added.
"Breaking ch…Oh!" Megaman realized, "Tribe On!" A vortex of white and gold hearts spiraled around Megaman before dispersing, revealing his cupid-like form, "Angelus Heart!"
"Angelus Heart?" Axl Rod repeated.
"That's new! Guess he found the OOPArt for that Cupid tribe in Skye's files and had Omega-Xis eat it," Axl noted quietly to Axl Rod.
"Alright…No idea what this can do, so better be safe than sorry," Axl Rod noted as Megaman took flight.
Megaman swooped down at Axl Rod, who quickly rolled out of the way. He spun around and his busters open fired on Megaman, who nimbly dodged the shots in the air.
"MachGun3, Slot In!" Axl Rod declared.
"Now!" Omega-Xis shouted.
Megaman fired an arrow at the same time a bulky blue machine gun replaced Axl Rod's left buster. The arrow managed to graze Axl Rod as he dodged…before his eyes widened as the machine gun shattered.
"What the…?" Axl Rod began before grunting as Megaman slammed a flying kick into his face, knocking him away several dozen meters, "Gah!"
"Okay…So it's like the RollArrow BattleChip…great…" Axl groaned…before he chuckled, "This is getting fun, ain't it?"
"You said it, Axl," Axl Rod agreed, an excited look in his eyes as he got up as Megaman readied another arrow, "Maybe you do have that name 'Megaman' for a reason. But BattleChips aren't our only gimmick."
"?" Megaman blinked at that as Axl Rod got into a readying stance.
"A-Trans!" Axl Rod declared.
A flash of light went off and Axl Rod transformed. In his place was a young man in a full black bodysuit with only his face being the sole spot of exposed skin, said skin being gray in color with yellow lightning bolts under the eyes. His arms were covered in layered bronze armor while his head was covered in a black curved helmet with a lightning bolt print on the center. More lightning bolt prints went down the front sides of his body 'emerging' from the bulky black armor on his chest while four generators emerged from his back.
"What the…?!"
"Did…did he just form change?!" Omega-Xis gawked.
"Heh. This is our unique talent: A-Trans. In this state, I'm Elecman!" Axl Rod declared before swinging a hand up to the sky, "Thunderbolt!"
Megaman barely jumped out of the way of a blast of lightning. He yelped as he rolled out of the way of another lighting bolt before quickly summoning his shield to block a third bolt. He looked to where A-Elecman was only to see him missing.
"Too slow," A-Elecman noted as Megaman felt a hand on his shoulder…before he was electrocuted.
"G-GAAAAAH!" Megaman screamed.
"Geo-kun!" Sonia called out as Megaman fell to his knees, panting a bit as sparks came off him.
"Hmph. Maybe I spoke too soon," A-Elecman noted.
"Don't be…" Megaman coughed, "...so sure yet…" a puff of smoke went off, revealing him replaced with another FoxFu.
"Oh come on…" A-Elecman groaned before yelping as his generators were cut off, "Ah shoot!"
"You're still an Elec-Element..and Wood hurts it," Megaman smirked.
"Better heat things up then. A-Trans!" A-Elecman declared before transforming into a taller figure in a red bodysuit with gray boots, bulky gray armor engulfing his head with the top ending in a vent and two bulky flamethrowers on his arms, "Fireman! LavaWave!"
He slammed an arm down on the ground and Megaman's eyes widened as a wave of lava erupted from the impact, reading for him.
"Predation: Wide Wave 3!" Megaman called out as he threw his Buster Arm out, sending out a large cutting wave of water as it collided with the lava wave, engulfing the area in a dense steam.
"Oh no...you're not getting away from me, Angel Boy," A-Fireman growled as he began to step forward, looking around for any trace of Megaman before he suddenly grunted…finding himself now stuck in a bubble, "...Oh…oh cute…Real cute…Chain Bubble for a trap…"
"And here's a shocker for you! Giga Card Predation! Gemini Thunder!" Megaman declared, lightning crackling in Omega-Xis's jaws.
"...Ahh crap baskets," A-Fireman and Axl muttered in unison before screaming as a massive stream of lightning slammed into them and then the bubble, "GWAH!" a flash went off and Axl Rod slammed into a tree, "...Ow…"
"Oh, Aunt Medi again…please no needles…" Axl slurred.
"..ok…you're…better than I thought…" Axl Rod grunted as he forced himself up, using the tree to stay balanced, "Combining a Water-Element with an Elec-Element move for four times the damage…" he grinned under his mask, "Yep. You definitely earned that title."
"Thanks," Megaman nodded, managing to hide the small shakes.
"But…I still got one last trick. You handle this and I'll give," Axl Rod noted before shooting down at the ground, obscuring him from sight, "Salamander, Slot In! Fountain, Slot In!"
"Uh-oh," Mack and Issun gulped.
"What?" Ellie blinked..
"Thunderbolt, Slot In!" Axl Rod declared, avoiding another arrow in the smoke.
"Is this another Program Advance?" Miyuki asked.
"The big daddy of 'em all not counting one that he doesn't have access to for a few reasons, key one being him not being able to beat Rank 3 for the needed BattleChip," Mack replied.
"Gaia Blade, Slot In!" Axl Rod declared as a bright light shined from the smoke, dispersing the smoke.
"PROGRAM ADVANCE! MASTER STYLE!" Axl and Axl Rod declared.
His body glowed before changing into a semi-transparent image of a boy around 12 in a navy blue bodysuit with light blue lines going up the sides in blue gloves, boots, and a helmet with silver bars and two yellow squares on it. He glowed before splitting into several copies, each in a different color with slightly different armors that then vanished. Megaman yelped, barely avoiding a massive red and maroon armored gauntlet as big as his upper body only for a bulky dark-yellow armored leg to slam into his face right into a green and yellow shield.
"I-Invis, Predation!" Megaman yelped, turning transparent and going through a lariat by the bulky-armed boy, only to grunt as a tanto pierced the Invis of one in red ninja-like armor, 'Invis doesn't even work?!'
"What…What is this?" Ellie asked.
"Master Style. Delivers eight distinct strikes from the StyleChanges of Megaman before a big kaboom!" Mack explained, throwing his arms out to mimic an explosion.
"Kaboom?" Miyuki repeated.
"GH!" Megaman grunted as he was kicked up by a lighter-blue copy with a bulkier backpack and got two feet in the face by a toddler-version of the boy in yellow, slimmer armor, "A-A kid one?!" he gagged as he was slammed into the ground by the green and yellow shield before they merged into Axl Rod holding himself and trembling.
"Rrrrrr…GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Axl Rod screamed before spreading his arms out rapidly…before unleashing a massive explosion that engulfed the area.
"GEO-KUN!" Sonia yelped.
"Yup…There's the kaboom," Issun and Mack cringed.
"Is…Is he okay?!" Ellie gasped.
"Hopefully…"
"Hoo…Hoo…" Axl Rod panted, collapsing against a tree and sliding down to sit on his rear, "Always…so…draining…"
"Hence…it's…a finisher…" Axl agreed as the smoke dissipated.
"Heh-heh…Sorry…guess you're…" Axl Rod began before the dust settled, revealing no sign of Megaman, "?! Wha…" a lance of blue energy was held up to his neck from the side, "..."
Megaman panted heavily, an eye closed shut as parts of his body were fuzzy as if they were nothing more than static. He has lost his Tribe On, exposing several parts of his armor broken and cracked. His helmet had fully broken, showing his full head aside from the 'covers' over his ears.
"...Y…You know…Undyne's spears…don't hurt if…if ya don't move, right…?" Axl Rod noted.
"Oh…I know…." Megaman panted, "Question is…you willing…to move…to test that theory?"
Both just stared at the other, still panting. No one was sure who started it first, but chuckles went off from the two teens.
"Hehheheh….Ahahahahahah!" Axl Rod began to laugh loudly, "Oh man…you…you're a blast!"
"YYou as well…" Megaman chuckled, dismissing the BattleCard as he collapsed beside him, "Y-You are definitely…their descendants…!"
"And you…definitely earned the name 'Megaman,'" Axl Rod chuckled, "...no…Shooting Star Megaman…" he looked up at the sky, "Can…Can someone get us outta here? I…I don't think either of…can move that good…"
"I feel like I went…through something called…the arm cruncher…only replace 'arm'…with 'body,'" Megaman muttered.
"Not bad…" Omega-Xis noted as he appeared , "...For a NetNavi."
"Could say the same to a Wizard," Axl agreed, "Oh…Oh…There's the blackness…Hello darkness my old friend~"
"Yup…there it is…they are pooped," Mack noted.
"Both of them," Issun added, seeing the two teens pass out, "...And you are good to go, Misora-Tenshisama."
"GEO-KUN!" Lyra Note yelped, already jumping in.
"Ellie, go get me some bags," Miyuki stated as she stood up, already changing into Blizzard Kyuubi, "Some ice will help with the soreness and swelling in their muscles, kyu."
"Oh! G-got it!" Ellie nodded as she ran off.
"ITEITEITE!" Kazuma yelped.
"Don't be a baby, Kazuma," Axl frowned, being the one cleaning Kazuma's injuries with rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball.
"Easy for you to say! Your body doesn't feel like it got Road-Rollered!"
"Recov-Element BattleChips for the win," Axl grinned.
"D'oh…!" Kazuma grunted in annoyance as Axl swapped the rubbing alcohol for bandages.
"Sonia, Sonia, I'm alright, I'm alright," Geo spoke, already bandaged up.
"Mmm~" Sonia puffed a cheek up as her ears flattened…while wearing a pink nurse's outfit with plush tiny angel wings sewn on the back of it.
"...Where…did she get the nurse outfit?" Ellie blinked from nearby.
"Costume wing," Mack replied, "Pointed it out for her to get a nurse's outfit for her boyfriend." he gestured to the blush on Geo's face, "The blush on his face says it all about what he thinks of it."
"Oh~"
"Why do you even…?" Miyuki began.
"Mrs. S, Maylu, and Roll liked the reactions their husbands all had to them wearing costumes," Mack shrugged, "And Mrs. S loved making outfits for anything."
"Ah…I see," Miyuki muttered.
"Still…that was nuts!" Issun exclaimed, already painting a sumi-e, "You are definitely a pair of Hikari, Kazuma-kun, Axl-kun!"
"Damn right…" Kazuma grinned a bit before yelping and whacking Axl with his hand, "Watch how tight those are, dang it!"
"Well, I do have ya wrapped up."
"Please stop it…!" Kazuma begged, "Being beaten up was enough…don't add the puns…" he pointed at the giggling Sonia, "And stop encouraging it!"
"Puns are the best!" Sonia argued.
"And depriving your boyfriend is another?" Kazuma deadpanned.
"Eh?" she looked down to see she had engulfed Geo's head in her chest once more, the already injured boy not even struggling due to exhaustion, "Ah!" she pulled his head out, "G-Gomen nassai!"
"...Can you put me back…it was comfortable," Geo whispered.
"...Later," Sonia whispered back, blushing now as her tail wagged happily until Geo's VG Hunter buzzed.
"Browse," Geo sighed as the screen popped up and showed Ace.
=Alright…We've managed to get your record expunged, Kazuma. We're still in the process of making arrests, though= Ace informed before blinking a few times =Uh…=
"Wanted to see if he really did earn his title as this generation's 'Megaman' and regret it…regret it a lot…" Kazuma replied.
"Agreed," Geo nodded.
=Right…well, it's gonna take more than the time limit I gave to do the arrests= Ace noted.
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. The obaa-hakase should have the files in her computer in a folder labeled 'Dark Power Research' already," Kazuma replied, "Next to the folder with Acid's blueprints in it."
=And people ask why you had such a high wanted level= Ace muttered =And can you please disable your security already?=
"I don't feel secure," Axl joked.
"Stop it!" Kazuma, Miyuki, and Ellie snapped as Sonia and Ace snickered.
"...Sure. So long as they agree that this stuff is private property and they're just guests," Kazuma amended.
=Deal=
"And…!" Kazuma began as he held a finger up, "...I demand the right to also use that VR Game system Geo and his Gal Pal have been using!"
"Seriously…?"
"I demand to have fun after this!" Kazuma declared, "...oh and the white-haired girl and any of Geo's friends are welcome too."
"Beg pardon?" Ellie blinked at that.
"Why keep it exclusive to just those two?" Kazuma retorted.d.
"I have gone once," Miyuki noted, "It was pretty amusing and cathartic on one game, kyu."
"They mauled a guy," Omega-Xis chuckled.
=I have no control over that. Geo, you deal with the talks on that one= Ace replied.
"Right…" Geo sighed, "...Kazuma, I don't mind I guess….I'll probably have to talk to Luna and the others though."
"Who?" Kazuma pondered.
"Another friend," Geo replied, "She mentioned Mr. Boreal was donating some games made here when Electopia was Japan for the exhibit and needed some testers for them."
"Here's a photo of us I took today," Sonia smiled, showing her VG Hunter.
"!" Kazuma blinked, "H-Huh…Neat hairstyle."
"..."
"...stop it," Kazuma frowned, not even bothering to turn to see the grin growing on Axl's face.
"Stop what?"
"You know what!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I swear I will put you in drag and make you do the hula to a bunch of Spiky viruses in the Virus Breeder!"
=The what?=
"They're pets and not pests," Mack informed, "Just wanna live peaceful lives in a machine made to not break with them in it. They even make BattleChips to summon them."
"Really?" Geo blinked.
"What? They're alive like anyone else," Axl noted, "While many wanna wreck stuff up, others just want to live peacefully. The Mettaur in it were actually a nomadic tribe Roll rescued from a HeelNavi."
"Don't get him started on him bringing in those Wave Viruses…" Kazuma begged.
"They are precious and adorable and you will not make me feel any regret bringing them into it," Axl argued.
"There's a difference between computer virus and Wave Virus…which if not careful, are like freakin' malware!"
"And yet, they haven't done a thing."
"One ate my slippers!"
"Well you shouldn't have said they were ugly."
"...If I wasn't on bed rest…I'd hurt you…and I would make it look like an accident."
"I'm just glad you don't have a cat tail and are holding a cleaver. You'd cut it off in your anger."
"We don't talk of that movie….ever," Kazuma instantly stated.
"You mean you don't talk of that movie," Axl corrected.
"Axl…!"
=...This is supposed to be the infamous Hacker Kazuma…= Ace muttered as the group just looked at the two bickering 'siblings' with deadpan expressions.
=M...Maybe those rumors on him were highly exaggerated= Frost suggested.
=I'm starting to see that…= Ace muttered as a panicking Axl fled from several robotic arms Kazuma deployed from the ceiling and floor.
"Yamero! Yamero!" Axl yelped.
"Get back here and take your punishment like a man!"
"Boku wa NetNavi! Ningen janai!"
"STILL COUNTS!"
"AHH!"
"Feels like the good old days," Mack smiled.
"EEK!"
"MMMPH?!" Geo muffled out in Sonia's chest due to them being grabbed.
"Missed!" Axl cackled.
"...mmm…" Miyuki frowned a bit in annoyance…both her and a heavily blushing Ellie currently caught by some of the arms in a 69 position.
"...oops! Sorry!" Kazuma called out, flicking his wrist and dropping the four.
"Not so handy, are ya?"
"...May I join in?" Miyuki asked.
"Go for it. My wrist's starting to ache," Kazuma replied.
"Uh-oh," Axl squeaked, about to run before he grunted…and looked down to see his feet caught in ice, "...Again, uh-oh."
Blizzard Kyuubi cracked her knuckles as she walked up to him, "Uh-oh, indeed."
"...Well, this isn't n-ice for me…" he weakly chuckled before Blizzard Kyuubi flipped…and ended up as in her fox form, only sporting nine ice-coated tails as they aimed all at him, "...Errors have been made."
"Yep. Really takes me back," Mack sighed in fondness as Axl screams mixed with fox snarls.
SZ: Well this was a fun one…and learned some interesting stuff once more…and a new ally in Kazuma and Axl.
GT: Yep. Been wanting to use the former for a long while since he got revealed with hardly anything known about him. As for Axl, he is an OC based off…well…Axl of the X series. Thought it'd be a neat little thing for Kazuma to have. And we are so sorry for his sense of humor.
SZ: Very….anyway we hope you enjoyed this and stay tuned for next time.
GT: WE hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please Read and Review!