GammaTron: So…the same day I posted the last chapter, I learned that in the development of Megaman Zero 1, Ciel was originally named 'Roll' until they gave her the name Ciel. Go figure.
A few weeks had gone by since the Numberman Incident. With a little help from the Biometals, Ciel was able to integrate into the small group of friends, getting along quite well with Maylu and Yai…when not helping Yai with security upgrades. She often left Yai and her security team confused on why she didn't integrate network access into the systems at first until she ran a simulation for them on what would happen if viruses got into the security system…which ironically had happened during the simulation. It did let Gutsman, Vent, and Ashe collect a lot of Zenny and BattleChip data, however, so it wasn't all that bad. One night after that event, Maylu yawned as she slid into a baby-blue night shirt and fluffy pajama bottoms.
"Good night, Ashe, Model A," Maylu spoke as she climbed up the ladder leading to her bed.
[Night, Maylu!] Model A chirped.
"Night, baby sis!" Ashe called, her hair let undone and wearing an orange version of Maylu's pajamas, "Remember that we have to be up early tomorrow to do the parkour before meeting up with Lan and Ciel!"
"Right," Maylu nodded, "We're going to meet the other agents that live in DenTech tomorrow." she laid down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling, "...I still can't believe it…"
"Me neither. I mean, I knew you had a lot of potential in you, but…wait. A-Are we talking about the same thing we can't believe?" Ashe asked.
"What are you thinking?"
"That I can't believe we're licensed NetBattlers, members of the police, and you and I have this FullSynchro ability. You?"
"Honestly? Pretty much the same," Maylu replied, interlocking her fingers, "Before you and Model A came into my life, I didn't really think much of what I wanted to do in my life, just that I liked the piano. But now…well…just think of what's happened since we met."
[It has been pretty fun. Stressful and annoying at times, but mostly fun] Model A noted [Only thing I would've changed was bringing Lan along on parkour sooner]
Maylu blushed, "Yeah…D-Do we have anything else to do tomorrow?"
"Well, let's see…the only reason we gotta go to the base is because tomorrow is the best day to do it since it's a school holiday, so…I don't think we have anything after. Thinking of asking Lan to do something?" Ashe asked.
"M-Maybe…"
[Oh! Maybe take him to that aquarium place!] Model A suggested [Didn't they make a new exhibit of robo-fish people can interact with?]
"Mmm…Do you think Lan would like that?"
[I don't know. Do you?]
Ashe sighed, "You gotta think of it like Lan, you two. What does he like?"
[Food, NetBattling, sleeping, NetBattling, Maylu, NetBattling…]
"What was that second-to-last one?" Maylu asked, sitting up and looking over the railing down at her computer.
Ashe facepalmed, "He likes sports like football or fast-paced things. I mean, he's gotten so good at parkour after just a few lessons. But he's also curious about how things work. Remember when your music box broke? Lan looked it over and figured out what happened and fixed it up good as new!"
"That is true. His best grades are in Virus Busting, PE, and Science," Maylu nodded, "...Maybe he would like going to see that new exhibit at the aquarium, then. To see how they work."
[Just make sure to wait until the third date before kissing him] Model A warned [Though that may not be a valid point since you already showed the tatas to him in jail…]
"Wh-wh-wh-what?!" Maylu yelped, blushing hard now, "E-Evil! Bad, Model A! Bad!"
"She's right, A! …He's gotta wait for the fifth date before he can touch 'em!"
"ASHE~!" Maylu whined, covering her face now as Ashe laughed.
"Ah~I kid, baby sis, I kid!" Ashe assured, "Tomorrow while you're doing Parkour, I can go check around for some stuff we can watch that's got some good music and wicked action scenes, alright?"
"O-Okay…" Maylu mumbled, "N-Night…"
She laid back down, looking up at the ceiling with her face still beet red. Soon enough, sleep claimed her attachment to reality.
[Are you thinking about what to do after we meet these other agents Ciel has for the NetBattler division?] X asked, floating by Vent as he laid on his bed and looking up at the sky.
"Hmm…Was thinking about something to do with Roll after it," Vent replied.
[There is that aquarium exhibit that recently opened] L suggested.
"World Three are going to use it to attack the town," Vent replied.
[Why not find another Ratty nest?] Zero suggested.
"Absolutely not," Vent deadpanned.
[Hmm…Maybe you could see if that antique store sells digital copies of its wares for NetNavis] Leviathan offered.
"Maybe," Vent rubbed his chin in thought about that.
[Oh! You two could always check out one of the new places that weren't in your other timeline!] Fafnir suggested [That UnderNet place sounds awesome!]
[And dangerous] Harpuia deadpanned.
[May I suggest gifting her something before you start the date or gift something to her after it?] Phantom suggested.
"Huh? A gift?" Vent pondered, "Hmm…What kind, though?"
[Well, why not a handmade gift? Like a bracelet or perhaps a necklace?] Leviathan offered.
"?!" Vent flinched as he moved a hand to his stomach subconsciously, "Uh…M-Maybe…"
[Vent? What's wrong] X asked asked.
"Nothing. J-Just a bit overwhelmed with thinking is all. Alright, good night," Vent spoke, pulling the covers over his head.
[...] the Biometals traded 'looks' with one another before floating over to the table with pillows in their colors on it.
[Anyone else startled by his reaction to Levi's suggestion?] Fafnir asked.
[You think he has trauma involving handmade gifts?] Zero guessed.
[His heart rate spiked when you suggested the necklace. …It could be that his mother died after he gave her a handmade necklace] X noted.
[Father, I do not think Vent was impaled in the stomach when that event occurred] Phantom countered.
[When Vent wishes to tell us, he'll tell us] Harpuia stated calmly [Forcing the matter will just make him push away from us when we need to be closer due to that prediction]
Beneath the covers of his bed, Vent grimaced as he kept a hand over his stomach as phantom pains rocked the sight. Slowly, he held up his other hand and data collected, becoming a simple gold necklace. On it was a charm of a blue heart in pink hands that cradled it like a precious treasure. He gently squeezed the hands and it opened down the middle, revealing a photo of himself and Ashe when they were Megaman and Roll, side-hugging one another with large smiles. Tears prickled as he dismissed the necklace and added the hand to the one on his stomach.
'Keep it together, Vent…' the brunette thought, 'It's been years since then a-and you're dating her. She knows how you feel and you know how she feels…r-right…?'
Wind fluttered her pajamas and Maylu blinked several times. She looked around and saw she was on some sort of flying ship. Footsteps made her turn to see Ashe…on Earth? O…Or was Maylu in the Network? She looked at the clear blue skies but couldn't tell if it was real or fake. She quickly looked back at Ashe as she walked by and leaned against the railing, looking out at the distance. Maylu walked over to see Ashe open her vest and pull out…a weathered old ivory piano key.
"Hey there…" Ashe spoke, looking at the key and then up at the sky, "Maylu…I hope you're seeing me from wherever you are."
"Roll?" Maylu pondered.
"Hard to believe it's been 15 years now since I last saw you…"
"?!" Maylu paused at that.
"I finally got to go on one of the bigger hunts!" Ashe grinned, "Oh man, it was insane! We blew up a whole lotta Mavericks! But…I got this…" she held up the piano key, "Now I have something that helps me better remember you." She grimaced, "...I'm sorry that I wasn't a better NetNavi for you. Especially for the few weeks after the amusement park incident."
"Amusement park? What amusement park?" Maylu pondered.
"I wonder if we could have CrossFused without Rush if I had pulled my head out of my ass and apologized to Mega sooner," Ashe continued, "...Maylu…If we ever got a chance to…do things over…would you give me another chance to be your sister?" She shook her head, a tear dropping on the key, "Probably not. You pretty much made it clear on the fifth day of my refusal to see Mega…when you started to stop using my name and kept calling me 'NetNavi' or 'You' or 'It.' You…you never really said my name even after I did apologize for shooting Mega with my RollArrow and blocking him, now that I recall…or even said you liked me."
"Wha…What?" Maylu pondered, "Roll? What are you talking about? Roll? Ashe!?"
"ASHE!-!-!"
"Ah! I'm awake! I-I'm awake! What's going on?! Intruders?! World Three? Did an AdBot sneak in again?!" Maylu looked over the side at the computer, seeing Roll A looking around with guns out.
"Ashe…?" Maylu asked as she slowly climbed down her ladder.
"Maylu, what's wrong? What happened?" Roll A asked, looking around before looking at Maylu and seeing the tears going down her cheeks.
"...I…I think I had a bad dream," Maylu admitted, wiping her tears while sitting down in front of the computer, seeing it was four in the morning.
"...Ohh…" Roll A whispered, dismissing her armor and making a chair to sit on, "Talk to me, sweetie. What's wrong?"
"I…I dreamt about you. We were on this big airship, but I didn't know where it was," Maylu replied, "You were…talking to me. Well…more like a piano key you were using."
'A piano key?' Ashe pondered, a pit forming in her gut as she kept her expression from changing.
"Roll…I…I wouldn't be mad enough to stop calling you by your name, would I?" Maylu asked.
"Of course not! You're too nice and sweet to stop using someone's name!"
"...Dream you said…that we haven't seen each other for fifteen years and that I…that I hated you to the point I never said y-your name or liked you anymore," Maylu grimaced, putting a hand over her heart, "I…I don't want that to happen." Tears welled in her eyes once more, "Y-You're my big sister. You've been there for me more than anyone else." she started to wipe her tears, "I…I can't think of losing you…"
"I don't want that to happen either, Maylu," Ashe replied, putting a hand on the screen with Maylu pressing her finger on the spot, "Ya know I love ya, right?"
"Uh-huh. I love you, too," Maylu replied.
"Then that's that. We're together through thick and thin!" Ashe assured with a smile.
Maylu nodded, "...I…I don't think I can go to sleep again."
[You want to get ready then?] A asked.
"Yeah," Maylu nodded, wiping her tears with her sleeve.
"You do that, sweetie. I'll get ready, too. Gonna be interesting on who we meet."
"Uh-huh," Maylu nodded before going to the bathroom, leaving Ashe to sigh and sit on her bed.
"Goddamn…Is seeing our memories something that FullSynchro causes or something?" Ashe asked.
[That wasn't a dream?] Model A asked.
"No. It was a private talk with myself the day after my first big Hunting job with everyone," Ashe explained, "..." she wiped her eyes as she felt the tears forming, "I…I'm glad I've gotten another chance to be with her. Another chance with everyone."
[Ashe…]
"You okay, Maylu?" Lan asked as the two followed after Ciel down a street, the girls on scooters while Lan was on his skates, "You didn't do as much as usual."
"I…I just woke up early," Maylu assured, wearing a black tee and black track shorts with hot pink lines going up the sides of the shorts and up the middle of her tee.
"It is a bit exciting meeting our fellow members," Vent noted, "Are you sure we can't know yet?"
"World Three may have eyes everywhere," Ciel advised as they came upon an arcade with a 'sold' sign on the front.
The trio walked into the alley beside it. Ciel pulled out an ID card and pressed it against a wall. The wall slid inwards before moving to the side, revealing a secret entrance into the sold building. The trio walked in, revealing the inside of the place was immaculately sterilized with the interior seen from the outside being a set of wooden boxes over the windows with posters of a messy, abandoned interior in them to give an optical illusion. Several supercomputers were set up on a wall with a massive monitor on another. The floor sported a police badge surrounded by two multicolored bars of data with the word 'GUARDIAN' on the outer ring and 'CYBER INVESTIGATIONS DEPARTMENT' on the badge itself.
"Welcome to Guardian HQ," Ciel declared, turning to the two, "Now step into that room. The others will be here in ten minutes and we do this like at school for new students."
"Okay!" Lan nodded.
"I'm really nervous about this," Maylu admitted as the two entered the room she pointed to, "Just a month ago and we were just a pair of normal fifth-grade students…now we're members of a group that's going to battle threats like the World Three."
"It's pretty exciting for me," Lan noted as they sat in a pair of chairs, "But…how are you feeling on it?"
"...I'm worried," Maylu replied after a moment of thought, "Shouldn't this be something that adults should handle?"
"It should, but…sometimes, a kid tends to be the deciding factor in life," Vent spoke up, recalling when he was fourteen and first bonded with Model X and even his original life here.
"I would've liked it if you were older before we did something like this, but I guess time waits for no person," Ashe frowned, "I'll look into some psychiatrists for you later."
"...Don't worry about it," Lan spoke, taking her hands into his own and giving her a big smile, "I'll be right there with ya the whole way! We'll get through this together, okay?"
"O-Okay…" Maylu replied as she blushed a little.
"Okay!" Lan beamed as Ashe and Vent watched the two.
"Oh my god…They're just so adorable," Ashe whispered.
"I know, right?" Vent chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around her waist, "They're so sweet when they want to be."
"They're also not afraid of getting into physical fights with one another."
"...Huh?" Vent looked at Ashe in surprise.
"I…may have been encouraging Maylu to be more of a tomboy than she was back then…"
Vent chuckled, "Oh, I gotta see one of those moments."
"Even when they're mad it's adorable."
[They're still children. Of course it's adorable] Leviathan noted.
[Out of all of us, Levi's always been the protective Mama Bear to all children. Even when we found Resistance Bases, she'd wallop any soldier that even glared at one of the children in those bases…] Harpuia sighed [She always cried when the children were taken away, too. Either by the Resistance managing to escape or by our troops]
[Shut. Up. Sage]
It took roughly thirty minutes before the entry opened and three figures entered. The first of them was a tall, strong-looking man wearing a blue bodysuit with red lines going up the sides and wearing red shark-themed armor with a helmet shaped like a shark's head with a black visor in its 'jaws.' His right arm sported a bulky wrist-mounted device shaped like a shark with a PeT screen on it. To his left was a slender woman in a black bodysuit with blue mystical flame patterns on her right leg and left arm. She wore bone white armor resembling the skeleton of a cat and a skull-themed helmet over her head and a purple visor hiding her face while her left arm had a white cat-themed device with a PeT screen. The last was a woman of the same stature as the second in a forest green bodysuit with wood-themed armor and a helmet that looked as if it was made from cherry blossoms with a gold visor over her face. On her arm was a log-themed device with a PeT screen.
"Welcome, Commander Beef, Misteriyu, Madam Rose," Ciel greeted as she walked over to them.
"Commander Ciel," the male of the trio greeted with salutes.
"At ease. I'm glad you all arrived on time," Ciel smiled before turning to the other room, "Please come in, you guys."
"Oh? Our new members?" The wood woman asked before Lan and Maylu walked in.
"Uwah! Th-The real Commander Beef!" Lan awed, stars in his eyes as he looked at the male of the trio, "We get to really work with him!?" Ciel nodded, "This is the best~!"
'That's Commander Beef?!' Vent and Ashe exclaimed mentally.
[Ooh~ Mama likey!]
[Fairy Leviathan Light!]
"These are Lan Hikari and Maylu Sakurai," Ciel introduced, "Lan, Maylu, I introduce to you the other members of our group here in DenTech. Commander Beef, Mysteriyu, and Madame Rose." She turned to them, "Please dismiss your armors, you three. Since they are part of the CiD now, no need to hide who you are from them.
Commander Beef nodded before he tapped a watch on his free wrist. His armor glowed before vanishing, revealing a light blue sweater and rubber hose pants with fishing boots and white chef gloves. He pulled out a fake belly and lifted his shirt, showing off strong abs, before covering it with the belly and shirt. He looked up…and Masa grinned at them.
"Well howdy, kids!" He greeted as jovial as ever.
"M…Masa?!" Lan and Maylu gawked.
"He's ripped?!" Vent and Ashe gawked.
[Ooh~ Mama no likey]
[Fairy Leviathan Light!]
Madam Rose and Mysteriyu followed his lead, revealing themselves to be Sal and Miyu. Lan and Maylu blinked several times before looking at Ciel.
"Special technology I've built just for the Guardians," Ciel explained, "Present names!"
"Masa Samehada! Codename: Commander Beef!" Masa declared.
"Sal. Codename: Madam Rose."
"Miyu. Codename: Mysteriyu."
"Sharkman!"
"Woodman!"
"Skullman…"
"Net Savers of the ACDC Branch of the DenTech Guardians Unit," Masa completed.
Ciel nodded, "Aside from three of you, the other three know of our new members. Introduce yourselves, please."
"Lan Hikari."
"Maylu Sakurai."
"Vent Hikari. Codename: Megaman."
"Ashe Sakurai. Codename: Roll A."
"Alright. Now that introductions have been made, any questions?"
"You're all Net Savers?" Lan asked.
"We are, yes," Sal confirmed with a nod, "I was deployed to your school that day due to rumors of the school being the next target of the World Three." she bowed, "I was a member of a group of protestors to protect nature and the balance it has with us. Oda recruited me when Woodman and I achieved FullSynchro when a man I used to see as a friend became an eco-terrorist and tried to bomb a power plant and we had to fight his NetNavi to stop him."
"Got scouted by Oda during the early days and Ciel was three," Masa explained, "Went into FullSynchro during the final battle of a tournament being sponsored by the police to promote getting your NetBattle License."
"I was recruited by Ciel due to my clairvoyance," Miyu explained, looking at their PeTs, "Then one day during a raid, I entered FullSynchro with Skullman to protect Sal and Woodman from a surprise attack."
"Every member of this team, aside from myself, all have a single requirement to be a member: Achieve FullSynchro," Ciel explained, "Using it to boost our power, we're often deployed as a 'last line of defense' during harsher times. But we perform our duties while maintaining 'normal' lives."
"Each of us enjoy our jobs, but we also use them to gather intelligence about threats to Earth and the Network," Sal added.
"So…does that mean…?" Maylu began.
"No. I meant it every time you visited, Maylu," Sal assured, "There were days I really wanted to tell you about my main job, but I remember that exposing myself would cause me to get transferred to another section in another country to make a new identity to hide under."
"Huh?!" Maylu gasped, looking at Ciel with wide eyes.
"...It's extreme, yes, but it was the Officials that ordered this to be done to form our division," Ciel sighed.
"But that…" Maylu began, pursing her lips.
"...We just gotta keep it secret then," Lan noted, grimacing, "That…That's gonna suck."
"Tell me about it," Masa sighed, patting his fake potbelly.
"It's why I wanted to have all three of you come today," Ciel spoke, smiling, "To help Lan and Maylu with having to deal with this."
"...It's not easy some days. I'm able to get away with showing a bit of my know-how thanks to being seen as a bit of a kook by folks that gives great deals on the best fish in the whole town," Masa noted, rubbing the back of his head, "Helps that I use my bike all the time."
"I'll be glad to offer some advice," Sal smiled.
"..." Miyu nodded.
"Great!" Ciel beamed.
"First was Fireman…then Elecman…followed by Coloredman…and, finally, Numberman…" the elder spoke, standing before several monitors replaying the defeats of the World Three NetNavis, "Our World Three NetNavis taken down by two unknowns time and time again. And now the CID has gotten our BattleChip supplier!" he turned and glared at the trio, "What do you have to say for yourselves, hm?!"
"Lord Wily, sir, these two have abilities we've never dealt with," Match explained, "The one called Megaman is able to change between armors, giving him different Elements. And the one called Roll is able to copy our NetNavis' data to transform into them!"
"It was a real shocker, especially when it happened to Elecman and I, sire," a lanky Englishman spoke, wearing a green suit and his large blond hair split into a 'V' shape with orange headphones over his ears.
"Tch. We shoulda had Higsby do all the classes but the one those kids were in and have the students pin the whole class down so we could reprogram them," Maddy frowned.
"Enough! You have all failed due to them being unknown factors," Wily scowled, "The goal of World Three is to cause chaos and mayhem to this net-based society…" he paced, "But…our current levels of them are being thwarted. Match…"
"Hm?"
"Did you find the minor thing I asked you to look for while you were setting those ovens on fire?"
"Heh. That weird data signature? Sure did," Match replied, "It was in that Hikari brat's oven network of all places."
Wily nodded, "Good…There are three others out there. My informants have been deployed, gathering the information for the others and where they hide. In the meantime, you will cause chaos and disorder!"
"Not to worry, Lord Wily," Match assured.
"Our next plan will cause that in no time at all!" Zap grinned.
Maddy winked, "Our target is going to be the new exhibit at the aquarium; the Robotics Aquarium."
"This is so cool~" Lan awed, he and Maylu walking through an aquarium with no water in any of the tanks…but had fish hovering about in them, "Do they have built-in drones inside of them to keep them floating? What would they do if they were submerged in actual water?"
"They're really detailed in design," Maylu admitted as a robotic shark swam by.
"From what I've read, they had several experts on sealife to make sure these robots were all accurate in appearance and even programmed down to the last detail outside of eating habits," Vent explained.
"How accurate we talkin'?" Ashe asked.
"Well, the reason why there isn't a jellyfish robot is because of the majority of its body being made of water," Vent replied.
"Really?" Lan asked, chewing on some fish-flavored rice crackers, "Where did you learn about this?"
"Oh, from Masa," Vent replied.
"Guess teaching things about fish is a fun hobby of his, huh?" Ashe snickered.
"I still can't believe it," Lan admitted.
"Same. They've been here for years and to think there was so much we didn't know," Maylu agreed before their PeTs buzzed.
"EMail from Miyu?" Ashe pondered.
"Same here. Huh…Seems that she sends everyone a fortune each day on the team to forewarn them of any dangers they may have that day," Vent noted, "Mine is 'beware water' while Lan has 'you're in for a shock today.'"
"Mine pretty much says the same thing for me on water, but Maylu's apparently going to have to deal with a 'fishy situation.'"
"That's nonsense," Lan huffed.
"Need I remind you about the impromptu shower that happened the last time she predicted something?" Vent reminded, making Lan grumble.
"...Oh I'm not feeling comfortable here now…" Maylu admitted with a grimace.
"Huh?"
"Lan…We're in an aquarium…filled with water and fish," Vent pointed out.
"Ah…" Lan blinked a few times in realization, "Right. Stay close. Vent, Ashe, get ready to go into the Network to check on things."
'Seems we're going to try to get to it before the problem starts…' Vent thought before several of the larger robotic fish stopped, 'Or not…'
[Uh…Guys?] A gulped.
"What's wrong, Model A?" Ashe asked.
[The fish are looking at us] Z spoke up.
"?!" Maylu and Lan tensed before slowly turning their heads to look at the aquarium tanks…where all the robotic fish were looking at them.
"...Shit."
[Lan Xavier Hikari!] X began to scold before a hammerhead shark robotic fish rammed through the glass as they started to chase the two.
"GYAH!" the duo screamed as they started to run.
"Hurry! Get to the control room for these things!" Vent shouted.
"GO! GO! GO!" Ashe hollered.
'Okay…Given my memories of this place when we were leaving…' Vent thought, "Turn right up here!"
"Okay!" Lan replied as the two turned a right, allowing the swordfish robot to miss them and get its nose stuck in a vending machine.
"The controls are likely to the right three doors down!" Vent informed.
"Did you download a map of the place that fast?" Lan asked.
"I made a delivery to this Network last year! The control room for the whole place is in there," Vent explained, "Now hurry!"
The two followed Vent's orders and quickly arrived at a glass door they quickly opened before slamming shut and ducking behind the desk in the room. Lan held his PeT up over it.
[...They're gone] Phantom informed.
The two pre-teens sighed in relief upon hearing that. They stood up and looked around before spotting Jack-In Ports. The duo quickly plugged their PeTs into it and Vent and Ashe teleported into the Network. The moment they materialized in it, they yelped and fell into the water that had overtaken it all. A flash of light went off and LX and a boy in armor resembling it looked around, both holding spears.
[It's been a while since we used Thetis] Model A noted.
"Yeah. This form's always great for looking for secret Booty. I guess there hasn't been much call for using it," R-Thetis admitted.
"Looks like Jelly Viruses," Megaman LX noted, looking at the myriad of Viruses resembling blue Jellyfish with gold 'stars' in their bodies.
[And company] Model L noted.
The two glanced over their shoulders to spot a figure nearby. He looked like a humanoid shark with a cream underside and blue overside with yellow highlights on the front of the fins on his head and lower bulky arms. He was donned in a black bodysuit with a green and yellow armor plating over his upper body. His green eyes looked at the two before they nodded at him. The two Mega Men charged up their weapons before, with a unified roar, swung them…and two massive Eastern Dragons made of ice came from their spears and charged at the Viruses. At the same time, the shark's fins glowed blue before firing a barrage of energy slashes. The attacks began to tear into the Viruses with efficiency.
"It's them again!" Maddy recognized.
"Come on, Jelly Viruses! Wipe them out!" Count Zap cheered.
"I know that form they're takin'," Match scowled.
"Hm?" the two looked at him.
"That form Megaman's using…he used it to wipe out the Viruses I used on his family's oven," Match explained.
"Oh?" Zap pondered, "How interesting."
"Surprised ya didn't think I was with 'em," the shark noted, having his back to the backs of the duo as they kept up their attacks.
"It's your eyes," Megaman explained, swinging out a barrage of ice at the viruses while R-Thetis swung his spear and made a barrier of ice that blocked the charge of three of them before slashing it to send the shards at several more, "Your eyes aren't like the others we've seen in World Three."
'That and we already know who you are, Sharkman,' R-Thetis thought before yelping as the Viruses began to glow and shoot about as blurs, "Aw man! They're picking up the pace! A-Trans!" a flash of light went off and he was switched with a mechanical blue horseshoe crab-like form with a long tail made of ice, "Chronoforce…" he rose up and brought his tail up to the face hidden beneath the bulky exterior, "Time Bomb."
With that, he spun his tail around, acting like a clock. Icy blue waves came out of R-Chronoforce and spread through the area, leaving behind twinkles of 'ice' in the water. In a flash, R-Thetis was back and gave a thumbs up at Megaman and Sharkman, the latter confused on what the A-Transing NetNavi just did…before his eyes widened on seeing the Jelly Viruses had all slowed to a crawl.
"Nice trick, eh?" R-Thetis grinned, "Better hurry. This only lasts for a few minutes."
"Right!" Megaman agreed as Sharkman shook his head to clear his surprise before nodding in agreement.
The trio began to shoot through the water, slicing, stabbing, freezing, and-in Sharkman's case-biting the various Viruses into Deletion. As the 'ice' faded, the remaining Viruses quickly moved away from the trio.
"Feels like it's endless," Megaman admitted.
"Yeah," Sharkman agreed, "Delete one and two more pop up!"
"Uh, guys? What're they doing?" R-Thetis asked.
"Huh?" the two looked to see the Viruses all charging at one another, gathering into a large bundle to resemble a blue ball…before they turned into a giant Jelly, "Gh?!"
"Out of the pool!" Sharkman ordered, swimming upwards.
The two quickly followed after Sharkman up to the surface. The trio jumped out of it and landed on warped landscape. Megaman switch to HX as A-Thetis turned back into Roll A. The waters churned and bubbled before the giant Jelly floated out of it.
"Okay…What's the plan?" Roll A asked.
"This thing's too big for our shots to deal damage," Megaman noted with a grimace, "We'll need an Elec BattleChip."
"Good thing for Elecman attacking us…" Lan noted, "Let's try Thunder1!"
A sphere of lightning erupted in-between Megaman's blades. With a roar, he swung them out and sent the ball at the giant Jelly. The Jelly quickly moved out of the way before swinging a tentacle out, sending up a tidal wave at them. Roll A charged ahead, changing into Fireman. He slammed a fist down and created a wave of magma that collided with the water, dispersing both attacks into steam. She flashed into Elecman and fired lightning at the Jelly as Sharkman fired a barrage of energy blades from his fins, trying to get the giant Jelly into the path of the lightning attacks.
'This isn't good…It's too fast,' Megaman thought, throwing another Thunder1 only to miss due to it dodging.
"Roll, what about another Time Bomb?" Maylu asked.
"Still recharging the gauge," R-Elecman replied, firing another blast of lightning.
"We need to get it to be trapped in one spot for an ElecSword," Sharkman noted with a scowl.
"An ElecSword? But we don't have that one," R-Elecman noted.
"Not yet," Sharkman grinned before Maylu screamed.
"Maylu?!" R-Elecman gasped.
"Oh come on! Back! Back!" Lan snapped, smacking the tentacle of the robotic squid trying to get at them with the chair.
"They found us!" Maylu exclaimed, hiding behind Lan with wide eyes.
The tentacle suddenly stopped before dropping to the floor. The two blinked before looking past it to see Commander Beef standing before the giant squid robot…before it collapsed, sliced apart. The disguised man smirked as the plasma blade in his hand turned off.
"Don't know where the chief got these, but I'm always grateful for the tech," Commander Beef noted before turning around, "You kids okay?"
"We're alright," Lan replied before yelping as he caught a BattleChip Commander Beef tossed to him, "Ah! Huh?" he looked at it, "Oh! An ElecSword!"
"You kids hurry up and finish this with Sharkman," Commander Beef advised, deploying his blade as more robotic fish flew towards them, "I've got these."
"Whoa~" Lan awed.
"Lan, focus," Maylu whispered.
"R-Right!" Lan nodded, shaking out of his awe.
"Vent, I'm sending you an ElecSword!" Lan called as Megaman's blades crackled and turned neon blue with lightning circling them.
[This feels like the last time I channeled a storm through my blades] H compared.
"Perfect," Megaman noted, "Sharkman, Roll! Keep it in one spot!"
"You got it!" both replied, R-Elecman firing more lightning bolts as Sharkman unleashed a barrage of fins.
Lan and Megaman kept focus on the Jelly Virus. For a few moments, that was all they did. Lan slowly closed his eyes…before snapping them open in a determined look.
"NOW! ELECSWORD!-!-!" the two roared in unison as the blades extended out and pierced the Jelly.
For a moment, nothing seemed to have happened. Then…the Jelly let out a weak, feeble cry as its body crackled and shattered in data. Megaman sighed in relief as his blades retracted while the ground below shifted and settled into a flat plain. He flew down and R-Elecman changed back into Roll A.
"Not too shabby dealing with that enemy," the shark NetNavi chuckled.
"Thank you and Roll for dealing with keeping it pinned long enough for me to get the last blow," Megaman thanked.
"No prob!" Roll A beamed as she held up several bundles of data, "Oh my god, this was the motherlode of booty!"
[I'll say! Look at all this Zenny and data for BattleChips!] Model A agreed.
[You do know we'll need to give some of this to the Ciel to distribute to the others, right?] Model Z pointed out.
"Aw what?!" Roll A gawked.
[Boo…We won these fair and square!] Model A whined.
[Now, now…It's only fair] Model X spoke [We're all part of the same team and what if one of them needs a BattleChip from this in case of an emergency?]
"Mmm…] Biometal and Partner fumed.
"Gah! Stopped before we could really rock it out!" Zap groaned.
"What does it take to beat these brats?!" Maddy snapped.
"This is unforgivable…!" Wily growled, slamming the bottom of his cane on the ground hard enough to crack the tiles, "What kind of NetNavis are we dealing with?! Elemental-related armors…shapeshifting with each form sporting its own unique abilities and restrictions…" he swung an arm out at the trio, "Find out all that you can about these NetNavis! Find out who their NetOps are, who their families are, their strengths, weaknesses, everything!"
"Aye, boss," Match replied, grimacing.
"Ugh…My wrist hurts…" Lan groaned as he walked beside Maylu towards their houses.
"You said it," Maylu agreed, rubbing her own.
"They never show you agents doing paperwork in cartoons," Vent chuckled.
Maylu sighed, 'Well that was a bust…'
"Hey, Maylu?"
"Hm?" Maylu looked at Lan.
"I'm sorry our day out went like this," Lan apologized.
"...Huh? B-But that wasn't your fault," Maylu noted.
"I know, but still," Lan frowned, "...Those WWW guys keep messing with everything we do. It's not fair for anyone."
"Oh Lan…" Maylu whispered before hugging him.
"?! H-Huh…?"
"We'll get through this as a team, okay?" Maylu reassured.
"..." Lan wrapped his arms around her waist, returning the hug, "Sure."
[Oh that's just so sweet…] Levi whispered, keeping her communication to Maylu [Don't act off now. Only you can hear me at the moment. You keep at this, ok? Boys can be thick-headed when it comes to romance, so just do your best]
Maylu nodded, making it seem like she was just nuzzling into Lan, who started to blush at that action.
"Oh they look so cute together," Ashe whispered, muting Lan's PeT on her end as she sat with Vent on a recliner.
"True," Vent agreed, a small smile on his lips.
[Leave it to Ciel to give the special forces unit here access to tech that shouldn't have been made in this time] Zero sighed.
[At least we made sure she had put in failsafes in them on the off-chance one agent goes Maverick] X noted.
[So…How different were these guys from your first go-around?] Fafnir asked.
"With those three? It was kinda embarrassing…Lan and I…well…we…"
"They didn't realize Masa, Miyu, and Sal were those three when the disguises were rather obvious," Ashe informed with a deadpan tone.
"Roll~" Vent whined.
"What? You know it's true, Hub," Ashe giggled.
"Well, yeah…b-but still…!"
"And this fish attack was a lot more than just a rampage in the aquarium," Ashe went on after giving her boyfriend a kiss to the cheek, "Dex and Yai were involved because Masa had gotten past Yai's security system and pulled 'em all out for exercise and fish facts!"
"Won't happen this time, it seems," Vent shrugged before grimacing, "...Miu's fortune…"
"?"
"The one she gave us when we met," Vent reminded.
"...Ah! A-Another change!" Ashe gasped.
"She said that rivers blocked are flowing now or something like that…" Vent frowned.
"No FullSynchro, for one. Or the Cyber Investigations Division," Ashe added.
[There's also the fact that she mentioned the Game of Destiny…] X noted in concern as he looked at his four children.
[That is troubling] Phantom agreed.
[Bring it on! We'll overcome it!] Fafnir declared.
[All we can do is try and be ready for what comes next] Harpuia noted.
[That's right! We'll weather any storm as a team!] Leviathan declared.
[I don't know about you guys…but I'm all for it! Bring it on, fortune lady! We'll beat it like we did Albert!] Axl cheered.
[What do you two intend to do?]
"Mmm…Keep looking for strong NetNavis to fight to get an A-Trans from, some more Booty to get better BattleChips, and train with my Hubby and our friends," Ashe noted.
"Same for most of those, but change the first one to getting you guys to let me work with Model…"
[NEVER!] the Four Guardians and Zero declared, causing Vent to roll his eyes while X shook himself like he was shaking a head in exasperation.
GT: Yes, I am not going to stop writing this. I promise. It may take time, but I am not gonna quit this story, I assure you.