Mega Man 1. Upgrades

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
The world is a strange place. Especially this world.  
  
This is the world of the Network. Here, humans and Navis work side by side to accomplish everyday tasks, daring rescues, and even waste time. Almost everyone has a Navi that they keep in a Personal Terminal, or PeT. Each human is a friend with his or her Navi, and the two form an inseparable bond.  
  
The best example of this in present day Den Town is Netto Hikari and his Navi, Rockman. Together, these two young souls have faced the powerful organization known only as the World 3 and also brought about the end of the Net Mafia Gospel. They are famous the world over, as they have saved the world more than once. But underneath everything, Netto and Rockman are about as normal as can be.  
  
"Netto-kun! You're going to be LATE! AGAIN!"  
  
"All right, all right, Rockman!" Netto sighed, shoving his way out the door with his PeT in tow. "Get off of my back already! Jeeze!"  
  
"I wouldn't be so harsh," Rockman admonished from his place in the PeT, "if you weren't always late."  
  
Well, mostly normal.  
  
Netto was like any other student. He went to school, fell asleep in class, tried to avoid his homework (which was hard to do with Rockman around), and generally goofed off just enough so that he wouldn't get in trouble for it. It was the average day for him.  
  
Rockman, however, was an above-average Navi. He was carried to school, woke Netto up no less than six times, reminded Netto to do his homework, and ended up actually doing the homework himself while Netto goofed off just enough so that he wouldn't get in trouble for it. It was also an average day for him.  
  
At home, however, Netto's mother received a package from a man that she thought looked familiar.  
  
"Package for the household ma'am," the man said from beneath his baseball cap.  
  
"Why thank you," Netto's mother said.  
  
The man seemed to look at the house while still keeping his eyes hidden with the cap. "Say, isn't this the Hikari house hold?"  
  
"Yes, it is. Why do you ask?"  
  
"It's just that one kid, Netto, lives here doesn't he? He's famous!"  
  
"Yes, but don't tell him that to his face," Netto's mom giggled. "It'll just give him a big ego."  
  
"Right," the man nodded, laughing. "I'll see you later, ma'am."  
  
As the door shut, Hinoken began to walk away. He had taken up this delivery job in an attempt to forget about his days with the World 3. He felt guilty about the damage he'd done to some many houses by using Fireman to cause ovens around town to blow up. Luckily for his conscious, nobody was seriously injured.  
  
Hinoken had been stopped, however, by Netto Hikari. He'd been mad at first, flabbergasted that a child could beat him with such a weak Navi, but as he observed the pair of them over the next few weeks, he cam to realize that Netto and Rockman were very different in a way that couldn't be explained, and that made them stronger than even Hinoken's most hated rival (Freezeman).  
  
Hinoken felt he owed it to the kid to turn over a new leaf, but he was having a tough time doing that. His mind kept wandering back to the World 3 and the life he left behind. Maybe, somehow, that old coot Wily had survived. Maybe . . .  
  
No, no, no! He couldn't think about that. He owed the kid. He owed him . . .  
  
A bit.  
  
Netto and Rockman got home after school to find the box that had been delivered. It bored the mark of the SciLab, where Netto's dad worked. Dr. Hikari was a pioneer in the field of Navis, and it was through his ingenuity that Rockman had been created.  
  
At birth, Netto had a twin, known as Saito. But Saito suffered from a fatal disease that science couldn't cure at the time, and so he died. Dr. Hikari obsessed night and day, however, to find a way for his son to live on, and eventually succeeded in converting Saito's DNA into actual data and creating, from that, a Navi. That Navi was Rockman.  
  
In the box was an upgrade disk. Excited, Netto immediately went upstairs to his computer and pluged Rockman into the system.  
  
"I wonder what kind of upgrade dad's thought of this time?" Netto asked aloud.  
  
"Probably some kooky program that makes me change color every time I use a different battle chip," Rockman said sarcastically.  
  
They both laughed at the joke. "Yeah, I'd have to call you Rainbowman then!"  
  
The computer beeped. "Upgrade downloading," Rockman said. "It's a big file. It might take me a while. Why don't you get some sleep, Netto-kun?"  
  
It was too late. Netto was already sound asleep in his chair.  
  
Rockman smiled at the sleeping boy, and proceeded with the download.  
  
Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the Net, in an area of data that had yet to be touched by human thought, a dark, cloaked figure brooded.  
  
Forte was the most powerful Navi in the history of the net. He had destroyed some of the most advanced firewalls and protection programs in the world, and had played a large role in the deletion of entire servers in many countries. Forte was only ever whispered about in hushed circles around the Net's bad neighborhoods, and his mere presence in an area sent power surges rippling through the very fabric of the Net.  
  
Forte wasn't really evil, however. Not to his own eyes anyway. When he was created, he was deemed 'too strong' and immediately imprisoned. His 'Get Ability' program allowed him to copy and adapt attacks that were used against him, making him the most dangerous Navi in the world. When his deletion was ordered, Forte had to fight his way out of the containment area. During the ensuing battle, he received a crippling wound to the chest, which drew a line across the emblem on his chest.  
  
Forte had learned his lesson. Humans could not be trusted, and he was going to take his revenge on them one way or another.  
  
Ever since the attempts by Gospel to create an army composed of the Navi Bass, which was a weaker copy of Forte, Forte himself had taken pride in exterminating every pale shadow of himself he came across. But since his encounter with a blue Navi that had beaten him in fair combat, Forte had been quiet, wondering at the power that blue Navi seemed to possess. He mused that perhaps the most powerful ability a Navi could have was their operator.  
  
Forte continued to brood.  
  
Rockman monitored the download progress. It would be done any second now, and then he'd have to opportunity to see just what his father had created for him this time.  
  
It was dark outside. Netto was safely tucked away in bed, snoring happily. An owl hooted somewhere in the night.  
  
The PeT beeped. There was a flash of light.  
  
Somewhere in the night, Rockman screamed . . . 


	2. Megaman vs Blues

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
Disasters occur everywhere. Even in the safest places in the world.  
  
Sirens blared as the Net Officials lined up with riot shields at the entrance to the protected servers. Something big was coming. Something bad. Someone with a lust for power.  
  
They all knew Forte was coming.  
  
Each Navi was equipped with a full compliment of battle gear, as well as their operators on standby to slot in any Battle chips necessary in the oncoming battle. Blues was there as well, giving orders and preparing to battle.  
  
The password protected gate from the general server stood calmly, as if blissfully unaware of what was going on. An uneasy silence settled over the line built for battle.  
  
The gate held fast. And then . . .  
  
Blues sensed it right before it hit. The door simply dissolved under an unseen assault. A figure in a cloak rushed into the room with the speed that many thought impossible, and dispatched eight of the most elite Official guards before their operators even knew about any breach.  
  
The mystery attacker was faster than even Blues, who had a hard time keeping up. He managed to get in a few good slashes with his sword arm, but he only ever seemed to hit air. Something about this opponent was different. It was . . . evil.  
  
The last of the guards fell, leaving Blues all alone against this impossible opponent. Blues had a feeling it was only a matter of time before he was deleted like the rest, but he had to stall for the secondary firewall to kick in.  
  
"Who are you?" he cried, dodging another blast.  
  
There was a chaotic laugh, and the figure held still for only a moment. "You don't recognize me?" the voice of insanity cried. "I'm shocked!"  
  
Something in the voice made Blues stop momentarily. There was insanity, to be sure, but there was also something familiar in that voice. He didn't have any time to think, however, as a hand suddenly closed around his throat and tore him from the ground.  
  
Blues looked down and tried to bring his sword to bear. He was rewarded with a hand gripping his arm just above the elbow and pulling. Blues cried out in pain as the arm was torn from his body and flung away. There was another insane cackle.  
  
"Who . . . are you . . . ?" Blues managed to choke out.  
  
The enemy brought Blues low to stare him in the face. The view horrified the heroic Navi.  
  
"You . . . can't be . . ." Blues gasped.  
  
"Oh," the figure stated, "but I am! I AM!"  
  
As Blues stared into Rockman's face, he felt the buster plant itself against his chest. Thankfully, Enzan logged him out before the plasma beams tore through him.  
  
Forte felt the surge of power. He felt a challenge. He felt the urge to fight rising in his mind. This was what he lived for.  
  
In an instant, he had hacked through the levels of protection that the Net Officials had wrapped around their precious server, as was standing in a room that might have been white at some point. Now, however, it was red. Blood red. There was the scent of death here.  
  
There was also another cloaked figure. It turned to face Forte as soon as he entered. Forte recognized the face almost instantly.  
  
"You," Forte said.  
  
"Me," Rockman grinned.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Forte asked.  
  
"Acquiring power. Just like you."  
  
Forte gazed at the room. There had been no battle here. This had been a slaughter. "This is . . . wrong."  
  
Rockman stood still for a moment before bursting into a gale of insane laughter. "Wrong? HA! Who are YOU to tell ME what is right or wrong?"  
  
Forte had been surprised with himself for saying what he had. Normally, he couldn't care less about what happened to lesser Navis. But still . . . "You cannot just kill for pleasure."  
  
Rockman suddenly quieted. In a low, menacing voice, he said, "Pleasure? You think I delight in this? NO! I do not! I am merely fulfilling a function. A directive."  
  
"Directive?"  
  
"Kill or be killed," Rockman grinned again. "If I kill everyone else, they do not have a chance to kill me, now do they?"  
  
Forte stared at the being before him. This was not Rockman. Wherever Rockman was, he was not here. Whatever Forte was dealing with was something far worse. Something . . . Dark. Wily's handiwork, without a doubt. But the question remained.  
  
"Who are you?" Fort asked.  
  
"My name," it smiled, drawing out the suspense, "is Megaman." 


	3. Questions

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
Rockman groaned and picked himself up off of the floor. Something had hit him hard. Something bad.  
  
There was a beeping in the back of his mind. A phone call? At this time of night?  
  
He poked a spot in the air and a screen popped into the air. There was the worried face of his father.  
  
"Dad?" Rockman asked, startled. "What's going on? Is something wrong? Do you want me to wake up Netto-kun?"  
  
"NO!" Dr. Hikari barked. Rockman was stunned. His father never spoke like that. "Don't wake Netto. I only just heard the news. What happened to you?"  
  
Rockman held his head. "Uh, I think . . . You sent an upgrade program, but when I installed it . . . Oww . . ."  
  
"Where's the upgrade?" Dr. Hikari sounded worried.  
  
"Uh . . . let me check." Rockman ran a quick diagnosis. What he found surprised him. "What the . . .! They're all gone! Everything's gone!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"All of the upgrades! The Styles, Saito.bat, the HP memories, the expanded memory . . . even some of my Humor subroutines are missing!"  
  
Dr. Hikari looked absolutely stunned. Rockman simply stared ahead in amazement. How could this have happened? What had happened to him?  
  
"Saito, please, calm down. It won't help to make Netto panic at this point." He took a deep breath and collected his thoughts.  
  
"What's going on dad?" Rockman asked. "What WAS that program you sent?"  
  
"Er . . . Well, you know how you've had to save the world a few times?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well, I noticed that often Netto has to perform tasks in the real world to allow you access to some areas of the Net, and he isn't always around to help you..."  
  
"So? I manage all right."  
  
"Yes but I had an idea one day. What if I could make it easier on both of you? I could make you less dependant on an operator and give Netto more leeway in the real world."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"Just hear me out. I decided to package a lesser version of the 'Get Ability' program with your latest upgrades. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to have gone very well."  
  
"'Get Ability'? Isn't that what makes Forte so dangerous?"  
  
"Yes, but I thought that in your hands it could be used the right way. Unfortunately," Dr. Hikari sighed, "things seemed to have gone on to the worst case scenario."  
  
"How?"  
  
"To decrease the learning curve of the 'Get Ability' system, I decided to add an automatic feature that gave the program itself a rudimentary intelligence. But unfortunately, it seems the program copied what it could to improve ITSELF rather than the user. It completely copied you at your strongest, and then formatted you. It's the most terrible bug I've ever created."  
  
Rockman stayed silent while this all sank in. Now there was a faulty program that had copied him and was running around free on the net? If it had copied all of Rockman's intelligence, it was sure to have the access codes to some of the most protected areas of the net, as well as the most dangerous.  
  
Rockman's eyes widened in horror as he fully realized what was going to happen next.  
  
This was bad. 


	4. Megaman vs Forte

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
"Wait a minute," one of the investigating Navis asked, looking up from the floor, "we don't HAVE blood, do we?"  
  
The room was red. Blood red. A very bad color, especially considering the fact that so many dead and dying Navis lay around the room. Blues's arm was still among the debris too, even though the red Navi had since healed himself.  
  
Blues sighed. He wasn't sure why this investigation was necessary, but if it would please Commander Raine . . .  
  
"It's not, technically, blood." He threw a glance over his shoulder, his white hair barely getting in the way. "It's a trace of damage done to the data in the area."  
  
"Like the big, smoldering craters weren't evidence enough that someone, or maybe even TWO someones, hacked our servers?" the Navi grumbled.  
  
"True," Blues admitted, "But you have to recall that unlike human fights,Navi battles register upon the surrounding landscape. The walls literally have eyes here in the net. As do the floors and ceilings."  
  
"Oh. I guess that answers that question."  
  
"Are we done here?" Blues sighed again.  
  
"Almost," the Navi said, checking a data pad. "I'm just going to put that 'The Walls have Eyes' thing in my report to Commander Raine. She'll like that, especially coming from you." The Navi shot Blues a sly grin. "It'll almost be like you have a personality!"  
  
"Shut up," Blues said.  
  
"Yes sir shutting up sir sorry sir!" The Navi blurted.  
  
Blues looked off into space. "Enzan-sama, what have you discovered on your end?"  
  
Enzan's cold voice came in loud and clear in cyberspace. "From what I have pieced together," he said calmly, "Rockman has split into two entities. One entity is Rockman, sans all of his recent upgrades, while the other is the overpowered monster you fought. This second form calls itself Megaman, but I haven't been able to determine anything else. Anyone who's come into contact with Megaman is either too hurt or stunned to tell me anything coherent, or deleted."  
  
Blues contemplated this. Had it not been for Enzan's intervention, Blues would most certainly be on the list of casualties. As it was, his arm was in there somewhere. Or at least a chunk of data that had been his arm.  
  
Blues wondered. He began to sift through the dead data. He confirmed a suspicion of his when he found the arm's data missing. Megaman now had a sword.  
  
Netto, on the other hand, was now fully aware of the situation, To Rockman's surprise, he took it quite well.  
  
"WHAT?" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "THERE'S ANOTHER YOU? ANOTHER SAITO THAT'S DESTROYING EVERYTHING IN HIS PATH?"  
  
Rockman sighed. "Not another Saito, Netto-kun. I'm Saito. He's something else."  
  
"Oh, great!" Netto yelled at his pet. "So now we have a completely UNKNOWN enemy out there destroying everything in his path?"  
  
"That looks like me."  
  
"That looks like you. Great."  
  
"And can steal abilities."  
  
"And can steal powers. Even better."  
  
"And who's currently fighting Forte in the Undernet servers."  
  
"And who's fighting Forte in the Undernet serve—WHAT????"  
  
"Oh, didn't I tell you that part?"  
  
Netto's head thumped onto the table.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
The Undernet was ablaze with combat. Forte loved this fight. Megaman, on the other hand, was not very amused.  
  
It's tough to believe that you're the strongest thing in the known world when some unknown enemy comes in and starts trouncing you like Forte was doing to Megaman. Even Megaman's new sword wasn't helping too much.  
  
He took another swing at the impossibly quick cloaked Navi. He heard Forte chuckle as he faded from view. His deep, menacing voice echoed all around Megaman.  
  
"Maybe one of my copies would be better suited to your abilities!" Forte laughed aloud. "I bet Bass would give you a good fight!"  
  
Megaman growled. "Megaman versus Bass? Sounds like the worst match-up in the history of the world!" He took another swing at empty air, mostly to blow off steam. Forte was psyching him out, which he didn't like.  
  
"Megaman and Bass. Two horrible copies of two of the most powerful beings in the Net," Forte chuckled. "I could sell tickets."  
  
Megaman whirled about to face Forte, who now floated in the air, laughing at him. "I AM NO COPY!" Megaman roared as he fired off a buster shot with his free hand.  
  
Forte spun to the side to avoid the shot and retaliated by raising both of his own busters. "Air Burst!" he cried. Thousands of plasma shots filled the air between the two combatants.  
  
Megaman, however, was abnormally quick to react. Converting his sword arm back into a hand, he extended the arm forward. "Battle Chip: Barrier!" The blue orb of protective energy weathered Forte's assault with ease. With a grin, Megaman converted the arm into a sword again. "Battle Chip: Area Steal!"  
  
Forte didn't register what was going on until it was almost too late. Megaman was instantly behind him with Area Steal's power, and Forte barely had enough time to clap his hands on the blade aimed for his shoulder. "Anti Sword," He growled under his breath. Wrenching both arms to the side, the sword should have snapped in half. Instead, it bent like tin foil. Forte looked up, surprised.  
  
There, staring at him like a doll from a horror movie, was a plush toy that looked like Megaman.  
  
He heard the whisper behind him. "Anti Damage." As the first shuriken plunged into his back, Forte swung an arm behind him and loosed a few buster shots to deflect the rest of the bladed stars.  
  
Ignoring the pain between his shoulders, Forte summoned up a desperate energy into two balls in his hands. It was a new attack that he hadn't tried on anyone yet, but this new nuisance seemed eager to be the first lab rat. Whipping both spheres forward Forte barked "Hell's Rolling!" The orbs blazed into a pair of burning wheels of dark energy. Megaman dived to the side and managed to avoid one wheel, but the other caught him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.  
  
Megaman gasped for air from his prone position. Forte grinned. It was over, now. Floating into the air, Forte gathered power in his hand. Raising the hand above his head, Forte came down fast and hard at his winded opponent. "Earth Breaker!"  
  
Megaman wasn't done yet, however. He raised both arms and managed to wheeze out "Mega Buster." Both arms became busters, blazing away at the incoming Forte, who had not been ready to defend himself. Forte's cloak shredded under the storm of plasma, and he was knocked to the ground. Megaman used the time to pick himself back up.  
  
"You know the difference between you and me, Forte?" Megaman half-laughed, half-wheezed. He staggered toward the stunned Navi. Forte couldn't feel his leg, if it was even there anymore, and his voice didn't seem to be in service either. One of Megaman's arms became a sword. "I have a complete library of over 200 unique chips programmed into my system," Megaman chuckled. His other arm became a Wide Sword. "And do you know," he hissed at Forte, "what that gives me?"  
  
Both swords glowed brightly. Forte's good eye widened in fear.  
  
"Program advances."  
  
Megaman activated a Long Sword chip, combining the three chips into the program advance.  
  
"Dream Sword!" 


	5. Confrontation

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
Gutsman had once heard an old saying that he had decided to stick with. He liked this particular saying, a lot. So much so, in fact, that he added it to the end of every E-Mail he sent now.  
  
'Power is useless, unless you use it for a worthwhile cause.'  
  
However, now that Gutsman was in the Undernet, tracking down this mysterious Megaman, it seemed someone else had taken that old saying to the next extreme. There were gashes in the very fabric of the net here. Recent ones. Made by, Gutsman could guess, a Dream Sword program advance. Other than that and the shreds of someone's cloak, there was nothing here aside from the usual Undernet gloom.  
  
From what he could tell, whoever did this had modified his beloved saying.  
  
'Power is useless, unless you use it to blow something up.'  
  
Frankly, Gutsman kind of liked the change.  
  
Deeper into the Undernet, Forte dragged himself along with his good arm. He'd been lucky enough to fall onto one of the hidden paths to the Undernet after Megaman's Dream Sword attack. He'd crawled all the way from there, praying that the blue monster wasn't jut behind him, chuckling at Forte's turtle-slow getaway.  
  
He looked behind him. There was no one there.  
  
Forte was in no condition to tangle with a dead rabbit, let alone another Navi. His left arm was gone, as was the left leg and most of that side of his body. The big, yellow fin on the right side of his head had been ripped clean off, and had been used as a piercing weapon. The fin currently sat in his stomach, refusing to be budged by Forte's feeble attempts. To make matters worse, his right leg didn't want to move at all, and he couldn't see out of one of his eyes, if he even still had it.  
  
The good news was that he'd gotten the shuriken out of his back, but it seemed like such a small victory compared to the task before him.  
  
Forte found a quiet corner of the net and drew himself into a ball. He sat there, focusing on healing himself, and thought about his battle. And how he would enjoy destroying Megaman.  
  
Rockman, on the other hand, was searching for any sign or trace of Megaman in the regular Net.  
  
"I don't know why you want to find him," Netto sighed. "He's a lot stronger than you."  
  
"I know that," Rockman said, "but I have to try. And if I DO get in trouble, I know I can count on you."  
  
Netto looked a little gloomy. "Yeah, but . . . what do you really hope to accomplish?"  
  
"To destroy that bug," Rockman said in all seriousness.  
  
"Yeah, but," Netto whined, "I heard he beat up Blues without any effort at all, and then Forte disappears, and then . . . If he has Forte's power, what could you possibly do to hurt him?"  
  
"I . . . I'll figure something out," Rockman said resolutely.  
  
"Well, if that's what you want," Netto smiled, "I'll help you. We'll fight him together."  
  
Rockman smiled. He was glad to have a brother like Netto.  
  
Megaman, in the meantime, had reached the deepest part of a hidden server. He had fought his way past some sort of Demon Navi that called itself Darkman, and a samurai known as Yamatoman. He could only grin with a deep satisfaction when he thought about the power he could attain at the end of such an obstacle course.  
  
On a high platform sat another Navi, which seemed to be meditating peacefully. Not wanting to waste time, Megaman took aim with his buster and fired.  
  
Imagine the evil Navi's surprise when the plasma bounced off of some sort of spinning barrier and sailed back at him. Megaman leapt to the side to avoid his own buster shot. The meditating figure slowly turned.  
  
"What," the figure asked, "do you want?"  
  
Megaman was still recovering from the shock of having his own attack thrown back at him. "What did you say?" he snapped at the mystery Navi.  
  
"I asked you what you wanted," the Navi repeated, calm as could be.  
  
Megaman grinned. "I want power."  
  
The Navi stared at Megaman for a while. Something about the stare was unsettling.  
  
"You are not Forte," the figure said, finally.  
  
Megaman barked a laugh. "That fool couldn't beat me, even with all of his tricks and deceptions! I am Megaman, and you are my next target!"  
  
"So be it," the Navi said. He floated down from the platform to Megaman's level. Calm, golden eyes looked at him with a calculated coldness. "I am Serenade, and I do not intend to feed your lust for power."  
  
"Too bad," Megaman grinned, raising his buster, "because I'm not giving you an option." 


	6. Megaman vs Serenade

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
Serenade simply stood there as Megaman threw another wave of plasma at him. Why should he move? He'd been reflecting Megaman's shots back at him all day, so why change strategy now?  
  
All in all, Serenade was getting bored. The blue Navi just jumped to avoid the rebounded plasma shots and fired more, making him dodge more. Serenade could hardly see what this was accomplishing.  
  
He decided to up the ante.  
  
Serenade drew one arm back, another wave of plasma bouncing off of his shields. He took careful arm, and then threw a pink ball of sparkling energy at Megaman. The ball zig-zagged and changed direction, making it hard to dodge. The level of disgust Megaman had for the color of the attack wasn't helping him dodge it either.  
  
Eventually, the attack slammed into Megaman's chest, leaving a pink, sparkling residue. Megaman shook his head and rubbed his chest. He looked down at himself.  
  
"Are you sure you're not a girl?" Megaman asked.  
  
Serenade sighed. He hated this question. "Yes, I am very sure."  
  
"Oh," Megaman said, standing up. He raised a buster and charged it, growling, "Because the frickin' BARBIE attacks really don't help your case for being a guy any!" With that, Megaman charged at Serenade.  
  
Serenade smirked as Megaman ran straight into his barriers. It must have been like hitting a brick wall. Megaman staggered back a few steps, glaring at Serenade.  
  
"What?" the protected Navi asked innocently.  
  
"Cheap little . . ." Megaman continued with a string of words that would needlessly raise this story's rating. A lot.  
  
"Now, now, don't get mad," Serenade smirked.  
  
"I'm not made," Megaman said in a low voice. With one, lightning swift hand, he reached out and grabbed one of Serenade's rotating barriers. Serenade's eyes went wide as Megaman withstood the initial shock of the barrier and held it in place. No one else was supposed to be able to see the barriers! What was going on here?  
  
"I'm FRICKIN' FURIOUS!" Megaman roared, shoving his buster over the now still barrier and into Serenade's chest. Megaman laughed as he let the charge shot fly.  
  
There was a bright flash, and suddenly both combatants were a good distance apart. Serenade sighed with relief. He'd been able to bring the second barrier around to stop the buster in time. Obviously, Megaman hadn't anticipated such a maneuver, but how had he . . .?  
  
"So," Serenade said over the ringing in hi ears, "you can see my barriers?"  
  
Megaman chuckled. "Not quite. I knew you had some kind of protection, nut I didn't know what kind. So I had to figure out the dynamics of your shield things."  
  
"How did . . ." it dawned on Serenade about the same time the grin crossed Megaman's face. "The barrages! Those were all just to figure out how my shields worked?" Incredible.  
  
"Not the most efficient method, I know," Megaman admitted. "But now I know there's two shields. Now you're toast."  
  
Serenade laughed. "Why should I have only two? I could have four! I could have eight! You have no way of knowing!"  
  
Megaman laughed back. "Looked at your shields lately?"  
  
Serenade looked puzzled. Checking behind him, he saw his shields, just like he always did, but there was something different about them. The were covered in . . .  
  
"In a way," Megaman said, "I should thank your stupid Barbie attack. That thing stains like there's no tomorrow. Now that your shields are pink and sparkly, I'll have no problem at all hitting you."  
  
Serenade looked at the blue Navi with a refreshed horror. "Incredible . . ." he couldn't stop himself from saying.  
  
Megaman grinned and activated a sword. He began to charge toward Serenade with a freight train's resolve. Serenade brought both barriers forward, visibly shaking with worry that Megaman could now see his barriers. He didn't even realize that Megaman wanted the barriers around in front.  
  
"Battle Chip: Bamboo Lance!" Megaman cried triumphantly. Serenade realized what was happening, as always, far too late. Six sharpened shafts of bamboo plunged into his back. He screamed with the pain. Megaman leaped into the air, intending to cleave Serenade in two with his sword. Serenade was in too much pain to muster the control needed to bearing his barriers up to block the blow. There was only one thing left to do.  
  
"Server shutdown! Code: Serenade X-11!" 


	7. Restoration

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
Roll hated the Undernet. It was dark and icky and smelly, and there was this horrible black fog which clung to your ankles and obscured almost everything below the knees. She didn't even want to imagine what kind of virus rats could be running around down there right now.  
  
Roll waded through the mist. She remembered why she was here, of course. Rockman had begun a sort of large-scale unofficial investigation fro rumors on this Megaman character. Gutsman, in an uncharacteristic moment of swiftness, had managed to call the Net-Official boards as his station after Glyde had taken the Yum Land boards. This left Roll high and dry, since Rockman had taken the Den Town boards. And he was certainly in no condition to go to the Undernet himself. So she was here, to find the Undernet square and peruse the boards for information.  
  
Not too far ahead of her, Forte was clawing his way up a ramp. He hated ramps. Especially now, since his balance was all wonky from only having half of his actual body. Forte hated the ramp. He hated how he'd feel like he was sliding off and then scrabble like a mad cat form a few seconds only to realize he was not, in fact, moving.  
  
Forte hated how the ramp had made him even THINK of the word 'wonky'.  
  
He finally reached a landing, and rolled onto his side to rest.  
  
"I cannot believe," he said aloud to no one in particular, "that out of all of my opponents and all of my battles, that I do no have a power in my arsenal that HEALS me!"  
  
He pounded his good fist on the floor. "WHY am I so frickin' STUPID?" he shouted at himself. "For all of my power and for all of my reputation, I can't HEAL myself!"  
  
He thumped his head on the floor a few times. He would have kicked something, had his legs worked. He used his good hand to smack the fin sticking out of his stomach, and then gritted his teeth. Not his smartest idea.  
  
He lay there for a while, looking into the air. "I'm going to die," he said finally. "I'm going to die right here because I'm too STUPID to take something useful, like HEALING, away from one of my battles."  
  
He could feel the tears begin to run down his face. He didn't want to cry. He couldn't cry. Not now. This was too stupid.  
  
Then, something happened. A pink boot planted itself firmly on his chest. He let out a wheeze as the unknown traveler suddenly fell on him.  
  
Roll picked herself up. She wasn't sure what she'd stepped on, but it had made an odd sound. She bent low to peer through the fog, and caught a glimpse of a hand.  
  
"Hey!" she called, "is someone down there?"  
  
She heard a moan, and then "Heal . . ."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Heal . . . me." There was a horrendous coughing noise.  
  
"Who did this to you?" Roll demanded.  
  
"Me . . . Megaman," Forte gasped.  
  
Roll said nothing more to the figure at her feet. She looked up into the air. "Mayl-chan, I need a Recover 300 and a Holy Panel chip!"  
  
"Whatever for?" Mayl asked.  
  
"Please?" Roll pleaded. "I just found on of Megaman's victims in the Undernet, but he needs healing!"  
  
"Understood. Slotting in now," Mayl's voice came back.  
  
Roll looked at her hands. She'd only ever actually pulled this trick off once, when she healed Rockman from a mortal injury given to him by a clone of Roll. Now, all she could do was hope it worked . . .  
  
There was a pink spark from her hand that leapt into the air. Roll grinned. It was working.  
  
As the Recover 300 chip and Holy Panel chip linked with Roll's own basic healing program, Roll began to glow like something akin to a star. She floated up into the air, thousands of pink sparks circling her body.  
  
Suddenly, the sparks left her and formed a massive pink heart in the air. The entire Undernet lit up with the healing energy.  
  
"Big Heart!" Roll called as the energy dropped into the fog and onto the figure below her.  
  
Forte gasped as the energy hit him. He could feel the lost limbs growing back, and could hear the right leg snapping back into place. The fin in his stomach dissolved, along with the wound it had caused, and a new fin grew in the proper place on his helmet. Even his cloak stitched itself back together from nothingness.  
  
As the energy faded, Roll landed. Forte stood up and took in the sight of Roll. For all he knew, she was an angel. Then she realized who he was.  
  
"Forte! Oh no!" She cringed away from him. "Don't delete me! Please!"  
  
Forte was startled by her reaction. "Er . . . Okay."  
  
Megaman, in the meantime, was dodging debris.  
  
A server collapse is not a pretty thing. In the real world, the machines sputter and die, but in the Net . . .  
  
The floor beneath Megaman's feet split in two and began to shift apart. Megaman made a desperate leap toward Serenade, but was blocked by another cascade of corrupted data. He growled under his breath.  
  
Serenade, however, stood calmly. His barriers protected him from the cataclysm going on around him. He merely smiled.  
  
Megaman's foremost drive was to stay alive, and even that overrode his lust for power. He activated a server-switch program he'd stolen from one of the Navis back at the Official server, and was suddenly no longer in Serenade's world.  
  
Serenade grinned as the collapse suddenly ended, and the system began to fix itself. A controlled collapse was the best way to get any cockroaches out of the server for a while.  
  
Calmly, Serenade sat down and once again began meditating, awaiting a true challenge . . . 


	8. Alliance

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
"So Megaman did all of that damage to you?" Roll asked. Forte merely nodded. "Wow, so he must be powerful, huh?" Another nod from the cloaked Navi. "So where is he?"  
  
Forte shook his head. "I don't know. I know where he MIGHT be, since his goal is to obtain a lot of power, but he has either been there already or doesn't know about its existence."  
  
"Where?" Roll asked.  
  
Forte took a conspiratorial look around. "I think he might have gone after Serenade."  
  
"Serenade? I thought she was a myth?" Roll said, puzzled.  
  
"HE. Not a she. HE. Definitely a he. Not a She." Forte said, speaking like he would to a patient at a mental institute. "The rumors about Serenade are mostly false, but here in the Undernet, the know about Serenade because they watched him-"  
  
"Her."  
  
"HIM fight me."  
  
Roll looked at Forte. "Did you win?"  
  
"No. I was able to figure out most of his patterns, but I never seemed to be able to actually hit him-"  
  
"Her."  
  
"HIM! Jeeze, what do they tell you people out there? Serenade is very obviously a guy!"  
  
"With a name like Serenade?" Roll asked.  
  
"Granted, that, plus the Barbie attack, are a few strikes against him, but there is one very obvious test."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Take a look at your chest," Forte said.  
  
Roll did so. "So?"  
  
"Serenade does not have those." Forte said, turning slightly red.  
  
"So? Maybe she's just flat. Does it matter?"  
  
Forte hung his head. "No, not really."  
  
Roll looked at him. She smiled, cat-like. "Were you blushing?"  
  
Forte looked at her. "What? No!"  
  
"You were! Forte-chan's blushing!"  
  
This of course made Forte's face go beet red. "I AM NOT!"  
  
"Are to!" Roll yelled, prancing around.  
  
"AM NOT!"  
  
"Then why are you so mad? Do you LOVE Serenade?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Denial is the first stage!" Roll laughed.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Forte roared. The entire Undernet shook. Roll stopped prancing around like a four year old and looked a Forte with a new horror. He took a few breaths. "If you hadn't healed me, I would have killed you a long time ago, but as it stands, you are, for the moment, in my good graces. DON'T blow it."  
  
Roll nodded obediently.  
  
"And never, EVER even SIGGEST that I might possibly, in any way, shape or form, suggest that I even hold Serenade with anything resembling anything but disgust and contempt." Forte growled.  
  
Roll nodded again.  
  
"Clear?" Forte barked.  
  
"Yessirsorrysirshuttingupnow." Roll said quickly.  
  
"Good."  
  
Wily sat back in his chair. "Something," he said aloud to the empty room, "keeps nagging at me to say 'Curse that blue dweeb! He's ruining my plans again!' but I have no idea why."  
  
In the World 3 servers, Megaman was happily destroying Wily's copied Navi data. He'd blazed right through the copies of Gutsman, Cutman, Elecman, Iceman, Fireman and Bombman, and was currently fighting Heatman. The servers here were so protected that even the system's monitor, Wily himself, couldn't tell Megaman was deleting the copied Navis. It was very good training, and with each Navi defeated, Megaman grew stronger with his enemies' weapons.  
  
He grinned and cracked his knuckles as Heatman fell over, a burnt out husk, and Quickman materialized before him . . . 


	9. Double Hero

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
Rockman stood in the message board area, waiting for something, anything to come up. He was so focused on the boards that he barely noticed Blues.  
  
"Working hard?" Blues asked in an uncharacteristically casual manner.  
  
Rockman look at the red Navi, startled. "Yeah. I feel like he's my responsibility."  
  
"He isn't, you know."  
  
"I don't care. I have to deal with this," Rockman sighed. "It's . . . It's like I can finally lay all of my own doubts about myself to rest. Like purging the evil from my soul." He looked at Blues. "You know?"  
  
Blues remained silent. He really couldn't grasp the concept of guilt. He did what he was told, nothing more. The fact that Rockman seemed so concerned about his own soul intrigued him, however.  
  
"You have already died once, Saito," Blues said carefully.  
  
Rockman's eyes widened. He'd forgotten that Blues had been present for Rockman's installation of Saito.bat.  
  
"I know that," he managed weakly. "But I have to do what I can to protect Netto's world. I just have to."  
  
"As do I," Blues said, smiling.  
  
Something occurred to Rockman. "Where's Enzan?"  
  
"Asleep. I'm not really supposed to be here," Blues shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time I've done something he didn't approve of."  
  
"But why?" Rockman asked. "Why get into trouble?"  
  
"I had to give you something," Blues said. He handed a blue orb to Rockman,  
  
"Hey . . . this is . . ."  
  
"Battle chip data," Blues finished for him. "Two chips, actually."  
  
Rockman gave him a questioning glance as Blues continued. "Custom Sword and Variable Sword. Not the best chips in the world, but under the right circumstances . . ."  
  
"Double Hero," Rockman nodded. "I remember. It's how we beat Gospel."  
  
They both remember that battle well. They fought with two completely different styles and tactics, and often got in each other's way. The multi- bug organism known as Gospel had the upper hand until Netto stumbled onto the program advance known as Double Hero. The results had been spectacular, and had resulted in Gospel's deletion.  
  
"I also have something else for you," Blues said.  
  
Rockman smiled. Blues was never really this helpful before. "What is it?" he asked.  
  
"A message from an old friend of ours. He told me to tell you," Blues said, and then cleared his throat and deepened his voice, "'Just give the word.'"  
  
Rockman thought about this for a while. Then he smiled again. "Tell him thanks. I'll send him a message when we need him."  
  
"Which, as much as I hate to admit, we probably will," Blues sighed.  
  
Rockman laughed. "Any news on Megaman's whereabouts?"  
  
Blues looked around for a minute, and then looked back at Rockman. "Last we heard, he'd hacked into the old World 3 server. I don't know what he hopes to find there, but whatever it is has kept him busy. He hasn't come back out for four hours."  
  
"That could be bad, or worse," Rockman said grimly. There was a beeping noise in his ear. "Hey . . . I got a message from Roll-chan . . ."  
  
"A call from the girlfriend?" Blues chuckled. "I better not distract you then." He logged out before Rockman could protest.  
  
Grumbling, Rockman accepted the call. Rolls beaming face appeared in a window.  
  
"Guess what?" Roll said, smiling.  
  
"Uh . . . what?" Rockman asked.  
  
"I managed to find someone to help us."  
  
"Good," Rockman said, "we'll need all the help we can get. Who is he?"  
  
"Well, that's the complicated part . . ."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well . . . It's just . . . it's complicated. Yeah." Roll said, looking guilty.  
  
"Just tell me who it is. I promise I won't overreact." Rockman said calmly.  
  
Roll told him. Boy, did he ever break THAT promise.  
  
"FORTE?" Rockman shouted loud enough for the entire square to hear him. "ARE YOU NUTS?"  
  
"Hey! Don't be mean," Roll shot back. "He's not that bad, actually."  
  
"Not that bad? He's the most evil Navi in existence!"  
  
"NO! He's just . . . misunderstood." Roll said.  
  
There was a mumbling out of sight to Rockman. Then suddenly the small screen's view was taken up by a face he never wanted to see. A face with purple streaks under the eyes and yellow fins sprouting from a black helmet.  
  
"My vendetta with the humans can wait," Forte said in a serious tone that made Rockman want to wet himself. "Right now, there are far more pressing concerns, and that would be this copy of you that calls itself Megaman."  
  
'Uh . . ." Rockman managed.  
  
"We need to act quickly," Forte continued, "before he becomes any stronger than he is now. If he reaches the World 3 servers and deletes the backup Navi data Wily stored there before his fortress was destroyed, we're going to have one hell of a time beating him."  
  
Rockman was still speechless, but then something registered. "World 3 server . . .? Um . . . Forte? We have a problem . . ."  
  
Forte raised an eyebrow. "What kind of problem? A 'misinformed, thought the World 3 was gone' kind of problem, or a 'we're screw because he's been there for an hour already' problem?"  
  
"Four hours," Rockman said.  
  
The color visibly drained from Forte's face. They were a whole lot more screwed now. 


	10. Megaman vs Rockman, Forte and Blues

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
Megaman laughed in the depths of the World 3 servers. He had so much power; he didn't even know what to do with it.  
  
He accessed the list of available attack programs he now had. Fire Storm, Ice Slasher, Thunder Beam, Hyper Bomb, Rolling Cutter, Guts Punch, Atomic Fire, Quick Boomerang, Wood Shield, Air Shooter, Magnet Missile, Shadow Blades . . . the list went on and on. Megaman was virtually invincible, now.  
  
Well, HE thought so, at least.  
  
He activated the Dream Aura, which he'd acquired by deleting a prototype of the Dream Virus he'd discovered. He felt so invincible, he couldn't help but laugh. He had so much power, it lifted him up into the air and made him float just like Forte did.  
  
Wily, however, had noticed the intrusion by now. You don't lose half of the data stored on your super secret protected server and NOT notice.  
  
"You pest!" he screeched from his chair. "I'll make sure you never leave! Get him, Gamma!"  
  
Megaman looked on impassively as the Net around him shook. He'd found a whole bunch of useless text files on this supposed super-virus known as Gamma, which combined the principals of the multi-bug organism with the Dream Virus or something like that. The result had been a self-replicating Dream Virus that corrupted anything it touched. A completely out-of-control monster.  
  
Unfortunately for Wily, an out-of-control monster will never, EVER win against a high-powered psychotic out-of-control monster. The latter wins based on the matter of adjectives.  
  
As Gamma roared into existence, Megaman grinned. This would be an excellent test of his abilities.  
  
Blues stood facing the gate that sealed the World 3 server off from the rest of the Net. He was not alone. Rockman, Gutsman, Roll, and even Forte were there as well. Forte had nearly been attacked, but Roll had stopped them. Forte had assured everyone that once Megaman was deleted, he would leave them all alone for a little while.  
  
They knew the risks, and they knew that they might not all survive the battle, but they were the best the Net had to offer, and at any cost, they had to take Megaman down.  
  
It only occurred a few seconds before the proverbial fan-hitting that standing and staring at a door was how most of the Official Navis had been before they had gotten deleted.  
  
Without any warning at all, the door suddenly exploded outward. The Navis scattered as a massive Virus flew by, slamming into the floor and sliding a ways before screeching to a halt.  
  
"What the heck is that?" Roll asked.  
  
Just as suddenly, a figure leapt from the smoke and landed on the virus, driving a glowing Dream Sword right through the head of the black Dream Virus.  
  
The resulting explosion was tremendous, and threw every Navi except Megaman to the ground. As the light of the Virus's deletion died, Blues was the first to pick himself up and witness Megaman's transformation.  
  
Energy crackled in the air around the Rockman clone. He seemed to be shaking in and out of focus as the Net shook around him. As Megaman began to absorb the power, he also began to scream in pain. Blues could only watch along with the other Navis as Megaman's form lit up. Slowly at first, his finger tips changed from the normal blue to a kind of transparent, glowing green. The change spread like an infection through Megaman's body, and soon there was no trace left of the original coloration.  
  
As Megaman's screams of pain once again became horrific laughter, Rockman spoke. "What . . . what happened to him?"  
  
Forte peered at the transformed terror. "I think . . ." he began shakily," he absorbed too much power. It's almost like the energy he holds is trying to fight its way out of him body . . ."  
  
Gutsman looked at Forte, bewildered. "There's such a thing as TOO much power?"  
  
Roll could only stare. Megaman slowly turned in the air to look at them all. His eyes had remained unchanged, which made his transformed look all the more unsettling.  
  
"Well," Megaman's voice echoed with a strange harmonic, "now that I have achieved perfection, who wants to be my first victim?"  
  
Rockman stood up and took a shaky step toward his glowing counterpart. "This ends now, Megaman."  
  
Megaman barked a laugh. "Whelp! You couldn't even come close to touching me!"  
  
Rockman stared resolutely at his opponent. Blues slowly stood, still feeling shaken. "I have your back, Rockman."  
  
"As do I," Forte said as he regained his own footing.  
  
"No," Rockman said, causing both to look at him, "he's my problem. I'll deal with him."  
  
"Heroic fool," Forte muttered.  
  
"Uh, Rockman, if I may point out that he beat the crap out of both of us AND that big huge virus?" Blues said. "Let us help you."  
  
"No," Rockman said, taking another step forward.  
  
Megaman laughed again. "So be it." One of his arms changed into a buster. "I'll delete every last ONE OF YOU!"  
  
He dived toward the group, firing his buster wildly. Rockman dodged one of the incoming shots and returned with a charged shot he had stored up. The shot hit a barrier that had been previously hidden by Megaman, who laughed at the attempt to hurt him. He whirled in the air. "Area Steal!" He cried with glee.  
  
Rockman had been prepared for this. "Battle Chip: Sword! Slot in!" Netto's voice came from the air. Rockman swung behind him with the sword, which crashed into Megaman's aura and shattered.  
  
"FOOL!" Megaman shouted, wrapping an arm around the surprised Navi's neck. The pair of them rocketed into the air. Megaman grabbed Rockman's chin with one hand and twisted it with an impossible speed. At the same time, he released his grip, sending the blue Navi spiraling into the air and toward the ground. Gutsman rushed forward to catch his friend, but ended up taking a pair of buster shots from Megaman to the head. Nothing fatal, but it prevented him from reaching his goal.  
  
Rockman slammed into the ground at a bad angles and bounced a few times before coming a rest in a painful position. Roll cried out and rushed over to him, but was also stopped by Megaman who bombarded her with Minibombs from above.  
  
Forte growled and took to the air. He knew he had to get attention away from Roll if Rockman was going to live, so he charged Megaman head on.  
  
Megaman grinned insanely as he spun to face Forte. He raised his buster and pointed it at Forte, but no shots came. Forte thought Megaman had made an oversight and grinned, but then his eyes widened as Megaman's arm blossomed into a cannon the size of a small train.  
  
"Pure Cannon!" Megaman shouted with madness as the program advance came together and a beam of pure power slammed into Forte. Protected by his aura, Forte still couldn't stop himself from being bodily flung back to the ground. He slammed into the floor going at something less than the speed of sound, and he felt one of his legs go useless again. He cursed as the beam of energy died.  
  
Blues took the opportunity to leap up at Megaman. He had a new trick he wanted to ry, and this seemed like the best time to try it. A small cursor on his visor pin pointed a spot right next to Megaman, and he went for it. "Delta Ray Edge!"  
  
Megaman never saw it coming. The first sword slash went right through his aura and decimated part of his leg. With a flash of light, Blues was suddenly somewhere in another position, delivering a powerful slice to Megaman's chest. With a second flash of light, there was a new sword wound on Megaman's back. Blues's path was traced a a glowing triangle around Megaman.  
  
The glowing Navi screamed in pain as Blues landed on the ground. He smiled at his opponent's pain before he heard Roll yell for him to watch out. He didn't have any time to react before Megaman tackled him from behind, knocking Blues off-balance. He didn't fall over, however, as Megaman twisted impossibly in the air and delivered a devastating kick to the side of Blues's head. Blues was unconscious before he slammed into Forte, sending them both tumbling in a tangle of busted limbs.  
  
Megaman laughed and looked over at Rockman. Roll had managed to heal him enough to get him back on his feet. Megaman floated over to him. "Is this the best you have to offer? Wily's virus collection gave me a bigger challenge!"  
  
Rockman grinned strangely at Megaman. "You shouldn't be so confident. There's always a backup plan."  
  
Megaman felt something behind him for only a millisecond before the sword slammed into his back. He sailed over Rockman's head and bounced once before stopping in mid-air and righting himself. He growled at the newcomer. "Who the hell are you?" He barked.  
  
The towering red newcomer looked at Megaman and raised his sword. "My name is Zero." 


	11. Megaman vs Rockman's Trump Card

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
Zero had kept close tabs on Rockman and Blues ever since they had spared his life during an attempted revival of the World 3's dream to destroy the Net. Zero had been a virus that had infected almost everything, and eventually evolved into the oversized, red Navi he was now. Since traces of the Zero virus still littered the Net, Zero had eyes and ears everywhere . . .  
  
And could be anywhere he wanted almost instantly. A trick that came in handy with Rockman's plan to have Zero ambush and distract Megaman.  
  
Megaman growled at the newcomer. "So YOU'RE the Zero Virus. I'm not impressed."  
  
Zero shrugged. "I never said you had to be impressed. I am merely here to take you out."  
  
"HA!" Megaman laughed. "Fat chance!"  
  
Roll helped Rockman make his way toward Forte and Blues. Blues was still unconscious, but Forte had disentangled the pair of them and was attempting to stand up. As they approached, Forte looked up.  
  
"Bold move," he said. "I hadn't expected you to call him in."  
  
"Hopefully it buys us the time we need," Rockman nodded. Roll set to work healing Blues and Forte while Gutsman put himself between the group and the fight for protective purposes.  
  
Megaman charged at Zero, full-speed, ignoring the group. Zero braced himself as the glowing Navi slammed into him. Zero slid back, pushed by the force of Megaman's regenerated aura, and then shoved back, sending Megaman back in the air.  
  
"You're strong!" Megaman laughed. "But not nearly strong enough."  
  
One of Megaman's arms became a sword and he charged once more. Zero brought his own blade to bear and the two weapons met. A terrific clang resounded about the Net as Zero forced his opponent's blade to the side and slice for the chest. Megaman faded back and then thrust forward, hoping to catch his opponent wide-open. No such luck, as Zero crouched low and came up with his massive shoulder. Megaman's aura shattered under the tremendous force Zero's legs put behind his body, and Zero took the opportunity to backhand Megaman to the ground.  
  
Megaman bounced off the ground and back into the air, regaining control of himself. He growled again and swung his blade into the ground. "Sonic Blade!"  
  
Zero leapt over the oncoming shockwave and landed deftly behind Megaman. "Swordman's attack. You've been busy," Zero said impassively as he swung his blade around.  
  
Megaman ducked the attack and came up inside Zero's reach, landing a punch on the larger Navi's chest and knocking him back. Zero stumbled backwards and couldn't bring his sword up in time to block Megaman's. He was rewarded for his slowness with a slashing wound that traveled the length of his chest.  
  
Zero screamed in pain as Bleus woke up. He shook his head and sat up, taking in the scene. Forte was back in the air, examining the situation, and Roll has crouched next to Blues, healing his various bruises. Rockman was standing by.  
  
"Netto has the chips ready, but Forte says he wants another chance," Rockman said.  
  
Blues looked back at the raging battle. Zero smacked Megaman with the flat of his blade and sent the evil Navi flying. "That may not be necessary, but hey, I'm not going to argue."  
  
Megaman did a back flip in the air to right himself, and then charged at the red Navi again. Zero hadn't expected the quick recovery, and barely managed to block the incoming sword attack. Megaman backed away and flew upward above Zero.  
  
"I grow tired of this," Megaman said. "You're amusing, but I really must destroy those other Navis over there."  
  
Zero brought his sword up in a determined resistance. Megaman began to glow even brighter. "You have no idea," Megaman's voice boomed, "of the power I possess!" The sword morphed into a buster and he pointed it at Zero. "You are finished." The glow focused on the buster.  
  
Forte's eyes widened. "GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted at the resolute Navi. "If he deletes you, he'll be even stronger!"  
  
Zero shot Forte a confused look. "GO!" shouted Forte, "NOW!"  
  
Megaman's voice echoed throughout the Net. "Megabuster!"  
  
A hailstorm of plasma rained down on Zero before he had a chance to react. Bolt after bolt slammed into the red Navi, and he screamed in a new wave of pain. Gutsman heard it and ran toward the growing cloud of destruction, and flung himself into the fray.  
  
"What are you doing, you fool?!" Forte screamed after the hulking Navi.  
  
Rockman, Blues, and Roll could only watch as Megaman sent a seemingly endless stream of plasma down upon their two allies. Both Zero and Gutsman's screams of pain rippled through the Net, causing heads everywhere to turn toward the conflict.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of the horror, the barrage ended and the smoke cleared. Amazingly, Gutsman and Zero were still alive, but both were badly damaged. Before Rockman could tell them to, they both escaped in their own ways. Gutsman logged out and Zero transported himself to a no-doubt protected area of the Net to regenerate.  
  
Roll was the first to speak. "That . . . was the stupidest thing I think Gutsman has ever done."  
  
"It paid off though," Blues said. "He managed to keep Zero alive so that Megaman couldn't get his power. Amazing."  
  
Rockman spoke in a harsh whisper. "Rest up, Gutsman. You did well . . ." He glared up at Megaman, who was laughing.  
  
"RUN! RUN LIKE THE COWARDS YOU ARE!" Megaman laughed aloud. He turne din the air to face the remaining four Navis.  
  
"All right," he said with a malicious tone and an insane sparkle in his eyes, "which one of you is next?" 


	12. Round 2

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
"I am," Forte said, stepping forward.  
  
Megaman barked a laugh. "HA! You think you can even stand up to me after the beating I so soundly handed you the first time?"  
  
Forte said nothing in reply, but merely smirked. He brought on hand up to the neck of his cloak, and in a sweeping motion of his arm tore the cloth from around his body and flung it aside. He floated up into the air to even himself with his glowing nemesis.  
  
Megaman's laughing subsided and he gave Forte an appraising look. "So, you still seek to stand in my way? So be it. You are the next one to die."  
  
"Hardly," Forte smirked.  
  
Megaman lowered his head and charged at Forte with a battle cry that shook the net. Forte raised his arms to block the tackle and the very air around them seemed to ripple and quake. They drifted in midair momentarily as both combatants regained their senses.  
  
Forte reacted faster, bringing up one leg to kick his opponent in the chest, sending Megaman reeling. Without giving his adversary anytime to react, Forte spun in the air and brought his other foot in the form of a devastating spin kick to the side of Megaman's head.  
  
Megaman dropped downward, in pain and confused, and Forte gave chase. Moving with an impossible speed, Forte slammed a fist into the small of Megaman's back, causing the glowing Navi to cry out in surprise and pain. Megaman rocketed forward from the force of the blow, but Forte was not done with him yet. Grabbing the unfortunate Navi by the foot, Forte spun about in the air and flung his opponent into the ground.  
  
Megaman slid face first for a small distance before bending and bouncing in an unhealthy way. As he came to a halt, Megaman began to pick himself up to try and shake the stars from his vision, but Forte was already on him. Taking advantage of Megaman's now raised head, Forte planted a forceful kick under the evil Navi's chin, sending him flying once more.  
  
Regaining his senses in mid-flight, Megaman seemed to slid to a halt in mid air. He raised his buster to fire at Forte, but the black Navi was already too close.  
  
Rockman and Blues could only watch as Megaman and Forte subjected each other to a flurry of blows too fast for even Blues to see. The air around them shook with the intensity of their hate for each other.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of blows, Megaman was forced into the ground again by a powerful blow from Forte. But as Megaman hit the ground, he whirled about and pointed back up at the black Navi with his buster and loosed several shots. Two plasma bolts slammed into Forte before he even registered what was happening, and a further three threw him high into the air.  
  
Coming to a halt high above his foe, Forte took a deep breath. "Not bad," he growled.  
  
"You've improved," Megaman wheezed, attempting to catch his breath. He slowly, shakily, got to his feet and looked at his airborne opponent. "In another year, you might even match me."  
  
Blues let out a snort. "Whatever!" he shouted. "Forte's thrown his best at you. You took a lot more damage than you'd like to let on. Quit trying to impress us!"  
  
"You're wrong," Forte and Megaman said in unison. They looked at each other oddly, and then Megaman continued. "This whelp could not hurt me with such petty attacks."  
  
"And that was nowhere NEAR my best," Forte said.  
  
Megaman laughed once more. "Then what is your best, blowhard?"  
  
Forte grinned and held both hands forward. Opening both hands, two pieces of data materialized in his hand.  
  
"What the . . .?" Megaman said, peering at the data.  
  
"Battlechips," Rockman said, also looking.  
  
Blues also took an interest. "One of them is an AntiNavi . . . that's a powerful chip, but the other . . .?"  
  
"Data from Gospel," Forte grinned.  
  
"What?" Megaman said.  
  
Rockman looked lost for a moment, and then grabbed Blues by the shoulder. "I think we should find something to hide behind!"  
  
Blues didn't ask questions and they both headed for cover as the two orbs of data began to orbit Forte. He allowed himself a chuckle as the two pieces merged into a single ball and hovered in front of him.  
  
"This is my birthright!" Forte intoned as the data slammed into his chest and melted into his being. "This was my purpose from the start!"  
  
Megaman stared at the dark Navi, not fully comprehending what was going on. Forte's figure became enveloped in a dark glow, and something seemed to be forming behind him.  
  
"I was not created to serve humans," Forte continued in a monotone voice, almost like an incantation. Megaman's fear grew as the object behind Forte became larger. "I am the herald of their destruction."  
  
A pair of massive eyes snapped open behind Forte, accompanied by a bestial roar as Gospel was born once more through the power of the program advance Forte had activated. The enormous canine opened its maw, allowing power to gather between its teeth.  
  
"You can't stop me," Forte shouted above the roar of the beast behind him, "because no one can stop the apocalypse! I am what I am!" Gospel's mouth opened wider to accommodate the energy gathering in his mouth. Megaman only now began to fly toward Forte to interrupt the attack, but it was already way too late for that.  
  
Forte raised a hand and pointed toward Megaman. Gospels eyes shifted to its target. For one brief moment, there was an almost complete silence, and then . . .  
  
"DARK MESSIAH!"  
  
Dark energy slammed into Megaman in waves as it poured from Gospel's mouth. The glowing Navi was bathed in the black energy and slammed back into the ground. He couldn't scream for pain, since he could not even remember he had a mouth at that point. Megaman's entire world was the blackness and the pain.  
  
As the black waves of energy subsided, Megaman had only enough time to register the fact that he could see before his entire vision was taken up by Forte. More specifically, Forte's glowing, purple hand that was coming at his face at something slightly less than the speed of sound.  
  
"EARTH BREAKER!"  
  
Forte's hand slammed into Megaman's face, gripping the evil Navi's features and holding him there. There was a brief moment where Megaman tried to fight Forte's hold, but then his body seemed to go slack and a fresh scream of pain escaped from between Megaman's face and Forte's hand.  
  
Forte twisted at the waist and threw the glowing Navi a good distance. While Megaman was Airborne, Rockman got a glimpse of his darker side's face. One of Megaman's eyes had been completely destroyed, and Forte's hand print and left a dull, purple scar all over the Navi's features.  
  
As Megaman slid to a silent halt, the Net grew quiet. Gospel faded from existence, its task complete. Forte, Blues, and Rockman stood in silence, watching Megaman, to see if there was any movement.  
  
They stood there for a long time before Rockman finally spoke.  
  
"Did you . . . beat him?"  
  
That's when Megaman moved. He raised his head, ever so slightly, and coughed, "Hardly." 


	13. Rockman vs Megaman

ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN  
  
Megaman staggered to his feet, coughing again. "I have to admit," he wheezed, "that I never expected to feel pain like this." He looked at Rockman and grinned. "It's fun, in a way."  
  
Rockman narrowed his eyes. "You're nothing but a bug. A glitch in the system. You don't deserve to live."  
  
"HA!" Megaman barked. "You think that I'm a mere bug anymore?" he made a sweeping motion with one arm. "I stole everything from you! I stole your upgrades, your styles, and more importantly, your identity! I AM Saito, sans all of those petty morals."  
  
Rockman growled. "You are not Saito, I AM! You're an evil little virus masquerading as me!"  
  
"This little program of mine says different," Megaman grinned. "Saito.bat speaks to me . . ."  
  
Rockman's eyes went wide, and Blues looked at Rockman. "He . . . he stole Saito.bat? How?"  
  
"I can do anything," Megaman chuckled. "Even come back from the dead."  
  
"We'll have to test that theory," Forte said, raising both busters.  
  
"Wait," Rockman said. Forte looked at the blue Navi in surprise. "He's mine."  
  
Megaman smiled at Rockman. "Ah, good. I finally get to destroy you. It'll give me such a sense of closure."  
  
"Just shut up," Rockman said. Without another word, he charged at Megaman, blazing away at the glowing Navi with his buster.  
  
Megaman laughed and countered with his own buster, the plasma bolts canceling each other out in midair. As Rockman neared, they both equipped swords, and the air resounded with a clang as their blades met. Megaman swung his blade high, and Rockman parried, returning with a wide slash across the chest Megaman managed to dodge. They traded blows back and forth as Blues, Roll and Forte looked on.  
  
Roll was the first to speak. "Aren't we . . . going to help him?"  
  
"That heroic fool wants to finish it himself," Forte sighed, shaking his head.  
  
"I can understand why," Blues spoke up. "Sort of, anyway. I think Rockman is battling for his soul. I think he wants Saito.bat back."  
  
"That makes sense, I guess," Roll nodded.  
  
"Feh," Forte snorted. "Souls. An unsure power source at best."  
  
Megaman forced Rockman back a few steps before forcing the blue Navi to the ground. "Give it up," he growled over his blade, "I'm stronger than you ever were!"  
  
"You stole everything from me!" Rockman said through gritted teeth. "I'm not going to let you get away with it, no matter how strong you are!" Rockman kicked Megaman in the stomach, forcing the startled Navi up and away from him. Jumping to his feet, Rockman began his attack anew, raining a storm of blows down on Megaman.  
  
"Will this guy ever go down?" Roll asked in a whiny tone.  
  
"I hope so," Blues said. "I'm getting bored over here on the sidelines."  
  
"You said it," Forte nodded at the red Navi. "At least when I was fighting him, there was explosions and flashing lights. Now they're just fencing."  
  
"And WHAT'S wrong with fencing?" Roll cried, stamping her foot. "I find it rather romantic!"  
  
"Yeah, but nothing beats a bunch of cool explosions," Blues shrugged.  
  
"True that," Forte nodded again.  
  
Roll just rolled her eyes. "Boys."  
  
"Rockman!" Netto's voice came out of the air.  
  
"Netto-kun!" Rockman managed as he deflected another sword swipe from Megaman. "Where the heck have you been?"  
  
"Er, Mom called me down for dinner. Did I miss anything?"  
  
Megaman laughed and swung at Rockman again. "With an operator like him, who needs enemies! Now I can see why father wanted to improve you they way he did!"  
  
"Don't remind me," Rockman muttered, ducking the slice and coming up with a lunging attack that forced Megaman back. "Any help would be great, Netto- kun, IF YOU COULD SPARE THE FREAKIN' TIME!"  
  
"Oh, sure! Battle Chip: Custom Sword! Slot in!"  
  
Rockman's free arm glowed and transformed into the wide blade with a small bar that gradually filled up. As the bar filled, the sword became sharper. Megaman was forced to activate another sword to block Rockman's doubled attacks.  
  
Forte watched. "A bit better. Still no explosions though."  
  
"WHAT IS WITH YOU AN EXPLOSIONS?" Roll screamed at the black Navi.  
  
"I like explosions," Forte shrugged. "They're my forte."  
  
"Was that a joke?" Blues glanced at Forte. "Nice. Painful, but nice."  
  
Roll just groaned. What else could she do?  
  
"Battle Chip," Netto's voice rang out, "Variable Sword, Slot in!" Rockman's normal sword was replaced by the oversized, anchor-like blade of the Variable Sword. Rockman grinned at Megaman.  
  
"You know what?" he asked the glowing Navi as he forced him back another step, "I was wrong. You didn't steal EVERYTHING. I still have my friends!" Rockman swung the Variable Sword around in a wide arc and forced Megaman back. "Blues!"  
  
"Finally!" Blues shouted, running forward. Leaping to Rockman's side, he brought his standard sword to bear and the pair of them began to glow. Megaman's good eye widened.  
  
"What the . . .?" was all the evil Navi could managed before the program advance took effect.  
  
"DOUBLE HERO!"  
  
Rockman's swords were replaced by busters and he began blazing away at Megaman. Blues slashed wave after wave of energy at their mutual enemy, and the glowing Navi was caught entirely off guard. Megaman was slammed backward, crying out in both surprise and pain. One of Rockman's buster shots neatly removed his right arm, while a wave of energy from Blues tore his left leg from his body. Plasma and sword waves left their marks all over the glowing Navi.  
  
Roll watched. "They're doing it! I think they might actually beat him!"  
  
Forte looked on. "Amazing. Apart, they're simple rivals, but together . . . this is the force that beat Gospel?"  
  
For the final part of the attack, Rockman and Blues both charged their energies, and sent a combination attack straight through Megaman's chest, leaving a gaping hole right through Megaman's twisted symbol.  
  
The glow died instantly as Megaman fell to the ground. A kind of tense silence filled the place of the sounds of battle.  
  
And then, Megaman faded away.  
  
Rockman let out a whoop as he saw the data left behind. He had Saito.bat back. The other upgrades had been destroyed, but this piece of himself was now back where it belonged. Blues smiled as Rockman rejoiced, and Roll gave the blue Navi a hug.  
  
Forte, however, looked thoughtful. Blues looked at the cloaked Navi. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing, now," Forte said.  
  
They stood in silence for a bit with Roll and Rockman rejoiced. "So," Blues said, "What will you do now, Forte?"  
  
Forte looked up to where the sky would have been in the real world. "The scar on my chest remains as a reminder of the human's betrayal. That scar will not heal, and I will never forgive the humans. But for now . . ." Forte looked at Blues, "it's none of your business, but I warn you to stay on your guard. You may not be as safe as you think you are."  
  
"I'll take that to heart," Blues nodded. Forte gave the red Navi one final look, and was suddenly gone.  
  
Blues looked at Roll and Rockman, who were now excitedly talking with Netto and Mayl. The visored Navi allowed himself a small smile before walking over to the pair of them, allowing himself a small bit of relaxation before Enzan began barking orders at him again. 


	14. Aftermath

AFTERMATH  
  
Life in this world returned, for the most part, to normal. Netto and Rockman went on to live their lives again in peace, at least until they had to save the world again. Somewhere in the Net, Zero rebuilt himself and trained for the day where he might be needed by his small blue friend again.  
  
In a hidden server, Serenade continued to meditate, knowing that soon, Forte would come once more to finish what he had stated.  
  
In a vast area of data untouched by human thought, Forte rested. The Black Navi contemplated the events, and something couldn't help but nag at him. The way Megaman had faded away . . . For some reason, it bothered Forte.  
  
And in the World 3 server, in a part that had beenso heavily protected, Wily himself didn't know it even existed, something gathered the shattered pieces of itself back together. It no longer had the identity it craved, and it knew it had been stolen. It knew it hated a certain blue Navi, and all it could think about was revenge. But for now, the terror known as Megaman can only sit in the darkness and wait for a chance to strike out and destroy his hated rival . . . 


End file.

Mega Man, Adventure