In the year 200X, the Network Age was threatened both by a few who had refused to accept it, and by a shadow from its beginning. Reborn as the ultimate Navi, a child triumphed over impossible odds, helped by his twin. As peace settled in once again, some allowed themselves to forget the tribulations of the WWW, Gospel and Nebula incidents, but others felt that the duo's work would never be truly done. Technology kept advancing, and society prospered, thanks to the efforts of visionary scientists, and despite the occasional inconveniences caused by netcrime and new viruses, things seemed to be going smoothly. In fact, some of the official NetBattlers in charge of handling such disturbances almost complained about the lack of work.

Meanwhile, the children that had saved their world so many times kept living their lives, with their spirits enriched by their unique experiences. Time went by, and ACDC Elementary was expanded to accommodate high school students, much to the delight of Lan and his group of friends. Moving through the years without any further major incidents, eventually the twins reached the age of sixteen. All was well. Little did they know that their adventures had just begun…

In a dark room, a lone figure was sitting in front of a computer. Amidst typing sounds and the soft hum of the device, it took a deep breath. Pausing for a moment to examine the screen, it smiled, rubbing its chin.

"Enough for tonight..." it said to itself. "There's just one last thing left..."

Chapter 1 – The Coming of Change

The old brown house had been empty as long as anyone in the neighborhood could remember. Some believed it had belonged to an old man who had died without heirs, while others thought its last owner had simply decided to leave on a long journey and forgotten all about it. One way or another, it had remained locked, and no one gave it much thought.

One night, however, as everyone slept, a small hoverbike silently dashed into the neighborhood, stopping right in front of the old house. A truck rolled in a few minutes later, and several sealed crates were unloaded in complete silence. A tall figure, wearing a dark hooded raincoat, stepped down from the hoverbike and opened the door, followed by a pair of robots who carefully took everything inside.

A few minutes later, the truck and the robots left, and the tall figure reached for something in its pocket, pushing a few buttons.

"It's done... Thanks again for all your help. I'll let you know as soon as I have confirmed my theory… SciLab...? No... they suspect nothing. Utmost discretion... Don't worry..."

Putting the device away, the figure took the hoverbike inside and closed the door. The night was completely silent once again, and it seemed that no one had noticed this odd arrival.

However, on the other side of the road, a pair of brown eyes were looking through a window, intrigued. For some strange reason, Lan Hikari couldn't sleep. He had a strange feeling of unease that had been bothering him over the last few days, and the most frustrating thing was he didn't even know why he was feeling that way.

Quietly reaching for his small blue PET, he saw a certain familiar blue Navi who appeared to be fast asleep. Shrugging after a few moments, he decided to get some rest himself, even though he doubted he would be able to sleep at all, now that he had started thinking about the suspicious movement outside.

The next morning…

A persistent beep dragged the tired boy from his sleep, reminding him of certain duties. School wasn't being so bad, considering that he had been able to catch his father on one of the rare days when he had less work to do. A few explanations and a bit of extra practice seemed to have done the trick, and he wasn't very worried about the most difficult subjects. Instead, he was getting a bit bored with virus busting classes, which had become dreadfully dull, seeing how he had stormed through the Undernet five times in the last months and faced viruses and Navis that would have proven a challenge even to the most experienced Officials.

MegaMan was already used to the same routine. After calling Lan for the fiftieth time, he finally got up and prepared to leave.

"You haven't said much since you woke up, Lan. Is something wrong?" the blue Navi asked as he saw him put on his usual clothes.

"I hardly got any sleep..." Lan mumbled with a tired look as he put on his usual outfit "And I think I saw something strange last night..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, do you remember that house across the road that's been empty for years? I think I saw someone there last night."

"Maybe someone finally decided to live there. What's so strange about it?"

"You're right, I guess... I just had never seen anyone moving in right in the middle of the night."

MegaMan didn't give it much thought, concentrating instead on reminding Lan of the things he had to do.

"Don't forget that you have a test tomorrow. Do you think you can handle it?"

"No problem. Let's just get going."

Carrying his PET and backpack downstairs, Lan found his parents watching TV. As soon as she noticed him, his mother turned to him.

"You took so long we've already had breakfast. Hurry before you're late! Oh, and I think you shouldn't keep a certain someone waiting..."

Lan noticed how she smiled as she said the last part. He was always being teased because of his friendship with Mayl, and such comments weren't unusual at all. He still couldn't help feeling embarrassed about it though. Quickly eating his breakfast, he ran outside and found her waiting at the usual spot. He couldn't help notice that she was beginning to look a bit more grown up lately, but he didn't say anything to avoid further embarrassment. As usual, there was something neat about her look, with her long black socks, pink miniskirt and blue sleeveless jacket over a green shirt. Her pink hair was carefully combed as well, and some classmates used to make jokes about the reason why she was so careful with elegance right before walking to school with Lan.

"There you are!" she said with an impatient look. "Come on, everyone else must be there by now!"

"Yeah, good morning to you too..." he muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"Hi Mega!" Roll said sweetly from inside her pink PET, making the blue Navi feel a bit embarrassed.

"Hi Roll! You look really cheerful today. What's up?"

She just giggled, as if up to something.

On the way to school, they just talked about general subjects. Lan was very amused to hear about a little incident involving Dex and a few snapturtles, but he was mostly concentrated on staying awake. Fortunately the school was hardly far, and they soon reached the gate.

Something didn't seem quite normal though, since there was a large truck parked nearby, and several technicians were examining the fountain in the courtyard.

"Hmmm... What's going on?" Lan asked to himself.

One of the technicians was carrying several large sheets of paper, and a roll of adhesive tape, sticking one on the gate and a few others on the inner door. Intrigued, Lan and Mayl approached and took a look at them.

The papers read:

"NOTICE: Due to a sudden plumbing problem of still-unknown dimensions, school will be closed for the next three days. We apologize for any inconvenience."

"Weird..." Mayl said. "The plumbing around here isn't that old, is it?"

On the other hand, Lan smiled, since that meant he would have more time to relax before the test.

"Well, what are we gonna do now?" he asked.

Mayl took something from her backpack and showed it to him. It was a pamphlet from SciLab about a new exhibit.

"What's this...? History of Navis exhibit? Well, it's not like we have anything better to do."

"And I heard someone we know is going to be there too..."

Lan wondered who she might be talking about, but he thought she wanted to surprise him.

"Well, let me just drop my backpack at home... What time does this thing open?"

"Let's see... Ah, yes, at noon. That means we still have a few hours. I wonder where Dex and Yai are..."

"Looking for us?" a girl's voice suddenly asked.

Lan and Mayl turned around and saw a blonde-haired girl with long bangs in a red dress and matching shoes, who appeared to be a couple of years younger than them, and a very large heavily tanned boy with blue shorts, a green t-shirt and bulky sneakers.

"Just who we were talking about!" Mayl said, showing them the pamphlet. "Are you coming too?"

Dex and Yai looked at the pamphlet and nodded.

"Sounds cool!" Dex said.

"Maybe we can learn something new..." Yai agreed.

"I'll be right back. Catch you at the park?" Lan asked.

"Sure, go leave that thing at home, and we can practice some battling till noon!" Dex replied.

Lan nodded and dashed home, excited with the thought of seeing something new. Along the way, he couldn't help thinking about the subject of the exhibit.

"History of Navis... Hmmm... I know a certain Navi who would be better left out..." he thought.

Lan and MegaMan couldn't help remembering a certain Navi who seemed completely psychotic, a Navi that was so deeply lost in his hate for humans he would do anything to become more powerful. Bass, the self-styled Dark Messiah. Somehow, he had managed to survive being absorbed by Alpha, and had reappeared deep in the Undernet. Awakened by MegaMan's Dark Soul, he had then descended deep into the Black Earth, swelling with power, and growing even darker.

Even though MegaMan and Lan had defeated him several times, he always kept appearing again when they least expected it.

Casting those thoughts aside as he opened the door to his home, Lan found the living room empty. His father was always busy, and he was likely on his way to SciLab once again. He found his mother upstairs, removing a few curtains for cleaning.

"Back so soon?" she asked as she saw him.

"Looks like there's something wrong with the plumbing and they closed the place down while they're checking it. By the way, I'm going to SciLab at noon. There's something interesting being held there."

"All right, just don't be back late."

Quickly dropping his backpack in his room, he dashed back out and headed to the park, where the others were waiting.

"All right!" Dex said as he arrived "We haven't had the time to do any serious battling since the Den Battle Tournament, but now... hehehehe!"

Lan's temporary relocation to Cyber City had been a painful episode that most were trying to forget. The forced separation had thankfully been ended after the conclusion of the Cybeast incident, and with the recent expansions to the school they would get to spend a couple more years together before having to trace their individual future paths. A lot of plans had been put on hold by the Nebula takeover even before that, and the two rivals had barely had time to indulge themselves since then.

"Bring it on!" Lan replied, eager to see how much he had improved.

"Don't think I'm goin' easy on ya! Yee-haw!" GutsMan shouted from his PET.

MegaMan prepared himself, and the battle soon began. Since he expected GutsMan to put up a good fight, he equipped the folder he had used to defeat Duo in the asteroid, at the end of the first Nebula incident.

"Ready..." Lan started.

"... set..." Dex continued.

"GO!" The two shouted at the same time, activating their PETs' wireless connection.

The usual eighteen tiles divided into two sides appeared, and MegaMan started charging his buster. Lan took a look at the available chips, and decided to send in a NeoVari. GutsMan moved closer and started firing his buster and hammering the floor as usual, sending shockwaves through the lines, but MegaMan dodged them with ease, since he was already familiar with that strategy. Waiting for an opening, he dashed forward as GutsMan was about to fire again, and seizing the NeoVari, he unleashed a green energy wave that swept through the battlefield, striking and stunning GutsMan.

"What the hell was that?" Dex asked, watching the size of the energy wave.

"A little something I picked up when I was trying to get into Black Earth." Lan replied. He still remembered how eager the others had been to listen to him as he told the strange things he had found in the depths of the net.

MegaMan went into Full Synchro, taking advantage of the counter momentarily stunning his opponent, and started firing his buster as fast as he could, hammering GutsMan before he could move again. Still, he waited a split second too much before moving away, and GutsMan suddenly hit him with a Guts Straight, knocking him back.

"Ooof! Bad move..." MegaMan moaned, right before GutsMan sent his fist flying towards him.

Dodging in a hurry, he started moving around erratically, as the tank-sized Navi kept firing his fists nonstop. Lan sent in an AreaGrab and a Sanctuary chip, which MegaMan used as soon as he saw his opponent moving to the back row. First, his movement area expanded, seizing GutsMan's front row, and then all of the panels in his area turned into holy panels.

"Are you planning what I think you are, Lan?" MegaMan asked.

"Hehehehehehehe! Maybe..." Lan replied.

"This isn't exactly Bass we're fighting... Poor Guts is in for an unpleasant surprise…" the blue Navi thought.

"Another chip you found down there, right?" Dex asked "Just watch GutsMan crack those wimpy panels!"

The massive Navi's hands turned into large hammers, and he slammed them into the ground, cracking some of the panels on MegaMan's side and causing huge rock chunks to fall from above.

"Damn! I shouldn't have sent Sanctuary without another certain chip..." Lan thought, looking at his available chips. He noticed two M-Cannons just waiting to be used and sent them right away.

"Ah! Now that's better!" MegaMan said.

He stepped to the front row, hoping to lure GutsMan closer, and watched as his opponent took the bait and moved in front of him, readying his buster. Just as GutsMan was about to fire, he stepped backwards, taking refuge in the back row. GutsMan's buster shots dissipated in the air after going through three squares, and MegaMan fired one of the cannons at his face before he could move again.

"I really oughta modify that Buster..." Dex thought "He's done this every time we fought..."

He then sent GutsMan a Hammer chip, paired with an extra attack chip. GutsMan took a step back, slammed his fists on the floor, sending a shockwave in MegaMan's direction, and then moved down, following his evasive maneuver.

"Uhhh... Dex..." GutsMan said, suddenly realizing something as MegaMan prepared to fire the second cannon at his face.

"What, Guts?"

"I don't think this here hammer is gonna be of much use since he's grabbed our front row and pulled back."

"Doh!"

One large M-Cannon blast later...

"That was some fancy shootin', partner!" GutsMan said, rubbing the side of his head.

"I can't wait for the next battle!" MegaMan replied as the two bumped fists. "You're getting better."

"I should have sent that LongBlade that was right next to the Hammer... Now I feel silly." Dex said.

"It's OK Dex. You should have seen that time when I was fighting Bass and sent in a Vulcan 3. MegaMan was a sitting duck for a while, and got hit really hard by his buster."

"You can say that again!" MegaMan agreed "That thing hurt! Why do PETs have the Chip Randomizer turned on by default anyway?"

"I'm surprised, Dex! You actually lasted more than thirty seconds this time." Yai said with a grin.

"Why you little..." Dex mumbled.

"Isn't it almost suspicious how those two are always acting like this?" MegaMan thought out loud.

"What did you say?" Dex asked, with his eyes wide open.

"Erm... nothing... hehehehe!"

"Mega, I didn't know you had such a sick mind..." Yai said, making an odd expression as if she was about to throw up. "You've been spending too much time with that brother of yours."

Everyone else ended up laughing out loud for a while, as Dex and Yai stared at each other like rabid dogs. After that, they sat down on the park's bench, enjoying the peace and quiet of the area. Luckily, Dex had brought along a few snacks, and everyone enjoyed them as they talked about the last few weeks.

"So Dex... what was that I heard about an accident with a few snapturtles?" Lan asked with a smile.

"Erm... Well... I went to the Yoka zoo again a few days ago, and they had just sent in a bunch of little turtles. They looked kinda cute, but when I got closer to take a better look, one of them bit my nose..." he said, feeling a bit silly.

"How did that happen anyway?" Yai asked.

"Well, they set up a pond just for them... and when I went there, the fence wasn't up yet. Now that you mention it, Chisao almost freaked out when he saw the turtle clinging to my face."

"The examples you set for that boy..." Yai said "It's a wonder he doesn't have any trauma or hasn't turned into a delinquent yet."

Lan noticed how eager she was to tease Dex, but he didn't see him react at first. Instead, Dex was enjoying a few mental images of himself tying Yai to one of the branches of a nearby tree and leaving her there, and couldn't help grinning evilly.

"All right, you two... That's enough for now." Mayl said. She suddenly noticed a beeping sound coming from her PET, and picked it up to check the screen. She caught Roll trying to use its wireless transmitter, and the pink Navi was looking very embarrassed to have been found out.

"Roll, what are you up to in there?" she asked.

"Erm... I... nothing..." she replied with an innocent look.

Lan could have sworn he'd heard MegaMan mumbling something at the same time.

"So, anyway... what do you say we get into the net to kill some time?" Yai suggested.

"Sounds good." Mayl replied.

"All right!" Dex said.

"I'll see you in a minute then." Lan added.

As they all left for their respective homes, Lan pulled out his PET and looked at the screen. He found MegaMan sitting down, apparently thinking about something.

"Hey MegaMan... Is something wrong?"

"No, not really... I just wonder..."

"What?"

"Well, is it just me, or was Roll acting a bit strangely today?"

Lan just shrugged.

"Girls... I don't understand them either."

As usual, Lan dashed to his room and jacked in. MegaMan felt the familiar sense of displacement and then found himself inside the computer. A couple of programs were around, apparently performing regular maintenance, and a few sticker-like squares on the floor were flashing, each of them with a distinctive image.

"How long has this soccer ball wallpaper been here anyway?" the blue Navi thought as he looked around.

Taking a few more steps, he saw a glowing round gateway in front of him. As soon as he stepped on it, he found himself in the Cyberworld's ACDC area, which he was quite familiar with.

Several paths stood suspended in the middle of a seemingly endless space, as changing images moved in the background. A yellow path stood in contrast with the others, marking the main street. He followed it as he was used to, and passed by a couple of larger square areas that were in the same relative position as the houses in the real world. He also noticed that the entrance to each square area was blocked by a large gray cube, which had a green display with a red X. None of this was new to him, but he noticed something unfamiliar. As he looked back, however, he saw a new square area that he had never seen before, very close to the place from where he had entered the Cyberworld.

"Hmmm... Maybe Lan was right..." he thought to himself as he moved forward, following the yellow path to its arrow-shaped end and stepping into the next area.

He was surprised to have walked through a whole section of the Cyberworld without encountering a single virus, but he didn't give it much thought. He was getting pretty sick of always fighting the same beings, especially when he was just trying to go for a stroll around the block.

Following the yellow path, he soon reached a larger square area, where he found the other Navis. GutsMan looked even bigger when standing next to the others, and some Navis in the area had nicknamed him the Red Piledriver, for obvious reasons.

As usual, Roll was looking pretty cute in her pink suit, and her golden hair seemed even brighter on that day. Her green eyes glittered and she almost jumped as MegaMan walked by, making the other Navis smile and snicker. Glide lost his usual serious expression for a while, and was looking quite satisfied to be with his friends.

"Hmmm... This place looks a bit different..." MegaMan commented, as Roll moved closer. For some strange reason, the entire network's structure seemed to be arbitrarily changed every couple of months or so, and not even the main street's color scheme remained the same for long.

Mayl's face appeared on a screen above them.

"Haven't you heard? It looks like the Cyber Square is reopening."

Lan and the others had often wondered why the Cyber Squares had been completely inaccessible over the last few months. He remembered that a ranked Navi from the Undernet had posted a challenge to MegaMan there during the second WWW incident, but even though the Officials could overreact at times, he didn't think they would shut all the Cyber Squares down over such a small thing.

"How do we get there?" MegaMan asked.

"Simple enough." Glyde said, pointing at a warp point with a square frame in the middle of the area they were on. "We were waiting for you before checking it out."

"Shall we?" Roll asked.

MegaMan nodded and led the way, stepping into the warp point. He was soon followed by the others, and they found themselves in a welcoming place with a light blue floor and a background with the word ACDC in changing fonts and sizes.

There were a few netdealers in the area, behind their counters, and a smaller square area held what looked like a set of bulletin boards. A couple of Navis were there, reading the posts or talking to each other, absolutely relaxed. On the other side of the Square, however, there seemed to be some sort of commotion.

The group moved closer to see what was going on, and they saw what appeared to be a small library for Navis, with text files sorted by title and subject, and a few seats. A dark purple Navi with sharp claws and edgy eyes and a pink one with an average look were watching as an Official's Navi argued with a stranger. They immediately recognized the Official by his red armor, long white hair and odd helmet with a black visor, and if that wasn't enough, he had already pulled out his purple beam saber.

"Hey ProtoMan! What are you doing here?" MegaMan asked.

The Navi turned his head to him with an exasperated expression.

"I figured I'd run into you sooner or later..."

A screen appeared above their heads, showing a slightly older boy with an annoyed expression, who had a strange kind of hair, with the top section white and the sides black. He had blue eyes and was wearing a red jacket.

"Well if it isn't the happy bunch..." he grumbled "I suppose you'll be wanting to interfere with this as well..."

"And if it isn't Mr. Grouch!" Lan replied "Tell me, were you born with that bad temper?"

"Humph. I'm not in the mood for this, so be a good boy and back off."

"Just what's going on in here anyway?" MegaMan asked.

"A suspicious Navi with no identification." ProtoMan replied, pointing at another red Navi in front of him.

This stranger was wearing a red set of full body armor with golden decorations and shoulder fins, and an odd helmet that covered his face. He also had a red cape and was carrying a large shield, marked with a golden sword. They couldn't help notice the glowing eyes under the black visor, and the huge sword in his right hand.

"All this just because I'm a stranger here?" he protested. "Such xenophobia! What are you going to do next, delete newcomers just because you don't know them?"

"That's not a bad idea..." Chaud replied with his usual bluntness. Lan and the others couldn't tell if he was serious or not. "For the last time, who are you, and who is your operator?"

"Humph. If I was Bass, I doubt you'd bother me with technicalities... My name is Gallant, and that's all I intend to tell you."

As soon as the stranger turned away to leave, ProtoMan cut him off, holding his saber in a threatening manner.

"Hold it! How do you know about Bass anyway? That's classified information!" Chaud interjected.

"I have nothing more to say to you, Eugene Chaud. I answer only to one person, and you are most definitely not them."

ProtoMan growled in irritation.

"Permission to delete this loose-tongued Navi, sir..."

"That might not be such a bad idea..." Chaud thought out loud, keeping up his tough cop act.

"Pah!" Gallant said, unimpressed by the bravado. "If you want to fight me, then let's take it elsewhere. This place is too crowded, and I don't want your recklessness to endanger innocent bystanders. In fact, I've got a mind to report both of you for abuse of authority."

"Why you..." ProtoMan said, clenching his fist. "Name your place!"

"Black Earth!" he replied without hesitation.

"What?" Lan and Chaud asked at the same time.

"Oh, that's right... I believe you don't possess the five Evil Chips that unlock the entrance... Let's make it... Memorial Tower then. It should be nice and quiet."

Without another word, he jacked out.

"Memorial Tower it is..." Chaud said. "ProtoMan, let's go!"

ProtoMan jacked out as well, leaving Lan and MegaMan confused.

"How did he know about Black Earth and the five Evil Chips?" MegaMan asked himself.

Lan made up his mind.

"Hmmmm... First those suspicious movements in the old house last night, and now this... It's settled. We've got to go after those two."

"Don't forget us!" Yai said through another screen.

"We want to know what this is all about too!" Dex agreed.

The group left the Cyber Square and headed out to another section of ACDC. They kept going until they reached the Electown area, and then located the warp point that led to the Memorial Tower's Cyberworld.

Lan and MegaMan knew this place too well, since they had rescued Roll and faced ShadeMan for the first time in this eerie place. The floor looked metallic, and there was a familiar stone marking the site, but this time they were glad to see that someone had conveniently set up a bridge to the rest of the area. MegaMan would have gladly used it during the ShadeMan incident, if it had been there.

Roll shivered a bit as she remembered this place. She grabbed MegaMan's arm, and, surprised, he tried to hide his embarrassment.

"It's all right, Roll... no one's going to kidnap you while I'm here… Not this time." he whispered to her. He couldn't help thinking how good it felt to have her holding to him like that.

The group reached the deepest area of the Tower's Cyberworld with ease, and like before, there wasn't a single virus in sight.

"Maybe the Officials are doing a network sweep or something..." MegaMan thought.

Going through the last doorway, they reached an average-sized rectangular area, that had two large loudspeakers at the far corners. The two red Navis were already there, exchanging blows.

"You think you can just harass people as you please?" Gallant shouted. "I'll show you!"

The knight-like Navi dashed forward and jumped, swinging his blade downwards with tremendous strength. ProtoMan blocked the attack with his shield, but was still knocked back. He jumped backwards and performed a wide slash, which Gallant blocked with ease, then countering with a rising slash that could have chopped his right arm clean off if he hadn't stepped back at the last instant.

"Humph... You're not as bad as you look..." ProtoMan commented.

Gallant smiled silently, and his right arm glowed a bit. He lunged forward, expecting ProtoMan to attempt a parry, and so he did. However, as soon as he finished, Gallant knocked his sword arm aside with his shield, and his huge sword suddenly changed into a Buster. There was a large flash, followed by an explosion, and ProtoMan was knocked into the air, flying to the edge of the platform.

"What the hell was that?" Chaud asked in disbelief. "ProtoMan, what's your status?"

ProtoMan just snarled, getting up with a furious look. While that blast seemed to have been more for show than actual damage, the stranger seemed to be making a point of making him look like a fool, and he did not appreciate that.

"I can't believe I fell for that... Now you're REALLY in for it!"

Chaud watched as he stepped forward, clenching his chest with his left hand and staring at his opponent with a murderous look. He seemed to charge up for a moment, and then, he vanished into the air and reappeared right in front of Gallant.

"Take this!" he shouted, violently slashing at him. Gallant was caught off-guard, and nearly dropped his shield with the impact. Before ProtoMan had the time to fall back, however, he punched him straight in the face, cracking his helmet. That only made him madder, and he started slashing at him with increasing force, forcing Gallant to swing his blade as fast as he could in order to parry such a furious offensive.

Lan and the others watched the fight, surprised by ProtoMan's fury and by the stranger's skill. He was obviously no amateur, seeing how he fought. The battle seemed to be at a standstill, however, since ProtoMan had managed to land some pretty violent blows but had clearly been damaged by that Buster shot – not to the point where it would be a danger but still enough to slow him down.

"This guy's good!" MegaMan said.

"Well, he's got guts, taking ProtoMan on like that!" GutsMan agreed.

The two opponents were getting increasingly vicious, but neither of them wanted to resort to battle chips. As such, they unleashed extremely violent attacks that nearly destroyed each other's shields. ProtoMan lunged forward and tried to slash at him again, but Gallant knocked his sword arm away again and hit him with a strong headbutt that made MegaMan clench his teeth just by watching.

"I sure needed a workout..." Gallant said with sudden cheer.

"Grrr! What's in that Navi anyway?" Chaud grumbled.

ProtoMan was feeling humiliated. He was hardly willing to lose to a complete stranger in front of his operator and a bunch of kids, but he wasn't sure what to do. The last time he had been in so much trouble was in a fight against hundreds of Nebula's Navis, and he had been forced to do something unspeakable. He couldn't help feeling tempted, but then he remembered the consequences and reconsidered.

"There's just one thing left..." he thought.

Retreating to the back row, he started charging up again. Gallant made no effort to pursue him, even though he could have easily hit him with his Buster. Instead, he raised his shield, eager to see what his adversary was up to.

Channeling all his available energy, ProtoMan unleashed a large energy wave that quickly swept the battlefield, almost crushing Gallant's shield and knocking him back.

"Whoa!" Lan shouted. "I didn't know he could do that!"

Suddenly, a voice was heard.

"Knock it off, you two! We have no time for this!"

Everyone turned to the entrance of the section and saw an orange Navi that appeared to be of the standard Official model.

"Who are you?" ProtoMan asked.

"This is no time for chit-chat! Chaud, ProtoMan, you're needed at SciLab, and you're already late! I had to go through all of Electopia's network just to find you, because I have secret information I can't send by mail. Come on!"

"Grrrr... Saved by the bell. You won't be so lucky next time." Chaud said.

Gallant grinned in defiance, looking at his battered opponent.

"Not bad, not bad at all... ProtoMan, isn't it?"

"Humph."

"Well, you're uptight and kind of pompous, but you know your stuff. If you want a rematch, let me know. I'll be checking ACDC's Cyber Square boards regularly from now on."

"I... appreciate the challenge." the enforcer Navi said, his tone surprisingly carrying much less of the earlier edge.

ProtoMan followed the Official out of the Tower area, leaving MegaMan and the others looking at Gallant. Noticing their interest, he turned to the blue Navi.

"MegaMan, correct? I've heard a lot about you."

"Well, then you have an advantage over me, because all I know is what I've just seen."

"As I've said, my name is Gallant. I'm a knight of sorts."

"I hope you're not related to KnightMan..."

"Heh, no..."

"But by the way..."

"You're wondering how I know of Black Earth, right?"

"Well, yeah..."

"I've been around. I was practicing in the Undernet even before Bass ended up in there, so I had plenty of time to get all the Evil Chips. Not that I'd ever use them. Those things are repugnant..."

"Did you go all the way into Black Earth?"

"Just the first few mirrors… and that was enough for me. Perhaps one day we will speak of what I found there."

"How do you know about me?"

"Well, it would be difficult not to, seeing how you've saved the world six times in a row, but I also have my... connections."

Suddenly a siren was heard.

"Hmmm..." Gallant said, looking somewhat unsettled. "I'm sorry I can't stay longer, but I'm needed elsewhere. I'm sure we'll meet again."

Before anyone could say another word, he disappeared.

"Well, it's not every day that we get to watch such a fierce battle." Glyde said.

Lan and MegaMan were intrigued, to say the least, about the whole situation, and more than a little curious about the stranger.

"Gallant... Hmmm... He looks… different." MegaMan thought out loud. "Not the design, but… something inside."

"Well, it's almost noon, so the exhibit is about to open." Mayl suddenly said. "Should we get going?"

"Might as well..." Lan replied. "There's nothing more to see here."

Roll seemed to be spacing out, thinking about something embarrassing, and hesitated for a while before speaking out.

"Erm... Lan, Mayl... could you do me a little favor before we go?"

"Huh? Erm... sure..." Lan babbled.

"What's that, Roll?" Mayl asked.

The pink Navi blushed and stared at the floor.

"Well... could you... erm... connect your PETs? I have some... private things to discuss with Mega..."

GutsMan started laughing and playfully elbowed MegaMan.

"Way to go, cowboy!"

The blue Navi was surprised, to say the least, and he wondered what she was up to. He couldn't help feeling embarrassed, and he suddenly thought how nice it would be to use an invisibility chip at times like this. Everyone jacked out and met in front of the Metroline station.

Mayl took her PET out and activated the wireless connection system.

"Let's just leave them alone for now..." she said with a smile.

"I wonder..." Lan thought out loud.

The trip to SciLab was pretty quick and uneventful. The group mostly thought about the intriguing Navi they had met, and about the things they would see at the exhibit. Although it was common knowledge that two generations of Hikari scientists had brought about the Network Age, PETs and Navis included, there were bound to be many interesting stories about the twists and turns of their research.

Having faced Wily and then Regal in the past, Lan couldn't help wonder if he would somehow be able to learn more about the circumstances of the robotics scientist's descent into madness.

As Lan dwelled in his thoughts, MegaMan heard what Roll had to say. The pink Navi was quite delighted to finally get a chance to speak in private, and went straight to the point.

"You're always fighting..." she started. "Nothing ever seems to beat you, and I can't express how I feel after all the times you've saved me. But above that, you're a good friend, and that's why I think I can ask you this..."

MegaMan blinked and blushed violently, wondered what she was going to say next.

"I... Next time something happens... I want to be right there... and I want to fight too. But until then, I still need to get stronger." she continued.

She paused to look at him and smiled before continuing.

"I remember that match we had in the tournament... and even though I had a great time, I feel I can't ask you to fight me again... I know how painful it is for you."

MegaMan was relieved to hear those words. For a second, he was almost afraid she'd ask him to fight her again, and he still remembered how uncomfortable he had felt before.

"So... what do you have in mind?" he hesitantly asked.

"I'm going to keep training until I can beat ProtoMan myself... and I've found a little something that should help me become stronger."

MegaMan wondered what she was talking about, and several thoughts crossed his mind. First, he was afraid she might be talking about using Dark Chips, but then he remembered that she hadn't been exposed to them, and he believed that she'd never resort to them. He then wondered if that 'something' was her feelings for him, and felt really embarrassed.

"What exactly are you talking about Roll?" he asked.

Roll smiled in a way that made him feel warm and shiver at the same time.

"Do you remember a certain little... resonance during our match?"

"How could I forget?" he replied, remembering how weird he'd felt the first few times he used the power of Soul Unison to merge with her essence.

"Well... guess what I found out a couple of weeks ago..." she said with a happy twinkle on her eyes.

The blue Navi blinked and then something came to his mind.

"You mean...?"

Roll giggled a bit and pulled out a strange chip he had never seen before. It looked somewhat normal, except for the name on the label: MegaBuster1.

"What's that thing?" he asked "I've never seen anything like it."

"Well, I asked a friend from SciLab to create a few battle chips based on your abilities... I wanted to have something to feel closer to you when I'm fighting. This one has roughly as much power as one of your fully charged buster shots. After the first of them were ready, I tried a little something, out of curiosity..."

The chip in her hand started glowing and vanished, and then Roll herself started glowing with a white light. When the light faded, she was covered by a blue suit that looked a lot like MegaMan's. Surprised and flattered at the same time, he blinked and took a good look at her.

"Does Mayl know you've been doing those weird experiments?" he finally asked.

"She was all too happy to give me a hand..." she replied with a grin "So, what do you think?"

"You make blue look good." he replied with a soft laugh "And since you're in the mood for cosplay..."

He then pulled out one of the thousands of minor recovery chips from his collection and held it in his hand. The chip started glowing and then vanished, and then he glowed white just as Roll had. When the light faded, his suit had turned pink, and there were two pairs of golden half-hoops around his head. Roll started laughing out loud when she saw the effect.

"Mega, I don't think my hairstyle is meant for you... Those things look like horns on your head!" she joked as she rolled on the floor laughing.

The two laughed a lot at the strange unisons, oblivious to what was happening outside. The train soon reached the station, and they decided to end the conversation for the time being, so they wouldn't get teased by their operators.

As the doors opened and everyone stepped into the station, Lan noticed several kids who seemed to be on a field trip. Before anyone could notice him, he hid behind Mayl and lowered his head.

"Let me know when they're gone..." he whispered with a look of panic on his face. "I don't think I can take another bunch of kids going hyper and asking for autographs… for an hour in a row."

The others just smiled. Even though things had calmed down after the latest major incident, some people still recognized him on the street, and he had even been forced to run away from a few small fan mobs. Even though he was a bit lacking as far as modesty was concerned, he had soon become sick of it all. Fortunately the kids didn't see him, entertained as they were.

Lan noticed a tall young man with brown hair and shades, wearing a training suit and carrying a bamboo sword of the kind used by kendo practitioners.

"Well well... look who it is..." he thought.

"I didn't know Mr. Famous was here today." Mayl said, looking the same way.

"Now's our chance to sneak by..." Lan said with an uncomfortable look on his face.

The young man noticed the small group and smiled as he saw Lan hiding from potential rabid fans. He couldn't help chuckling to himself as he gave him a thumbs-up. He then turned back to the little children.

"OK, do you have any questions for KendoMan? Or do you want to keep going?"

A boy with a mischievous look on his face approached and looked at the young man's PET. A stern-looking Navi in a full kendo outfit was on the screen, with a bamboo sword as long as his height.

"Hey KendoMan, are you one of those Jedi Knight dudes that show up in the movies?" the kid asked, making the others laugh.

KendoMan made a strange expression under his mask, as if he had been called an ugly name.

"JEDI? I don't have time to watch those movies! I have lots of lazy Navis that need to get into shape, and I can't be goofing off! Besides, those movies are ridiculous! If you want to watch something, go for Kurosawa!" he grumbled, making a sumo wrestler's voice that amused the kids.

"KendoMan, you look like Darth Vader with that weird mask!" the same kid replied with a grin.

KendoMan sighed and shook his head.

"Kids… No respect for Eastern traditions." he mumbled, before going back to savagely beating a cyber punching bag.

Famous just laughed at the scene.

"Poor KendoMan..." he thought in amusement. "He's a bit too strict for his own good."

Then, a second voice came from the PET, sounding like a rowdy biker of sorts.

"Let me handle the kids, gramps. You just go back to playin' with your toothpick."

"Why you..." KendoMan growled.

A strange Navi then appeared on the screen, looking even stranger than the first. His shoulders looked like a pair of spiked reddish yo-yos, and his limbs seemed quite flexible. He was wearing spiked orange gauntlets and had a weird hairdo that reminded most people of a psychotic hedgehog.

"Punk, you look even more ridiculous than last time!" KendoMan mumbled, sending his fist right through the punching bag.

Lan couldn't help laughing out loud at such bickering, but the kids were too amused to notice him, and he took the chance to climb the stairs in front of him and move on to SciLab, followed by the others.

"I see KendoMan is the same as ever." MegaMan commented.

"Hey, do you think he'll take on Guts as his apprentice?" Dex asked.

"Maybe... but he's really strict about his training." the blue Navi remarked.

"I don't think that's such a good idea..." GutsMan said.

The conversation was cut short as they entered the lobby.

Lan recognized the functional and tidy space, with its characteristic light colors and busy reception desks. There seemed to be a lot more movement than usual, and there were several extra receptionists in the area, some of them trying to deal with the routine work while the others handled the visitor groups. Lan just proceeded, not bothering to ask for directions.

He knew the place well, and the staff members were used to seeing him around. Suddenly he looked at the request board, and then at the elevator, and he couldn't help thinking about a certain incident, back during the second WWW offensive. He clenched his fists as he remembered how Match had tricked him into spreading around the very programs the pyromaniac had then used to set the entire complex ablaze, along with most of the surrounding internet areas.

MegaMan noticed his nervous state and decided to say something.

"You're thinking about you-know-what, right?" he quietly asked.

"Yeah..."

"You're not still blaming yourself, are you?"

"No..." Lan replied as his expression became considerably darker. "But one day I'll get him for that..."

Lan had taken a long time to get over the entire incident, and he had eventually told Mayl about it, asking her to keep it between them. Now, she was right next to them, and she could read his nervous glances as he remembered the places where he had unwittingly delivered the accursed bits of data.

Even though SciLab was relocated to new facilities every couple of years, the current layout reminded him too much of that time. Noticing him tensing up, Mayl found herself putting a hand on his shoulder, which startled him and made him look behind. He calmed down as soon as he realized what was happening, but she kept her hand there, just in case. Thankfully, Dex and Yai didn't notice this gesture, or they would have teased them both for at least a couple of hours.

A few scientists were sitting at a couch in the corridor, watching TV and enjoying some warm drinks. They looked tired, but extremely happy, no doubt taking a rest after a long assignment. One of them spotted the group and got up, calling them with a gesture. He looked especially at Lan, and smiled. He was of average height and build, with bulky glasses, short brown hair and blue eyes, and was wearing an ID card with the name "Dr. Shintaro". He seemed to be in his late twenties, and had a keen and piercing gaze that picked up every tiny detail.

"Ah, I was sure we'd see you here!" he said "We hope you'll like the exhibit. There's a little surprise there... I hope you'll spot it. And by the way, remember the virus breeder you were trying out a couple of years ago?"

Lan smiled back at him.

"Sure I do... Finding those tame viruses was tough, but taking care of them was fun. How are they doing anyway?"

"Better than ever! We've been giving them a special training, and we've also come up with a few ID devices so they won't get mistaken with other viruses. At this rate, maybe they'll be ready to help us keep our systems clean soon."

MegaMan also had fond memories of the little creatures. They had taken a liking to him, and some would behave like regular pets as soon as they spotted him. Bug Frags were an odd choice of food, but he wasn't one to complain. They were being put to good use, he thought, instead of drifting around and messing up other Navis' systems.

"Lan, do you think we can check up on them later?" he asked.

"Sure! Oh, and by the way Dr..." Lan said, looking back at the scientist "I was wondering where I could find some more stuff on the early Navis, Alpha... and maybe a little about Bass."

"I didn't know you were so interested in history..." the scientist said, delighted by his curiosity.

"Well, since my family has a certain connection to this stuff, and I have a few fights with Bass on my personal record, I thought I'd learn more about it. I still don't get it how Alpha became self-aware though."

"Hmmm... I'm going to the archives in a while. I'll send you all the files I can find. Oh, by the way, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but there are lots of Officials around too. I think something else is happening, but they're keeping quiet."

"Now that you mention it... today a strange Navi appeared in ACDC Square. Chaud and ProtoMan ticked him off and he challenged them... for a fight on Black Earth!"

The scientist's expression changed instantly.

"B-Black Earth?" he asked, startled at such a name "But how would he...?"

"The name isn't unknown to you, right?"

"Well, I get new chips from Higsby now and then, and he told me stories about that place. I hear that MegaMan actually went down there... is it true?"

"Yeah, we went there, all right. It was pretty weird, if you ask me. There were lots of Navi shades around, too."

"The effects of Dark Chip use have never been studied by SciLab for obvious reasons... but did you find anything else in there?"

"Well, I should keep this a secret, but... I also found a chip with a very special aura..."

"Do you mean... The Life Aura?"

"Yeah... Bass must have dropped it or something. And there were several mirrors there too... each of them had something like a dark copy of a Navi we know. And at the end there was a huge mirror. It brought out MegaMan's Dark Soul... and we kicked its ass!"

"There is that expression of confronting inner darkness, but I don't think they meant it quite so literally." the scientist pondered. "Does your father know you've been there?"

"Well, I think so. He loves hearing about the stuff MegaMan and I find when we're exploring."

Dr. Shintaro suddenly frowned, remembering one of the subjects Lan had brought up.

"It's a shame about Bass... My father worked here when that mess took place. Poor Dr. Cossack too. Getting blamed for Alpha's wrongdoings and all..."

"That reminds me, I haven't seen Cossack since he was discharged from the hospital." Lan recalled. "Where did he go?"

"Who knows? After the slander he had to put up with back in the Alpha Rebellion, it's no wonder he'd have nothing more to do with SciLab. I regret to say that I never got to meet him myself, but I do hear he's a genius. If he was still here, that mess with Nebula would never have gone as far as it did. I'd hate to imagine what would have happened if Regal had had his way with the asteroid, or Nebula Gray hadn't been stopped."

As the scientist gazed into his own thoughts, Lan spotted Chaud coming out of the elevator, along with a group of Officials.

"I'll talk to you again later, Dr." Lan excused himself.

"Anytime..." Dr. Shintaro replied with a nod.

Yai had watched the entire conversation, and was rather surprised.

"Lan is growing up really fast… and already larger than life to some." she thought "I wonder if we'll be able to keep up with him."

Her thoughts were cut short, as Chaud split from the group of Officials and approached them.

"I figured I'd see you here." he said to Lan.

"Looks like you've calmed down a bit." Lan replied "So, did you find anything about that Gallant guy?"

Chaud's expression changed, and he looked around before turning to Lan.

"I'm not supposed to do this, but I have to give you some credit for the asteroid incident and that little special forces team... and everything else in between really. Let's get out of here. I have something important to tell you."

Dex and Yai looked at each other, intrigued. The group followed Chaud into the ample room that housed the virus breeder, which was fortunately empty. After everyone got in, Chaud made sure they weren't being watched and closed the door. He pulled out his red PET and connected it to one of the computers. Aware that everyone's attention was focused on him, he pushed a button. A few images appeared on the screen, likely captured during the fight between Gallant and ProtoMan.

"This Navi..." he started. "Is unlike anything I've ever seen before. He acts with a level of independence even greater than ProtoMan's. I've been going through a record I made of the battle, and... I have to admit that the equipment I used to analyze it was useless. The readings went off the scale, but there was something else... I can't put my finger on it. I hope this Navi isn't planning to cause more trouble, because that would make a huge mess."

"Tell me something Chaud..." Lan said. "Who made ProtoMan? Did you program him yourself?"

Chaud frowned, since that was, in his opinion, an intimate question.

"I'd rather not say... but I did customize him myself."

"Well, all of our Navis are one of a kind." Yai interrupted "That Gallant... he seems completely different from normal Navis. On ProtoMan's level by the look of it. I saw those moves, and whoever programmed him was a pro."

"And that brings us to the second matter..." Chaud said.

"Does it have anything to do with that Official Navi that called ProtoMan in the middle of the fight?" Dex asked.

Chaud nodded.

"Yes... But this information is classified. I need you to swear that you won't comment this with anyone else."

"Of course!" Lan said. "But since we're here, maybe you can tell me a few things. I thought Match had been arrested after the Alpha incident. What was he doing in the Den Battle Tournament some time ago? And teaching at Cyber City after that? And where's Cossack? Nobody around here knows where he went after being discharged from the hospital."

Chaud clenched his fists and made a disgusted expression.

"Match... managed to strike a deal with the authorities. He got out quietly in exchange for revealing everything he knew about the WWW's structure. Many collaborators weren't directly involved in the Alpha incident, but they were gathering funds for Wily through illegal means."

"WHAT?! That slimeball almost killed my father, and the authorities let him go?" Lan protested. "Do you have any idea of the kind of hell I went through after the SciLab fire?"

Chaud lowered his head and gritted his teeth in frustration. This matter was clearly not pleasant to him either.

"I protested against the decision, of course. But it turns out that the prosecutor who handled the trial of the WWW operators just wanted to nail as many members as possible, to benefit his image. I told him he was a complete idiot, and that they should lock him up along with Match and throw away the key. That piece of crap filed a complaint and tried to get me suspended."

"I don't believe this!" Dex angrily said.

"It's been a couple of years already, but he hasn't changed." Lan thought indignantly. "Match may do unexpected things at times, but he's still a thug if you ask me. What he did back then was inexcusable and anyone who argues to get that kind of man loose is as bad he is."

Though he was usually kind and forgiving and had often reformed hardened criminals by his strength of character and conviction, Match had been the exception, a thorn he couldn't quite finish pulling out.

Yai nodded in agreement.

"Well Chaud, just give me the name of that buffoon, and I'll take care of the rest."

Lan laughed a bit at Yai's words, momentarily setting his anger aside.

"Hehehe! Yai, I never thought I'd hear you talk like a Mafia leader." he joked.

"You'd be surprised at how much pain a little girl can inflict, Lan..." she replied with a piercing stare. "Especially when said girl is a certified genius."

"I appreciate the offer..." Chaud said. "But I'll deal with that mongrel myself. This isn't over yet."

"But you were going to say something else..." Lan interrupted.

Chaud frowned and moved closer.

"Like I said, this stuff is classified... but I can't possibly watch the entire Electopian network by myself. That Official who interrupted the fight had some upsetting news. Apparently some strange signatures have been detected in the SciLab and ACDC areas. We're not even sure if they're Navis, unknown viruses or something else. But they've been prowling around, and it looks like one of SciLab's anti-hacking systems has been tampered with."

"Ah, so that's why you got so ticked off when Gallant refused to identify himself..."

"Yes... I thought he might be one of those intruders." Chaud confirmed. "You have to admit it's strange. A Navi without an ID, unregistered anywhere... even Undernet Navis have something that identifies them, a number, a code... But now I'm not so sure. After all, if he was one of the intruders, then why would he walk around ACDC Square? He stands out in a crowd, and with that appearance, anyone would recognize him."

"So he only challenged you because he was annoyed at your bad cop act then?" Lan surmised with a smirk. "You need to find a better way to meet new people."

"Noted." Chaud sad. "I don't think he was fighting seriously either, just trying to put on a show to get us to back off. That Buster shot was more flash than blast."

"So what now?" MegaMan asked.

"I'm going to keep an eye on him. In the meantime, if you see anything suspicious in the area..."

Chaud abruptly stopped talking, as the door opened. Mr. Famous walked in with a tired yet satisfied look.

"Ah, those kids are too much!" he said with a smile.

"Are they gone?" Lan asked.

"Heh, there's no need to worry about rabid fans here, Lan. But I haven't seen you in a while. How are things?"

"Can't complain." Lan said with a smile. "So, I suppose you're probably working on another project, right? That humor program isn't perfect yet."

"Well, not right now. Actually, I'm here because of Chaud's training. He's been trying to take on KendoMan, GateMan and Punk at the same time to get some practice."

Lan turned to Chaud, surprised to hear that.

"Show off!" he said in a joking tone. "Well, you'd better be careful. Those guys are tricky."

"Afraid that I might lose?" Chaud replied.

"Nah, MegaMan and I have the exclusive on beating ProtoMan." Lan said with a grin.