Chapter 21: Stability

13:43 PM (Japan Time), Saturday June the 11th…

"… Man. Next week we begin THE exams… I can't wait to tackle them and get rid of this pressure, Saito – niisan…"

"I gotta agree with you on that, Netto – kun…"

"Even Dekao is behaving… And Yaito too… Guess exams do have the "Pressure" ability like some PKMN, huh?"

"Sure thing…"

Netto and Saito were studying in their house's bedroom and they looked rather nervous at the prospect of the exams looming ahead of them: both their textbooks and notebooks were opened and both were going over some Math concepts.

"At least we made sure our calculators are in conditions… We did check their batteries too…" Netto sighed.

"Yeah. I know. Next week will be THE week. But once it's over then we'll earn a well-deserved break."

"Sponsored by Break Man?"

"Hah, hah. How original."

"Heh! I feel like it… Huff. It's hot. I'll open the window a bit and let some air inside… I hope Papa drops by more often this summer… It improves the house's mood…"

"I know. Let's hope he doesn't get overloaded with jobs either."

"This summer won't be free of trouble… We need to figure out the true colors of "Ghost"…"

"And we must hope that Forte achieves healing, yet that might take weeks if not months… Over 20 years of hatred and grudge don't vanish like that."

Both sighed and formed half-smiles as if being concerned about what loomed in the horizon…

13:46 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff. I need a cup of water from time to time or else this heat is gonna kill me. Hey, Roll. Any big news?"

"Not really. Everything seems to have turned sluggish. Oh yes. Higure – san, the Net Police Cyber CID member, has opened an online site for exchanging of Battle Chips."

"Hum. I see."

"He's named it Higureya."

"Catchy, I guess."

Meiru was standing in the kitchen and having a glass of water: she sported her usual clothes but had switched the skirt and the stockings for jeans and was had her slippers on too: she didn't seem too surprised at the news Roll brought over to her.

"Well. Monday: Math & Japanese. Tuesday: English & History. Wednesday: Physics & Technology. Thursday: Natural Sciences. Friday: P. E. Theory Exam. The Hellish Week. Sure is worthy of the popular nickname." She listed before rolling her eyes.

"Come on, Meiru – chan. You could pass them the last 3 times. I'm sure you'll get brilliant marks too."

"Well. More than brilliant marks I'd rather prefer to pass them."

"That's true, too, anyway."

"Huff. Alright. I'm going back to my room. Check out the email and only tell me if it's something very urgent."

"OK, Meiru – chan."

Meiru climbed the house's stairs into the first floor bedroom and sat down in front of the desk to resume studying for the exams.

It's been almost a year, but… Will the wound on my heart heal? I hope so: I can't live on with that coming to haunt me the whole time… Ah…

13:49 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Guts, guts. Dekao – sama: the exams, the exams!"

"Be quiet, Guts Man…! Whaddya thinking I'm doing? My PC is missing the power cable, the TV is locked, and my PET closed with key inside of the cupboard…! You're inside the PET, too…!"

"Guts?"

"Sheesh. What's with the guy?"

Dekao was also going over the textbook and notebook while sweating from the heat and trying to ignore Guts Man's voice coming from a close by spot: he was replying in a hushed tone.

"Go to the Internet! Don't come back until the evening!"

"Guts, guts. Roger, de guts."

"Phew. Wait and see, Netto~! I'll beat ya in the exams and Meiru will praise me…!"

"DEKAO~!" A woman yelled off the room.

"Wha! I – I'm on it, mom!"

"YOU BETTER BE~!"

"Man. I talk too loud." He muttered under his breath.

He heard the sound of a vacuum cleaner turned on and sighed in relief as he resumed going over the textbook.

"Then… First comes what is contained in brackets, then the parenthesis and then the stuff outta them… Gotta remember the calculator commands… I'll get into high school! Just ya wait…! Yaito! Ya money won't help ya out there! Hmpf!"

"DEKAO~!"

"Yikes. She'd already finished cleansing…!"

"STUDY~!"

13:52 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Yaito!"

"Wha! Daddy! Don't burst in so suddenly!"

"You better be studying."

"I knew that!"

"Don't force me to be reminding you the whole time."

"Not like I had the intention to!"

"Hum. We'll see. Next week we'll know."

"… Phew! Sheesh. I shouldn't be doing this stuff: I'm high-class…!"

"I heard that, Yaito! I did them too!"

"Times were different!"

"Oh yes? Well. Do you want me to be legally processed for bribing the school?"

"YIKES!"

"Sheesh. This child…!"

Yaito was also going over her notes and examples plus her solved Math exercises when her father stepped into the room: she looked up from the desk (facing the door) and fumed: when he closed the door and left she began to mutter aloud but her father came back in and scolded her: she gasped and he slapped his forehead out of exasperation.

"You couldn't even think of that? Your selfishness clouds your judgment, Yaito, and that's worrisome. You need to learn that if you want to run Gabcom in the future."

"Oh come on!"

"No good." Glyde grimly muttered.

"Study!"

13:55 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff. Let next week come already!"

"Tooru – kun, desu? You look nervous, desu."

"Of course. They're the last middle school exams! I'm staking my entrance into high school in them, see!"

"Oh! I see! Desu."

"Couldn't you go to the Internet to have fun in the new child park? If I'm alone I'll concentrate more."

"Roger, desu! Later, desu!"

"Later. Huff. Come on, I can do it… It's just the nerves…!"

Like his other friends, Hikawa was also immersed in preparing the upcoming exams: he had his notebooks and textbooks neatly split in different piles.

"I split them according to what subjects I gotta tackle every day: this way it helps me remember what I'll be studying the next day. I've been preparing since Monday… I hope this week of preparing pays off neatly enough…! High school…! Boy! Time DOES fly by." He muttered before whistling in admiration and rolling his eyes.

He picked the edges of the chair's seat and pulled up a bit to then drag it back: he stood up and stretched as he paced around his bedroom: he carried a pen which he unconsciously turned around within his right hand's fingers: he went on clicking the button.

"I have confidence in Natural Sciences. It's always been a topic I've paid a lot of attention to, anyway."

He sat on his bed and looked at the ground while seemingly concentrating or thinking about it.

"Yeah. Calm down, Tooru… I can do it… I'll do it! I'm not afraid! Let's go!"

Let's tackle this wall and emerge victorious!

14: 07 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So, Zero… What is the status of the analysis?"

"For the time being… We uncovered another 17 proxies… But no trace of "Ghost" or those two… I've looked into Ijuuin Enzan's uncle computer to try to find any traces of how he met the "Ghost Server"… But it was too late: all data regarding that had been formatted."

"Hum. I see."

"Sorry. I should've acted earlier, Boss."

"No use going over mistakes of the past. We must focus on the present and in the upcoming future."

"Roger."

Zero and Slur were having a chat inside of the super-computer as the Program – kuns moved files around or sorted them: three of them had put on red, white and blue ninja clothing respectively including a katana on its sheath.

"Where is Serenade?"

"He left for Dr. Cossack's place, as usual."

"I see. That is good."

"SPEED!"

"JUMP!"

"WATER-RUN!"

"THE THREE NINJUTSU!"

"Whose idea was that?" Slur asked with some amusement.

"Serenade's. He wanted to give them some fun. Dunno where he got the idea from, though. He directed one of his enigmatic smiles at me."

"Hum. It would seem Serenade wants to remind us that we should consider them friends and not servants."

"I guessed as much."

"WITNESS! THE NINJA TRIO~! SEYA~! THE CAMPAIGN'S BEGUN!"

"Go play in the main Cyber World, guys." Zero told them.

"ROGER! NIN!"

They vanished with a cloud of smoke and Slur formed an amused smile while Zero shrugged his shoulders.

"Anyway. VP Noir is working on some bureaucratic stuff, Legato went to patrol and President Hades and Mr. Daikanai are going over general finances… Ikada went off with Atarasei into a mission to raid a drug lab. Suzuki is at the DNN. Qong and Zarashe are working out in the gym. Leon's studying for his exams. Tozukana is on the simulator… Kage didn't come over 'cause he's studying too." He listed.

"I see. What about the other Navis?"

"Pharaoh Man is into World of Warcraft along with Cosmo Man: dunno when they started to get along. Freeze Man is undergoing some update to his ice abilities. The V-B-N trio has started to shuffle through M&F comics to decide the next couple comics for next season… Dark Man is on the cafeteria along with Shade Man… Napalm Man went off to the Reverse Internet to bust Viruses…" He listed next.

"Morale is high nevertheless?"

"Yeah. No doubt about that, Boss."

"That is good."

"I'll continue to dig up data and see if I find anything relevant: maybe I could find the bank account from which the money was sent to "Ghost" and thus have an idea of where the account may be lodged at. Money transactions use powerful encoding so the transmissions can't remain hidden so easily." He suggested.

"Ah. Good point. Start the search up."

"Roger."

"I shall go ask something out of President Hades… Goodbye."

"Later, Boss."

Slur opened her "portal" and vanished inside of it while Zero sat down on his chair: he opened a screen and it displayed a spot where Colonel, Shadow Man, Thunder Man and Search Man had met.

"Hard to believe, though… That Serenade did come back…" Colonel was telling Thunder Man.

"Well. I had the feeling he would." Thunder Man shrugged.

"Intriguing…" Shadow Man chuckled.

"Well. I never met him but I guess this is good… It will help bring some further order to the Reverse Internet." Search Man muttered.

"Hum. We'll see." Barrel sentenced.

"Yeah. Let's wait and see." Laika suggested.

"Hmpf… You lot… Don't get impatient… Time will tell…" Dark Miyabi dully told them.

"Yeah. I hope you've learn the lesson not to try to use us as your proxies, right, Barrel?" Raoul questioned.

"I learnt it. Let's quit that discussion."

"Hmpf. Fine… And in their turf…?" Zero wondered.

He switched screens to show Tomahawk Man undergoing an examination in the Ameroupe Army base clinic: Meddy was looking at some displays and didn't seem to be too surprised.

"Don't worry, Tomahawk Man. This Virus just displays the message "YOU SUCK" and doesn't do anything else. I already disposed of it."

"Alright. Guess that's what happens when I rush into a Reverse Navi without watching out for this kind of tricks."

"Oi, Tomahawk Man…" Dingo whispered to him.

"What now, Dingo?"

"Jefferson…" He trailed off.

"Not again." He groaned.

"What do we do?"

"I've got the solution right here… Oi, Colonel! Jefferson." Tomahawk Man grumbled and opened a line.

"Jefferson? Gotcha. Barrel."

"Jefferson! Report to my office on the double! NOW!" Barrel called out through the real-world speakers.

"Fine. Let's check on the Cyber CID."

He opened another screen: Oda was telling something to Meijin, Enzan and Obihiro but they looked skeptical and unimpressed.

"… hid in the basement breakers' cupboard and I smelt him out using my Merton Nose…" Oda was seemingly improving another tale.

"Sure, sure." The four of them (Blues & Punk included) replied.

"And then! Something happened! He broke his right thumb's nail!"

"Oh yes? Is it worth bringing it up to begin with, sir?" Obihiro sighed.

"I don't think so." Punk grumbled.

"Sure thing." Enzan fumed.

"Earth, swallow us whole…!" Meijin groaned.

"Someone save us." Blues cursed.

"SAVE! Don't forget! Shave with the Atomic Velocity Espuma!"

"Espuma? Foam, huh. That's Eisei, alright."

"And then other day I told Aragoma – kun to bring me a souvenir."

"Aragoma? And what did he bring? A joke manual?" Blues asked.

"No, sir! A book on sushi, see~…"

"The guy must've bought the first thing he set his eyes into some bazaar and picked it 'cause it had to be cheap." Enzan guessed.

"Excellent deduction, hound of Densan-ville!" Eisei laughed.

"Not this again." He fumed.

"Hmpf…" Zero sounded slightly amused.

"YAY! DENSAN-VILLE HOUND – SAMA~!"

"He even programmed the Program – kun in my PET to yell this the whole time, the…!" Obihiro cursed as he looked at it.

"Elemental, my dear Oni – sama."

"OBIHIRO! OBI!" He growled.

"OBIHIRO! Only By Infiltrating Heretic Inferno you Rule Order!"

"Heretic Inferno~?" He demanded.

"Dunno! Guess I'm gonna patent it for the next Diablo game if there ever is one to begin with." He laughed.

"Gray…!" Kuroban hissed on the other end.

"YIKES!"

"Come back NOW…! Or else…!"

"R-roger!"

"Hmpf. Eisei… You're in for trouble. I'll keep an eye out on that Yanada guy to make sure he doesn't try to drag anyone else into his petty ploys: I'm not really sure what they are about but if it's a crime then… We better not leave the guy roaming around unchecked."

"NINJA STYLE~! SEYA~!"

"Oh well. Guess these guys will provide some entertainment. Heh, heh."

"DRAW THOU KATANA! THE CAMPAIGN'S STARTING! SEYA~!"

15:15 PM (Philippines Time)…

"… Sheesh!"

"What's up, Eisei?"

"Urateido, huh. Well. I got scolded again. Aibou and his mania to monitor my PET… I was pulling some jokes in the Cyber CID locale…"

"Guess he wants to remind ya there's a limit to everything."

"Guess that, Sieg, but… Sheesh. What's with the cousin guy?"

"Bruce? Studying for the exams. Heh! I'm not sorry that I quit middle school last summer. Less work for me. Mom doesn't seem to care to begin with. As long as I figure out the workings of the store…"

"Heh! Guess ani-ue-sama's brains are goin' up in smoke by now."

"Guess that. I also quit school because I got kidnapped, ya know. And I'd just gotten to start middle."

Eisei stroded into the pier and sat next to Sieg as he and Urateido were having some chat: he looked fed up and a chat began amongst the three of them but Eisei had just stuffed both hands in the pockets and was looking elsewhere out of his offended mood.

"Cheer up. I set up a camera in the living room. Let's check on our beloved club enchanted by Uncle Moriarty~…" Urateido drew his PET and inputted some commands.

"Heh, heh, heh. Gotcha, got-cha." Sieg giggled.

"Huff. How lame." Eisei fumed.

"How the tables have turned, eh, Eisei?"

"Laugh all ya want, Urateido. It makes no difference."

"Alright! The whole club except for Prince – sama, Dullahan and us three are gathered there…" Urateido grinned.

"Lemme see~… Oho~…"

"… Go, Aeon! Beat Umisama's Devil Jin!"

"Devil Jin! Beat Netsuhonoo's Aeon!"

"Heh! Ivy! The avatar of me, Kisei! Beat 'em all!"

"Not so fast! Raphale here, the avatar of Kazebun – sama~!"

"Hmpf… Soul Calibur V, huh…"

The trio looked on at how Netsuhonoo, Umisama, Kisei and Kazebun were engrossed in playing the "Soul Calibur V" videogame with the PS3 console: they all held remotes and looked engrossed with the game.

"Hmpf… Struggle for a while… I'm finishing up my Black game and trying to master Black City…" Ernst muttered as he played with his Nintendo DS while using earphones: he was sitting in an armchair.

"Where's Dully?" Sieg laughed.

"Guess he's doing some maintenance."

He switched screens to show Laser Man standing in a room and working on what seemed to be a tall headless robot shaped like an European knight's armor: it used purple as the main color but had some spots with yellow and white coloring: the robot also had a purple-reddish cape attached to the back.

"I need to improve the mobility." Laser Man muttered.

He'd lifted the chest plate to reveal some hydraulic systems to move the arms and legs plus the central miniature power core: he was wielding a wrench on the left hand and a lantern in the right on to provide better illumination given how the cover itself blocked most of the ceiling's fluorescent tubes' light.

"To think I was able to crush petty humans with this body's hands and create an atmosphere of terror…! Yet it all seems to have faded by now: the damned traitor must be to blame! One day I'll bury them in endless "Dark"…!"

"Du-lla-ha-n. Pissing me off AGAIN?"

"Huh! P-Prince, sir!"

Kuroban had suddenly stepped in behind Laser Man: he gasped and turned around while automatically saluting: he did remember to switch off the lantern.

"How MANY times do we need to go over THIS?" Kuroban was already annoyed.

"W-well, sir, I…" He trailed off.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?" Kuroban began to yell.

"N-no, sir…!"

"PROVE IT, BY THE HIGH ONE!"

"R-roger, sir…!"

"OR ELSE I'M SO GONNA FORMAT YOUR WHOLE MEMORIES AND TURN YOU INTO SOMEONE FAR MORE INTELLIGENT!"

"R-roger, sir…! I shall… prove my worth, sir!"

"YOU BETTER DO!"

"R-roger, sir…!"

"I'M HAL: I'M WATCHING YOU! LIKE I WAS A BABYSITTER! BY THE HIGH ONE: I, THE PRINCE, HAVING TO BABYSIT A DARKLOID! THIS WORLD HAS GONE MAD!" His foreign accent became accentuated.

SLAM!

Kuroban rushed out and slammed the door on the way out: Laser Man sighed and seemed to come to terms with the situation.

"Can't be helped… I guess my grudge clouds my judgment… I must prove my worth or I know what's in store for me…"

"Oh? Grudge, you say? That could be interesting." A voice rang out of nowhere.

"Who's that?" The trio suddenly wondered.

"Who's there?" Laser Man demanded.

"10 seconds."

"10 seconds?"

"Do you want to unleash that "grudge" into the one you "grudge" and thus erase them? I can concede you that desire."

"B-but… I am loyal to the Prince…! He rebuilt me, after all!"

"But I was the one who gathered your data and then gave it to the Prince – dono so that you could be rebuilt… I am "XY"…"

"The "Ghost"!"

"WHA?" The trio gasped.

Eisei didn't waste a second and ran inside of the base while the other two were looking on.

"2 seconds."

"… Yet…! If I could erase them, then…! Yes…! I'm fed up with being controlled…! We "Darkloids" are beings of the "Dark Cyber World": we don't need a human to control us! We should be the ones controlling the humans: damned Shade Man! I'll bury you too for your treason. I accept: I don't mind pledging loyalty to you." Laser Man sounded eager.

"Do not worry. I shall not stop you. I shall only provide you a refuge: you then decide what to do. But if I need you to run a mission then… You would accept it? A mission in which you would set the fear on society by proving that you have returned?" "XY" asked.

"Delighted!"

"Excellent. As they popularly say… Welcome onboard."

"Wait!"

"Too late, Kuroban Howsad! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Alas, it is too late. Warp Magic!"

"Wha!"

"My eyes!"

"Ouwah!"

"Huh!"

Kuroban and Eisei had rushed into the room but there was a blinding flash which forced Urateido and Sieg to look away from the screen as well: when it vanished both Laser Man and the robot were gone and only the lantern and wrench were left in the room.

"Fuck. Too slow." Eisei cursed.

"By the High One! "XY", is it? They want war, huh? I'll give them war, by the High One!" Kuroban cursed.

"It must be some system based on "Dimensional Converter" warp but greatly improved… Or it could be a mere flash and they use a "portal" like the ones we own…!" Eisei deduced.

"By all the…" Urateido uttered.

"Fuck." Sieg let out.

"What's with the commotion, Prince, sir?" Ernst asked from outside the room.

"Laser Man's defected to "XY", our "Ghost"…"

"By all the…"

"Hmpf! Whatever. I get rid of the need to babysit the guy: now we have an excuse to delete the guy. If any of you find the fool in battle you're authorized to delete them. I'm sure even Slur would agree: I don't want the fool to stage a campaign of trying to smear Styx." He ordered.

"Roger. I shall do it in a dispassionate manner."

"So you lowlife's name is "XY"… I shall remember it! Sworn foe!"

By the will of the Four Heavenly Kings and the High One… Let there be war!

23:23 PM (Bangkok Time)…

"… The witnesses have gathered. Witnesses. Do you accept this one as a member of our city?"

"Yes!"

"There is no hesitation? There is no doubt? Do you all speak out of your free will?"

"Yes, we do!"

"Do you back my proposal? Input the votes."

"Roger."

"… Oh? Drill Man. You voted in blank. You are not sure of it?"

"Do excuse me, XY – sama. But I need some more time to think about it."

"We respect your decision. The formalities are finished. Welcome to "Helios", Laser Man."

"It is an honor, XY – sama."

Laser Man had been kneeling in front of semi-transparent golden curtain fluttering by the wind: someone's shape could be guessed inside of the cubicle they formed: this was set just beneath the center of a gray stone dome with eight thick arches stretching from it: the surroundings were rather unlit but some Navis' shapes (some of the ones that hit Purgatory) could be seen forming a circle around them: some metallic cubical pedestals with red, green and blank buttons were set in front of each.

"In "Helios"… I do not rule. "Helios" is what tells us what to do. When you want to act, then you must submit your plan to voting by everyone."

"I understand, XY – sama. Let my presence bring glory to "Helios"!"

"Glory to "Helios"!" The other Navis exclaimed.

There was a general round of applause and "XY" chuckled aloud…

THE END