As DanganMan spots a portal on the northern end of the map, he darts straight for it, SparkMan still in tow...until he crashes head-first into what looks like a giant cube to him...and like thin air to SparkMan, who is simply flung forward.
Ow! Stupid...I went right for it! How didn't that break it?!
Uh, brute force isn't going to break that thing. That's kinda how P-Cubes work, someone has to give you the code and generally they have to trust-
Wait, the portal thing! Why haven't you warped?!
SparkMan looks down and notices that he is, in fact, sitting on the portal to Terry's HP, which is a dull light gray to both Navis' eyes.
Yeah, been trying to tell you this. Terry and I...well, skipping to the point, we're not doing great. Like, with each other.
But you're his Navi! Who else on the Net would I ask to get to him?!
Heh, "on the Net". That's a good one.
Shaddup! I'm being serious!
And I'm giving it to you straight: Terry doesn't care about the Net, he cares about real-world robots. It took him like half a day to find all the code he needed to hack a PET folder like the time you were thinking of, and any time he touches anything cyber it's because he thinks it's his ticket to making a machine.
If you think he'd give any Navi the time of day if he wasn't about to lose the five or so things he has left, you're expecting a much better person.
...
...thanks for the tip.
DanganMan warps out.
...wait, what did he mean by...?

---

BatonWoman exits Orange's HP*, talking to her NetOp calmly.
...well, that's why you keep working at it. It's twirling, tossing, spinning, and catching the baton behind you, it's a lot of steps and it's okay if you don't succeed the first...few...
BatonWoman stops talking as she and Orange notice GashaAce just...sitting under the bridge across from them.
Uh...hi?
You doing okay?
Yeah, fine, no problem.
What about Se-
Fine.
...
...you hear about those MP4 jerks?
I think Mom said to watch out for them, yeah...
One of their Navis was in my house. I dunno what happened, I didn't know what was going on...
Sese buries their face in their hands, Orange and BatonWoman both alarmed.
Are...were...did they hurt you??
Was just some dirty water. I called my parents, they helped clean it up, we put in some security...
Are you sure there's nothing we can do to help?
Nah. You two are kinda neat, but I dunno how you'd even help when you don't know about whatever they want...
Orange ponders for a moment...
Actually, I think I know someone who could help.

Alice's PC
Buyer, leading Byakuren and Henchie, to the gateway to Engelles area 2.
Alright, before we go to Englles, and meet someone who's been in witchy's shoes before, anything you want to know what they uh... look like, to keep it safe?
Wait a moment... what do you mean with that statement of, "look like"?
... So the horror is lessened.

PlugMan, with the snarkiest expression his DIY coded face can muster: Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. CowaOKAY I'LL TALK TO REGAL JUST SHUT UP ALREADY. That's the spirit!
And so, the intern makes his way a few floors up, back to ol' Phinny's office, and knocks on the door.

Sci-Lab
Regal: Come in.

Well, put it this way: is there anything we should know that would make Miss Shanghai uncomfortable?
Because, uh...I think if Miss Shanghai finds it uncomfortable, then it might be worth telling us. Since Byakuren's, uh...probably going to handle it as well as her. Just a feeling.

---

Orange and Sese walk up to a small shop neat the east end of the city's underpass.
So...you know this person?
Yeah! She's been friends with Mom for a long time; I think she moved here a few years ago from...uh...
YumTown, I believe.
Right, that's the place!
Orange carefully opens the door, waving to an older woman at the cash register.
Hi, Ms. Melissa!
Oh, Orange! It's not often you come here by yourself.
I, uh...didn't.
Orange holds the door for Sese as they walk in softly. With just the three of them in the shop at the moment, Ms. Melissa's breathing getting a bit heavier is easier to notice.
...I see.

---

???: So he knows the chief here...

(Continue where I left off a long time ago)


(OOC: I wasn't prepared to make a body please ignore it)

...?

ပါးစပ်ပိတ်ထား

(punche)

OW. WHAT THE FU-
Y'know what? You wanna go m8? YOU WANNA GO YA {Nice Friend}?!

လူမိုက်

Terry is taking a stroll around town, holding on to the hope that he'll find someone who will pay him for his robotics skills...
*sigh* I swear, sometimes with all this cyber stuff it feels like nobody gives half a damn about engineering...
Terry takes a rough breath in...taking in a few shorter ones as he notices a burning scent in the air.
What the-
Terry glances over to the building where JomonElec is...
(Event Theme - Wait, What?!) ♫ Mega Man Battle Network 5 - Incident Occurrence ♫
...and almost instictively sprints toward it as he sees it burning!

---

(Holy *CYBERSQUAWK*, this is bad, what do I-should I even do anything, it's not like Gramps is gonna treat this like my get-out-of-jail-free card but it's not like someone would just-)
Terry's thoughts are stopped dead in their tracks as an explosion from one of the front monitors knocks him to the ground!
Ha! Like the fireworks, you stupid Navi hater?!
You son of a-
Terry tries to get up, almost about to smash the monitor the bratty voice came from, but trips over the debris, his PET falling out of his pocket just as he hits the concrete again!
Nobody to help you now, huh?! You never thought about us Navis, you never thought about what we could do to your...your little toys, and-
???: Hey.
Wh-
(Event Theme - Moment of Truth) ♫ Mega Man Battle Network 6 - Hero! ♫
A burst of static strikes DanganMan from the Comp the monitor's displaying...as SparkMan enters the view!
Wh-how the hell did-
Terry, let me just say right now some blame falls on me. I knew you weren't interested in helping this kid...
This mess, though? He didn't even tell me, but the path to the Comp said enough.
...I-
So you do suck up to him, huh?
DanganMan floats over the JomonElec Comp's monitors as Viruses begin to appear...
Fine! I don't have any buffs, but I can get something to help do the dirty work, too!
I can't stop him alone, Terry. You gotta do the Battle Routine.
You know I'm awful at NetBattling!
Terry...if we just do the usual, we can't lose.
...
...Battle Routine! Set!
Execute!

Poeny and plumeria go silent for a second, before plumeria leans over and quietly whispers


Plumeria.exe : What darkchips is THIS guy on? seems like a whole new level of cold murderous navi

So, um...this is Sese.
Uh...hi?
Candice Melissa quietly leaves the register to approach and talk to Sese more directly.
Sese. Look around you. What do you see?
Sese glances at the assorted items on the wooden shelves, none of them seeming that similar to each other besides...
They look...uh, old-
Candice suddenly flips back, feet planted firmly on the ground as she gestures all around her!
Antiques! Valued items from all around the world, which have stood the test of time no matter what!!
And as the owner of this shop, I put by utmost dedication into making sure everything for sale is provided to customers...
Candice thrusts her palm toward a nearby vase, stopping just right to lightly push it away from the ledge it was teering on...
Undamaged...
...chops the side of another shelf with her other palm, causing a toppled duck carved from wood to bounce up and land right-side up, perfectly parallel to 4 beside it...
Perfectly sorted, and above all...
...then strikes a fly with a roundhouse kick that sends it flying into a wastebin across the store!
...SPOTLESS!!!
Candice proceeds to brush off her dress, and calmly walk back to Sese, looking at the child with a warm smile.
Do you understand?
Sese is stiff as a statue.
Y-yes, ma'am.
Splendid!
Orange leans toward Sese to whisper in their ear.
She's really, really good at YumFu.

---

(Uncommon Battle Theme 2 - Not-So-Casual Clash) ♫ Megaman Battle Network 2 - Battle Spirit (Remix) ♫
As the battle begins, SparkMan finds himself greeted not by DanganMan, but by...a pair of Canodumb2s90, both on the back column. All it takes is two charged shots - Spark Balls that explode in an X shape on contact - to take each down.
How'd you already...?!?!
DanganMan descends onto the field, firing missiles to rain down on SparkMan as he keeps pelting DanganMan and the newly-spawning Canodumb2s with charge shots and SprkWav1s80!

---

SprkWav (1 = 80, 2 = 110, 3 = 130): (Elec) SparkMan.EXE's Special Chip. A spark travels along the field, moving up the column it spawns on, moving a column forward and going down, another column forward going back up, etc. Does not disappear when it hits an opponent.

Eien Area 2
All seemed quiet, untill...
???: WHAT!?
Whaddya mean delivery boy!? I came here for the guard job! Not some lesser known part of this companies business operation!
Sprite: W-well...
I swear if this things gonna be a David V Goliath situation I will not have it!
Sprite: Well here's the thing Mister... "Maestro" was it? It seems you have quite the track record with criminal organizations. Most infamously, The Atma Group to try and get yourself taller as a result.
Ah crap... should've seen it comin...
Sprite: Exactly. Especially since we need some new ones due to an incident involving a dragon cybeast in Yoka Area 3.
Of course there was...

Jerry: Oh, definitely. It had huge potential, but whoever handled it handled it HORRIBLY.

Jerry proceeds to tell Regal all about his plans for the C-Slider 2™(patent pending), including a demonstration featuring PlugMan and maybe even the DOSNavis, unless they decided to stay back in Jerry's office PC.

Central City North - Frigid Man
:Huh...?
I don't recognize this place.

@MegaMan1027 : (OOC(short for Out Of Character): Did you post in the wrong thread? If so, honest mistake.)

I wouldn't expect a couple of commoners to understand the satisfaction of smothering inferiors with true power.
I put my pride, my might, and my mettle on the line in every battle I partake in. That is the difference between my almighty power and your... whatever you have.

Silence occurs... and then...

*rapid clapping*
*rapid clapping*

Gh! You stupid...!
Already 200 HP down, DanganMan flies out of range again as the glowing panels the Canodumb2s were appearing from now each spawn a GunHopr2100!
Struggling to catch the franticically-leaping viruses with his basic charge, SparkMan takes 180 damage worth of shots from one of the GunHopr2s, but as the other gets into position, he fires an AirShot120 without thinking...before he and Terry realize they just landed a Counter Hit, and proceed to finish it off with a WideSwrd80, the other GunHopr2 being caught in the crossfire and easily wiped out by another SprkWav1!
DanganMan again flies down, trying to bash SparkMan with his missile arms until he's struck by a Vulcan110, SparkMan using his Evade to hide from DanganMan's continued frenzy before his Custom Gague refills!

---

Sparkman.EXE's Customizations:
-SPECIAL: Charged buster shots are now slow-moving Spark Balls that explode into an X-shape on contact.
-Evade: When the user has expended all Battle Chips they last pulled from the Custom Screen, they will be able to press A to activate an "Evade" action that makes them invisible for up to 3 seconds, provided they don't move or use their buster. The action can only be used once for each time Battle Chips are drawn (or, if no Battle Chips are drawn, simply opening and closing the Custom Screen).

Vulcan (1 = 10, 2 = 15, 3 = 20) (Null) The user fires multiple hitscan shots in a row (3 for Vulcan1, with 1 more shot added for each stronger version), each one hitting the nearest opponent on the row, as well as the panel behind them.

Regal: Well I'll be. But the question I have for this is, why? Not, why you thought this was a good idea, no no, in fact, this, is more of a great idea if you will. No, the "why" I asked is, why did the potential of the original "squander" as you put it?
Lan's home
Seems like Mega still isn't moving from his PET, but Lan is currently writing an email to someone.
Lan: *sigh* It's been two years since my last email from him... what happened during that time to make him stop?
He then continues typing until suddenly, he receives an email from the one he was trying to reach out to.
Lan: What the...? Is that really him?
He then right-clicks on the notification, opening the email to a new tab on his computer.

Lan then opened the gift inside Ramza's email, revealing itself as a TailWind customization program!
TailWind - A customization program that increases the buster speed beyond the max stat of 10, by 6.

Well, Orange, Sese, how can I help you two today?
Well, we were wondering...do you know anything about that weird mean group? MP4?
...
Candice turns around, her hands held behind her back as she holds her head high.
...I'm no researcher of their actions, but yes, I'm quite aware. These crime groups are quite predictable, terrorizing the most arbitrary locations for no clear reason but attention...
This very shop was almost a victim, in fact. One day I was waking up and getting things ready to open, and everything was shaking like someone was throwing a tantrum on the roof.
But just because I can't battle their mooks with my bare hands doesn't mean I don't have someone to help me do just as well. Isn't that right, Marshmallow?
Candice turns to the register, a cheery smile on her face as the sounds of explosions and falling Zenny emit from it.
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. THEY FELL LIKE ANTS AND RAN FOR THE HILLS!
...Um, Ms. Melissa, ma'am, I'm sorry, I was, uh, just wondering...do you know what I can do if I'm scared MP4's gonna...get me?
Oh, don't worry! I'm sure they won't intrude the same area more than once, so if they've been to your house once, simple security will suffice.
Of course, if you do want some extra...power to your Folder if it makes you feel better...are you focused on a particular Code?
GashaAce speaks up from Sese's PET.
We're all G-Codes.
Sese picks up the PET, reminded of the DistrOil Chip in their bag...
And, uh...maybe D-Code, too.
Well, I don't stock Battle Chips - far too new - but I do have a few loose ones I'd be glad to give you.
Candice opens up her PET, sending Sese a message with a Gaia3160 and a Thunder380, each in the respective code.
It's actually been a long while since they've been easy to find in these codes*. Small world!

---

After being swept again by SparkMan's chips and charge shots, DanganMan leaves yet again, the Virus spawners now creating MagRoads120 that drive around SparkMan, trying to limit his movement...but also leaving them both wide open for a WideSwrd and a charge shot!
That one didn't even last-ah, forget it!!
As the Virus spawners begin spawning all three Viruses, DanganMan tries to pelt SparkMan with a homing trail of bullets, the whole enviroment suddenly becoming much more chaotic, leading to a good few shots from the GunHopr2s and MagRoads even with careful Evades!
You little...
SparkMan decides to ignore the surrounding Viruses, his eyes straight on DanganMan as he unloads WideSwrds, SprkWav1s, and charge shots on him...but as fast as his own health drains, DanganMan's 300 HP drops first!

---

Gaia(1 = 100, 2 = 130, 3 = 160): (Null) The user slams a hammer in front of them, creating explosive shockwaves on each row that travel 1 panel forward at a time.
Thunder (1 = 40, 2 = 60, 3 = 80): (Elec, Cursor) The user fires an electric orb that slowly moves forward, homing on the closest enemy by turning up to 90 degrees at a time, inflicting paralysis on contact. How far it can travel increases with the chip number.

MagRoad†: A virus that moves with a single, giant wheel. Attacks by revving up, then driving around the panel the opponent's standing on. Stronger variants take less time to rev up and spend more time circling the opponent.

---

*Reference: Mega Man Battle Network 1 is the only game where Thunder3 is available in D-Code, and the only game where the Gaia chips are available at all.
†Inspiration: Magnum Loader (Kingdom Hearts II)