Suddenly, a heavy metallic force grabs onto Mystica Darkside's wings*, landing onto the ground with a hard crash and slamming her face-first into it!!
GOAL OF SUBJECT "EVIL MARIO" AND SUBORDINATES: CREATE WORLD WITH VILLAINS, WITHOUT HEROES.
A LOGIC ERROR HAS BEEN FOUND: EVIL IS ABSENCE OF GOOD. GOOD IS ABSENCE OF EVIL.
THE FORESEEN OUTCOME: WITH ONLY ONE SIDE OF MORALITY, THE CONCEPT OF MORALITY ITSELF FADES.
MEMORY DATABANKS READ. PREFERABBLE ALTERNATIVES INCLUDE: CREATING A WORLD WHERE GOOD EXISTS, BUT IS CONSTANTLY BENEATH EVIL'S FEET.
SUBJECT "EVIL MARIO" AND SUBORDINATES INTRUDE ON SUCH PLANS.

Robo Sonic proceeds to scrape Mystica along the surface with a Heavy Sprint, firing crude metallic arrows at her head all the while!!

---

Heavy Sprint RECAP/RETYPE: (Impact/Swift -> Grapple/Swift) The user dashes into the target, and drags them along the nearest solid surface (usually the ground).

Grapple: An Artificial Element. Represents attacks that involve grabbing or constricting the opponent.

NEW SUMMARY DATA

---

*Given that she's been described as a mix of Ripple Star's queen and Mirablis, both of whom have wings, I'm going by the assumption that Mystica has wings as well. If not, the metallic force grabbed her by the legs instead.

Terry then begins to glance about his room.
(I could probably start the shell now...not like this wasn't the second weird miracle I've had this month, but I gotta have something spare I can use at the same-)
His eyes land on a USB mouse with just the casing and cord left, placing his hand on his chin...

---

Painwheel traverses the winding paths of the area, the small ice Navi still in tow.
Looking back at them, and back at her hand, her eyes face the ground, her breath getting rougher as she clutches her head...

---

(Event Theme) ♫ Metroid Fusion - Tension Before a Confrontation ♫
To think one of those living statues was still in our reach...

---

LETHAL DRILL OF DARKNESS*

---

What we want is a plague. How effective the Chips are in battle doesn't matter if it can corrupt their minds before they know it's there.

---

YOU HATE THEM
THEY CAN BE ERASED
LEAVE THEM IN A NIGHTMARE
KILL KILL KILL KERROR FILE NOT FOUND

---

All we need is the corruption. Do with the decoration as you please.

---

Mom!! Dad!! There's a Navi in the Greens Area, she isn't moving, she needs help-

---

..inwheel? Painwheel, are you okay??
Hearing Carol's voice, Painwheel snaps back to the present.
Gh!
Carol Violet: ...Painwheel, we can find someone to help us too, you don't need to carry them the whole way if you don't-
I am taking them to Eien Square.
Carol Violet: O-okay, if you're sure...
Walking down a set of bamboo steps, Painwheel turns her head to a blue teleporter...

---

*Reference: Mega Man Battle Network 5 - The Chip description for DarkDril.

Terry's eyes narrow into a violent glare at the "pay in exposure" comment, but light back up as the rest of the messages come in.

---

As the small Navi heaves the frigid beam, Carol's Navi leaps back, quietly snarling as she pulls her arm back, it sharpening into the shape of a lance formed from thorny vines!
Carol Violet: Wait, Painwheel, no, PLEASE STOP-
Painwheel cancels the attack at the last moment, quieting down as she and Carol see the blue Navi drop to the ground.
...
Carol Violet: I-it's okay. I don't think she meant to do that...we need to find someone to help.
Painwheel looks down at the Navi...pausing for a moment to look at her own hand before lifting them up onto their back, their limp body resting on the stem of a large flower on Painwheel's back as she begins walking to Eien Square.

(...should I ask them anything else, or just wait, or...?)

---

Marshmallow sprints into the area from the Campus Square warp, BatonWoman and GashaAce follow behind just far enough to not be noticed...until BatonWoman finds herself face-to-face with a pair of strange red viruses!

As the viruses suddenly leap above BatonWoman and slam the ground, BatonWoman hurriedly steps back, then strikes them with a BatnZap130 and an SpShake280!
...I'm almost positive these things were never in City Area before...
OF COURSE NOT! THEY ARE AN INTRUSIVE ADDITION FROM A SOURCE I WILL SOON TEAR TO-
Marshmallow does a double take as she realizes who she's talking to.
DO YOU TWO NOT REALIZE WHAT IS HAPPENING?!
Y'know what, we came here because we're sick of being scared of a dumb crime group, so whatever you're gonna do you'll have-
Sese whispers to GashaAce as they back up into an empty corner of East-to-West.
Gasha please I know what we want but don't say it like that she's gonna get mad please
...we'll help in any way we can.
MY NEED FOR "HELP" IS QUESTIONABLE, BUT IF THIS IS SO PERSONAL TO YOU REGARDLESS OF CONTEXT, ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU STAY AWAY FROM THE BIGGER THREATS SO THAT I WILL SLAUGHTER THEM BETTER THAN THEY CAN SLAUGHTER YOU.
Marshmallow continues onward, Candice not having much to say that wouldn't be repeating her Navi.
I, uh...didn't expect her to see it like that.
I think I did. Please don't tell them I said that though.

---

A thin Navi is silently walking along the area, their NetOp taking in the surroundings.
Carol Violet: Wow...if Eien Area has so much grassy terrain, I wonder how much we'd find in the town its-
Carol notices the small, blue, staggering Navi, gasping in shock.
Carol Violet: What-what happened?! Is she okay? Oh my goodness, we need to help...!
Carol's Navi slowly walks up to the blue Navi, reaching out one hand...

---

Powie2140: Also known as Flappy2*. A virus shaped like a weighing scale weight that attacks by leaping over the opponent and slamming down in a larger form that deals Break-attribute Null damage on the panel it lands on, and regular Null damage on the panels above and below it.

BatnZap30: BatonWoman.EXE's Special Chip. Twirls a baton that summons bursts of static electricity, one in a sideways V shape (narrow end closer) and another in a sideways T shape (wide end closer). The chip number indicates the number of times the attack cycles between these two patterns.
(Battle Network 5) SpShake (1 = 60, 2 = 80, 3 = 100): Summons a Sparky virus (or one of its stronger variants for 2 and 3) that travels forward in a sine wave. Will disappear if it deals a non-lethal hit, but will keep moving if it's a lethal hit.

---

*Their "current" name comes from Mega Man Battle Network 5, while their "alternative" name comes from Battle Network 1 and 2.

A little confused about the interface, Terry struggles to think of a solid response, ultimately settling for:

As Sese sorts their folder, swapping out a few leftover starting folder chips for the two offered by Candice, they and Orange jump a bit when they hear Marshmallow speak up again.
GET OUT OR I'LL PIN YOU TO THE GROUND AND LEAVE YOU TO BIT ROT!!
...she wasn't talking to you two. Just some Viruses. In any case...
Candice looks back to Marshmallow.
Have you figured out the pattern yet?
THE PLACES THEY LEAP IN FROM...CITY AREA FOR SURE, NO OTHER MATCH!
Wonderful! We know where the root of this rotten problem lies.
Pulling out her PET, Candice jacks Marshmallow out of the register, cartwheeling over to a curtain at the back corner of the shop, revealing a PC behind it that she jacks Marshmallow into.
Rather perplexed by what's going on - and for that matter, curious about it - Orange and Sese discreetly jack their Navis in as well.

---

On his way to his apartment, Terry's stirring in his thoughts about what just happened...
(Man, after what happened with Gramps, it felt like it was every man for himself in this world...)
(Heck, I showed that enough with how much I was pushing SparkMan away...)
(...but he's really been seeing more in me? For so long?)
(And yet...what have I done for him?)

---

Opening the door, his face now more solemn than frustrated, what is described above happens.
Wh...?
Terry walks over to his PC, his pace picking up a bit as he closes the door behind him. Gently pulling his PET out from a secure pouch that used to hold a single screwdriver, and placing it next to the PC, Terry reads the open chat window...

Gaugh!
As DanganMan is knocked away from the monitors inside the comp, he struggles to keep himself afloat...
So...that's how you play, huh?
...fine! I don't even care about your stupid robot stuff! You're not who I'm after, and I can find other ways to be better than him...
DanganMan warps away.

---

I-Spark, I didn't deserve your help there. It's not like I said sorry, it's not like this we don't keep going through the whole "I say 'leave me alone' and then you come back like a day later" thing...
Like, I ain't even confused about this like you're a problem, but...why do you come back? Why do you keep coming back?
...
...Terry, I know you don't like us talking about then, but...your grandpa really didn't need to go as far as he did.
Like, maybe you were cheating that kid, maybe you did put the blame on me...
But that's all you did. The way the old man reacted, you'd think he just saw you...well, doing what the little bullet brat did just now.
I'll be real, I don't think you're perfect. But the way they treated you back then was going too far, and you've been stuck by yourself because of it. Even when the most you've done since is be upset about it. And who wouldn't?
Nobody's given you the chance to be better than you were before. And it hasn't been much, but you have been getting better since then. And as long as there's that bit of you that can change, I wanna be sure someone's there to lend a hand.
...
...I...I guess we should head home.
Terry walks away from the empty building, looking back for a second at the dying flames from the explosions before heading back to his apartment.

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)

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.

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.

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!

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...

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.

As Vanitas DS continues to approach Dangan Man, the Robot Master tries to pelt him with Homing Vulcan βs, only a couple of the dozens fires actually hitting, the rest misguided by Warp Steps!
Okay, naivety, whatever. I'm more confused about the part about "blinding the world", I don't think that's how light usually-
What were you, born yesterday?
Vanitas DS reaches point-blank range, flinging Dangan into the air with his Keyblade!
I don't care how many people try and figure out light, it's like clockwork that almost anyone who uses it gets drenched in it. Next thing they know, they're ready to destroy worlds.
Dangan tries to block the continued aerial Keyblade strikes, failing just as much as he succeeds...
Fine, darkness isn't perfect - those other Darksides are proof of that - but if the light's about to burn and blind someone, darkness can shield them with shade no problem. And if the light grows too heavy, well...
Vanitas sends Dangan flying back to the ground with a downward slash, Dangan just barely landing on his feet!
That's when darkness like me has to come in and put out the light.
Wait...no, I'm pretty sure brightness doesn't mean anything morally, but when they say it does, it's usually darkness that's the bad-
Vanitas DS warps right behind Dangan!
Well, that's just your pathetic light heart speaking.
Dangan parries Vanitas DS' Dark Raid with a Shadow Runner!
Hearts don't have to do with anything!

---

Homing Vulcan: (Missile/Swift) The user fires a missile that homes in on the nearest opponent.
Power Levels: Default, β (NEW)

Shadow Runner RECAP: (Shadow/Swift) An ability learned from Advancing* Homing Vulcan. Dangan Man fires a dark crescent projectile that homes in on all nearby opponents, then returns to him.
Warp Step: (Copy/Shadow) The user warps a few feet in any direction, leaving behing a dark afterimage for a second that can redirect most homing technology/magic to aim at it instead of the real Vanitas DS.
Dark Raid: (Shadow/Swift) The user throws their Keyblade, and it spins while imbued with dark energy, returning to the user after a second.

---

*Recap: Advancing an ability happens when someone uses an ability numerous times in a row with great focus. The time it takes for different abilities to Advance is roughly inversely proportional to how long it takes to use it again after being used once, and how powerful it is (i.e. Buster Shot would take several times more uses in a row to Advance than Astro Crush).

Darren Selache: Wait, "met"?
Mhm. Was just kinda by myself before that. Not that he's my Op, he's still thinking about if a PET's in his budget-
Step back a bit, man, kinda getting curious, if it's okay...where did you come from, then?
...well, it's no horror story, I'll tell you that up front. Ever year about that NumberMan guy who's like some sorta mascot?
Darren Selache: ...well, yeah, but I think there's more to him than that-
Well, someone thought taking away the "more than" was a good idea, and started some sorta Navi-making business. Think they called it "DecorNavis" or "DecoNavis", can't remember if they did the character limit thing...
Anyway, basically they made Solo Navis for people to use to show off stuff or look fancy in their Comps. Basically what a Mr. Prog, a Sprite, heck, a signpost could do, but with a bunch of thinking skills that just couldn't be used.
Yeah, people were already seeing red flags the moment they opened up; took maybe four months tops until the whole thing went down from the uproar over Navi rights, and everyone they made was allowed to just kinda...live their own life.
No way I saw all of them, but I remember they had some old Eurican-style fairy, some tiny fella with huge missile-looking arms, a demon-looking thing who was also a pogo stick or something...basically, you'd think they had a NetOp, but nope.
So, yeah, I came from there. Wanted me to be like a knockoff kid's playground version of that one assassin Navi. Y'know, with the same scarf, but not covering his mouth and not with a color scheme like a 5-year-old who dressed himself, and...yeah.
For ten seconds the room is nothing but awkward silence.
...dude, that's, uh...man, I dunno what to say.
*sigh* Yeah, I need to stop trailing off like that. Well, if you need anything else, I'm here, and so's the giant bug dragon.
Darren Selache: Well, uh...thanks for letting us know about...uh, M-FF.
SurfWave warps out, and Darren just lies back down on his bed, eyes wide open, just kinda staring at the ceiling in thought.

---

???: ...I truly am sorry for how your world treated you.
???: You had no part in it. Regardless, I find myself at something of an...impasse.
The red figure looks down at her hand.
???: ...my body is not meant for this world, and without making a choice, I'm living on borrowed time.
???: If I am to live, I am left with using what little unnatural power I have left to either attempt to return to my old home, and risk being outcast again...
???: ...or to throw that life away, attempt to become a being like you, and risk being no more of a misfit in this world...
???: ...
???: ...I suppose ultimately, the choice is up to you, and I won't stop you from making it.
???: But if nothing else, I can suggest that there may be hope for you to be accepted wherever you wish to go.
The smaller figure slowly hovers away, carefully ascending half-broken stairs.
???: ...Robot.ROB?
Robot.ROB: ...yes?
???: You have my thanks.
Robot.ROB: Think nothing of it, Konngara. I simply wished to understand a lost face.
As Robot.ROB leaves, Konngara ponders more, her hand beginning to swirl with energy...

---

(From last post)
(Battle Network 2) BgRedWav220: (Heat) Summons a wave of lava on each row in front of the user, all moving forward one panel at a time.
(All Battle Network games except WS and possibly The Medal Operation) RockCube: (Null, Object) Summons a stone cube in front of the user with 100* HP. Can be pushed by most Wind-attribute attacks for a 200-damage projectile, or destroyed instantly by Break-attribute attacks.

---

*I am unable to find any details on RockCube's HP in any mainline game from BN2 onwards; BN1 is the only game that I know its HP value in.

Equipping a BgRedWav220 from what's left of a recent opponent as she tosses a RockCube off the edge of the map, a Navi hears the commotion from across the area...
(Enlightened? For *CYBERSQUAWK*'s sake, that zookeeping chump's trying to suck up to wannabes to get on their good side...)
(Holy crap, that whole gang is nothing but wannabes! I swear, if I had a CopyBot and the address of whoever thought to give Rank 5 to a stupid sunshine puddle...)
Magma's hair begins to flare up, before melting back down over her shoulder.
(...no, y'know what? I want 'em to die as they all want each other to, but if it boils down to who kills who, I'm better off scavenging from Mr. O-M-G than I am taking his blood meal.)
Magma leans up against a railing...
('Course, if I'm gonna finish the job on the little kid toys, I might as well wait a sec to watch 'em break before I melt what's left...)

---

Still a little groggy, Darren keeps adjusting his PET's brightness to find the right balance between "actually visible" and "like staring into the sun" as SurfWave warps into a rather...barren area.
Yikes, this place is a mess...
Don't have to tell me twice.
Whoah!
SurfWave jumps back a foot or two.
Just gonna cut to the chase: Name's ShadowDigital.
That thing from yesterday? Long story short, the Gospel beast wasn't a one-time thing, but it's not like it was a hundred-time thing, either.
SurfWave and Darren notice that one of the few light sources in the area is the green specks and blue flame from the same dragon beast from before, seemingly in a dormant state; what they'd call "sleeping" if they were sure how much of a mind it had.
Darren Selache: ...wait, no, there's no way-
Multibug Organism. Dunno why, but if M-FF here's a sign, they're actually a lot easier to keep steady than a Cybeast. Yesterday was only the second time it pulled a stint like that, and-
Darren Selache: Why do you have a Multibug Organism with you? And did you just call it something?
Yeah, dumb name, I know, but I had to think of something that sounded like words to Jacred, and all I could get from looking at it in the Custom Screen was an M and an overloaded hexadecimal.
...oh, yeah right, should probably explain that, too. Dunno where he lives, but whatever he did, Jacred managed to hobble together that big Virus Ball so we could actually lug the monster around next time it did something like it was doing when we found it.
Darren Selache: ...a Multibug Organism was flying around for that long and you two were the first to notice.
I mean, everyone's eyes were on the whole Nebula liberation thing, not to mention it was pretty close to the Data Sea...it's where Jacred and I met, actually.

---

???: It's called a "Battle" Chip just the same, and yet it provides...divine protection?
???: Its true divinity, I am unsure of. But it serves as a beacon of hope, and I carry it with me out of respect.
???: Respect for whom?
???: ...my Internet Operator was a great scientist of his time. Even in the stress of the Internet Armageddon and Alpha Revolt, he held strong.
???: He...is no longer with us. But despite me being a NetNavi of his time, I've survived using the technology he left behind to keep myself updated.
???: But I'm not here to talk about myself. If it is no bother, I would like to know what you're seeking.
???: ...
???: ...Do you know the story of ROM's leader?†

---

*Just to be safe: this is not an actual message to the reader.
†I'm not actually going to provide heavy plot details from Shanghai.EXE, out of respect for those who haven't played it (as, at the time of this writing, a version with the full story is easily available).

(Area Theme) ♫ Mega Man Battle Network 4 - Global Network ♫
As SparkMan wanders aimlessly on the top path, a gray blur nearly crashes into him, the invisible railing at one of the ends just barely catching it!
Agh! Watch it!
You watch it! I'm in the middle of something important!
Can you at least not almost get someone killed doing it?
No! I mean, yes! I mean, not you!
I gotta find something to take out that stupid purple dude...
That's...am I supposed to know which purple dude you mean?
I saw him in Hill Top! He's like one of those crazy guys from Genso, but a different kinda purple, and...uh...vegan?
How did you catch that the guy was vegan but not his name?
He was handing out some dumb papers when I came in and was rambling 'bout how someone named Byakuren came up with a vegetarian thing!
...and you fought him because someone told him to hand out flyers?
What? No! He was in my way! And he only had like 5 Battle Chips but I still lost, so I gotta do something to get better!
Wait...you're Terry's Navi! That guy knows tech! He could hack me stronger!
...there's a lot I don't wanna talk about, but the Navi stuff really isn't-hey!
Didn't ask, let's go!
DanganMan locks SparkMan's arm with his and drags him along as he flies to Area 1!
...as well as a Navi without hands can drag another Navi without hands, anyway.

---

After the incident with the beast the day before, Darren is sprawled out in his bed, having gotten maybe 2 winks of rest before now.
Yo, Darren! Wake up, dude, you got some mail, and it says some funky stuff...
Darren Selache: Mm..Mrgh...
Darren turns to his PET, his head still anchored to his pillow.
Darren Selache: Just give me the text-to-speech thing...I can't feel my arms yet...

Darren's eyes slowly open.
Darren Selache: Wait...the guy from...?
I'm guessing he was the dude who threw that big Virus Ball-looking thing. Since, y'know, there weren't a lot of others there before he left with the-
Darren Selache: Gimme a sec to get dressed. We're gonna find out what's goin' on.

---

---

*Elec Town's Internet Server; called "Town Area" in Battle Network 4 but that name seems ripe for potential confusion so I went with this name instead

With the lights off and the blinds closed, the apartment is nearly impossible to see in, besides a single desk lamp illuminating a pile of tools and mechanical parts...and the screen of an outdated PET model off to the side.
...you're sure you didn't forget rent?
The weirdo in the purple hat gave me enough for the month. I don't care if I'm lucky she did, I'm taking it.
I mean, you're still doing fine with the robot stuff but, uh...something tells me she was desperate. Last time you touched a PET-
Terry slams the desk, the PET jumping slightly from the force of the impact.
I've told you a thousand times. Do NOT bring that up.
...y'know what, I'm not even gonna argue, that was inappropriate of me.
Tch. That's one way of putting it. Gramps almost forced me out on the streets.
Silence and faint tinkering is all that fills the air for a solid five minutes.
...I mean, it's been, what, 3, 4 years? I've lost count. But we're still surviving, we just...uh...
Spark, if you wanna put me in a good mood, the best you can do is shut up.
...*sigh*
SparkMan warps out of Terry's HP, Terry not even giving it a second thought as he tries to make something resembling part of a robot.

---

(Event Theme) ♫ Mega Man Battle Network 4 - The Quiet Darkness ♫
???.EXE: Hey, uh, just callin' because...that wasn't just me, Pranara just got deleted now?
???.EXE: Unfortunately, yes. He attempted to take out BlizzardMan, but an ex-ROM Navi interfered, and they killed Pranara together. In any case, how was the project?
The Heat-type Navi on the other end laughs worriedly.
???.EXE: Uh, right. See, the thing is...ConFuse kinda just flung the li'l thing at the beast, and...well, we dunno where it is now, and it took the beast with it-
???.EXE: Wait. Are you saying the Navi actually fused with Baldrez?
???.EXE: Uh...think so, yeah.
???.EXE: Well, we can make do.
???.EXE: We got the end result we were searching for: replicate the bug, imbue it into a subject, and see if the Beast fusion would apply.
???.EXE: It took a coding anomaly like MegaMan to properly inherit a Cybeast's power, but the Eien Navi's bug* - its Beast Factor† - should suffice in practice.
???.EXE: And when the product goes awry...well, now we have a scapegoat, too.

---

...You have no reason to stay here if you value your life. She was only the beginning of something far greater. It matters not how long history has called you a hero, it will take no less time for me to cut you to-
Even with what my life has been, I suppose this is a strange choice. But I'm not here to battle. I'm here to talk.
Don't even try to fool me. I've seen your world, and all is decided in it through battle. So prepare-
I suppose my body can never truly be unarmed. But I wield no weapons by choice.
What do you call what you're preparing as we speak?
Perhaps to some it has benefit in combat. But at its core, it's not a weapon. Quite the opposite, in fact.

---

(Chips from my last post)
(BN2) PlanetMan (V1 = 70, V2 = 80, V3 = 90, EX = error: battle chip "PlnetMnEX" could not be found): (Wood, Cursor) PlanetMan.EXE's Navi Chip. PlanetMan appears, targeting one enemy with 4 planets of different types (Heat above, Aqua on left, Elec below, Wood right).
(BN 2-3) Shadow: (Null, Guard) Turns the user into a shadowy figure, making them temporarily immune to attacks besides those with the Sword attribute, & changing their charge shot into a StepSwrd-esque attack. The duration of the effect depends on the chip's number.

---

*Reference: Shanghai.EXE - HakutakuMan - the Navi of Keine Kamishirasawa, a resident of Eien Town - has the ability to Beast Out. The most explanation this ability gets is that he fell ill at some point.
†Name Reference: Rockman.EXE Beast

---

(BN2-6, 4.5) Snctuary: (Null, Terrain) A Mega Chip that turns all panels on the user's field into Holy panels.

Pranara.EXE: Gagh...no matter...
Pranara.EXE: Perhaps my strength didn't suffice...but I accomplished my main goal.
Pranara.EXE: And with my death...your plight...has only begun...!
With a flash of light and a loud blast, Pranara is deleted.
...
Narumi, I'm sorry I didn't tell-
Don't worry, BlizzardMan, I'm not mad at you. I never was.
I dunno what a Darkloid is, or why he wanted you...but if you don't see that as you anymore, neither do I!
Giving the two some distance, Medicine and Yamame smile.
You scared me for a bit there, Medicine.
Hey, I did what I had to do.
Yeah, I guess so. The way you sidestepped in was neat, though!
Heh...just kinda thought of what a friend of ours would do. Of course, I didn't have any handheld weapons...
No, no, the tornado was a great idea!
(Event Theme) ♫ Shanghai.EXE - Settlement ♫
As Yamame and Medicine share a laugh, BlizzardMan approaches them.
Excuse me, Ms...uh, Yamame?
Thank you so much for helping BlizzardMan.
Yeah, we can't thank you enough! Whoosh!
*soft laugh* Don't mention it.
Hey, uh, as long as we're here, miss...do you know the path to City Area?
Oh! Yeah, you just take either of the north paths, and take another north at the rocky arrow. If you take the northwest route from here, just head up the stairs and back down the ones furthest west. It'll get you straight to City 3!
Hah, small world; I actually live in Central City!
Narumi's eyes widen.
Really? Wow! Maybe we can come and visit some time. Isn't there a code you give friends if you want them to visit your HP?
Wait, you mean a P-Code? Uh...not sure how much I can promise being available, but-
You saved BlizzardMan, I wanna show you that I really do mean thank you!

---

(Event Theme) ♫ Shanghai.EXE - Theme of ROM ♫
Two figures - one wrapped in shadow* and the other rather plain-looking - are standing outside the area's west exit.
Ye hear that? From the sound of it, they took down Pranara...
Well, like I said, they be on the search now more than before. Could be a blessin', could be a curse.
Minamitsu grabs a stray PlnetMnEX100* chip, wanting to make sure nobody else sees it first.
Aye, if nothin' else, we n' Skifree be the only remnants left from ye jumpin' overboard.
The other figure has only one response:
Uh...how long do I have to keep the disguise on?
'Til the next time we find a place where there be no connection. Just remember if anyone tries talkin' to ye, think o' the least suspicious trivia ya know and only tell 'em that.

---

*I don't have enouch space so I'll explain these chips next post