Rockman.EXE: The College Years (Season 2)

[SPDBlue]

[Elementalman.EXE]

AMZ, even though I have extrime distaste of what's happened to The College years I would still op to be a Beta Reader. A One sided battle, with the possibly of a Good Noah, lead's me to actully try once more to help this fic -.-
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Elementalman.EXE
Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted.
1000 Post on Sept. 18 2005 at 6:29pm

[TheWebbuilder]

Hey, I'm here Element, and I've kept your point of view in mind as I read the chapter.

-ducks :stonecube: -

Honestly, I'm trying to be fair and balanced in this. So don't hurt me!

Anybody else ever notice how much discussion goes on in between the chapters?
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[Anime Master ZERO]

Well, the season finale has arrived.

I would like to thank Midnight Critic, Liorei, TheWebbuilder, and Eyebright for their contributions in the beta reading phase.

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CHAPTER 2-51
Tears of a Broken Child!

Jasmine watched the counter on her PET screen slowly climb by the second as Medi stood in front of it.

“Jasmine,” she began, “if that number gets high enough…”

“Please don’t think about that possibility, Medi,” Jasmine pleaded, “Lan will save us. He’s done it many times before.” There was a long pause before Medi finally spoke.

“You are right. He has MegaMan with him. They can win for sure!” Both operator and Navi turned their attention from the counter and looked up towards the sky.

“Please win, Lan and MegaMan,” they prayed in unison, “The fate of the world is in your hands.”

* * *

In Heaven’s City, people were gathering in the streets around the giant TV screens on the sides of buildings. Raoul looked up at one of them and watched it with a face like stone. Mary walked up next to him and stood by his side as she, too, watched the numbers ascend.

“Have faith,” Raoul told her without moving his eyes from the screen. Mary gasped slightly as she turned around and faced the tall man.

“You know Lan Hikari, right?” he asked. Mary slunk back shyly for a moment, but then slowly nodded.

“I thought as much. Do you believe that he’s fighting his hardest to save all of us?” Once again, Mary nodded.

“Then believe in him.” Mary slowly stood straight up and took a step forward. As she watched the counter, she could see the faces of Lan and MegaMan flash before her eyes.

“I…I do believe in them!” Raoul looked down at her and smiled before returning his attention to the screen.

* * *

“Come on, Lan! You can defeat that overgrown nightmare!” Tamako screamed as she stood behind the counter in her gift shop with her eyes glued to the TV, “Show me that fighting spirit once again!”

* * *

In Swapopolis, Tora and his brothers watched with a crowd of people at the bright red numbers as they made their way upward.

“We’re finished!” one of the brothers cried.

“Put a cork in it, why doncha?” Tora shouted angrily, “A good friend of mine is fighting to save us all! And if I know him, he won’t let us down!” He turned back to the screen and began yelling.

“Win this one, Lan!”

* * *

Mr. Match, Madd, Count Zap, Yahoot, and all their customers, among whom were Chisao and Kai, had their eyes on the television in the corner of the restaurant.

“Lan’s saved the world before, he can do it again,” Count Zap announced.

“That boy’s beaten us in the past more times than I could count,” Mr. Match added, “I have complete faith in him.”

“Then let’s show our support!” Madd said enthusiastically.

“Yeah! Let’s cheer for Master Lan!” Kai shouted.

“And my brother’s helping him, too!” Chisao joined in.

“Then let us all show that we’re behind them until the end,” Yahoot declared.

* * *

Inside Noah’s laptop, a giant counter had appeared in the floor and was displaying the time until the Final Genesis would take effect.

“We have to keep fighting!” Roll urged, “MegaMan and the others are depending on us!”

“Agreed!” Colonel cut down a Blizzard Wolfang and walked forward, “They need our support, so we cannot give up!”

“I owe Lan and MegaMan everything,” JunkMan piped up, “They showed me true friendship.”

“I owe them just as much as you do, JunkMan,” Zero added.

“MegaMan’s our pal and pals always look out for one another!” Spider flipped a card around between his fingers and flung it at Optic Sunflower.

“MegaMan!” the Navis shouted in unison, “We’re fighting this battle with you!”

* * *

“I shall be victorious!” Noah laughed as the Omega Virus X advanced.

“Well I only have one thing left to say to you, Noah!” R MegaMan turned around and patted his rear, “Bite my blue Net Savior ass!”

“I’ll make sure it gets bitten off along with your head!” The Omega Virus X fired another laser and R MegaMan jumped up to avoid it, “You’ve interfered with my plans for salvation for the last time!”

“I know your intentions are good, Noah, but your methods are all wrong!” He quickly returned fire and landed on top of a lamppost.

“People will never learn if they’re not punished!” Noah argued.

“That may be so, but death isn’t the only punishment! People can learn from their mistakes if you give them the chance!”

“Be quiet!” The Omega Virus X launched another storm of lasers and R MegaMan evaded it and rejoined the others.

“Do you always resort to violence when you run out of words to back you up?” he asked, “Isn’t that kind of how bullies work?” There was a long pause as Noah tried to keep his emotions under controls.

“Why is Lan trying to reason with him?” asked R SearchMan, “Noah is the enemy and enemies are people you have to defeat.”

“I think it’s good that Lan’s trying to reason with him,” replied R Axl, “Noah’s just a lonely and confused child driven by his emotions. Just like I was…” His voice trailed off as he thought back to his own past and all the mistakes he had made in those days.

“That’s just typical of Lan,” R ProtoMan mumbled, “He always looks for the good in people. I guess that’s why people like him.”

“You know nothing of what my life has been like!” Noah’s voice suddenly cried out, “Everything I’ve been through makes Hell look like paradise! How can you judge me if you haven’t lived through the pain that I’ve been through?”

“How can you judge others in the way you believe them to be?” R MegaMan shot back.

“Everyone who has suffered has the right to judge the ones who caused them pain! Those sinners have no purpose for this world!”

“Not everyone is like that, Noah! Everybody is unique! But you’ve been so absorbed in your selfish ambitions that you’ve failed to see beyond your own beliefs!”

“SILENCE!” The Omega Virus X built up an energy ball in its hands and threw it forward. The Net Saviors leapt away from its path and the resulting explosion. The others landed safely, but R MegaMan suddenly found himself surrounded by a glowing green ring as he was lifted into the air.

“You’re just as guilty as the rest of them, Lan Hikari!” Noah cried as tears started to well up in his eyes, “You’re trying to defend those sinners!”

“I’m trying to defend the entire human race!”

“Shut up! Just shut up! I’m not going to let you mess with my head!”

“Your head has already been messed with by your own thoughts, Noah!”

“Be quiet!” Noah slumped forward and removed his mask, sobbing. He quickly tried to regain his composure and wiped his eyes off on his sleeve.

“Prepare…to be Data Drained.” He slowly sat back up and placed the mask back on his head. Outside, the Omega Virus X opened up its hand and held it out in front of R MegaMan. The bloodshot eye opened up and stared at him in the face. There was a bright flash as streams of energy shot through his body.

“LAN!” The other three Net Saviors watched in horror as their comrade was forced out of Cross Fusion and his PET fell to ground. When the last bit of data disappeared into the eye, it closed and the green ring disappeared. Lan fell through the air and landed on the grassy divider between the two side of the freeway instead of the pavement, much to the others’ slight relief.

“You…you Data Drained Lan…” R ProtoMan looked up at the Omega Virus X, “You bastard!” He morphed his hand into his sword and activated Full Synchro before charging forward.

“Chaud, wait!” R Axl pleaded, but it was too late. The skunk-haired NetBattler was already engaging the Omega Virus X. Sighing in defeat, he drew his pistols and flew after him with R SearchMan right behind him, the two of them activating Full Synchro in the process.

* * *

“Dr. Hikari, I have some bad news,” a scientist reported, “We’ve just lost Lan and MegaMan’s signal.” Everyone looked up from their PETs at those words. Maylu and Roll especially were completely flabbergasted by this news.

“Lan?”

“And MegaMan?”

“It appears that they fell victim to the Omega Virus X’s Data Drain technique.”

“No, it can’t be…”

Online, the Navis were shocked as Noah laughed.

“Don’t worry, your friend’s not dead,” he informed them, “At worst, he’s been rendered into a coma.”

“Noah…” Roll turned around and angrily glared at the young genius. Before anybody could stop her, she ran as fast as she could towards him.

“Roll, stop! It too dangerous!” GutsMan yelled after her.

“Out of my way!” Roll screamed as she blazed past the viruses. Noah smirked as she came closer and clapped his hands together twice. Immediately, a giant bloodshot eye opened over his head and gazed down onto the battlefield. This stopped Roll immediately in her tracks.

“Is that what I think it is?” she asked.

“If what you’re thinking is that it’s one of the eyes of the Omega Virus X, then you’re correct.” A chuckle escaped Noah as he brushed a strand of hair away from his face and tucked it behind his headband, “Data Drain her!”

“Roll, watch out!” GutsMan ran forward and pushed Roll out of the way. The green ring surrounded him instead and his body was quickly Data Drained.

“GutsMan!”

“Oh, well. He was bound to get it sooner or later,” Noah sighed, “In fact, I’m going to have you all Data Drained!”

* * *

“AquaGospel! WoodGospel!” R Axl’s hands both morphed into Gospel heads and he aimed them at the Omega Virus X before unleashing their respective elemental attacks. The gargantuan creature grabbed hold of a nearby skyscraper and wretched it out from the ground. It raised it over its head and threw it in front of the blasts. The building was destroyed and the virus itself was unharmed.

“FireSword, AquaSword, ElecSword, BambooSword! Program Advance: Element Sword!” R ProtoMan rushed in and dealt four elemental slashes of his sword to the Omega Virus X’s hide. On the inside, Noah yelped in pain as cuts appeared in his clothes and started to dig into his skin.

“Careful!” R Axl warned, “Noah’s gone Full Synchro with his virus, so any damage done to it affects Noah, as well.”

“This pain is nothing,” Noah groaned, “compared to what I’ve had to live through.” The Omega Virus X’s shoulders opened up and they spewed more acid at the Net Saviors.

“Meteor15 Battlechip!” A staff appeared in R SearchMan’s hand and he raised it over his head, commanding several flaming meteors to appear overhead and flying down at the virus. Several of them hit it on the mark while others were engulfed in its acid streams and ignited the corrosive substance.

“Gun Del Sol 1, Gun Del Sol 2, Gun Del Sol 3! Program Advance: Pile Driver!” R Axl raised his hand towards the sky and the Pile Driver rose up around the Omega Virus X. A prolonged “Taiyohhhhhhhhhhhhh!” ripped from his throat and four powerful beams of sunlight hit the monster from different directions.

“You seem to forget something, Mr. Obihiro!” Noah yelled as he bore the heat, “I’m a Boktai fan, myself!” His hands flew across the nerves and the Omega Virus X held out all four of its arms at the generators of the Pile Driver and fired a laser at each one. The mirrors were knocked upward and the Pile Driver ceased functioning. Next the viral monstrosity fired a black energy ball into the air and it exploded, covering the sky in total darkness.

“Sean, what’s going on?” asked R ProtoMan.

“Seriously, I think it’s best that you don’t know,” R Axl replied. Suddenly, he found himself being lifted into the air with R ProtoMan and R SearchMan on either side of him.

“Fighting my Omega Virus X while in Full Synchro was a foolish move,” Noah sneered, “With operator and Navi both synchronized, you’ll both feel the full extent of the Data Drain!” Green rings surrounded the three remaining Net Saviors as the Omega Virus X brought up three of its hands and opened the eyes on each palm. In a quick flash, it Data Drained its prey and the NetBattlers fell out of Cross Fusion. Once the last pixel was absorbed, their motionless bodies were dropped back down to the ground next to their PETs.

* * *

“We’ve just lost the others’ signals,” the scientist reported grimly.

“You mean Sean’s been Data Drained, too?” Yai gasped.

“And Chaud and Laika.”

Silence filled the room as the news slowly sunk in. Meanwhile online, Noah was laughing as the eye stared down at the Navis.

“I’ll make this as quick and painless as possible!” he jeered, “Omega Virus X, drain them all at once. Drain Heart!” The pupil flashed and streams of energy shot out from it at the Navis.

“Everybody retreat!” Colonel ordered. The Navis quickly turned around and started running away. The energy streams twisted and turned, striking anything and everything in its path, including Noah’s virus army.

“We can’t log out our Navis!” Misaki gasped.

“Everyone, retreat back to the portal!” Mr. Famous yelled, “It’s the only way to log them out to safety!”

“I don’t think so!” Noah fired a blast from the Gun Del Hell and his shot burst past the Navis and struck the portal. The rift sparked and shuddered for a few seconds and closed, trapping everyone inside the system. Screams echoed as Noah watched the Navis fall one by one to the power of his ultimate creation’s Data Drain and quickly Pulsed Out.

* * *

Everyone stood in complete silence after witnessing the horror that had just happened. First, the Net Saviors were Data Drained. Then, all their Navis. The shock was far too great for any of them.

“This is it, then,” Mr. Famous whispered, “We’ve failed.” Yuuichiro looked down at the floor for a moment and slowly turned his head up towards the counter, which was now just passing 300.

“Then Earth is doomed.”

* * *

Noah laughed, obviously quite pleased with himself. He had succeeded in Data Draining all his opponents in under five minutes. All that was left to do now was to wait for the counter to hit the target number. Deciding to have a little fun, he opened a communications channel and began to broadcast to the entire world.

“Sinner, your so-called savior has fallen! And in his failure, he has ensured your deaths. It won’t be long before justice is served.”

* * *

“It can’t be!” Princess Pride gasped, “It just can’t be.”

“Your Highness, are you alright?” one of the princess’ bodyguards asked.

* * *

“I don’t believe it.” Dingo’s hatchet fell from his hand as he dropped to his knees, “Lan lost?”

* * *

“Lan can’t have lost,” Charlie growled, “He’s wouldn’t go down without a fight!”

* * *

“It must be a lie!” Nenji exclaimed, “He would never be defeated so easily!”

* * *

Back at SciLab, everyone was mourning over the terrible losses. In a few minutes, everything would be destroyed.

“I just can’t believe this is happening,” Yutaka sighed.

“I always thought the world would end in a nuclear war, not something like this.” Even Dan, the military whackjob, was scared.

“No,” Maylu gripped her PET tightly, “I don’t think Lan’s out of the fight yet!”

“Maylu, what are you talking about?” asked Dex, “He was Data Drained.”

“But he wasn’t in Full Synchro when that happened,” Maylu argued, “Isn’t that right, Dr. Hikari?” Yuuichiro checked the status screen and turned back to Maylu.

“That’s correct, but that isn’t going to help us.”

“Maybe it will,” Mr. Famous interjected, “Maylu, I feel that you have a plan. Please elaborate.”

“When MegaMan was trying to save the world from Duo’s asteroid, we all yelled our support,” Maylu explained, “Somehow, our words reached him and that gave him and Lan the strength to change its course. What if we tried the same thing right now?”

“But he won’t hear us,” Cid argued, “He was Data Drained, remember?”

“But he wasn’t in Full Synchro when it happened,” Maylu continued, “What if Lan’s conscious is still in this plane? He should be able to hear us.”

“That’s crazy!” Hiro scoffed, “But we’re out of options, anyway.”

“Then what have we got to lose?” Maylu ran outside and started to yell at the top of her voice, “Lan! You and MegaMan can still save the world!” Everyone else soon came outside and watched her. A few of them had expressions that suggested they thought she was crazy. Tory stepped forward and placed his hand on Maylu’s shoulder.

“You’re right, Maylu. We’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.” And with that, he cupped his hands around his mouth and began to shout, “Lan! Get back up and fight!” As soon as Tory began yelling, Yai joined in right after him.

“Lan! Save everyone!”

“You can do it, Lan!” Dex shouted. Everyone else looked at each other and just shrugged their shoulders and joined in.

“LAN! MEGAMAN! PLEASE SAVE THE WORLD!”

And all across the globe, everyone in every part of every country began to call Lan’s and MegaMan’s names.

* * *

“Save the planet once again!” Raoul yelled.

“Save humanity!” screamed Mary.

* * *

In Sharo, the soldiers of Laika’s regiment were shouting their support.

“Do this for Lieutenant Laika!”

* * *

In Choina, Jasmine and her grandfather had gone down the mountain into town and were getting everybody to shout out.

“Please do it,” Jasmine pleaded, “The fate of the world depends on it.”

“She’s crazy,” one of the townspeople said.

“But maybe it’s true,” another one interjected, “If the world is in trouble, then we all have to unite to save it. So let’s all do it! Let’s shout our support for these Lan and MegaMan people!”

* * *

In Swapopolis, an entire crowd of people, led by Tora, was chanting Lan’s name while pumping their fists into the air.

“Lan! Lan! Lan! Lan! Lan! Lan! Lan!…”

* * *

Meanwhile, Lan continued to lay motionless on the spot where he had fallen.

I…I can’t move my body, he thought.

Lan…

Lan’s eyes opened at the sound of someone calling his name and he found himself floating in a white void. He looked around and saw another figure floating across from him. A figure clothed completely in blue with features similar to his own.

“Hub?”

“Lan!”

“Hub! It’s you!” Lan tried to swim over to his brother, but he couldn’t move from his spot.

“What’s going on, Hub? Why can’t I reach you?”

“Lan, listen to me,” Hub spoke with a tone of complete seriousness as he looked at his twin straight in the eyes, “Noah Data Drained us.”

“Yeah, that was the last thing I remembered,” Lan replied, “But what’s going on, Hub?”

“Lan, everyone has been Data Drained,” Hub informed him, “Sean, Chaud, Laika, and the entire online team.”

“What? But then what’s happening to us?” Lan asked frantically, “Are we dead?”

“No, Lan. We’re communicating spiritually with each other. But that’s enough deviation. We have to stop Noah!”

“But how, Hub? Like you said, everyone’s been Data Drained. No one’s left to fight.”

“You’re wrong, Lan. Even as we speak, people all over the world are shouting their support for us. Just listen.” Lan strained his ears and listened carefully. He could just faintly hear something coming from the void, but it was nearly impossible to make anything out of it.

Lan… MegaMan…

“I can hear voices!” Lan exclaimed. Before long, the calls of everyone came at the twins from every direction.

LAN! MEGAMAN! LAN! MEGAMAN! LAN! MEGAMAN!

“They’re calling to us, Lan,” Hub said, “We’re their only hope. We can’t let them down.”

“You’re right, Hub,” Lan concurred, “Everyone is depending on us! We’re Earth’s last line of defense! We can’t let Noah win!”

“That’s the Lan I know and love!” The two brothers floated closer to each other and stretched out their hands.

“We’ll always be together, Lan. And that is what makes us strong.”

“Our strength combined into one.”

The twins’ fingers touched and a bright white light shone out and engulfed them both.

* * *

The Omega Virus X continued to walk down the eight-lane freeway, leaving destruction in its path. Inside it, Noah’s lips curled back into a wide maniacal grin as the counter hit 600.

“Just a little over one minute left and this world will finally be purged!” he laughed, “Nothing can stop my plan now!”

“I don’t think so!” A plasma shot suddenly struck the Omega Virus X and Noah was nearly thrown out of his chair.

“What in the name of Moon Beauty is going on?” he demanded. He looked outside and saw R MegaMan standing on the roof of a tall building holding his buster right at him. However, he was completely different now. His entire body was radiant green and his armor and stripes were shimmering bright gold.

* * *

“Dr. Hikari! Come see this!” A lab aide ran out of SciLab with a laptop and stopped in front of Yuuichiro.

“What is it?” the head scientist asked.

“It’s Lan! His signal is back! But there’s something else, too!” He showed his boss the laptop. Yuuichiro looked at it and his eyes widened. Mr. Famous took a look at the screen and he, too, displayed an impressed expression.

“His signal is definitely back, but look at his synchronization ratio!” he exclaimed, “It’s risen up to two hundred percent!”

“Two hundred percent? How is that possible?” asked Misaki.

“Our satellite should have a visual in a moment.” After a bit of typing on the laptop, an image of R MegaMan appeared.

“Incredible!” Mr. Famous gasped, “Lan’s activated Hub Style while in Cross Fusion and in doing so, he’s tapped into a power far greater than Full Synchro!”

“So Lan and MegaMan have finally done it!” Dr. Hikari exclaimed, “They’ve acquired the legendary power of Perfect Synchro!”

“Perfect Synchro?” Everyone turned and gathered around the laptop, but Maylu turned and faced the direction from which a mystical golden light was shining from.

I knew you’d pull through, Lan, she thought, Go for it!

* * *

R MegaMan let out a battle cry as he leapt at the Omega Virus X and slammed his fist into its abdomen.

“C-curses…” Noah coughed as he felt the wind get knocked from his body.

R MegaMan took advantage of his foe’s stunned state and leapt straight up. He drew back his arm and delivered another powerful punch to the Omega Virus X’s jaw. He then spun around in midair and kicked one of its pincer-like horns and it broke off from the beast’s head.

“D…damn you, Hikari…” Noah desperately grabbed a nerve and the Omega Virus X opened its mouth and unleashed its Atomic Breath at R MegaMan.

“Barrier activate!” A protective energy shield surrounded the shining warrior and the blast passed right by him.

“Double Spreaders!” R MegaMan held out his hand as Hub Style’s AquaCustom feature upgraded the two chips into a mega blaster, “Megadeus Burst!” A powerful beam of energy erupted from his weapon and slammed into the Omega Virus X with such force that it pushed it back several meters. Inside, Noah growled in frustration as the penalty of synchronizing himself with his creation began to take its toll on him.

“Data Drain! DATA DRAIN!”

The Omega Virus X stuck out its hand and the eye in its palm opened up.

“Kunai3!” A kunai appeared in R MegaMan’s hand and he threw it straight at the eye. The sharp object stabbed it dead in the pupil and Noah cried out as he gripped his right hand in pain.

“I’m sorry to have to do this to you, Noah, but it’s the only way to save humanity! NeoVariable!” His hand transformed into the shining arrow-shaped blade and he dove in towards the Omega Virus X and slashed. Noah quickly grabbed his shoulder as the giant virus’ upper right arm was severed from its body. As he passed its torso and made his way around its back, R MegaMan swung his NeoVariable and launched a Sonic Boom into its back. He twisted back around and saw all three of its tails coming towards him, their blades gleaming menacingly.

“AntiSword!” He blocked all three tail blades with his sword and countered with a trio of Sonic Booms. The energy waves shot forward and separated the appendages from the body. He flipped around in the air and landed safely on the ground just as the Omega Virus X was turning around to face him.

“Want some more? Burner Battlechip!” R MegaMan surrounded his entire body in flames as his opponent tried to grab him and severely burnt its hand, “Slasher!” His NeoVariable disappeared and was quickly replaced by a Sword. He jumped up until he was level with the eyes on the Omega Virus X’s knees and spun around rapidly.

“Kaitengiri!” After he landed back on the ground, he dashed around the viral monster in a triangular formation and dealt three powerful slashes.

“The Kaitengiri and the Delta Ray Edge. Sean’s and Chaud’s signature moves, respectively.” His sword changed back into his hand and jumped back, landing on a bridge spanning the freeway. Meanwhile, Noah was at this point in time, already suffering from several injuries inflicted by R MegaMan onto the Omega Virus X and tears were once again welling up in his eyes.

“I won’t give up until victory is mine or die trying!” He looked up at the counter and saw that it was reading 656, causing him to grin despite his wounds.

* * *

“Ten seconds left!” Tory shouted.

“Come on, Lan! You can do it!” everyone yelled.

* * *

“This is it. We have to finish this thing now! FINAL GUN!” R MegaMan clenched his fist as his hand morphed into the Final Gun. He brought it forward and targeted the chest eye.

“FIRE!!!” Both Lan’s and MegaMan’s voices shouted in unison as a powerful blast erupted from the Final Gun and streaked towards the Omega Virus X. It pierced right through its chest eye and came out its back, leaving an enormous hole in its body. It let out one final roar as it collapsed and exploded in a shower of pixels, from which countless streams of data shot up and spread out in every direction. Three of them struck Chaud, Sean, and Laika and the three fallen Net Saviors groaned as they slowly got up. The rest of the streams entered every computer in the world and the data that had made up the net’s composition was restored and immediately purged of the viral infections.

Inside Noah’s system, the Navis that had been Data Drained reappeared inside it, confused as to what had just happened.

“Lan and MegaMan must have defeated the Omega Virus X!” Roll realized.

“Then we must act quickly!” Colonel ordered. He led the Navis up the crystal staircase and they finally arrived at a giant pulsing sphere. Together, they all unleashed their main attacks on it and the core exploded, causing the Ultima Viruses worldwide to disintegrate and disappear.

* * *

“Number of Ultima Viruses is dropping rapidly,” a scientist reported, “the internet has been restored to its original state, and the signal on the Omega Virus X has completely vanished!”

“They did it!” Mr. Famous exclaimed, “Lan and MegaMan did it!”

“And just in time,” Yuuichiro added. All across the globe, the counters that the Omega Virus X had created had all stopped at 665; one second before it reached its target.

* * *

R MegaMan walked past the debris and wreckage of what used to be the airship Leviathan. He was searching for something. Or rather, someone.

“There he is!” He spotted a hand sticking out from underneath a pile of wreckage and he quickly ran over and pushed the smouldering metal away. What he saw was a completely battle-torn Noah laying unconscious on the ground. His clothes had been ripped nearly to shreds and countless wounds had been made into his flesh. R MegaMan quickly pulled the mask off his head and threw it to the side before placing his fingers against the side of the boy’s neck.

“He’s still alive! Thank God!” He crossed out and returned his PET to its case as he picked up Noah from the ground and carried him away from the wreckage.

“LAN!” Lan looked ahead and saw Sean, Chaud, and Laika running towards him as quickly as their legs would carry them.

“I’m over here, guys!” he called out. His teammates soon arrived and they gathered around him.

“Looks like you finally defeated the Omega Virus X,” Sean observed as he looked at Noah, “Man, he looks really torn up.”

“Take him, please.” Lan handed the boy over to Chaud and collapsed onto the ground.

* * *

About a week after the battle with the Omega Virus X took place, Maylu, Dex, Tory, and Yai went to the hospital to pay Lan a visit. When they arrived at his room, they found him just finishing up getting dressed. Except for the bandage wrapped around his head, he looked like he was in tiptop shape.

“Hey Lan!” Lan turned around just as he was slipping on his vest and saw his friends at the door.

“Hey guys!” he greeted back, “Come on in.” He grabbed his headband off the bedside table and tied it on as his friends entered the room.

“You’re certainly looking better,” Yai noted.

“Yeah, my injuries in battle weren’t that bad. I’ve already been discharged.” Lan grinned sheepishly as he put on his shoes. As soon as he had finished tying the laces, he was glomped by Maylu.

“Lan, you had us all worried,” she cried as she hugged him tightly, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Easy, Maylu,” Lan gasped, “The doctor said I have to take it easy for a few weeks.” Maylu eventually let go and Lan sat down on a chair next to the window.

“I still can’t help but think about why you were able to come back after being Data Drained while Sean, Chaud, and Laika couldn’t,” wondered Yai.

“I think it was because Lan hadn’t gone into Full Synchro yet when he was Data Drained whereas the others had,” Tory answered in place of Lan, “It seems to be the most logical explanation.” He then turned around back to Lan.

“Anyway Lan, we came to give you these get well presents. But seeing as you’ve recovered nicely so quickly…”

“I’m actually more concerned about Noah.” Lan rested his elbows on his knees and looked down at the floor, “Even though Chaud, Sean, Laika, and I all sustained some injuries, none of them were nearly as bad as Noah’s. I pray he’s still alive.”

“Actually,” a new voice called. Everyone turned and saw Sean as he hobbled into the room with a plastic bag in his hand. He was looking fine save for the fact that he was walking with the help of a crutch. Behind him were Chaud and Laika. The worst either of them had gotten was a black eye and a bandaged arm for Chaud and Laika’s left arm was in a cast.

“Actually, Lan,” Sean said, “I think you should come and see for yourself.”

* * *

The nurse had just finished raising Noah’s bed so that he was sitting in a somewhat upright position when Lan and the others arrived at his room. Bandages had been wrapped around his head, right arm, and torso and a few covered parts of his face. His arm was connected to an IV, which was pumping blood into his body. A second nurse, was just finishing up changing the bandages around his legs. As soon as he had finished, both nurses pulled the covers back over him and walked out of the room.

“We can allow only a maximum of four visitors right now,” the female nurse announced, “and we can only allow fifteen minutes per visitor.”

“I think I’ll go in, first,” Lan offered as he turned to the others, “I really need to talk to him.”

“I should come, too,” Sean added, “In fact, I think all the Net Saviors should go.”

“We’ll wait out here, then,” Maylu told them.

Noah’s gaze was fixated towards the window when Lan, Chaud, Sean, and Laika approached his bedside. His Sabata plushie was sitting right next to him leaning against his pillow, but he didn’t turn to face them. An awkward silence filled the room as the Net Saviors stood there.

“You could have killed me.” The four Officials looked at Noah, but he continued to stare out the window.

“Why didn’t you kill me?” he asked. Sean, Chaud, and Laika took a step back, leaving Lan the one closest to him. He gulped nervously and began to speak.

“Because I don’t believe it’s right to kill someone.”

“I’m your enemy, Lan, and enemies don’t show mercy to one another.”

“Are you still thinking that way?” Lan asked.

“I still intend to pursue my plan,” Noah answered, “Until the day I die, I’ll continue to work towards my goal and rid this world of all those who pleasure themselves through tormenting others.”

“Noah, just listen to yourself. Your intentions may be good, but your actions say otherwise.” Lan took out a newspaper and handed it to Noah. The boy looked away from the window and turned his eyes towards the article the headbanded Net Savior had placed in front of him. As he read, his eyes began to widen and his face paled even more so than it already was. By the time he finished, he was in a complete state of shock.

“I…I can’t believe it…”

“It’s true, Noah,” Lan said grimly as he put the paper away, “You were so dead-set on achieving your so-called goal that you failed to see what the results of your actions were. You became that which you strove to fight against.” He heard a sniffle and when he looked at Noah, he saw that the boy was crying.

“What have I done?” He shut his eyes tightly and jerked his head away, “I’ve become everything that I hate. My entire move was based on nothing more than a hypocrisy. And I called myself a savior. I killed innocent people! I was blinded by my hatred! AAAH!” The boy buckled as pain surged through his body. Lan quickly rushed to his side and placed his hands on his shoulders.

“Just take it easy, Noah! Please.” Eventually, Noah had calmed back down and he leaned back against his pillow, panting lightly.

“So what’s going to happen to me now?” he asked as he held his plushie close to his chest with his good arm, “Surely you’ve come to arrest me after what I’ve done.”

“That remains to be seen,” Chaud interjected, “You will be questioned once you’re able to leave the hospital. As for your punishment, that’s not for us to decide.”

“So why did you come?” Noah inquired.

“Noah, when Lan defeated Gospel, I begged him to kill me,” Sean explained, “But instead, he extended his hand to me and offered his friendship. We’re here to do the same for you.”

“Noah, let us be your friends.” Lan looked into the young genius’ red and blue eyes, which were now starting to fill with tears of happiness.

“Even after everything I’ve done?” Noah asked. Lan nodded.

“Forgiveness is always the first step. Now come on, dry those tears.” He pulled a tissue out from the box sitting on the bedside table and used it to wipe the tears from Noah’s face. Sean hobbled over to the other side of Noah’s bed and reached into his plastic bag.

“I brought this for you, Noah. It was my favorite toy when I was a kid, so now I’m giving it to you.” Noah’s eyes lit up when he saw the grey-haired teen pull out a Django plushie and hand it to him. He immediately took it from him and held it up for a better look. For the first time in his life, his lips curled back into a genuine smile. He brought it back down and held it tightly against his chest alongside his Sabata plushie.

“Come on, Lan. We should get going,” Chaud said as he tapped Lan’s shoulder, “Our time is almost up.”

“Remember Noah, if you ever need a friend, you’ll always have us.” Lan bid farewell to the boy and walked out of the room. The other Net Saviors said their own good-byes and followed him out.

“How’d it go?” asked Maylu.

“I think he’s going to be just fine,” Lan replied. As he turned around to walk back down the hall, he saw several kids standing there holding cards, balloons, or some kind of stuffed toy or wrapped box with their parents standing further down the hall watching them.

“Uh, why are all these kids here?” he wondered. A little boy carrying a “get well soon” card in the front stepped forward and answered his question.

“We’re here to see Noah.”

“Hey Lan,” MegaMan piped up from his PET, “I think these are the kids that Noah said he was trying to save.” Lan looked at the boy with the card who nodded. He sighed and quickly addressed them all.

“Four at a time, fifteen minutes each,” he announced, reciting what the nurse had told him. The entire group of kids filed into Noah’s room four at a time, each presenting a gift to the child prodigy.

“Thank you, Noah. We know you only wanted to help us.”

“You really are a good person, even if you did bad things.”

“Please get well soon.”

Noah smiled as the kids all came to him.

“I’m just glad you’re all happy,” he replied.

Back in the hallway, Lan watched as the kids took turns to see Noah before turning around to the others.

“It looks like this is going to take all day, so let’s go.”

“Agreed,” the others chorused.

* * *

After that entire ordeal, the exams just seemed to fly by. After all of them had been written, Lan finished packing up the last of his stuff in his room.

“Well Lan, I guess this is goodbye,” Hiro commented as he, Yuki, Cid, and Dan appeared at his door.

“I had a great time, guys,” Lan responded, “You were all awesome.”

“Say Lan, whatever happened to Hub?” Dan questioned.

“Yeah, we were all wondering about it,” Yuki added.

“Well, you see, Hub got invited to study at Oxford next year and he couldn’t turn down the opportunity, so he left as soon as he finished writing his last exam,” Lan lied. Strangely enough, the group of four seemed to believe him.

“Oxford, huh? That’s cool,” Cid commented.

“So he’s studying in Kingland, then.” Yuki crossed her arms over her chest, “It must be a nice place.”

“I could think of a couple of other nice places,” Hiro said slyly as he placed his hand on Yuki’s rear and squeezed. The next thing anyone knew, he was sent flying down the hall. Yuki growled angrily as she stood back up and relaxed her fist.

“What?” she asked when she saw everyone’s faces, “He was asking for it.” At that moment, a loud explosion came from outside.

“Aww, man! My mecha!” Cid screamed as he turned and ran towards the sound of the blast.

“You’re STILL making those goddamn things?” Dan shouted, “I’ve had enough!” He pulled out a gun and started chasing after Cid while Yuki stormed off in another direction, leaving a sweatdropping Lan alone.

“Oooookaaaaaay.”

“Hey Lan, let’s get the stuff out to the car,” MegaMan called.

“Yeah, we better get this done quickly.” Lan grabbed the last of the boxes and suitcases and headed out to his car.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Lan’s grades came via e-mail. He was happy to see that he had passed all his courses, as were his parents. However, they were a little disappointed when he announced that he was planning to move out next year. But they accepted his decision, saying that he was old enough to make his own choices in life.

About a month later, everything seemed to have settled down back to normal. Lan and everyone else decided that they would get together one weekend for a picnic. On the set date of the outdoor lunch, he was happy to see that everyone had recovered wonderfully from their injuries as they gathered together in ACDC Park. It was almost as if the entire VILE incident never occurred. Even Laika was present. His commanding officers had given him the week off duty, so he was wearing casual clothes as opposed to his uniform.

“Anybody want to try my newest curry recipe?” Dex offered.

“Right here!” Lan waved his hand and Dex spooned him some of the spicy dish and handed it over to him. The headband-wearing teen took a bite and his eyes lit up.

“Man Dex, you sure know how to cook!” he exclaimed.

“Hey Dex, can my chefs have this recipe?” Yai asked.

“Come on, Yai. Don’t exploit a friend,” Sean said with a nervous laugh.

“Yeah. You’re already exploiting your own wealth,” Chaud commented, “Hey Laika, what’s this soup you brought, anyway?”

“It’s a very common and popular dish served in Sharo,” the blunette answered, “It’s borscht.”

“What did you bring, Tory?” Maylu asked.

“Popsicle for dessert,” the chestnut-haired boy replied.

Everybody laughed wholeheartedly as they enjoyed the sun, the food, and each other’s company. As Lan took another bite from one of Sean’s sandwiches, he saw someone watching them from behind a tree.

“It’s okay!” he called, “You don’t have to be scared, Noah!” The white-haired boy immediately stepped out from behind the tree.

“How did you know it was me?” he asked.

“Just a hunch. Come and join us!” Noah happily accepted the invitation and walked over to the group. He removed his shoes, slid his backpack off his shoulder, and sat down next to Lan, keeping his arms wrapped around his Sabata plushie.

“So Noah, how did things go?” Lan asked.

“The judge sentenced me to two hundred hours of community service,” Noah replied, “Plus he sent me to undergo therapy to deal with my inner demons.”

“It’s a rather light punishment considering what you’ve done,” Chaud muttered.

“Chaud!”

“I was just kidding.”

“Lan, I want to thank you again for everything you’ve done.” Noah sidled up next to Lan and leaned against him, since his arms were preoccupied with his stuffed toy, “I want to thank all of you, in fact.”

“We’re just glad that you’re okay now,” Lan replied.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I brought a gift for all of you.” Noah turned around and unzipped his backpack. He reached into it and pulled out eight books.

“What is it?” Yai questioned.

“It’s my latest book, not even out in stores yet and all signed.”

“I can’t believe you’re still able to sell books even after you were on international news,” Sean commented as Noah handed everyone a copy.

“That’s because this is all part of my new goal.” Everyone looked at Noah as he explained his plan, “The book I just gave you is my autobiography. The court agreed that I could pay off my community service hours by promoting my new anti-bullying campaign.”

“An anti-bullying campaign?” Maylu repeated. Noah nodded.

“I’m going to travel around the world, sell my book, and speak before the public on the issue of bullying and just how wrong it is. Mind you, it’s definitely going to take much longer than two hundred hours, but serving my punishment isn’t on my list of top priorities.”

“I think that’s a good plan, Noah,” Lan complimented.

“Not good,” Sean corrected, “It’s bloody brilliant!”

“I’ll say,” Chaud noted, “You’ll make billions with that campaign.”

“I don’t care about the money,” said Noah, “I just want everyone in the world to know that bullying is wrong.” Lan placed his hand on top of the boy’s head and ruffled his hair.

“I’m sure you’ll succeed.” Noah looked up Lan and smiled.

“Thanks, Lan. Now where’s my share of the food?”

Everyone laughed as Noah joined in the merriment of the group.

“You may be a two-eye-color freak, Noah,” Dex commented, “but you’re a good two-eye-color freak.”

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TWO-EYE-COLOR FREAK?!?!?!”

* * *

The waves crashed against the jagged rocks as the boatman neared his boat close to the island where the ruins of Serpent Bastion now lay.

“Oi, I wonder what happened here,” he thought aloud, “It’s no wonder someone sent a distress signal from this place.” He carefully maneuvered his boat as close to the rocks as he could without hitting them and jumped off. He waded over to dry land and tied his boat to a large rock before taking a look around.

“Now to find the guy who sent the distress signal.”

“That won’t be necessary.” The boatman suddenly found himself lifted off his feet. He struggled to free himself, but to no avail. A snap followed and his body went limp.

“Hmph.” The body was thrown into the water and it was immediately dashed against the rocks as a figure clothed in a black red-trimmed coat and long color-changing hair stepped onto the boat. A swift movement of its arm and the rope was cut as the figure piloted the watercraft away from the island.

TO BE CONTINUED…IN SEASON THREE!!!
-------------------------------
End of chapter 2-51 and season 2.

I hope you all enjoyed season two and the whole VILE saga. I currently have no set date for when season three will start, but I’ll post notification as soon as I begin writing it.
_________________

[gameman]

A great finsh AMZ can't wait for next season keep up the good work
_________________
i am the game master

[Viewtiful Starman]

I've gotta say, with the exception of a few lines, the writing was very good this time around and it was better than your first season conclusion.

The plot however, is quite a bit harder for me to say the same about.
By the time Lan got data drained I had made about six predictions for what would happen throughout the chapter, based on cliches I've seen before in games, anime, movies and etc.

Every single one of those predictions came true, in nearly the exact way I expected it too.
I think you've gotta work a bit harder on that next time.
And it's gonna be kind of boring seeing the shouryu suit used AGAIN x_x

[Midnight]

I'm telling 'ya, it's NOT going to be pretty when the readers here stab at it.
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Nazne]

I've already stabbed it, Midnight. :P

-BMA

[TheWebbuilder]

And the point of having us Beta Read this was... what?

To Element and everyone else, we tried, but AMZ didn't listened to any of us Beta Readers.

-sighs-
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[Anime Master ZERO]

Why do you think I had more than one beta reader?

If the various members of the beta team hold different views on the same scene, I just go with whichever decision the majority of the beta readers hold. This is why I only need three beta readers (I still hadn't gotten Midnight Ciritc's response, so it was just down to Liorei, Eyebright, and TheWebbuilder). Don't blame me if you were outvoted.
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[TheWebbuilder]

AMZ, please cross me off of your Beta Readers list.

I'm not posting out of anger, so don't think I am.

But not one blasted thing changed between the version you PM'ed me, and this one. So if that's how you do it, then I can only conclude that having so many Beta Readers is holding you back.

Therefore, I'm stepping aside...

I hope that your third season turns out better than your second.
_________________

[Anime Master ZERO]

Don't worry. Having these last five chapters beta read has inspired me to write on par with the new quality. But should I slip again, I'll call on my beta team to help me.
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[Blue Bommer]

What an ending! :O It sends a good word at the end.

[SonicNigma212]

This is the greatest chapter that I've ever read. I'm just so glad that Noah isn't going to die in the final chapter after all. I sort of feel sorry about him. Maybe I'll think of putting the little boy genius in one of my stories some day. That's if it's okay with you. I'll be sure that you get the credit for making the character. I hope that you get some rest for putting up your fanfiction. You really deserve it. Later!

Maurice A. Nigma :grr:

[Pavo]

Very good finale.But just one question...the biggest one of second season...What did VILE stand for?????
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Turkeys are friends, not food...AMLO is bad...

[gameman]

[Pavo]

so I missed it...sorry then.
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Turkeys are friends, not food...AMLO is bad...

[Nazne]

Either that or the beta-reader's quality of writing is actually worse than what they edited, which is highly unlikely. :P Though when you've got a fic that even the beta readers revolt against, you may have just a slight problem.

-BMA

[Elementalman.EXE]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DAMN IT TO THE BLOODY HELL

I knew it. You riped off the ending for EXE2 and used it for Noah. Damn it, I give up. You even ripped of EXE4's ending. I tried to patch up the broken ends. Dex is still a dumbass. Lan is still an OC. Chaud is still an ass( More that usual at least). I have a feeling that when Anetta comes into this fic, she'll be a Nature pasifst and cooks food that lookes disgusting, even though their two completly diffrent Characters.

Damn It. I'm not gonna reviw anymore, unless there's really something that pisses me off. But I'll leave with one comment.

While you have improved you are not excepting crit very good. GET OFF YOUR DAMN HIGH HORSE. Wheater not a year of praise did this to you, but still. I'm not being rude, but even after myself, the other reviewers, and the people, you STILL won't fix up the errors. You turned Cross Fusion into a two bit gimmick, which turned it into the DUMBEST thig you've ever done. Perfect Synch, Oh boy now more stuff from the Manga. You used CF because you were low on idea's, and couldn't take a day off from typing to have a Brainstorm session. You still used The Whole Gospel Arc's for a number of point's. There are numerous diffrent way's too use plot point's in stead off ripping off.

I take back all the praise I did when I first got here. I take back all the reviews I gave. I take back my offer to be a beta reader. So what's this now. I'm a former fan, And a former reviewer.

Good Day to you !
_________________

Elementalman.EXE
Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted.
1000 Post on Sept. 18 2005 at 6:29pm

[gameman]