10/9/2004 :: Continuing straight from Episode 1, Episode 2 is entitled "Earth Erasure", and starts off quickly. Beware, spoilers below. No clip this week because my server is still crying from last weeks pillaging. Special thanks to Josuke for helping to identify Forte's numerous attacks. n.n; Sporting Forte's cool new music theme in the background, the evil navi himself stands over an unconcious Rockman. Forte slowly kneels down, and places his right hand over Rockman's chest. A golden glow begins to shine as Forte begins to leech out Rockman's Ultimate Program from his navi insigna. A voice from behind suddenly yells out Forte's name: it's Blues! Forte quits his assault on Rockman as Blues leaps down from above, his sword drawn. Blues lands with a loud crash, his sword striking the ground where Forte had been. The cloaked navi lands a few paces away, and stares down Blues, who is standing protectively in front of Rockman. Blues demands to know what he was trying to do to Rockman, and wonders if it has something to do with his Ultimate Program. Forte confirms his suspicions, and calmly informs Blues that he will take his Ultimate Program for himself as well. Refusing to not go down without a fight, Blues activates another sword, this time on his left arm. Blues activates his infamous whirlwind attack with the double blades, forming a massive tornado. Forte raises his right hand, and fires a gold orb of light straight into the wind, destroying the funnel. However, when the dust clears, neither Rockman or Blues are in sight! Forte lowers his hand, and turns to the opposite direction, "They ran away?" True enough, Blues begins fleeing through the net, with Rockman slung over his shoulder. Blues quickly informs Enzan that he has recaptured Rockman, and also of his encounter with Forte. As if a trigger to his name, Forte rematerializes directly in his path, forcing Blues to come to a stop. Once again demanding their Ultimate Programs, Forte sends the same attack straight at them. (*squeal* We finally see Forte's symbol underneath his cloak!) Blues is flung off his feet, causing him to lose hold of Rockman. Both navis crash to the ground, and Rockman begins to show signs of reawakening. Yelling out, "Lets go!", Forte dashes straight for Blues, who barely manages to reactivate his sword just in time. Forte clutches the sword with his bare hands, and shatters it easily within his grasp. Finding his target now wide open, Forte grabs hold of Blues by his throat, and lifts him off his feet. Rockman finally opens his eyes, and weakly looks up to see Blues being strangled by Forte. He suddenly becomes alarmed when Forte raises his other hand, and begins to suck out Blues' Ultimate Program from his navi symbol. Still laying on the ground, Rockman raises his right arm, and fires off the Rock Buster straight at Forte. Unfortunately, his buster shots stop just short of reaching their target. Forte sneers at Rockman as he drives the buster plasma straight back him, knocking the poor blue navi onto his back. Just when things look bleak, Rockman is notified of being reconnected to his PET. It's Netto! In the real world, Netto and Enzan have finally tracked down their location. Netto asks Rockman if he's alright, just as Enzan slots in the Dream Aura and Area Steal chips for Blues, allowing him to escape from Forte. Blues rematerializes by Rockman's side, who is finally standing again. Blues then informs Enzan about Forte's demand for their Ultimate Programs. Stating, "Lets go, Blues!", Enzan slots in the Variable Sword. Rockman quickly tells Netto to send him chips as well so he can help. Quickly responding with, "Gotcha!, Netto slots in the Blues Soul chip, transforming Rockman immediatly. Blues starts things off as he attacks with his "Sonic Boom!", which Forte quickly leaps up into the air to avoid. As soon as he lands, he raises his right hand, and retaliates with "Hell's Rolling!", sending two very large purple disks heading their way. However, the attack is easily sliced in two by Blues Soul Rockman's sword swipe. Rockman gives a momentary smile to Blues, who stands behind him. Forte, refusing to give up his assault, fires off an "Air Burst!". Rockman and Blues are forced to leap seperate ways in order to avoid. Thankfully, not in the least daunted, both of them launch a double "Sonic Boom!" attack. This time it's Forte's turn to run away as he logs himself out, letting the attacks pass him by unhindered. Back at the science labs, Meijin is very carefully examining the can left behind by Dr. Wily in the previous episode. Looking at a photo of the old man himself, Netto confirms that it really was him that he met the day before. Everyone is puzzled by his return, especially since they had thought he was already dead. Meijin notifies Yuuichirou that he ready to open the can, which is being held in a contained area. Very slowly, the tab off the can is lifted, and a strange smoke pours out from inside. Not only that, but a reflection of Wily also appears, oddly saying "World Three -something I do not understand-" Whatever the case, Netto is obviously unimpressed, and everyone else is just dumbfounded. A short time later, Yuuichirou begins to inform everyone about the meteor: in other words, Duo. They've resolved that he is in fact a navi from another world, but that's about all they know. Rockman and Blues realize that Forte knew about Duo, and so he desired their Ultimate Programs to gain the power to fight him. Meijin restates also that Regal and Yuriko were marked by probes from Duo, which arrived 15 years ago. (I still don't understand that whole "probe" thing) Netto is more than frustrated at the recent events, then asks "Meijin-san" (-san wa iranai!) if it's possible for Rockman and Blues to be transmitted to the meteor. Netto finishes his question with another "Meijin-san", obviously ignoring Meijin's request to forget the san, which results in Manabe trying to stifle a laugh at poor Meijin's expense. Netto states that if Duo is a navi, it surely must be possible to plug into the meteor somehow. Yuuichirou doesn't give an answer, but is obviously considering the idea with deep thought. And so, preparations begin to send the two brave navis into space. They'll reflect them off one of their satellites, which will transmit them to Duo. Blues pipes up from Enzan's PET, calling to his operator. Blues pleads with him to let him go, no matter what the dangers are. Rockman also speaks up, and backs up his decision with Blues. Even though they don't know what's going to happen up there, he knows that they must do this. Outside the labs, an eccho of footsteps begin to approach two security guards at the gate. The two men wave their hands, apologizing to the visitor that they can't let him inside. Unfortunately for them, that said guest is none other than Forte in Shuryou's robotic body. n.n; The very determined navi lifts both men off their feet by clutching their heads, and tosses them aside like toys. Meijin alerts Yuuichirou and the two boys that they are ready to begin. Netto and Enzan lift up their PETs, and are about to plug-in when all of a sudden, Shuryou/Forte busts through a wall and enters the lab room! Netto is surprised to see Forte there, who has begun smacking aside the security guards as they come at him. Meijin quickly shouts out, "Stay back! He's not human!". Forte easily walks up to the control panel, and activates a red protective aura around himself. Being closed off from everyone else, he takes it upon himself to dive his hand into the computer, and grasps a handful of wires. Forte then begins the process of plugging himself into the network, much to Yuuichirou's undeniable shock. Forte begins to scream as he propells his navi data from Shuryou's body, sending himself flying into the network leading to outer space. (*snirk* Animators forgot his purple marks again. n.n;) Netto realizes that he's is going to go fight Duo! A loud beeping suddenly signifies another energy reading, which is heading straight for Forte....and it's coming from the meteor! A bright light erupts in front of Forte, but instead of moving out of the way, he simply collides with it head on. The main computer at the labs explodes, throwing the now empty body of Shuryou flat on his back, as well as Netto and Enzan who were standing nearby. Enzan reports that he's alright, while Netto asks the the heck just happened. Meijin alerts Yuuichirou's attention as the screen fizzles out, then is replaced with the image of a very strange female navi, who is glowing with a very bright aura. Everyone watches in stunned silence, and Netto very puzzling says "A net navi....? Eyecatch! Whoop, halfway there. *has to go to work in an hour* n.n; sigh. The new beautiful net navi shows herself in full body before them on the very large monitor. Yuuichirou inquires as to who she is, then asks if she is the fabled Duo. Very calmly, she responds, "I am Slur." (pronounced Suraa) Enzan repeats her name, and Slur continues on to explain that she is a suboordinate of Duo. Commissioner Kifune realizes that this means that Duo really does exist, and asks if they are truly from another world. Slur smiles, and responds that they are. Netto tries to get more information out of her, but is rudely interrupted when Forte attacks Slur from unawares with his "Shooting Buster!" Forte gleams with an eerie smile as he stares down at Slur, demanding a fight with Duo. Slur smiles back, and simply calls him a fool. Refusing to be put down, Forte dives in straight for her, reeling his "Earth Breaker!" Slur blocks his assault by using her own arm, while everyone else continues to watch via the monitor. During this time, Manabe is notified from her own PET that a massive virus outbreak is causing havoc around the entire world! Not just the usual viruses either, but it's another case of giant ones rampaging in the real world. Sure enough, we are taken to various shots, where buildings are up in flames and crumbling to the ground. Somewhere out at sea, a tanker explodes as a virus attacks it. Enzan realizes that once again this is the work of Duo: the Earth Erasure has begun! Kifune orders Yuuichirou to go and trap the viruses with the Dimensional Area right away. Meanwhile, Forte continues his battle against Slur, attacking her straight on with a "Dark Arm Blade!" Again, Slur dodges, which frustrates Forte to no end. In the snowing country of Sharo, a little boy flees from a rampaging giant virus. The boy suddenly stumbles and falls, but is rescued just in time by Laika! Likewise, we begin a long string of revealing the other new characters for this series. Gyroman's operator leans against a helicopter, and is oddly smiling as he watches his surroundings caught up in flames. O_o Out in the desert, Tomohawkman's operator, who is cloaked with a hood, watches the destruction in anger. Midi's cute female operator watches as a huge building is being assaulted as well. And lastly, a very old woman in a wheelchair watches outside her window from a tall building. Strangly enough, she holds a very beat up PET in her hands. But, this is the new Progress PET! And it seems that it belongs to the new net navi Colonel no less. We're then taken to a brief shot of the woman in the red dress, who is calmly holding a glass of red wine and smiling. The scenes then finish up with Princess Pride, who is worringly praying inside her castle. A Fire Dragon virus is attacking Netto's hometown, where Meiru, Tohru, Chisao and Shuuko see from a sidewalk. Inside his shop, Higure is obsessing about the protection of his precious battle chips. Funnily enough, Wily is also being followed by a virus, as he pushes his cart full of cans down a road. Wily simply tosses one of those said cans over his shoulder, and the smokey contents that spew out immediatly delete the virus. Forte continues his assault against Slur, pulling both of his hands in front of him as he fires off his "Darkness Overload!" attack. Slur takes the strike head on, and Forte believes that he's finally won. (His cape is now thrown back behind his shoulders. n.n; So coooool.) Forte smiles, and triumphantly says, "Dissappeared, eh?" Unfortunately for Forte, a long tangle of odd wires sprout from his own cape, and wraps themselves around him! Forte struggles against the bonds holding him captive, unable to break free. Forte can only watch as a gigantic blast of bright light heads his way, then pummels into him with a huge force. The bright light forms itself back into the shape of Slur, as she simply says "The one to dissappear will be you." Forte, unable to stop his own decent, crashes into the ground base of the net, causing the entire Sci Lab building to shake. The last glimpse we have of Forte is his form falling deep into the depths of the undernet. Netto unbelievably says, "Forte was beaten?!" Without waiting for an answer, alarms begin to go off inside the building, announcing the arrival of a massive army of viruses. Netto tells Enzan that they have to go and stop them, which the boy agrees with, and orders the activation of the Dimensional Area. As the Dimensional Area forms, Netto and Enzan both slot in their Synchro Chips, and perform Cross Fusion. The two quickly head outside, and R Rockman activates the Volcano Cannon chip, deleting one of the giant viruses. R Blues takes care of another one with an attack from his sword. R Rockman and R Blues stand side by side as a much bigger spider Kumosu virus turns around to face them. The two prepare to attack, but a powerful strike of electricity comes out of nowhere and deletes it! Both boys become blinded by a shining white light, and all of the viruses around them begin to fade away as they're deleted one by one. The light soon fades into the pitch black of outer space, revealing the stars and the Earth below their feet! They silently watch the vision of the Earth, as a ripple of light spreads over it, and is then followed by a wave of destruction. R Blues and R Rockman stare in shock at their home planet is uttery destroyed. A deep and mysterious voice suddenly calls out to them from the depths of space, ecchoing all around them. Voice: "What are you two? Net Navis? Humans?" R Blues and R Rockman edge closer to each other as the vision of the ravaged Earth fades away, and is replaced by the gigantic form of a new Navi: Duo! R Blues: "Who are you?!" Duo: "My name is Duo." R Blues & R Rockman: "Duo?!" Back at the Science Labs, Meijin reports that he can't find any trace of Netto or Enzan anywhere. Yuuichirou becomes obviously worried for both of the boys, knowing that something has gone dreadfully wrong. Up in space, Duo informs that two that he plans to go back in time 30 years, and utterly destroy the Network before it has a chance to thrive. According to him, that Network has caused a grave mistake in evolution, and needs to be corrected. Duo shows a glimpse of the Dimensional Area that Regal created to cover the entire world, and R Laserman's rampage through the cities, emphasizing his point. Duo: "I am very surprised to meet you two. Are you Net Navis? Or humans?" R Blues: "This is called Cross Fusion." Duo: "What is this Cross Fusion?" R Blues: "Cross Fusion is....the union of human and navi." Duo: "The union of human and navi...." Rockman: "Together, humans and navis have become friends." Blues: "Cross Fusion is possible because of that strength." R Rockman continues to say that even though what Regal and Wily did to the Earth was wrong, not everyone is like that. They use their power for good, not evil. Determined to protect their home, both R Rockman and R Blues then activate their weapons. R Rockman points his buster straight at the much bigger navi, stating, "Duo, I will stop you!" Before they can do so however, Slur intervenes, and keeps them at bay. Duo then reveals that he finds Cross Fusion very interesting. He will wait before taking his actions, and give them a chance to seek out the Crests of Duo. Before the two can ask any questions, Duo erupts in a bright light, and the meteor fades from the sky. Around the world, the rampaging viruses slowly dissappear, and any destruction caused by them is reversed. Enzan and Netto reappear laying unconcious on the ground, their PETs laying by their sides. Netto eventually opens his eyes, just in time to see a strange mark on the palm of his right hand before it fades away. Enzan struggles to his knees, calling Netto's name, and he finally realizes that they're safe back on Earth once again. As they get to their feet, they pick up their PETs, and both navis respond healthy. (It should be noted that we never do see Enzan's hand. Whether or not he was also marked is not known at this time.) Inside the Science Labs, the examination of Dr. Wily's strange can is finally complete. Yuuichirou is very excited to report that Wily has revealed a very important revalation: the ability to create a Dimensional Generator! With this new data, Yuuichirou will be able to harness the power of Cross Fusion without the aid of a Dimensional Area. (Which of course, means new PETs must be made. Tada!) Commissioner Kifune is absolutely confused as to why Wily would aid them, especially considering how his plans were foiled by Yuuichirou's son, Netto. We're then taken to a shot of Wily himself, who is staring up at the sky. He seems to be amused that Duo has decided to hault his plans of destruction, at least for now. Very late that night, Enzan and Netto stand on the roof of the Science Labs, gazing up into the starlit sky. Netto tells Enzan about the strange sign on his hand, and that he realizes it to be the mark of Duo. Netto doesn't really understand why he was chosen, but he'll do his best nevertheless. It's his world, afterall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By far this episode outshined the first one, and really showed us what Stream is going to be about. Not only was the plot much better, but the animation scored much higher as well. Netto's journey to find those who carry the Crest of Duo has now begun! Next week, Takeo and Beastman are reunited, the new PETs are revealed, and Netto and Enzan's Cross Fusions are reborn! Don't miss it! Rockman.exe Online has been created to help other fans have a decent source of information and media on this great anime series. If you find any errors in this site, or would like add anything, please don't hesitate to e-mail me! Thank you all, and enjoy your stay.