So now Megaman is officially Rank 10 but we have no idea where to find #9. Sounds like the perfect time for a distraction, which comes in the form of an email from Mayl saying that Roll’s in trouble at the Zoo Computer. What’s she doing there? Why’s she there? What sort of trouble? Why does Mayl call Lan “kiddo” in the email? The answer? Because it’s really an ambush set up by four of the Heel Navi competitors, butthurt over getting their asses kicked. So we kick their asses again, and they’re even easier because they don’t use Omega viruses this time. After that distraction is over with we get an email from the Ghost Navi who was formerly #10, telling us that the hint to find #9 is “where science gives life.” Well that’s nice of him.
That clue’s also not very difficult – it’s obviously referring to the Seaside Hospital. The tricky part is where exactly where the Navi is, since the hospital’s a pretty big place. Well, as it turns out #9 can’t be reached from the hospital itself – he’s in the section of Hospital Computer 2 that can only be reached via the teleporter in Beach 1. Unlike the last guy he simply hands over the Rank 9 certificate, saying that he’s fed up with people constantly challenging him for his rank. This time Megaman remembers to ask him where #8 is and the guy comes up with “Rednu 3.” So, yeah, Undernet 3 ho.
The Ghost Navi ranked 8 is right where we fought Flameman. He, however, is a little different from the others. Not only does he tell Megaman that he’s met him before, but he has a very familiar growl…
Beastman Beta
HP: 900
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Jumping Claw – Beastman jumps in front of Megaman and attacks with a three-panel-wide slash for 60 damage.
- Back Slash – Beastman jumps behind Megaman and attacks with a three-panel-wide slash for 60 damage.
- Beast Ray – Beastman charges diagonally at Megaman for 60 damage.
- Wild Rush – Beastman’s disembodied claws will shoot diagonally at Megaman before Beastman’s head flies down one row. Each stage of this attack deals 60 damage.
Huh, now whenever I’ve gotten to this point in the past I’ve always been pitted against Beastman’s Alpha form rather than his Beta. I guess since I’ve already beaten his Beta form earlier the game automatically upgraded him. I wonder if that will go for the rematches at the end of the story too?
I’ve always found this fight harder than it really is simply because Back Slash always manages to throw me off and wig out my input, and Beastman’s increased speed leaves no margin for error. Half this battle’s psychological in that respect but if you don’t let that get to you he’s not too bad since his HP and attack power are still low.
After the battle Inukai pulls Beastman out, saying that the Forbidden Program won’t matter once Alpha’s awakened. In addition to the bad news that the WWW is aware of the Forbidden Program, Lan and Megaman are left without any leads as to where the next ranked Navi is. However, a Heel Navi rushes up, claiming that he’s formerly #8. He thanks Megaman for defeating the guy that beat him and tells him that #7 can be found at “head of learning.” Megaman thanks him, but as soon as he turns to leave the guy rushes him, trying to get his rank back. After dispatching that bozo we can leave.
“Head of learning”, that would be the Principal’s PC. In the second area waits #7 and in order to get his rank we have to do a little fetch quest for him since he believes that knowledge is power. Our hint is “one of many birds”. This one would probably stump many a player unless they’ve been paying extremely good attention. A Japanese player, however, would likely have a better idea of where to look. What the clue refers to is a bunch of paper cranes strung together in the hospital room where Mamoru was, called senbazuru in Japanese. The practice is derived from a legend that if one folds a thousand paper cranes they will be granted a wish or be blessed with good health and long life, so you can imagine why one would be in a hospital. Upon taking one of the origami cranes and showing it to the Ghost Navi we’re given Rank 7, however when asked about #6 he clams up and claims that he’s forgotten where he is, leaving us out of options but to look for ourselves. Or we would if Chaud didn’t send an email to us informing us that one of the ranked Navis seems to have called us out, posting on the ACDC Square BBS.
The post turns out to be a challenge, but not by #6. Instead it’s from #3, who says that if Megaman wants to fight him he’ll be in Undernet 4. Jumping at the chance to jump up four ranks in one battle, Lan and Megaman decide to take #3 up on his challenge.
As I believe I mentioned before, Undernet 4 is accessed via Undernet 2, through an exit that guarded by a Heel Navi. He’ll let us through now. Undernet 4 has an upper and lower level, with a pillar at the start of the area supporting the upper level. On the lower level we can find Plantman Alpha. His chip has him ensnare all enemies in vines. The vines themselves deal three hits of damage, and then immobilize the enemies for several moments, dealing several hits of reduced damage. The vines themselves can break guards, and since the chip is a multi-hitter stacking it with attack modifiers makes it very useful. The only drawback is that Plantman can’t hit any enemies that have crossed over onto Megaman’s side of the field. Plantman Beta can then be found as a random encounter in Hospital Computer 3 (not 2 as one might expect as that one’s part of the Tree of Life). His security cube is in Undernet 3, though it just has a Lance S behind it.
Moving on, but poking around one can find a warp leading to the upper level. Down one end is Beastman Beta’s security cube, hiding away a Step Sword M. Further in is the exit to Undernet 5, or at least an upper level of it. Desertman Beta’s security cube is here and it hides a Sand Stage C, fittingly. Towards where we need to go back in Undernet 4, located in between a series of conveyers, is a merchant:
- HP Memory – 8000z
- HP Memory – 12000z
- HP Memory – 16000z
- Curse Shield 3 N – 7500z
- Fire Ratton B – 9000z
- Recovery 150 * - 12000z
- Step Cross P – 13000z
- Attack + 30 * - 14000z
Step Cross P is a component for the Evil Cut Program Advance so that’s going into the sack. Attack + 30 is a Mega chip, but since I’m thinking of building a folder later on that revolves around Plantman I’m taking it. And hey. it’s one more Mega chip for the library.
The meeting place is at a small platform at the bottom of a ramp. Once Megaman arrives there three Heel Navis arrive at the top of the ramp and claim that they’re going to delete the Navi that’s been going around asking about S. The three conjure up a giant boulder and roll it down the slope. Megaman is saved by…Gutsman, of all people. Dex says that he and Lan can talk later and shows off his training by having Gutsman one-shot all three of the Heel Navis. After they’re done Dex says that he came back because he heard about what happened to Lan and that he’ll help his friends even if he’s on the other side of the world. How he knew that Megaman was in the Undernet though is anyone’s guess. Anyway, from this point forward Dex will be back in his house at ACDC, so we’ll be able to challenge him as normal and access his PC.
Dex jacks Gutsman out, only for him to reappear right as Megaman prepares to do the same. He realizes that this Gutsman is an imposter – his true identity is of the #3 Navi, Copyman. The Navis that the real Gutsman just beat, Copyman explains, were his underlings, the Navis ranked 4 thru 6. Copyman says that he’ll tell Megaman more about S, but only if he can win. We never do get to see what Copyman really looks like, it’s just Capcom opting out of creating a brand new boss. Well, it’s just Gutsman. He shouldn’t be too hard, right?
Copyman (Gutsman Beta)
HP: 900
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Shockwave – Gutsman smashes the ground, unleashing a shockwave that travels down one row for 100 damage.
- Guts Hammer – Gutsman smashes the ground, cracking the entirety of Megaman’s area.
- Rocket Guts Punch – Gutsman throws a punch that rockets down one row, dealing 150 damage and pushing Megaman back a panel.
- Zeta Punch – Gutsman briefly becomes invincible and randomly fires punches down the field for 150 damage per hit.
On one side of the technicality coin we’re not fighting Gutsman, but on the flip side we are so…congratulations Gutsman, you are no longer a pushover. He does not (or will not rather) recoil from attacks anymore, Rocket Guts Punch solves his range problem, and he can even whip out a Program Advance. Zeta Punch is incredibly deadly. Each hit is brutal and they do not trigger Mercy Invincibility, so it’s entirely possible for Megaman to eat 300 damage or more. If he’s used Guts Hammer beforehand and Megaman’s field is cracked it’s pretty much lights out.
After the battle Copyman reveals that S is ranked #1, and that no one’s ever challenged him to battle and lived. Even uttering his real name is something that no one does. Copyman himself doesn’t know where S is, but he says that the Navi ranked #2 should. The hint for finding the next Navi is “place of battle.” Copyman grudgingly hands over his rank certificate and tells Megaman that he never wants to see his face ever again.
Before I go find #2 I might as well try to explore the rest of the Undernet that I can. Undernet 5, as I said before, can be accessed via the teleporter in the Under Square. Here lurks Flameman Alpha. His chip has him breathe fire down one row, though it’s possible to lead the flames up or down with the D-pad. Flameman Beta can then be found in Yoka 1. Undernet 6 is just past that and amid all of the one-way conveyers in the area is a program merchant who takes Bug Frags.
- Speed + 1 – 40 frags
- HP + 100 – 50 frags
- Regular + 5 – 70 frags
- HP + 200 – 80 frags
- Rush – 100 frags
- Buster MAX – 150 frags
Rush is part of the set with Beat and Tango, and it lets Megaman hit opponents who are invisible in linked battles.
In order to reach Undernet 7, the deepest area in the Undernet, from here Flameman Beta has to be beaten as his security cube blocks off the entrance. There’s not a whole lot to do in this area yet, but it’s important that we visit here nonetheless. The left side of the area is blocked off by Drillman Beta’s security cube so most of the area is inaccessible for now. The right side has a Spikey virus blocking the path that will only move once he’s given fifty Bug Frags. Past him the path loops around to the top of a staircase where there’s a BMD containing the Hammer item. Not the battle chip from the first two games, but an actual hammer which we will need for the postgame. Behind it is a glowing door that says that it will only open for the “truly strong.” Elsewhere in the area are golden curtains which Megaman cannot pass through yet – whenever he tries a voice rings out saying that only the king of the Undernet may pass.
So, now that we can’t progress any further in the Undernet at the moment it’s time to track down the #2 Navi. “Place of battle” isn’t that difficult a hint. It’s referring to the Net Battle machine at the TV station. This is where one of the more noticeable version exclusives is encountered, for the boss Megaman has to fight here is different depending on which version is being played. Blue players are pitted against the bowling-themed Navi Bowlman, while White players get to go up against the genie Navi Mistman
◊, both of whom were runners up in Battle Network 3’s create-a-Navi contest. The player still needs to obtain the Mega chips of the opposite version’s boss to complete the Mega chip library, only possible by linking up with the opposite version.
Anyway, despite sensing a “great power” Bowlman is completely dismissive of Megaman when approached. However, he still agrees to fight, saying that he’ll tell Megaman what he knows about S should he win.
Bowlman
◊
HP: 1000
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Gatling Pin – Bowlman fires a massive volley of bowling pins down the field at Megaman for 40 damage per hit. Should Megaman hit a pin with an attack it’ll tumble onto his current panel for 40 damage.
- Bowling Bomber – Bowlman rolls a bowling ball down one row for 40 damage.
- Tower Bowl – Three bowling pins rise out of Megaman’s area, upon which Bowlman will roll a bowling ball down one row into them, knocking them around Megaman’s field. Each component of the attack deals 40 damage.
For the Navi ranked #2 Bowlman isn’t that difficult a fight. His attacks are pretty fast and break guards, but they don’t do much damage at this point in the game. Gatling Pin looks intimidating, but it’s easily dodged simply by weaving up and down in between the pins. From what I’ve seen on Youtube the Mistman fight in White seems to be more difficult since it’s not as straightforward as this one is.
Winning gives us 2000z.
After the battle Bowlman claims that while Megaman’s good, he’s not good enough to beat S, whose real name he reveals to be Serenade. Ooh, a Navi that breaks away from the “-man” naming convention, you know that means he has to be important. Bowlman explains that Serenade resides in a section of the Under Square that normal Navis cannot access, but with the Rank 2 certificate Megaman will be able to speak to Serenade if he jacks in to the Undernet server somewhere in the real world. All we’re told about the server’s location is that it’s hidden by a boulder. After this scene we can immediately re-challenge Bowlman, though he’ll still be in his base form. When he eventually reaches his Alpha form, his chip has bowling pins appear on each unoccupied panel on the row ahead of him, and he’ll knock them all over with a bowling ball throw, sending the pins tumbling into enemies.
The location of the Undernet server is another puzzle that was probably a little more clear to Japanese players. In the Japanese script the Undernet is called the Uranet, as the word ura means “under.” Where else have we seen that word? Why, the Ura Inn at Yoka of course! The location of the server happens to actually be in the bath area. We couldn’t reach the far end of the bath before thanks to a pile of wooden buckets, but now they have been removed. On the other side of the bath is an outcropping of rock with a lion-headed fountain, and by examining the outcropping Lan discovers a secret elevator. It takes him down to a hidden room with different music and a massive, hidden server.
Jacking Megaman in to the server takes him to a lone platform located behind the statue in the Under Square. Before him lies a giant pit with four flames flickering around the edge. As he approaches Serenade’s disembodied voice issues forth, commending him for making it this far. Megaman explains why he’s after the Forbidden Program, and Serenade tells him that unfortunately, the Forbidden Program cannot be simply given. Only a Chosen One can wield the program. Yeah, remember that from Battle Network 2’s postgame? Once again, the game never feels like it’s necessary to tell exactly what the requirements are to be a Chosen One in this setting. The concept is just thrown out there.
There is a test to find out if Megaman qualifies as a Chosen One, Serenade explains. He simply has to touch the program itself. If he qualifies, he’ll be fine. If he doesn’t, he’ll be frozen forever. The program appears before him in the form a glowing jewel, and after some hesitation Megaman grasps it. After a few moments the program begins to burn with blue flames, the sign that Megaman can indeed wield the program. So he obtains the Giga Freeze item (I guess it did have a proper name after all). Lan jacks him out so that they can deliver the program to the Officials, and when he’s gone Serenade muses that another Navi can wield that program…
As soon as Lan jacks out someone says that he’s not surprised that he managed to reach Serenade. Lan turns and finds himself faced with the Undernet’s admin…Mamoru?!
Well, what he actually reveals is that the Undernet was created by a scientist at SciLab, his father in fact. If you remember, Mamoru’s last name is Ura, explaining the connection. His mother is the manager of the inn (meaning that Tamako is his aunt). He explains that the Forbidden Program was developed as a counter to Alpha, but since it’s powerful enough to freeze the entire Cyberworld it was kept in a network removed from the main Internet (similar to the real-world concept of darknets and the deep web) so that if something went wrong with it the damage would be contained. Since the network was nice and isolated over time it attracted members of the criminal underworld, transforming it into the Undernet we currently know. Mamoru goes on to say that Alpha was also a creation of SciLab, but before he gets a chance to explain exactly what Alpha is, klaxons begin to sound. Apparently something called the Tetra Gate has been breached. Mamoru urges Lan to hurry to SciLab 1 and prevent Alpha’s theft.
The scene switches to Drillman in an area at the end of SciLab 1. He folds himself up into a giant drill and uses the Tetra Codes to destroy a series of four barriers to reach a floating metal orb resting beyond – Alpha’s dormant state. Okay, I realize why this was done from a game design perspective, but come on, hiding away your giant Internet-destroyer in a public network in plain sight?! I think I said back during Freezeman’s scenario in Battle Network 2 that this universe operates on the “what could possibly go wrong?” assumption. Geez, these idiots deserve to have all of their electronics taken away. Well, anyway, an Official shows up quickly enough but Drillman escapes with his prize by drilling a portal in mid air and tunneling through it. The lone, hapless Official Navi can only moan that Net Society is doomed.
Before we head off to SciLab 1 there’re two new things to do in Yoka. The first is that we can jack in to the lion statue in the bath to find a Fire + 30 *. Heading into the teleporter at the far end takes us to a Navi in Yoka 2 who wants to hear a good joke. After talking to him with the Humor program installed he’ll give us Team 1 *. The second thing to do is to take the second quiz from a man behind the bath where the fence was calling himself the Quiz Master.
- Q1: Which Breeder Grand Prix did class 5-B win? (the 8th)
- Q2: What animal pours out water into the inn’s outdoor bath? (lion)
- Q3: At the mini cake stand in front of the zoo how many gas bottles are next to the stand? (2)
- Q4: Which of these items is not in Mayl’s room? (stuffed animal)
- Q5: In what direction is the panda at the zoo looking? (backward)
- Q6: How many statues of people are there, just inside the zoo? (3)
- Q7: Where is the newest blackboard in the school? (teacher’s lounge)
- Q8: How many gold shield displays are in the Principal’s office? (3)
- Q9: How much is it to buy a lottery ticket in front of the zoo? (300z)
- Q10: Which of these is actually placed in the school? (a clay statue)
Answering all those gets us an HP Memory.
So off to SciLab 1. Drillman’s gone, but luckily we can still follow him through the portal that he left behind. On the other side is Undernet 5 and Drillman isn’t far away. Turns out that he’s got a grudge against Megaman for deleting Bubbleman, his cousin (I’m willing to bet that he was just using “aniki” in the Japanese script). So to battle.
Drillman
◊
HP: 600
Element: Normal
Attacks:
- Drill Drive – Drillman flies down one row in his drill form along with two additional drills on the other two rows for 80 damage.
- Panel Crusher – Drillman and his two drills burst from three random panels in Megaman’s area, breaking them and causing three pieces of rubble to randomly fall. Each part of the attack deals 80 damage.
- Triple Hole – Three portals open up on each row in Drillman’s area and fire a constant barrage of drills down all rows for 80 damage per hit.
Drillman is a very difficult foe to fight conventionally. His drill, which is constantly in front of him since he’s always using Drill Drive, serves to block all frontal non-breaking attacks, meaning one of the very few feasible ways of damaging him involve trying to side-swipe him as he flies past with a Wide Sword-ranged chip. The only time that he stays still is when he’s using Triple Hole as he’s hiding within one of the portals and can be damaged normally then, but good luck trying to fire off an attack with all of the drills flying right at your face. His HP’s pretty low though, so using say the elemental swords on him can work really well. Another strategy I’ve discovered is to use the Plantman chip on him. As I mentioned above, Plantman’s chip auto targets and will immobilize Drillman, leaving him open to further attacks. It also breaks his drills too. Stick a couple of attack multipliers on it and Plantman’s vines should make short work of the drilling Navi. It’s still not an easy fight, but that chip helps a lot.
Winning gives us 4000z.
Drillman explodes but when Megaman makes to collect Alpha’s orb the Cyberworld distorts again and Bass appears, being Wily’s backup agent in case Drillman failed. Lan and Megaman decide to use the Giga Freeze on Bass in a last ditch attempt to stop him from making off with Alpha. But Bass is able to catch the orb of energy Megaman throws at him and disperses it, being a Chosen One himself. Well I guess if Megaman’s the only Navi who can successfully challenge Bass (but only in the postgame!) and he’s a Chosen One, whatever that means still, I guess Bass being one isn’t too surprising. With the Giga Freeze being rendered effectively useless, Bass says that he’ll let Megaman live for now and leaves with his prize. The two decide to go tell Chaud about all this.
Finally, we get a scene of Wily at his lab in front of one of those hologram machines he had in the first game, admiring the glowing green ball of light representing Alpha. Amid peals of crazed laughter, he beckons aloud for his WWW operators to once again gather to him.
With that long scenario finally out of the way it’s on to the endgame, where some answers as to what Alpha is exactly will finally be provided.
Virus Listing
- Brushman
- These aren't Navis but rather viruses that can change panel types. On their side of the field they will create holy panels, while on Megaman's they'll make harmful ones like poison and lava.
Soundtrack
- Suspicious Mood (Battle Network 3 ver.)
- The third song now to bear that title. It plays mostly during the rest of the game in the real world until the story's beaten.
I've always thought that Drillman's mugshot made him look like an owl. I remember reading a fanfic from years and years ago that used the Zoanoroids from Beast as villains had his Beast Out form look like one, even.
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