The next chapter begins with Mayl cornering Lan at ACDC's park and asking him straight-up if he's a part of the rumored Navi team that's been freeing the Net. Like clockwork, we go through the “why do you hide these sorts of things from us” routine, and the end result is that now all of Lan's friends know that he's part of Team Colonel. Oh, and one other person, who happens to be the DNN television announcer Ribitta, from Battle Network 2. She wants Lan to tell her how to get into the Undernet so that she can do an exclusive news report on it, which he flat-out refuses. She leaves in a huff, and we get a phone call from Baryl, who wants to speak with us again. So Lan says bye to his friends and goes on his way.
Higsby's has added three new chips to its regular stock, BTW:
- Fast Gauge Q – 10000z
- Element Rage K – 12000z
- Phoenix P – 25000z
Phoenix is the first available Giga chip of the game. It summons a phoenix monster that randomly shoots fireballs into the enemy area and then restores a percentage of Megaman's HP. Team Protoman gets Death Phoenix, which is basically the same just with more fireballs and no healing.
We really should get like a teammate discount but I guess that wouldn't be fair to Team Protoman players.
As per the routine Numberman's data has been added to the Party Battle System. His combo attack, Kobankeshi Bomb (I have absolutely no idea what that's supposed to translate to), has he and Megaman chuck bombs that turn into Number Erasers into the enemy's side of the field. His support ability has him throw two dice, and Megaman's next chip is powered up by ten times the combined total of whatever numbers they land on.
What Baryl wants to talk about is the mysterious Hikari Report that was mentioned at the end of the last update. Apparently it's a compilation of research that Tadashi Hikari was doing with another scientist thirty years ago on some sort of prototype networking system totally unlike the one in use today. Regal likely kidnapped Yuuichiro to learn where the Report is (we already knew that...) and use the information in it for his own nefarious ends. So, Baryl charges Lan with investigating the matter. Megaman thinks they should look at that note they found again, but Lan says that it was just a clue to find the ACDC recording, nothing more. Baryl questions him on this point and then reveals that what Lan and Megaman discovered is called a Vision Burst and yadda yadda we already knew that it was a recording...da da da. Anyway, Baryl latches on to the idea of Gow being the key to finding the Hikari Report for some reason and asks us to go find him. Sure, whatever you say boss-man.
So off to the ACDC Vision Burst, where everything is exactly the same as before, except that Gow is nowhere to be found. Colonel arrives and when we give him our report he says that Gow missing should be impossible as inhabitants of a Vision Burst cannot leave as they're just part of a recording. He tells us to find out more about the dog while he investigates as to whether Nebula has already gotten him or not. Well, talking to Haruka about Gow reveals that Tadashi actually owned him long before Lan was born, so it turns out he wasn't supposed to be a part of that Vision Burst at all. She shows Lan a picture of Gow that was apparently taken at Oran Isle, so that's our next destination. And after that conversation we get an email from Gargoyle Castle containing the code for their security cube as thanks for sorting them out.
At Oran there's an old man who, whaddaya know, used to be friends with Tadashi long ago when he (the old man) worked at the mine. Upon learning that Lan's Tadashi's grandson he reveals that he left something for him to hold on to. His Navi in Oran Area has it, and the item turns out to be a passcode that he thinks has something to do with SciLab.
While we're here, there's an ex-Nebula goon lurking around who'll sell us the Nebula ID item for 3000z. Time to go around and open all of the skull doors.
- ACDC Area 1 – HP + 200
- Oran Area 2 – HP Memory
- SciLab 4 – Magnum V
- End Area 4 – Air Shoes
- Undernet 1 – Dark Plus *
Not bad a haul.
What we're supposed to do with the passcode is to head to SciLab 3 and open a security cube that's at the back of the area. Through that is a teleporter that connects to a computer space call the Old Terminal Computer (which has a Regular UP 2 to snag) which in turn connects to a lone platform in ACDC Area 2. There, an old Navi, implied to belong to Tadashi, gives Megaman the Past Key and another hint, this one obviously referring to the fourth area of the Drill Computer back on Oran. Once there (make sure to talk to the Navi who gave us the passcode for 2000z) the key opens up another Vision Burst door.
This one leads not to another past ACDC, but instead back to Oran Isle in its heyday. Seems like in addition to coal, magnometal, that stuff that Pride was looking for, was a hot commodity back then. Eventually Megaman hears the sound of a dog barking and sees a Heel Navi trying to corner Gow. After defeating the Navi Gow bowls Megaman over and runs off, necessitating finding him again in the bamboo shoots. Once again Gow gets the better of Megaman, and he ends up running right into the clutches of Blizzardman.
Megaman expresses surprise at seeing the Nebula Navi after the liberation mission, and instead of answering “I was restored by backup data just like every other Navi, moron!” Blizzardman explains that Darkloids will continue to revive As Long as There Is Evil. Well, at least that explains Shademan. Rather than fight, Blizzardman jacks out with the frozen Gow in tow, and we get a phone call from an Official at SciLab. Their homepage is under attack by Nebula, and since the Officials always suck when Chaud isn't around they need our help to fight them off. No rest for us.
And speak of the devil, Shademan is the one in charge of the SciLab assault. We team up with Colonel to take down some Heel Navis, and before we can fight the vampire Navi for the umpteenth time he jacks out, since now that Blizzardman has Gow there's no need to buy any more time. Afterwards, Colonel reiterates the idea that Gow must have something to do with the Hikari Report, and then Baryl gives Lan a new objective: since SciLab has been compromised, Team Colonel needs a new Mission Control. We're tasked with finding a suitable space to substitute.
After this, we get an email from Mayl giving us Roll SP R. Since Roll can't be battled, her SP chip is instead powered up by the number of holy panels on the field.
Well, let's look at Lan's options. In the past we've gone to Yai for this sort of thing but since that would require letting her contribute to the plot that's out. Looking at our teammates next, Dingo probably wouldn't be any help, but maybe Pride could let us slum around the Creamland embassy, or Dark no doubt has lots of hiding places or could hook us up somewhere with his underworld connections?
The answer is to go to Higsby, of all people. Your only clue is that he'll finally appear in his shop. In Team Protoman that would be his first appearance in the game, and as such this part makes a little more sense in Team Colonel. He's happy to help...after we retrieve some customer data Numberman dropped in End Area 3. With the errand done, Higsby chases the other customers out of the shop and then goes and opens a secret door in the wall. Through there is his warehouse, packed full of boxes, half-assembled electronics, and at the back is a large space that conveniently has an enormous wall monitor and even a large desk to stand authoritatively behind. Lan's naturally quite impressed that Higsby had such a place squirreled away, and so calls up Baryl.
Once Baryl's gotten himself installed he starts talking about how they need to strike at Nebula's forces in the Undernet when an alarm starts going off. It's a surveillance system that Colonel had set up at the entrance to the Undernet. Who's lurking around there is pretty obvious and Lan's again told to go check it out.
Before we go there's an HP Memory among the electronics scattered around, and an old computer hidden behind some boxes. According to the flavor text we somehow managed to jack Megaman into an old floppy drive. Inside are two BMDs containing a Spin Pink upgrade and a Regular UP 1, as well as a Program who will trade the Soul Cleanser program for a Justice One J. That chip can only be obtained in the postgame so it's impossible to do this trade at the moment. Not to mention that there's no point in using Dark Chips by themselves anymore what with Chaos Unison available.
Numberman's Alpha copy is sitting right outside the entrance to End Area 5. As in Battle Network 1 his chip has him use his Dice Bomb attack. Numberman Beta is in End Area 3, at the southwestern end.
To no surprise it's Ribitta's Navi Toadman that's at the flame barrier that's blocking off the Undernet. Megaman and Lan try to dissuade them but it's pretty useless. The two of them are determined to get in there. More effective than Megaman's words however, is the dark cloud that drifts over and blows up the barrier. Yep, just like Blizzardman and Shademan, now Cloudman is back. He tries to fight Megaman but then, taking a page out of Protoman's book, Colonel appears and slices the Nebula Navi, knocking him away.
He starts to reprimand Toadman himself when Cloudman, damaged but still functional, decides to blow himself up to get the others. I think he's in the running for one of the biggest assholes in the series, jeez. Well, he goes kaboom, and Colonel ends up taking the blow to protect both Megaman and Toadman. When the cyber-dust settles, he's gone.
So cut to the new Mission Control where Baryl breaks the bad news of Colonel's deletion to the rest of the team. Ribitta's there too, suitably contrite. This scene's rather awkward because everyone's going on about how they have no leader and no one can do anything, etc. etc. even though Baryl's still right there. I mean, it's not like he's also their leader or anything, or didn't let Colonel act on his own when online.
Baryl cuts through the pity party by reminding everyone that Colonel was doing his job in defending a civilian and says that they still have a leader: he wants Lan and Megaman to be in charge of the Undernet mission. Despite Higsby also endorsing him Lan goes the predictable “I don't deserve to be a leader because I let Colonel get deleted” route. Baryl tells him to think it over for a day, and if he still feels the same way, he'll appoint a different leader. So, time to go to bed in order to move the game along.
The next morning Ribitta pays Lan a visit and asks if she can join the team as a way of making up for yesterday. Lan says that he can't do so because he isn't the leader, at which point she calls him spineless and proclaims that she's going to go to the Undernet to get revenge for Colonel herself. So, guess where we're going?
When we enter Undernet 1 from the proper entrance Megaman bumps into a Normal Navi that's just on his way out. He asks him if he saw a toad Navi, and the guy says that he has, but warns that there are ghosts all over the place. Not cyber-ghosts either, or anything like that. He explicitly says that they're ghosts of dead people. This is about the point that the game starts to plunge down the route of science fantasy instead of science fiction.
Anyway, these ghosts appear as flames that randomly drift and swoop around the area. If one catches Megaman, he'll be “possessed” meaning that once battle begins he'll be infected with a bug. It's even possible for him to be possessed by multiple ghosts at once, meaning that the bugs will stack. As one can imagine, this can be crippling if you're unlucky enough to get some especially bad bugs. Leaving an area will restore Megaman to normal.
The Undernet in this game has probably the simplest and smallest layout in the series, consisting largely of square platforms that are covered in that red slime from the second Ghostbusters movie. But despite that there's still some decent loot to find like the second Expand Memory in Undernet 3, and there're two merchants: a Bug Frag merchant in Undernet 2, a program merchant in Undernet 3 and finally a regular battle chip merchant in the same area:
- Sneak Run – 20 frags
- Anti-Water D – 26 frags
- HP + 300 – 30 frags
- Attack + 30 * - 50 frags
- Giga Folder + 1 – 90 frags
- Bug Charge B – 100 frags
Bug Charge returns as the second obtainable Giga chip in the game, which damages enemies for each bug Megaman is infected with. Too bad I can't afford it right now – it would be perfect for the virus battles in this scenario. Team Protoman gets Bug Curse instead, which transfers any bugs Megaman has over to his opponents.
- Fish – 4200z
- Custom + 1 – 5500z
- Jungle – 6000z
- Reflect – 8700z
- HP + 400 – 10000z
- Bug Stop – 13000z
- Navi Change + 2 – 14800z
- HP Memory – 10000z
- HP Memory – 15000z
- HP Memory – 20000z
- North Wind V – 8000z
- Long Blade L – 9800z
- Geddon 2 W – 10000z
- Meteors R – 16000z
At the back of Undernet 3, up a ramp is another flame barrier with Toadman in front of it. Toadman's eager to get the mission started, but Megaman tells him that he has to come back. So Toadman and Ribitta decide to “open our eyes”...through battle.
Toadman
HP: 700
Element: Aqua
Attacks:
- Shocking Song – Toadman croaks out a music note that will home in on Megaman, dealing 30 Elec damage and paralyzing him.
- Croaking Frog – Toadman throws a frog-shaped projectile that bounces around the field, dealing 40 Aqua damage and leaving behind sea panels.
- Frog Smack – Toadman surfaces out of a sea panel and slaps Megaman for 60 Aqua damage.
I'd say that Toadman's easier than he was in Battle Network 2 since he doesn't have his tadpoles swimming around anymore. Now that said he still has his lily pads and the tendency to stay out of Megaman's line of sight so he's still somewhat annoying. But really, his attacks don't do all that much damage and he's pretty reliant on sea panels, so remove those when they pop up and you're golden. Or you could even use them to your advantage when he pops out of one to hit him with an Elec attack for quadruple damage.
After that, the rest of the team jacks in to give Megaman a pep talk about how hard Toadman and Ribitta want to make up for what they did and how they went through all this effort to get to the Undernet and even fight him to convince Lan. Somehow this gets him out of his funk and to accept that he's the leader. This whole scenario is still as contrived as all get-out, but I guess it's good that we're in fighting form again. Megaman announces that the mission is on.
So, about that flame barrier... Tomahawkman tries taking a swing at it but has no more luck than Knightman had on the first one. Shadowman explains that the flames embody anger and hatred, so it's impossible to open it through force. Then how did Cloudman succeed in blowing the other one up, then?!
Door-opening duty falls then to our newest teammate, Toadman. Apparently his croaking, er, songs, have the power to neutralize and heal. Nope, that ain't shoehorned at all. Team Protoman's support Navi is the nurse Navi Meddy, so this make more sense over there. Toadman croaks, shooting some musical notes at the barrier, and the flames dissipate. Megaman has Knightman stay behind to keep watch this time, and the others move out to commence the final liberation mission of the main game.
Virus Listing
- Skarab
- These are small skeleton viruses that throw their bones into Megaman's area where they slowly spin around like Skullman's Boomerang Bones attack. If Skarabs are hit by an attack that does ten-or-more damage at a time they will briefly fall apart and collapse to the ground.
- Draggin
- Imagine seahorses on fire. That's what these viruses are and they can generate flame pillars on two adjacent panels on Megaman's side of the field.
Soundtrack
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