10Rias and Megaman sat in the grass by one another. Lan and Issei were resting from their unfortunately taxing sparring match. Megaman spoke first.
"I should explain first...as a navi who has adapted to many enemies' powers, it was only natural that I managed to copy the two Cybeast's abilities. However, it was more than we bargained for. A Cybeast's power is wild...unpredictable. It was a miracle that I managed to control it. However, Lan only recently gained the ability to use it." He explained.
Rias raised an eyebrow. "You said there are two. Which was that?"
Megaman sighed, looking grim. "Cybeast Gregar. The great wolf Cybeast."
Rias nodded. "I assumed so. Chaud roughly explained them, but didn't describe them very well. I expect that is why Lan managed to use claws as well as the new armor."
"Precisely." Megaman replied, nodding. He showed her a holographic copy of himself in Falzar Mode.
"This is the other Cybeast form?" Rias questioned.
"Yes. This is Falzar. Both are devastating. However, the forms we use cannot even scratch the surface of what the real Cybeasts can do. As the name suggests, they are gigantic beasts who terrorize the net in our world. I cant show you a hologram…"
Rias shook her head. "That's fine. I understand why he went berserk.
"Is that so?" Megaman confirmed.
"Yes. I expect that since this is a smaller, compact form of the Cybeasts, the power they hold is even more unpredictable, resulting in the Cybeast Gregar Lan being uncontrollable."
Megaman nodded. "Exactly. You could say it's a glitched form of double soul."
Rias smiled. "I see. That's quite a burden..."
Megaman frowned. "You have no clue..."
Rias looked at him and frowned sympathetically. She could tell that the world warp had aged them more, and had made them feel very homesick. She wished she knew how to comfort the group.
Rias sighed and looked over at a now waking up Issei. She went wide eyed.
"Megaman, Issei is waking up!" She exclaimed.
The two ran to Issei, and Rias held him up a little to make waking up a little easier. Issei coughed a bit, then shook his head, trying to wake himself up.
"What….was that…?" Issei asked the two, obviously still a bit groggy.
Megaman answered him with shaking his head. "That, was a Cybeast. I'm so sorry...there was no way to know that would happen…"
Issei shook his head a couple times, holding his head. He held a hand up to Megaman. "No, it's fine...ouch…"
Rias helped him up, trying to steady him. The two stood up, and Rias looked at Lan, who was still knocked out.
"It seems like he won't wake up for a while...will he be alright…?" She asked.
Megaman sighed, and nodded.
"He'll be fine. This has happened before."
Megaman looked at the two again afterward.
"...But never this intense."
Rias thought for a moment.
"What could have triggered it…?"
Issue scratched his head, and yawned. He didn't seem very interested whole situation. As a result, he gave a Captain Obvious type of answer.
"He did seem pretty angry. Maybe he was mad about being here?"
Rias took no notice. She began to pace, genuinely invested in what the cause could be. After a few minutes, she stopped, her eyes widening.
"Devil energy." She said quietly.
Megaman turned around to face Rias after thinking for himself.
"Pardon…?" He asked.
"Devil Energy!" She exclaimed, ecstatic. "The power of a Cybeast is supposed to be a chaotic force, correct?
Megaman nodded in response. "Right. But...I don't quite see your point, Rias…"
Rias explained further. "Devils like myself posses chaotic power, like the elements, or physical enhancements. So, our energy must be conflicting with the Cybeast energy you already had."
Megaman thought for a moment.
"That seems possible, but I don't think it could be that simple…Hold on...you said there were Devils, Fallen Angels, and some followers of god, right?"
Rias quickly understood what Megaman meant. "Do you think all 3 forces are tampering with it?"
Megaman's face turned grim. "3 powerful, expansive armies with highly destructive power fighting one another? Its like a buffet for Gregar."
Rias matched Megaman's grim look. "So, what does that mean for you and Lan?"
Megaman sighed. "To be honest, we can't do anything about it. The best thing we can do is adapt, and learn about this world. Hopefully, Lan can control it in time."
Rias and Issei nodded. As clumsy and odd as Issei was, he could tell that the situation was dire.
In the distance, black feathers were sailing away on the heavy wind, signifying the presence of something far more dangerous than anyone could realize.
Back at the club HQ, everyone sat down, enjoying some calm after Lan woke up. Chaud was casually talking to Xenovia, Asia was exchanging jokes with Issei, and Koneko was explaining battle tactics to the others, especially Maylu. After all, they needed to compare strategies and fighting styles.
Lan sat on the couch, staring at his hands, thinking about the events that had happened earlier. Akeno happily served tea to all the members. However, she was quickly distracted by Lan's discontent. She finished serving, then sat down by him.
"Lan, even your Net friend is enjoying himself. What seems to be wrong?" She asked.
Lan looked up at her for a minute, then returned to his state with a slight smile.
"The term is NetNavi...but...I just can't help but feel out of place...and on top of that, useless." He explained.
Akeno sat up a bit. "Is this related to the "Beast Out", as Megaman calls it, from earlier?"
Lan stayed silent for a moment. "Of course it is. I was just learning to control the power of the Cybeast...then, the powers here make me lose control and go berserk! That means its unsafe for me to Cross fuse...making me useless. Megaman is the heavy lifter…"
Akeno waited a minute. Then put a hand on his shoulder. "Lan...I don't know you very well at all. But, I can tell from the way Maylu talks you up, that you are far from useless. This power is one that takes time. Its important that you take time and train to wield it. Don't throw yourself in the gutter because of a slip up."
Lan looked up at her, and smiled.
"Thanks, Akeno...I needed that." He said, breathing easier.
Akeno leaned into his ear, and whispered.
"By the way, make some moves on that Maylu girl. I know you like her." She almost purred.
Lan blushed, and got a little louder, but still hushed. "Wait, whoa! What do you mean, "Moves?"!?"
Akeno simply giggled, and walked away, continuing to serve tea.
Maylu was listening to the conversation a little, thinking she was sneaky. Akeno walked by her, and whispered,
"You have to move too. He's a great guy. Someone in this world might snatch him".
Maylu blushed hard, and sipped her tea frantically.
Rias finally clapped her hands, signaling everyone to cone together. The group readjusted to see her better.
"Right. So, as we have new unofficial, and certainly powerful members, Ive come up with a little exercise to help us better ourselves." She explained, looking proud.
Issei ruined her moment.
"Um...what?" He asked, yawning.
Rias lost her look of pride, becoming disappointed in him. She sighed, rubbing her temples.
"We're doing a sparring skirmish tomorrow...we'll do a playground pick for the teams. The goal is the knockout the entirety of the opponents team."
Issei perked up. "Yeah! You should have said that earlier!"
The group began laughing and talking about the next day. Maylu, who was sitting with Lan, put a hand on Lan's hand.
"Lan…? Will you be okay…?" She asked quietly.
Lan waited a minute, then smiled.
"Yeah. Tomorrow, I'll adapt. Just like Megaman does!"
Megaman smiled in the PET.
"You've got this Lan! Tomorrow, we'll show them our strength!"
I'm very surprised! You guys have shown a lot of support for this series! I wrote this chapter while away at Drum Corps, so it is a little thrown together, so I apologize. But I hope it answers some story development questions. And it looks like you guys really want this to continue! So, I intend to be writing more of this series in the future! Feel free to PM me with ideas and feedback! Also, I might do a Q and A.