Annihilation
Under where?
By Rai (Drillman)
Yep, today is the inevitable Undernet Mission. If you're familiar with the previous two BN titles, you'd know the 7th chapter of the game invariably involves running wild goose chases in and out of cyberworld all for the nefarious and mysterious Undernet that nobody knows anything about...even though Megaman's ripped through the place twice already. It's been renovated again, and full of new mind-numbingly tedious tasks for you to perform. Sure, you may be saying, "Hey, didn't the last chapter end in the Undernet?" Well, this is the OFFICIAL Undernet mission. The last one was just Capcom being too lazy to give Flame his own level. Overall, I'd say this Undernet chapter is slightly less painful than BN2's, but definitely more painful than BN1's. With that in mind, let's get started.
In the last cutscene, we saw that Wily didn't JUST need the TetraCodes to complete his mission. He needs to get Alpha from SciLab. I don't suppose Alpha is that thing in SciLab1 that's right out in the open, just blocked by a few doors? I wonder why a flying navi doesn't just go over and around those doors. Ultra Tight Security my ass. Whatever. Wily gives Drillman the job of getting in and out with Alpha.
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| These wounds, they will not heal. |
At this point, Lan decides that of all people, he should tell his greatest rival how he unwittingly helped Match. I'm sure Chaud's excited about the idea of getting Lan imprisoned on a more real charge than "Getting In My Way" or "Making Me Look Bad", but he decides to let it go. I guess he really wants Lan to do this mission instead of him, he's probably being chicken. He then suggests Lan visit his dad in the hospital before giving his decision at the Virus Lab.
Doc Hikari's in the room where Yai was before. When you get there, it turns out he's already got a visitor. It's Sean, AKA: Shoryu Gospel, The Netmafia Kingpin, Big Daddy G, Don Netorio, the G-Spot...okay, I'm getting carried away. Anywho, it seems he's atoning for his sins by going around telling his story to people...um...okay...This is helpful for some exposition anyway. We find out that Wily is the one that got Sean to form Gospel. Wily was also the one to suggest cloning Bass. Interesting. Lan sees this and figures out what he must do. So it's off to SciLab!
Before going there, you might as well do the stuff you'd normally do at the beginning of a chapter. There are new messages on the boards and new jobs at the SciLab. The first row of teacher's lounge desks at school now hides a RegUP1. Tamako has now fully upgraded Metalman, so you can battle him whenever you want as many times as you want to get all his chips. The QuizMaster has appeared behind Ura Inn, his ten answers are 8th, Lion, 2, Stuffed Animal, Backward, 3, Teacher's, 3, 300Z, and Statue. You can win an HPMemory from him. There's a lady hiding behind a pillar on Beach Street that will give you SpinPurple for finding her. Inside the DNN building in the Editing Room on the second floor, inspect the recording schedule near the door for a RegUp2. There's a foreigner in the back of ther TV Studio that wants Shadow J in return for his AntiSwrd Y (may have to wait for a while before you can make this trade), and there's a man in the hospital lobby that wants you to trade the DynaWave V from the last step of the trade chain for his GrabBack K. Just one more step in the chain to go. The reason you might as well do this stuff now instead of before visiting Dad is because AFTER visiting Dad, the Virus Breeder becomes available, and with it, one more job on the BBS. You can also start hunting down all your virus friends right after talking to the older scientist next to the breeder machine.
At the Virus Lab, Chaud tells you the Undernet has a system called the Ranking, and "S" is part of it. Chaud gives you the BlackMind program which when equipped basically gives you an Undernetter's scent. Think they're too smart to see cute n' cuddly ol' Megaman as an evil punk just because of some NaviCust program? Well, you'd be surprised. You can also use this when talking to that actor in BeachSquare looking for bad guy inspiration to get the Team2 * chip in return.
Head to the Undernet, and once over the thin path while going through Hades Isle, just replace your Press program with BlackMind. There are no tiny walkways in the Undernet you have to worry about. Speaking of Virus Breeding, you can pick up your Swordies while in Undernet1, so you might as well grab them before going onto UnderSquare. While hunting down Flameman, you probably passed a navi in Undernet3 blocking the rest of the area. With Blackmind, he'll get out of the way. Once past him, it's just a short walk to UnderSquare.
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| "Thanks?" |
Ten other navis will teleport in and the statue will tell you you all gotta fight eachother across the Undernet to even get a chance at being ranked. It's not like you could just sit back, wait until the other ten are done killing eachother and then take on the winner, naw that would be too realistic. Instead, you're the only one moving around, and you gotta find each of these stationary idiots and beat them to come out on top. Might as well get started.
The first 4 are waiting for you just outside the square. Talk to any one of them to initiate a 4-round battle against them their virus bombs.
| White Version | Blue Version |
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Don't be too afraid of the Omega class viruses. You better get used to them 'cause they show up a lot from now on. You can now fight the other six in any order, though I numbered them in the map above in order of convenience and to make it simpler to list the battles here. Head back to the short path in Under1 that connects Under2 to Under3, (getting confusing yet?) when you get there, fight contestant#5. Keep backtracking to the greater Under2. When you get to two teleporters that are close together, go over the conveyer belt to find the sixth. Keep going, down the stairs, head right, take the first conveyer belt, and there's number 7 next to the teleporter. The eighth is at the exit to Undernet1. Back in the greater Undernet1, the next guy is waiting at the top of the middle staircase. Head down those stairs to find the last guy.
| White Version | Blue Version |
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5. CanodumbΩ, CanodumbΩ, BeetleΩ.
6. Spikey3, Spikey3, SpikeyΩ. 7. Ratty, Ratty, RattyΩ. 8. BunnyΩ, BunnyΩ, MetrodΩ. 9. BunnyΩ, BunnyΩ, DominerdΩ. 10.YortΩ, YortΩ, YortΩ. |
5. BeetleΩ, BeetleΩ.
6. Slimey, Slimey, SpikeyΩ. 7. Met2, Met2, RattyΩ. 8. MetΩ. MetrodΩ. 9. MetrodΩ, DominerdΩ. 10.BunnyΩ, YortΩ, CanodumbΩ. |
With that done, Mysterious Omniscient Statue voice tells you to find Rank#10 "where evil fall". You know what that means, go to hell. I mean, Hades Isle. Not the little bit connected to the Undernet, you'll have to jack-out, go to the Beach, take the boat and jack in to the console where you fought the first round of the N1 (wheee, the wild goose chase has begun).
Rank 10: You'll have to re-equip Press now. You won't need Black Mind when talking to the Ranked navis for some reason. Take the right thin path upon entering, then the conveyer belt, then go up. An eerie looking cloaked navi awaits you. You'll have to fight a SnowblowΩ. He's backed up by a Gloomer in the White Version, or a Trumpy in the Blue Version. Not too difficult, but you still get special boss music for some reason. Afterwards, he gives you Rank10 and a nice "Current Ranking" window will pop up in the upper-right corner in case you forget at some point. He leaves, forgetting to give you the hint to find Rank9.
Now that you're Ranked, those obstructive Heel navis blocking the ways to Undernet4 and Undernet5 will happily step aside. Through Under5 you can reach Under6, and even the final Undernet area, Undernet7, all right now. There's a lot of stuff to pick up there too. It's a little much to describe here though and the mission will take use through 4 and 5 soon enough. Sit tight.
So what next? As if on cue, you get an e-mail from Mayl. Apparently, Roll is suddenly lost in ZooArea2. Also, Mayl has taken to calling you "kiddo". Hmmm, suspicious much? It's not like it could be anyone from the Undernet, Lan and Megaman are just too unknown there, how could they know to use Mayl and Roll to trick him? The answer? It IS a trap from the four guys you trounced in Undernet 3, and Capcom just can't keep their facts straight. It also means we have to walk into this trap to progress the story, and drag on this lousy mission even more. Jack out, go to the Zoo, jack in, go to ZooArea2, not far in, you'll be ambushed by those first four from the free-for-all. So it's another four round battle.
| White Version | Blue Version |
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In both versions, the 1st battle has a clear field, the second and third have a couple cracked and grass panels on each side, and the last battle has four cracked panels and one grass panel on each side. These battles are mostly all over the place, but it's not as bad as the first time you fought them. They're not really any more coordinated. Once they finally learn their lesson, you'll conveniently get an e-mail from the old #10 giving your next hint.
Rank 9: "Where Science gives Life" That could apply to just about anything in this world where people would make their navis breathe for them if they could, but specifically, we're talking about the Hospital. If you jack in to the tree of life and head to the right, you'd see a green navi looking to a separate platform where another cloked guy is floating. green guy mentions the weird one came in from beach area. Remember HospCode that Mamoru gave you in the previous chapter? This is what it's for, besides getting those mystery datas that were also behind the cube.
Head to Beach1 and unlock the security cube if you haven't already. Go through the teleporter and wind up back in HospComp2. Rank#9 sympathizes with me and speeds things up by skipping the battle part and handing over the Rank.
Rank 8: Your next clue is Rednu3. Oh gee, that's cryptic, how can I ever crack that complex code? Lame clue aside, head to Undernet3, the same place where Flameman was hanging out before. There's another cloaked guy here, but surprise, it's actually Beastman! I certainly didn't see that one coming. How the hell does a navi like Beastman wear a disquise like that anyway?
WWW Navi Battle: Beastman.exe β
HP= 900
Speed= quick
Defense= normal
Movement= random teleport, avoids MM's row
Attacks= Beast Ray(60), Jumping Claw(60), Wild Rush(60x12)
 | If you've already fought this guy in Lan's doghouse, he shouldn't be too hard. Good chips are Slasher to guard against those unpredictable pounce slash attacks, and Gutsman will make his own speed and mobility work against him, confining him to a single, easily targeted panel quickly. If you're Heat Style, use LavaStage and he won't even be able to get an attack off, every time he moves he'll step on lava. |
Turns out Inukai and Beastman were trying to get the Forbidden Program so it couldn't be used against Alpha. So much for that. Beast jacks out and Megaman picks up the Rank8 he dropped. The former Rank8 will then come in and tell you the next clue, but he'll also attack you, because he's stupid and doesn't realize that he can't beat the guy that beat the guy that beat himself. Both versions involve a FishyΩ with lava panels across the bottom row. In the White Version, the other two viruses are Fishies. In the Blue Version it's Spikey and Spikey2.
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| Who's the higher rank here? |
Too bad Dex's house is locked or you could use his shortcut. Instead, go through Yai's PC. At the Square, check the left board. It seems Rank#3 is already interested in you. Bottom of the slope in Undernet4. Great! The journey suddenly seems a little less ridiculously long!
Ranks 6, 5, 4, and 3: So it's time to explore Undernet4 officially. To recap, it was blocked off before by a navi in Undernet 2 that didn't think you were strong enough to pass. If you haven't found this guy before, go left after entering Under2, go straight at the next fork, ignoring the path that leads to the staircase, then step on the next conveyer belt you see. Go through the teleporter here. Follow the path, ignoring the first conveyer belt, but step on the second. Go up at the next fork and there's the exit to Under4.
Once in here, the path will split again. The meeting place is left, but good optional stuff lies on the right path. Plantmanα hides at a dead end along this path, it's about time you got a chance to get his chip (you can then find his Beta version in HospComp3). Further on through a teleporter is a Speed+1 program. Go on through to the isolated upper area of Undernet5 where Desertman's Cube guards a SandStage C. Now go back to the start of Undernet4 and take the left path. You can pick up a Recov200 N along the way. You'll eventually come by a security cube locked by Beastman. Oddly enough, this one never opens for me on the first time even if I beat Beastman in the doghouse plenty of times. I think fighting Beastman as Rank#8 resets the damn thing so you have to track him down in the doghouse again. Marvelous. Further on, you'll find a NetDealer you can get some more HPMemory and rare chips from. Your meeting place is at the bottom of the staircase at the next fork. If you keep going around to behind the pillar, you can find the "Hidden Demon" who'll tell you an Error Code if you have Black Mind equipped. Just make a full circle to get back to the staircase.
As you may have expected, it's a trap. 3 nasty navis will teleport in and throw a boulder at you, but Gutsman pops in just in time to save you. Dex came back just to cheer you up. Aww, how sweet. Apparently he wasn't slacking off when he said he'd train hard, 'cause he deletes the three jerks with a single hammer. Well, Dex and Lan have some stuff to catch up on, so Gutsman jacks out...then jacks back in. Ah, hold the phone, it's actually the Copyman you may have heard about at UnderSquare. He's Rank#3, the three others were his cronies, 4, 5, and 6. Now he's using the power of the guy that knocked them all out with one blow. Sounds challenging? Even though it's just Loser McGutsman? Possibly.
Ranked Navi Battle: Copyman.exe (Gutsmanβ)
HP= 900
Speed= medium
Defense= armor
Movement= random teleport
Attacks= Hammer Wave(100), Area Crack(100, cracks panels), Rocket Punch(150), Zeta Punch(150x17), AreaGrab(1 stock)
 | He's got some powerful attacks, he now has SuperArmor, and if he uses area crack twice quickly you could be pretty screwed. You may wanna pack some repair or terrain chips, or equip AirShoes. He uses Z-Punch after the battle drags on for a while. You'll see it coming when he starts teleporting very rapidly. He'll then start tossing Rocket Punch after Rocket Punch at you while invincible. Unlike YOUR Z-Punch PA which gives you 5 seconds to work with, Guts's version lasts quite a bit longer, it'll annihilate you if you can't dodge, so watch out. Still, his HP isn't that high, if you're quick you won't have to worry about it. |
Copyman accepts defeat and gives you your rank and clue. Then he leaves, so you jack-out too. The penultimate ranked navi hides at a "place of battle", that's gotta be the vaguest clue ever. That applies to pretty much every place in the game.
Rank 2: Well, it specifically means the battle console on the DNN stage, so head to the beach, into the building, jack-in, and head northeast. Rank#2 waits there. This is where Blue and White versions differ greatly. If you're playing the White version, you'll face Mistman. If Blue, you face Bowlman. Freaky alternate dimension stuff, I guess. Here goes.
Ranked Navi Battle White Version: Mistman.exe
HP= 1000
Speed= medium
Defense= cover
Movement= random teleport, but never enters the leftmost column
Objects= Appearing Mistman(invincible), Tackling Mistman(10 HP), Poison Mistman(50 HP)
Attacks= Majin Tackle(40), Poison Mist(poison effect), GustPunch(40), Soul Gang(20, paralyzing effect)
 | Your target is the lamp, which hops around like silly. When lined up with you, Mistman will charge out and dash at you, and after a while the lamp will stop an a puff of smoke will come out, then Poison Mist will start, which makes a bunch of poison clouds appear in your area that move back and forth in the row for about six seconds. If one of these clouds is in front or behind you, Mist will pop up from it and punch you. A good way to avoid the troublesome PoisonMist is to hit the lamp hard just as that puff of smoke preceeding PoisMist appears, it'll stun him and cancel the attack. SoulGang will show up once he's been weakened, and two ghosts will try to hold you in place for Mistman's own attacks. The attacks are relatively weak compared to some of the other fights this chapter, so not too much to worry about. 2000Z for winning. |
Ranked Navi Battle Blue Version: Bowlman.exe
HP= 1000
Speed= medium
Defense= normal
Movement= random teleport
Objects= Pin Missile(6 HP), Standing Pin(40 HP), Bowling Ball(invincible, shielded)
Attacks= Pin Cannon(40x15), Pin Set(40), Bowling Bomber(40)
 | It's can be hard to dodge the Pin Cannon. There are openings to step through, but it gets hard to keep up the pattern for a while. You can also shoot the pins as they fly at you, but even with the attack power to "destroy" them, it really just knocks them into the air and they may still land on you. After three rounds of that, he makes three pins pop up randomly in your area, though you can guarantee at least one will try to pop up underneath your feet. He'll then start rolling bowling balls at you. Pins hit by balls will fly up and try to land on you, so beware. You can use holes to stop the bowling balls, but you still gotta watch out for those pesky pins. You get 2000Z as a prize. |
Afterwards, Mist/Bowl finally tells you that "S" is really a navi called Serenade. He also repeats what every damn ranked navi has told you so far. Stay away from him, he's too powerful, you can't begin to fathom his awesome, spectacular, fantabulous powers, you should be quaking in your boots, blah blah blah blah blah. I GET IT!!! He's frackin' strong! Just tell me where to get the Forbidden Program so I can get this mission over with! He then gives you Rank 2 and tells you Serenade can be found in the Undernet's server, hidden behind a boulder in the real world. Alright. Before leaving, you can battle this guy again. It's the exact same battle, you can win another 2000 Zenny. This is just the official optional V1 battle.
Rank 1: Jack-out when you're done and head to the bath at Ura Inn. Some jars that were stacked at the right end of the room before are now gone, and going past that point will reveal a new door hidden in the rocks. I wouldn't call it a "boulder", but it's not like any of these clues were great. The Secret Cave down there has the Undernet's server alright.
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| BAD END |
After jacking out, Lan is greeted by the admin of the Undernet Server. It's Mamoru! Ah, that makes sense. No wait, it's so unexpected my head explode. Mamoru explains that the Undernet was actually made by his father, a SciLab scientist. (There's a bit of a hint in the Japanese version, since the Undernet is known as "Ura Internet" there, and if you read the nameplate on Mamoru's door at the hospital, you'd see his last name is Ura. That's also his name on the Inn, his mother is the innkeeper, and Tamako is his aunt. Really.) Since Giga-Freeze could freeze the whole net, they had it stored deep in the Undernet so an accident would be isolated there. The fact that criminals hang out there was just because it WAS isolated from the regular net. Turns out SciLab created Alpha too...
Before you can get any more info, a siren starts blaring from nowhere and we switch to SciLab1, where we see Drillman using the TetraCodes to break through Alpha's awesome security. He escapes through a hole in space. Waitaminute, if Drillman can make holes in space for transport, why didn't he just drill directly onto the platform without using the TetraCodes? Ugh, of course he coulda always flown around the doors too, aw hell, no use trying to make sense any more.
Finally back in control of Lan, you can jack back into the server for a moment and learn more about the big hole there. Apparently holding a star and knowing 100 fragments of power will get you into the sacred land. Keep that in mind for later. Now go to SciLab, jack in, and head to the spot where Alpha was. It seems all the Officials are cowards that won't go in the hole, but they're happy to ask YOU to go through. You'll end up in Undernet5. This hole remains for the rest of the game, so it's a handy shortcut to the Undernet.
Follow the path to the right, veer off onto the dead-end underneath the staircase you see right away and search around for an HPMemory. Then keep going, ignore the exit to Undernet6, then when you reach a staircase and a conveyer belt, take the conveyer belt and take the path in the southeast. At the end of this path you can find Flamemanα, so beat him and get his chip if you want (and then find his Beta version in Yoka1). Then take the conveyer belt, and the northwest path right next to it. Keep going straight until the path spilts again, take the left path. You'll eventually wind up at Drillman, who really should be heading back to Wily's instead of standing around there, huh?
WWW Boss Battle: Drillman.exe
HP= 600
Speed= fast
Defense= cover
Movement= shoots straight into the sky then goes into attack mode. Returns to the ground momentarily when hurt or stunned.
Objects= Drill Bit(10 HP, shielded)
Attacks= Drill Missile(80), Triple Hole(80x15), Subterranean Strike(80, breaks panels), Rockfall(60)
 | His HP may be low, but that's because he's hard to hit. He never stays still. It's also hard to hit him directly since whenever he appears he's behind his Drill. Shockwave and other such piercing attacks can get through this. A really helpful chip is Slasher, just press and hold the A button as he begins his attack and you can hit him with your eyes closed. You still gotta look out for his other drills though. Subterranean Strike is a 2-stage attack, he first drills up from 3 random panels in your area, though one will be under you. The panels he goes through turn into holes. Rocks then fall onto 3 more panels, but again, one is meant for you. The rocks are slightly weaker though. Triple Hole is when three wormholes open up simultaneously in his area and each shoots Drill Missiles repeatedly at you. You can stop this attack if you find out which hole Drillman is hiding behind. Shoot each one with your buster and the one that sounds like it's taking damage is the one. Hit that hole with a strong chip to knock Drillman out of the attack. You get 4000Z for winning. |
Now that Drill's gone, you can just pick up Alpha and leave, right? Oh crap, it's Bass again. Megaman uses GigaFreeze in a moment of desperation...but Bass is a chosen one too and he catches it and dispels it. So guess what? The whole mission to find GigaFreeze was a big, fat, stinking waste of time, you know, besides advancing the plot and stuff. I can still bang my head against the desk in frustration though. *BANG* Oww...
Bass leaves and your mission is a failure. What good fun this chapter was! Well, just because this mission sucked doesn't mean it's all lost. The final chapter is upon us, and it's a whole lot more satisfying. Onward then, to the final battle! Until the secret mission...and until the next game...
~Raijin
