Part 104: Update 36:The Final Errands: NumberOpen is Your God.

Time to get on with the three-star jobs. The first of them is a hunt for a TimeCapsule. It's buried at the base of one of the trees in GreenArea, but there are phony time capsules hidden as well.



Capcom is so predictable. Of course it's at the very back of GreenArea2. I didn't even need to check anywhere else.



The reason he wanted us to dig this thing up is because he had wrote a love letter to a girl and put it in there when he was younger. Now married to a friend of his, it'd be kind of awkward if it was dug up, so he intends to change the name to avoid all that. We get an HPMemory out of the deal, and I'm not complaining.



Mr. Famous is our next client. A batch of five experimental viruses used for testing escaped into random computers around CentralTown and SeasideTown. They're in:

The robot dog.
The monitor in the first room of the school.
The blackboard in the teacher's lounge.
The water machine FBeast floated over.
The popcorn machine.



Mr. Famous redeems himself for his buggy MMBN4 scenario immediately. FastGauge *, yay! By the end of this update, I'll have snagged so many useful, powerful chips that my folder nears completion.



The next request takes us back to the popcorn machine as well. The client can't get the safe open and the shop owner is on a trip. You'd think they could just send an email asking what the code is.



Fortunately, we get a hint. This is obviously asking us to count the number of animals at the aquarium. It's a bit misleading though, depending on how you interpret it. The number of each animals goes in the specified decimal place. The number of dolphins goes in the ones place, for example. I remember when I first played the game, I thought that the solution was a formula:

D = # of dolphins
P = # of penguins
S = # of sea angels

X = D + 10P + 100S



So we end up with this answer and get the Millions NaviCust program, which guarantees Zenny drops after every battle. MMBN6 fixes the money issues that were in MMBN5 and MMBN4, so it isn't exactly necessary.



The next job asks us to do actual police work and round up some criminals.



This isn't anything new to Lan, as we all know.



It's just 5 SP virus fights scattered throughout CentralArea. Not exactly hard. We get a Custom2 program as the reward.



The next job is a stint as a detective's assistant.



The suspect is being watched by the detective, he's right next to the fountain. Lan is asked to talk to him to get an idea of what sort of personality the guy has. After all, Lan's just a kid, who'd suspect him of being with the police?



Eh, antisocial, but not really suspicious.



Lan's detective internship goes in the typical direction. There's a vending machine up the stairs, at least.



When we return, the incompetent detective has lost the suspect already. He can't have gotten far! Just offscreen to the left is a door that's been locked the whole game, however, and now we get to enter.



Well, this proves it. The crook brags that he's jacked into the pipe computer and sent his Navi out to sell the data online.



Sending MegaMan in pursuit, we wind up on the upper level of CentralArea2. Yes, the upper path that you can't access for the majority of the game is just used for this one job BBS request. I get the feeling it was originally intended to be more.



MegaMan proceeds to exterminate the criminals and retrieve the stolen data.



Our reward this time is very helpful: Roll *, ProtoMan *, and Colonel * chips!



The next job is simple: a boss rush. The logic is that by seeing how criminals are defeated and recording the data, the NetPolice can better deal with future criminals. Well, okay.



They're all at the same power level as they were when we first fought them. Considering that BlastMan can be defeated by a DarkMech, this isn't exactly a challenge.



More * chips for our reward. AreaGrab * (into the folder with ye!), AntiRecovery *, and AntiNavi *.



Our next request comes from Mr. Famous again. He made a machine that can release a grueling 20 round virus gauntlet for training NetBattlers. Our job? Test it.



Even more asterisk chips! JudgeMan * and ElementMan * join KillerMan * as being the trio of most-used NaviChips in competitive folders. JudgeMan * returns stolen panels to you in addition to his attack, and ElementMan * is great for cancelling crosses. JudgeMan * goes into my folder, but ElementMan * isn't much use for the in-game battles.



This guy, our next client, is Capcom's love letter to the DoubleSoul system from MMBN4 and MMBN5. He never shuts up about souls.



Our job is to take down the NetMafia. Yes, the entire mafia. Jokes about Gospel aside, these guy's have been showing up periodically in jobs and all the way back in MMBN4's Crusher scenario. I misinterpreted his directions to mean GreenArea.



I get lucky and find a Gold Mystery Data, but no NetMafia.



What you're actually supposed to do is jack into this statue. The NetMafia is pretty ballsy, I have to hand it to them, considering this is right next to the courthouse and prison.



7 rounds of SP viruses all in a row. Some of the virus combinations are pretty tough, but it's entirely doable by this point.



One assbeating later, the NetMafia ceases to exist. Revenge is a dish best served cold, I HATE stealth sections in non-stealth games! Ah, sweet punishment for MMBN4.



Is this a reference to some Japanese legend I'm missing out on? For now, I'll go with the idea that the guy behind the game show Takeshi's Castle (known in the west as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) was a SoulBattler.



See what I meant before? This is a direct quote from MMBN5's ending.



He gives us an item that has a NumberTrader code on it. And surprise, it's the Tango program! Like Beat, it can only be used in linked NetBattles, making it worthless. Still, we get the accomplishment of having decimated the entire NetMafia.



Cue the 4-star jobs. These jobs are more unusual than the others. Our next client is an old woman who's Navi was deleted.



She's been plagued by dreams of her Navi crying out for help, coming face to face with a giant horned skull. Our job is to find the remains of the Navi.



I remembered right then that someone had asked me to show off the SlipRunner program. It increases MegaMan's movement speed while you hold the B button even more than regular running does. The problem is that it acts like you're on ice all the time, in that MegaMan can't stop moving. I don't find it very useful, because of all the twists and turns in the game.



"Face to face with a giant horned skull" is our clue to check the center of the giant skull in the back of Undernet2. If you were expecting an actual visible cue, you're out of luck.




After getting the remains, the Navi's ghost appears and thanks us for letting him pass on peacefully.



Our reward is the orgasm-inducing NumberOpen program!



The old lady vanishes into thin air. So we were just serving a ghost.



NumberOpen is my favorite program in the whole series. You get to select from 10 chips on the custom screen. Permanently. Mind you, it takes up the entire NaviCust grid.

Worth noting, another program exists that lets you do crazy things with your custom screen. The SearchShuffle program is available from the GreenArea program merchant for a fairly cheap sum of Zenny, so you can get it earlier in the game. It lets you use SearchSoul's chip select screen shuffling ability once per turn. Personally, I prefer NumberOpen.



Continuing the theme of 4-star jobs being unusual for the series, we go from ghost pacifier to marital counselor.



Divorce imminent, basically.



The kid wants us to find the flowers that his father gave to his mother when they were married. The only problem is that the kid has no idea what they were.



This is our only hint of where to start with this job.



Those with a good memory will recall that GreenTown has a flower shop. Being the only flower shop in the game, of course it's the one that sold the flowers. And fortunately, the owner of the shop is like Rainman and can remember every single purchase ever made.



Here's our next hint of where to go. If you remember, ACDC town is several hours away from Cyber City, so off we go. Gosh, isn't this all so convenient? Imagine if there were any other flower shops in the world, or if the total of real world locations we can visit was more than four.



The owner is by Yai's house. Oddly, she specifies that the Ayanokoji family is a frequent customer. Even more oddly, this makes Yai the only one of Lan's friends to have her last name mentioned in-game. Instruction manuals mention them all though, and I do actually remember the full names:

Dex Oyama
Yai Ayanokoji
Mayl Sakurai

It's another instance of Capcom of America's translation being a bit weird with names. They changed the original first names (Dekao, Yaito, and Meiru) to internet puns like Lan and Hub, but left the last names unchanged.



There we go, that's the kind of flower we need! This is also your primer on the language of flowers. Because I love trivia, I'll list some other 'flower meanings':

Acacia: Secret love.
Buttercup: Riches
Pink Carnations: A mother's love.
White Clover: "I promise"
Dead flowers: "I meant to give these to you sooner"

Also, according to that Wikipedia page, yellow tulips mean "hopeless love". I wonder if that was intentional on the writer's part.



Given the circumstance, the store is nice enough to provide a tulip for free.



Lan returns to the kid to find the family having an argument on the street corner. Honestly, this whole scenario kind of depresses me. Anyone who's been in a situation like this as a kid can sympathize with the poor client.



Just as they decide on breaking apart, Lan gives them the tulip.



It brings the argument to a screeching halt. The father asks us why we gave it to them, and Lan responds (frankly) that their son asked them to, prompting the realization of how much the fighting was hurting their only child.



The kid, showing a bit of maturity past his years, states that he's now the bond holding the family together. The game implies this leads to a happy ending for the family. Good for them.



Yet again, we get an item with a NumberTrader code on it. At least this can actually be used in the game, but since I have NumberOpen, all other programs are irrelevant.



Our next client is a valley girl Navi who always loses her fights. Well, considering that Lan and MegaMan have canonically only been defeated once ever (by Bass in MMBN3), I can't think of better people to ask.



Our client wants chips.



LOTS of chips. The Attack+30 * stings, but not very much. Yes, I have to pull it from my folder, but I can order another one from Tab.



The real issue here is BubbleWrap Q. Guess who's grinding for BugFrags again!



We get an HPMemory, woo. Actually, I was wrong before about not using any HP+ programs on the NaviCust. This brings MegaMan's HP up to 900, so I'm only missing 5 in the whole game.



This is it. The final job request. Our only indication of what it is is that it's dangerous.




The final job is to undertake a hostage negotiation. Uhm. This is...unexpected, I'll give it that. Kind of dark for this series.



The kidnapper recognizes us as the new negotiator, but doesn't trust us one bit yet, so he has an errand for us. We're pretty much forced to comply.



Yes, this is the ransom money, the kidnapper even says so.



Er, that wasn't the response I was expecting. This story goes deeper than just a ransom.



We're given a pendant as proof we delivered the money, and the kidnapper's brother openly worries about his sibling.



MegaMan tells the kidnapper about that, and is rebuked furiously.



I have to admit, I like how the job BBS requests have been opening up into stories more and more. They flesh out the bare bones world of MMBN.



He hasn't lowered his guard against us yet, so he gives us another errand. This time, we're delivering a letter to a girl. He could use email, but judging from context, he can't bring himself to face the girl or get in touch directly.



She reads it aloud, making it immediately clear that she's the kidnapper's lover. He's ashamed of his life of crime, and tells her to move on past him.



The girl calls him an idiot and gives us a reply.





Christ, these side stories are pretty bleak for a Battle Network game.



The letter actually makes the kidnapper break down crying for a moment.



He tells us to shut up about it when MegaMan tells him that it isn't too late.



However, he also reveals where the hostage is.



After freeing the hostage, we aren't finished yet.



The kidnapper's fled to MrWeatherComp3.



This time, he prepares a suicidal charge at MegaMan!



Yes, the game actually pulls out the BigHat+DarkMech combo used by MegaRock and Prof. 9. It'd be a tough fight if not for NumberOpen.

Seriously, look at my options. SuperVulcan and DoublePoint, FlashBomb2, IceSeed, and AssassinSword, KillerMan, FastGauge, AntiElem...



MegaMan spares the criminal (presumably why he isn't deleted like the NetMafia) and he reasons that we're so strong because we're the good guys.



The former criminal decides to go quietly and reform his life.



Our reward is yet another item with a NumberTrader code on it. But honestly, I don't care about what it is, and neither should you. We're _{Masters of Science} now!



Due to us completing every job, Chaud calls. We're technically above an Official in rank now, for some reason. Worth remembering that back in MMBN2, Chaud is considered an S-class Official, while Lan could get up to SSS by the end of the game.



However, the REAL prize for completing all the jobs is the chance to fight ProtoMan's "true form".



This is the final battle with ProtoMan in the series. This is ProtoManFZ, and I believe the FZ stands for "Fusion Zero". Recall that Zero was included in Network Transmission. Apparently, Chaud took some inspiration when reprogramming ProtoMan.



Click here to see why I love NumberOpen. I take no damage in the fight, it's that much of a smackdown. I like to think of myself as very skilled at these games, but honestly, NumberOpen is the real winner here. Combo after devastating combo gets launched off, and you see what the folder I've been building over the game can do.

And yes, that's an emulator glitch making ProtoMan's shield color screw up. It's supposed to be red and white. Although, note ProtoMan's color palette. It's become a deeper red, sort of like Omega at the end of MMZ3. And his energy sword has turned green instead of pink.



Defeating ProtoManFZ nets us a title screen icon, so we're now up to 2 of 9 required to complete the game 100%. The next update is going to be a while in the making, as I need to collect all the chips and S-rank all the SP Navis and whatnot.