The Triple Threat were also finished wandering around in the amazing Science Museum, Valerie just followed suit, staying quiet (if you don't count her little grudge against 'Prez' and mumbling about it) and lingered behind the group. Luna was annoying both her and Geo, so she'd purposefully avoid Luna. She had even developed a perfect name for Luna... 'Lunatic...' Val grumbled.

If it weren't for this strange gut feeling that Val and Chroma felt, they would've pranked her or even scared her until all the colors were drained and looked ghostly white. Geo didn't like Luna too much either, especially with the 'Class President' things.

Chroma, who sometimes has a slight distaste towards everyone, never liked her one bit...

"Oh? You're back?" Aaron said, putting his navy blue cap back on. "Are you all finished looking around?"

"Yes, sir. The Science Museum was just amazing!" Luna replied. "I might choose this as a field trip for the perfect learning experience as Class Prez!"

"A sensible decision, Prez!" Zack Temple pushed up his glasses.

Bud didn't hesitate to add in, basically giving a boost to her pride, as always. "Yeah, great choice Prez!"

'Ugh, anymore and I might just leave... But Mr. Boreal would obviously not like that...' She rubbed her eyes.

'How much more can an Earthling sustain this much amount of pride?...' The only thing Chroma knows about ego, is either foolishness or when an alien like him actually has strength to boast with. Sure, he has some, but after being in a wreck by Taurus Fire and weaker without a fusing partner... That had left a bit of a dent in it...

He laughed, "alright then. Next, let's go in my personal lab! I can show you guys what I've been working on." He pulled out a couple of similar cards that he'd given earlier. "My lab is upstairs, so take the elevator. You'll need a Staff Pass to get by the security gate."

Everyone headed to the staff area and slid the cards.

[Checking "StaffPass". . .]
[Pass confirmed.]

*beep!* *click!*

[You may enter.]

'Hmm... Very interesting, they use cards to gain entrance?' Chroma noted.

They proceeded to the top floor, 'its a good thing these elevators are big enough to fit multiple Buds in.' Val mused. Valerie still wouldn't get used to that sinking stomach feeling when the elevator moves, at least no one broke wind or blew up in there... Val wouldn't hold back a hard pounding on the culprit.

The AMAKEN Foyer's top floor was just as big and wide, there was a hub area with a giant TV,  there was many vending machines too. Coffee was almost sold out, 'well, as a stressful and hardworker here, of course coffee was the choice'.

They had entered the personal lab... There was tools such as wrenches and screwdrivers scattered about, there was tons of crumpled up paper that overfilled the trash cans.

"This lab room is where I work. Feel free to look around." Everyone separated, Zack was staring at the massive blueprints and plans that can cover half of the whole wall. "These aren't your everyday objects, some things in here have yet to be announced!" Boreal explained.

Geo was looking around the room, while Val almost immediately went to a familiar looking invention. She stared at it, imagining...

Bison was admiring at the dissembled parts of a rocket that is much more superior in tech and sleeker in design compared to the ones Val had seen in the Museum. Long wires and coils spilled out of it, the metal shells of the body was also in pieces, and a few nuts and bolts laid about.

-

Over at the far end of the lab, at a corner...

"(M- my FlapPack is yet to be announced...)" He murmured.

"What is this hanging on the wall?" Zack pointed out.

"Hey, you have a good set of eyes there. That's something that hasn't been announced yet." He became nervous as he listened in... "So, I can't talk about it very much."

His heart raced . . .
It fluttered around his rib cage like a humming bird . . .

Aaron's voice was more hushed. "......Pack.......... I created it...."

" ! " His hands formed fists, "wh- what did he just say?! He... He said it didn't he? H- he did didn't he?....." He quickly took his exit...

-

Back to the others, Zack was intrigued, "oh, so this is a new rocket and booster pack." He looked at the object hung on the wall, the one Val was staring. "Hmm? What's this?" He queried.

"That's something my assistant made, he calls it a 'FlapPack'. I think it's close to completion." Zack looked at it in awe, "when I saw its wings flap, it pretty much convinced me! Hahaha!"

"(It's so amazing... I'd never thought I wanted to fly so badly.)" Valerie mumbled, even Geo liked the FlapPack.

He clapped his hands, catching everyone's attention. "Well, its time for the SpaceSim tour to start."

'Hey... Isn't that the room at the end of the Space Museum?' Her alien partner hummed.

"SpaceSim tour?" Bud asked.

That only made Mr. Boreal laugh, "hahaha. You'll see. Let's get going. The Reception Desk is at the back of the museum."

'Hah! Called it...'

Geo stared at the huge monitor, he pushed a button and a *whirrrrrrr...* sound was made.

"(Hey, Valor, look)" She took a glance at the monitor that Geo turned on. "(Thanks to him, we could go into the monitor if we want to, he just opened a Wavehole!)"

"(I didn't even know you could do that!)" Val whispered. "(I should check that out later.)"

Luna clapped her hands, "alright let's head there you guys, chop-chop, let's move!"

Everyone was leaving, "if they announced this, I'm sure it'll be the talk of the town!" Zack grinned.

"Hmm... SpaceSim? What's that? Is that something you can eat?" Bud thought aloud.

Val was again, resorting her Card Box and 'BattleFldr'. She didn't even have the time to try out the GhstPulse1, 'if it was one thing I liked about battles, it's trying out new things!'

"Hey, Little Lily." Boreal tapped on her shoulder, "I think the space tour is about to start, so why don't you head on over?"

"Yeah, it sounds awesome! Hehe..." Again, her excitement was new to Chroma. She dashed away, even the trio was shocked.

"Hi!" She approached the steel gray, glossy Reception Desk.

The others soon caught up and joined her.

"Why hello!" The man greeted. "The sign up for the SpaceSim tour is over there. You're a participant right? Through this tunnel here is the SpaceSim. It's an area where we stimulate space!"

Now both Val and Geo just got even more thrilled, who wouldn't want to see and be in space? Without having the conquences of being lost or any of the sort?

"There's no gravity and no oxygen, so you'll each need spacesuits." He has a pile of them, "please change into these suits."

"(Aw... That means I can't eat in there...)" Bud muttered sadly, whilst putting on the spacesuit.

As soon as everyone was finished, "everyone has their spacesuit on right?" They nodded. "Good. Let's head on then!"

-

Meanwhile. . .

"It's the same! Always the same! The same!" He raged. "It's just like that one time..."

A dark and horrible memory resurfaced... The man was alone, the crowds that had gathered stood far from him, surrounding someone who smiled with an invention in their hands...

When he turned, fear, anger, and misery running across his face; there was another group.

And the man who was the center of attention... Was Mr. Boreal.

He had fallen on his knees, surrounded by a perpetual darkness, it seemed as if it was crushing him. Tears ran down his face...

"Why's it happening again?..." He whispered under his breath.

He was at the rooftops of AMAKEN, sobbing and leaning on the rails.

"See, I told you. Heh, heh, heh...."

A sinister voice sounded.

"Betrayal is the essence of society. . ."

The man, a ruined mess, gazed. "Wh- what should I do?..."

It laughed.

"It's simple. . ."

-

Back in the SpaceSim. . .

Geo entered the SpaceSim, "there's no gravity here." He was inside a orange colored suit.

"Of course not." Val came up behind him, floating around in a red spacesuit. "Isn't this awesome?" She looked at the entrance they came from, she chuckled. 'Earth.'

The worker near them answered, "welcome to the SpaceSim, it looks like you're the last participants. Let me close the door."

*beep!* *beep!*

There was no longer a rectangular hole on Earth, letting them both see the full view of it. "The tour will begin shortly, enjoy!"

"C'mon, let's explore!" Val levitated away, "wee! Ha ha! Ya!" She did twirls, Geo couldn't help but chuckle.

Zack was in a green suit, Luna likes her favorite color: blue, and Bud's in a yellow one.

"(So this is how FM-ians feel like when floating! Expect for the phasing through everything, haha!)" She just passed through Venus. "(Ooh, that wouldn't be too good if I were to hit it...)"

"(Humph! If you bump into a planet, I'll laugh!)"

"(I won't! Unlike you, who CRASHED into ours!)" Val retorted in a playful manner.

She swam through the ocean of glittering stars, every planet was here, except Pluto. It seemed boundless, it wasn't the real thing; but she's in space... She inspected each and every one of the planets, occasionally meeting other people, like an old couple (the man thought he's in space, really in space).  It was absolutely beautiful, the canvas of the boundless space was dotted with glimmering stars with plenty of colors, not only that, the whole background of this place was animated, so all those stars dimmed or brightened!

Comets would often be shot somewhere also, they shined in a blue hue sometimes.  Everything was in great detail, the zero gravity made it seem like she was just afloat in a dream.

But then, she started to think back onto some things... Staring deep into what seems like an abyss, she thought of Peace. Then, it connected to, well, her mother. Life was uneventful and gloomy ever since, but it was then her partner; Chroma; came.

Yes, Chroma. Her partner.

Then, it was the Andromeda Key...
Thinking of it made not only her heart sank (which already was), it made her unsettled. A creature so powerful, that could swallow and entire galaxy. It was a blackhole, who'd want to be enveloped by a blackhole?

When she looked back at the stars, it just made her think of... 'Mom...' It was something that she didn't want to think much, but there's always something to remind her of it.

"(Hey, Valor?? C'mon, you got to say something. You've been staring for minutes now...)"

"Oh... Sorry... I- I just..." She shook her head, snapping herself out of her own daze. "*sigh* Fine... There's just a bunch of things on my mind lately. You, uh... is your 'gut feeling' getting worse?.."

"(Ugh, I'm sorry to say... But honestly? Yeah...)" Chroma huffed. "(Is... That what's bothering you? Hm... Why don't you go and try to get your mind off of it? Just be on your guard.)"

"(I guess I should go and talk with Mr. Boreal...)" She muttered, almost inaudible.

She drifted past, and eventually saw everyone gathering in front of the ginormous, black machine that is responsible for generating this from what she could assume. She met up with the others.

"Hi everyone! I am your tour guide for today." She could tell by the voice that it was the same female that shut the door when she and Geo entered. "What do you think of our SpaceSim?" The woman snickered. "Almost like the real thing, right? But the fun has just begun! Now, if everyone would please follow me."

Everyone did as told.

"This is the model of the Earth. One man, a long time ago said, 'The Earth is blue.' And he was right. Our planet was Earth...is truly a sight to behold." Val looked at the white clouds that swirled upon the surface.

They went through all of the planets, eventually reaching Saturn.

"This is Saturn." She looked at the planet, which is streaked with many different shades of yellow and brown. "It's famous for the giant rings that encircle the planet." The tour guide turned to them. "Does anyone know what the rings are made out of?"

"I do! They're really just a bunch of giant donuts!!" Bud blurted.

Valerie chuckled. "Always food..." She try not to think too much about whatever Bud's response would be on tests, which made her almost laugh out loud.

"Well, that's a very unique answer!" The guide said. "But I'm sorry, that's not it. Um... How about you?" She asked Geo.

"M- Me?!"

"Do you know what the rings are made of?" She questioned.

'Good thing they didn't choose me... Again.' Val felt her face grow a bit warm.

He answered. "They're made up of small bits of dust and ice that formed into what we see as rings, I think..."

"(Yeah, that was impressively correct! Hehe...)" She muttered.

"That's exactly right!" The guide replied.

Luna praised, "good going!"

"Gee, ah. . ." He timidly admitted to himself. "(This tour is actually kinda fun...)" That didn't go unheard by Val, who secretly agreed.

They all headed to another planet, "And next we have these. Shooting stars. Aren't they romantic?" She stated gleefully.

Luna looked at them in awe. "They're so pretty!"

"...............Cool." Geo gazed at them.

Val saw the golden light dance across the stars. "I love them..." It curved into golden arcs.

Boreal chuckled, "Hahaha, so how about it Geo? You look happier already."

"Eh?" He turned to Aaron, Valerie was too distracted by the shooting stars. She'd only seen them once before.

"You really are your father's son. Your eyes light up when it comes to space things, just like Little Lily over there." 

"R- really?" Geo stuttered. "And who's Little Lily?" Aaron pointed to Val, who was watching the stars go by like the others.

After everyone decided to move on, they all regathered to the spot near the machine. "Next..."

"(Val!)" Chroma interrupted.

"(Not now...)" Valerie carefully whispered, trying to not catch any attention.

"...to show everyone this..."

"(The FM-IAN!)" She sighed, and was prepared to give him some scolding, until...

"The Swan's Dance."

She snapped her head to the source of the voice, suddenly now fully aware. "(Look, to the machine!)

"Yes, the Swan's Dance... Hey, we don't have anything like that here!" She asked, "who was that?"  

"(It's!-)" Her voice soft, wavering, and lips quivering.

"Over here."

"M- Mr. Dubius?" 

Aaron was the first to ask, "H- How are you in here without a suit on?!"

"(Val... Get ready...)"

"I don't need a space suit." His head hung low, his voice somewhat ominous. "I have been reborn..."

A bright white light flashed!

"A- aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!" Luna screamed.

Zack exclaimed, "A monster!!"

"(That blasted alien, he finally showed up...)" Chroma growled as if he sounded like a fierce dragon with boiling magma in its throat.

Val scowled. He was now skinny as a rail, a black beak lurched over his face. He unfurled his white wings, the silvery feathers looked like sharp blades. His feet, now morphed, was jet black, with three talons. He now had an avian-like form, his under armor was light blue-greenish, and his armor was pale as snow.

He opened his eyes, they're filled with utmost hatred; it was pale yellow and the red irises glared down at them.

Mr. Boreal boldly floated near. "T- Tom, what's wrong!?"

He scowled, his voice malicious. "What's wrong? Hmph, you seem to be fine..." His calm voice suddenly changed, "...for someone who just betrayed someone else!" His tone became cold and calmer again, but it didn't lose any of the venom. "I have come to punish you, Aaron. Behold!!"

Val saw in an instant that we might do an attack! "(Val, do not gaze upon him!! Turn away!)"

"What's this, hypnotizing?!" She asked, looking away without a second delay. Her heart raced, 'dang it, what could it be??'

Everyone became confused, Luna asked, "Is that the Swan's Dance?... Hey, that's odd..."

"M-My body is!-"

"Moving by itself!!"

"Wh- what?!" Val looked around her.

"I have you now."
"That's right, dance until you drop!"

Everyone began to drift away, "Ooooogh.... Why are you doing this?!" Mr. Boreal shouted. Val still was avoiding her gaze to her enemy, she was only looking at everyone floating away, she gritted her teeth. 'I have to do something!'

"You should know why." His voice became somewhat different. "Betrayal is the essence of society. Even now. Soon, the oxygen in your suits will run out. Until then, enjoy floating in this space, dancing your time away..." He spat disdainfully. "Compared to my suffering, this will be nothing!"

"Betrayal? Suffering? What are you talking about?! Please tell me!!" Even in the state everyone is in, he still offered some kind of help. Attempted to, at least.

Valerie zoomed towards the door, while still catching her foe's words. "You... You pretended to be concerned, but you'll just betray me again." Val saw him still on the machinery, who's looking away in anger. "I'm not buying it anymore!!"

With another flash, she shielded her eyes. "Darn it, he's gone!"

"(He pulsed in, let's not waste time!)" He was shown on the screens in the very same contraption he was flying on top of.

"This is the dance of your demise."

"B- but the others!-"

"(Cannot be helped unless you stop the Swan's Dance by defeating him, now go!)"

"Urgh, why does other people always get dragged into this mess?!" Val groaned, "and who's the alien this time??"

"(That's Cygnus, a swan-like FM-ian. If it weren't for my recklessness, I wouldn't have ever figured out that his dance would force you to dance also...)" Chroma growled, "(If he's here, then it's likely that...)"

"MegaMan would be here too. There's no other reason. Chroma, do you see any Waveholes?"

"No good, but the EM Roads show that they can lead us back here, so we'll have to go enter from the outside..."

Val used the planets and jumped, she landed next to the tour guide. Seeing something glinting in her pocket, Val snatched it. 'Sorry, but I need it!' She spotted Geo looking around, 'It seems he's unaffected...'

Geo saw Valerie opening the door on earth, "What on Earth is she doing??"

[Please put in the passcode, hint: the number of planets in the solar system.]

"8..."

*click!* *beep!*

"Now to hightail outta here!" Going through the tunnel, Val hurriedly ditched the spacesuit as the chamber became safe as soon as oxygen rushed in and dashed! "Where... where... Dang it! Where!?!" She bolted past the Reception Counter, and stopped briefly next to the Blackhole Generator. "Gotcha!"

Seeing a translucent orange over at the corner, she pulled out the Navi Card!

"EM Wave Change!

Val Ayaka,

On. The. Air!!"

They fused once again, "Grrr...." Valor growled lowly, her fist tight, even though it still stung from ZapAce's thunderball.

"Valor, remember, don't Aqua Change. ZapAce's bolts will do 2x damage to us if you do."

"We don't have the time for this, I'll just dodge them and run. We're on a time limit." 

"Are you sure?"

With a nod of confirmation, they yelled. "Elemental Change!"

Energy swirled around them, enveloping in light, and eventually shattered, to reveal their Aqua form. Val didn't waste another instant and skated across EM Roads.

"At least this Wave Road is connected, however..."

Heading to the SpaceSim, she was stopped short by the... "Hey I remember seeing this, why does this have to be in the way now?!"

Chroma came out and materialized next to her. "Calm down. Remember what that man said about a 'broken electronic here'?"

"Yeah, I just hope this certain Wave Changer doesn't decide to..." She turned, "blast me with that."

"Ha, I didn't expect you to have noticed them."

"MegaMan, was it?" With a fed up expression, she crossed her arms. "Why don't you just help me with this Blackhole Generator instead?"

Omega-Xis snarled, "and what? Expect us to trust you?"

Valor laughed. "We're not going through this as if you or us are like Cygnus with 'betrayal'... "

He lowered the blaster, "We don't even know your name..."

She smirked. "True, seeing that we know yours. I'm Valor. Now, then, let's go pulse in before those nasty viruses behind you start going after us."

Chroma disappeared and they both pulsed in.

Blackhole Comp

They both checked the module, and soon enough, EM Viruses popped out!

"Oh! Yep. It's got viruses." Omega-Xis stated.

"Huh, so that's what was wrong with it."

"Okay, let's get in there and fight!"

Chroma advised, "careful, Valor. One shock, and we might revert back to Fire."

With just their luck, all of them were ZapAces, one as a bit...bigger. "Please tell me I don't see a giant ZapAce, and a very hostile one."

Omega mocked, "you chickening out?"

She sighed. "You must be deaf, I never said anything like that."

"It's just a virus that's been mutated." Chroma answered.

They both engaged, MegaMan activated his barrier while she charged up for a freeze breath, the ZapAces floated around, their spikes having a flicker of electricity running through them as if they're charging.

"MegaBuster!" Rockman, er, MegaMan fired at them, and she froze the others.

"Chroma, lock-on!"

"Got it!"

"Let's see how ZapAces fairs with GhstPulse1!" She reappeared to the nearest one, her mouth ready to release it! "Take this!!"  She let out orange rings of a pulsewave in a cone and blinded them! They panicked some were caught by surprise. "Shocking?" She smirked.

"Watch out!"

*BOOM!*

Valor covered her eyes from the black smoke that had came, "I don't think I'll ever get used to a Cannon paired with an Attack +10 Battle Card..." MegaMan mumbled, "you okay?"

"Hold on...." Val used a TailBurnr1 and fired a stream of flames, destroying the last one. "Now I am."

"Now to switch this thing on."

They both looked at the control systems. MegaMan pushed a few buttons, "Um, is this it?"

*whiiiiir...*

The needle in the gauges shifted and the machine let out a humming noise. "Yeah, I'd say that's it."

"Sounds like you got it to work! Now let's go check out the Wave Road." Omega said.

They saw the fragmented green blobs formed a pathway now, leading straight to where they need to go. "Let's go."

They bolted down the roads, and pulsing into the giant machine in the middle of the SpaceSim...

SpaceSim Comp

Materializing out from the two beams that shot down, they observed the area. Valor looked down, seeing the moons and planets for platforms. "It kinda does look like cheese..." Val muttered. "What? I guess it can look like a sponge too..."

They all sweatdropped.

"That creep Cygnus is back there, know why? It's because of that Tom guy. I bet he's watching everyone getting weaker by the minute with a sissy look on that face of his..."Omega grumbled with disgruntlement.

"C'mon, all the more reasons to pour tar on him and blast feathers all over his face. Or maybe roast him into cooked chicken." Val said.

The duo continued, reaching a wide black platform in a shape of a rectangle and etched with blue grid lines on it.

"(MegaMan, Valor, look at the sky. Up there.)" Chroma pointed out.

"Up where?" He craned his head, "There's something there."

"*Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!* Who goes there?!"

Val saw a bunch of flying yellow ducks. "What the??..." Amidst the starry sky.

"It spoke!"

"*Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!* We are the Quaky Lackeys! We're a loyal service to Lord Cygnus!" Nine of them flocked together.

"I've heard of you guys. Something about a bunch of noisy ducks." Omega-Xis hummed.

It seemed to have stricken a nerve...

A vein appeared on all of their heads, each one of these flying birds. "Ducks?! Did you just say DUCKS?!? *Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!* Insolent fool! We are beautiful purebred swans!!"

"Uh... I don't know about you, but... looks like ducks to me..." Val said, squinting her eyes.

MegaMan replied, "but your not even remotely white!"

"What do you know?! Mind your own business!" One quacked. "Take this! Dance of the Stars!!"

"Watch out!"

"Woah." Since Valor wasn't close enough to get hit by the impact, she just stood there unfazed.

"That was close..."

"*Quaaaaaaaaaaaack!!* How's that?"

"Not bad, duckies." Omega was really enjoying it, even Valor and Chroma.

"*Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!* You said it again!! Unforgivable!!! A duck's wrath is to be feared, you'll see!"

Valor laughed at these jokers, MegaMan sweatdropped. "Uh.... You just called yourself a duck there..."

"Just a bunch of quackers in denial, huh?"

"I don't know about you Valor, but I seem to enjoy this." Chroma howled with laughter.

"........................................" It did a dance again.

The panels lit up in marigold color, "ack! Hey, I'm not the one saying these things, why aim for me?!" Valor jumped out of range and outside of the black grid.

Four stars rained down and MegaMan avoided it, stopping right beside Val. "What the hey!?"

"*Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!* We will shower you in star shards! Everyone, man your positions!"

"Ugh, so much for that." Valor wiped off the stardust that covered her. "This is by far the weirdest and most hilarious one yet..."