Summary of Previous:
Our little group headed to AMAKEN Labs for Sonia to have a place to stay, however, there's a sudden blackout caused by nasty Z Waves! After deleting giant EM Viruses and the Z Wave balls, a mysterious FM-ian presence was near, but briefly disappeared. Valor poised herself meeting upon another presence, but this time, the fight's taking place in normal world!

"Wait a second..."

Chorma hummed. "Indeed."

"MegaMan?" Val asked, scratching her head and dropped the fighting pose.

"Valor?" The approaching, familiar blue bomber came to view, and it was no doubt.

"It seems that what humans say is somehow correct. Perhaps the universe does work in mysterious ways. . ." Chroma appeared right by Valor's side, which startled MegaMan. "(Though, I do believe it is mere coincidence.)" He messed with his beard.

'It may have been his first time seeing Chroma in his form.' Val thought.

A blue flash then appeared right in front of MegaMan, surprising Val. "Eek!" She stepped back, staring at now two Omega-Xis? There was still the one on where the boy's hand was supposed to be...

What she saw was Omega-Xis, who paid no mind to Valor, but was instead focused intently on Chroma. He didn't seem to be too happy. "Shut your mouth, you old man." He grumbled.

To Omega's response, Chorma had veins and irk marks. Val stared at his irritation, MegaMan just looked uncomfortable at the lightning forming between the twosome. She seemed lost, but was somewhat amused at this newfound rivalry, they were growling and throwing glares at each other.

After awhile...

Being a tad bit tired over their glaring contest, Val decided to break it up. "Please cut it out you two. We've got other things that we've gotta take care of. We still need to finish off one more of those waveballs." Valor said inquisitively. 

"Agreed."

"Welp, I'll leave it to you! C'ya!" Valor and Chroma quickly pulsed out.

"Wh-what?! Hey! It's not..." MegaMan sighed, "...going to go away by itself..."

"Lazy old dragon." Omega-Xis muttered.

"Lazy Valor...whoever Chroma's partner is." He muttered, making Omega-Xis narrow his eyes in suspicion.

Back to Chroma, the EM dragonic being laughed, "You are indeed the most lethargic person I have ever known."

Valerie Ayaka snickered. "Yep."

"Are you going to form a 'BrotherBand' with that girl named Sonia?" Her partner asked intriguingly.

Valerie, who was walking and heading to Boreal's Lab, paused in her footsteps. She looked Chroma, who automatically opened the Transer. "Wh-why do you ask?"

Even Chroma was taken aback. "Hrm...you seemed to enjoy her company."

"I-I don't know... I've already cut- " She looked to the side with a sad frown. "It doesn't matter anymore."

After that both Valerie and Chroma were quiet, she just continued her doing and dropped the subject. 'A strange response.'

Returning to the lab, she saw Mr. Boreal and Sonia Strumm. They both greeted her and waved at her with enthusiasm, she waved back with a slight smile of course. The lightbulbs blinked back on, and in a flash, the room was flooded with light.

"It seems that they didn't lose to a bunch of viruses at least." Chroma muttered from her Transer, using the camera to look around.

'I just hope they can stay strong...' Val thought solemnly.

Boreal placed his hand on her shoulder, they both made contact and he had a concerned look. "Hey, is everything okay? It's just a little electrical shortage- you weren't afraid of the dark were you?"

She blinked and shook her head, "Uh, oh, um no. It's fine..." She slightly grinned to make it more convincing. "I'm fine, really."

Aaron Boreal chuckled and patted her shoulder. Then Sonia came to her, "Hey, do you know where Geo went?"

Val scratched her head, "I, uh... I dunno actually." Val glanced at her Transer. "Oh, um- "

Sonia asked. "Hey, Val, can you please meet me on the roof? And let's go find him... I need to ask him to go up to the roof too. I... I have some things to say." Upon seeing Valerie, she noticed that she was holding on her green Transer. "Is something the matter?"

She quickly said, "N-no, it's nothing."

'I - I'll just ask later... I don't even know if I should...' Val thought.

"Val, Sonia!" They both looked at saw him, "Are you guys alright?"

Val replied, "We should ask you that, you went off and disappeared while the lights got funny." She yawned and grinned. "Well? You guys can go to the rooftop, and you can go ahead without me, I gotta do something - sorry about that Sonia."

"It's fine, I'll just tell you some other time." She turned to Geo, "Let's go. Bye Val!"

"Cya." Val waved a little and walked off in the opposite direction. "(Um, did they went?)"

Chroma in her device mumbled, "(Hrm? Well indeed, yes. Why?)"

Without saying a word in response to Chroma's question, she turned and carefully walked up where the stairs would lead to the roof.

"(Valor, your behavior is quite odd. What are you doing?)"

She had her eyebrows lowered and looked down while quietly climbing the steps. "(I don't know, alright?... I'm just, ugh. I dunno! I'm unsure.)"

"(So, you are just going to eavesdrop instead of joining them? You are a strange girl.)"

"(Ugh!)" She opened the lid of the Transer, "(Yeah, that's right! I'm strange, okay? I've been strange ever since I was born! I don't know what to do, I'm... I'm...)" Her head dropped and her eyes went to the side. "(Having a Brotherband isn't an easy thing when it comes to me... )"

As she continued to climb a little slower, she saw the metal door that leads outside. Her ears picked up the two's voices as she approached the door, she leaned on the door, slightly creaking it open.

The light slowly slipped between the opening and was casted on her face.

She listened in, hearing Sonia speaking. "I'm sorry for holding you up like this..."

"Uh, um..." Val crossed her arms together, picking up Geo's voice. He sounded unsure of what to say.

Sonia laughed under her breath, it seemed to have another emotion hidden beneath that response. "The sky is gorgeous, isn't it?" There was footsteps and then a small sound of the metal fence emitting a chime, as if something clinged on it.

"Yeah..."

'I don't know what I'm doing...' Val asked herself. 'What am I doing?'

Her thought her interrupted as Sonia spoke up again, "I wonder if Heaven is beyond those clouds... When I look up at the sky, I can feel like I can hear my mama's voice." Her voice wavered slightly, sending a pang of guilt for listening in.

Geo didn't seem to say anything, either that, or Val couldn't hear it.

Then she continued, "I lived with my mama. Mama's body was always weak... she was sick in bed a lot." Suddenly, it was as if Val heard this once before. "Nothing changed for a year..."

"I wanted to make her happy, so I thought of all these different things. That's when I started singing whatever came to mind for her." To Sonia, she could see all of these sweet precious moments in a blink of an eye, even hear her mother. "I sang about the flowers in the Spring... The sea in the Summer... The leaves changing in the Fall... And the snow in the Winter. I sang whatever I saw outside my window."

Both Geo and Val had a painful reminder, Valerie had her fingers caress the smooth bracelet around her wrist. 'A weak and sickly body...' She reiterated in her mind.

"And she really did enjoy them." Sonia felt something trickle down her cheek.

Geo on the otherhand, glanced down on his one-of-a-kind pendant that clung around his neck. 'Like me and my dad...'

"All these pretty things and fun things - I turned them all into songs for my mama to listen to and enjoy." Her mind briefly flashed back to the moment when she was so busy writing songs, Sonia had accidentally fell asleep on the sheet music ontop of her mom's bed. "After awhile, we'd write songs together and sing together." A heavy weight on Sonia's chest made her own eyes tear up as she shakily said, "I love her so much... Music was the thread that held us together."

"Then, one day, there was an audition being held rhat was sponsored by a TV station. Mama said I had a natural talent, and that I should give it a try." Then she chuckled, a small blush sneaking into her cheeks. "Mama... She embarrasses me sometimes."

'I could relate Sonia...' Val smiled at herself.

"So anyway, I went to the audition, thinking that if  I became a real singer, mama would be happy." Sonia showed her custom-looking guitar, "That was when mama bought this guitar for me..."

Geo thought to the side, 'So she sang for her mom...because she wanted her to be happy...'

"I practiced with all my heart, did the audition, and got picked." She had recalled getting a message in the inbox long time ago, "Then, I made my debut."

"Mama would get a lot of flowers and was happy. I sang harder than before because I wanted to make my mama even happier." Then there was a terrible pause. "But now..."

Sonia's voice trailed off, being so weak and fragile. Her sweet memories were replaced by something bitter, the moment when she became alone.

"I can't sing for my mama anymore..."

"So, then your mom is?"

"Three months ago... She went to Heaven." A sniffle can be heard.

Geo, even though he knew what to expect, it still came as a surprise. A ghastly and horrible shock. 'Her mother passed...'

"I continued to sing for my mama's sake..."

Val's guilt was only becoming worse, 'We really do have a lot in common. I should've joined them on the rooftop...'

'Loneliness...'

"I wanted to make her happy up there." Then she choked, "But now my mama is already..." Then she heard Sonia cry, the final nail to Val's heart of guilt.

'Why did I lie? I should've been there for Sonia - I'm so dumb...' Val wiped her own tears away, the story hitting too close to home.

Geo gently placed a caring hand on Sonia's shaking shoulder, "S- Sonia..." He uttered softly.

With a big sniffle, she said, "Thanks Geo... I just, need to let this all out. I'll... I'll continue."

He simple replied, "Alright."

"My manager says to sing for my fans, but it's all really for him to get rich. I- I don't want to sing anymore..."

Geo gave a small thought before having to say something, "Um, I don't know how to put this - but saying that you don't wabt to sing is probably making your mom sad up there." He glanced at the cloudy skies.

They both glanced at each other, until he quickly added: "Um, nevermind. Forget I said anything."

It was then that Val heard other things, something that wasn't from where she was eavesdropping from. "(Valor. Voices.)"

"(Yeah, heard!)" She said with a voice of deep urgency.

"She's not here!"

"Where is she?!"

The voices became increasingly louder, that even the two in the roof caught it. "(No!)"

"Sonia?!"

"Hey wait!"

'That's Mr. Boreal's voice.'

Upon seeing his partner's face turn serious, 'She seems...provoked.' He asked. "(What are you going to do?)"

Val moved one of her bangs behind her ear, "(What I've always done, I'm gonna fight.)"

Aaron Boreal bellowed, "Wait a sec! You can't go out there!"

"I can do what I want! I know she's here!" A moment and few stomps up the stairs later, Val went face to face with Sonia's manager. He has this unnecessarily fancy purple suit and was just as obnoxious as she had expected like before. "Get out of my way, girl! I lost money because of her!"

"She's not here!" Val tried to be intimidating, raising her voice slightly as to show that she wasn't just a shy girl.

"Enough of these stupid lies - I'll just go through!"

'Crud!' Her mind instantly screamed as the man bigger than her was intentionally going to plow through her!

"OUT OF MY WAY!"

"Ack!" She uttered out as she was pushed through the rooftop exit and the door flew open, surprising Geo and Sonia. "Ow..." She landed on her bottom.

Boreal was right behind the manager as he was catching up, "Val!"

"Sonia!!" The manager screeched in pure anger.

'Ow! That darn jerk! Now I'm in the mood for some trouble!' Pent up rage quickly boiled inside her, a man like him had unfortunately reminded her of someone.

"You've caused me a lot of trouble, missy!" He spat out.

Boreal knelt down to check on Valerie, "Valerie, are you- "

*slap!*

She swatted his hand away like a fly, and her eyes were only focused on the man scolding Sonia. "I had to cancel the concert because of you!! Do you know how much damage you've caused?!" He stormed on, his face completely red and frustrated beads of sweat rolled down from his plump face as Sonia was backed against the fence. "Come on! We're leaving!"

"NO!" Sonia remarked, "I don't want to cheapen me and my mama's songs!!"

But then, Geo stepped in-between the conflict. Val was unnoticeable as  she approached them all of her expression shown and stored within her trembling fist.

"Were you the one hiding Sonia?" The manager growled.

Before he had the chance to raise his fist, Val cut in. "No, we both did. NOW LAY OFF OF MY FRIENDS, JERK!!"

*BAM!*

With a great, weighty swing, she had punched the manager and sent his expensive glasses flying off!

"Val..." Geo said, astounded.

Realizing that she did that as most of her anger dissipated from that jab, she uttered, surprised herself. "Guys..."

"Watch out!"

*WHAM!*

The man retaliated, hitting back and giving Val a nasty mark on her cheek from his gold rings! "Get out of my face, brat!"

"N-No!" Geo stood up, helping Val quickly recover.

Having been fed up, the manager roughly shoved both Geo and Val out of the way, Boreal ran up to the scene. Noticing the mark and bruise forming on Valerie's cheek as she wiped her mouth, he yelled. "What were you thinking?! They're just kids!"

"Shut up! It's because of those punks, I'm in this giant mess to begin with!" He took out a fine, silky cloth to wipe his forehead.

Mr. Boreal gave a sideways glance to Val, knowing that she had most likely punched the manager. "I'll talk to you after this."

Upon seeing that scolding look, Val quickly looked down in shame. The look had reminded her too much of past memories in school, 'Great, now what? Is he going to lecture me?' She ignored the argument in front of her, and Geo noticed her scowl.

"I don't think you can pay! That brat ruined my face too! So why don't you mind your own business, pal! Sonia!! I've had enough of this, we're going!"

Sonia had clung to her guitar, her hood further covering her face. "Y- Yes..." 

Without even realizing her handband had flown off when she got punched like the manager's glasses flying off,  he had eyed it like some pathetic insect on the floor.

*SNAP!*

'M-my headband!' Val helplessly thought.

"I'm sorry, Geo, Val... And thanks..." Sonia departed along with the man in the purple suit.

The other two didn't say anything as she went to pick up her bear-eared headband, now snapped in half as the blue pieces sprinkled the ground. "(Val?)" Her partner asked worryingly.

She gingerly held the vibrant, red ribbon that was tied on the headpiece. "Val, I need to talk to you." Aaron stated as she moved the strands behind her ear, "Val?- "

As she headed for the exit, she gritted her teeth, a constrained tone emerged from her lips. "Are you going to scold me?"

"Lily- "

" -Like my mom used to do?..." She accidentally let some of her frustration slip through, the nickname triggering it. But then she gave up, knowing that Val was the wrong in this. "N- Never mind. Forget about it - I'm sorry..." Then she rushed out, the door leaving a click  as it had closed.

Leaving only Mr. Boreal and Geo, he sighed, adjusting his cap. "I'm sorry I failed both of you, Geo."

"No, it's okay... I didn't do a very good job either."

As Val descended the steps while tying the ribbon on her hair. "Was the headband important?"

"No, I liked the headband, but it's the ribbon that's precious." Val sighed, "Too many hectic things happenin' in one day. I'm too tired to do anything right now..."

"Hmph."

Back to Boreal, he explained. "Geo, Val wasn't usually the troublemaker. Well, unless it came to friends and personal things. And judging by what she did just now, Val recognized you and Sonia as her friends."

A question that has been bubbling in Geo's stomach suddenly came, "Mr. Boreal - Should I form a Brotherband with her?"

"...I'm sure she'd love to have a Brotherband again, Geo."

A thought crossed his mind, realizing something was off about her. 'Again?'

Then back to Valerie Ayaka, her partner laughed shadily, as if an idea came to mind. "Heh, heh, heh. We should fight. You say you are tired, but you are rattled."

Val gently caressed her swollen cheek, 'It hurts soooo much...'

As she continued making her way through AMAKEN, Geo was alone with his silent thoughts as Boreal left.

Chroma urged. "Valor, you should destroy some viruses in order to burn some of that anger underneath."

The lid of her green Transer opened up as she brought her arm up to eye level.

Smoke came out of her ears and her brows furrowed, "Burn? Oh, there's plenty of it to burn..." She said it so calmly before exploding like a volcano. "Stop bugging me about suggestions  - or I'll give YOU a beatin'!" Chroma cowered in reflex.

But then, a lurking presence sent a tingle down her spine.

Their fun little chat cut abruptly, 'An FM-ian again?' She looked upwards at the transparent strands from the EM World. "This FM-ian showed up the WRONG time... Ready to kick their butts?" She may have to burn the anger off after all.

Standing on top of the vortex, she pulled out the card Chroma had empowered when they first had met, then swiped his card! 

"EM Wave Change!

Val Ayaka, 

On. The. Air!!"

With the flames engulfing her, she transformed into Valor, clawing the lingering flames and revealing her vivid crimson armor! Her ferocity and anger fed their inner energy, Chroma sensing it while Val was oblivious. 'The heat is noticeably more potent.'

She hopped onto the EM Wave Road of AMAKEN, changing her frequency in order to land on the path itself. "Can you sense where the enemy last was?" 

"BOOMERANG CUTTER!!"

*Woosh!*

Two projectiles sliced through the air as a battle cry bellowed out!

"AT YOUR FOUR!" Chroma warned.

Turning, Valor braced for impact at the oncoming projectiles! "Tch!"

A/N: Returning with an explosion of comic pages! PG15 is actually when I came back to the comic, so quality changed and...next part, novelizing it.